Dear Church Family,

November is always an important month for RCHP.  

It’s a month where we put on one of our largest RCHP community fellowship events of the year—the Annual Bazaar (November 18th).  

It’s a month when we raise much needed funds for the basic life of the church—through our Matching Gift Sunday (which, by the way, can’t come soon enough this year!, November 19th).

It’s a month for two of our greatest Interfaith events—the Interfaith-RISE Walk and the Interfaith Thanksgiving service (November 12th & 19th).

While the regularity of these annual happenings are part of what sustains us, our life together unfolds in real time and space.  This year, 2023, like every year, our annual cyclical events also occur alongside real events in our world.  

What does it mean to continue living out the ‘normal’ while there is a war going on? Is that possible? Is it right? Can we sing God’s songs of fellowship, service to others and generosity toward the church while Gaza is under siege and where Israelis and Palestinians today, and likely far more countries by next week, are deeply pulled into this expanding conflict? The United States is already deeply embroiled in this thing…and it will only get worse, and more complicated.

Friends, I hope and pray that you’ll fully engage in all the ‘normal’ that November brings, and that you’ll allow the normal to intersect with the particular, and that you’ll invite your neighbors—all of them—to the Bazaar. I hope you’ll invite your neighbors—all of them to the Interfaith-Walk and Interfaith-Thanksgiving Service. 

I hope that the regular things co-mingle, this month, with your participation in what will assuredly be particular-things (teach-ins, marches, political rallies) as you work out your faith as it interplays with the events in the world. 

Happy November everyone. Give thanks.

The Peace of Christ to you,

Pastor Seth

Included in this Issue: Check out the "Serving & Working for Justice..." section for a recap on the Senate Hearing on Safe Staffing for nurses + a summary of other RCHP Justice & Mercy activities.

Upcoming November Events & Happenings

A Message from the Bazaar Planning Committee

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

BAKE TABLE! Thank you for thinking about making or donating something for the bake table. 

PLEASE NOTE All bake table donations should be Individually Wrapped & Ready for Sale, unless it can be sold as a whole pie, cake or dessert bread loaf. 

Please bring all bake table donations, including cans of soda or iced tea to the Bake Table located in the social hall after 8am on November 18th. 2023.  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 at 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.

Looking forward to seeing you at the bazaar on Saturday November 18th. 2023. Thank you!​​ Thank you! ​​Thank you !

NEW! Men’s Fellowship Ministry meets November 4th from 12pm - 1pm

All who identify as male are invited to this new group which will meet every 1st and 4th Saturday of the month for a prayer breakfast and more! For more info, contact Justan at jmitchell5770@gmail.com

November 5th, Spanish Worship, 6:30pm - Come and worship in Spanish and take in tremendous preaching and leadership from Pastor Amanda from our South River Church.  

D.E.P.T.H. - Thursday, November 9th, 7-8pm

Join DEPTH (Discussing and Exploring Personal Theologies Honestly) on Thursday, November 9th from 7-8p in the RCHP Parlor. DEPTH is a safe space for folks to share their individual spiritual and religious beliefs and to learn about each other's faith journeys. Email Austin at retroboi319@gmail.com  with questions and to receive November's discussion topic.

Nature Hike, November 11th, 9am — We were shut down by rain in October, so we’ll try again in November to hike at Davidson Mill Pond, 38-42 Riva Ave, North Brunswick Township, NJ 08902

Game day : Saturday November 11th, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm in the quilt room

Come on out and spend some light-hearted and fun quality time with your church family playing games (learn how to play Rummikub and Apples to Apples!) and catching up. Games provided, but feel free to bring your favorite.

Interfaith-RISE Walks With Asylum Seekers—November 12th 2pm-4pm

On November 12th, from 2pm-4pm, we will hold our annual I-RISE Walk.  And this year our theme is “Interfaith-RISE Walks With Asylum Seekers!”  

Invite your friends, neighbors, family, community groups, school clubs etc. to come together to walk, to learn, to celebrate and to raise money.  We encourage you to distribute this flyer far and wide.

Arts, Crafts & Conversation: Wednesday November 15th, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm in the quilt room. 

