Ewing Presbyterian Church

100 Scotch Road

Ewing, NJ 08628

ewingpres@verizon.net

www.ewingpres.org

The newsletter of

Ewing Presbyterian Church

May 2015

Transition Thoughts

Greetings to you all as we stand together in the

blessings of God’s love and peace, trusting that the

Holy Spirit is continuing to work wonders and

miracles in our midst. I am going to use the April

28th

meeting of the Session as the basis for this

month’s Transition Thoughts, for in that meeting

there was a lot to help us see where we have been

moving as a congregation over the course of the

past year.

First, it was the first time since I have been here that

the Session has met with a full complement of

elders having been elected to serve. This is

combined with the fact that we also now have a full

Board of Deacons, something that has not happened

in quite a while in this congregation. That is

something to be celebrated as it signals the

movement towards greater involvement and

commitment by the people of this church in the life

and ministry we share.

That reality played itself out in the course of the

meeting through the engagement and depth of

discussion through the course of the almost 3 ½

hour meeting that followed. (No they do not

normally last this long). In many ways it was a

normal meeting with minutes to be approved and

reports to be heard. The Session carried out most of

its agenda while the moderator and one elder left to

attend the Ewing Township Council meeting. They

heard a report from the participants in the “State of

the Churches gatherings, a continuing series of

meetings among the leadership of this congregation,

Covenant, Christ Presbyterian, and the Presbyterian

Foundation that is working to understand and build

long term financial viability. Wayne Berens

reported on the “Church Has Left the Building”

movement that is encouraging congregations to go

out from their buildings on a Sunday to carry out

service and outreach beyond their walls. I reported

on the work I have been doing with the planning

group for the Unity in the Community Walk and

dinner that seeks to bring the community together to

remember and mourn those who have died violently

in our broader community, and to seek an end of

violence in our neighborhoods. The Transition

Team reported that it has begun to prepare its

report, putting together what they have learned

through the gatherings and conversations, their

reading and reflection about the future life and

ministry of this congregation.

We talked about our financial situation, celebrating

that currently our expenses are below budget, and

our income is slightly above budget. But we then

recognized that we still have a massive deficit in

our budget that needs to be addressed. We talked

about our recent worship experiences, and heard a

recommendation from Katie Mulligan for a program

for youth that would include meals, and tutoring,

arts and music. The Session voted to support this

new ministry initiative that would begin this fall.

All of this carried forward with energy and

enthusiasm. It speaks to a leadership group that is

deeply committed to moving forward with the

ministry of the church, grappling with the financial

realities of our current congregation, sharing the

deep sense of call to serve the people of this

congregation and the surrounding community that

binds together this group of leaders and the

congregation together. Their discussion reflected

what the elders had heard as they participated in the

Transition Team’s gatherings, through their

interactions with people of the church and the

community. It showed the depth of their faith, and

their devotion to serve our Lord.

The final item on the agenda for the Session was the

discussion of the contract with our youth pastor,

Katie Mulligan. As you will recall, through the

deliberations for the church budget for 2015, among

other staffing cuts, was the decision to fund this

position only through July of this year, unless other

means of funding the position could be found. This

was a shared contract with Covenant, designed to

serve the youth of the two churches, and to reach

out to youth of the area served by the congregations.

Katie has other positions with Lawrence Road

Church and Rider University that compliment this

position. The contract required that Katie receive

notice by the end of May if it was not to be

renewed. Dale Perry, as the chairperson of our

Personnel Committee, brought the question to the

Session at this meeting.

What followed was one of the finest discussions I

have had the privilege to moderate during my

ministry. All of the elements I have talked about so

far came into the discussion: the deep commitment

to serve, the recognition of financial responsibility,

the understandings of the community and of the

congregation, the call of Christ, and the value of all

God’s children. Your elders shared their thinking

and their feelings, their trust and faith, without

rancor or frustration. They sought a way forward

through a difficult discussion. One said,

“financially we cannot afford to do this, but in terms

of our ministry can we afford not to?” The Session

recognized that the position has changed greatly

over the past two years. The work no longer

focuses on the children and youth whose families

gather within EPC, but focuses on youth who are in

desperate need who have come to our churches

looking for a safe place, a place that cares for them.

