november 2016 the cornerstone - westfield...
TRANSCRIPT
NOVEMBER 2016
The CORNERSTONE
2 The Pastor’s Pen
2 Special Friends
3 Community Worship
3 David Champ and YO!
4 Military Update
4 Christmas Shoeboxes
A publication of Westfield Presbyterian Church
Kwetu Faraja: Our Comforting Home Executive Director Lorien Knapp to Visit Westfield
Lorien Knapp is Executive Director for
Kwetu Faraja and her husband Paul Alex
Sayayu serves as Manager of Operations.
We are thrilled that they and their children
will be with us at Westfield on Sunday,
November 13, during the Sunday School
hour and worship time.
Lorien’s background in engineering and
community development and Paul’s Tan-
zanian heritage and street smarts have
combined in a beautiful and remarkable
way to create this ministry for street boys
in Tanzania. The home is located on 35
acres fronting Lake Victoria and provides
refuge, education, hope and a new life for
orphans and vulnerable children.
Lorien’s parents Jason and Betty will also
be with us. Pastor Paul and Jason have
been friends since childhood and it was
through that connection that Westfield
learned of Kwetu Faraja.
Our GLAD offering on Palm Sunday last
year provided over $1600 in support to
this ministry.
What’s INSIDE
Cooking Baking Calling all cookie bakers, young & old! We will once again be baking cookies for the Touched By Nathan Foundation on Saturday, November 28, from 9-12 with a light lunch pro-vided. Look for a sign-up poster in the Narthex soon! The Touched By Nathan Founda-tion offers education, help, comfort and support to families with babies born with fragile conditions. Learn more at touchedbynathan.org.
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The Kwetu Faraja Campus on Lake Victoria
A few of the 30 boys living on campus
Judy & Russ Bryan
at their residence
Alice Fullerton
Sun City Center, Florida
Shirley Gibson
at her residence
Mary Lou Williams
At her residence
This Season of Gratitude It All Begins with God’s Love by Rev. Paul Votaw
“Give thanks to the Lord for he is good,
his loving kindness is everlasting.” This
is a quote from scripture but I did not site
a source because it appears in so many
places. So what does that have to do with
the price of turkeys at Thanksgiving?
Well, nothing...and everything.
The frequency in Scripture of the praise
quoted above should point us to the
source of all thanksgiving. The source is
God and God’s loving kindness toward
us. But it doesn’t stop there. It is a loving
kindness that never ends. It cannot be
defeated. It cannot be diluted. It cannot
be thwarted by any action on our part, no
matter how despicable. God’s love is
fixed. It is permanent. The only way it
cannot touch and embrace us is if we re-
fuse it by refusing the greatest gift of love
A Blessing-Filled Birthday!
Dear Friends at Westfield,
Thank you for the many, many beautiful cards, prayers
and well-wishes I received for my birthday. They brought
back many fond memories. Thank you all again and God
bless you. - Alice Fullerton
P.S. I ate the cake!
The CORNERSTONE November 2016
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ever known, Jesus Christ. And even
if Christ is not accepted, God’s love
and grace still touches people through
the bounty and generosity of creation.
That said, only Christ and accepting
him can bring us God’s love in its
fullness.
So as you give thanks during this sea-
son of gratitude always begin with
God’s love, knowing that all else
comes to us through and because of
that love. Have a blessed and joyful
season of gratitude.
Thanksgiving in Other Lands We tend to think of Thanksgiving as a
holiday unique to the United States. But
America’s neighbors to the north and
south celebrated it even earlier than the
Pilgrims’ famed meal in 1621.
Canada’s first Thanksgiving feast, held
by English explorer Martin Frobisher,
occurred in Newfoundland in 1578. The
country’s Thanksgiving observance is
now on the second Monday in October,
with holiday fixings that are similar to
those enjoyed by Americans.
In Mexico in 1598, a large group of
explorers, soldiers and Franciscans
traveled on sand dunes in what’s now
the American Southwest. They were
running low on water, so when they
reached the Rio Grande, they ex-
pressed gratitude to God by feasting
on fish, duck and geese. No official
date is set for Thanksgiving celebra-
tions in Mexico.
People of all nationalities have been
giving thanks to God for as long as
we’ve been on the earth.
Missionaries Dan & Kim Scheel (SIM)
have been evacuated from Langano,
Ethiopia until at least mid-November.
During the worst of significant unrest in
the area the local Langano people sur-
rounded their compound in a human fence
to protect them. A week prior to this a
state of emergency was declared in the
country.
Please pray for the peace of Ethiopia and
wisdom for their mission leadership. This
was a humbling time and they are thank-
ful to be safe.