Come join the fun and meet new people! Whether you are a new member or have been here for many years, please drop in and check out this group. It’s a great way to de-stress while having fun. You may not know this but there is an inner artist in everyone. Coloring books, perler fusion beads, and shrinky dinks are not just for kids. Feel free to bring your own materials or use the supplies provided. This month, come and learn how to make Holiday Cards using rubber stamps and embossing. Questions? - text or call Wendy Nussman at 732-715-9025.

“Global Grace Cafe", a Book Launch and Public Reading with author Rev. Liz Estes—November 18th, 7pm—After a day at the Bazaar we hope you’ll come back in the evening for dessert and coffee and to hear Liz Estes discuss her new book about RCHP and its battles to keep families and communities together in the face of America’s war on immigrants. The book is available on Amazon, or, you can purchase the book at a slightly discounted price at the bazaar.

Matching Gift Sunday, November 19th—Sunday November 19th is a day for us to really give thanks to God for our church, for our community, for our lives together.  It has also become, for us, a Sunday to ‘correct’ the deficit spending that RCHP engages in all year long.  By this time in the year we are quite far “in the red” and we count on the generosity of a few generous donors to challenge the rest of us in the church to really step up to do our very best.  Please give generously every week, but, especially, on November 19th, come knowing that every gift is matched.  We will soon announce the size of the match that has been put together.

Interfaith Thanksgiving Program, November 19th, 7pm, at RCHP—Each year RCHP helps pull together an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service where we remember the goodness of God and we connect with our neighbors in very special ways.  This year, maybe more than ever, there is value in being together with our neighbors.  Please invite your friends, of all faiths, to gather for an hour and a half, to celebrate the goodness of God, to pray for peace, and to ask for God’s guidance for our community.

South River Community Thanksgiving Service, November 22nd, 7pm, at First Reformed Church, South River.  We are proud that RCHP’s congregation in South River will be hosting the Interfaith-Thanksgiving Service for that town as well.  If you are available to support South River’s effort there it would be so welcomed!  Please reach out to Pastor Amanda at amanda.calderon@ptsem.edu  if you are interested in helping her in any way with the service.

Stephen Ministry training class beginning in January

Stephen Ministry is a ministry of presence in which trained Stephen Ministers provide one-on-one confidential care to individuals facing life challenges. If you are interested in learning more about this program, either to become a Stephen Minister or receive the care of a Stephen Minister, please speak to Renee DiGrigoli rmdigrigoli@outlook.com , Anthony DiGrigoli awdigrigoli@gmail.com , John Rametta or Pastor Stephanie.  

NEW!  Movie Mondays

On most Mondays at 10:30 am, a small group gets together in the church parlor to watch a "feel-good" movie that the group has decided on.   All are welcome!  Examples of movies that have recently been seen are The Perfect Game, Mamma Mia (Both 1 & 2!!), Hidden Figures, Big, and Fly Away Home.  Your suggestions are also welcome!  

If you have any interest, please contact Cecilia with your cell phone number.  You will be included in the text invitation, which is on a week-by-week basis.  Bring your own snack and drink, and join whenever you'd like to hang out for a casual Monday morning with your church friends!  Cecilia: (732) 809-2638, czr852@yahoo.com 

SAVE THE DATE!

Gingerbread House Making! - Saturday, December 9th

Save the date: make your own gingerbread house, Saturday Dec 9th at approximately 12 noon.

Immediately following the Fall hike and Christmas Pageant Rehearsal - Lunch provided.

Optional: do you have too much leftover Halloween candy? We have the solution! Bring your candy to Lisa in the church office for the gingerbread house event. 

For more information, call or text Wendy Nussman: 732-715-9025

Prison Correspondence Team -  Next meeting: Sunday, November 19 at 1:00pm

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.

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



Wage Hope My Way Fundraiser

The NJ Interfaith Center for Cancer Care (NJIC3) encourages you to wage hope in the fight against pancreatic cancer with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network by creating a  "Wage Hope My Way" fundraiser in advance of World Pancreatic Cancer Day (November 16th). This is an easy way for you and your friends (or co-workers, family members, teammates, etc.) to raise funds to support pancreatic cancer research and life-changing PanCAN programs for people who've been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. And if you don't have the capacity to create and execute a group fundraiser at the moment, you can get creative and launch your own individual fundraiser. Visit https://rebrand.ly/WHMW2023  for information on the "Wage Hope My Way" campaign and how to set up your fundraiser.

