P R E S E V E N T S€¦ · HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! Welcome 2013! We say good-bye to 2012, ... Amy Aaroe in memory of Dave Swanson Marcelle and Bill Aldredge in memory of Jackie

P R E S E V E N T S

J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 3

First Presbyterian Church of Cranford, NJ Volume 27, Issue 1

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!

Welcome 2013! We say good-bye to 2012, a year which felt too often like it was filled with tragedy, stress, loss and fear. BUT...We are resilient, brave, and faithful. With Christ in our hearts and lives we can do anything. Our blessings are abundant: Life, family, friends, knowledge that our difficulties are TEMPO-RARY, but that GOD’S LOVE IS PERMANENT! We are still here! Pray for courage and strength to bring peace, love, faith, tolerance, and non-violence to 2013. And let us resolve to take the action needed to live our dreams and our faith. THANKS FOR READING AND (we hope) ENJOYING PRESEVENTS EACH MONTH. Your editorial team, Amy, Christine, Catherine, and Carol.

In This Issue: Bell Choir Concert 1

Pastor’s Message 2

Gratitude Column 3

Poinsettia List 4

Mission & Service 5

Music Program 6

Children & Youth 6

Faith Formation 8

Knitting for Nadia 8

Presbyterian Women 8

Announcements 9

Session Minutes 10

Who’s On First?? 12

Helen K. Baldwin School 13

Presbytery News 14

Keeping Up With Family 16

Contact Information 16

Calendar 17

Upcoming Preacher Schedule

Jan. 6—Rev. Kile

Jan. 13—Rev. Norman

Jan. 20—Rev. Kile

Jan. 27—Rev. Kile

BUCKNELL BELL CHOIR On Wednesday, January 9, at 7:30PM in the sanctuary, FPC is thrilled to have the Bell Choir of Bucknell University perform in concert. This choir performs at the churches of their senior-year members. Our own Kelly Bruno is one of those seniors and we are proud and pleased to have them share their talents with us. (You may remember Kelly’s voice solo during the FPC Choir Cantata. Marvel-ous!) Please plan to join us that evening. If you have any questions please contact Karen Bruno at 908-276-7019.

LOOKING FOR PARABLES IN 2013: LES MISERABLES

In a few days, we will be taking the Youth Fellowship to see Les Miserables. I saw the musical years ago back in my college days, listened to the soundtrack over and over, read the really long novel by Victor Hugo, and became mesmerized by Hugo’s account of the suffering and triumph of everyday people in 19th Century Paris. I was younger, certainly much more idealistic and romantic than I am now, but all the same, Les Mis provided many parables for my Christian journey of faith at that time. As I’ve started listening to my old soundtrack recording again, with just a little more of life’s journey logged on my feet, those same parables are becoming even more poignant. For example, Les Mis offers a parable about grace. Take the characters of protagonist Jean Valjean and his nemesis, Inspector Javert, and how they each respond to loving grace in their lives. In both the novel and the musical, each man is hardened, distrustful, even bitter: Valjean, because he has suffered years of harsh imprisonment for a relatively minor offense (he stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving family); and Javert who, though suffering through a chaotic and abusive childhood, has found his savior in the un-relenting, unforgiving predictability of the law. For both men, the world is a dangerous and untrustwor-thy place and they, like all of us, develop their means of survival. But each man comes to a crossroads when the harshness of their lives is confronted by an act of gracious mercy. Suddenly, what they have come to expect in life – what they have become comfortable with - is turned upside-down with love. And each man must decide how he will respond. The same is true for any of us. How do we respond when life deals us a painful hand? How do we respond when, sometimes out of nowhere, love comes our way unexpectedly? How do we respond to love? I realize that many of our youth may not have enough experience under their belt to appreciate Les Miser-ables. (Indeed, I think it’s a good thing if a person innocently has no identification with suffering!) But all the same, I hope that for some of them, seeds will be planted which will have them thinking about things like grace, and faith, and love. I hope that seeds will be planted which have them thinking about God’s love for them which is surely there. And as we begin a new year, I hope the same for everyone: May we all grow in God’s love and our knowledge of the same: In the reading of His Word, in the movies we see, in the work we do, in the hands we shake, in the bread we break.

May we all feel God’s blessings in 2013!

