I've been waiting for this weekend forever it seems! I'm so thrilled to finally worship with you in the sanctuary. If you've registered for our 8:30 AM sanctuary service, I'll look forward to seeing you there. Just a reminder that our 10 AM worship service outside does not have a capacity limit so if the sanctuary is full, I hope you'll join us outside. We will continue to live stream our sanctuary service via YouTube if you'd prefer to worship from home.
I'm in the midst of planning summer worship and our sermon series this summer will be titled "Summer Mixtape." Maybe some of you have made mixtapes or playlists of your favorite songs prior to a long road trip. I want us to do the same, except with Bible stories. I'd love to hear from you about your favorite Bible stories. If you were to choose one or two stories to add to a Greatest Hits album, what would they be? You can submit your information through this form. I'll use your responses to create our Summer Mixtape and those stories will guide our worship for the summer. I hope you'll participate!
This newsletter has so much important information in it so I hope you'll take time to read through it. I want to point out two things in particular which deserve your attention. Our Clerk of Session, Marisu Fenton, writes a brief overview of Session meetings for the newsletter so you can stay up-to-date on Session actions. I hope you'll take time to read Marisu's latest Clerk's Corner about the April Session meeting. And, member Shirley Lam wrote a letter of thanks to her church family and that is included in this newsletter as well.
With great anticipation,
Betsy
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Rev. Elizabeth Lyles Swetenburg will be
preaching a sermon titled Remember.
You're invited to read Acts 7:55-60 in preparation for Sunday.
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CLERK'S CORNER
NOTES FROM MARISU FENTON
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Session met last week with a packed agenda. Highlights include:
- Receiving the faith statements of this year’s confirmation class;
- Sustaining the exam and approving the ordination and installation of Easy Ezell as a Deacon for a two-year term, effective immediately;
- Voting to resume in-person, indoor worship in the Sanctuary on Sunday, May 9. Through June 20, sanctuary worship will be at 8:30 AM and outdoor worship will continue at 10 AM. On June 27, we’ll shift to a summer worship schedule with one worship service in the sanctuary at 10 AM;
- Updating the Child Protection Policy;
- Approving the hire of a Faith Formation Intern to work with Emily Cox at least through the summer and possibly through the fall;
- And, approving the hire of a full-time Communications Director.
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Confirmation Sunday was May 2nd
Our confirmands are Vivian Chauza, Grace Giles, Anna Nicholson, Zachary Scurria, Truman Scurria, Jane Treadway, and Lucia Wahl. Pictures below are the confirmands and their sponsors.
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This Sunday at 8:30 a.m. (in-person indoor worship) and at 10 a.m. (in-person outdoor worship) we will offer two options for you to worship with us. You must REGISTER for the service. The 8:30 a.m. service will be a livestreamed service from the sanctuary, which we will continue to offer on our youtube page. You can register for this Sunday using the link below.
Registration is necessary for all Sunday morning, in-person worship opportunities. Masks and social distancing required.
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BECOME A WORSHIP GREETER!
Have you been waiting to greet & welcome Northridge friends, guests, and newcomers back to Sanctuary Worship? If YES, then have we got an opportuntity for you!
Serving as a Sunday morning greeter is simple as 1-2-3:
- Be available and at the church narthex by 8:00AM with a warm smile and welcoming approach!
- Warmly welcome and assist by checking folks in as they enter the Bob-0-Link entrance for worship, then direct them to the ushers.
- After worship, direct folks to the exits to ensure that no one wanders through the building.
We’re all VERY appreciative and grateful for your support and service to Northridge as a GREETER as we once again begin to gather.
Gratefully,
Engagement & Connection Committee (E&C):
Ray Chavez, Erin Bret, Kim Shuler & Kathy Watson
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DEACONS OFFER HOME COMMUNION MAY 23 |
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HOME COMMUNION, a ministry of the Deacons, will resume on Sunday, May 23, and be offered each time communion occurs during the Sunday worship service.
If you are wanting to be served communion at home, please contact Barbara Rader.
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Northridge Kids at Outdoor Worship - A Pray-ground
The kids of Northridge are in for a treat at outdoor worship. There will be a developmentally appropriate, fun, and meaningful area to quietly play outside while simultaneously experiencing the worship service. In some faith formation circles, this is called a "pray-ground". This will consist of coloring stations, playdoh, sand, puzzles and more that will help keep little hands busy while they listen and learn about our worship service and the rituals that are a part of worship. Parents are encouraged to sit near the Northridge Kids area to keep an eye on their child and to allow for a natural flow in the worship service. Our childcare staff will be busy keeping things sanitized between kid usage to help prevent the spread of COVID, and are asked to keep a distance of six feet from the children to protect themselves and others. We are so excited to see and worship alongside our beloved and delightful Northridge Kids!
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NORTHRIDGE VBS
SAVE THE FRIDAY EVENING DATES
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Mark Your Calendars for
Northridge VBS 2021!
Compassion Camp:
Friday evenings in July
July 9, 16, and 23
from 5:30pm to 8:30pm
More details and
registration coming soon!
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Youth Mission Trip
Circle of Care Boys Ranch
in Gore, OK
June 27-July 3
Deposit of $75 per youth
is due NOW.
for more information.
