Dear RCHP, 

Welcome to the last month of the year! Yes, November is number 12 for those of us who mark time with the church calendar. The first day of our new ‘church year’ is November 27th the first day of Advent, and with that we anticipate the light coming into the world again, as we wait for God, expectantly, to come close, in the manger and in manifold ways.  

So, how do we close out a year of faith? With Thanksgiving! With celebration! With a last burst of flourishing!  

At RCHP our last burst looks like this.  

-Our Annual Bazaar on November 5. This is just a day of terrific fun and celebration and visiting and eating and admiring the works of some of our members who share their artistic creations that come in the forms of pottery, blankets, quilts, ornaments etc… It’s just a day of great fun, and it’s probably the longest standing tradition at RCHP.   

-Our Interfaith-RISE Walk-A-Thon on November 6. Interfaith-RISE was one of the greatest creations that burst forth from this praying people. 8 years ago we held our first walk. We’ve helped over 1700 refugees get started in our state since the first time we asked God to open a way for us to support refugees (with over 1,000 of those being helped this year!).  

-Our Matching-Gift-Sunday Offering, which will occur on November 20th. It’s a special day for the church (which inevitably is far in the red by November) to come roaring back with a burst of special support from a handful of donors who then challenge the entire church family to step up with financial support. It’s very special to see the outpouring that occurs in and for the church proper. Sometimes people are confused, thinking the church must be very rich, with all the programming that occurs. But that is not the case. We are great at raising funds for justice and mercy programming, throughout related non-profits, but the church, itself, is often on a very tight budget.  

-Our Interfaith-Thanksgiving Celebration, November 20th. For years now we’ve pulled together the faith communities of our town and neighboring towns for a special program thanking God Most High for the abundance of blessings we experience. That service will happen at 7pm on the 20th…just not sure where yet!

I hope that by the time you sit down to give thanks on Thanksgiving Day RCHP’s wonderful November activities have played a central part in helping you say, “God, you have done great things!”

The Peace of Christ to you, 

Pastor Seth

P.S. Check out the photo gallery at the end of this email for church family highlights!

Upcoming November Events & Happenings

Saturday, November 5th - Holiday Bazaar Indoor /Outdoor Rain or Shine - A Message from the Bazaar Planning Committee

Spend the day & bring your friends, family and anyone you think would enjoy! Lots of hand made gifts from the Ladies Sewing Circle Holiday, decor & gifts, Yarning Around- scarves, hats and more. Pottery, Hand made Jewelry, Bake table and delicious Indonesian lunch! and more!!!

BAKE TABLE ! Thank you for thinking about making or donating something for the bake table. All bake table donations should be individually wrapped ready for sale. Unless it can be sold as a whole pie, cake or dessert bread. Please Note:  BAKE TABLE Donations WILL NOT BE REPACKAGED IN ANY WAY. Please bring all bake table donations, including cans of soda or iced tea to the 2nd Avenue front lawn of the church after 8am November 5th. 2022 We are so very grateful for your help.

VOLUNTEER ! ​Volunteers are most welcome for pre-bazaar setup at 8am, help throughout the day and post bazaar cleanup at 3pm. If you would like to volunteer to help please text Maria 908-208-2623.

INDONESIAN FOOD ! will be available for pick up during the Bazaar. Immediate donations of cash to help with the purchase of ingredients can be made directly to

Harry P. 732-257-5489 or give to Lisa in the church office 732-249-7349.

Pre-orders of this delicious food can be made by texting your name and order to Harry 732-257-5489.

Some of the delicious dishes ready for pick up that day will be

~~Chicken Satay with rice cube & peanut sauce $12

~~Vegetable Fried Noodles​​​​​​ $12 

~~Yellow rice w tuna, beef, egg & cucumber​​​​ $12

~~Spring vegetable egg roll w peanut sauce $12

Please pick up your order at bazaar on Saturday November 5th. 2022 between 11-2. Thank you !​​Thank you !​​Thank you !

Interfaith RISE Walk4 Love, November 6th, 2pm-4pm 

Interfaith-RISE has gone above and beyond, in the past year, to help meet some of the very serious refugee crises that have occurred around the world. Let’s walk, interact with new people, ponder, give generously, and show support for refugee resettlement in our state! The walk starts at RCHP. Please feel free to share this letter to donors (or click on the QR code on the flyer) with friends and family to help promote this treasured annual event!

Nature Hike, November 12th. Join us at 9am for beautiful fall foliage as we take a walk in one of the parks in our county. Details forthcoming as to which park!

