worship in september - frccp · april, 2017 worship in april we will celebrate communion every...
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April, 2017
Worship in April
We will celebrate Communion every Sunday during Lent
April 2 Fifth Sunday in Lent – Luke 12:1-7 –
Freedom from Fear: Fear of Hell
9 Palm Sunday – We will begin worship in the
Chapel and process to the Sanctuary – John
12:12-16 - Freedom from Fear: Fear of
Conquest
13 6:00 pm - Maundy Thursday – Covered
dish and worship in the Chapel
14 7:30 pm – Good Friday – Worship in the
Sanctuary
16 Easter Sunday –
7:30 am – Sunrise Service in our Yard
10:30am – Worship in the Sanctuary with
Communion – Matthew 28:1-10 - Freedom
from Fear: Fear of the Unknown
23 Second Sunday of Easter – “Called to New
Life” – Celebration of April Birthdays
30 Third Sunday of Easter – Service of Prayers
and Anointing for Healing – Luke 24:13-35
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EASTER MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS
A contribution to the Memorial Flower Fund & Easter
Decorations Fund or Benevolent Fund
Deadline: April 9, 2017
The Flowers will be distributed following Easter Services.
The Easter Bulletin will list donations
□ Donation to the Decoration Fund □
Donation to the Benevolent Fund
Please choose one □ In Memory of □ In Honor of
___________________________________________________
Given by
___________________________________________________
Please keep the following in your prayers this week:
Stacy Maeurer, Jeaanne Holden, Janet Flory, Thomas
Kenniff, Jennifer Cabral, Kayla Verdino, Greg and Dorothy
Doyle-Wandell, Mark Clingo, Lydia Marcantonio, Thelma
Whittaker, Joy Zomer, Rob Anderson, Barbara Stalmack,
Henry Wegmann, Elizabeth Artinger, Edward Troster, Tina
Banks, Carmela Carillo and family, Robert Zittel, Helen
Torok and family, Neil Troster, Elana Ficalora, Anne
Johannson, Tina McKinley, Charles Ayers, Paul
Angenbroich, Richard Carboni, Mary Weber, Judy Troster,
Terry Hoffman, Mary McKeown, Rosemary Ricken, Ruth
Sottolano, Maria Bateman, Kathleen Hart Brumm, Betty
Farina, Tom McDonald, Matthew Lotz, Danny McCaffrey,
Billy Schmidt, Richie Schmidt, Catherine Raines, Jennifer
Piatek, Ed Duggan, Virginia Maresca, Dorothy Weis, Brian
Giordano, Arlene Bealin, Charles Kenney, Raymond & Cathy
Wegmann, Carmela Oppedisano, James Folmsbee, James
Donaghy, Nick Markoulakis, Glenn Brown, Maryann
Hernandez, Barbara O’Keefe, Frank Basile, Don Bozzo,
Lucille Smith, Kristy Breen, Pam Crabtree, Pam Dobular,
Rosie Riollano, Tim Dolan, Grace Agunzo, Louis Werner,
Renaldo Weaver, Madalene Basile, Ralph Seizinger, Maria
Negele, Debbie Tanico, Angela McIntyre, Anna Lebel and
family, Eric Rivera, Ronnie Sowa, Joyce M, Catherine
Norton, Eileen Poll, Darius Grayhall, Barbara Plitt, Andrew
Elizee, Margret Elizee, Arlene Stetzner, Gerhard Kern,
Brianna Brackett, Peter Gribbin, Ron Durham, Daphne
Hanousek, Caren Mack, Ernest Ackerman, Rudy Zachernegg,
William Schutt, Doreen Ziegler, Billy Newman, Jeff Ivins,
Carina Basile, Barbara Garrick, Maureen Kiley, Emily
Garrick, Tina Fitton, Debie Guttilla, Christian Durham, Amy
Shluker, Lisa Auerbach, Janet Elbert, Joey Sottolano,
Gertrude and Jim Vitale, Patrick Gualtieri, Mariane Hark,
Paula Massena, Barbara Carson, Philip Dobuler, Frank
Priore, Justin Meyers and his family, Brian Goodwin, Mark
Leone, Vivian Molnar, Dorothy Stanley, Lorraine Lohmann,
Maureen Kiley, Laura Ball Tomasello, Sandra Schutt,
Heather Matosky Porter, Doris Stamer, Marousa Gallagher,
Ray Diaz, Mikey Moss, Amy McVicar, Kathy Hachtel
Berlinski, Carol Seiffer, Sofia Rabello, John Rodriguez,
Susannah Lindsey and her sister Maudelin Willock, Leona
Ryan, Doris Harris, Nancy Moss, Tony Artinger
All people in our nation and around the world affected by
natural disasters.
