January 2006 - THE HERALD

FREEDOM PLAINS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Non-Profit Org.

Post Office Box Four Hundred

LaGrangeville, New York 12540 U.S. Postage

P A I D

"RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED" LaGrangeville, NY

STAFF:Rev. Paul D. Lent, Pastor Rev. Heather Finck, Parish Associate Denise Bassen, Music Director Susan Mayfield, Administrative Assistant Linda Jacobs & MaryAnn Russo, Co-Directors of Sunday School. Bonnie Biskup, Parish Nurse Kevin Coyne, Sexton Katherine DeFiglio, Junior Choir Director Donna Logan & Em Jorgenson, Bell Choirs

THE HERALD

Freedom Plains Presbyterian Church

Founded 1827

________________________________ _________ January 2006

From the Pastor's Desk

"Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light,

and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling." 1 John 2: 10

Dear Friends,

Can it really be three years since I arrived at Freedom Plains to be your minister? It hardly seems possible, and yet this time of year we realize that time does march on. This time of year always puts me in a reflective mood, thinking about the past and looking ahead to the future.

My New Years resolution here at church is very simple. There are many exciting and challenging things ahead for the church, but it seems to me that there is one priority that must be paramount. In three years I have gotten to know this church somewhat; its history and its strengths. But I still feel that there are far too many of its members that, while I may know names, I don't know stories. I don't really know so many of you as well as I would like. My resolution is to try in the coming year to find ways and times to sit down and talk with you and deepen my understanding and knowledge of Freedom Plains' greatest strength, you, along with the rest of its people.

Peace,

Paul

ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING

The Annual Congregational Meeting will be held Sunday, January 22 at 10 am in the church sanctuary. The hope for the meeting is that it will last 30-40 minutes, to be followed by a time of refreshments in fellowship hall before the 11 am service.

MISSION

MISSION YEARBOOKS – New mission yearbooks are in and we encourage everyone to take last year's from the narthex to find a creative way to recycle them. The yearbooks contain much useful information including a Message for Mission for everyday of the year.

CHOCOLATE LOVER'S SALE – During coffee hour on February 12 there will be food to enjoy but also a chocolate bake sale to raise money for Rural & Migrant Ministry. The next luncheon will be held in March.

WORTH READING – (check the mission bulletin board by Fellowship Hall)

Friends Committee on National Legislation (Quakers) has put together an interesting pamphlet "Taking Freedom for Granted? Q & A's about the USA Patriot Act."

Heifer's World Ark (November/December '05) has an interview with Nobel Peace Prize winner (2004) Wangari Maathai from Kenya who single-handedly started the greenbelt movement in Africa.

DUTCHESS OUTREACH – Thanks for your donations of dry food items throughout the year that were delivered to Dutchess Outreach by our custodian, Kevin Coyne. We collect food every Sunday in the narthex to help our local food bank supply the hungry people in our community.

HOMELESS SHELTER – Thanks to the volunteers who signed up to cook dinner or serve it the fourth Wednesday of each month. There are many open slots on the Mission bulletin board for hosts and cooks for 2006.

THANKS! THANKS! THANKS!

• To Julie Carmichael and many volunteers who helped at the Craft Fair Café to raise $1200 for next summer's mission trip.
• To all who supported PCUSA's Christmas Joy Offering. The money raised goes 50-50 to help retired missionaries and to help ethnic minority college students.

  Mission is taking a new direction this year, and the changes will be highlighted in the February Herald (after the annual meeting).

  Rural and Migrant Ministry Scholarship Luncheons will resume in February. Announcements will be in the Sunday bulletin.

  CHRISTMAS DINNER 2005

  "The Story of the Fish and the Loaves"

  Lots of community volunteers arrived at 10:00 AM to help cook the Christmas dinner, but the food hadn't arrived. At 11:00 AM more volunteers arrived, still no food. At 11:30 AM, Plan B went into effect and a second dinner materialized from my pantry and the church freezer. At 1:00 PM the Eshelman's contributed their Christmas ham, the two back-up turkeys were reheated, and the frozen meatballs and spaghetti sauce were ready.

  Sixty people enjoyed a Christmas smorgasbord amid comments of witnessing the biblical story in person. Their generous free-will offering contributed $250 towards our next dinner and everyone enjoyed Alice Cann's music, while sharing the Christmas dinner. By the way, the food also arrived at 1:00 PM with heartfelt apologies, . . . so Easter dinner is sitting in the church freezer ready to be heated and served!

  Thanks to all who helped - cooking turkeys, making breads and desserts, and preparing and cleaning up. And thanks for the birth of Jesus who taught us all an important lesson again.