PresEvents, January 2013 Page 2

R E F L E C T I O N S F R O M PA S T O R C H R I S

First Presbyterian Church, Cranford, NJ


The Gratitude Column

A Sincere Thank You... On behalf of my family and myself, I would like to thank everyone for all their prayers and support during this diffi-cult time on the passing of my mother. Mom will not be sitting next to me on Sundays anymore, but I know she’ll be there in spirit and in my heart always. I always knew my Church family was an important part of my life but never realized how important until now. Again, thank you. Chris Felegi

Warm Hearts Helping Cold Feet - A Thank You! The Cranford-Elmora Soup Kitchen wants to express their thanks to all of the members of the FPC who donated socks for the winter months. With your help, each guest of the soup kitchen will not only receive a warm meal, but a warm pair of socks this Christmas Sunday. These socks will keep toes warms for the rest of winter. Some people also contributed children socks, gloves and hats. And so, on behalf of the soup kitchen guests, we issue a nice, warm THANK YOU!! The Mission Team

Wonderful Helpers ... Grateful thanks goes out for the hard work done by all the volunteers who supported the Worship Team this year, in particular for preparing the sanctuary for Advent and Christmas. And many thanks to the Music Dept. and everyone who made this season's music so very special. This year we invited a number of youth to participate in services and behind the scenes - thanks to all of them too. The spirit of the season and the anticipation of our expected baby Jesus was very much with us, especially after a year that was difficult for many. We are truly blessed to have so many will-ing hands and hearts at FPC. The Worship Team

FPC Received A Thank You Note... “Dear Chris [Esposito] and the Members of the First Presbyterian Church, Thank you so much for joining our house tour this year. The church looked amazing and everyone that we have asked said the church was a great addition to the house tour. We appreciate all the work you did to get ready for the tour. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Best Wishes, Kristine Farley and the Cranford Junior Woman’s Club” If you would like to give thanks for something in your life, please send an email to [email protected] or send a note to the Church office. Ed.


S A N CT UA RY B EA UT I F I E D W IT H P O IN SE T T I A S


FPC’s beautifully decorated sanctuary was made even more luxurious with addition of poinsettia plants donated in honor and memory of loved ones. Here is the complete list of donations:

Amy Aaroe in memory of Dave Swanson

Marcelle and Bill Aldredge in memory of Jackie and Gene Sommers

Brian, Trudy and Allen family members in memory of John Allen and John Webb

Carol and Jeff Berns in memory of Edwin and Richard Younghouse and in honor of Ryan and Laura Berns

Barb and Alan Binder in memory of loved ones and Christmases past

The Bobucky Family in memory of loved ones

Karen and Paul Bruno in memory of their parents, Ginny and Dick Schultz and Catherine and John Bruno

The Cherubino Family in honor of our families

Janie Cleaver in memory of her parents, Virginia and William Cleaver

Agnes Conway in memory of Elaine Hilton

Jane Denninger in memory of Robert E. Dively and J. William Denninger

Karen and Tom Dermody in honor of family past and present

Betty Duckworth in memory of Clark Duckworth

The Felegi Family in memory of Oma and Baba, and in honor of Dad

The Goldschmitt and Shields Families in memory of Jeanne C. Fritz

Marshall and Dolores Graham in memory of their parents

Donna, Guy, Anthony and Dan Graziano in memory of beloved sister and aunt, Susan Cross

Lynne Hogan in memory of Kira and Lisa Cundiff and in honor of the Hogan Family

Matt, Phyllis, Eli and Graham Howard in memory of “Poppy” J.E. Howard and Becky Kivett

Louise (Lisa) Huecke in memory of Hank Heucke, beloved husband, dear father and grandfather

The Hynes Family in memory of Julia and Paul Vanuk, Eileen and Vince Hynes and Paul Lazarowitz

Betsy Kluge, Cindy and Matthew Devlin in memory of Carl A. and Jane D. Kluge

Geraldine Krochmal in memory of her parents, Florence and Henry Krochmal, Jr.

