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From Our Interim Pastor
On November 22, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, is being
released into theatres in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas. You
guessed it. It’s another connection to Fred Rogers’ television mission
and ministry to the education of children and I dare say to anyone
who had the opportunity to tune in to his messages of encouragement
and support and his calming presence. The 50 year anniversary of his
acclaimed, ground-breaking public television program for children,
Mister Roger’s Neighborhood, was widely celebrated last year.
The film is the story of Rogers’ friendship with a journalist who was
assigned to write a profile of Rogers for a magazine. In his days
spent with his subject, the journalist’s initial cynicism was overcome
by Rogers’ integrity and real kindness and eventually the reporting of
details for a story blossomed into the story of a true friendship.
It’s worth noting that Fred Rogers or Mister Rogers was also known by
another title—The Rev. Fred Rogers. Rogers was ordained by the
Presbytery of Pittsburgh as a Presbyterian minister in 1963, a journey
that was not without skepticism from the body of ministers and ruling
elders charged with his ordination process. After all, his creative
vision of serving children in a new medium of television was not the
usual path of parish ministry. Yet his undeniable spiritual wisdom
remains a legacy that still resonates with many and is found anecdo-
tally in two books that came out last year as a tribute to Fred Rogers’
life and work.
The Good Neighbor is a biography of Fred Rogers and The World
According to Mister Rogers is a collection of short stories and insights
from the mind of Fred Rogers.
Fred Rogers said “Listening ... is certainly a prerequisite of love. One
of the most essential ways of saying ‘I love you’ is being a receptive
listener…” “The purpose of life is to listen-to yourself, to your neigh-
bor, to your world and to God and, when the time comes, to respond
in as helpful a way as you can find...from within and without.” (quotes
from The World According to Mister Rogers, pp. 92 and 167
respectively.)
As we come to this time of year when consumerism and frenzy are the
focus of many a holiday, the words of Fred Rogers are a message to
remember and an opportunity to give thanks to God for the blessing
of life and for the people who come our way as prophets of hope and
wisdom in a world filled with fake puppeteers.
GOOD TIDINGS
A Monthly Newsletter of The Presbyterian Church of Morris Plains
INDEX
Community 2 & 6
Christian Education 3
Other News 4
Celebrations 5
Music Ministry 7
NOVEMBER 2019
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Memory Cafe
The next gathering will be on
Thursday, November 14
from 2:00 pm-4:00 pm. The
café is a social time for anyone
in the community who is living
with mild to moderate
Alzheimer's Disease or other
cognitive impairment and their care partner. We
will be entertained by Roberta Foster with her
ukulele. Please share this information with your
friends and neighbors who would benefit from this
outreach program. If you have any questions,
please contact Ginny Fisher at 973-229-4145.
Missions
Market Street Mission Coat Drive-Thank you to
everyone who contributed to the coat drive. We
collected three bags of gently used coats, hats,
scarves and gloves and they were delivered to
MSM. Volunteers are needed on Saturday,
November 2 from 10:00 am-1:00 pm for the day
of the Coat Giveaway on the Green in Morristown.
If you are interested in helping, please contact
Ginny Fisher at 973-229-4145.
Food Drive-Dover Childcare Center will be the
recipient again of our Thanksgiving food drive
donations during the week of Thanksgiving. Please
start earning your FREE TURKEYS while you shop
now. We need twenty-two turkeys and it will help
tremendously if we can get them free! Look for a
shopping food list in the bulletin.
Angel Tree Gifts –Salvation Army-We will be
receiving the Angel tags in November and they will
be collected until the beginning of December.
Watch the hallway bulletin board for the tags.
Morris Club Dinner-MARK YOUR CALENDAR! We
will be hosting the Morris Club Dinner on
Wednesday, December 4 at 6:30 pm with a
potluck dinner, Christmas carols and games. Join
US as we host these wonderful adults for the
evening.
Bible Study
Please join us on Wednesdays at 7:30 pm as we
study Genesis, the Bible's first book, filled with
familiar stories we learned in Sunday School. We
will we read them again in a new way and together
learn new insights.
Book Club Everyone is welcome to attend on Monday,
November 25 at 7:30 pm in the Parlor as we
discuss The Japanese Lover. Please call Pat
Olson at 973-539-7941 with any questions.
