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We love the wonderful carols sung during Advent. We will sing a different verse of “Come, Thou Long-
Expected Jesus” each Sunday, as we once again prepare for the coming of the savior. This carol with such
beautiful, meaningful words was written by Charles Wesley in 1744, and still rings true today.
“Advent” means “coming.” Each week the excitement builds as we embrace the themes of hope, peace, joy and
love. We begin Advent on December 1st, with the lighting of the first candle, which symbolizes “hope.” We
need the reminder that there is always hope, thanks to God’s gift to us of the tiny baby born in a Bethlehem
stable. The world has had its ups and downs from time beginning, yet our hope should remain solid, as we
know that all things are possible with God. The first verse of “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus” does offer us
that hope.
Another favorite song, “Let There Be Peace on Earth” reminds us that when we work together for good, great
wrongs can be righted and great things can be accomplished. The lighting of the second Advent candle
symbolizes “peace.” The first line of “Let There Be Peace on Earth” is followed by “and let it begin with me.”
It points out that, with God as our father, we are all brothers (and sisters) who should walk together in “perfect
harmony.” By sharing the love that God has for us with our brothers and sisters everywhere, we can achieve the
hope, peace, love and joy of the Advent season, not only as we prepare for the coming of Jesus this Christmas,
but throughout the coming year, as well.
Wishing you a joyous Christmas full of hope, peace, and love.
The Parish Visitor First Reformed Church of Fishkill
December, 2019
“Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus”
Come, thou long-expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free.
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born Thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.
By Thine own eternal Spirit
Rule in all our hearts alone;
By Thine all-sufficient merit,
Raise us to thy glorious throne.
O come, O King of nations, bind
in one the hearts of all mankind.
Bid our sad divisions cease
and be yourself our King of Peace.
OUR CHURCH TODAY
December Calendar 1
Advent I Worship/Communion 10 am
Hanging of the Greens* 11:15 am
15 Advent III Worship 10 am *
Sunday School* 10:15 am
Caroling* 2:30 pm*
Girl Scout Tr. 10398 4:30 pm 3 CCS Pajama Party*
Worship and Music Comm. 11 am
Boy Scout Troop 65 7 pm 16 Scout Tr. 65 Committee 7 pm
17 Boy Scouts 7 pm
Consistory 7:15 pm 4 Bible Study 1 pm
Pastor Search Comm. 18
Bible Study* 1 pm
Pastor Search Comm. 6 pm 5 Choir Rehearsal 7 pm
6 Pizza and Play Practice* 5:30 pm 19 Choir Rehearsal 7 pm
7 Ugly Christmas Sweater Party* 5 pm 22 Advent IV Worship 10 am
Sunday School 10:15 am 8
Advent II Worship 10 am
Sunday School Play* 11 am
Sunday School 10:15 am 23-27 Church Office Closed
10 Boy Scouts 7 pm 24 Christmas Eve
Family Service* 5:30 pm
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 8:30 11 Bible Study 1 pm
12 Consistory reports due
Homebound Gifts* 10 am
Choir Rehearsal 7 pm 25
13
29 Worship – Lessons and Carols 10 am
31 New Year’s Eve Church office closed
*Asterisk indicates related article within
Please submit articles for the January “Parish Visitor” to the Church Office by December 13th:
[email protected]. Thank you.
Church Calendar – Before scheduling a meeting or event at church, please contact Pat in Church Office
(ph. 845 896-9836) to check availability on church calendar and to reserve your meeting space.
Sunday Bulletin Announcements – Please submit your information to the church office no later than the
preceding Wednesday to ensure inclusion in the Sunday bulletin/announcements. (Exception: Tuesday,
Dec.17th, is the deadline for Dec. 22nd bulletin announcements).
Prayer Chain – To be added to the church prayer chain contact list or to request prayers for yourself or
someone else, please contact Toni Houston at [email protected].
