Atco Presbyterian Church A Joyful Noise VOLUME 5, NUMBER 5 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014 Pastor’s Page ADVENT-ageous I t’s hard to believe it’s November already! Shouldn’t it still be summer? Yet, that’s why we love New Jersey—the gift of the seasons; the wonderful changes in the weather: watching the leaves transform in color and float down from the trees, raking the leaves (okay, we don’t really like that part, but it does mean we don’t have to cut the grass anymore!), breathing in the crisp, chilly air, then watching the first snowflakes melt onto children’s extended tongues. It’s that time of year! There’s also the craziness that seems to define our lives during this season: school is in full gear, your work expectations triple, sports kick in, and preparations begin for several holidays (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s). All the shopping ahead, visiting, preparing, planning, cleaning, decorating, and yard work can be overwhelming. DON’T LET IT BE! Refuse to miss out on the opportunities of this special time of year—the joy, the beauty, the laughter, the worship. Jesus is still the reason for the season. He brings meaning to everyday of our lives. He offers direction, purpose, forgiveness, and opportunities to really celebrate. DON’T MISS OUT! DON’T GET DISTRACTED OR DISCOURAGED! Come worship and celebrate the JOY of the season! Pastor Joe 1 The United Presbyterian Church 2259 Atco Avenue Atco, NJ 08004 856-767-5602 atcopres@aol.com www.atcopres.org Pastor Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Beggs Church Secretary Kaye Abbamondi Editor Karyn Crislip Mission Knowing Christ and making Him known. Inside this issue: Pastor’s Page 1 Sunday Preaching 2 Advent Schedule 2 Faith & Fellowship 2 Message From the Corporate President 3 Deacons Report 5 Session Reports 6 Birthdays and Anniversaries 7 Koininia Page Insert 1 Ministries Directory Insert 2 A JOYFUL NOISE Sunday Preaching Calendar Nov 23, Sun: Christmas decorating, 6:00 pm Nov 9: Stewardship Sunday–consider what your commitment to Jesus Christ and to His Church in this community means to you. Nov 16: John 12:23-50 “Did you hear that?” Nov 23: John 13:1-17 “Unless I wash you!” Special Service Nov 25, Tues: Thanksgiving Service, 7:30 pm Nov 25, Tues, 7:30 pm, Thanksgiving Service. Nov 30: Dec 7: Dec 14: Dec 21: Dec 24: Dec 28: Gabe says, “No Fear…Just Do it!” Joseph: Learning to believe Herod: Who cares about a baby? Zedekiah: Dad was right Christmas Eve: Light in the Darkness One service: 10 am Contagious Christianity Build spiritually strategic relationships; Direct conversations toward matters of faith; Communicate our faith and explain biblical truths in a style that is personal and natural in everyday language; and Respond to the most common objections to Christianity. Becoming a contagious Christian is a proven course designed to equip believers for effective evangelism in today’s world. Join us in Fellowship Hall downstairs. Nov 22 Sat: Church yard work, 9 am – 12:00 noon Going on now! Sundays at 9:45 am. This 6-week study will help you realize your goal to share Jesus effectively. We will learn to demonstrate a contagious Christian character as we learn how to: 2 Dec 6, Sat: Living Nativity, 7:00 – 9:00 pm Dec 20, Sat: Christmas Variety Show, 7:00 pm VOLUME 5, NUMBER 5 Ongoing (Please see the Ministries Directory for contact information for each group. All meetings are at the church unless otherwise indicated): Bluebirds, last Thurs of every month, 1:00 pm. Chancel Choir, Thurs, 7:00 pm. Handbell Choir, Tues, 7:00 pm. Junior Choir, Mon, 6:30 to 7:10 pm. Koinonia Groups, See Insert 2. Prayer Meeting, Thurs, 7:00 pm. Praise Dancers, Tues, 6:00 pm. Youth Group, every 1st and 3rd Tues, 6:30 pm. Women’s Circle of Friends, 4th Tues of each month, 12 noon at Ocean’s Restaurant in West Berlin. Bluebirds As this issue