The decision finally came to the place of being

willing to accept risk in order to assist others. The

Session voted to fund the youth position through the

end 2015, redefining it as the Urban Youth

Evangelist. This action carries with it the

commitment to find additional ways for funding the

position both over the next 6 months, and for the

foreseeable future.

I share all this with you at this time as an indicator

of the vitality and purpose that is so strongly

emerging for this congregation. EPC has begun to

move beyond it struggles of the past years to claim

a role, a ministry in this community. That is a

natural evolution from the church’s response to the

South Fork community’s disaster, and of the

response to the appeal of the Buildings on the

Foundations Campaign. It is also empowered by

the strength of our worship and praise, the caring

fellowship experienced, and a profound sense that

the Holy Spirit is at work in our midst.

I recently commented to a colleague in ministry, “ I

feel like I am part of a resurrected church.”

Chirst is risen! He is risen indeed, and our lives are

changed! Alleluia!

In Christ’s service,

Paul Rhebergen

May Worship at EPC

May 3rd

5th

Sunday of Easter

The Sacrament of Communion

Rev. Paul Rhebergen Preaching

Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:25-31;

1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8

May 10

th

Mother’s Day

Rev. Katie Mulligan Preaching

Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98;

1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17

May 17th 7

th Sunday of Easter

Rev. Paul Rhebergen preaching

Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1;

1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19

May 24th Day of Pentecost

Memorial Day Sunday

Rev. Paul Rhebergen Preaching

Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34, 35b;

Romans 8:22-27; John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15

May 31st Trinity Sunday

Rev. Paul Rhebergen preaching

Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29;

Romans 8:12-17; John 3:1-17

Deacons’ Doings

Easter has come and gone but hopefully everyone

enjoyed the flowers and decorations provided

through your generous donations and the work of

the deacons. Nine children participated in an Easter

egg hunt on Easter morning and had a great time.

They found lots of goodies donated by members of

the church, thank you.

Ready for the hunt!

AED update – an emergency defibrillator has been

ordered and the cost has been totally covered thanks

to all who made such generous donations to this

worthy project. Chuck Ranson also donated the

unit from his old office so, with a few paddles and a

new battery for it, the church will now have one for

the office building and one for the education

building. Any additional funds collected will go

towards training and towards upkeep of the

machines. We will let you know when they are in

place and when training will take place.

Name tags- some of you have commented that you

do not have a name tag. If not, it is only because

some of the old tags from across the street were lost

and time hasn’t been devoted to comparing existing

tags with the membership. Please accept our

apologies and let either the church office or Rachel

Morgan know and we will see that one is provided.

Everyone is encouraged to wear them on Sunday

mornings. It helps guests to feel welcome and

happy to wear one also, identifying themselves and

better enabling us to make them feel at home.

Pentecost – is Sunday, May 24th

. The deacons will

be filling the church with red balloons and adorning

the windowsills with red geraniums. Plans are also

in the works to make a ribbon banner to hang in

front of the worship space.

Care and outreach – as usual cards are being sent to

those needing care or just a kind thought. Several

meals have been provided to members in need. The

deacons are looking into ways to extend our

outreach to members of the congregation. If you

know of someone needing care, a cheerful card, or

if you have ideas of ways to better serve you, please

let us know.

Guest book – note the beautiful new guest book

bought by the deacons to replace the old one that

was falling apart.

Coming up this summer – mark your calendars for a

Trenton Thunder game on August 6th and the

Blawenburg Band Ice Cream Social on August 23rd

.

The deacons are also looking into sponsoring a float

in the Ewing 4th

of July parade. If anyone wants to

help with or take charge of that, let us know.