Alex and Lydia Lehner in memory of the loved ones and in honor of our military

Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. MacDonald in memory of their loved ones

Elma Munster in memory of her beloved husband, Charles J. Munster

Linda and Mark Oricchio in memory of Robert Cardinale, Agnes Oricchio, Jim and Muriel Vandenbergh

Mamie Parker in memory of her husband, Allen M. Parker

James Ruff in memory of Margaret Ruff

The Schoustra Family in memory of Rose and Fred Barber, Gladys and Chuck Schoustra

The Thee Family in memory of parents and in honor of children

The Van Horn Family in memory of Charles and Vivian Van Horn and Teresa and Laurence Vella

Patti Williams in loving memory of Rev. Dr. Bruce D. Williams, Anabel and Oran Williams, Frances Williams, Marie and Norman Trackett and Jacque Espenshied

The Winter Family in memory of loved ones


M I S S I O N & S E R V I C E


FIRST PRES. IMPRESSES MANY DURING CJWC’S “HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS” HOUSE TOUR

By Christine Esposito

After worship on Sunday, December 2, some 115 people came to visit FPC during the Cranford Jun-

ior Women’s Club tour. They learned about our church, its history, and the amazing sanctuary in

which we worship each Sunday. From behind-the-scenes crafting and guidance, to those who scaled

ladders to decorate, to tour guides and assistants, many hands were involved in making this event a

success. Thank you to the entire Worship Team (Betsy Koehler, Jeff Nichols, Rob Berns, Judy

Bobucky, Bob and Lee McArthur, Amy Aaroe and Alex Lehner), Karin Burk, Chris and Ashley Kile,

Betsy Kluge, Carole Tomlinson, Phyllis Dunlop, Phyllis Howard, Debra Nichols, Joyce Owen, Susan

Ruggiano, Elsa Hahn, Carol Berns, Catherine Felegi, Skip Winter, Laura Simone, Ginette Bracke,

Joan Pinto, and Mike and Beth Keat.

PresEvents January 2013 Page 6

M U S I C P R O G R A M


CHANCEL CHOIR REHEARSALS

Rehearsals resume at 7:30 PM on Thursday, January 3, 2013 for the Chancel Choir. Bring your enthusiasm and rested voices!

Alison Nead, Music Director

CHILDREN & YOUTH

PRESBYTERIAN YOUTH TRIENNIUM 2013

Every three years, leaders from the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church come together at Purdue University to provide an enriching experience for the youth from churches all over the world. The 5-day program is centered in worship and provides opportunities for our youth to engage in meaningful Bible study through small groups and to have fun together in a safe, caring environment. In addition to all of this, there are games and activities that help kids to know the true meaning of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Youth across the country will meet at Purdue from July 16 through July 20, 2013. The Elizabeth Presbytery is getting together a delegation of youth and adult chaperones to travel out to Indiana for a very special time together. Those students in 9th through 12th grade may participate. For further information, please contact Mary Beckhusen, Director of Christian Education or go to the Presbyterian Triennium website at www.presbyterianyouthtriennium.org

More Children & Youth on Page 6...

http://www.presbyterianyouthtriennium.org


CHILDREN & YOUTH, Continued from Page 5

THE 2012 GIVING TREE

Thank you to the members and friends of FPC who gave to the annual Giving Tree. With help from the children and families from Prime Time and the Hands of Life Martial Arts studio, over 200 gifts were bought, wrapped, and delivered to the children from the Union County Division of the Dept. of Children and Families. As you can see in the photo above, Ms. Chinelo Shote from the department is thrilled with all of the Christmas joy that you provided for those in need. May God bless you abundantly.

DONATED PERSONAL CARE ITEMS

Personal Care Kits were distributed to the guests at the Cranford-Elmora Soup Kitchen over the Christmas holiday. Thank you for your generosity in providing shampoo, conditioner, soap, tooth-brushes, and toothpaste. The gifts were greatly appreciated. The Youth Fellowship will continue to collect the following items for spring distribution of personal care kits: FULL SIZED shampoo, conditioner, wash clothes, combs, hand sanitizer, skin lotion, and deodorant. A collection box may be found outside the door of the church office near the mailboxes. Thank you again!

Schedule January, 2013

Jan. 6t *EPIPHANY* Regular meeting with worship and communion

Jan. 11-13 Lake Champion Retreat for Senior Highs

Jan. 13 Middle school party…while the senior highs are away the middlers will play!

Jan. 20 Serve at the Cranford-Elmora Soup Kitchen…ALL hands on board

Jan. 27 Soup Making Party

All meetings begin at 6:00 PM. Please join us for some fun and fellowship. Bring a friend!


