March 2016

Pardon our dust ☺☺☺☺

The Church House renovations are underway! Uncovering beautiful old

ceilings and floors, plaster and painting, refinishing floors--it’s all happening in the

gym, lounge, dining room and hallways, and it’s going to be beautiful!

The Session and Board of Deacons have given great support to these projects

along with the help of Linda Jennings and other help of experts and resources support-

ing our planning.

When you come to church it may look a bit chaotic and there may be a bit more

dust than usual, but “that’s progress,” and the results will be worth it! In several weeks

you will begin to see a truly transformed Parish House. You will enjoy being in it and

will be proud to present it to the community.

The Session would like to offer a special thanks to those of you who have made

an additional donation to the church to help offset the cost of these much needed capi-

tal improvements. Thank you for you faithful and consistent support. Your spirit

represents the future of our church.

If anyone is able to help in any way: providing a special financial gift; covering

the phone and door in the church office for a few hours; or even doing some cleaning

or painting, please contact Linda Jennings at 732-6518. Most of all we appreciate your

patience and your encouraging spirit during this challenging but exciting initiative.

A Monthly News Publication For Members and Friends

Published by: Westminster Moriah Olivet Presbyterian Church � 714 Washington St. � Utica, NY 13502

Lenten Lunch

@ St. Mary’s/

Mt. Carmel

648 Jay St., Utica

Thursday, March 10

@ Noon

Free will offering

Church Community News

Holy Week

Worship Schedule

Maundy Thursday

Pot Luck Dinner

Service

March 24, 6:00 PM

(detailed inside)

Good Friday Service

of Prayer

On Friday March 25

at 2:00 PM we will

have a prayer service in

remembrance of the

death of Jesus Christ

and what it means to us

in our lives today.

Easter Morning

Communion Service

March 27, 10:30 AM

One Great Hour of Sharing

Palm Sunday

This special offering is taken each year to help many of the neediest people

locally and globally cope with the tragedy of loss through natural disaster. Natural

disasters are difficult to understand. Sometimes they even lead people to question the

very existence of a loving God. However, when God’s people show a clear response

in acts of compassion and sharing, the love of God is made tangible and known.

Church Community News Page 2

Easter Flowers

To place a plant ($10 each) in the Sanc-

tuary on Easter Sunday in memory or in

honor of someone, please complete this form and re-

turn it together with your check payable to:

Westminster Moriah Olivet Presbyterian Church by

March 13th

I enclose $ for (#) plants

Please check which type and # of plant (s) you are

ordering: Hyacinth ______, Lily ______,

Mum ______, Tulip ______

In memory/honor of:

Given by:

Please deliver my plant to a shut-in or hospitalized

friend of the church

I will take my plant after the Easter Service

I will help deliver plants to shut-ins

I prefer to deliver to

Your name:

Church Boards

Welcome Congregational Support

On February 28th during worship we ordained and installed several new Session Elders and Deacons into service. We are thankful for their enthusiastic willingness to accept a call to lead and serve as we seek to continue Christ’s work here at Westminster Moriah Olivet.

Our board of Deacons meets the first Sunday of every month after church, and are busy in many ways showing the love and compassion of Christ. Feel free to speak with any Deacon about their work or to the current officers: Sharon Worm-wood, Moderator; Kathy Hughes, Secretary or Mark Bowdish, Treasurer.

Our Session typically meets the second Sunday of the month after church. It is responsible to lead the congregation and is made up of several committees. The following Elders are serving these committees but would welcome the help of members from the congregation at large. Please contact any of these committee members if you would work with them. Together, with God’s help, we will accomplish a great deal of good.

Session Structure 2016

Worship , Music /Education

Members: Maggie Williams, Joan Silvernail, Jack Adams, Janet Allodi (Pastor Umidi and Director of Music, Ex officio)

Mission Outreach/Member Care

Members: Helen Yahoudy, Connie Farr, Letty Umidi (Ex officio)

Resources

Finances and Property

Members: Steve Wormwood, Jim Farr, Joan Silvernail, Doug Peters (Ex officio)

Personnel

` Members: Steve Wormwood, Jack Adams, Margaret Williams and Alan Frederick (Ex officio) Clerk of Session: Margaret Williams

Conversations on the Confessions - March 20th

This month - the Apostles' Creed

Recently someone asked, “Why don’t we use any of the creeds or confessions in our worship?” This led to a discussion of the value of confessional state-ments for Presbyterian worship, and then to the idea of using a portion of each of the nine confessional state-ments in our Book of Confessions, for discussion each month during 2016.

To help us appreciate the contribution that each confession makes to our faith, Pastor and Letty Umidi will conduct half hour “conversations on the confes-sions” during the coffee hour once a month during cof-fee hour in the lounge. March 20th we will cover the Apostles' Creed.

We hope many of you will join us for these con-versations and that they will help us appreciate the use of these confessions in our worship service.

Church Community News Page 3

COMMUNION SET-UP

March 6 Mary & Fred Collis March 27 Judy & Dick Hatfield

COMMUNION SERVERS

March 6 Jack Adams Joan Silvernail June Taylor Steve Wormwood

Easter March 27 T.B.A.

LITURGISTS

March 6 Kathy Hughes 13 Steve Wormwood 20 Joan Silvernail 27 Letty Umidi

March 13th

Good Friday

Service of Prayer

On Friday March 25th at 2:00 PM we will

have a prayer service offered in remembrance of

the death of Jesus Christ and what it means to us in

our lives today.

