I don’t know about you but
saying that we are in the year 2010 sounds very strange to my ears. I keep
thinking of movies that are made about the future, that is what 2010 sounds to
me, but it really is hereJ
I pray that everyone had a safe and wonderful Christmas and
New Year. There are many things to be thankful for as we reflect on the year
2009, and I’m sure there are many things that we can look forward to this
coming year.
As we remember the last year and think of this new year we
just started, often we think of things we have accomplished or received with
our jobs, families, health and other things. And as we look ahead we often set
goals, New Year’s resolutions and other plans about pretty much the same things.
This year my hope for us is that as we go through this
annual process of reflection on the past and looking forward to the future,
that we include our spiritual journey with the Lord in the mix.
I challenge you to spend just a few minutes reflecting on
your relationship with God this past year. Ask yourself, how did I do in my
spiritual journey in 2009? Did I walk closer or farther away from God than in previous
years? What are some things that I could have done better, or differently, in
my walk of faith? Perhaps you’ll wonder if you should have prayed more, spent
more time in Bible study or in serving the Lord with your time and energy.
Recognizing your shortcomings is important, but don’t let
that discourage or disappoint you. Life is full of challenges and distractions,
and our God is a God of understanding as well as mercy and compassion. Let the
Joy and hope that filled your hearts and your homes during the Christmas
season, continue with you throughout this year. Recognize that 2010 will come
with its challenges and don’t be surprised, but rather stand firm in your faith
relying on God’s grace and power. Know that you are loved and cared for by God.
He will walk with you and strengthen you each and every day this year.
Challenge yourself to trust God more this year, to talk to
him often, and to make a point of walking closer with him and learning more
about him.
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face to
shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon
you, and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24
Opportunities for Worship
Jan/Feb
2010
Sun, Jan 3 – 2nd Sunday after
Christmas ~ Communion
Sermon
Text: John 1:1-18 (Jeremiah 31:7-14)
“Epiphany of the Lord”
Sun, Jan 10 – Baptism of the Lord
Sermon text: Isaiah 43:1-7
(Luke 3:15-17, 21-22)
“Do You Believe?”
Sun, Jan 17 – 2nd Sunday in Ordinary
Time
Sermon text: 1 Corinthians
12:1-11 (Psalm 36:5-10)
“Gifts, Services, Activities”
New Members class – (noon to
2 pm)
Sun, Jan 24 – 3rd Sunday in Ordinary
Time
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians
12:12-31a (Luke 4:14-21)
“Many Members”
Sun, Jan 31 – 4th Sunday in Ordinary
Time
Annual
Meeting, New Members’ Reception
Sermon Text: 1 Corinthians
13:1-13 (Luke 4:21-30)
“Love”
Sun, Feb 7 – 5th Sunday in Ordinary
Time ~ Communion
Sermon
text: Luke 5:1-11 (Psalm 138)
“All Night Long”
Sun, Feb 14 – Transfiguration of the Lord
Shrove Sunday Pancake Breakfast (noon – 2
pm)
Sermon Text: Luke 9:28-36 (2
Corinthians 3:12-4:2)
“The
Cloud”
Wed, Feb 17 – Ash Wednesday Soup and Service ~
Covenant
Presbyterian
6:30 –Soup Supper 7:30 – Worship
Service
Sun, Feb 21 – 1st Sunday in Lent
Sermon text: Luke 4:1-13
(Deuteronomy 26:1-11)
“Give and Celebrate”
Wed, Feb 24 – Lenten Soup and Service - Palmyra Moravian
6:30 –Soup Supper 7:30 – Worship
Service
Sun, Feb 28 – 2nd Sunday in Lent
Sermon Text: Luke
13:31-35 (Psalm 127)
“The Tender Side of Jesus”
New Member’s Class
A New Member’s Class will be held Sunday, January 17 after
the 11:00 service (approx 12:15-2:00 pm) A light lunch will be provided. Child
care is available upon request. To register or for more information, please
call Pastor Debbie 856-829-0783 or email her at debcerra@calvaryriverton.org.
Confirmation Class
Confirmation class begins Jan 7th and runs for 8
weeks. Youth 7th grade and older will get together every Thursday in
January and February from 3:30 – 5:30 pm for an exciting time as they learn
about their faith and what it means to be Presbyterian, through games, fun and
of course lots of snacks and refreshments.
Please pray for our youth as they gather to grow in their
faith journey with Jesus.
Grief
Support Group
Grief comes in many forms. Whether you are facing a loss of family or
friend, the loss of job, home, or a relationship you will experience grief.
Join us, sit and talk or just listen. Grief Support Group meets first Monday of
every month 7 pm to 8 pm.
Women of Calvary Literary Society (W.O.C.L.S.)