ALL WOMEN MEMBERS OF FPC ARE “PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN” JOIN US!!

A D U L T F A I T H F O R M A T I O N

The Brown Bag Bible

Study meets every

Wednesday in the

Board Room with Pastor

Chris. We are studying the

Gospel of Mark in a group

where there is no such thing

as a stupid question. Jump in

and out whenever you want!

Bring your friends and come

feed your faith!

NOON ON WEDNESDAYS

Men of the church...

We meet every Wednes-

day, 6:30AM at the Rustic

Mill Diner (109 North

Ave., Cranford) for prayer,

fellowship and, of course,

a great breakfast!

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN IN THE CONGREGATION

by Amy Aaroe


CELEBRATION CIRCLE TO MEET JANUARY 6

Well, welcome 2013. Hurricane Sandy cancelled our November meeting, and December’s meeting was a lovely dinner at Betsy Koeh-ler’s home. So we have a little catching up to do with our Bible Study. We will do two abbreviated lessons in January. Lesson 3 will be led by Mary Ann Hill; and Lesson 4 by Betsy Koehler. Devotions will be led by Mamie Parker and Jean Wands will provide refreshments. We will collect any socks, hats or gloves that you have left for the Cranford-Elmora Soup Kitchen. Meet us in Mettam Lounge for Study, and we’ll recess to the Library for refreshments and a brief business meeting. The final report on the extended Fair Trade Fair sales will be presented at that time. See you there!

KNITTING FOR NADIA WILL MEET JANUARY 25

Knitting for Nadia is a small group of women (but men are welcome too!) who create knitted items for shipment to our missionary, Nadia Ayoub, in the western Ukraine, as well as other recipients in the USA. Our usual meeting time is the last Friday of each month, at 9:30 AM in Thomson Youth Center. We have yarn and instructions and people to help you. Please contact Gail Clauer (908-963-3625) for more information.


ANNOUNCEMENTS

HEY! DON’T FORGET… FPC IS STILL DOING THIS STUFF: “Share the Spirit” Food Collection - every Communion Sunday ushers bring forward our food donations.

Bring your items to the church anytime.

Sanctuary Flowers - Contact Judy Bobucky (908-272-3643) to have flowers on the Chancel table.

Greeters - We still need greeters to sign up for Sunday mornings. Contact Lori Fleissner (908-272-1934)

Socks for the Soup Kitchen - Your gifts of new crew socks, hygiene products (soap, toothpaste,

deodorant, etc., not trial sizes) are always appreciated. There is a bin outside the church office.

AN INVITATION FROM THE PHILIPS FAMILY

We would like to extend an invitation to our church family to attend Tom Philip's Eagle Scout Court of Honor on Saturday, February 9th at 2p.m. The ceremony will be held in the sanctuary, followed by a light coffee and cake reception in the Tompson Youth Center. So many of you have helped support Tom along the path to Eagle, and we hope you can join us to celebrate his achievement.

FUNDRAISER—ART AUCTION, FEBRUARY 2, 2013 On Saturday, February 2, our neighbors at St. Michaelʼs Church will sponsor an ART AUCTION, the proceeds of which will go to the support of Raphaelʼs Life House. Doors open at 6:30 PM at St. Michaelʼs gym. Advance tickets are $25; but will be $30 at the door. Posters with additional infor-mation to follow. If you could use some lovely art for your home or office, please save this date to help support this program. Raphaelʼs Life House is a place for single, pregnant women to reside until the birth of the baby and a bit beyond. FPC supports them through our Mission Budget. Thank you, Jean Wands, FPC Mission Team

WALK THE LABYRINTH

Beginning January 13, 2013, the labyrinth will be available for meditation on the SECOND SUNDAY of each month.

