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If you are a church member or adherent and wish to post to the members' blog, simply send your appropriate post via email to the webmaster. (Blue word 'Email' on the lower left corner of this page and select "Webmaster")
Posts for April 2012
April birthdays will be celebrated during fellowship hour on April 1st.
Report from the Consistory Meeting of March 31, 2012
“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 5:28) to
1) hold another “friendship Sunday” in the fall; 2) continue to extend overnight hospitality on Sundays to some of our adherents; 3) hold several events to mark July 1,the fifth anniversary of our identity as The Church That Never Closes.
We Extend Christian Love and Sympathy to Elder John Chen and his family on the death this past week of his beloved mother, Yuet Phing Chen.
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Posts forMarch 2012
March birthdays will be celebrated during fellowship hour on March 4th.
Report from the Consistory Meeting of February 25, 2012
“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 5:28) to 1) appoint Dolores Reig as the church’s second elder delegate to the Classis of New York; 2) finalize plans for Fellowship Sunday on March 11; 3) select the plumbing firm that will connect the building to the new sewer lines; 4) set 10:00 p.m. as the time our kitchen will close to cooking, cleaning and chatting and 11:00 p.m. as the time our library will close to informal fellowship; 5) pursue accepting a request from the Hands of Christ Community Church (a church for the deaf) to share use of our building on Sundays, tentatively beginning in the summer.
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Posts for February 2012
February birthdays will be celebrated during fellowship hour on February 5th.
Report from the Consistory Meeting on January 28, 2012
“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 5:28) to
1) approve revisions to our ministry descriptions; 2) approve a contract with Pastor Adolf for 2012; 3) authorize funds for Elder John Chen to attend a denomination-wide gathering in Orlando in February; 4) approve a policy limiting smoking to a designated section of the parking lot (signs will be erected); 5) set March 11 as the date for Fellowship Sunday – tentatively between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. – when the ministries of consistory can give reports, solicit help and feedback, and we as a church family can share ideas together
Our Lenten Sacrifice . . .
is to give up our weapons of mutual destruction: gossiping, criticizing, complaining, arguing, bragging, etc. Note the messages of encouragement from Jesus throughout our building.
John Chen attended the RCA denomination-wide meeting in Orlando, Florida.
Coordinator for Our Ministry of Fellowship
The consistory has asked Alicia Weise to temporarily oversee the Ministry of Fellowship and she has accepted. The purpose of this ministry is to weave together a joyful community of Christian who express God’s unconditional love to one another and to the world. Alicia will be working with a team to coordinate the following programs and activities: Sunday fellowship hour; Thursday and Sunday evening fellowship suppers; monthly birthday celebrations; monthly supper+movie; notes/cards for members; membership directory; church life information center. Please keep Alicia and her team in your prayers.
Our New Policy on Smoking
Our entire building is smoke-free. Smoking is permitted only in the parking lot. When smoking outdoors, please do not prop the side door open, so that smoke will not drift into the building.
Posts for January 2012
January birthdays will be celebrated during fellowship hour on January 1st.
Posts for December 2011
December birthdays will be celebrated during fellowship hour on December 4th.
The Church That Never Closes To Receive Award
Our church will be honored by Project Hospitality at their Spring Luncheon on May 10. We have been chosen as the recipient of the Rev Roland Ratmeyer Founders Award for our work on behalf of the poor and hungry. To God be the Glory.
Report from the Consistory Meeting of December 10, 2011“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 5:28) to 1) accept Pastor Adolf’s resignation as minister of Word and sacrament and to work on developing a contract so that he can continue as our pastor for the next year (note: the Book of Church Order of the Reformed Church in America mandates that installed pastors must resign at age 70 but can continue to serve their church as ministers under contract); 2) approve the goals for 2012 set by the ministry of Outreach, Mission and Evangelism (George Finger and Jarene Pagliarulo, co-coordinator), the ministry of service (Isabelle Faust, coordinator) and the ministry of worship (Eileen Johnson, coordinator); 3) approve an operating budget of $36,000 for 2012; and 4) invite three men, all adherents of this church who are currently without homes, to stay in our fellowship hall on Sunday nights for the next month; men from our church will also stay with them.
