annandale reformed church new life...
TRANSCRIPT
Annandale Reformed Church New Life Community
CONNECTIONSWeb Site: www.annandalereformedchurch.org
Our Mission StatementWe are a family in Christ called together by the Holy Spirit to serve God in our community. We
are placed here to worship, to nurture and serve, and to make the joyous life in Jesus Christ more accessible to our neighbors.
September 2016 Vol 26, No 9 A Word from our
Supervisor!
September is the “get-going” month. August slipped away like a too-short weekend. September arrives like a bride-groom late for the wedding. Yikes! That means School is back, and Sunday School too, over scheduling is back and a jam-packed fall stands at the starting line like a marathon ready to start, (and Christmas is coming too, oh my!).
But wait. Pause. One last party. Annandale’s Community Music Festival on September 10 celebrates the Reformed Church’s 150th Anniversary and the life of Pastor Ken Lobb. Wow! Remember and celebrate. I’ll bet you know one or two (or ten) people to invite. It’s a public celebration of God’s good gifts to us.
Then let the race of Sep-Oct-Nov-Dec begin. Hebrews 12:1 says, “Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” Summer was fun, but there’s work to be done. Our course is to follow Jesus amidst the noise of commerce and consumption, candidates and election, sports and media of
all sorts. How to keep from growing wearing or losing heart? Keep on “looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross …and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God” (Heb. 12:2).
Rest will come. We will arrive at the finish line. Until then it’s a long haul, but we don’t run alone, and we follow the one who wins for all. Stay focused on Jesus.
Rev. David Ruisard
1
DID YOU KNOW OUR BRAIN USES THE SAME AMOUNT OF POWER AS A 10-WATT LIGHT BULB &OUR BODY GIVES ENOUGH HEAT IN 30 MINS TO BOIL 1.5 LITERS OF WATER?
WHEN YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING, PRAY TO ASK GOD'S GUIDANCE FOR YOUR PURPOSE TODAY
LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO WASTE TIME HATING ANYONE. FORGIVE THEM FOR EVERYTHING
Sunday School
Our first day of Sunday School is September 18th.
Sunday School has been asked to contribute to a time capsule in honor of our 150th anniversary. There will be a special presentation and a special Children's Sermon on September 18th. Please have your child/children bring items in from this year for our time capsule on our first day.
Here are some ideas:-Popular toys or tools.-Labels or packaging of favorite foods or other products. Include price tags, if you can.-Newspapers or magazines showing current events or current trends.-Photos-Journals.-Letters to future congregation, to future Sunday School students-Currency-Favorite things.-Clothes and fashion items of the current time-Personal messages to and from others-Indicators of high technology. Even if nobody can read the contents of a DVD or Thumb drive in 50 or 100 years, you might still enclose one to demonstrate the state of the art.-Favorite scriptures-Books-Magazines-Sunday School lessons-Anything that represents 2016 and their life and faith The catch is, they have to be able to part with these items. The items will be buried in a time capsule by the Boy Scouts. We need a really good collection of items from 2016 that the children think our future congregation will find interesting, amazing, outdated, etc.!!! We want this to be fun yet meaningful! Each child can bring in as many items as they want to contribute. They
can bring items in throughout the first few months of class, but we would like a nice turn out on September 18th! On our first day, September 18th, after the presentation and Children's Sermon, the children will all go together as one class, get re-acquainted and share their time capsule items. They will leave their items in class that day. More information will come as to when and where the time capsule will be finished. If you have any questions about this project or the first day of class, please let me know at 908-574-9726. We are looking forward to another great year! This year, we will be having 3 classes and have exciting things planned. Parents, encourage your children to bring a friend! We would love to see more smiles in our classes! We are so thankful to our returning teachers, Jeannette Betza, Tera Lunger, Sofia Sannazzaro and Christina Vogel(and me ).
We are not only thrilled but extremely grateful to have Courtney Lunger back teaching and for the first time in our Sunday School, Karen Caran! Karen has taught Sunday School for many years and we are so blessed that she is joining us. Once again this year we are blessed to have Donna Exley presenting her inspiring Children's Sermons, which are just as meaningful to the adults as they are to the children! Of course, you will be hearing more from me as the weeks go on. We hope you all are enjoying this last bit of summer and we can't wait to see your children on September 18th! Lorrain
2
Today, I kissed my dad on the forehead as he passed away in a small hospital bed. About 5 seconds after he passed, I realized it was the first time I had given him a kiss since I was a little boy.
Kid’s Korner
On the last page of the newsletter is a 150th Anniversary word find for you. P ick out all the words and when you
come on the 18th you will learn what they mean to the history of our church.
