September 2014

Behold, I am doing a new thing;

now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Isaiah 43:19

Dear Friends,

Ever since Moses first led the people out of the wilderness into the

promised land, Scripture often uses the image of the wilderness as

the place where God’s people are occasionally stuck to travel and

struggle and sometimes suffer. The wilderness is not fun. It is

painful and it is difficult and we want out of it as soon as we can.

But the wilderness is often where God’s people learn new things

about themselves, gain new identity and recommit themselves to

the God that stays with them in the wilderness and makes way for

them to get out.

In our world right now, we can feel like we are in the wilderness.

The news is full of stories of violence, injustice, oppression. We

feel overworked and unappreciated in our jobs. Our families are

overscheduled and may have conflict that is pulling them apart.

Mental, physical and spiritual suffering affect us and our lived

ones. We are all struggling with something that is weighing us

down.

But God tells us again and again that while we may have to spend

some time in the wilderness, God’s plan for us is to get through it.

God does not want us to get stuck in it but to travel out of it. God

gave the children of Israel Moses so that they might be led out of

the wilderness of slavery in Egypt. God gave the people in exile

prophetic words to keep them ready for the day when they were

able to leave the wilderness of Babylon and back to their homes.

God gave the early church Peter and Paul to lead them out of the

wilderness of persecution and into the world to proclaim the

Gospel.

And when we were all mired in the wilderness of sin, God gave the

world Jesus Christ, who died to set us free from that wilderness

and give us new life, new hope and a new beginning.

God is always doing new things to give us a way in the wilderness.

God is always making streams in our desert.

In celebration of this, we are holding a special event in September

called Refresh! Renew! Revive! On September 20th

, we will gather

for an afternoon of fellowship, prayer and worship. At 1pm, we

will have a time of open house and fellowship. There will be

games for the children. The College Point Ambulance Corps will

be present for screenings. Other community organizations will be

represented. Tours will be available of the sanctuary with a talk on

the history of the church. There will be a prayer wall for those who

would like to request prayers from the community. Tours will be

available of the sanctuary with talks on the history of the church

and its roll in the community.

At 3PM we will gather for worship together. This will be a joyful

service of prayer for our church, our community of College Point

and all who serve it, and our nation. There will be singing and an

opportunity to lift up your prayer requests and thanksgivings. We

also invite all students of all ages to bring their school bags for a

special back to school prayer.

When things are darkest, God’s people look to revival, and we

invite you to come join us for a little revival. September is a time

of things starting anew, so it is a perfect time to renew. Come and

take a time of refreshment from your own wilderness, whatever it

may be. And spread the word to all you know that we are a people

who have been led through the wilderness and are looking to walk

with those who are searching for a way..

God is doing a new thing – can’t you see it? But the thing is, the

new thing is really the same thing that God has always been doing

– making a way through the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

Come and join in the new thing, celebrating the constant thing.

Renew! Refresh! Revive!

Shalom,

Pastor Linda

Worship in September

September 7 Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost –

Communion - Genesis 32:22-32 – Faith that

Limps

11 7PM – Join us in a time of prayer and

reflection on the events of this day by the

flagpole in front of the church

14 Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Rally

Day – Come celebrate the beginning of our

program year. We will also have a blessing

of backpacks to celebrate the new school

year, so we invite all students of any level to

bring their backpacks, school bags or lunch

boxes for a special prayer –

Isaiah 55:10-11, 13

21 Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost –

Jonah 3:10-4:11

28 Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost –

Celebrating September Birthdays –

Matthew 21:23-32

Please keep the following in your prayers: Stacy Maeurer, Jeaanne Holden, Janet Flory, Thomas Kenniff, Jennifer