of the newsletter is printed, we will be preparing a little pre-Christmas bazaar in conjunction with a western Ho-down, an evening of fun and music. Soon we will be compiling a list of shut-ins to remember at Christmas as we try to bring a smile to those in need of a little cheer. If you haven’t come across it, yet, we have note paper with a lovely picture of our church as it looks today. It makes a nice little gift. See any Bluebird. As always, we urge you to join us. The ladies meet on the last Thursday of the month at 1:00 pm at the church. Look for changes in times during the holidays. We are always glad to see new faces and look forward to using new ideas to further the message of cheer. Jean McDowell Message From the President Sunday Schedule Contemporary Worship Service: Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. (Romans 12:2) Have you noticed how committed the people are who do not believe in God and the gift of Jesus? Atheists and those subscribing to many of the far out religions take great pleasure in distorting the Holy Bible and what it says. The world hides the aggressiveness of the Muslims in their quest to stamp out Christians. We are told to be tolerant. We are told to not acknowledge Jesus in the public forum while we are asked to accept and be “tolerant” of any other beliefs. The greatest threat is to our children. They view programs that celebrate alternative lifestyles as being normal, while promoting unGodly family and personal values. Many of their textbooks are tilted toward what is now being called the “Progressive” viewpoint. And worse, we are told that our beliefs promote hatred. Today’s colleges follow the “Progressive” focus by promoting the feel good approach to how to live. They teach that “you are entitled” to certain things even if you did not work for them. This world has targeted our next generations. Their greatest tool is to mis-quote the Bible, question its authority, or pretend that the Bible is no longer relevant. The verse above from Romans tells us not to accept what this world tells us but to work at renewing our minds. You and your children cannot be misled if you have an understanding of what the Bible actually says. I thank God that we 3 8:15 am Traditional Worship Service: 11:00 am Sunday School: 9:45 am _________ Summer Schedule: Contemporary Worship Service: Thursday, 7:30 pm Traditional Worship Service: Sunday, 10:00 am A JOYFUL NOISE are a Bible-preaching and Bibleteaching church. Through our Kononia groups and Sunday school classes, we are making a strong effort to help everyone learn what the Bible says to renew and enhance our level of Bible knowledge. As parents, we have an obligation to ensure that each of us and our children have a firm foundation in God’s Word. If you and your family know the Word, no one will be able to fool you into accepting false doctrine. Bible study must become a part of our daily activities, followed by weekly reinforcement during our worship services. May God continue to bless you and your family. Anthony L. Clark Looking After You How wonderful to know that Jesus is always there for you! How would you like to be His helper? Maybe He is using you to bring someone else into the light of His love. Remember that lady who used to sit next you in church? She hasn’t been out lately. If you can’t remember her name, find her picture in the directory and give her a call. Who knows? He does! Jean McDowell Deacons Report Recently, the deacons took over our Sunday services to present the various activities that we are involved with during the year. The fall season is already upon us and soon we will be busier than ever preparing for Thanksgiving and then Christmas. As always, we appreciate your generous contributions to our food bank and other requests along the way. Jean McDowell Worship Committee I hope you see the Lord at work in our church. I hope