[email protected] august2016resume on september 11th. the children’s church classes from...
TRANSCRIPT
FROM THE INTERIM PASTOR
It’s hard to believe but summer vacation is almost over. Students will be heading back to school soon. Riverside is partnering with Cape View Elementary in a back-to-school backpack drive at our First Sunday service on August 7. Bring new backpacks to worship at 10 a.m. for a special blessing of the backpacks and the students who will be receiving them. Dress casual, enjoy the music of the Caribbean and stay for the fellowship luncheon immediately following the service. Riverside is also welcoming new students to the Lab School this month. Riverside has partnered with the Eastern Florida State College Lab School for almost 50 years; and Lab School parents and staff spent the summer updating and renovating Calvin Hall in celebration of the relationship which we have enjoyed over the years. Thank you, Lab School parents and staff! Our own Riverside students will be enjoying newly repurposed classroom space in the Pfeiffer Room. Thank you to the church volunteers and staff who donated their time and resources to create this dedicated space for Children’s Church and One Room Schoolhouse. We are excited for the future here at Riverside and making changes necessary to move into that future. Grace and peace,
Pastor Melanie
New Church Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday 9am-2pm
3400 N. Atlantic Avenue
Cocoa Beach, FL 32931
(321) 783-6085 [email protected]
www.riversidepres.org
Rev. Melanie Ruta
Interim Pastor
Chuck Torgler
Custodian
Cecilia Quist
Nursery
Jeff Janowich
Audio
Doug Kasimier
Treasurer
August2016
Monthly Newsletter
August2016 / page 2
Summer Fellowship: On the second, third and fourth Sundays join us from 10-11 in Fellowship Hall for light
refreshments, coffee and conversation. Fellowship after the 11:00 service will resume in the fall.
August 2016 Worship Calendar
8/14: 9 Worship w/ the Band
10:10 Sunday School/
Fellowship Hour
11 Worship w/ the Choir
8/21: 9 Worship w/ the Band
10:10 Sunday School/
Fellowship Hour
11 Worship w/ the choir
FELLOWSHIP MEAL AUGUST 7th
11:30 Fellowship Hall
August 7 at 10am continues our First Sundays worship & music
series. We will have a special Communion service with steel
drum island music and afterward, a meal in Fellowship Hall.
Mark your calendars. Free! RSVP by August 1st
Yes, we are coming to the Island Meal! ________________
NUMBER (#) ATTENDING
Place your RSVP in the offering plate or bring to the office.
8/28: 9 Worship w/ the Band
10:10 Sunday School/
Fellowship Hour
11 Worship w/ the Choir
Thank you from Chili & Jen Thorstad
Friends, our departure from Riverside is bittersweet, because we so love this church and its people.
You have been our family and dear friends, and we cannot thank you enough for all you have done
for us over the years. Though our time here comes to an end, we are excited for what God has in
store for us in North Carolina. Many of you make that area your summer home, so we know there will
be Riversiders in our midst, which is comforting. And we hope many others will make it up that way
someday and be sure to look up the Thorstads!
Riverside will always be our home, and we look forward to the day when we return to visit and see all
that God has done here in this marvelous church. So special a place, with spirit-filled people, warm
welcomes, hugs and love that pours out from everyone. The uniqueness of this congregation is its
true family-feel and willingness to extend a helping hand without question, always supportive and
forgiving. We will miss you all more than you could possibly imagine! We truly appreciate the
amazing send-off you gave us on Thursday. Thank you to all who organized the party and those of
you who took time out of your lives to come and bid us a fond farewell. We truly appreciate your
presence and prayers as we look ahead to the next journey. We would like to keep in touch with
everyone, so if you are so inclined, please make note of our emails and new address:
[email protected] and [email protected] and home address of 12 Shady Walk Trail, Black
Mountain, NC 28711.
We love you all and continue our prayers for Riverside.