Worship service broadcasts – 5:00 pm (please note new time), Sundays on Cablevision Channel 21.
Church website includes the Church newsletters, worship service links, church history and Facebook page.
Go to: www.fishkillreformed.org.
Directory changes: Chuck and Lois Heady’s new phone number is 845 831-3203.
Parish Visitor articles due
OUR CHURCH TODAY
Consistory Notes from November, 2019 Victor Chao led devotions based on Deuteronomy 15:10: we are reminded that when we give liberally, not
begrudgingly, the Lord will bless us in everything we do. If we follow Jesus and do his work, God will provide
for our needs. When we give, we are listening to God and doing what is and just. We will be remembered not by
how much money we have, but what we give.
• Treasurer's October report: Total YTD revenue –$169,031.05 Total YTD expenses – $136,780.57
• The Food Pantry provided 10,485 meals during the month of October.
• Pulpit supply for December 29th (Lessons and Carols and Meditation): Bill Resling
Nick Miles will be leading our worship for the entire month of January.
Our heartfelt thanks to both for their dedication to our church and to Rich Lanni for the fine job he is
doing in scheduling such excellent preachers to lead our worship!
• The Christmas offering is to be directed to Hudson River Housing and will be matched ten times with
funds from the Mission Bequest Set-aside.
• The Building and Grounds Committee will be getting quotes on improving our walkways and installing
an irrigation system in order to begin work in the spring.
• The Pastoral Search Committee is pleased with the quantity of applicants they have received and is
proceeding with interviews to determine the suitability of a number of these.
• Elder Phyllis Lake and Deacon Manny Valdivia convened a meeting of people from churches in Fishkill
and Beacon to discuss forming a coalition to serve the homeless in southern Dutchess County. Sixteen
people from nine different churches attended and heard Nikole Johannesen, Director of Resident
Services at Hudson River Housing, outline a number of things individuals and churches can do. A
follow-up meeting is set for December 11th. Further discussion will outline what we as a church can
contribute to this effort.
Support from Elders and Deacons
If you need temporary transportation, a meal delivered, a visit or a phone call, please contact a deacon:
Kim Albra, Beacon Victor Chao, Hopewell Junction
John Cliffe, Wappingers Falls Sally LeDioyt, Fishkill
Manny Valdivia, Wappingers Falls
If you would like to receive home communion or a pastoral care visit, please contact an elder:
Phyllis Lake, Beacon Rich Lanni, Wappingers Falls
Ruth Porter, Fishkill Bill Resling, Fishkill
Celeste Rudberg, Wappingers Falls
“Friends of Seniors” are available to help those with various needs, when a deacon is not available. Please
read about them in the” Bulletin Board” section of this newsletter.
Christmas offering Decent housing is a basic human need that should be, but isn't available to all. To address local needs, the
Deacons have designated the Christmas Offering to Hudson River Housing. They provide opportunities for
people of all ages and incomes to live in the Hudson Valley through affordable housing. They create pathways
out of homelessness through empowerment, education, and advocacy. They also provide outreach, care
management, and support services for youth, veterans, the homeless, and other special needs populations. The
offering will be matched from the blessings of our mission bequest fund.
The consistory is pleased to announce the slate of nominees for terms beginning Jan., 2020:
Office of Elder: Evelyn Bobb; Office of Deacon: Linda Baron
The election will be held during a brief congregational meeting following December 8th Worship.
Sunday Coffee hour is made possible by rotating the responsibility throughout the congregation, while each
week Dorrie Hansen assists by setting up the coffee pots. Below is the list of monthly coffee hour hosts.
First name on the list, the lead host, is responsible for calling the others and coordinating what each brings,
including milk and juice. The hosts divide up the tasks; set up, refills, cleanup of kitchen and
coffee pots, wiping down of all tables and countertops with the water/bleach solution. Please take home and
wash the dirty dishtowels and potholders, and return them the following week.
