Check out what's going on this week at the UMC of Red Bank! |
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Connections
Thursday, March 3, 2022
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Worship Sneak Peek
March 6, 2022 at 10:00 am
Join us for worship this Sunday in person or online at 10:00 am as we begin our Lenten sermon series entitled "Drink from the Fountain of Grace". On this first Sunday of Lent, we will reflect on how God can and will bring purpose and beauty out of the brokenness in our lives and our world. Hope to see you either in person or online!
Reminder: We have resumed in-person worship and continue to live-stream the service on our website and YouTube channel.
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As of Monday 3/7, for day to day operations and small group gatherings within the church building masks will be encouraged and optional, for all except children and youth ministries and Sunday morning worship.
As we shift into this new optional masking policy, it is important for us to remember that masking is a personal choice based on comfort level and individual health concerns. Whether people choose to mask or not is each person’s right and we are encouraged to respect the choices of one another. If you are in a vulnerable population, we encourage you to take advantage of the better quality masks that are now readily available to the public and we recommend all stay up to date with vaccinations and boosters.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, when these major shifts in COVID safety policies have been rolled out in the public sphere, we as a church have taken additional time to observe how the shift is reflected in COVID numbers. Church Council is meeting on March 22nd to decide on our masking policy going forward for Sunday morning worship and for Children and Youth Ministries. Stay tuned for future announcements.
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"Come to the Table" Communion Workshop- Sunday, 3/6 at 11:30 am
As we enter the season of Lent and look toward including children in celebrating communion with the whole church on Easter, we will be hosting an interactive workshop for all ages about communion led by Pastsor Jess and Bonnie Deroski. This will be an excellent way to introduce your child(ren) to the reasons why we celebrate Communion together and a great reminder for you as well. This workshop is open to all and should last between 30-45 minutes long in room 114. Contact bderoski@umcredbank.org for more information.
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Church Work Day was a Success-
Thank You to the Volunteers!
A big Thank You to all of the wonderful volunteers that helped us on our very productive church work day last Saturday! Along with some great tunes and fun fellowship, we:
-Completed the transformation of the Whiting Chapel to the Whiting Store Room.
- Disassembled ~ 75 chairs and ~10 tables so the metal could be recycled and delivered a pickup truck and trailer load of metal to Red Bank Recycling
- Loaded a 20 yard dumpster with 4 couches and a whole lot of other things that have served our church well over many, many years but have seen happier, cleaner, more functional days.
- Loaded and delivered a pickup truck load of electronics and plastic toys to the recycling center where the toys were donated to Second Chance Toys.
- Sorted and recycled, metal, Styrofoam and CFL bulbs that we had been saving up in the Eisner basement.
- Set aside ~6 tables and ~30 chairs along with several other odds and ends for future free cycling or sale on Facebook Marketplace.
- Set out toys on the back porch looking for a new home and delivered a box of varied items to Good Will
- Stacked the risers on the stage for future use and sorted and reorganized two storage closets.
- Replaced the rickety pew on the back porch with a sound one from 114 and at the same time made 114 more accessible.
- And last but not least, we broke in the new coffee pot and had some great cookies to boot!
A special Thank You to Bobbie Ridgely for leading the effort and all who donated their time and tools to the day!
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Corned Beef & Cabbage Dinner is Back- Takeout Only!
3/19 from 4:00-6:30 pm
As many of you learned at church on Sunday, our annual Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner letters have experienced a delay at the Post Office. (We don’t know how many of you have not received them as yet.)
The cost of the dinner is $15. You may also become a patron of the work of our committee by donating $20 and receiving one free ticket or donating $35 and receiving two free tickets. Again, we do not discourage larger donations.
If you want to order tickets/or become a Patron and you have received a green letter in the
mail or at church, please send in your check, ticket order, and pickup time slot using the form
at the bottom to Peg Rizzo, 66 Dale Road, Middletown, NJ, 07748 as soon as possible. If you
have not received a letter at all, just mail your check, # of tickets requested and the time you
wish to pick up your dinner/s. Please let us know if you can help us in the morning preparing the dinner or in the evening with takeout distribution and/or cleanup.