New Group! Creative Conversation - Wednesday, November 9th, 10:30am-12 pm. Meet in the Quilt Room

Doing art at home can be lonely, so let’s do it together! Bring your own art supplies. Some basic supplies will be provided. Let’s chat, laugh and create! No skills needed - just a desire to have some fun. Questions? Contact Wendy Nussman at wendynussman@gmail.com 

Game Day is Saturday November 19th from 11:00am-12:30pm in the social hall.

Come on out and spend some light-hearted and fun quality time with your church family playing games and catching up. Games provided, but feel free to bring your favorite.

A Bazaar in South River, November 19th.  If you have fun at the bazaar in HP on the 5th you don’t have to wait a year to enjoy it again!  Contact Pastor Seth if you’d like to learn about having a table at the South River bazaar from 11am-3pm!

Interfaith-Thanksgiving, November 20th, 7pm-8:30pm .  It is our annual practice to end the church year connecting with all God-loving-communities in our area, who, through a spectrum of diversity, together worship God.  Details to follow in a subsequent email!

Advent Preparation Night and Potluck, November 27th, 5:30-7pm. -Come and make Advent wreaths, write cards of comfort to home-bound members and others in need and enjoy a great potluck with your church family, before singing Christmas Carols for the first time of the year.  

NJIC3

Join the NJ Interfaith Center for Cancer Care (NJIC3) on Wednesday afternoons from 3-4pm for a virtual interfaith cancer support group. Visit https://forms.gle/jrBPKy9Ro8ggfhUc9, email Austin at austin.njic3@improvingnj.org  or speak to him in person to sign up. If you're interested in the group, but that time doesn't work for you, tell us what times are best for you at https://forms.gle/jrBPKy9Ro8ggfhUc9.

Prison Correspondence Team 

Pastor Amos has been gathering a team each month to correspond with a list of elderly people who are incarcerated in New Jersey prisons. This team is a vital part of a policy campaign that Salvation and Social Justice is driving, to create second chance opportunities for incarcerated senior citizens to return to their communities. The upcoming dates for this team gathering are:

 November 13, 1:00pm

 December 11, 1:00pm

Please contact Pastor Amos for more details.  amoscaley@gmail.com

Sunday Worship and Education/Fellowship Schedule

In Highland Park:  

Worship is at 9am and 11:15am. Services are identical (or at least close to identical). The first service is also streamed online, through Facebook, Youtube, and our website.

Sunday school for all ages is so incredibly meaningful! Bring your children to learn stories of God’s love and to connect with other church kids and caring adults.

In South River: 

Worship is at 11:00am - It is our desire for a growing number of RCHP members to join Keiko Kereh, on a regular or semi-regular basis, for worship in South River. 

Sunday Afternoon and Evening Schedule 

Kids in the Cave-Youth Group for 4th and 5th graders (right after 2nd service, 12:30 or so…1st and 3rd Sundays).

Confirmation Class 4:30pm-5:30pm

The Table-A Community Meal, served in the Quilt Rm., 5:30pm

Middle School Youth Group-5:45-7pm

High School Youth Group-7:00-8:15pm

Wednesday Evening Choirs for All Ages:

5-5:30pm First Voices and Voices of Praise:  Pastor Seth and Pastor Amos love leading choirs for the littlest kids-6th grade at RCHP!  Come on out to sing, to draw, to eat pizza and then stay for stories and fun with Ms. Meghan and Ms. Liezl!

5:30-6:00 Some opportunity to eat together 

6:00 Gospel Choir (with childcare or kid-programming)

7:00 Chancel Choir (with childcare as requested)

8:00 Praise Team Practice

A Message from Meghan Pirri - Ministry Associate for Children



Sunday School has really taken off! It is wonderful to see and hear so many children in the building again! The children have been busy learning about and building their relationship with God. Our amazing teachers are working hard to help the kids to explore ways to help others and share God’s love with the world. If you are interested in enrolling your child in Sunday School, you can do so here: Sunday School Registration

For more information, you can call the office at 732-249-7349.

A Message from Pastor Terry

The high school lock-in, featuring a silent disco dance party and fun late-night games, will be on Nov 12 from 8 pm to midnight. Feel free to invite a friend!

Middle schoolers are invited to join Pastor Terry at AMC 18 New Brunswick on Friday, Nov 11, for the premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. We will leave from the church at 6 pm.

Confirmation is rolling.  Pastor Terry, with support from the other pastors, has started a new round of our annual confirmation class.  Please pray for Jude, Amaya and Noah as they embark on this journey together.

Wednesday morning Bible Study with Pastor Seth

Wednesday Morning Bible Study: On Wednesdays at 7:45am we are reading 1 Samuel.  It’s a great moment to join the group!  We are only three chapters into the book and our conversations are very rich.  Join us!