With our different abilities and limitations, let’s all help by busing our own tables, and helping out
where we can.
To have your name added to the rotation, or to address any concerns about serving please contact the
scheduler, Karen Twohig.
Not able to serve on your scheduled date? Please find a replacement, and inform the lead host and
Church Office of the name of the replacement.
If you plan to bring food to Coffee Hour for a special occasion please notify the lead host.
Thanks to all for helping to provide a wonderful time and place for fun, food and fellowship!
Coffee Hour Hosts and Hostesses
December January t
1 – Faulkner, Carruthers, Price 5 – LeDioyt, Sanders, K. Spencer
8 – Van Nostrand, Devine, Bobb 12 – Saya, Lane, Resling
15 – Smith, Cliffe, Baron, Schallenberg 19 – VanVoorhis, McGann, Porter
22 – Twohig, Elves 26 – Albra, Garcia, Utter
29 – Leftover Cookie Fest* – D. Hansen, Gillert
*Please bring your leftover Christmas cookies to share during the December 29th Cookie Fest.
Readers & Greeters for December, 2019
December 1 Greeters – Barbara Harty and Bill Resling
Reader – Bill Resling
December 8 Greeters – Owen, Katrina and Lisa Skorewicz
Reader – Lisa Skorewicz
December 15 Greeters – Ruth and Don Porter
Reader – Ruth Porter
December 22 Greeters – Thea and Elmer Schallenberg
Reader – Thea Schallenberg
December 29 Greeters – Richard and Marge Faulkner
Reader – Marge Faulkner
Coffee Hour
Hanging of the Greens – Sunday, December 1: Everyone is invited to help. Some of the tasks are done
outside and others are done in the church and Fellowship Hall. Please help to make our church extra beautiful
for the Advent season.
.
Christmas Caroling – Sunday, December 15: It is time for all our Christmas elves to band together and go
caroling to our beloved homebound. Your presence and warm smiles are all that is required. We will provide
bells if you are more of a ringer than a singer. Meet in the DuBois House at 2:15 pm. A light supper will follow.
Please bring a plate of cookies to share for dessert. Sign up in Fellowship Hall. Please come and see the smiles
of those we visit and feel the spirit of Christmas.
From the Education Committee This year grades 2–12 learned about David, Solomon, and the prophet Elijah. Children learned how Israel
became a divided kingdom and the people slowly slipped away from following God.
The Education Committee is busy planning for the Christmas season.
Children received Advent Calendars on Nov. 24th. Parents can help their children understand how God’s
people waited thousands of years for the coming of the Messiah, and how we await His return.
Sunday, Dec. 8th, Sunday School presents the play “Christmas Letters” in Fellowship Hall at 11:30 AM
during Coffee Hour. We invite you to stay a little longer, as the interesting letters present the emotions of
the people in the Christmas story. PARENTS, please mark your calendars:
Pizza and Practice on Friday, Dec. 6th, 5:30, DuBois House parlor. We need all of our students to present
this play.
Sunday School will not meet on December 29th and will resume on January 12th.
From Worship and Music 2020 Flowers for the Sanctuary can be ordered by signing up on the flower chart and form on the Fellowship
Hall bulletin board. Make your $40 check payable to First Reformed Church of Fishkill, with “Flowers”
written on the memo line and place in the envelope by the flower chart. You may pick up your flowers in
DuBois House after Worship or leave them to be given to someone who needs some extra love. If you would
prefer to mail your order to the Church Office, please note on envelope: “Attention: Flowers.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Name________________________________________wish to give flowers on (date)_____________________
I have enclosed my check for $40 and would like the following in the bulletin: The flowers are given by
__________________________________________________, in (circle one) memory, honor or celebration of:
____________________________________________________________________________________
The Worship and Music committee thanks you for your donation.