you feel His presence in our worship services. Singing praises to our Creator, praying together with our church family, sitting with a quiet heart, and listening to the Word of God being preached by Pastor Joe all create a beautiful atmosphere of worship! The people we worship next to week in and week out are our family. The visitors or guests walking through the doors of our church for the first time are potential family members. Let's do our best to make them feel welcomed. Let's do our best to help them to feel the Lord's presence in our services! Coming up, we have Stewardship Sunday on November 9th. It’s a good time to start praying about your commitment to the church. We will have our Thanksgiving service on Tuesday, November 25th, at 7:30 pm. This service is always a special time of giving thanks to God for His many blessings. Come out and be uplifted, especially if you have never been to the Thanksgiving service before! The service on November 30th will be a “Church Family Day” service and will start at 10:00 4 am. Before the service, the Youth Group will host a fund raising breakfast at 8:30 am downstairs in Fellowship Hall. This service will start the first week of Advent. Wow, Christmas is coming already! Speaking of Christmas, our 10th annual Christmas Variety Show will be held on Saturday, December 20th, at 7:00 pm. Be sure to mark your calendars! This is one event you don't want to miss! Look for a signup sheet in the near future and showcase your God-given talents. The Solid Grounds Coffeehouse will be held on Friday, November 7th, the first Friday of the month, downstairs in Fellowship Hall. We had over 30 people come out to the October Solid Grounds Coffeehouse. Praise God! If you haven't been out yet or if you haven't attended in a while be sure to come out to this casual, relaxed time of worship. Bring a friend, too! VOLUME 5, NUMBER 5 One of the strongest needs we have in church right now is for volunteers to help in the nursery during the 11:00 am service. There are currently only about 4 volunteers helping in the nursery—we need more help! Many new families with young children have been coming to both the 8:15 am and 11:00 am services. What a blessing! We want to keep them coming back and allow them to worship God by providing a reliable nursery schedule. Sara has no problem finding volunteers for the 8:15 am service. (Thank you, volunteers!) We need more help during the 11:00 am service, however. Even if you can only commit to twice a year, that will still be a huge help. Even if your children are grown and out of the home, this is a selfless service to our church and to the families with children. If you can help out, please contact or see Sara Troendle. Worship Committee meets the 3rd Monday of the month at 8:00 am at church. Come out and attend a meeting. See how you can get involved in your worship services! You make this church amazing! Thank you for allowing me to serve Christ and our church. Chris Troendle Faithful Stewardship The leaves are turning beautiful colors and falling, clocks are turning back, and it is time to set our sights on 2015. This year has been a challenging year for our church financially. We are, however, beginning to be able to meet our operating budget. A prayerful thank you goes out to all the members and attendees of our faithful church. This coming year, the focus of the Stewardship Committee is faithfulness. Faithfulness is primar- Youth Group ily honesty and dependability. Honesty in our relationship with God and dependability is in our commitments. God has given each of us gifts and talents to be used faithfully by us for His glory. It is by faith that we receive these gifts and it is our responsibility to always do our best with them to honor God. Being honest and dependable is what is expected of Christians. We are to be the light in the midst of darkness. As this light, we