First Presbyterian Church of Cranford Minutes of the Regular Session Meeting

Tuesday, December 18, 2012, 7:30pm Call to Order and Opening with the Word-Rev. Chris Kile, Senior Pastor & Moderator A quorum being present, the Regular Session Meeting of The First Presbyterian Church of Cranford, NJ was called to order by Rev. Kile and opened with a reading of Psalm 4 and opened in prayer with prayer requests taken by Rev. Kile. Present: Rev. Chris Kile, Rev. Valencia Norman, Elders: Donna Graziano, Clerk of Session; Elders Betsy Koehler, Jim Vanderhoff, Rob Berns, Lynne Fitzpatrick, Christine Esposito, Phyllis Dunlop, Joan Pinto, Karin Burk, Gary Thorn, Mike Keat, Rich Fleissner, Suzanne McMahon, Barbara Matten, Amy Aaroe, Christine Felegi, Guests: Rev. Brooks Smith and Elder Claudia Heffner, the Elizabeth Presbytery Committee on Ministry Excused: Elders Laura Simone, Ginette Bracke, Treasurer Nancy Arcieri, Trustee Karen Buchanan Committee on Ministry Triennial Visit- Rev. Brooks Smith and Elder Claudia Heffner, the Elizabeth Presbytery Committee on Ministry. They asked session “What are we excited about?” Rev. Brooks suggested that we speak to the congregation about bequests/estate planning. Rev. Brooks spoke about Presbytery’s role. They assist and can help us network but the planning and doing are up to the individual churches. He remarked that we are a vibrant “happy” church and that it is refreshing to visit a church that is doing well. The pastors were dismissed and session was able to speak openly. We were all in agreement that we are very happy with our pastors. Closed in prayer, and our guests departed. Approve consent agenda- ALL ITEMS (a-d ) APPROVED, Approve minutes of Regular Session Meeting, Novemer13, 2012 and Special Session Meeting of December 2, 2012. Accept the following reports: Senior Pastor, Associate Pastor, Treasurer, Director of Christian Education, Deacons, Deacon Financials, Worship, Stewardship. Approve baptism Sunday, January 20, 2013 of Myles Douglas Woodruff, son of Karen and Gregory Woodruff. Approve date for Congregational Meeting in March10, 2012. Financial Matters Stewardship Report-Elders Jim Vanderhoff and Gary Thorn. Pledges are coming in but we are still under where we need to be for our budget. Fundraising Team-Elder Amy Aaroe. Fair Trade Fair was conducted as a series of Sunday “boutiques” $500 raised, more than last year’s one-day sale. Treasurers Report-a written report was received. Donna passed along Treasurer Nancy Arcieri’s request that team chair-persons contact the treasurers with changes to team budgets for 2013. Session feels that Trustees need to be at Session Meetings to help with long term planning and facilitate communication. Session would like to have a long-term strategic plan. Approval of 2011 Audit- We will review in February. Approve staff Christmas gifts- Deacons Report- Rev. Norman, Deacon Liaison. A written report was received from Deacon President Ed Towery Continued on Page 11...


S E S S I O N N E W S



Information/Discussion items/Old business Worship Team-Elders Amy Aaroe & Betsy Koehler. Communion schedule distributed Sound System. System needs repair due to power surg. Terry Schultz is working to repair the system. There will like-ly be costs associated with the repair. Liturgist schedule circulated. Stewardship needs to let Session know for approval if there will be any changes to the special offering envelopes in the box, prior to them being ordered in the fall. Red Cross debrief-Elder Donna Graziano Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) building use-Rev. Kile. There are many groups that are excited about using our facility for mission groups coming for Sandy rebuilding. We are a safe, vibrant and central location. We are able to choose when and how often we host. More details to follow. AmeriCorps-Elder Phyllis Dunlop. There are 12 volunteers looking for housing for overnight, soon. They will be in contact soon to make arrangements. The volunteers are background checked. Christmas Tour-Elder Christine Esposito. There were 115 people that toured our beautifully decorated sanctuary. Members enjoyed seeing the decorations go up earlier than usual. We received lovely thank you note and Christine Esposito will put an article in PresEvents. Allison Nead’s Sandy fundraiser: Will probably have the event here in January. New website-Elder Christine Esposito. Team leaders need to provide current content on a regular basis and a coordi-nator for the web info will be named. Board photos-Elder Donna Graziano. Photos will be taken and we will use the bulletin board next to the Sacristy. Mis-sion will be awarded a different bulletin board. This is key to communication and transparency. Mary Beckhusen, DCE Service of Recognition-Rev. Kile. We received an Order of Service template from Presbytery and the service will be on a date to be determined in January 2013. Church Life-Christmas party Dec. 16-The party was well attended and the highlight was a skit performed by the pas-tors. A newer regular attendee brought friends from a group home for mentally challenged adults. Rev. Kile was touched by how warmly our members welcomed them. Presbytery Report from Presbytery Meeting, November 27, 2012-Elders Betsy Koehler and Rob Berns. We welcomed a new church into the Presbytery, Nuevas Fronteras in Plainfield. There was a contentious vote concerning the Interim Ex-ecutive Presbyter. Rev. Greg Albert was not asked to remain in this position. Approve commissioners for Presbytery Meeting Saturday, January 26, 2013, 9am-3pm, location TBD. Elders Chris-tine Esposito and Amy Aaroe APPROVED Host Presbytery meeting-Rev. Kile. We declined to host in January 2013 but offered to host in January 2014 Senior Pastor’s Report –Rev. Chris Kile. A written report was received. Associate Pastor’s Report-Rev. Valencia Norman. A written report was received. Almost 30 attended the Carol-ing for Friends at Home on December 16 Clerk of Session’s Report- STATISTICS: Attendance-11/18=199, 11/25=167, 12/2=181, 12/9=177, 12/16=213 Communion-12/2=135 Baptisms- (0) Weddings-(0) Continued on Page 12...