August2016 / page 3
Michael Meighen 8/1*
Bob Howard 8/2*
Flip Boehmer 8/4*
Lindalee Torgler 8/4*
Coleen Castillo 8/7*
Mary Josselson 8/7
Parker Holden 8/9*
Val Constantini 8/14
Billy Coon 8/15*
Charlotte Coon 8/15*
Karen Hitch 8/15
Tammy Ivan 8/18*
Ginny Skywark 8/20*
Helen McDowell 8/21*
Lodene Farden 8/25
Rusty Fischer 8/27*
George Smith 8/27*
Joe Fanning 8/28*
Dorothy Larson 8/29
Penny Dale 8/30*
Abbie Gordon 8/31
Jim Mustin 8/31*
Mabel Stafford 8/31
August 2016 Birthdays
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PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN NEWS The Presbyterian Women in Central Florid Presbytery 2016 Bible Study, “Who is Jesus?” will be held Saturday, August 20, 2016 at the Maitland Presbyterian Church, 341 North Orlando Avenue, Maitland, Florida 32751, 407-644-3455. There will be a continental breakfast at check in. Lunch will be between the morning and afternoon sessions. Cost is $10 due August 6th. Late registration will be $15 after the 6th. Registration forms will be available with circle leaders, on line and with Gail Marshall. Look ahead and save the date of The 10th Triennial Gathering of Presbyterian Women in the Synod of South Atlantic on October 21-23, 2016 at Epworth by the Sea on St. Simons Island, Georgia. The theme is “Looking at Jesus through a Different Lens.” The Year End Luncheon and planning meeting at the home of Gail Marshall was held on Wednesday, July 27. The restructuring of Riverside’s Presbyterian Women’s Coordinating Team (PWCT) to the Presbyterian Women’s Council (PWC) and the 2016-2017 plans/activities were discussed. Information was updated to be included in the 2016-2017 Presbyterian Women’s Yearbook. Hold the date of Saturday, August 27th for a Gathering to be held in Fellowship Hall from 10 AM to 2 PM. Sewers and non-sewers are welcomed to join in the fun to work on baby quilt tops. Quilt top fabric kits will be available. Also, yarn workers are welcomed to attend. Come join in the “SEW IN" and enjoy the fellowship and provided lunch.
Dates to Remember:
August 20 – 9:30 AM PWCFP 2016 Bible Study “Who is Jesus?” Maitland. Florida August 27 – 10 AM to 2 PM Gathering “Sew In” Fellowship Hall October 21-23 – Epworth by the Sea, St. Simons Island, Georgia
-Gail Marshall, Publicity
Summer Studies: Riverside’s Adult Sunday School
The Education Commission continues the summer adult Sunday school program with a video series by C. K.
Robertson, entitled Hazardous Saints, Christians Risking All, Changing Everything. The study will introduce
Barnabas, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Cranmer, Sojourner Truth, Dorothy Day and Oscar Romero. These
individuals made the powerful uncomfortable while bringing significant lasting change to the lives of those
around them and to generations of believers who followed. Hazardous Saints will challenge us to consider
how we too can reflect the love of Christ in creative and intentional ways.
The video series meets in the Pfeiffer Room (Fellowship Hall) between the 9 AM and 11 AM services, but will
not meet on the 1st Sunday of each month. Video Series Adult Sunday school schedule: August 14, 21, 28;
September 11. Jak Burton’s Knox Parlor Sunday morning class on Revelation continues this summer as well.
Save the Date: September 18 and 25 - Curriculum Fair introducing fall classes beginning in October
August2016 / page 5
GGGRANDPARENTSRANDPARENTSRANDPARENTS RRRAISINGAISINGAISING GGGRANDCHILDRENRANDCHILDRENRANDCHILDREN
SSSUPPORTUPPORTUPPORT GGGROUPROUPROUP
2nd Tuesdays of the month
9:30am Knox Parlor
begins September 13th
Support group meetings where relatives can discuss their
issues and concerns in a non-judgmental and caring
environment with others in the same situation as
themselves. For more information, visit their website:
www.grandparentsraisinggrandchildren.org.
Lunch 'n Learn: Be Scam Smart
Thursday, August 4
12:00pm - Fellowship Hall
Cocoa Beach Police Department will present the latest scams
targeting seniors and provide Q& A on the following topics:
Internet safety
Financial security
Identity Theft
Boxed lunches available for purchase: $7.00 each
(Please make check out to Riverside Presbyterian Church)
Reservations required by Monday, August 1st.
Call the church office at 783-6085 or email
[email protected] for more info.