Copy Cats-Retired Ladies Please join us for the last luncheon of the year on
Tuesday, December 10 at 12:00 noon at
Forte Pizzeria & Ristorante, 486 NJ-10, Randolph.
Please contact Judy Stebbins at 732-356-4566 to
RSVP. We look forward to seeing you there!
Food Drive
On Sunday,
November 3, we
will commune with
our Lord. We will
have just a little bit
of bread and a tiny
bit of the cup, but
in those gifts, we
will experience the
real spiritual presence of Christ with us.
Throughout his life, Jesus acted always for the
benefit of those who were in need and on the
margins. When we are fed by the Lord’s Supper,
not only is our spirituality nourished (our sense
of connection with God), but so is our faith (our
beliefs and actions that result from that
connection). As a symbol of our deep connection
with Christ and a sign that we are his hands and
hearts at work in the world, we will bring a non-
perishable food item to worship on the days we
celebrate communion. They can be left in the
back of the sanctuary with the ushers or brought
forward and placed under the communion table.
As God feeds us, we feed our neighbors.
The most needed foods are: dry milk, Parmalat,
evaporated milk, calcium fortified milk
alternatives (soy, rice, almond milk), soups,
pasta, canned fruit, canned beans, tuna fish,
Rice-a-Roni, Hamburger & Tuna Helper, Boost,
Ensure, Glucerna, Enfamil, baby food, and baby
wipes.
CHURCH COMMUNITY
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Confirmation class has begun and meets every Sunday at 10:45 am
in the Adult Study room. Please keep our confirmands in your
prayers-Bobby Becht, Amanda Cancilla, Anna Falcone, William Lanza
and Dylan Stock-as they begin this important journey of faith and
discovery.
November is a busy month as we will be making cards for Veterans,
learning about stewardship, remembering our shut-ins with
Thanksgiving cards and preparing for our youth-led worship service in December.
What a wonderful month of October we had with Youth Fellowship!
Many thanks to everyone who participated in our yard sale and
who made donations throughout the month. We donated $703.60
to the Community Soup Kitchen which will soon be renamed
Nourish. NJ. We are very appreciative of the nine children and
four adults who walked the 5K in the rain on October 20. They
learned a lot about the facility and the individuals who utilize it.
We look forward to working with them with future events as we
focus on our Hunger mission.
On October 9, sixteen children and four adults ventured to Ort Farms. They braved the rain to wander
through the corn maze, shoot apples out of the apple cannons, ride the cow train, and go on a hay
ride to pick pumpkins from the pumpkin patch. In addition, the Halloween Party last weekend was a
huge success. There were twenty-seven children and sixteen adults who played games, listened to
music and enjoyed all the food. What a wonderful night everyone had!
In November, we are looking forward to even more fun. The Youth Group will be meeting on Sunday,
November 10 at 6:00 pm for dinner and fellowship. Anyone from grades 6-12 is welcome to come.
On Sunday, November 24, we will be combining Youth Group and Club 345 to have a Thanksgiving
celebration with activities. Please RSVP to Mae at [email protected] as soon as possible if you
plan to attend.
Stay tuned for further updates as we are plan a bowling outing and decorate Christmas cookies
throughout the month. If you would like to be a part of this exciting and rewarding ministry, please
contact Mae Martella at 973-517-0913.
We will be meeting on Wednesday, November 6 at 7:00 pm to plan
the last two Fun Fridays of the year and Advent activities. We look
forward to everyone joining us.
Friday, November 8 is our next Fun Friday. Please join us at 6:30 pm
for a potluck dinner followed by dice games at 7:30 pm. Do you have a
favorite? Do you prefer classic games like Yahtzee or Right, Center? Do
you want to try out new games like Martian Dice, Can’t Stop, or Roll
Across America? Join us as we gather to play various games and choose
the one you are most interested in playing.
SUNDAY SCHOOL
YOUTH GROUP/CLUB 345
GATHERING & BELONGING
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We are thankful at Joyful Noise Preschool and Daycare this
month as we prepare ourselves for Thanksgiving. In Bible
story, we will be learning about Jesus feeding the five
thousand with five loaves and two fish. We will also be
reading stories about being grateful. Our busy season in
music is upon us as we begin learning and practicing our
program for our Christmas celebration.
In this month of “Giving,” we are offering three
opportunities for our families to give back. We will be
collecting leftover Halloween candy to give to members of
our communities, collecting food so local families can
celebrate Thanksgiving and then we will be collecting toys
and gifts for the New Jersey Battered Women’s Shelter.