S E S S I O N N E W S , C O N T I N U E D



A new service of your newsletter team is the schedule of servers, ushers, and liturgists for the next month. If you see your name on one of these lists, YOU’RE UP!

COMMUNION SERVERS SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY 6: 1. Amy Aaroe, Captain 4. Lynne Fitzpatrick 7. Gary Thorn 2. Rob Berns 5. Betsy Koehler 8. Jim Vanderhoff 3. Christine Esposito 6. Mike Keat

USHERS SCHEDULED FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY:

Jan. 6: Jeff Nichols, Captain; Nancy Harrison; Jim Weisgerber; Diane Yamano; Janet Behrens; Chris Felegi Jan. 13: Scott Mease, Captain; Mike Dyrek; Jim Vanderhoff; Dale Schoustra; June Meyer, 1 open slot Jan. 20: Denise Katula, Captain; Skip Winter, Gordon Layfield, Dale Pritchett; Jeff Brown; Gisela Woodruff Jan. 27: Susan Roman, Captain; Laura Philip; Brian Knutson; David Pringle; Lee McArthur; Virginia Waters You may swap assignments as needed. If you wish to volunteer, please contact Alex Lehner, 908-276-1017.

LITURGISTS SCHEDULED FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY: Jan. 6: Donna Graziano Jan. 13: Rich Fleissner Jan. 20: Amy Aaroe Jan. 27: Betsy Koehler If you need to change your assignment, or wish to volunteer to read at a worship service, please contact Betsy Koehler, 908-276-3297.

W H O ’ S O N F I R S T ? ? ?


SESSION MINUTES , Continued… Funeral/ Memorial-(2) Madeline Roeben, member, December 11, 2012, interred at Hollywood Cemetery in Union, NJ and Dorothy C. McDougall (non-member) December 8, 2012, Hazelwood Cemetery, Rahway, NJ. Correspondence-Per capita, thank you note from Mary Beckhusen. Elsie Giegerich moved to assisted living in Illinois and wishes to remain a member of FPC. I will move her to the inactive rolls. ANNUAL REPORTS for 2012. Due in January. By Law Revision in progress. First Aid kit in Sacristy- Trustees will be responsible. I will be working on the Annual Statistical report (national, local) in January, as well as Annual Records review (local) New Business-Memorial Committee-it was brought up that people have not received acknowledgements for Memo-rial donations. Donna will contact Laura Simone & Karin Burk, Chairs and have them contact Janice Grevious, the pre-vious chair for guidance and training. It was thought that maybe this falls under the purview of the church administra-tor. This is not the case. Adjourn with Prayer-Elder Amy Aaroe at 10:10pm Respectfully submitted, Donna Graziano, Clerk of Session



Helen K. Baldwin Nursery School

to Offer Full-day Classes

for 3- and 4-Year Olds!

The Helen K. Baldwin Nursery School program, which operates in the First Pres-byterian Church of Cranford, is expanding its program to offer a full-day option.

Beginning in September, 2013, 3- and 4-year old students will be eligible for full-day classes. Registration for these classes will begin in January.

An Open House for new and prospective families will be held:

Saturday, January 12, from 10 am to Noon

Come by for a tour and registration information

Church members receive priority registration for all classes at Helen K. Baldwin. Please help us spread the word about this exciting new program.