Cabral, Kayla Verdino, Greg and Dorothy Doyle-Wandell, Mark Clingo,

Lydia Marcantonio, Thelma Whittaker, Joy Zomer, Rob Anderson,

Barbara Stalmack, Henry Wegmann, Elizabeth Artinger, Edward

Troster, Tina Banks, Carmela Carillo and family, Cathy Cunningham,

Robert Zittel, Helen Torok and family, Neil Troster, Elana Ficalora,

Anne Johannson, Tina McKinley, Charles Ayers, Paul Angenbroich,

Richard Carboni, Ted Buhl, Mary Weber, Judy Troster, Terry Hoffman,

Mary McKeown, Rosemary Ricken, Ruth Sottolano, Maria Bateman,

Tony Artinger, Kathleen Hart Brumm, Betty Farina, Sabina Cardali,

Tom McDonald, Matthew Lotz, Danny McCaffrey, Billy Schmidt, Richie

Schmidt, Catherine Raines, Jennifer Piatek, Ed Duggan, Virginia

Maresca, Dorothy Weis, Brian Giordano, Arlene Bealin, Charles

Kenney, Raymond & Cathy Wegmann, Carmela Oppedisano, James

Folmsbee, James Donaghy, Nick Markoulakis, Glenn Brown, Maryann

Hernandez, Barbara O’Keefe, Frank Basile, Don Bozzo, Lucille Smith,

Laura Brady, Kristy Breen, Pam Crabtree, Frank Priore, Pam Dobular,

Rosie Riollano, Tim Dolan, Grace Agunzo, Louis Werner, Renaldo

Weaver, Madalene Basile, Ralph & Zonia Seizinger, Maria Negele, Ken

Trautwig, Debbie Tanico, George Legaz, Angela McIntyre, Anna Lebel

and family, Eric Rivera, Ronnie Sowa, Joyce M, Catherine Norton,

Barbara Carson, Eileen Poll, Darius Grayhall, Dorothy Stanley,

Barbara Plitt, Marilyn Landet, Veronica Ivins, Ariela Brand, Andrew

Elizee, Margret Elizee, Arlene Stetzner, Irene Newman Gerdau, Peter

Vroom, Wilfredo Roderiguez, Gerhard Kern, Brianna Brackett, Peter

Gribbin, Ron Durham, Daphne Hanousek, Caren Mack, Ernest

Ackerman, Rudy Zachernegg, William Schutt, Doreen Ziegler Adam

Crabtree, Billy Newman, Jeff Ivans, Carina Basile, Barbara Garrick,

Alma & Billy Bernett, Tom Cahill, Arnold Rodriguez, Maureen Kiley,

Emily Garrick, Michele Broccoli

All people in our nation and around the world affected by natural

disasters.

All veterans, those who serve our country and their families

If you have an update on anyone listed, please send it to

prayerrequests@frccp.org or call the Church Office

(718) 359-3956. Thank you.

SEPTEMBER BIRTHDAYS

08 Cara Tucker

13 Kelly Newton

Michael Sottolano

14 Elizabeth Moore

21 Stephanie Motz

23 Stephanie Parente

25 Walter Kustra

27 Stephan Heim

Rev. John Meyer

29 William Cisneros

Mary Weber

30 William Morse

A Prayer of Hope and Healing for Patriot Day

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today is a difficult day. The memories are painful and some of the

wounds I fear may never heal. Yet I pray you will help me to go on

living for truth, firm in my hope of your salvation. May I live for

you, Lord, and by doing so, be an example to my friends and

family. I pray, just like Jesus, I may learn obedience through these

things that I have suffered. Help me not to question why, yet even

if I do, give me courage to continue to trust you. Help me take the

comfort and strength you've poured into my life and use it to

comfort and strengthen others who need hope.

I pray I might become a better person and help make the world a

better place because of this terrible event. Thank you for the heroes

that gave so sacrificially on September 11. Help me to remember

their courage and learn from them. I want my life to be worthy of

you Lord, so make of it what you desire, and use me to fulfill your

purposes. May the evil of that day cause me and my family to work

harder to do good on this earth and to bring your light into the dark

places. Help me to never stop believing in you and living my life

for you.

Lord, heal all those who were crushed and broken on that day. May

they come to experience your presence and know your peace.

Amen.

It’s September

It's September, and the orchards are afire with red and gold,

And the nights with dew are heavy, and the morning's sharp with cold;

Now the garden's at its gayest with the salvia blazing red

And the good old-fashioned asters laughing at us from their bed;

Once again in shoes and stockings are the children's little feet,

And the dog now does his snoozing on the bright side of the street.

It's September, and the cornstalks are as high as they will go,

And the red cheeks of the apples everywhere begin to show;

Now the supper's scarcely over ere the darkness settles down

And the moon looms big and yellow at the edges of the town;

Oh, it's good to see the children, when their little prayers are said,

Duck beneath the patchwork covers when they tumble into bed.

