Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
As we enter into the season of fall, our thoughts turn to changes, changes in the leaves as they turn colors and fall from the trees, changes in the flowers that begin to die or prepare to hibernate for the winter, changes in the temperature as the air becomes crisp and cool. The life of the church also goes through changes, we begin Sunday school and Bible studies after a summer break, we prepare for the fall craft show, the ham supper, apple picking and before we even realize it, Thanksgiving, Advent and Christmas will be upon us.
What changes have you been making in your life? I have been de-stuffing my home. Olivia’s room was cleaned from top to bottom and all of her things stored for the year. I have been sorting through every cupboard in my kitchen, deciding exactly how many of each thing I really need and then getting rid of everything else. I have even been going through my “junk” drawers. It is such a good feeling! Once you do one room, you just want to keep going. I am enjoying the changes!
The church is changing. As much as we would like to have the church the way it was when thirty years ago when the church was bulging with people, there were toddlers and children and youth running everywhere you looked and often there were several choirs singing, those were the good old days!
But these are the good new days! “The times they are a changing.” But the message hasn’t changed. The Good News of the Gospel is still the same. Just the way we present it is different. With church attendance and membership dropping in churches all across the country, our job is to continue to be disciples of Jesus Christ, presenting the Good News, reaching out to the broken and oppressed and carrying a word of hope to those cannot find it on their own.
Friends, we have a vibrant, healthy church. Each one of us has God-given gifts that we are to use on our journeys. We need everyone to do their part. Let us continue to work hard during this time of change, to be a vibrant force of God’s love in our community and in the world.
Yours in Christ,
Bonnie
church email address is Mayfield preschurch@ gmail.com
church website is http://www.mayfieldpresbyterianchurch.org
October Monday and Tuesday Bible Study
Bible Study will continue on Mondays at noon (bring a lunch if you wish) and Tuesdays at 5:00 pm. at the church. We are studying “Confronting the Controversies – Biblical Perspectives on Tough Issues”.
October ThursdaysKnitters and Quilters
Bring your lunch and some hand work or just stop by for social time on Thursdays from noon until 2:00 pm. Libby VanNostrand will teach knitting and crocheting to anyone who might be interested or is stuck on a project. The quilters are often working on quilt squares that anyone can learn to do or tying a quilt.
October 1Annual Craft Fair, Family Fun Day & Blessing of the Animals
The Craft Show/Family Fun Day will be held October 1st from 10 am – 4 pm. Rev. Bonnie will be blessing the animals that day at 1:00 pm. Pets should be on leashes or in cages/carriers. Besides crafts and vendors, we will be having pumpkin painting and games for the kids as well as hamburgs, hot dogs and our famous hamburg barley soup. The "ladies of the church" will be selling baked goods and crafts and would appreciate donations of these items. It is also the day that the Garden Maze quilt raffle drawing will be held. If you are interested in helping, please call Sue Cichy at 843-4710.
October 5PW Night in Zambia
On Wednesday, October 5 at 6 p.m. the women of the church will host another special Networking Dinner " A PW NIGHT in Zambia". We chose Zambia this year because that is where Olivia Orth is spending her YAV year teaching. This year’s offering will be split betweenYAV – Young Adult Volunteers, Presbyterian Disaster Relief Fund, which supplies relief funds around the world in times of disaster, and CEDEPCA, the organization in Guatamala that Rev. Bonnie works with to organize our mission trips and is now on the board.
We will be making the dinner starting about 1:00 on Wednesday and will need helpers. Speak to Chris Dahl if you can help or sign up on the bulletin board both to come and to help.
October 18Interfaith Tea
Our church will host the 68th Annual Interfaith Tea of Fulton County on Tuesday, October 18th. Registration begins at 11:30 am and a luncheon tea will be served at noon. The program will include speaker, Donald Truax, from Ministries for One. He will speak about Drug Abuse and Addiction Recovery. Entertainment will be provided by “The Sementalists” a group that includes Ed Goodemote. Non-perishable items for the food pantry are requested with registration and a free will offering is taken. See Libby VanNostrand with questions or if you can help.
