Blanket Sunday Offering This Week

Books in the Library Now Available

 

This Sunday be sure to stop by the Church Library and grab a few books.

Last Easter a vision was inspired from the sermon that was preached by Dr. Wilton. 

"The church has precious little to offer by way of tangible signs. Instead, the center of our worship is the word of God: airy, insubstantial, hard to hold onto.

This is especially true of us Protestants. The Eastern Orthodox have their icons, the Roman Catholics their crucifixes and saints' statues, but we've got just the fleeting breath of human speech: words voiced and carried away - we trust and pray - on the wind of the Spirit. Our hope is that such words - spoken in a sermon, inwardly digested in personal Bible reading, shared from person to person by way of testimony - will lodge in some fertile soil, as seeds. But so often, we never know, do we?"

The vision is for a small gallery for the congregation and friends to express their selves through the visual arts. Artist Karen Norby has been researching and developing a "Call for Art" which will be in the North Hall.  This "Call for Art" would give the congregation and friends the ability to exhibit and interact with the works of art throughout the year. This could eventually be expanded to the community. 

Session has approved the idea, and voted to retire the church library, which has had almost no users in recent years. A 2018 Eagle Scout project to convert the library space into a gallery is in the design stages. There is much excitement and work being put into this new idea.

Starting this Sunday, we are having a book giveaway to clear the space. Please help yourself to any of the books that are in the library. You will find a myriad of categories and genres. There is something for everyone. From recipe books, to biographies, stop in an take a look and feel free to take as many as you would like. Books are available for the taking at any time. All unclaimed volumes will be donated to charity. 

The Big Cover Up   

Last week we kicked off The Big Cover Up campaign. Thank you to those who contributed and got us off to a good start. We still have a way to go. A postcard mailing was sent out to make sure all of our members are aware of our need. The Session Meeting on Tuesday of this week was even affected by the leaks. We are grateful the roofing company did come over to help us contain the leaks but the need for the roof to be replaced is here. 

Our Sanctuary roof has outlived its useful life and it is overdue for replacement. This glorious structure has been in our community since 1882 and we are entrusted with its care. This is a major project and there is evidence of leaks in a number of interior ceilings in the building.

We have done our due diligence by selecting all the proper materials that are needed and working with several bids, to select the best roofer for the job.

The cost of this project is approximately $75,000. We need to pay a deposit of about $20,000 at the end of January.

How do you contribute? Gold envelopes are now available in the pews. A check made out to PPPC with a note "Roof" may be sent or placed in the offering plate.

If you prefer electronic giving click HERE. If you prefer to spread out your giving over 3 months that is great. The campaign will run through the months of  January, February and March!!

These are tax deductible charitable contributions. Check with your financial adviser, but we understand that contributions from a qualified retirement account directly to the church are not considered taxable income.

We will be providing weekly updates and there will be messages delivered from congregation members with long histories under this roof.

We ask you to prayerfully consider making a contribution and think how good you will feel sitting under this NEW ROOF!! Look for updates and watch our "roof thermometer" grow.

This Week in Sunday School

 

Hello everyone!  I hope you're all enjoying some of the warmer temperatures!

Last week, we took some time to talk about Mission work.  We talked about why it is so important to help others in need, especially those that do not have the resources to help themselves.  Then we talked about blankies.  Many of our Sunday School friends have a special blanket that they have had as long as they can remember.  We talked about the feelings we get when we hold our blankets.  Some of the words our friends used were "loved, safe, and warm."  This took us to our mission project for the week.  We came together as a team and together we made 4 beautiful, soft, warm, and cozy blankets for an organization called Project Linus.  Project Linus will take our blankets and distribute them to kids who are in need of some love, warmth, and security.  We made sure to put all the blankets on the table and made a prayer circle around the blankets, and we prayed for the children who would be recipients of these blankets. We prayed to bring them comfort and security in the situation they are facing and we prayed for God to take care of them.  It was a really awesome experience! (For more information on Project Linus, visit  projectlinus.org)

This week, we are back to our curriculum.  We are going to be exploring Mark 1:1-15.  We are going to learn all about baptisms, specifically, Jesus' Baptism.  

See you all  on Sunday!

Peace and Blessings,

Tricia Stoffers

This Week at Point Beach Prep 

   

IHN Arriving January 28 

 

Families from the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Ocean County will be staying with us in the new year. Families will arrive on Sunday, January 28 and stay for the week. 

 

Thank you to those who have already signed up!  Many of the dinners are still open, as well as help in all areas. Please sign up to help with a dinner, evening fellowship or overnight hosts from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. throughout the week. 

 

Over the past year, our church hosted sixteen families.  There were forty-one guests, with twenty-one children and twenty adults.  The need for services to help shelter homeless families continues.  Even making a dinner for a night allows you to put your faith into action.  

 

Sign-up sheets are in the Narthex for those who can provide help. Please indicate where you can help. Thank you!

Cub Scout Pack 6 Pinewood Derby this Saturday

Best wishes to everyone participating. 

May the best car win!

Some Pinewood Derby Trivia