For information, call Laura Gardner, Director, at 908-276-1166.

First Presbyterian Church Phone: 908.276.1166 Helen K. Baldwin Nursery School Fax: 908.276.2645 11 Springfield Avenue Email: [email protected] Cranford, NJ 07016


IMMIGRATION ISSUES PROGRAM

JANUARY 16, 2013, 7-9 PM PRESBYTERY OFFICE

525 East Front St., Plainfield

SPEAKER: Melissa Garrett Davis, Co-Manager of the Office of Immigration Issues

PC(USA)

TOPICS: Immigration Law 101 (Current Law) General Assembly Policy & Implementation Anticipated Changes in the Law Faith Perspective Local Law Enforcement & Immigration Programs (i.e., Secure Communities and 287(g) Programs)

Please join others from our Presbytery to hear this speaker address the concerns surrounding immigration policy and

how faithful Presbyterians can contribute to solutions.

YOUR RSVP IS REQUIRED.

Light Refreshments and Beverages will be Served

RSVP to 908- 755-3776 or [email protected]

P R E S B Y T E R Y N E W S


FINDING RESOURCES FOR RESPONDING TO GUN VIOLENCE

Prepare for your congregation's response to the recent shootings. Visit the PC(USA)'s collection of resources to find hymns, a policy statement, curric-ulum, worship resources, guidelines to help fami-lies interpret the events for children, and more. Public Policy Statements of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Gun Control This 16-page pamphlet covers GA minutes and ac-tions on subjects such as, use of firearms, removing weapons from homes and communities, gun vio-lence, assault weapons and gun control legislation. Can be ordered from the PC(USA) store. What else can your congregation do?

Hold a prayer vigil for your congregation. If you have a youth group, be sure to include young people in the planning and leadership of the vigil.

Organize an ecumenical prayer service in your community.

Create opportunities for people, especially young people and parents, to talk about the shooting.

During worship, include prayers for the vic-tims, survivors, families, emergency response personnel and those who will minister to the community in the aftermath of the violence.

Remember in your prayers the communities impacted by previous shootings. The recent tragedy may evoke painful reminders and flash-backs of the violence they experienced.

Work with your local school officials, encour-aging them to implement violence prevention programs.

Organize a meeting with the ministerial alli-ance, ecumenical and interfaith associations and local human service agencies to develop a pre-paredness response/plan should your commu-nity be directly affected by such a tragedy.



WHAT’S THIS??

If you have a picture or an idea for this quiz, please send an email to Editor,

[email protected]. If you have a photo, send that along.

(But you have to tell the Editor what it is, so she knows who’s right!)

First Presbyterian Church of Cranford

11 Springfield Ave Cranford, NJ 07016

908-276-8440 [email protected]

We’re on the Web!

www.firstprescranford.org

Rev. J. Chris Kile, Pastor & Chief of Staff

Rev. Valencia Norman, Associate Pastor

Mary Beckhusen, Director of Christian Education

Alison Nead, Choir Director Carol Thee, Office Administrator

SUNDAY WORSHIP IS HELD IN THE MAIN SANCTUARY AT 10:00 AM.

HOLY COMMUNION IS SERVED THE FIRST SUNDAY EACH MONTH. CHILDREN ARE DISMISSED FOR

SUNDAY SCHOOL AT 10:15.

THE DEADLINE FOR THE FEBRUARY PRESEVENTS

IS JANUARY 23, 2013

To submit an article for this newsletter, please send an email to:

[email protected]

Keeping Up with the Church Family

by Rev. Valencia Norman

Congratulations to Janice Grevious for being invited as one of only 25 educators to participate in a national review panel to advise on a program that meets the standards for the Common Core Curriculum Standards. For the first time, curriculum standards for all NJ school districts, and most if not all of the states, are being set to create national consistency and to make our students more competitive. Janice was invited to participate in the planning phase of a reading/writing program for Pearson Publishers. There were approximately 25 educators from across the country and she had to sign a disclosure statement that she would not share or use any of the information that was presented. Janice says she was excited and honored to go to Chicago to take part.


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Documents

P R E S E V E N T S€¦ · HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!! Welcome 2013! We say good-bye to 2012, ... Amy Aaroe in memory of Dave Swanson Marcelle and Bill Aldredge in memory of Jackie