  Jill Edmonds

  LAY READERS NEEDED!

  Would you be interested in being part of the worship service? I'm looking for people who can read a prayer and scripture during a service five or six Sundays a year. No experience is needed; you pick the Sunday. Students welcome! If you can read with a clear, strong voice, I need YOU!

  Jennifer Barry 473-5421

CALENDAR GIRLS – will be held on May 6, 2006. We are looking for hostesses to decorate a table and provide a dessert for their guests. If you would like more information and/or are interested, please contact Jennifer Barry – 473-5421.

LIBRARY NOTES

My name is Kathleen Newton, and I am on the Library Committee. As a committee member, I also maintain the Church's photo albums, which document our church activities over the course of each year. I invite everyone to submit any photos that they may have of 2005 church events. Presently, we have very few, and I am sure there are more out there. If you are a parent or grandparent who has photographed events that your child has participated in, please supply us with a copy of some of your favorite shots. In addition, I hope to take group photographs of each Sunday school class this Spring. We will make an advance announcement of the date. Please look for the Library table in Fellowship Hall on January 15 in between services, as I will have some of our photo albums on display. I will be happy to accept photos at that time as well. Additionally, there is a small box in the Church Library where you can drop photos at your convenience. Our albums are located in the Church Library in the cabinet directly beneath our New Books section. Please feel free to browse at any time.

Kathy Newton

Library Committee

REMINDER:

As we have announced throughout the Fall of 2005, the Library has many new books, and we encourage you to stop by and sign them out.

2005 PLEDGE STATEMENTS:

You will soon be receiving your final 2005 PLEDGE STATEMENT. If it does not agree with your records, please call the Church Office (452-0684).

FREEDOM PLAINS NURSERY SCHOOL

Our church-sponsored Freedom Plains Nursery School is presently accepting registrations for the 2006-2007 school year.

1. Mondays, Tuesday, Wednesdays, 9:00 AM to 12 noon, three year olds.
2. Thursday & Friday, 9:00 AM to 12 noon, three year olds.
3. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 to 3:00 PM, four year olds.
4. Mondays, Tuesday, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, 9:00 to 12 noon, four year olds.

   Call Valorie Parry, Director, at 485-1145.

   There will be a Pot Luck Dinner on January 22, 2006 to thank Sue Mayfield for her service as Administrative Assistant for the past 8 years. Dinner starts at 5:30 PM. If your last name begins with the letters A-M, bring a main/side dish. If it begins with the letter N-Z, bring a dessert.

   Mark your calendars for January 22! Help us celebrate Sue's service and enjoy an evening of fellowship.

   WORK CAMP MISSION TRIP

   SUMMER 06

   "Appalachia Here We Come"

   "Summer 06"

    

   We will again be heading south on a mission trip this summer with Appalachian Service Project.  Our week is July 29 - August 5.  High School students and adults, this is the time to sign up!  To reserve a spot, fill out the following form and return it to the Church office along with a check for $140.  If there is a financial need, please talk to me, no one should not go on this trip because of money.  Any questions, please talk to me.  We had such a great experience last year and I know it is only going to get better this year.    

    

   We will be having organizational meetings and trainings starting this month.

    

   _______________________________________________________

    

    

   I want to go on the trip this summer.

    

   Name:  _________________________________________________

    

    

   _______________________________________________________

   (Signature of parent if participant is under 18 years old)

    

   Enclosed is a check for $140 dollars to save my spot _______________

    

   I would like to talk to the Pastor about a scholarship _________________

    

2006 OFFERING ENVELOPES

Members of the Congregation are urged to use the envelopes that have been mailed to them. Those who have not yet received them should contact the Church Secretary.

THE GREEN ENVELOPES - dated for each Sunday, are for regular weekly offerings throughout the year. They provide the principal source for budgeted salaries, expenses and benevolences - in short, for carrying out the mission of the Church. It is important that these offerings be kept up to date since our obligations occur monthly.

THE BUFF "INITIAL OFFERING ENVELOPE" - is for reimbursing the expenses for managing the envelope system - the cost of the boxes of envelopes, for mailing these out; and the cost of the forms for recording offerings and mailing these out. This totals about $1500 a year for this Congregation.

THE BLUE "PER CAPITA APPORTIONMENT" ENVELOPE - reimburses the Church for our share of the expenses for the day-by-day operations of Presbytery, Synod and the General Assembly. We must pay this each year; in 2006 we have been assessed $19.77 per member.