Morning Prayer, Mon.-Sat. @ 9 am on Zoom 

For 2.5 years now a morning prayer opportunity has existed at RCHP. Upwards of 15 people a day join this Zoom call to begin the day showing love and support for one another and giving God the glory. You can best get to the meeting by going to the rchighlandpark.org website and clicking on the coffee cup that is on the scrolling announcements.

Contemplative Thursdays

We've begun our practice of creating space on Thursdays for contemplation and meditation. Each Thursday morning from 7:00 to 8:00, the sanctuary is open and prepared for quiet prayer and meditation. Every two weeks we're also journeying through a podcast and/or book by Richard Rohr, exploring spiritually what it means to recognize the presence of and live in the faith of Christ. Learn more about these opportunities at www.rchighlandpark.org/thursdays

"Tricky Topics" Book Study

Our first book of the season is well underway. If you'd like to discuss some of the more difficult or contentious issues related to faith and society, contact Pastor Amos to join next session (January 2023).

"LitLovers" Reading & Culture Group

If you love talking about media and arts, and would like a lightly structured format for sharing, give LitLovers a try on Tuesdays from 12:30 to 1:30pm. Each week, participants are welcome to share about books, movies, TV shows, music and culinary delights. For more info, contact Cecilia Rowedder czr852@yahoo.com or Esther Barcun misseando@verizon.net. Please email to receive the Zoom link.

Weekly Virtual "Drop-In"

All are welcome to drop-in for an hour of friendly, free-wheeling conversation on Thursdays from 12:30 to 1:30pm. Contact our host, Carol Perry caca98@aol.com for more information and for a Zoom link.

Prayer Shawls, Tuesday nights, 7pm-9pm

Each Tuesday night, for the past 14 years, a group of caring church members have created beautiful prayer shawls to bring comfort to those going through challenging times in and around our community. Come and learn a new craft, make friends, and be a blessing to others!

Thursday Sewing Circle at RCHP

RCHP’s longstanding sewing circle is closing in on its big event of the year—the annual church bazaar.  Come on out and meet wonderful people and join them in crafts, sewing, quilting and conversation, Thursday from 10am-1pm. 

DIRE Monthly Meeting (zoom only)

Seth Kaper-Dale is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: DIRE Monthly meeting 8pm on 11/16/22

Time: Nov 16, 2022 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

        Every month on the Third Wed, until Apr 19, 2023, 6 occurrence(s)

        Nov 16, 2022 08:00 PM

        Dec 21, 2022 08:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87917654529?pwd=VmhmbnpmdFMwRlpJOE85ZU9xbmpTZz09 

Interfaith-RISE Monthly In-Person Meeting, November 17th:  Recap the glorious Walk4Love and get enthusiastic about the year ahead.  

FALL CLEANUPS - Clean-up of Highland Park floodplain at Donaldson Park

November 19 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Save the date, Saturday November 19 for a clean-up of the Highland Park floodplain at Donaldson Park!

The LRWP is teaming up with the Borough of Highland Park, Sustainable Highland Park, Highland Park High School Environmental Club, Highland Park Environmental Commission, Highland Park Ecology and Environmental Group, Reformed Church of Highland Park and others for a Fall clean-up of the floodplain.

WHAT: a clean-up of Donaldson Park and the Highland Park Conservation Zone on Saturday November 19 from 10 AM to noon.

WHERE: Parking is available in the Highland Park Department of Public Works parking lot at the end of South 5th Avenue (444 Valentine Street). We will kick-off the clean-up at the kiosk at the entrance to the Conservation Zone near the DPW lot.

Please dress appropriately for the weather. Gloves and bags will be provided! For registration and more information Click on this link

HP Food Pantry

Food Pantry needs for November:

Most urgent needs are:

Cereal 

Oatmeal

Pasta 

Tuna, Chicken, Salmon

Adult Briefs- 

Depends, Poise, etc. 

Sizes S-XL

W.I.S.E. CARE BLOG NOVEMBER 2022:  SCHOOL SAFETY. The following article, authored by Hilda Clarice Quiroz, is reprinted in its entirety from a resource guide by the National School Safety Center, Westlake Village, California.

BULLYING AND YOU Memories of school bullying are as different as the people who recall them. You may remember bullying as something that always happened to someone else. Maybe you were the bully, using your size physical strength, sharp tongue, or relationships to terrorize others. Or perhaps you experienced the fear of humiliation and unfair- ness of being a target of school bullying. 