150 years“KenFest”
A reminder that we hope to see you out on the lawn on Saturday, September 10th. There will be music for your enjoyment from noon to 6 pm. Bring your chair or blanket and your friends and neighbors.
Our Boy Scout Troop 288 will be manning a food concession and we have an ice cream vendor there also.
BRICKS
The orders for the Bricks and Tee Shirts will be
submitted by the end of September. Don’t miss out!
There are still quite a few people who would like to have a brick in the wonderful walkway created by Hunter Vogel.
We are now taking orders until mid-September (being sure everyone is back from summer vacation).
We will have order blanks on the back table each week. The cost will remain the same, $50.00 per brick and you can have up to three lines of engraving on each. Once we place the order, the Scouts have volunteered to insert them in the walkway.
If you wish to purchase one, fill in the order blank and make your check payable to Annandale Reformed Church and give it either to Joyce or Cheryl.
STAY HEALTHY.
We want you all to keep healthy. Don’t forget we have the hand sanitizer on the back table for your
Ladies Society
3
Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.
The Ladies will resume their monthly meetings on Monday, Sept 12th at noon at the Country Griddle. They will use this time to plan their activities for the coming year.
They are selling Tee Shirts for the celebration of our 150 years. The order blanks will be on the back table. The cost is $25.00 ($28.00 for 2XL)
The shirts will be purple and have our emblem on the front like we did for the sweat shirts. There will be message on the back in yellow that will simply say
All ladies of the church as invited. Please join us.
STORY OF THE BAGPIPER
As a bagpiper, I play many gigs. Recently I was asked by a funeral director to play at a graveside service for a homeless man.
He had no family or friends, so the service was to be at a pauper's cemetery in the Nova Scotia back country.
As I was not familiar with the backwoods, I got lost and, being a typical man, I didn't stop for directions.
I finally arrived an hour late and saw the funeral guy had evidently gone and the hearse was nowhere in sight.
There were only the diggers and crew left and they were eating lunch. I felt badly and apologized to the men for being late.
I went to the side of the grave and looked down and the vault lid was already in place. I didn't know what else to do, so I started to play.
The workers put down their lunches and began to gather around.
I played out my heart and soul for this man with no family and friends. I played like I've never played before for this homeless man.
And as I played "Amazing Grace", the workers began to weep. They wept, I wept, we all wept together.
When I finished, I packed up my bagpipes and started for my car. Though my head was hung low, my heart was full, as I opened the door to my car, I heard one of the workers say, "I never seen anything like that before, and I've been putting in septic tanks for twenty years."
Worship
4
September UshersSept 4 Nancy GasparettiSept 11 Debbie CarvattSept 18 Nancy Hoffman & Betty MaxwellSept 25 Lebbing Family
Please remember to insert one of the envelopes for the mission of the month if the box is on the table
Please remove old bulletins, etc. after the service. (See Usher Guidelines on door to closet in narthex and on bulletin board outside of the office downstairs). And please don’t forget to take the count when the service begins (it is easier to do when the children are sitting up front for the children’s sermon)
It says here in the paper that Worship will start at 10:30 on Sept. 11th.
Serve Your Church
In keeping with Pastor Ken’s “example of serving”, please consider signing up to read scripture or host fellowship hour. The large easel sign-up sheet has been recreated on the white board on the bulletin board in the narthex.
(Please use the dry erase marker provided when writing on the white board)
Note: if you sign up for scripture, please send Lynn Hughes an e-mail so she can send you the scripture once received from the visiting pastor.
To insure that our worship time moves along smoothly and timely, we encourage everyone to use coffee hour for the time to have those conversations with others and keep the greeting time what it is meant to be, a time to tell others that God loves them and so do you. When you enter the sanctuary take that time to reflect and prepare yourselves for a time of worship. Our music minister will be playing some soft, relaxing music to help you. prepare yourselves for the quiet time. We know everyone wants to chat with each other and that is so great that we are such a close knit family, but again we encourage you to share those great conversations during coffee hour.
Don’t miss the next 150th
Anniversary Event
Sunday, Sept. 18 during service The Founding of our Church mini play
Come and observe the discussion that occurred as four of the village residents met 150 years ago to discuss establishing a place of worship in this community.
Christian Greeting
The Worship Committee is working hard to insure our worship service runs smoothly and stays close to the hour time frame.
We need your help during the Christian Greeting part of the service. We ask that during this time you greet people around where you are sitting and not move about throughout the sanctuary. This will allow us to start the Praise Singing in a timely manner.
We know everyone wants to chat with each other and it is wonderful that we are such a close knit family, but we encourage you to share those great conversations during coffee hour.