The Ugly Christmas Sweater Party – Dec 7, 5 pm, in Fellowship Hall. The potluck menu dinner
will include lasagna, salads, Italian bread, an ugly Christmas sweater cake, hot cocoa, coffee, &
tea. We will have a prize for the ugliest Christmas sweater. Holiday games, music & lots of fun
will prevail. All are welcome! Bring a friend! Sign up in the Ed Bldg.
Gifts for our Homebound Friends will be assembled Wednesday, Dec. 11th, 10 am, in the
DuBois House parlor. Needed are cookies, candies and fruit, including some sugar and gluten-free.
Items can be brought to church Sunday, Dec. 8th
Piggy Bank Bazaar – Dec. 7th, 9 am – noon at New Hackensack Reformed Church, 1580 Rte. 376,
Wappingers Falls. This secret Christmas shopping event for children is a favorite in our area. No gift over $3,
with free gift wrapping available. Girl Scouts and Youth group members are available as guides. Coffee area
with baked goods is a delicious place for parents to wait while children shop. NHRC ph. 845 462-0810.
Friends of Seniors Is There to Help Support services are available to you if you can’t drive yourself to a doctor appointment, or if you live alone,
and are recovering from an accident or a medical procedure and need food. While our Parish Visitor lists the
names of deacons who can be called to help out, there are times that all five deacons are otherwise engaged.
Friends of Seniors is an organization you can turn to for help at such times. For 15 years now this volunteer-
based program has provided FREE basic support services to the Dutchess County older adult community (age
60 and older) with the following services: non-emergency medical transportation, grocery shopping for those
who have no means to obtain food, visiting services, telephone reassurance, respite for primary caregivers and
referrals to other agencies when Friends cannot assist an individual.
If you think this sort of service might be helpful for you, please call Friends of Seniors at 845-485- 1277 and
speak with someone. They will be happy to speak with you, to answer your questions, and to determine whether
you are eligible for their help. This may be just the kind of program you need to make your life a little easier.
Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes – This year, with the help of the Girl Scouts of Greater Fishkill,
we collected 137 shoeboxes. In the 24 yearss we have participated, we have collected at least 1,300 +
shoeboxes! Last year I tracked my shoeboxes, and they went to the Dominican Republic. If you are tracking,,
please let me know where your boxes went this year. Thanks to all who participated, Toni Houston
Counting Our Blessings
Huge thank you’s to: the Activities Committee for a very fun Potluck Oldies Night and the lovely Church Family
Thanksgiving dinner. A church that prays, dines and plays together stays together!!!
…and to the Property Committee and all who helped clean and tend our properties on Fall Clean-up day.
Congratulations to Amy Nyland on receiving her doctorate degree! Rev. Dr. Nyland also thanks us for our
participation in her research.
Reverend Nick Miles seen on CNN: Rev. Miles was recently shown on CNN singing a traditional Algonquin
song during a Washington D.C. ceremony, in which the Powhatan/ Algonquian name “Arrokoth” (translation:
sky) was given to a celestial object found in the distant Kuiper Belt, 4 billion miles from Earth. The object was
located when NASA’s New Horizons probe conducted its farthest-ever flyby early this year.
See the full article on the Main bulletin board in Fellowship Hall.
OUR CHURCH IN MISSION
Children’s Community Services
Heather Hansen, Director
Learn more on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/childrenscommunityservices.org/index
*The mission of the Grace smith House is to enable individuals and families to live free from domestic violence
by providing shelter, apartments, advocacy, councelling and education. Donations should be new, unused sets
of pajamas or nightgowns for children ranging from infants to 12 yr. old sizes, Small to XL. Thank you for
your help.
As I'm writing this I am beginning to realize how quickly
this year has flown by! The temperature is reminding us all
that seasons change and it's time to get into the "Holiday
Swing" of things!!