August2016 / page 6
August in the Kid’s Corner - One Room School House
SUMMER VACATION IS HERE !!! The One Room School House for Riverside’s Kids
will be on summer break during the month of August. Our fall curriculum will
resume on September 11th.
The Children’s Church classes from the 9 AM worship service and the One Room
School House classes have been relocated to the Pfeiffer Room adjacent to Fellowship Hall. The children
will have their own room in which to study, do crafts, and display their artwork.
Miss Vicki and Miss Gail will happily welcome all students, new and old on Sunday, September 11th to
begin our new study of “Grace and Gratitude” in the book of Exodus. Grace flows from God’s desire and
actions to free people. Then and now, gratitude acknowledges freedom and the responsibilities that
come with it including living in community with God and neighbor as partners who value freedom and
respect for all people.
Happy Summer Vacation Days !!!
Backpack Drive: August 7th
Keep on the look out for good, sturdy backpacks for our upcoming backpack drive in
August. Our partnership with Cape View Elementary School in Cape Canaveral enables
Riverside to provide backpacks, emergency non-perishable food and school supplies for
children in need.
Our backpack and school supply drive is Sunday, August 7th.
Supplies needed are: Wide ruled notebook paper, Single subject spiral notebooks, Composition books,
Ticonderoga pencils, Fiskars kids scissors, 24 count crayons, Highlighters, Boxes of tissues, Dry erase
markers, Colored pencils, Eraser caps, Glue sticks, Glue bottles. Bring your backpacks or supplies to church
next Sunday, August 7th. Sales tax holiday is Aug 5-7 so grab those deals!
Food Pantry/ Grocery Carts
Have you ever wondered about the grocery carts in the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall? Weekly, Riverside
volunteer Pam Weiger stops by the church to collect the food donated to those carts and delivers it to St.
Vincent de Paul Society at Our Savior’s Catholic Church.
They have a food pantry that distributes non-perishable grocery items to individuals and families in need in
the Cocoa Beach/ Cape Canaveral areas. Many of these families’ needs grow during the summer due to the
absence of school-provided breakfast and lunch.
If you can give, bring your non-perishable goods to either the Sanctuary or Fellowship Hall and deposit your
food donations into the grocery carts. And be sure to give a warm “thank you!” to Pam when you see her.
She is our faithful pickup and delivery angel!
Summary of Session Actions:
Stated Meeting, July 19, 2016
Received with regret the resignations of staff members Jen and Chili Thorstad to follow God’s leading
and provision of new positions in North Carolina. Two teams of elders are assisting the Personnel
Commission in the development of new job descriptions and hiring new staff.
Received the report of the PNC that approval of the Ministry Information Form is pending.
Received the report of the Treasurer that at the mid-year point there is an approximately 7% decline in
giving as compared to 2015. The challenge to the congregation is to reduce that number to 2% in order
to finish the year with a balanced budget. We are inching toward that goal and the staff, session and
commissions are helping by keeping expenses to a minimum. In dollar terms, we are short $8,352 as
of the end of June.
Received an overview from Stewardship and Finance of the online giving program by the Presbyterian
Foundation.
Received an update on the stewardship campaign (“Trusting in the Promises of God”) in October.
Received a report from the planning team for the 60th Anniversary celebration beginning October 2.
Adopted a new Sexual Misconduct Policy on the recommendation of Personnel. Child Protection and
Disaster Preparedness policies and revisions to the Personnel Policy are pending.
Received the report from Property regarding a further reduction in the cost to the church of securing
replacement lighting with gratitude and thanks to Dave Bartine and Lighting Science Group.
Received reports from OMEC and the Education Commission regarding on-going mission and summer
educational activities of the church.
Approved Worship’s recommendation to go to one service on Sunday, December 25 and Sunday,
January 1; and approved a “Blue Christmas” prayer service on Sunday afternoon, December 11.
Approved the 2016-2017 Dr. Vernon Boushell Concert Series dates beginning with a performance of
the Appalachian Gospel Ensemble for the church’s 60th Anniversary Celebration on Oct. 2.
Education Commission accepted responsibility for securing volunteers as required for the Nursery.
Noted with regret the passing of long-time member Jim Walker whose funeral was held on July 22.
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