During this impromptu trip to the states
they will attend Dan’s brother’s wedding
in California and are thankful they have
a place to stay in Rochester, New York
near family and friends. As always, they
remain steadfast that God is in control.
D-Now Retreat Coming Soon by David Champ
The fall semester is off and running! We
have seen great success with our Sunday
and Wednesday programs as well as our
5th Quarter Bonfires after each home Mo-
hawk football game. On Sundays we are
wrapping up our series on Colossians and
will begin a study of Galatians. On
Wednesdays we have been focusing in on
social issues surrounding the upcoming
election and how as Christians we are to
view it. We also had our annual Fall Festi-
val at Irons Mill Farmstead this year.
There are a few photos here. Thanks to
everyone who came out!
In November we will have a 3-week se-
ries on Stewardship. Our annual Fall Dis-
cipleship Now weekend begins on No-
vember 4. We will be staying in local
homes and having a retreat here at the
church. Our focus on this retreat will be
missions. Students will be broken into
groups to perform a “mission project” and
connect with missionaries around the
world. We will have live
Skype conversations with
missionaries currently in
the field and learn about
medical clinics and church
plants in other parts of the
world. Please pray for this
event as we hope it will be
a huge success!
Coming up in December
will be a Josh Wilson Christmas
concert and our annual Christmas
Party.
Please continue to pray for these
students as they grow in their faith
and tell their friends about all that
YO! has to offer! Thank you for
every one of you who pray for
these students and support the min-
istries of YO!
Community Worship is November 20
The Mohawk Area Church Association plans a community Thanksgiving Worship Service for Sunday, November 27, at 7 p.m. It will be held at St. Lawrence Church (Christ the King Parish) in Hillsville. This celebration of talents and testimony will feature participants from our community. Refreshments and a time of fellowship will follow in the church hall. Everyone is welcome.
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Pray for the Peace of Ethiopia
November 2016 The CORNERSTONE
A Stanza for Veterans Day
Honoring Our Military
As we remember America's veterans on
November 11, we would do well to read
again the third stanza of Katherine Lee
Bates' America the Beautiful:
O beautiful for heroes proved
In liberating strife,
Who more than self
Their country loved,
And mercy more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine,
Till all success be nobleness,
And every gain divine!
Here is an update on two of Westfield’s
members serving in the military.
Sergeant Joel Hopper
Joes is a sergeant in the 838th military
police unit based in Austintown, Ohio. He
is a senior at Youngstown State Univer-
sity majoring in civil engineering and
plans to graduate in December 2017.
Remember: Shoeboxes Due November 20
Christmas shoeboxes are due on November 20. In past years
you’ve blessed many children through this ministry that grows
every year at Westfield (106 in 2011, 122 in 2012, 163 in 2013,
205 in 2014 and 250 last year). Let’s keep up the good work.
“Just one more” box will save one more child!
Captain Brian Yorns
Brian enlisted into active duty in the
US Army as a combat medic, and
served his active duty time in Ger-
many. After completing his active
duty enlistment, he joined the Penn-
sylvania Army National Guard’s C
Co 128th Brigade Support Battalion.
Shortly after completing nursing
school, he was commissioned as an
Army Nurse Corps officer and de-
ployed to Ramadi, Iraq in support of
Operation Iraqi Freedom with the
28th ID, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
Brian continues to serve in the PA
Army National Guard, with 24 years
of total service and was recently se-
lected for promotion to Major.
In his civilian career, Brian currently
works at Heritage Valley Beaver in
the Intensive Care Unit as a registered
nurse and recently completed his
Master’s degree as a Family Nurse
Practitioner and will be transitioning
into that role over the next several
months.
The CORNERSTONE November 2016
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The Cornerstone
is a monthly publication of
Westfield Presbyterian Church.
We are a congregation of the
Covenant Order of Evangelical
Presbyterians.
We worship together every Sunday
at 11:00 A.M. We welcome all
members, friends, and visitors
to join us.
Editor & Office Secretary:
Maribeth Jones
Church Staff:
Rev. Paul Votaw
Pastor
David Champ
Director of Youth & Family Minis-
tries
Sarah Phillips
Organist/Choir Director
Stacy Cosgrove
Financial Secretary
Dave Micco
Joel with son Padraic and “friend” at a recent visit to Liv-
ing Treasures
November 6 Brunch
A Veterans Day brunch will be held in our Fellowship Hall on Sunday, November 6, following worship. Westfield members and friends and those who have served or are currently serving in the military are invited to morning worship and the brunch following. A display of fresh fruits, homemade muffins, pastries and hot and cold beverages will be offered. Our church family looks forward to recognizing and honoring our Vet-eran members on November 6.