CCS is always busy, and now our focus is on the season of
giving thanks and giving in all sorts of other ways. As we
look forward to the Christmas season, we hope all take time
to enjoy the love sent to us all. As a part of our "Preschool
Pajama Party", we are collecting new pajamas or night
gowns (infants to 12 yr. old sizes) for the Grace Smith
House. All donations need to be received by December
5th.*
Our Parent and Tot families are really bonding and it's such
fun to watch...sometimes I'm not sure who's enjoying the
program more, the kids or the parents! They love to paint
and glue, and you should see them dancing!!
Our preschool will be sharing "Stone Soup" for
Thanksgiving. It's the well-known tale of sharing
what we have, and how together we create
something really good! There have been lots of
stories about the Mayflower and the native
friends the pilgrims met. Turkeys have been
created in lots of different ways, and all sorts of
corn activities have happened.
The Before-and-After School keeps ever-busy
with games, artwork and dramatic play. We hope
you get a chance to read about all we are thankful
for on the feathers of the bulletin board
turkey. As the holidays approach, our creativity
will be demonstrated all around!
Happy Holidays!
Heather Hansen and the staff of CCS
By the time you are reading this, we will have completed our third annual Project Turkey. This event was
started in honor of one of our longtime volunteers, Andy Sue Adams, to make some of our neighbors experience
a less stressful holiday. Another of our longtime volunteers, Nellie Briggs – who suggested and is the driving
force behind Project Turkey – spends countless hours in the Food Pantry planning and analyzing numbers for
the upcoming event. It would be difficult to tackle this huge project without her.
In addition, our supply team has been working hard bringing in items needed for a complete Thanksgiving
meal, including turkeys, stuffing, vegetables and desserts, in addition to stocking the pantry with food to fill
regular orders.
The other component that makes this all work is our wonderful community support. We are so impressed and
touched by the generosity of our neighboring banks, businesses, schools, churches, families and individuals who
support our mission.
“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For indeed, that’s all who ever have”
Margaret Mead.
https://www.facebook.com/FishkillFoodPantry
Fishkill Food Pantry 1153 Main St., Fishkill, NY 12524 Phone 845 896-4546 Hours: M – F, 9 – 12
One of our largest supporters is the Town of Fishkill
Police Cadet organization, having held a 2 weekend food
drive for the past 15 years. These young people stand out
in front of Walmart – usually in the cold – collecting for
the Fishkill Food Pantry. The results are impressive! With
every successful organization, there’s usually a driving
force, and since 2004, that’s been Detective Jason Betley.
Through his guidance and leadership, 32 Cadets have gone
on to careers in law enforcement.
Don Van Nostrand & Detective Jason Betley
Town of Fishkill Police Cadets at Walmart
See recent letter posted on Missions Bulletin Board in Fellowship Hall.
Our Church Sponsored RCA Missionaries
Jeremy and Susan Beebout - Jeremy is an agronomist working with agricultural development efforts and Susan
is a doctor developing the church's health ministries in Niger, Africa, one of the poorest countries in the world.
Grace Covenant Ministries is committed to holistic community development and healing in the Kentucky
Appalachians, an area suffering some of the deepest poverty in the U.S.
Josh Bode serves as pastor, teacher, and caregiver for the English-speaking congregations of the Protestant
Church in Oman (PCO) so that those who are part of these faith communities may deepen their faith and show
the light and love of Christ in the places where they live and work. Learn more at www.rca.org/bode.
(See Missions bulletin board in Fellowship Hall for the latest newsletters from our missions partners.)
RENEW San Diego - This young RCA church plant recently
outgrew its smaller community center meeting place, and is now
sharing a much larger space nearby with St. Luke’s Episcopal
Church. RENEW follows an order of worship very similar to ours,
and also takes its ministry to the streets. Its congregation is
comprised primarily of young families with children, but they
regularly welcome the friends they minister to on the streets. We are
excited to partner with this city-center San Diego church plant,
whose mission is to help their friends and neighbors to be reunited
with God, reconnected in community, and redirected in Jesus’
mission to renew all things.