This is a book discussion group
open to all women (and their friends) of Calvary. We'll meet about once a
month to discuss a particular book which all have read the prior month, while
enjoying refreshments and each other's company. If you're interested in
joining, please contact Deidre Golden, Maryke Clark, or call the church office.
What Happened at the
Session Meeting?
By Jerry Blackman, Clerk of
Session
·
The
annual congregational meeting will be held in the sanctuary of Calvary
Presbyterian Church at 10:00 AM on Sunday, January 31, 2010.
·
Annual
reports will be available to the congregation on Sunday, January 24, 2010.
·
Session
elected Carol Livingstone as the Treasurer for the term expiring on December
31, 2010.
·
Pastor
Debbie officiated at the wedding of James Beveredge and Jaime Bishop on October
17.
·
Pastor
Debbie officiated at the funeral of Joe Murphy on October 7.
·
Pastor
Debbie officiated at the funeral of Elva Wilby on October 13.
·
Pastor
Debbie officiated and Pastor Alfred assisted at the funeral of Shirley Brown on
October 23.
·
Pastor
Debbie participated in the ordination of Rev. Ed Blank of the First
Presbyterian Church of Merchantville.
·
A
youth lock-in event was held at the church from October 23 to October 24, 2009.
·
A
junior high youth group began on November 8, 2009 for students in grades 5, 6
and 7. The average attendance is 8 to 10 youths.
·
The
fall work day was held at the church on Saturday, November 7, 2009.
Approximately 20 volunteers participated.
·
A
work day was held on October 31 with Habitat for Humanity of Burlington
County. Eight volunteers from the church participated.
·
A
game day was held at the church on November 14, 2009.
·
Decorating
the church for the Advent season and a chili cook-off took place at the church
on Saturday, November 28, 2009.
·
Calvary
supported the Global Market Alternative Gift Project during the Advent season.
The campaign began on November 29, 2009.
·
Collected
gifts from the mitten and sock tree in the assembly room will be donated to
Crossroads and the Fellowship House.
·
The
construction of the new accessible toilet room is progressing.
Deacons will
continue to send cards to and/or visit our shut-ins. In addition, they will
provide meals through the CARIS program when needed. The Deacons will also
continue to participate in the Interfaith Hospitality Network, both hosting an
evening and sleeping overnight.
Chancel
Flowers:
The two lovely floral arrangements on both sides of the pulpit every
Sunday are donated by members and others in memory or in honor of loved ones,
and the matching memorial words are printed in the bulletin for that week.
The flowers may be brought home by the donor, or they will be delivered by a
Deacon to another member who may be ill , shut in, or in need of cheer. The
cost of the donation for each flower arrangement is $25. If you would
like to make such a donation, please call Diane Pahl at
461-8992.
The
available dates that are open are January 17th (1 arrangement), Feb
14th (1 arrangement), Feb 21st (both arrangements).
Church Wide Skating Event:
The Congregation is invited to go skating at Holiday Skating
Rink on Sunday, February 21st from 5:15 – 7:15 pm. The event is open
to all church members and you are encouraged to invite friends, family,
coworkers and neighbors. Come skate and/or fellowship. The Deacons ate hosting
this event and this time is privately reserved for us.
Thank You Notes:
Hi,
We wanted to thank you very much for the two dinners you
sent over.
We really appreciated it very much.
The Kinnards
Dear Deacons,
Your very thoughtful gifts are much appreciated –
so useful! I’ll enjoy them over and over.
Thank You!
Janet (Jackson)
Diana – the cookies and tree – neat!
Janet
Dorothy Talavera’s History Corner
Recently Rivertonian
Nancy Washington donated to Calvary a number of old bulletins. Several of
the items in the collection reflect the sacrifices of the church family during
World War II. It seems timely to read these words, knowing of the
impending build-up in Afghanistan.
The following announcement is a reprint from the
Sunday, December 6, 1942 bulletin, when
Robert B. Stewart was pastor, reporting on the Semper Fidelis Bible
Class.
An old fashioned get-together will
be held next Thursday evening, when the members of the Class will sponsor a
covered dish supper for all members, including children, and friends of the
Calvary family. Supper will commence at six-thirty. You are asked
to bring your favorite dish, and also all adults bring 25 cents. As a
war-time favor, you are also requested to bring any coffee or sugar that you
can spare. After supper there will be a period of good fellowship, and
the Misses Eagan will share with us the picture story of their trip west.
All members and friends of the Calvary family are urged to make a special
effort to be present.
In the same
collection was Calvary Echo, a newsletter produced by The Senior
Christian Endeavor Society of Calvary Presbyterian Church. The January
1944 issue reported details on several church members in uniform.
Here are some excerpts.
" First Lieut. James A. Hemphill is stationed
at present in the icy land of Greenland, serving as a member of the U.S.