A message from Amanda Calderon, Ministry Associate for South River

As we move into November, I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on all the wonderful things that have been happening in our church community over at the First Reformed Church of South River. Over the past month, we have been busy with a variety of activities and events, such as our Study Zone Halloween party, weekly community outreach programs, and inspiring worship services. It has been a joy to see how God is moving in our midst. Looking ahead, we have many exciting things planned for the month of November, including our city-wide Thanksgiving service, bilingual worship, and more. I hope you will join us as we continue to grow together in faith and love. As always, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or interests. ¡Bendiciones!"

-Pastora Amanda Calderón amanda.calderon@alum.ptsem.edu

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Sunday Morning Worship Schedule—Here is the RCHP (in Highland Park and South River) schedule from September to late June.

In Highland Park:

9:00am First Service

11:15am Second Service

In South River:

9:30am Bilingual Service

Adult Education Theme for November: Scarcity and Abundance

11/5 - Theologies of Abundance (elmira Nazombe)

11/12 - Histories of Abundance/Scarcity (Colin Jager)

11/19 - Psychology of Consumption (Daniel Benkendorf)

11/26 - Secure Communities Activity (elmira Nazombe)

Sunday morning Bible Study?

There has been some interest in starting an adult bible study during the Adult Education Hr.  If you are interested in being part of a bible study, where all are welcomed to openly share and wrestle together with scripture, please let Pastor Amos know. amoscaley@gmail.com We’ll see how this might fit into the scheduling on Sunday mornings.

Sunday Nights—The Table, 5:30pm: RCHP offers a terrific evening gathering, each and every week, for around 40-50 people. get to know friends in church and those from the wider community at The Table.  

Kids Choirs continue into the Fall, at 5pm. Join us for 30 minutes of singing simple songs about God’s love! Ages pre-K through 1st grade (First Voices) meet with Pastor Seth in the Social Hall. Ages 2nd through 6th grade (Voices of Praise) meet with Pastor Amos in the Sanctuary.

All singers are invited to stay for pizza after singing, and then to join Ms. Meghan and others, for stories and fun, from 6pm-7pm. 

Fall Season continues for Adult Choirs! Here’s the schedule:

6:00pm - Gospel Choir

7:00pm - Chancel Choir

8:00pm - Praise Team

Contact Pastor Amos if you’re interested in giving it a try! amoscaley@gmail.com

WIMNI Play All Day Camp - November 7th & 8th

Who Is My Neighbor, Inc. is holding a Play All Day Camp on Tuesday, November 7th and Wednesday, November 8th for 1st - 6th graders when the Highland Park schools are closed. (We'd love to be able to offer camp all four days the schools are closed that week, but even Play All Day Camp directors need a couple of days off. :-) ) Camp will be held in the lower level of RCHP and will run from 9am-4pm, with optional beforecare and aftercare available. Please visit https://rebrand.ly/PADNov for the camp cost and other details. Email Austin at austin@whoismyneighbor.net  with questions.

Fun Zone - New Gathering Opportunity for Youth - Every Wednesday Evening!

Every Wednesday in the Cave from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. all kids ages 9 through 12 are welcome to join us for an hour of Billiards, Board Games and more! Questions? Please reach out to Justan Mitchell at 732-621-6064 or jmitchell5770@gmail.com 

Opportunities for Daily/Weekly Spiritual Growth, through discussion, study and prayer

Morning Prayer, 9am-9:30am, Zoom: Each morning, Mon-Sat, since the pandemic started in March of 2020, RCHP has held a daily morning prayer. Different church members and pastors share for 10 minutes or so and then there is a time of prayer and sharing. All are welcome.  

https://us02web.zoom.us/s/442816580 pwd=cTBQT2xwWWpOL3UrM0t2emRlUzU0Zz09#

success 

Wednesday Morning Bible Study—If exploring the Bible is something you’re looking for, maybe Wednesday morning at 7:45 is right for you.  A group of 6-10 people read together and then reflect on the passage.  No preparation is necessary.  You can leave when you need to (to get to work etc…) and we wrap up at 9am sharp.

