A Light Shines In the Darkness

Christmas can be a time of wonder and beauty. It is for many people a time of remembering and celebrating the good things in life. It is a time for renewal of love and it is and can be a time of joy. However, for many people the holidays are anniversaries of grief. For some this Christmas season will be their first one alone after a death or a divorce. For some, the approach of the season of joy is filled with sadness and even anger as they struggle to find work or deal with the news of a disease that is threatening their whole way of life.

It is hard to get through the holidays because we do not want our struggle to dampen anyone else’s celebration. So, for some, this season is a time of isolation and loneliness. The isolation can add to the sadness and in the end it makes for some pretty rough times while everyone else seems to be so happy.

On December 21st at 7:30, Pastor Lou and the caring ministry team will host a gathering for people who find the season difficult in some way. We will meet in the sanctuary and there will be a time of sharing and prayer. This will be very short and informal. There will be music and opportunity to support each other. There will be one or two people who will talk about their experiences. Then we will gather in the new reception hall and talk and have some refreshments, perhaps a warm cup of coffee or tea at a table with people in similar situations.

December 21st is the longest night of the year. The darkness is all around by this time of the year, and we will gather to share the light of understanding and friendship. This is not a worship service and it is not a Christmas service. It is a gathering to share our experience, our strength and our hope.

Please come to this gathering and share the comfort we can provide for each other. You may want to invite someone to come with you. Perhaps you know a co-worker or a neighbor that is having a tough time. This is a great way to show you care and extend yourself in love. Invite them to come and offer to come with them.

For all the ways the celebration of Christmas has developed over the years it has always been a message of hope in a time of struggle. Let this year be a time when that hope can become real and personal in a gathering that is safe and friendly. Mark the date and come for a time. The whole gathering will be just one hour from the start to the finish.

God Bless you in the season of wonder and hope.

Louis

Prayer Concerns

Marv Lippman*, Daryl Thomas*, Bill Stalker*, Elizabeth Caputo (friend of Carol Wilson*), Jennifer Krunkosky (friend of Val Yacik*), Carol Kirby-Trojahn*, Nest Clark*, Cindy Slater (niece of Tammy Newbold*), Virginia Weber (friend of Betty Compton*), Andy Biedermann*, David Michels (son of Andree΄ & Bill Michels*), Carol Kirby-Trojahn*, Cindy Slater (niece of Tammy Newbold*), Peter D’Amato (friend of Gary Wilkinson *)

Bereaved:

The family of Tom D’Angelo (brother of Marie Malone*)
The family of Carl Sultzbaugh (cousin of Val Yacik*)
The family of Ruth McDowell*
The family of Gerald Gugel (uncle of Alan Gugel*)

* indicates member of the congregation

Serving in the military:

Jeremiah Havill, Tom Gilley, DeeAnn Snyder, Jerome Barbour, Tom Zena, Bob Turner, Steve Niblett, Josh & Heather Sprowls, Jeff Tourcotte, Patrick Kelly, Matt Hendrick, Robert Abud, David Gaitonde, Bahar Mandanizadehsafi, Nichole (Nikki) Haase, Lisa Garcia, Michael & Anthony Decario, Anne Cassara, Michael Lippman

2008 Flower Chart

The 2008 Flower Chart is posted in the PFC hallway. If you have a favorite date when you would like to provide flowers for the worship services, please sign the chart on the appropriate date. You will be reminded during the week before "your" date and can decide on the wording for the worship bulletin at that time.

There are numerous 2008 dates still available.

Christmas Brunch: Sunday, December 16th

The Fellowship Commission invites you to join with one another for a Christmas Brunch on the 16th of December between the services at 10:15 a.m.

Let's take this opportunity to visit and celebrate our fellowship with each other before Christmas. Please see the sign-up sheet and bring a baked item or favorite holiday dish to share!!

{There has been a personal request for that scrumptious chili once again !!}

2007 Christmas Joy Offering

For nearly 70 years, Presbyterians have given generously at Christmas to support unmet needs of families who have given their lives to the mission of the Presbyterian Church, (U.S.A.). This offering also supports racial ethnic education, helping students develop their gifts and find their calling. Today the Christmas Joy Offering continues to meet the needs of those students as well as helping families of active and retired church workers to meet unexpected needs.

Our Christmas Joy Offering will be dedicated on December 23. Please be generous in your giving.

Our Newest Members...

Alicia & Matt Argano are residents of Greenbrook and are currently expecting their first child. Matt is a senior Director with The Children’s Place & Disney stores. Alicia is a massage therapist who is self-employed. She is formerly a member of First Presbyterian Church of Cranford.

Michael & Jill Fackelman reside in Piscataway. Michael is a Music Educator at Roosevelt Intermediate School in Westfield. Jill is a Health Educator at Westfield High School, currently on a child rearing leave raising their 4 month old twins, Michael John and Jordyn Marie. In addition they have three older daughters, Elizabeth, Lauren and Julia Fackelman. Elizabeth and Lauren attend high school and Julia is in the middle school.

Hannah Kerwin has been the Director of Bound Brook Memorial Library for the past seven years. She resides in Chatham and formerly was a member of Stanley Congregational Church, Chatham, and the Metuchen Presbyterian Church. Hannah’s daughter Calandra attends Drexel University and her twin sons, Perry & Bennett, are in third grade.

M. LaVerne & William Miner are residents of Arbor Glen, Bridgewater, having moved their homes from Watertown, MA & Washington, DC, seven years ago. Of their 15 year commuter marriage, the Miners describe themselves as being old-fashioned—that is, they were married 15 years before they started living together! A Philadelphia native, LaVerne earned a Master’s degree from the University of Rochester, a Certificate of Advanced Studies from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. She taught French & Spanish and retired in 1997 after having taught in Watertown Public Schools for 24 years. Bill is a native of Wooster, OH and received a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Michigan, a Ph.D. in social policy & social planning from Brandeis University and an honorary LL.D. degree from the College of Wooster. Bill has worked in social work & public health education and in community & urban development overseas for the American Friends Service Committee, the United Nations & the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). He retired from USAID in 1998 after 37 years. Music has been a big part of their lives. At Arbor Glen, LaVerne accompanies the Arbor Glen Singers on piano & organ. Bill directs the community sing-alongs. In October 2005 he was elected vice-president of the Arbor Glen Residents’ Association and became president in October 2006. In that capacity he is a member ‘ex officio’ of the Board of Directors of Friends Retirement Concepts, Inc. Both have been selected as Living Treasures—Bill in 2003 and LaVerne in 2006.

Pictorial Directories Have Arrived

You may pick up your family copy of the pictorial directory after the worship service in the vestibule. Please check off your name on the master list.