This will be approximately 45 minutes and will

provide opportunity for people to share the ways in

which God has addressed the suffering of the world

in the death of his Son Jesus Christ. The service

will be held in the church chapel.

Let Us Gather

as the Disciples Did with Jesus

for a Special Service and Dinner

on Maundy Thursday

We will enjoy some special music and

communion will be shared at our Maundy Thursday

service which will start at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday,

March 24th.

Prior to the service we invite you to bring a

dish to pass for a potluck supper beginning at 6:00

p.m. Please indicate if you plan to attend.

Maundy Thursday Potluck

Name:______________________________

# Attending ________

Plan to bring:

Salads/Breads _____________________

Main Dish/Vegetables_______________

Dessert _________________________

Small Group Study

“24 Hours That

Changed the World”

By Adam Hamilton

Thursdays @ 10:30 AM

In the Lounge

For more information contact Linda - 732-6518.

Westminster Guild Meeting

Wednesday, March 23

7:30 PM @

Maggie Williams’ home

Bake Sale

Nursing Home:

Ruth Weatherup - Eastern Star

Home,

Marion Roberts - Masonic Home

& Health Facility

At Home:

Shirley Jones - Florida

Dan Cottrill

Dan Perilli - Florida

Rose Emma

Florence & David Shumway

Dick and Sigrid Peters - Utica

Please alert Linda of any needed

changes to the Prayer List.

Thank you!

Church Community News Page 4

Book Discussion

Group

“The Hundred Foot

Journey”

by Richard C. Morias

Monday, March 28 - 6:30 PM

@ Acacia Village

Born above his grandfather’s

modest restaurant in Mumbai,

Hassan Haji first experienced life

through intoxicating whiffs of

spicy fish curry, trips to the local

markets, and gourmet outings

with his mother. But when trag-

edy pushes the family out of In-

dia, they console themselves by

eating their way around the

world, eventually settling in

Lumière, a small village in the

French Alps, where they find

themselves with some interesting

neighbors.

Books will soon be available in the church office.

1 Rebecca Scotellaro

2 Gerald Yahoudy, Sr.

3 Margaret Williams

5 Ruth Turnbull

11 Robert Papinsick

Barbara Stearns

James Mauthe

Rainer Kolupa

20 Mary Alice Goetz

22 Rebecca Wormwood

23 Elvira Blanchard

Marilyn Hughes

Sharon Lanahan

24 Jordan Lanahan

27 Cynthia Parlato-Hurd

Patricia Williams

Elizabeth Williams

28 Ivor Surridge

29 Adam Turnbull

30 Joanne Yacovella

PRAYER CONCERNS

NEW

WESTMINSTER MORIAH

OLIVET PHONE

DIRECTORIES

Are now available.

You can pick up a copy from the

table outside the church office.

Men’s

Breakfast

Thursday, March 17, @ 9:00 AM

at Raspberries Restaurant

2634 Genesee St. Utica.

All men are invited to attend.

If you need a ride, call the

church. 732-6518.

Church Community News Page 5

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

1:30 Food Pantry

2 3 10:30 AM Small

Group Study

7 PM Bell & Choir

Practice in the

Choir Room

4 5

6 10:30

Communion

Worship

Service

Noon Deacons

Meeting

7 8

1:30 Food Pantry

9 10

9 AM Men’s Break-

fast

10:30 AM Small

Group Study

7 PM Bell & Choir

Practice in the Choir

Room

11 12

13 10:30 AM

Worship

Service

Noon Session

Meeting

14 15

1:30 Food Pantry

16 17

10:30 AM Small

Group Study

7 PM Bell & Choir

Practice in the

Choir Room

18 19

9 AM

Women’s Bible

Study @ Panera’s

20

PALM SUNDAY

10:30 AM

Worship

Service

21 22

1:30 Food Pantry

23 7:30 PM

Westminster

Guild Meeting @

Maggie Williams’

home

Bake Sale

24 10:30 AM Small

Group Study

6 pm Maundy

Thursday Dinner

& Service

25

2 PM Good

Friday Service in

the Chapel

26

27

EASTER

10:30 AM

Worship

Service

28

6:30 PM

Book Discussion

Group @ Acacia

Village

29

1:30 Food Pantry

30 31

March 2016

Church Community News

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

March 2016

Deadline for April’s Newsletter: March 21st

WESTMINSTER MORIAH OLIVET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

714 Washington Street, Utica, New York 13502

March Schedule March Schedule March Schedule March Schedule

6th Deacons’ Meeting Noon

13th Session Meeting Noon

17th Men’s Breakfast @ Raspberries, Genesee St. 9 AM

19th Women’s Bible Study @ Panera’s 9 AM

20th Palm Sunday Worship Service 10:30 AM

20th Conversations on the Confessions 11:30 AM

23th Westminster Guild @ Maggie Williams’ home 7:30 PM

24th Maundy Thursday Potluck & Service 6 PM

25th Good Friday Service 2 PM

27th Easter Sunday Worship Service 10:30 AM

28th Book Discussion Group @ Acacia Village 6:30 PM

Westminster Moriah Olivet Presbyterian ChurchWestminster Moriah Olivet Presbyterian ChurchWestminster Moriah Olivet Presbyterian ChurchWestminster Moriah Olivet Presbyterian Church

714 Washington Street, Utica, NY 13502

Office Phone (315) 732-6518 Fax (315) 732-6599

Sunday Worship Services 10:30 Sunday Worship Services 10:30 Sunday Worship Services 10:30 Sunday Worship Services 10:30