October 19Presbyterian Women
The Presbyterian Women will meet on Wednesday, October 21 at 7:00 pm to discuss plans for the Rummage Sale and other upcoming eventsand to assemble Care Packages to be sent to our college students. The Bible verse letter is “I“. Please come join us for this fun and worthwhile project. If you have cartons suitable for mailing (corrugated shoeboxes with an attached lid are great) we would appreciate having them. We will be sending homemade cookies, candy, gum, snacks, tissue packets and anything else someone awayat school may need. There are about 15 packages to be sent out this year. Bring them that night along with addresses or contact Chris Dahl.
October 20Parkinson’s Advocacy & Education Group
The Parkinson’s Advocacy & Education Group meets in Fellowship Hall at 2:00 pm on October 20. Pastor Bonnie and a variety of guest speakers meet with those interested in information or discussion about any neurological disease. These meetings are open to anyone in the community.
October 24Session Meeting
The Session will meet on Monday, October 24 at 6:30 pm at the church. Please let Janis Frisch know if there is anything to come before the Session at that time.
October 28-29 Rummage Sale
PW will hold its Rummage Sale on Friday, October 28th from 7:00 am to noon. It will continue on Saturday the 29th from 8 am to noon. We will also be having a food table and a few special items that will be priced over 25 cents. Since storage space is limited we ask that you do not bring in rummage until two weeks before (after October 18). This will allow us to keep the coat area available and the church looking presentable for guests during The Interfaith Tea. Remember items should be useable and clean.
LOOKING AHEAD
SAVE THE DATE!! SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH!!
The Harvest Ham Dinner is an annual event occurring the first Saturday in November. This year will be the 24th year it has been offered. It was originally created to honor the wondrous harvest season and remind us to be thankful for the many blessings bestowed upon us. The harvest dinner is lovingly prepared by church members using produce from our local community or surrounding farms. The dinner is served family style or is available for take-out. The dinner includes baked ham, scalloped potatoes, squash, cabbage salad with onions and fresh parsley, homemade roils, and gingerbread or apple crisp for dessert. The Annual Harvest Ham Dinner is one of the larger fund raising events offered by the church. It is an enjoyable time where people from all over the community gather around God’s Harvest and share in fellowship.
Volunteers will be needed on Friday, November 4th at 1:00 PM to help with the cabbage and onions and on Saturday at 9:00 AM to peel potatoes. For more information, please contact Colleen Ulrich (661-5151) or Janet Kucel (661-7682).
OUTREACH COMMITTEE
Some of you may know that we have changed the name of the Mission Committee to Outreach Committee. We are reaching out to help our families, friends and neighbors. We have a suggestion box in Fellowship Hall and we would appreciate any suggestions that you might have to help us better serve the needs of our members and friends.
These are the many programs that we now have and are planning to do monthly updates in the Newsletter:
Food Pantry, CROPwalk, Friday’s Table, Guatemala mission trips, Midnight Run, fair trade coffee, KIVA, Sunday School children helping to support three children in Africa, Operation Christmas Child, knitting hats and mittens for Mayfield School children, Vacation Bible School, care packages for college students, scholarship fund, blessing of the animals, communion and songfest at NLH Extended Care Facility, domestic violence agency, 90-second sermons, jail services and Bible Study for inmates at jail, Parkinson’s Education and Support Group,Bible Study and Prayer Wheel.
Also, if you have any thoughts regarding an area in which we can be of assistance or help, please make a note for our suggestion box. You can also speak to any member of the committee with your thoughts or concerns. Committee members are Casey Warner, Jay Orth, Leslie Lanzi, Colleen Ulrich, and Greg Hitchcock. We look forward to hearing from you.
FCCF MINISTRY
Are you wondering how you can help our ministry at the Fulton County Correctional Facility? We would like to provide Upper Rooms for each of our Bible study participants at the jail. These women are serious about studying their Bibles that we provide and we think that giving them an Upper Room each month would be something they would read and study each day. If you are looking for a way to help with our ministry at the jail, consider making a donation toward purchasing Upper Rooms or Bibles.