Ordination of Peter Sanfilippo
Peter Sanfilippo, a former member of this church and a 2011 graduate of New Brunswick Theological Seminary, will be ordained to the office of minister of Word and sacrament this afternoon (Sunday December 18, 2011) at the Metuchen (NJ) Reformed Church. Pastor Adolf will participate in the service. Peter is our second “son of the church,” a term used to designate a member who has gone on to become an ordained minister. Our first son was the late Rev. F. Scott Petersen, in whose memory we have created the Rev. F Scott Petersen Fund, which provides financial support to our other members who are in seminary: John C.K. Chen, Frank Gravagna, Jodi Kenny and Alex Mak.
Posts for November 2011
November birthdays will be celebrated during fellowship hour on November 6th.
Monthly Birthday Cakes
Many thanks to Ed and Debbie Cutler who signed up to provide the birthday cakes for our monthly birthday celebrations. And continued thanks to Rose Bottino, our birthday celebration coordinator.
Did You See . . .
. . . the terrific picture of Les Driscoll in the Tuesday edition of the Staten Island Advance? He was pictured with other past presidents of the Staten Island Ballroom Dancers on the occasion of their 50th anniversary.
Congratulations to . . . John Chen who passed his first Classis exams on Tuesday. Seminarians who are “under care” are periodically examined by the Classis as they proceed toward ordination.
Posts for October 2011
October birthdays will be celebrated during fellowship hour on October 2nd.
If you’re wondering where Jodi Kenny is, she is doing a field placement at Brighton Heights Reformed Church as part of her seminary training. She is there every Sunday and also one night each week. Do keep her in your prayers.
ChristianCourses.com . . . provides online access to numerous Bible study courses, along with courses on public speaking and leadership skills, taught by well-known experts including Haddon Robinson, Larry Crabb and Alice Matthews. For more information visit www.christiancourses.com.
We are Looking for Someone . . .
to provide a small birthday cake during fellowship hour on the first Sunday of the month when we celebrate monthly birthdays. If you are interested, please see Rose Bottino. This need not be a commitment forever, perhaps just for six months.
And Someone Else:
to keep the bulletin board and table of the Church Life Information Center neat and current. If you are interested, please see Jarene Pagliarulo. This can also be a short-term commitment.
Thank you…Carol Tornello has volunteered to be the new caretaker of our Church Life Information Center.
We are Looking for Somone to . . .
coordinate our 2011 participation in Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse. Operation Christmas Child provides shoeboxes filled with small gifts for children around the world. The coordinator would promote and organize our participation, which will take place in early November. If you are interested, please see Isabelle Faust.
We are still Looking for Somone to . . .
provide a small birthday cake during fellowship hour on the first Sunday of the month when we celebrate monthly birthdays. If you are interested, please see Rose Bottino. This need not be a commitment forever, perhaps just for six months.
Posts for September 2011
September birthdays will be celebrated during fellowship hour on September 4th.
An Update on Raymond and Ashley Warren
Raymond and Ashley have moved to Maryland, where they will live with Raymond’s brother. Raymond plans to get a job and Ashley plans to finish high school. Please keep this sweet couple in your prayers.
Posts for August 2011
August birthdays will be celebrated during fellowship hour on August 7th.
New Parking Signs in our Lot
The two spots closest to our side entrance are now reserved for persons who have difficulty walking. We do not yet know whether two spaces are enough. If you would like to use one of these spaces but regularly find they are filled, please see John Rodriguez and we will consider adding an additional spots.
Summer Schedule Change...The faith formation group that normally meets on Thursday evening following our fellowship supper will not meet for the remainder of the summer. The group will resume on Thursday, September 8.