Medical Corps. Most of his work is surgical. Although he does not
say so, he must have many lonely moments, for his only contact with the outside
world is through radio."
"Ensign Hilton Smith is very busy
now flying his two-engine bomber...Hilton went through the intense Navy
training while stationed at Chapel Hill, N.C. He then experienced a
frozen face for the first time while at Glenview, Illinois. It's a wonder
he didn't freeze all over, as it was 18 degrees below zero most of the time 'up
in the blue' "
"George L. Durgin enlisted in the
Army in January, 1941. His ability having been quickly recognized he was
promoted to Second Lieutenant and assigned to the First Armored Division.
In May 1942 he went overseas...During the first battle in Tunisia, about
February 15, George was in charge of the tanks ...In this battle the Germans
took them by surprise and many were killed. Lieut. Durgin was among those
captured by the Germans. Now he is in Olvang 64, a German prison camp in
Poland....His family hears from him regularly every five or six weeks as
he is allowed to send only four post cards and three letters a month. His
letters do not contain much news, because they are strictly censored.
George is the only member of our Calvary Honor Roll to lose his freedom so far
in the war."
Thrift
Shop News
Come see us! A wonderful, constantly changing supply of all
kinds of equipment, toys, household items and clothing
pass through our shop! We are located at 520 Main Street,
Riverton.
Tuesdays Shop is open for donations
from 9 to 12
Thursdays: OPEN 9 to 4 for
shopping!
Saturday, January 9th and Saturday,
February 13th from 10 am to 3 pm
and the 2nd Saturday of each
month except July and August.
Buildings & Grounds
REMODELING
OF TODDLER BATHROOM
It’s
almost done!
Thanks
go to Bob Heck, Frank Breece, Mike Stasko and Paul Beck. Be sure and take a
look. Capital Campaign funds have made this project possible.
VOLUNTEERS
needed for snow removal.
Please
call Bobbie Beck or the church office to offer your services.
PROMIS meets
once a month on the third Tuesday.
Volunteers
are needed to do various small jobs around the church. Please call the church
office if you would like to volunteer.
Christian Education
Sunday School:
For the next nine weeks, we'll be reading from the Old
Testament and learning about the plight of the Hebrews in Egypt, the plagues
used to convince the king to "let my people go," Passover, and God's
leading the exodus out of Egypt.
The students will be building a
topical map of Egypt and Israel, including the Red Sea, with images of the
plagues.
We'll have live frogs and crickets (the closest thing these
days to locusts) to enjoy each Sunday morning. These adorable pets will be
available for the kids to take home and care for each week. Put your
reservations in early!!
We'll also have learning games and cooking … all relative to
our lessons.
There's so much to learn from
God's Word!
Youth Participating in
Worship:
On Sunday Jan 24, our youth will help in the worship service:
ringing the bell, greeting and handing out bulletins, and lighting the candles.
As you see our youth on that day, be sure to encourage and support them as they
help us enjoy a wonderful worship experience.
Adult Sunday School:
Sunday school is a wonderful time for children, youth and
adults to grow more in our faith and understanding of our relationship with
God. Throughout January and February adult Sunday school will be watching
videos and having great discussions about the prophets and kings of the Old
Testament. The series is called “Faith Lessons on the Prophets and Kings of
Israel” and is an exciting study filmed in the Middle East. You can join in at
any time as each session has its own video and discussion so you won’t feel
like you missed part of it if you can’t come to some of the studies. Please
come and join the wonderful group that meets every Sunday at 10 am in the
Memorial room.
Men’s Study:
All men are invited to come to a weekly gathering filled
with wonderful food, great conversation, and exciting fellowship. Join the
dynamic group of guys that gets together each Tuesday morning at the Harvest
Dinner on Rte 130, at 7 am.
We are currently reading through the book, “Purpose Driven
Life” by Pastor Rick Warren. Any questions… see Pastor Alfred.
Church Life
We will be celebrating new
church members with our Annual New Members Reception on Jan 30th right
after the Annual Congregational Meeting. Please join your church family in
joyful celebration.
Church Life will host a Shrove Sunday Pancake Lunch on
February 14th. We will have eggs, sausage and of course
pancakes! Come down to Fellowship Hall at noon (right after 11 am worship)
prepared to eat and play a few pancake games.
Just in
case your are wondering, Shrove Sunday is a day of feasting on sweets (pancakes
and syrup) prior to fasting from sweets during Lent. Its fun to feast
even if you are not fasting. Please come and join the fun.
Mission
Fellowship House: On Thursday
February 25th, Calvary is set to have a service day with
Fellowship House in Camden from 11 am – 1:30 pm. We already help Fellowship
House in many ways. This is an opportunity to go and see the people we support
and to join in a time of ministry. If you are interested please speak to Pastor
Alfred or the Mission team leaders, Bill Hall and Jana Cox.