It’s time to order fresh, delicious fruit from the Walsh
Memorial Bell Choir Program. The fruit available
includes red grapefruit, navel oranges, juice oranges,
tangelos, apples, pears, clementines and pineapples.
We will receive the fruit on December 14 and will
deliver it to your home that day. Orders will be taken
through November 24.
Please consider ordering extra boxes as
donations which we will deliver to the Interfaith
Food Pantry, Market Street Mission, or other local
charities of your choice.
An order form with products available and prices is included in this issue of Good Tidings. To place an
order, please fill out the order form and mail it, with payment, to the address shown on the form or
leave it with any ringer or at the church office. You may also place an order at the table in coffee hour
on Sundays through November 24.
All orders must be received by November 24.
If you have any questions, please contact Kathy Opsasnick at (973) 627-6425 or Carl Loutzenheiser at (973) 267-1258.
Thank you for helping to support the musical mission of the Walsh Memorial Bell Choir Program.
They will be meeting on Sunday, November 3 at 10:45 am in the Parlor to plan for their meetings for
the year. Everyone is welcome to attend and share any ideas for fun, fellowship and service. For more
information or questions, please contact Elissa Minor at [email protected].
JOYFUL NOISE NURSERY SCHOOL
TIRZAH CIRCLE
FRESH FRUIT SALE
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Happy Birthday To: Happy Anniversary To: Blaicher, Lorraine 11/1 Johnson, Erma & Dave 11/2 62 Years
Morgan, Lora 11/1 Kieliszweski, Susan Gorman & Ron 11/7 4 Years
Simmons, James 11/1
Cusmano, Paul 11/2
Martella, Joey 11/3
Morgan, Roger 11/4
Houston, Evelyn 11/5
Morgan, Daniel 11/6
Silvestri, Cindy 11/6
Talbert, Grace 11/10
Hill, Maggie 11/13
Yingling, Cathy 11/15
Karr, Andrew 11/16
Rubin, Rich 11/16
Olson, Mary 11/17
Hartle, Lara 11/18
Cusmano, Natalie 11/20
Karr, Mark 11/20
Johnson, Erma 11/21
Morgan, Joan 11/23
Spidell, Don 11/23
Yap, Faith 11/23
Minor, Elissa 11/25
Wurster, Charly 11/25
Morgan, Richard 11/27
Arzberger, Andrew 11/30
Jain, Melissa 11/30
Lipka, Bob 11/30
Risko, Michelle 11/30
NOVEMBER
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The annual stewardship campaign is our means to provide sufficient member support for the church and its mission. Generously volunteering our TIME and sharing our TREASURE are two reflections of our willingness to return to God just a portion of the ample gifts He provides.
You should have received the first 2020 Stewardship mailing. Thank you if you have already sent your pledge. If not, please prayerfully consider what TIME and TREASURE you are able to commit to the life of our church at this important time.
This year’s theme is JUST IMAGINE…What we could DO, Where we could GO, Who we could SERVE, How we could GROW!
With the selection of a new Pastor for this church as our immediate goal, we ask you to “IMAGINE” the possibilities presented by thoughtful giving.
Would you give up the time it takes to read one novel to assist with a program that interests you and others at the church? Could you pass on one stop at Dunkin’ or Starbucks each week to help increase your weekly pledge? Can you consider a 10% increase from last year’s pledge? 5%? Whatever you can do – if we each dig deeper – together, we can show our next pastor that we are a stronger, more committed and caring congregation.
Please remember that, as always, your financial pledges are made confidentially. We also understand that circumstances can change and pledges may be changed or updated at any time. Please return your commitment cards to church as soon as you are able. They will be dedicated on Sunday, November 17.
The 2020 Stewardship Team thanks you in advance for your support.
Don Spidell, Chair
Laurie Fu
Nancy Hults-Rubin
Alec Jain
Dave Lappe
Sue Spidell
“…with God all things are possible.”
Mark 10:27
2020 Boxed Offering Envelopes
For those who use the boxed envelopes for their weekly offering, the new 2020
boxes are now available in Westminster Hall. Please stop by and pick yours up
when you are able. Please contact Laurie Fu at 973-605-8602 or stop in the
church office if you currently do not use the envelopes but would like a boxed,
numbered set.