THE YELLOW "FLOWER FUND" ENVELOPE - is used to provide flowers for Sunday services in which Memorial Flowers have not been designated and paid for. These envelopes should not be used to pay for memorial flowers. Memorial flowers should be paid for separately, and the check should have "memorial flowers" and the reserved date in the memo line.

THE WHITE AND GOLD "DEACONS' FUND" ENVELOPE - is used to maintain an account for use by the Deacons in their humanitarian activities, especially in emergency situations.

THE BUFF "BUILDING AND PROPERTY" ENVELOPE supports the physical needs of the church.

THE YELLOW "MAUNDY THURSDAY" AND "EASTER OFFERING" and the SPECIAL "CHRISTMAS OFFERING" ENVELOPES are opportunities for additional contributions to the work of this Congregation at particularly meaningful times in the church year.

THE BUFF "ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING" ENVELOPES (and the special envelopes distributed around Easter) are for specific mission work by the denomination, which will be discussed in detail at that time.

THE WHITE "CHILDREN AT RISK & YOUTH RELATED PROGRAMS" ENVELOPE is for a Presbyterian Church USA program.

THE CREAM "SCHOLARSHIP FUND" ENVELOPE helps to provide scholarships to our children who attend college. It is augmented by fund raising activities sponsored by the Scholarship Committee throughout the year.

THE CREAM "SUNDAY SCHOOL MUSIC PROGRAM" ENVELOPE allows you to give to either the Sunday school or the music program. If you don't check off one, the amount will be divided between the two.

THE WHITE "THANKSGIVING OFFERING" ENVELOPE traditionally has been dedicated to the Hunger Fund used by the denomination in alleviating food shortages throughout the world.

THE WHITE "CHRISTMAS JOY" OFFERING ENVELOPE (and the special envelopes distributed around Christmas) are for specific mission work by the denomination which will be discussed in detail at that time.

Finance Committee

HEALTH MINISTRY

Office hours 10:00 – 11:00 AM and 12 –12:30 PM or by appt.

For appointments call 724-5631.

B/P screening – Sundays, on ongoing basis.

Care Notes on emotional and spiritual health are available in the P.N. Office and Narthex.

Pertinent topic this month – grieving a loss during the holidays, holiday depression.

Weight Health – scale in Parish Nurse's Office; diet programs available.

Walking Group – Meets 9:30 AM Tuesdays and Thursdays at Stringham Park. Please contact Heather Peterson at 452-7974 for more information.

Bonnie Biskup, RN, B.S.N.

Prayers for Comfort and Healing – Karen & Mike Benson (Spencer family), Maureen Cavanaugh, Eileen Doherty, Madeline Hanka, Emily Johnson, Pam Krenzke, Mary Moody, Devin Resler, Jean Seland, Diane Soyka, Trevor- (Strafella family), Thomas Wardell, and Edward VanEtten.

BRIGHT NIGHTS

Our next run is scheduled for Saturday, February 4^th. We are looking for donations of new socks, underwear and long underwear; toiletries, blankets, backpacks, and adult winter coats. Please drop off all items on the stage marked "Bright Nights." Thank you for your support.

Tyler Fandl and Cait Frank

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Thank you to all who contributed to the Mitten Tree. The hats, scarves, mittens and gloves were sent to the Rural Migrant Ministry.

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN

Presbyterian Women Ladies Night Out - See a movie and go out for dessert after – Join us on February 7th. Dessert is $8.50 ea. after the movie at P.C. Paddock's. Contact Sally Kemink at 473-4070. Look for more specifics to follow in Sunday bulletins.

JANUARY CALENDAR

Every Sunday 9:00 AM Worship/Church School

11:00 AM Worship/Choir Sing

Sundays Jan 15 7:00 PM Confirmation Class & Mentors Meeting

Jan 22 10:00 AM ANNUAL MEETING

5:30 PM Pot-Luck for Sue Mayfield

Mondays

Jan 9 7:30 PM Christian Ed

8:00 PM Scottish Society

Jan 16 6:00 PM Mission

7:30 PM Session

Jan 23 7:30 PM Birdwatchers

Tuesdays

Jan 3 7:15 PM Property Committee Meeting

7:30 PM Women's Evening Study Group (Maureen Doherty's)

Jan 10 9:30 AM Friendship Calling

7:30 PM Worship & Chancel Committee Meeting

7:30 PM Stewardship Committee Meeting

Jan 17 7:30 PM Women's Evening Study Group (M. Doherty's)

Wednesdays 1:00 PM Dorcas Bible Study

7:30 PM Troop 182

Jan 4 7:30 PM Deacons' Meeting

Jan 25 9:00 PM Homeless Shelter

Thursdays 7:30 PM Choir

Saturdays 8:30 PM AA