Shared with us by Jack McBurney
5
Summer Worship Schedulele:
“Not Angie’s List”, but “ARC’s List”
Notary Public:Lisa Zambito: 908-268-5340
Auto Repair:Quality Auto Service Center, LLCAll makes & models autos (and
boats and planes)Contact Owner/OperatorRick Lebbing: 908-806-6014
Avon Representative:Peg Weightman908-832-2246
Jesus and the Mudpuddle(You gotta believe a 6 year old)
Howard County Sheriff Jerry Marr got a disturbing call one Saturday afternoon a few months ago.
His 6-year-old grandson Mikey had been hit by a car while fishing in Greentown with his dad.
The father and son were near a bridge by the Kokomo Reservoir when a woman lost control of her car, slid off the bridge and hit Mikey at a rate of about 50 mph.
Sheriff Marr had seen the results of accidents like this and feared the worst.
When he got to Saint Joseph Hospital, he rushed through the emergency room to find Mikey conscious and in fairly good spirits.
"Mikey, what happened?" Sheriff Marr asked. Mikey replied, "Well, Papaw, I was fishin' with Dad, and some lady runned me over, I flew into a mud puddle, and broke my fishin' pole and I didn't get to catch no fish!"
As it turned out, the impact propelled Mikey about 500 feet, over a few trees and an embankment and in the middle of a mud puddle. His only injuries were to his right femur bone which had broken in two places.
Mikey had surgery to place pins in his leg.
Otherwise the boy is fine. Since all the boy could talk about was that his fishing pole was broken, the Sheriff went out to Wal-mart and bought him a new one while he was in surgery so he could have it when he came out.
The next day the Sheriff sat with Mikey to keep him company in the hospital. Mikey was enjoying his new fishing pole and
talked about when he could go fishing again as he cast into the trash can.When they were alone, Mikey, just as matter-of-factly, said, "Papaw ,did you know Jesus is real?
Well," the Sheriff replied, a little startled. "Yes, Jesus is real to all who believe in him and love him in their hearts."
"No," said Mikey. "I mean Jesus is REALLY real."
"What do you mean?" asked the Sheriff.
"I know he's real 'cause I saw him." said Mikey, still casting into the trash can.
"You did?" said the Sheriff.
"Yep," said Mikey. "When that lady runned me over and broke my fishing pole, Jesus caught me in his arms and laid me down in the mud puddle."
GIVES YOU GLORY BUMPS DOESN'T IT!
GOD WILL DO THE REST
I asked the Lord to bless you as I prayed for you today
To guide you and protect you as you go along your way
His love is always with you
His promises are true
And when we give Him all our cares we know He will see us through
So when the road you're traveling on seems difficult at best, just remember I'm here
praying
And GOD WILL DO THE REST
6
Attitude is Everything
A good lesson for all of us. A famous writer was in his study. He picked up his pen and began writing:
Last year, my gall bladder was removed. I was stuck in bed due to this surgery for a long time. The same year I reached the age of 60 and had to give up my favorite job. I had spent 30 years of my life with this publishing company.
The same year I experienced the death of my father. In the same year my son failed in his medical exam because he had a car accident. He had to stay in the hospital with a cast on his leg for several days**and the destruction of the car was a second loss. His concluding statement” “Alas! It was such bad year!!”
When the writer's wife entered the room, she found her husband looking dejected, sad and lost in his thoughts. She carefully and surreptitiously read what he had written, and silently left the room and came back shortly with another piece of paper on which she had written her summary of the year’s events and placed it beside her husband’s paper. When her husband saw that she had written something in response – he read her “take” on the year’s events:
She wrote: **Last year I finally got rid of my gall bladder which had given me many years of pain. I turned 60 with sound health and retired from my job. Now I can utilize my time to write better and with more focus and peace. The same year my father, at the age of 95 without depending on anyone and without any critical conditions, met his Creator. The same year, God blessed my son with life. My car was destroyed, but my son was alive and without permanent disability. At the end she wrote: This year was an immense blessing and it passed well!!
See!! The same incidents but different viewpoints.
Moral: In daily lives we must see that it's not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy. There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.
ATTITUDE IS EVERYTHING....
And attitude is the one thing that we always, in every circumstance, have control over.
Missions
Thanks to all who supported St. Hubert's and the Open Cupboard Food Pantry during the summer, and particular thanks to the Riddles for delivering all the goods.
Our September Mission will be monetary collection for flood relief in the USA, primarily the recent disasters in Louisiana. We will donate through Samaritan's Purse. Franklin Graham is the head of this well-known charity based in Boone, NC. He has been to the ravaged areas several times accompanying both Donald Trump and President Obama.