Our Ministry of Fellowship is Growing!
Thanks to two sisters who have taken on responsibilities as part of our Ministry of Fellowship. Mariann Buda is in charge of the Church Life Information Center, the table and bulletin board located between the church office and the kitchen. And DeBraan Varvaro is sending cards (get well, condolence, thinking of you, etc.) on behalf of the congregation.
Can You Help?
Donations of any of the following food items would be greatly appreciated: potatoes, lemonade mix, honey, butter, nutmeg, sugar, oregano, corn starch, Pam, ketchup, iced tea mix, lettuce, relish, and bread and butter pickles. These cleaning supplies are also needed: dishwasher soap, dishwashing soap, Comet or Ajax, Brillo or SOS pads, large plastic storage bags, gloves. Thank you in advance for anything you can give!
We Extend Christian Love and Sympathy to Rosalie Simoniello on the death of her sister-in-law, Lucille Lynch.
Report from the July 30 and August 5 Consistory Meetings
“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 5:28) to
1) update the descriptions of our ministries; 2) affirm the importance of having members of the church (called Servants of the Lord) present 24/7 to minister, as needed, to all who enter our sanctuary; and 3) authorize the installation of a diaper changing station in the women’s bathroom.
We Extend Christian Love and Sympathy to Rosalie Simoniello on the death of her beloved nephew, Joey Mincone.
And We Extend Congratulations to Mariann Buda and John Rodriguez on their engagement.
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Posts for July 2011
July birthdays will be celebrated during fellowship hour on July 3rd.
Parking Lot Attendants and New Parking Signs
To maximize the limited space in our parking lot, a few members will supervise parking on Sundays beginning at 10:00 a.m. The first two spaces near the side entrance are reserved for persons who have difficulty walking.
Congratulations to Anna Reyes, whose son Chad Reyes and Daniell Patanella were married on July 17.
Street Paving Project on Seguine Avenue
The city has announced that the paving of Seguine Avenue will begin on Tuesday, July 5 and will take about two months. During that time Seguine Avenue will be completely closed to northbound traffic (from Hylan Blvd. toward Amboy Road). Southbound traffic will be restricted to local traffic during working hours (7 a.m. to 5 p.m.). There may be times when the church driveway is blocked. In addition, on-street parking will be restricted at times, so watch for no parking signs in order to avoid a ticket.
The Good News . . . and the Bad News
The good news: The sewer work on Seguine Avenue is done, so we will be able to hook up to it. The bad news: the city considers us to be a commercial building, meaning that a land survey and a special permit are needed before we can hook up. This may take up to two months. Meanwhile, we will have to continue to use our fragile septic system. For this reason, we urge you to use water sparingly. Kitchen volunteers have been advised of the following: don’t let sink water run continuously when washing dishes; and 2) don’t use sink water while the dishwasher is running.
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Posts for June 2011
June birthdays will be celebrated during fellowship hour on June 5th.
A lovely photo of Arianna Marie Wolsky is on the bulletin board in the Church Life Information Center. Arianna, the firstborn of Frank and April Wolsky, was born on April 6.
We’re Composting!
The small white garbage can in the fellowship hall is for our table scraps. Any leftover food – except meat, bones and dairy products – should be put in the compost can. This includes egg shells, coffee grinds, potato peelings, etc. Why? Composting reduces the amount of garbage that is sent to landfills but, more important, when our food scraps decompose they will become rich soil for our vegetable garden.
Report from the May 20 Consistory Meeting
"It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (Acts 5:28) to 1) conduct a special fund drive on May 22 and 29 and June 5 and 12 in order to purchase new signs for outside the building; 2) approve plans for the celebration of our fourth anniversary as The Church That Never Closes; 3) authorize the Ministry of Fellowship to create a system for seeking donations of leftover baked goods from local bakeries, etc.; 4) affirm the importance of the role of Servants of the Lord as part of our identity as The Church That Never Closes.
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