Contemplative Fridays

We've begun our practice of creating space on Fridays for contemplation and meditation. Each Friday morning from 7:00 to 8:00, the sanctuary is open and prepared for quiet prayer and meditation. Every two weeks at noon, we're also journeying through a podcast and engaging in quiet conversation. Contact Carrie Dirks for more information.

"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 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.

Opportunities for Spiritual Growth through Sewing & Knitting/Crocheting

On Thursdays, from 10am-1pm, the Women’s Sewing Circle meets to create beautiful items that are incorporated into the annual bazaar.  This group, meeting year round, also is a wonderful form of support and encouragement for all who are involved.

On Tuesdays, from 7pm-9pm, the Prayer Shawl Ministry creates beautiful shawls that are then distributed to church members and to others who are prayed for in our worship services.  All are invited to learn this craft and to contribute in this way.

RCHP continues to support RWJUH nurses who are overworked and undervalued! Safe Staffing Senate Field Hearing Recap

Senator Bernie Sanders presided over a Safe Staffing hearing at the Rutgers Nicholas Music Center on Friday, October 27th, featuring a panel that included powerful testimonies from RWJUH nurses and other nurses Union Representatives. CLICK ON THIS LINK to view all or part of the 90 minute proceedings. Visit https://safestaffingnj.org/ for more information on how you can support our nurses.

CHECK OUT THIS DOC FOR A FULL SUMMARY FROM PASTOR SETH OF UPDATES AND HAPPENINGS IN THE RCHP SOCIAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY!

HP Food Pantry

Food Pantry needs for November:

During these challenging times the Highland Park Community Food Pantry is currently not taking individual donations. Instead we now have an Amazon Wishlist where folks wishing to donate have several options to choose from as well as an option to donate Gift Cards. We appreciate greatly any donation as we are facing an increase of folks in need. Thank you all so much. You can access the Wishlist here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/11AKRFJFUGZPF?ref_=wl_share

Most urgent needs are:

Pasta

Oatmeal

Soup

Baby Wipes

Poise adult briefs

In addition to the Amazon wish list, items may be purchased from big box stores like Costco or Sam's Club; contact Kathi for further details: foxyrox18@gmail.com

Fall Grief Support Group - Continues thru November

This Fall, as we approach the holiday season, we are reminded that this is a time we spend with loved ones. This season of celebration has been engraved into our hearts and into our families from a young age. Holidays are one way we mark the passage of time. They are one of the many milestones we share with each other, and they often represent time spent with family and friends. For many of us, this is the hardest part of grieving our losses. Together in our support group we create a circle of healing to hold each other up during our most difficult times. 

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

If you would like to be part of our group, please contact Pastor Stephanie at RCHP, Kathleen Malkiewicz at kathmaldtr@gmail.com or Nicci Spinazzola at niccispinazzola@gmail.com  

NJ Interfaith Center for Cancer Care - Support Group

If you've experienced a cancer diagnosis (no matter if it's recent or from years ago) and would like to join a reflective, contemplative, peer-led, interfaith support and discussion group, the NJ Interfaith Center for Cancer Care welcomes you to our ongoing group. The group currently meets virtually for an hour once a week and while regular attendance is welcome, the meeting topics are independent of each other, making it convenient for individuals whose schedules prevent them from attending every week of the month. If you're interested, please contact Austin at austin.njic3@improvingnj.org  for details.

The Self-Help Support Group

Join co-leaders Jess Munger and Terry Horyn for nurturing support for the body, mind and spirit every Monday and Thursday from 4-5 p.m. in the parlor. Masks are optional. Topics addressed can be anything from Covid fears to physical ailments to emotional challenges. All are welcome! For more info, contact Jess at jessmsn409@gmail.com

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 2023: 

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

Deirdre Martin, Beloved Daughter of Michael Martin,

 and Beloved Stepdaughter of Tammy Lane

Carl Hoshin Peterson, Beloved First Husband of Lucille Alderman

Pat Rockman, Beloved Friend of Pat Kaufman

Harold and Ruth Thornton, Beloved Parents,

 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

Creativity abounds with pumpkin carving by our youth group!