All veterans, those who serve our country and their families
If you have an update on anyone listed, please send it to
[email protected] or call the Church Office
(718) 359-3956. Thank you.
APRIL BIRTHDAYS
04 Kathryn Thornton
10 Arielle Trager
13 Leona Ryan
Kevin Martinez
14 Leona Ryan
15 Lindsey Creed
17 Laura Perticare
19 Denise Kramer
20 Raymond Webber
22 Austin Yip
28 Mary Failla
An Easter Story by Michelle Grigsby
What do you think of when you think of Easter?
Eggs, of course. The symbol of new life come spring. How better to illustrate the season’s spiritual message?
I looked forward to teaching the lesson of the egg in my Sunday school class as Easter approached, but when I asked the children where eggs came from the
answer surprised me. “Bunnies!” all 12 students shouted.
Bunnies? I thought. Could these kids be so far removed from nature they actually think rabbits lay eggs? My own chickens would have been insulted!
“It’s on TV,” one of the girls explained. “A white rabbit lays chocolate eggs.”
Now I knew what they meant. I’d seen the commercial, but it didn’t have much to do with the lesson I wanted to teach. I had to think this through.
The following Sunday morning I got ready for
school, still not sure what to do. I have to find a way to set them straight, I thought.
I checked my chicken coop before I left. My birds
strutted and clucked around the hen houses: Ida, Ada and Henney Penney in their nesting boxes, Rudy the
rooster scratching at the ground. Penney puffed her feathers to twice her size when Rudy got close. She was guarding a dozen eggs.
“If only the kids at Sunday school could see your eggs,” I said, stroking Penney’s copper-speckled feathers,
“they’d forget all about chocolate.” That’s when it hit me: What if I took Penney and
her eggs to Sunday school with me? How many of the kids had ever seen a real egg hatch? Or watched an
ordinary-looking, beige-colored egg turn into a live chick with bright little BB-pellet eyes, downy feathers and tiny feet, peeping away? The hatching of an egg was like a
miracle. Why not share it with the kids? I’d give those children an Easter message they’d never forget!
I hunted for a box to hold the eggs. But wait a minute: Was I really planning to bring a chicken to
church? I tried to remember another time any kind of animal had joined us at our solemn service. Once a sparrow flew in an open window and fluttered around,
disturbing the reading. And a puppy had wandered in and led the ushers in a merry chase around the aisles while
the children laughed. But those events hadn’t been planned.
I thought of a certain church lady, a good Christian with very strong opinions. She’d once objected to my
son’s carrying in a Bible with a jazzy cover. “It’s a New Testament,” I’d assured her as she eyed the brightly colored jacket.
“Well,” she’d sniffed, “it looks like a Betty Crocker cookbook!”
I had a vision of my little bantam hen pooping on the ecclesiastical carpet. “I guess chickens really don’t belong
in church,” I said. But then I remembered Jesus’ own words in the Gospel of Matthew: “How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers
her chicks under her wings.” “That settles it,” I told Penney. “Jesus would
approve of a chicken in church, and he’s who matters!” Penney would be in the Sunday school wing anyway. Nowhere near the church, actually. And nowhere near
that straitlaced church lady (I hoped).