Also, there will be a free will offering for our local emergency services at the Music Festival on September 10th.
A History lesson we all should know...
7
Directory Correction:
Please note that the email address for Nancy and Larry Hoffman is incorrect in the 2016 directory.The correct addressis:[email protected] (that is an L, not an I as the first letter)
Who Was Haym Solomon?
Read this fascinating history of the $1 bill - all the way to the bottom to know about Haym Solomon. You may be in for quite a surprise!
On the rear of the One Dollar bill, you will see two circles. Together, they comprise the Great Seal of the United States The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved. If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a Pyramid.
Notice the face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the west or decided what we could do for Western Civilization. The Pyramid is uncapped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished. Inside the Capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity.It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything.
'IN GOD WE TRUST' is on this currency.
The Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, 'God has favored our undertaking.' The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, 'a new order has begun.' At the base of the pyramid is the Roman numeral for 1776. (MDCCLXXVI)
If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you will learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States. It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most heroes' monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks, yet very few people know what the symbols mean.
The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar above it.Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England. Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This
8
country can now stand on its own. At the top of that shield there is a white bar signifying congress, a unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation. In the Eagle's beak you will read, ' E PLURIBUS UNUM' meaning, 'from many - one.' Above the Eagle, we have the thirteen stars, representing the thirteen original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one. Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward the arrows.
An (untrue) old-fashioned belief says that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a worldwide belief. You will almost never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor. But think about this: America, which relies on God (not a number) to direct and lead, boldly chose:13 original colonies, 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the pyramid, 13 letters in 'Annuit Coeptis', 13 letters in ' E Pluribus Unum,' 13 stars above the eagle, 13 bars on that shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows. And finally, notice the arrangement of the 13 stars in the right-hand circle. You will see that they are arranged as a Star of David.
This was ordered by George Washington who, when he asked Haym Solomon, a wealthy Philadelphia Jew, what he would like as a personal reward for his services to
the Continental Army. Solomon said he wanted nothing for himself, but he would like something for his people. The Star of David was the result. Few people know it was Solomon who saved the Army through his financial contributions... then died a pauper. Haym Solomon gave $25 million to save the Continental Army, money that was sorely needed to help realize America's -our- freedom and independence from England.
Therein lies America's Judeo-Christian beginning. Most American children do NOT know any of this. They are not taught because their history teachers do NOT know this. [They were not taught!] On America's Freedom: Too many veterans gave up too much to let the meaning fade. Many veterans came home to an America that did not care. Too many veterans never came home at all. They served, they died for you…for me
I hope you will share this page with many-so they can learn about the UNITED STATES DOLLAR BILL, and what it stands for. America is at a critical juncture. Let's do whatever we can to save her while never, ever forgetting: It is God in whom we put our trust!
"Yesterday is history,Tomorrow is a mystery.
And Today?Today is a gift.
That's why we call it the present."
This story shared with us by Carol Jacobus
9
Time is like a river. You cannot touch the water twice, because the flow that has passed will never pass again.
09-03 Troy James09-04 Barbara Vogel09-05 Isabelle Silliman09-07 Tom Zambito
Tera LungerSunny Lee
09-08 Andrew Lunger09-09 Sofia Sannazzaro
Maureen Manning09-10 Lacey Theesfeld09-11 Beverly Whiteley09-16 Jacqueline Silliman09-25 Debbie Carvatt09-28 Lisa Zambito
Mary Schutts09-30 Richard Theesfeld
To access the Google Group email, the address is [email protected]
Remember, if you have information about someone sick, in need of some sort of assistance, celebrating a very special event, suffering from the loss of a loved one, or someone who needs our prayers and/or help, call Shirley Waldeck if a card is appropriate. (908-835-1371), Peg Weightman (908-832-2246) or Jill Meyer (908-545-4818) for any of the following:
Meals for someone who is sick, Transportation to and from
appointments Run small errands Or any other need that we can help
with.or
Joyce Murphy (908-963-3346) to request prayers and/or clergy needs.
10
Send contributions for Connections to Joyce Murphy at
Next IssueSeptember 25th
Contribution DeadlineSeptember 18th
Church Office: 908-735-7218Church Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.annandalereformedchurch.orgSupervising Pastor:
Rev. David Ruisard 534-4351Elders:
Joyce Murphy 908-963-3346Cheryl Mulligan 908-638-0008Lynn Hughes 908-638-8887
Deacons:Rick Lebbing 908-713-4789Barbara Vogel 908-552-6000
Caring
Google Group Email for Prayer Concerns
11
12
