The Prayer person for the week is Peggy Bierach. Let us be prayerfully aware of Peggy, as well as all our members and friends.

Prayer Concerns: The family of Bob Murray, Jill Swain, Michele Jasionowski, Katie Barberi, Nicole Heyniger, Pat Alexander, those quarantining after being exposed to COVID-19,

Long term concerns: Katie Abrams; Jacob Bassalotto; Michael Berry; Ed Jung; Jay Hiatt; Karen Liebhauser; Despina Koch; Gwen McFaddan; Jacob Mendelsohn; Leigh Millar; Melissa Millar; Dale Norby; Marilyn Powell; Geoff Reilly; Bill Shoppell; Linda Lee Smith; Millage Youenger; Ginny Zimmerman; those struggling with addictions and mental illness.

Military: Sarah Davis Brown; Morgan (Colberg) Sensing; Michael Fahey III; Robin Fiorentino; all those in our nation's service.

Day and night will never cease” Genesis 8:22

Seed time and harvest- the dependable turning of the seasons! Each year I enjoy the beginnings of the autumnal colors coming into view on our trees. After summer’s heat I look forward to wearing a sweater on a cool evening or a crisp Fall morning. Apple picking, leaf raking, pumpkins in abundance, mums in bright orange, purple, and yellow signal the predictable and refreshing change of season. All of this is true any year.

In 2020, I find myself grateful for the predictability of almost anything, including the coming of the autumn season. In the midst of turmoil in public affairs, confusion over school schedules, alarming fires, distressing and seemingly contradictory health warnings, I find a quiet comfort in Fall’s predictable, even subtle, emergence. There is a wonderful “in-betweeness” to autumn - no longer hot beach weather, not yet the bone chilling shock of winter. This is the season for bringing some things to conclusion and beginning some new things. Time to cover the swimming pool, harvesting the last of the summer crops but, also time to plant bulbs that will blossom in spring and beginning the endless task of raking leaves. Comfortable patterns of ebb and flow. The beauty of God’s creation is on full display in these days. And deep comfort is to be drawn from Genesis’s sure promise that as long as earth endures we can count on the rhythms of the seasons.

With all the changes, surprises and inconsistencies of 2020 this pattern of seasonal change reminds us of the immutable force of life in all and above all. My hope for each of you is that you will find in this season a moment to appreciate life’s beauty, recognize God’s creative hand and lend yourselves to the tasks of this season, hopeful for the days to come.

May you feel God’s presence every step of the autumnal way,

Thank you to ringers Morgan Sarbello, Karen Baron, Karen Norby and Susan Reilly, organist Sara Hoey and soloist Susan Beltran for the wonderful anthems last Sunday. A special thank you to Karen Baron who made the arrangements work with a limited amount of bells.

Enjoy the video of their anthems from last Sunday.

An email will go out this Monday with the final link and study guide for the week 4 Bible Study on the Psalms. The Meeting ID is 817 5808 7871 and the Passcode is 772829.

In a time of contact less curbside delivery, we can still support the homeless families who are part of the Interfaith Hospitality Network program and staying at the day center in Toms River.

Our week to support IHN is the first week of November. We need to prepare and drop off dinner meals for the family in the program at the day center.

If you want to volunteer to prepare one evening meal, please speak with Donna Wittmann (732-948-8934) to let her know which night along with your possible menu. We will keep our volunteers updated with the number of people in the program when our week arrives.

The day center is located at 407 Lexington Ave., Toms River (just past St. Joseph R.C. Church on Hooper Ave., going south). Thank you for always faithfully supporting IHN for the past eighteen years.

Since we have all decided to keep our talents hidden and we are already wearing masks; we would like to invite everyone to come together for a Zoom Halloween Costume Party on October 23 at 7:00 pm.

Prizes for the best family group costume, individual costume, best pet costume, best decorated front yard, best decorated inside of your house, and best decorated/carved pumpkin.

There will be a Halloween themed scavenger hunt and a pumpkin pie eating contest.

The personnel committee put this fun video together with all the details.

