Dear Church Family,
We are half way through 2020. What a strange year it has been. In some ways I feel disconnected from you in ways that I haven’t felt in years. In other ways, the connections with some have grown and deepened. I imagine that is your experience too with others in the church family. Our weekly gatherings—the flow of our lives—has created our life together—and it is all ‘off’ a bit now. Quarantine, and social distancing, and real uncertainties have done strange things.
In some ways these few months might be stranger than the last few. We were socked with the first wave of Covid-19 ‘out of the blue’ pretty much—it was upon us before we knew what hit us. Now, there is this lurking feeling that, despite masks and other real efforts as social distancing and care, we are living on borrowed time. Should we be together? Should we remain apart? Should we plan for ‘round 2’ of quarantine? It is all very very hard.
As your pastors we are asking these questions all the time, and trying to create a communal life that helps meet the spiritual needs of people who desperately need to be together physically and those who absolutely cannot at this point, imagine such a thing. I want to say how impressed I’ve been with the sensitivity and nonjudgmental way I generally see everyone in the church community behaving with each other around the different approaches/responses to Covid-19. This whole experience would be very different if every decision made by us was questioned, challenged, etc… We, the pastors, elders, deacons, feel a lot of love from all of you as we try to provide meaningful spiritual opportunities, and I get the sense that you receive that back as well.
All that being said,
we welcome your input, especially if it is input coupled with an offer to lead
! There are lots of programs going on currently, and we’d love it if you’d like to help us grow participation in a bible study, or a prayer group or a service opportunity. Or, if there is a decision we make that feels particularly concerning or ‘too fast’ in the direction of reopening, please let us know so that we can listen well to each other.
What does it mean to connect with God in a time like this? What does the death and resurrection mean to you at a time like this? How does the presence of the Holy Spirit help you through this? What does the church, the body of Christ, mean in a time like this? What do situations in the world, such as COVID-19, expose about the nature of sin and death? How are our lives found in God in moments like these? I hope, in the middle of the frustrations that this pandemic has caused, you have time to ask the big questions. We are asking them and we hope, through worship and other opportunities together, to be there for each other in this question-filled world.
Love to you all.
Peace, Pastor Seth
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Sunday Morning Worship at 9:30am
For those who have made it to church so far, I think the overwhelming experience has been positive. People feel ‘safe,’ we maintain social distance, we wear masks, and we worship. We totally understand, and honor the fact, that not all feel comfortable coming out at this time. We try our best (and Pastor Amos has become a master-level at this) to not only provide facebook live, but also to clean this up and post it to youtube as soon as possible. Please, friends, share our worship service with your friends. People without church are longing for church right now. Invite them to ours (virtually or in person).
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Weekly/Regular Opportunities for Adults
An Opportunity to ‘Blog’ As a Congregation
A number of church members have sent reflections our way in which they are wrestling with the big questions raised by this pandemic and the social uprising for racial justice. If you are interested in sharing your thoughts with the congregation send them to Pastor Amos at
amoscaley@gmail.com
. After a discussion with him you can decide (together) whether it is something to add to a congregational reflections blog.
Morning Prayer Meetings are Continuing 6 days a week Through Summer
6 days a week there is a 20-30 minute morning prayer meeting/worship/fellowing at 9am. You are invited to join the 40 or so people who are regularly coming on this zoom call. Please, if there are friends who feel particularly disconnected right now, including friends from other faith communities, invite them to the call!
Call info can be found here
.
Reach out to your Pastors! (We’ll be reaching out to you, too!)
Staying connected is really important to all of us. Pastor Stephanie, Pastor Amos and I will be trying to reach out to as many people as possible this summer, for individual prayer and conversation. However, don’t hesitate to reach our way if you are in need of prayer or spiritual support. The easiest way to get on our calendar is to call Lisa in the office at 732-249-7349 or to email
reformedchurchhp@gmail.com
. You can, of course, reach us directly as well.
Wednesday Morning In-Person Bible Study (outside…unless it rains)
Our Wednesday morning bible study meeting under the willow try on the S. 2nd Ave side of the church. 7:45-8:55. Join us! We are reading through the book of Genesis this summer.