Payments are now accepted online for the deposits.
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Senior Celebration--Sunday May 23 at 10AM
We will celebrate the graduating seniors: Analise DuBose, Leo Giles, Jay Matney, Shay Smith, Lily Franz, and Hannah Wahl.
If you have any pictures or notes to put in their Senior Memory Books, please send to Emily Cox via email at emilyc@northridgepc.org. We will accept pictures and notes until May 15.
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Bible Study: Tuesdays - 7:30 a.m.
Studying the Scripture for each coming Sunday. Join us!
Meeting ID: 954 9571 6184
Passcode: 027540
The Wired Word: Wednesdays - 7 p.m.
Christianity and a current event - a group discussion.
Topic: "As Social Distancing Ends, Will Personality Type Affect How We Re-engage?"
Meeting ID: 837 1620 1906
Passcode: 681172
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SAVE THE DATE - FRIDAY EVENING, JUNE 4TH |
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The Engagement & Connection Committee invites you to SAVE THE DATE! Friday, June 4th for an outdoor evening concert with our own Doug Fenn and his band. More details to come soon.
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BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS!
Mission Committee will be leading a MAY BOOK DRIVE to collect new and used books for Presbyterian Children's Homes and Services, one of our long-time Mission Partners. The books will be given to children, youth, and parents who are on PCHAS campuses in Itasca and Waxahachie. Remember ... new or used books can be a shared treasure. SO ... before you run out to sell off the books you no longer want to keep, please consider sharing them through this Mission Committee May collection. Books may be dropped off at the church during Sunday worship or call the office to arrange a drop off time. Thank you Northridge!
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Mo-Ranch Women’s Conference - May 21-23
Women of Northridge – you are invited to attend the 2021 Women’s Conference at Mo-Ranch May 21-23. If you’ve been thinking of getting away – the Texas Hill Country is a great place to go! The Rev. Shannon Johnson Kershner, pastor of Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago, is this year’s keynote speaker. This isn’t her first time in Texas. She grew up in Waco where her father, the Rev. Jimmie Johnson, was pastor of First Presbyterian Church. If you think “that church sounds familiar,” it is because Emily Cox, our Director of Faith Formation, grew up in Waco where her family are members of First Presbyterian.
Presbyterian Women of Northridge made 16 reservations for the conference. You don’t have to be a regular among the perceptive women of the Morning Circle or among the curious Night Owl Women. All women in Northridge are part of Presbyterian Women.
Mo-Ranch is following CDC guidelines. As a result, dining hours will be extended to limit the number of people in the dining hall at one time. Likewise, special seating arrangements will be made for workshops, the keynote addresses and worship services.
For more information contact Sandy Barron.
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CAMP NORTHRIDGE - COMING JULY 5th |
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CAMP NORTHRIDGE
JULY 5-JULY 23
All Northridge families will be eligible to register one day early.
Exciting news for our church! We are hosting Camp Northridge, summer day camp for church members and neighborhood children ages 4-10. Camp will be held July 5-23. This will be an awesome opportunity for our church to welcome young children and families. Please help spread the word to young families. Click here for a list of weekly camp offerings.
Follow us @CampNorthridge on Facebook and Instagram. If you have questions you can email us at: CampNorthridge@gmail.com.
Laurie Bret, Director of Camp Northridge
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Camp Northridge is seeking high school age teens to apply for a job with our program. We offer real work experience and pay for young job seekers, ages 15 and older. All applicants will need to fill out an application, be interviewed and provide references for this job. We are giving the youth of Northridge first opportunity to apply. If your Northridge teen is interested have them contact Laurie Bret via email: CampNorthridge@gmail.com before May 3rd. We will accept applications after this date but will open application process to the general public on May 5th. We look forward to hearing from our fantastic young people of Northridge! |
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VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR
at 11:00 AM
Be sure to join the Engagement and Connection Committee for a Zoom Coffee Hour, on Sunday after worship, from 11:00 to 11:45 am. This will be a good chance to visit with your Northridge friends and catch up on what is happening. So grab a cup of cocoa or coffee and visit with us for awhile.
Meeting ID: 874 5231 0584
Passcode: 758389
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Small Group Happenings at Northridge
We’re happy to announce that over 140 Northridgers are connecting and RE-connecting through our small group initiative. You’ve sat around the firepit or you’ve walked around the lake. You’ve shared some pizza, and you’ve shared some stories from our year apart. AND you’ve SEEN each other – in 3D – and connected in a way that is hard to achieve through a computer screen. Hopefully, you’ve also sensed the new energy rising at Northridge and have been able to imagine our bright future together.
If you’re interested in being a part of a Northridge small group, please contact Kim Shuler. And stay tuned for more fun Northridge Small Group happenings brought to you by the Engagement and Connection Committee!
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MINISTRIES of the DEACONS |
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Northridge Meal Train Volunteers
Do you like to cook? Or maybe you have been the recipient of a Northridge Meal Train in the past and want to pay it forward.
To participate in providing meals to Northridge members through the Northridge Meal Train, contact Laura Olivo.
Have a need for meals?
When you or your family member has a need for meals due to illness, the birth of a child, the death of a family member or other time of need, contact Laura Olivo.
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