My bulkhead is starting to fail. The worms have eaten some holes in the wood and I now have a sinkhole forming. Ugh. When I called the bulkhead company to come out and repair the damage a wonderful thing happened. The woman who answered the phone and I had a gut busting laugh and boy, did it feel good. I also had great phone conversations with two other people on the phone that day, laughter and all. I didn’t know any of the people with whom I was speaking but we sure did have some fun. It still has me feeling good!

We need laughter right now and we need it bad. Watch a funny show or read a funny book. Play a funny game and crack jokes with someone or laugh at yourself (of course, without judgement). Laughter can lighten any day no matter how bleak things seem. How wonderful it is to share something pleasant with another human being. Plus, we are putting all that good energy out into the world. So, go ahead and have a laugh. You’ll feel better for it and you’ll be spreading some joy. What’s better than that? Until next time….. Oh! Don’t forget to wash your hands and wear those masks!

Elder Lynn 

Lynn O’Hara, MS, RD, LPC, Licensed Psychotherapist and Registered Dietitian

You might ask, "Can I invite a friend, relative, or neighbor?" Answer: of course! Please ask them to email us at pppsundayschool@gmail.com, so they can register and receive login credentials.

We begin October with a brand new life application:

When we trust in God, we can be truthful in whatever we say and do. Who we are in private should match who we are in public.

You can download the Sunday School Registration Form online, snap a photo of it, and email it as an attachment to pppsundayschool@gmail.com. We’ll send you the Zoom login credentials, so you can join us Sunday morning at 9:00 a.m.

This week we learned letter C. Our sign language word was cat. Our Pre-k sight word was can. We read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, Pete the Cat, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We made caterpillars, cookies, cloud dough, cloud painting, painted with cars, and did science experiments with colors. We ate clementines, craisins and crackers. We sang Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar? We crawled like cats and jumped like crickets. What a cool week!

On Sunday, November 1 we will celebrate All Saints Day. An important element in the observance of All Saints is the offering prayers of thanksgiving in loving memory of members and friends of our church who have departed this life in the past year. Please call the church office or send us an email with the names of people to be remembered during the Great Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, October 13 - 9:30 a.m. - Virtual Psalms Bible Study

Tuesday, October 20 - 6:30 p.m. - Virtual Session Meeting

Friday, October 23 - 7:00 p.m. - Church Wide Halloween Costume Party Online

Every Wednesday - 9:00 a.m. Women's Breakfast at the Rainbow Diner

To view the church calendar online please visit our website or click on the link.

Thank you for your participation in the Peace & Global Witness Offering this year. We have collected $987 to date. In the 2020 Budget for benevolence giving, Session designated 25% of this offering to be given to Providence House in Ocean County, a domestic violence agency. If you have not submitted your donation yet, please be sure to do so at your earliest convenience.

Oct 11 Bridget Cleveland

Oct 12 Ginger Decker

Oct 13

Oct 14

Oct 15 Jacquelin Woods

Oct 16 Aida Jones, Sarah Obser

Oct 17

Oct 18

Oct 19 Marjorie McGhee

Oct 20 Randy Crate, Phyllis King, Carol Reid

Oct 21

Oct 22 Mike Aiello, Bill Nicholson, William Smykowski

Oct 23

Oct 24 W N Smith

Oct 25 Riley Fiorentino, Constantine MacGregor

Oct 26

Oct 27 Joan Reitmeyer

Oct 28 Sydney Hurley, Cynthia Kells

Oct 29

Oct 30 Claude Hurley, John Pasola, Frank Perkowski, Lisa Simpson

Oct 31

Last week Troop 6 and Troop 600 enjoyed a beautiful weekend of camping at Barnegat Light on Long

The Rev. Dr. Eileen Lindner, Stated Supply Pastor - Email

Kim Gaydos, Church Secretary - Email

Donna Ferry, Financial Secretary -Email

Sara Hoey, Organist - Email

Melanie Chambers, Chancel Choir Director - Email

Morgan Sarbello, Choral Bell Director - Email

Devlin House, Point Beach Prep Preschool Director - Email

Frank Perkowski, Sunday School Coordinator - Email

Church Office: mail@pointpresbyterian.org