are called to honor God in all we do. Being honest with God will make us honest in all walks of our lives. When we make a commitment, we need to follow through to the end, to be like Samuel. This year, step out in faith and pledge from your heart for God, then make it your goal to meet that commitment to the best of your ability. Our annual Stewardship Dinner and Commitment Sunday are on November 9th. The dinner is “pot luck” and will begin at 5:45 pm. Look for a sign-up list and prepare your favorite dish to share. Let’s make 2015 a year that we can say we all have done our best for God, our church, and our community. Let’s pray that it will be a year in which our faithfulness will have an impact all around us, showing God's love and the light of Christ in all we do. Susan Sinelnik 5 Youth group is under way and we are so excited by the number of youth we have coming out on a regular basis. We kicked off the year with a bonfire movie night. We all enjoyed watching the movie God's Not Dead. What a great message and if you haven't seen this movie I highly recommend it. We will be gearing up for our Midwinter Advance (Keswick) trip. That means that we will be fundraising to help cut the cost, so look for our upcoming fundraisers in the bulletin and our weekly announcements. One of our big fundraisers this year will be a youth-sponsored breakfast that will take place November 30th at our family service. We also updated our youth group Facebook page. We will posting pictures, videos, and announcements there. “Friend” us at Atco Pres Youth Group! If you know of any youth who don't attend our group, please don't hesitate to give them our contact information and encourage them to reach out to us. We have a lot of fun in our group meetings and special events, and we would love to share the fun and our love for our Lord and Savior with new members. We meet every other Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Please feel free to contact me at A JOYFUL NOISE gschipske3@verizon.net (856-2201522) or Amy Troendle at amytroendle@gmail.com (856-2178514). Greg Schipske Missions Committee The goal of missions is to reach out and impact the world for Jesus. Praise God that we have the ability to serve Him. It takes no special talent to serve. He only asks that we have a willing heart. As we look throughout the Bible, most of those who served also felt they did not have the necessary skills required to do the job, but they stepped out in faith. Faith as small as a mustard seed is all that we need to accomplish the mission He sets before us. A mustard seed is pretty small, when you think of all that God has provided for you, taken you through, and healed you from. When you think of all that you have seen Him do--His great creation and all that is within it. All that He asks is that when He says to us “follow Me” we just need to have a tiny speck of faith to follow and do what He asks. We know that when we follow Him, all will work out for our good. We know this because of His promises and because of our experiences in life. So, will you step out in faith? Will you trust that He called you and thus will give you all that you need to accomplish the mission? Do you know that you are a light upon a hill that cannot be hidden? There are people out there who need your light. They are lost in the darkness. They are crying out for help. Let’s start the day with an earnest prayer, asking God to give us a heart of compassion, eyes that see, and ears that hear. Then ask Him to use you. A world of help can start with a sincere “How are you?” “Are you alright?” “You look like you need to talk. What’s going on?” When you get the “I’m fine” response, ask “Are you sure you’re fine? I’m here if you change your mind.” You’ll be surprised what people will share and even more surprised how you can help them. There are other ways to reach out. Look for the 