On-Line Giving
Please remember that we are now accepting online giving using a debit or credit
card or by Electronic Funds Transfer. To make online donations, visit
www.mppresby.org and click on the "GIVE NOW" button.
We have gift cards for hundreds of retailers, restaurants and services. Stop by at the Magic Pennies
table in coffee hour for help with your Thanksgiving and Christmas lists. It's simple and
convenient! Magic Pennies cards make great stocking stuffers, gifts for teachers and coaches, for
students away at college, or for military service men and women. Our $10 cards for Dunkin Donuts,
Starbucks or Barnes & Noble make great little "thank you’s” for those people in your life who do special
things for you throughout the year. For your last minute-shopping, we have Amazon gift cards,
too! Visit shopwithscrip.com for a full list of participating retailers.
STEWARDSHIP
FINANCE
MAGIC PENNIES
Page 7
As ever, the music ministry continues to
bless the church and its surrounding
community. We were grateful to welcome
Michelle & Christopher Kuo for their duo
piano concert at the end of October in
support of the Walsh Memorial Bell Choir.
The search continues for the right Walsh
Bell Choir Director-for which prayers and
outreach would be appreciated-but the
bell choirs continue ringing with
confidence in the Lord. Choir members
would like to encourage new friends and voices to join to buoy the strength of that program-please be
in touch with ANY choir member or Christine to get involved! Congregants currently enjoy a variety of
music from many sources every Sunday, from the burgeoning Worship Team (we also welcome new
instrumentalists and singers-please be in touch) to visiting musicians and a variety of bell choirs (and
their many talents-percussion, anyone?). Music is never dull at MP Presbyterian and we are excited as
we begin to prepare for the upcoming Advent season! Please be in touch with Christine for information
on any music participation, Christmas or otherwise, at [email protected].
Handbell Opportunities
The Walsh Memorial Bell Choir Program welcomes all children in
second grade and above and any adults who would like to participate
in the music ministry of handbells. The Bell Choir Program includes
several handbell choirs, with ringers generally grouped by age and
experience. To become a ringer, it is not necessary to currently be a
part of our church family or to have previous handbell or music
experience.
Handbell choirs rehearse each week and take part regularly in worship
services. They also have opportunities to play outside the church,
including extending their musical ministry in the local community and
participating in events with other handbell choirs.
If you are interested in ringing, have questions about the handbell program, or would like to suggest
other potential ringers, contact Kathy Opsasnick, 973-627-6425, [email protected], or
Carl Loutzenheiser, 973-267-1258, [email protected].
Opening for Handbell Choir Director The Walsh Memorial Bell Choir of the Presbyterian Church of Morris Plains, NJ, an advanced handbell
choir of 6th through 12th grade youth, is seeking a director to start immediately. This position is part-
time which includes weekly rehearsals, participation in worship services and other church events, and
occasional concerts outside the church. The Bell Choir has six octaves of Schulmerich handbells, five
octaves of Malmark Choirchimes, and three seventh-octave Choirchimes. A complete job description is
included. If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested, please contact Carl
Loutzenheiser, [email protected], 973-267-1258, or the church office. Interested individuals
should submit a cover letter and a resume.
MUSIC MINISTRY
WALSH MEMORIAL BELL CHOIR
Page 8
400 Speedwell Avenue Phone: 973-539-3481
Morris Plains, NJ 07950 Fax: 973-539-1225
Web: mppresby.org The Rev. Jacqui Van Vliet Interim Pastor
TO:
EVERYONE is welcome here to worship the Lord!
Sunday Worship-9:30 a.m., Coffee & Fellowship-10:30 a.m.
Session Member Email Address Committee
Susan Vigilante-Williams [email protected] Clerk of Session
Mike Burke [email protected] Personnel
Ginny Fisher [email protected] Missions
Pam Gilly [email protected] Nominating
Russ Hitchcock [email protected] Nurture
Alec Jain [email protected] Finance
Nancy Johnson [email protected] Gathering & Belonging
Kim Lappe [email protected] Personnel
Mae Martella [email protected] Gathering & Belonging
Kathy McNall [email protected] Christian Education
Elissa Minor [email protected] Joyful Noise
Bill Nunn [email protected] Facilities
Dave Rossetti [email protected] Communication
Don Spidell [email protected] Stewardship
Judy Stebbins [email protected] Worship & Music
2019 SESSION ROSTER
The
Presbyterian Church
of Morris Plains