Tickets and/or Patron contributions will be on sale in Fellowship Hall on 3/6 and 3/13, as well as at the takeout dinner.
We have not been able to have a regular fund-raiser for two years, but we still have given out
scholarships to 21 of our deserving young people in that period. Please help us to replenish
our treasury.
Any questions or problems, please call Barbara Guenther at 732-203-1970.
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*If you missed this Wednesday's Lenten Musicial Reflections, it can be viewed here
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UMW Craft Group- Tuesday, 3/8 10:00-2:00
Come for part or all of that time to help us make our greeting cards. If you like to knit or crochet (or do another craft), you are welcome to bring your handiwork to do during Craft Group meetings. Bring your snack/cold drink for our short lunch break -- or you can use the hot water tap in the kitchen to make a hot drink.
St. Patrick's Day cards are available in Fellowship Hall on Sunday mornings after Church, along with our assortment of cards for other occasions. Your purchases (at $1.00 a card) help UMW fulfill its budgeted mission donations.
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Mildred Ruth Circle- Thursday, 3/10
Mildred-Ruth Circle will meet from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm in the Lounge. You are invited to bring any devotions, poems, stories, etc. to share. Other UMW ladies (and those interested in learning more about UMW) are invited to attend our hour of fellowship. For more information, contact Peggy Wien or Helen Vetter.
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Backpack Crew Pantry
Donations Welcome
The Backpack Crew has continued to serve the increasing number of people who are impacted by food insecurity in the midst of this health crisis. Food donations are greatly appreciated on the back porch of the church, Monday though Friday from 9 am to 3 pm.
The current donation request is FRUIT CUPS. Thank you for your continued support. Email us at backpackcrewnj@gmail.com with any questions.
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Easter Flower Orders Start Sunday, 3/6!
Help beautify the Sanctuary and bring spring to our Easter Service. Orders can be placed by paper order form to the office or on our church website. Pots of these bright and beautiful flowers are $20 each. They make great gifts for family and friends, too! Please place all orders by April 10th.
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Pollinator Garden Returns-
We Need Your Help and Ideas-Sign Up Now
The Pollinator Garden will be returning to our back yard at church. Men’s group will work on preparing the area and adding soil on April 2, and we will work on collecting seeds and native plants to add to the garden after we see what comes back up from last season. It was lovely, colorful, and productive and attracted a number of birds and butterflies and other pollinators. We need helpers of all ages, and this is a call out to the families who founded the garden. Please plan to participate this year as we will need planters, painters of signs, weeders, watering teams and photographers and observers keeping track of our special place. We also need your input on upcoming projects and ways to be green. Look for sign up and idea sheets at the church in the coming weeks! Sign up to help in Sunday School or contact Janie Schildge at jschildge@optonline.net for information.
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Adult Education In person or Online
Beginning in January, we will be starting a new book, "The Power of Parable - How Fiction by Jesus Became Fiction About Jesus” by John Dominic Crossan. This is a brief look at parables and discussion of why Jesus chose to teach primarily this way. It starts with some parables from the Old Testament and moves to the Gospels, eventually looking at each gospel as a parable of its own. Crossan says at one point that a parable is designed to make you think. If one left one of Jesus’s parables and said, “Great parable today Rabbi, what an inspiring message…”, Jesus would have been disappointed. A parable should spark discussion, questioning, differing opinions and perspectives, and challenge our thinking. I hope our class will do that for you.
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LGBTQ+nnection is a free virtual workshop for teens, young adults, youth leaders, pastors, congregational leaders, and anyone who works with youth/young adults. Our time together will include story-telling, education, devotions, breakout discussions, and resources for next steps. |
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Pastoral Care
If someone is hospitalized or in need of pastoral care,
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