2014 Giving Catalog. There will be copies available on the round table near the front door. Please pick a gift/ blessing to give to those in need. Use the envelope provided in the Giving Catalog and place it in the offering plate. There is no deadline as there are always needs. Coming up, let’s go out to the community. If you’d like to go out on a Saturday and distribute free food to those in need, please contact me. Here are the details. We will need food donations as well as donations of your time. We will go out in the church bus and distribute the food to people in different areas. We need people and food or funds 6 for food. If you’re interested in helping, contact me via email (Cherylnduati@gmail.com) or call 856-516-0497 and leave a message. Cheryl Nduati Meet Our New Members! Gillian Henry Husband: James; Daughter: Scarlett 215 Lakeshore Drive Marlton, NJ 08053 410-615-4467 gspacco@gmail.com Occupation: Retail Buyer. Hobbies: Gardening, cooking, crafts Fran Ewan Husband: Gene 401 Church Street Atco, NJ 08004 856-753-0130 franmaier1@yahoo.com Occupation: Retired Nurse Hobbies: Walking, painting, singing, playing organ VOLUME 5, NUMBER 5 Paula Wojciechowski Greg Muhs Jay Sorge Adam Troendle Linda Richardson Toni Clark Rob Bealer Rich Brimfield Cole Fallon Don Russo Matt Sorge Travis Vanacker Norma Cook John Zahoroiko Nancy Welsh Jean McDowell Lilly Sinelnik Ed Nachman Michelle Rowley Kaye Abbamondi Mary Nachman Cara Milner Rena Milner Jackie Chapline Vera Rushton Margie Smith 11/1/xxxx 11/1/1963 11/2/1977 11/3/1982 11/4/1952 11/5/1946 11/5/1977 11/6/1976 11/6/2003 11/7/1958 11/8/1982 11/10/1984 11/11/1929 11/11/1951 11/13/xxxx 11/14/1929 11/18/1985 11/21/1978 11/22/xxxx 11/23/1957 11/24/1977 11/24/2012 11/24/2012 11/27/1966 11/30/1931 11/30/1951 Marge McKelvey Don Harbert Tim Beggs Ann Nduati Kristi Clark June Hale Martha DeAntonellis John Rowley Judi Tapper Vince DelMonte Bill Shinn Boston DellaVecchia Jenny Gameron Ryan McGuckin Susan Rowand Jennifer Miller Nichole Bealer Jackie Evans 12/4/1948 12/5/1933 12/5/1990 12/5/1993 12/6/1981 12/6/2008 12/7/1943 12/8/1942 12/9/1939 12/10/1991 12/10/1960 12/11/2009 12/11/1932 12/11/1981 12/12/1964 12/20/1979 12/21/1977 12/22/1980 Wendy Shinkarow Heather Crump Jordan Ciooco Tara Ferguson Amy Troendle Sandy Russell Daniel Watson Bill Baker Jean Shockley Carol Ranck Todd Crump Ronald Ranck Caroline Steer Shawn Reynolds Jim Shockley Weston Schneider Josh Abbamondi Jeff Erbig 12/22/1989 12/22/1994 12/22/1998 12/23/2000 12/24/1986 12/24/1942 12/24/2004 12/25/1932 12/27/1939 12/27/1948 12/27/1963 12/27/1968 12/27/1978 12/28/1970 12/28/1932 12/29/2011 12/31/1982 12/31/1982 John and Colleen Rucci 11/1/1997 Nick & Monica Batastini 11/1/2008 Chad & Alicia Regn 11/7/xxxx Lee Ann and Greg Gallaher11/19/1968 Al and Donna Christy 11/22/1992 Russ and Carol Ranck 11/23/1968 Ron and Fran Webb Bob and Marge Pasternak Sue and Alex Sinelnik Bob and Carol Iles Gary and Brenda Rushton 7 12/12/1987 12/14/1968 12/22/1979 12/30/1967 12/30/1995 The Atco United Presbyterian Church 2259 Atco Avenue Atco, NJ 08004 NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID CHERRY HILL NJ PERMIT NO. 84 Current Resident or 8 Koinonia Groups With the new season under way, why not resolve to join a Koinonia group this year? Our Koinonia (which means “Fellowship”) ministry is designed to help us grow spiritually no matter where we are in our walk with the Lord. It is in small groups like these where we can experience tremendous growth in our faith, trust, and knowledge of the Jesus Christ. Make it a point this month to earnestly set out to seek the Lord, grow in the knowledge of His Word, and deepen your relationship with Him and with others in the church. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find Me when you seek me with all of your heart”. (Please see below for a list of groups, what they are studying, the leaders, contact info. and where they meet. Please call Jeff Erbig at 856-566-0377 or e-mail him at jegal220@verizon.net if you would like more information or are interested in starting a new group. DAY TIME GROUP MONDAY (Every - beginning 9/8) 7:00 PM GOD’S AWESOME PEOPLE WEDNESDAY (Every) 9:30 AM WED. A.M. BIBLE STUDY WEDNESDAY (1st & 3rd, beginning 9/17) 7:00 PM THE GOD SQUAD WEDNESDAY (Every-beginning 9/24) 7:00 PM WEDNESDAY (1st & 3rd) 7:00 PM FRIDAY (2nd & 4th, beginning 9/26) 6:30 PM SATURDAY (Every) 11:00 AM SISTERS IN CHRIST KINDRED SPIRITS JOSHUA’S TREE GOD’S WORD STUDY “CRAZY LOVE” LEADERS HOSTS CHRIS TROENDLE (609) 707-6109 KRISTI CLARK (609) 519-7665 CHRIS & SARA TROENDLE “DAVID - A MAN OF PASSION & DESTINY” (New, beginning 11/12) PASTOR JOE (856) 767-5602 DOWNSTAIRS YOUTH ROOM IN CHURCH “1 & 2 TIMOTHY, TITUS, PHILEMON” DON & MARY HARBERT (856) 767-5807 DAVE & BEV THOMPSON PAULA WOJCIECHOWSKI CINDY MCBRIDE (856) 767-4799 IRENE BORELLI (856) 340-9331 DOLLYLICCESE “LOVED BY GOD” “TBA” “JAMES: HOW FAITH WORKS” “THE JOURNEY NUMBERS” SATURDAY (TBA) 10:00 AM DAUGHTERS OF THE KING “TBA” SUNDAY Every, beginning 9/7) 9:45 A.M. WISDOM SEEKERS “FIVE THINGS GOD USES TO GROW YOUR FAITH” 9 (MARLTON) (Child care provided) (MARLTON LAKES) (ATCO) (MARLTON) SUE SINELNIK (856) 768-3697 RON WEBB (856) 728-9777 ROB CAVALLARO JEFF & KAREN ERBIG (856) 566--0377 JEFF & KAREN ERBIG ANN MARIE DICROCE (856) 767-5525 MARIA DISCIULLO (609) 605-1494 ANN MARIE DICROCE (ATCO) PASTOR JOE (856) 767-5602 ROOM IN BACK OF SANCTUARY (ATCO) BILL ZOPPEL (MARLTON) (PINE HILL) (Children Friendly) DOWNSTAIRS IN THE CHURCH Ministries Directory Bluebirds Jean McDowell 856-767-0438 Bowling League Don Harbert 856-767-5807 donaldharbert@msn.com Chancel Choir Patrick Riley 609-567-3927 Pjr17k@hotmail.com Christ Chimers Handbell Choir Patrick Riley 609-567-3927 Pjr17k@hotmail.com Junior Choir Gail DelMonte 856-767-2623 Auntgail912@aol.com Kononia Groups Jeff Erbig (Director) 856-566-0377 jegal220@verizon.net Men’s Fellowship Pastor Joe 856-767-5602 jebpresby@aol.com Praise Dancers Karen Erbig 856-566-0377 Angelite57@verizon.net Carol Ranck 856-767-5251 piniegirl@aol.com Second Chapter Sandy Russell 856-767-4444 Pickett61@aol.com BOARD OF DEACONS: Moderator Jean McDowell 856-767-0438 Bereavement Lorean Foster 856-768-3745 Patrick Riley 609-513-3505 pjr17k2001@yahoo.com Food Bank Budget and Finance Buildings & Grounds John Sachs 856-582-7764 Johnsachs_homeimp@ verizon.net Christian Education Tony Clark 856-768-1486 tlc29us@yahoo.com Church Life & Fellowship Bev Thompson 856-767-9029 Thomper123@aol.com Denise Sachs 856-582-7764 Michelle Rowley 856-768-2987 Holiday Baskets Amelia Meyer 856-740-1086 gss513@aol.com Honey Brogden 856-767-9274 honeyb1942@aol.com Missions Cheryl Nduati 609-725-2926 cherylnduati@ymail.com Judi Tapper 856-809-0790 Judi.tapper@verizon.net LAY Ministry Jean McDowell 856-767-0438 Nurture Jeff Erbig 856-566-0377 jegal220@verizon.net Special Projects Anna Moore 856-627-2279 amoore8029@aol.com Transportation Carol Ranck 856-767-5251 piniegirl@a0l.com Treasurer Sara Troendle 609-417-5098 s.yannarella@yahoo.com Visitation Vacation Bible School (VBS) Gail Del Monte 767-2623 AuntGail912@aol.com Jean Shockley 856-767-0167 Marge Regan 856-767-2970 margeregan802@comcast.net Women’s Circle of Friends Mary Harbert 856-767-5807 SESSION OF ELDERS: Clerk Michelle Gameron 856-768-5511 michellegameron@verizon.net 10 Outreach & Discipleship Gary Rushton 856-782-0766 rushtonctp@aol.com Stewardship Sue Sinelnik 856-768-3697 Msjs51@aol.com Sunday School Superintendent Holly Reynolds 856-809-0560 shmkreynolds@yahoo.com Worship Chris Troendle 609-707-6109 cetroendle@gmail.com Youth Group Grades 3 and up Greg Schipske, Elder and Leader 856-768-2545 gschipske3@verizon.net Assistant Leaders: Amy Schipske and Amy Troendle
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