Deepening Discipleship
Our third and final session of the 2nd Module of Deepening Discipleship has been
uploaded to our website
. For those who would like to participate in this session, please visit the page, watch the primer video, and participate in the readings and reflections. We will be gathering via Zoom on the evening of Tuesday, July 21. Participation in this discipleship program has been tremendous, and we are looking forward to concluding our year-long program with the 3rd module in the Fall.
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Engaging Children & Youth This Summer
(Virtually & In-Person)
One of the saddest things for all of us about this pandemic is the difficulty for little children to be together around church. We have been brainstorming some ways to engage children throughout the rest of the summer, and are eager to involve families in facilitating. Here are just a few of the ideas we’re offering:
Virtual Singing and Story Time
We would like to offer a time of singing and stories on
Thursdays at 2pm
via Zoom meeting. Our time will be held to under 30 minutes, including a short story, a few songs, and an opportunity to interact with one another. We will begin this program on July 18 and run through August 20.
In-Person Singing and Story Time (Weather Permitting)
In addition to our Thursday Zoom program, we will have a
socially distanced Summer Singing and Story Time Fridays at 2pm
. Families will sit in our ‘social distancing circles’ which are painted on the church yard. This program will begin on July 19 and run through August 14.
Contact Pastor Seth if you’d like to sign up to read a bible story, or a story of faith one of those weeks.
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Sunday Children’s Library Is Open!
On Sundays (and other times by appointment…just call Lisa in the office 732-882-3193) you are welcome to access the books from the RCHP children’s library. Wendy Jager has built up a tremendous collection over the years and families are welcome to take books home to enjoy. Feel free to contact Wendy Jager if you would like to pick up a bag of books ("Summer Book Bags") on Sunday to read throughout the week.
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Vacation Bible School
We have not made any decisions yet about whether or not to hold Vacation Bible School. There are MANY challenges to even considering it, and yet, the thought of not holding it is heartbreaking. Please temporarily save the dates of August 24th-28th. If VBS happens it will be completely outside, under tents, and with COVID-conscious limitations.
Youth Group Events, July-August
Pastor Terry Stokes and Emily Wilkes have assembled a really fun, COVID-conscious calendar of events for high school youth, including picnics, open-mics, campfires, and other (mainly outdoor) activities. The middle school youth will occasionally be invited to these gatherings. Please reach out to Terry for a copy of the calendar, as well as with any questions on the precautions and safeguards they are exercising in this time.
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Property Enhancements
RCHP has undergone major property improvements during this pandemic. The cafe, social hall, the classroom stairwell, and sanctuary have all had flooring completely redone. The carpet in the sanctuary has been replaced. The church and parsonage roofs has been repaired in numerous places. We replaces the timber landscape wall on the South 2nd Avenue curb. A huge thank you to individual donors who have gone the distance in helping finance these projects. A super-huge thank you to the property committee for your vision and for jumping on this Covid-19 moment as a moment for significant overhaul of the property.
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Social Justice Opportunities
PANDEMIC RELIEF FUND for Undocumented NJ Residents
RCHP and DIRE were blessed to be able to advertise a Pandemic Relief Fund opportunity for Undocumented New Jersey Residents to receive stimulus money. We were able, through the generosity of this private fund that is ‘quasi-related’ to the state to serve 453 families with checks of $1000 or $500, depending on the family size! Thanks be to God for this opportunity!
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PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY CREDITS for the Early Release of NJ Prisoners
Pastor Amos has been helping lead a coalition to support urgent legislation to bring relief to those living and working inside New Jersey prisons. Please contact your state legislators and urge them to vote yes on S2519/A4235, to extend public emergency health credits to all prisoners, which would reduce sentences and expedite the release of so many who are held in harm’s way during this deadly pandemic.
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GLOBAL GRACE MARKETPLACE Running Strong!