I poked holes in the lid of a straw-filled cardboard box and transferred Penney and her eggs into it. It was waiting on the table when the children came to class. As
they took their seats I said, “Guess what’s inside.” “Rabbits!” one boy shouted.
“Kitten!” a girl said over him. “Puppy!” called someone else. “Nobody has guessed it,” I said and lifted the lid.
All the children gasped. Penney blinked in the sudden
light and ruffled her feathers, but soon settled down and clucked. The children came forward slowly, so as not to
scare her. The girls took turns stroking her feathers. “What do you think Penney’s brought with her?” I
said. I lifted her up to reveal a dozen eggs. A boy poked one of the shells with a pudgy finger.
“How can she sit on them?” he asked. “They’re hard!”
“Penney wants her babies very much,” I said. “She’s willing to go through hard things. Just like your
mother did before you were born. God puts love into all parents’ hearts—even chicken parents!”
Now that the children had seen the eggs, I offered
them a deal. “Penney has laid 12 eggs. That’s one for each of you,” I said. “You have a choice what to do with
your egg. You can take it home and have your mom cook it for breakfast…”
The children giggled.
“Or I can bring Penney back next week and you can see your eggs turn into babies!”
Not one child voted for an omelet. By the following
week the children had told all their friends. We discussed the impending blessed event. They couldn’t wait to see the chicks they’d been promised on Easter Sunday.
I promised, I thought as I got ready for bed on Saturday night. Should I have been so confident the
children would see chicks on Easter? It took 21 days for a bantam hen egg to hatch, and in the interest of timing, I’d taken the eggs from under Penney so that she’d miss
a day of brooding. But what if I’d miscounted, or addled the eggs when moving them? What if Penny’s
temperature wasn’t just right? The hatching of a chicken was God’s work, not mine. God, I prayed after I switched off the light, please let at least one egg hatch for them.
The church parking lot was crowded the next
morning. Everyone came for the Easter service. But why were so many people gathered around the Sunday school wing? I made my way through the crowd with my
cardboard box.
“Is that Penney?” a woman asked me. “Did the eggs hatch yet?” a man said.
They were all here to see Penney and her eggs! Along with every child from every Sunday school class,
not just my own. Even the pastor came over to see what was going on. “It’s an expectant hen,” I told him, blushing. “I thought the children would like to see the
eggs hatch.”
“What a perfect way to illustrate today’s sermon!” he said. “Would you bring Penney into the church?”
So much for keeping Penney under wraps, I
thought as a pack of children cheered and followed me into the sanctuary. They plunked themselves on the stage
at the front of the church. Okay, God, I thought as I lifted the lid. Time for an Easter miracle!
A gasp went up. There was Penney with not one
but six wobbly chicks. Three were already dried and fluffy as dandelion down. The other three were still wet from
their shells. Two more eggs were nearly cracked in half, the babies just emerging. The last four eggshells showed
tiny holes where miniature beaks were pecking. I looked up, beaming, from Penney’s new family—right into the face of that straitlaced parishioner I’d dreaded.
She was gazing down at the chicks as happy and amazed as the little girl in front of her who asked, “How did you
get the eggs to hatch right on Easter?”
“God decides when the eggs hatch,” I said. “He
knew this was the right time!” And just the right place—right in his own house, where all new life begins.
Traditional Hot Cross Buns Recipe Ingredients
2 packages (1/4 ounce each) active dry yeast
2 cups warm whole milk (110° to 115°)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dried currants
1/2 cup raisins
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons water
ICING:
1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
4 to 6 teaspoons whole milk
Directions
1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. In a large bowl, combine eggs, butter, sugar, salt, spices, yeast mixture and 3 cups flour; beat on medium speed until smooth. Stir in currants, raisins and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky).
2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. Punch down dough. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide and shape into 30 balls. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Cover with kitchen towels; let rise in a warm place until doubled, 30-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°.