It's September, and a calmness and a sweetness seem to fall

Over everything that's living, just as though it hears the call

Of Old Winter, trudging slowly, with his pack of ice and snow,

In the distance over yonder, and it somehow seems as though

Every tiny little blossom wants to look its very best

When the frost shall bite its petals and it droops away to rest.

It's September! It's the fullness and the ripeness of the year;

All the work of earth is finished, or the final tasks are near,

But there is no doleful wailing; every living thing that grows,

For the end that is approaching wears the finest garb it knows.

And I pray that I may proudly hold my head up high and smile

When I come to my September in the golden afterwhile.

Edgar Albert Guest

Church Chuckles

Sitting on the highway waiting to catch speeders, a state police

officer saw a car puttering along at 22 M.P.H. He thinks to himself,

that car is just as dangerous as a speeder. So, he turns his lights on

and pulls the car over. Approaching the car, he notices there are 5

old ladies, two at the front and 3 at the back, wide eyed and

looking like ghosts.

The driver obviously confused said, "Officer, I don't understand, I

wasn't doing over the speed limit!, What seems to be the...

problem?" "Ma'am," the officer said, "you should know that

driving slower than the speed limit can also be dangerous".

"Slower than the speed limit? NO SIR! I was doing exactly 22

miles an hour", the old woman said proudly.

The officer containing a chuckle explains that 22 was the route

number, not the speed limit. A bit embarrassed, the woman

grinned, thanking the officer for pointing out her error. "Before I

go Ma'am, I have to ask, is everyone OK? These women seem

badly shaken and haven't uttered a word all this time"

"Oh! they will be alright in a minute, Officer, we just got off Route

142."

ANNOUNCMENTS

Rally Day! Sunday, September 14

th will be Rally Day. We will begin our

new year of Sunday School at 9:30 am. Bring your backpack!

During Worship we will bless the backpacks and have a special

prayer for everyone returning to school.

Bible Study Monday Night Bible Study will resume on October 27

th at 7 pm.

We will be studying "The New Testament from Scratch" so if

you ever wanted to start Bible study, now is the perfect time to

join! Please speak to Pastor Linda if you would like to join us.

Third Sunday Programs September- " How to Avoid Becoming a Crime Victim" presented

by Officer Loverme of the 109th precinct. Topics to be discussed

will include: home break- ins, identify theft, robberies, car thefts

and more.( There's been a lot of these activities in College Point

recently. Therefore the info to be shared should be very helpful.)

October – “Protecting our Children” – A program on child safety

and abuse prevention policies and programs.

November- "Counting Our Blessings"- with Sister Ave Clark

December- " Joyful Traditions" - By Peter Rose. Lecture focuses

on how the Dutch brought us Santa, presents & treats

January - - " God's Not Dead" - This faith based movie, with

Kevin Sobel, is about the an atheist college professor who

announces that as far as he's concerned God is dead and wants all

of his students to agree. One student challenges him and thus the

drama unfolds.

Chimney Fund – Emergency!!!!

The chimney of the Chapel is on the verge of collapse. Emergency

work will begin this week to replace the chimney, but the cost will

be $12,000. If you would like to contribute to the offset the cost of

these repairs, please mark your donation “Chimney Fund.” Thank

you if you are able to help offset this large expense!

Gingerbread Fund

The gingerbread over the 119th

Street door of the Chapel has been

repaired, but the cost was significant. If you would like to

contribute to offset the cost of these repairs, please mark your

donation “Gingerbread Fund”. All those who contribute will be

recognized with their name on a gingerbread man on the bulletin

board in the back of the Chapel. To date we have only collected

$665 in contributions. Thank you if you are able to help offset this

large expense!

Making a Difference

We would like to include “Making a Difference” as a regular feature in

our newsletter.

If you would like to contribute a testimonial of how our church is making

a difference in your life, please submit it to newsletter@frccp.org

Flowers and Bulletins

Please note that there are still weeks available if you would like to

give the gift of flowers or bulletins in memory or in honor of

friends or loved ones. Please speak to Doris Harris if you would

like to make a contribution. You can also call the Church Office

(718) 359-3956 or email us at office@frccp.org and we will pass

the information along to Doris.

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October 10th, 11th, 17th, 18th

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October 11th, 18th

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First Reformed Church of College Point

118-17 14th Avenue

College Point, NY 11356

(718) 359-3956