Hannah Wymer has left Global Grace Marketplace in the good hands of Sidra and Tamana! We are thankful that Hannah took this idea and turned it into something beautiful and important for Global Cooperatives of workers. The Marketplace is open throughout the week! Come and by birthday gifts, housewarming gifts, wedding gifts, coffee, chocolate, masks made by refugees! Please visit the Marketplace inside every day and outside at the Farmers Market on Fridays!
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RCHP-Affordable Housing Corporation Adds an Additional 17 Apartment Units to its Network through the Luce Foundation/Rutgers/New Brunswick Seminary Partnership
A generous grant allowed RCHP-AHC to team up with local experts who know the homeless population of Central NJ in an effort to provide long term housing to as many families as possible. Our goal was 10 families. So far, we have helped 17 families transition from shelters into permanency. A big thank you to Liezl, Lena and Steve, our seminary interns, for pouring tremendous time into this!
REOPENING THE THRIFT SHOP
The thrift shop desperately needs to reopen—so that we can move out a portion of the tremendous amount of goods that have come in during the pandemic (despite the signs that say ‘we are not taking donations!’). Watch for RCHP’s thrift shop to open up by the end of July.
BLACK LIVES MATTER Community Watch Line
The church’s engagement in Black Lives Matter movement events has led to a real desire to do follow up engagements that are important to keeping the issues of racial justice at the forefront of our national conversation. Please pray for your pastors as we begin to create a countywide effort called the Black Lives Matter Community Watch Line. This line would give people of color a hotline where they could call to share incidents of racism that occur in their lives—especially incidents that are connected to the systems of our public life. Encounters with the police, such as being followed for no reason; incidents as school that suggest a teacher is racist; incidents in the shopping district; neighbors who always look at you (a resident) with suspicion…these are the kinds of things we want to track. This yet-to-be-completed effort will be roles out responsibly by the end of the summer. Pray for its success!
BUY MASKS (and Tell your Friends to Buy Masks)!
After months of church volunteers making masks for free—and donating those masks to health care workers and front-line workers—we are now making masks as a ‘cottage industry business.’ We have developed Global Grace Alterations and we have 8 Refugee-sewists who are making money to support their families. You can buy masks
at our online store
or by coming to the marketplace at church during the day!
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Blessings on the Marriage of Nimmi and Will!
We joyfully relay to you this beautiful note from Nimmi (Thomas) and Will (Myers):
Dear Church Family,
RCHP will forever be a special place for us as it is where we first met and where we were hoping to celebrate our wedding. However, after postponing our ceremony three times due to the pandemic, we decided on the spur of the moment to drive up to Traverse City, MI, where Will's parents live, to get married on June 18th. It was a small intimate wedding that we put together in three days, but we loved every moment of it. We are eager to share this experience with you with
this video link of the ceremony
and pictures below. Although we are disappointed that you couldn't be a part of it, we are so glad about how it turned out. We are grateful for all the love and blessings our RCHP family has showered upon us throughout the formation of our relationship. Thank you very much for your continued support and prayers during this uncertain time.
With lots of love,
Nimmi & Will
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Bereavement Calendar for July
RCHP remembers those who died in July, and all those who still mourn them. If it would be a comfort to include your loved ones in a monthly memory calendar, please call Lisa at the RCHP office at (732) 249-7349.
The following names have been offered for remembrance in July 2020:
Donna Boland
Beloved Sister-in-law of Joan Molnar Shafer
Dick Chant
Beloved Husband of Bettye Chant
Anna Theresa Corcoran
Beloved Mother of Frank Corcoran
Ted Konasievicz
Beloved Veteran and Resident of All Saints Apartments
Rev. Ana Gloria Rivera
Beloved Mother and Grandmother of the Rivera Family
Neil Selden
a source of light and love to those who passed him on life’s path
Rose Spinazzola
Deeply Loved Mother of Nicci Spinazzola and Mother-in-law of Renee Burawski
Angel Timev
Beloved Husband of Vessa Timeva
Pauline E. Wilpiszeski
Beloved Sister and Aunt of Cathy and Anna Laycock
Sister Mary Terence Wilpiszeski OSF,
Beloved Aunt and Great Aunt of Cathy and Anna Laycock
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July birthdays and anniversaries will be added to a future email.
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