FOOD PANTRY
The Food Pantry is in need of food and welcomes all donations, but especially cereal, peanut butter and jelly, pasta, sauce, canned fruits, canned veggies and tuna. The third Sunday of each month is our Food Pantry Sunday and ifyou can donate any of these foods at that time or any time it is always very much appreciated. We thank you so much for all your help in helping others who are in need.
The hours of the food pantry have been changed to 12:30 – 3:00 on thefirst and third Tuesday of each month. If you would like to get involved talk to Crystal Hinkle.
WORSHIP COMMITTEE
Worship Committee members worked with Session members to prepare a luncheon/coffee hour in celebration of “Pastor Appreciation Sunday” September 25th. Many thanks to everyone who signed up to help prepare lunch items and to make it a special day to show our appreciation for all that Bonnie does. The Committee is also helping with “breads from other countries” for World Communion Sunday on October 2nd. Looking forward, Pastor Bonnie would like to have liturgists take part in the Sunday services beginning with Advent - November 27th. Anyone who is willing to take part in worship in this manner can speak to a member of the Committee. We will be looking for volunteers. New members are always welcome on this Committee. Anyone interested can speak to Nancy Frank (661-5328).
Current Members: Rev. Orth, Sharon Brower, Mary Lou Bryan, Janis Frisch, Ginnie Hall, Greg Hitchcock, Vicki Kucel, Deb Lair, Mary Seaman and Nancy Frank, chairperson.
CHURCH SCHOOL NOTES
Children will be apple picking this year on October 2 after church. They will then make applesauce with many of the apples at their Fun Night on Friday, October 21. They are going to sell this applesauce at church on Sunday to raise money for a cause still to be determined.
The Sunday School children are studying the Bible stories of David and learning Bible verses each Sunday.
We will also be filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child again this year. A list of suggested items and things not to be included will be available in Sunday School. A box will be in the hall to make donations later in October. Deadline for bringing things in is NOVEMBER 13 as boxes will be filled that day during Sunday School. We will also need shoeboxes with lids that come off.
SESSION NOTES
The session has been acting on many routine matters of business along with looking into larger screens for the sanctuary.
MUSIC NOTES
RAISE YOUR VOICE (and hands)TO THE LORD!
This year our Choir, Musicians & Music Ministers are on a mission to not only bring to you traditional Choir and Music of Faith, but we are also going to be bringing to you Contemporary Praise and Worship. This will allow you to get up out of your seats raiseyour hands and voices to the lord and feel the Holy Spirit descend upon you and our sanctuary. We know many of you want to be more of a part of the service and our musical praise team will offer an invitation for you during appropriate songs. I also want to thank Mark Hitrick for his talents to make this addition of our repertoire possible at this time.
On a more traditional side, for those not gifted with a singing ability, we have an opportunity for you to be a part of this year's Christmas Concert. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO READ MUSIC. You just need to be able to ring a handbell. They come in all sizes and weights and they are A LOT of fun.. This is not a long term commitment so for those looking for a way to help our church in presenting their annual gift to the community PLEASE contact David Childs at childsd14@gmail.com or (518) 332-4927.
Also, we are in desperate need for MEN in our CHURCH CHOIR. We of course are also accepting of anyone wanting to join.
Mary Lou and I and the team always welcome suggestions.
Regards,
David
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Debra Hall October 2
Kelly Wagar October7
Bill Wemple October 7
Bart Warner October 8
Merry Dunn Brown October 8
Trevor Ruberti October 11
Laura Hime October 18
Kaile Kucel October 23
Jill Kaczor October 25
Trudy Yost October 27
Susan Cichy October 29
Noranne Marcellus October 29
Lorna Elmendorf October 30
DID YOU KNOW?
…that about 80 meals were prepared and served or given as takeouts at the last Friday’s Table in early September. Thank you to all who helped! The next Friday’s Table will be December 16.
…that a celebration is in order! In 2017 our church, Mayfield Central Presbyterian, will be celebrating our 225th year as a congregation, a remarkable accomplishment. We would like to hear your thoughts on activities that we could do to remember that beginning. Share your ideas with Jane Bouton or Mary Lou Bryan in the next few weeks.