Educators and law enforcement officers assigned to schools have a responsibility and an opportunity to join others in their school community to prevent or reduce school bullying and its consequences. School staff members, school resource officers, students and parents who do not tolerate bullying: 

• validate and promote the dignity and worth of every student. 
• model respect and concern for others. 
• take a stand against injury and violence. 
• promote a safe and effective school. 

UNDERSTANDING BULLYING   Over time, most students are involved with teasing or aggressive behaviors as either a perpetrator or a target. The prevalent and intermittent nature of this fact feeds the notion for many people that school bullying is a natural part of growing up. 

It is important to distinguish between occasional taunts, aggressive behaviors, and injured feelings that sometimes happen in the course of a school day and the pattern of negative and repeated behaviors that define the problem we know today as bullying. 

WHAT IS BULLYING?   Bullying is any hurtful or aggressive act toward an individual or group that is intentional and repeated. There is typically a real or perceived imbalance of physical power, a social network, or verbal skills that favor the perpetrator/s. 

Dr. Ken Rigby, a researcher in the area of school bullying, proposes a more specific definition to leave no doubt about the kinds of behaviors being addressed when the term bullying is used. The following definition can be found on Dr. Rigby’s web site entitled “Bullying in Schools and What to Do About It” (www.education.unisa.edu.au/ bullying/): 

“Bullying involves: a desire to hurt + hurtful action + a power imbalance + (typically) repetition + an unjust use of power + evident enjoyment by the aggressor and a sense of being oppressed on the part of the victim.” 

To find out how school bullying can be prevented or diminished,  click on this link for the full article.

RCHP Holiday Grief Support Group - continues in November

Our group is a space that allows us to explore our thoughts and feelings related to our grief and loss. It is a place to both receive and provide support and understanding while finding new ways to approach the challenges presented by our grief. Come meet others who seek meaning, offer perspective, and counter the sense of isolation so many of us have felt as we walk through this process. We will provide you with emotional and spiritual support in a safe and non-judgmental environment.

Please join us at 7:00pm on Mondays: November 14, December 5, and January 9 in the parlor at RCHP. If you would like to be part of our conversation, please contact Pastor Stephanie at RCHP, Kathleen Malkiewicz at kathmaldtr@gmail.com or Nicci Spinazzola at niccispinazzola@gmail.com 

A NEW SUPPORT GROUP ON ZOOM 

Has your life has been changed by chronic physical pain or illness? Are you willing to share your experience, strength and hope with others on this lonely journey? Join a new Weekly Support Group on ZOOM sponsored by the WISE CARE Committee of RCHP. This Support Group meets Tuesdays from 5pm-6pm.  

Contact Facilitators: Carla Epstein-Teliha, epsteinteliha@verizon.net  or Pat Kaufman, patbkauf@gmail.com for additional information and for a Zoom Link

Bereavement Calendar

RCHP remembers all those who died in November and all those who still mourn

The following names have been offered for remembrance in November 2022: 

Ruth Epstein, Beloved Mother of Carla Epstein-Teliha

Charles Jackson, Beloved Father of Gail Green

Mary and Stefhan Horyn, Beloved Parents of Terrance Horyn

Walter Koscienski, Beloved ‘Uncle Wally’ of Carrie and Paul Hudak

Carl Hoshin Peterson, Beloved First Husband of Lucille Alderman

Pat Rockman, Beloved Friend of Pat Kaufman

Harold and Ruth Thornton, Beloved Parents and

Patricia Snyder and Mary Alice Heinemann, Beloved Sisters, and 

John Thornton, Beloved Brother of Janet Peterson

Bossila, Beloved Mother and Todor Timev, Beloved Brother-in-law of

Vessa Timeva

Ralph Voorhees, Beloved Elder of RCHP

If it would be a comfort to include your loved ones in a monthly memory calendar, call Lisa at the RCHP office at 732-249-7349.

OCTOBER HIGHLIGHTS AND MILESTONES

Halloween decorating at church gets a boost from I-RISE staff

IRISE Halloween Door Decorating - What’s behind door # 1 & 2?  Hard-working IRISE staff, who even found the time to do some awesome decorating - amazing!

Thankful for donations and we always need more - Furniture for IRISE clients

The grand opening of 59 Adelaide was indeed GRAND!

Who wouldn’t want to live here?  This renovated mansion will provide 3 three-bedroom apartments to very low-income families.  Thanks to everyone who made this a reality from start to finish!

End of the harvest season at Global Grace Farms

We thank God for the bounty and the hands that planted, tended and harvested!

Congratulations to Tracy and Dennis Chekenian who were married at RCHP on October 8th!

The marriage of former intern rev Karen Jackson to Former church member Lucas Pershing. They met at RCHP 10 years ago!



Wishing both couples many blessings in the years to come!