Interfaith Hospitality
Network: Our next turn with Delanco Presbyterian for IHN falls the
week of February 28th, which means our dates are March 3, 4, &
5. Please consider helping! Call Bob Davis for information.
The Global Market
remains open for those difficult gifts – second marriage, anniversary, a person
who has everythin! Give a gift that helps those in need to have a better life.
Call the office for more information. This year the Christmas alternative gift
market will send over $600 to various charities.
One Great Hour of
Sharing: With the Lenten season comes the yearly OGHS fund drive.
PC(USA) supports this drive along with other denominations. With the combined
funds great work is supported, bettering people’s lives. Disaster assistance
is funded but the monies also help train people to become self supporting
through better education and better health care. Please be as generous as you
are able. You will find a OGHS envelope in your offering box.
Nominating Committee
The Nominating Committee will begin the process of
discerning God's will for our Church Leadership. You may be asked to consider a
position as a Elder or Deacon. Please prayerfully consider this
request. If you feel called to a position please let us know. We
would also ask for your prayers for the nominating process and for this
committee.
Stewardship/Finance
We are in urgent need of volunteers that are willing to learn how to count the
offering on Sundays at noon. Our counting volunteers are wonderful people
that dedicate a little time after church. This is important so that we
are able to deposit the offering each week and pay bills. Our goal is to
have 16 counters which make up 8 teams. With this number the volunteer
schedule could be set up so that a counter is scheduled once every other
month. Presently we have 8 to 10 counters (depending on availability).
On a separate but related note, organizing the
counters and ushers is currently an unfilled ministry at Calvary. It is a
very important ministry because it supports the collection and counting of
Calvary’s monetary resources to support the mission of the church.
Many hands make less work. Please
prayerfully consider volunteering to be a counter. In addition if you
feel a calling in your heart to organize this Ministry please let us now.
For questions and further detail please contact Dean Forman or Pat Jost,
Co-Chairs Stewardship and Finance Team.
For information about electronic giving please
contact Calvary’s Financial Secretary, Nedra Cawley. There is a form to fill
out.
Fund Raiser Information
Thanks to everyone
that helped with the soup fundraiser. What a great way to raise money –
everyone benefits and the soup and chili were fantastic! The soup sale fundraiser
will continue from February 28th through March 28th.
We are again asking for volunteers to make a pot of soup. Please see Pat Jost,
(609-234-1707), or Kathy DeCicco if you will help make soup, chili or anything
nice and warm for the cold winter months. There will be a sign-up sheet posted
if you just want to put your name on the list. The soup will still be sold for
$3. Help this fundraiser’s success – buy for lunch and buy to freeze for a
later time!
New! In time for Valentine’s Day! A “Partylite Candle” fundraiser will be
held in the Assembly Room the last two Sundays in January 24th
and 31st. There will be three different offers to choose from:
Samplers ($20); Jars ($20); Tins ($15). Order forms will be available if you
want to sell to friends, co-workers, or neighbors. The candles will be
available in time for Valentine’s Day! Stop into the Assembly Room and check
this offer out! Calvary will receive 50% of all sales!
Worship and
Music
New Choir for students grades
3 and up. Rehearsals begin Thursday, January
7th from 5:45 to 6:30 pm.
Chimes rehearsals will
continue Thursdays at a new time - 6:30 to 7:00 pm
(grades 2 and up)
There is always need:
-
The
sound system requires someone to watch over it and make adjustments during each
worship service. It is an easy job – and you can pick your service
preference. Let the office know if you can help.
Lenten Soup Supper
& Worship Service Schedule
Soup 6:30 pm Worship 7:30 pm
Once again we will gather for a series of six Wednesday
“soup supper” and worship services. Please note that the Ash Wednesday
Service will include the optional imposition of ashes and will include the
ecumenical sharing of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Child care will be
provided.
This year we are asking a “suggested donation” toward supper
of $3. Children 12 and under are free. Supper will consist of soup, bread,
salad, cookies, and beverage. Baskets will be set out on each table for
donations.
Each church will keep $400 of the donations received at the
supper. The remainder, and all donations from the worship service go to
support the Triboro Ministerium’s “Emergency Aid Fund”. The Fund greatly relies
on these donations.
February 17th (Ash
Wednesday) – Covenant Presbyterian Church, Cinnaminson
Holy Communion and the optional imposition of
ashes.
February 24th - Palmyra
Moravian Church, Cinnaminson
March 3rd –
Bethany Lutheran Church, Palmyra
March 10th –
Sacred Heart roman Catholic Church, Riverton
March 17th – Calvary Presbyterian
Church, Riverton
March 24th – St
Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church, Cinnaminson