4. Using a sharp knife, cut a cross on top of each bun. In a small bowl, whisk egg yolk and water; brush over tops. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool slightly.
5. For icing, in a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar and enough milk to reach desired consistency. Pipe a cross on top of each bun. Serve warm. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.
Church Chuckles
One Easter a priest and a taxi driver both died
and went to heaven. St. Peter was at the Pearly gates waiting for them.
'Come with me,' said St. Peter to the taxi driver.
The taxi driver did as he was told and followed St
Peter to a mansion. It had everything you could imagine from a bowling alley to an Olympic size
pool.
'Oh my word, thank you,' said the taxi driver.
Next, St. Peter led the priest to a rough old shack with a bunk bed and a little old television set.
'Wait, I think you are a little mixed up,' said the
priest. 'Shouldn't I be the one who gets the mansion? After all I was a priest, went to church
every day, and preached God's word.'
'Yes, that's true.' St Peter rejoined, 'But during
your Easter sermons people slept. When the taxi driver drove, everyone prayed.'
---------------------------------------------
A father was reading Bible stories to his young son. He read, 'The man named Lot was warned to
take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.'
His son asked, 'What happened to the flea?'
ANNOUNCMENTS
Meyer Fund
Thanks to a large bequest from the estate of Irvin Meyer,
Consistory has established the Meyer Fund. This fund will be used
to make large capital repairs to improve the safety, security and
functionality of our buildings. We have replaced the gutters on the
church and parsonage, repaired water damage in both buildings,
fixed the front entrance steps of the sanctuary and replaced the
outside door by the front office. The sidewalks have been
repaired, and the painting on the Sanctuary and chapel are
completed. We have repaired the roof and fixed the water damage
in the sanctuary.
If you would like to partner in this ministry of upgrading and
improving our facilities, you may make a donation labeled
Meyer Fund.
Third Sunday Programs
April- Easter --No program
May- A presentation by Sister Ave Clark " Springtime Blessings"
June- No program
Serving in Worship
If you are interested in ushering, greeting, reading or hosting
coffee hour and have not yet signed up, please contact the church
office (718) 359-3956 or [email protected] or sign up in the back
of the Sanctuary.
Flowers and Bulletins
Please note that there are still weeks available if you would like to
give the gift of flowers or bulletins in memory or in honor of
friends or loved ones. Please speak to Doris Harris if you would
like to make a contribution. You can also call the Church Office
(718) 359-3956 or email us at [email protected] and we will pass
the information along to Doris.
Making a Difference
We would like to include “Making a Difference” as a regular
feature in our newsletter.
If you would like to contribute a testimonial of how our church is
making a difference in your life, please submit it to
Pancake Breakfast
Please join us on Palm Sunday, April 9th at 9:30 am in the Chapel
Basement for our Annual Pancake Breakfast.
145th Anniversary Celebration
Our 145th Anniversary Celebration will be held on Sunday,
June 4th beginning with Worship in the Sanctuary at 10:30,
followed by a reception at the Poppenhusen Institute at Noon. If
you would like to take an ad in the Journal, an order form is
included in the newsletter.
Newsletter Ads
If you are interested in purchasing an ad to support our newsletter,
please complete this form and mail to:
First Reformed Church of College Point
118-17 14th Avenue
College Point, NY 11356
The Steeple of the First Reformed Church is sent out eleven times a
year to approximately three hundred homes, most of them in
College Point. It is also posted online on our website and linked to
through our Facebook page. Through your support we will be able
to defray the costs of this ministry, which is our main contact with
members who are shut in or out of state.
All ads must be submitted camera ready. Size may be
adjusted if needed.
All ads are 2 x 3-1/2 inches (the size of a business card)
Cost is $110 for publication in eleven issues of the
newsletter (one year)
No credit card logos may appear in any ads.
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Business Name_______________________________________
Contact Name _______________________________________
Phone Number_______________________________________
Please enclose ad plus check made out to “First Reformed Church”
DO NOT STAPLE AD TO THIS FORM