The Deacons would like to thank everyone who

donated money and treats for this year's Easter egg

hunt. We had nine children participate on Easter

morning. Each child went home with a basket full

of eggs, a goody bag, and a big smile on his or her

face!!

__________________________________________

Mark your calendars now for Ewing’s Vacation

Bible School scheduled for the week of July 20th

through the 24th

from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. A

light dinner will be served at 5:00 p.m.

Look for registration materials and volunteer

opportunities over the next several months.

It won’t be long before Fellowship Hall is

transformed into a base camp complete with tents

and hiking gear!!

May Christian Education at EPC

Sunday, May 3rd

Children and Youth Sunday School

Adult Education

The historical context of science and religion over

the millennia.

Don Lovett

Sunday, May 10th

Mother’s Day

No Sunday School or Adult Education

Sunday, May 17th

Children and Youth Sunday School

Adult Education

Creationism, Intelligent Design, and Evolution:

Why shouldn’t we bring God into the science

classroom?

Don Lovett

Sunday May 24th

Memorial Day Weekend

No Sunday School or Adult Education

Sunday, May 31st

Children and Youth Sunday School

Transition Team – Continuing the Conversation

Join with the Transition Team and Pastor Paul as

we continue our congregational conversations on

the future of EPC.

__________________________________________

Dick and Dottie Schenck recently celebrated their

65th

wedding anniversary. Joining them in worship

were their family and friends. Congratulations!

Youth Group

Dear Friends,

Our Love of God (L.O.G.) retreat was April 17-19.

22 youth, 3 college students, and 8 adult spiritual

directors gathered for a weekend of music,

fellowship, worship, discussion, speaking, food,

fun, and friends at Lawrence Road Presbyterian

Church. Our 33 L.O.G.ers came from 8 different

churches, including Covenant, Ewing, and

Lawrence Road. Half of our folks do not claim a

particular church, and L.O.G. functions are their

spiritual community. We give thanks to all of you

who support us through prayer, financial

contributions, and service. In particular we are

grateful to our wonderful adults who support us

with their presence during the weekend: Sue

Anderson, Audrey Bochantin, Pat Beaber, Jeff

Cobbold, Liam Fitzpatrick, Emma Fletcher, Pat

Fletcher, Taylor Hall, Devon Hittelman, Joey

McNamara, Patricia Mulligan, Debbie Nixon,

JoAnn Trevor, and Craig Wiley. Thank you!!!

Where to Find Katie:

Sunday Worship:

5/3 Lawrence Road

5/10 Preaching at Ewing and Westminster

Presbyterian

5/17 Camp Johnsonburg

5/24 Lawrence Road

5/31 Covenant

katiesmulligan@gmail.com

(805) 448-9641

http://facebook.com/groups/mmtnj

Jr. High Fellowship: open to students in 5th-8th

grade

5/31: Off to the Movies! More details to come.

Jr. High Camp Johnsonburg: May 15-17. A

weekend retreat for students in grades 6-8 at Camp

Johnsonburg. Fellowship, games, music, good

conversation, friends, and fun. Cost is $105.

Transportation will be provided from Covenant

Presbyterian Church.

Summer Mission Trip to West Virginia We are planning a trip to West Virginia to help with

home repairs in the community of War, WV. In

2001 and 2002, this community was damaged by

severe floods, and the community center Big Creek

People In Action has been at the center of recovery

efforts. August 9-15. Priority will be given to youth

entering grades 7-12; open to adults and families if

we have space. Please contact Katie Mulligan if you

are interested in this trip!

Rider Christian Fellowship: Every Tuesday, 5:30-

7:00. Dinner and discussion group for college aged

students at Rider in the downstairs chapel office

(Gill Chapel). If you would like to help feed college

students or adopt students in other ways, please

contact Katie for more information!

Monthly Prayer Vigils with UMIO: Every month

we gather on the first Monday to pray for Trenton

and surrounding communities. We pray specifically

for homicide victims and their families and then

share a simple community meal of soup and bread.

Please join us on first Mondays, 6-8pm at Covenant

Presbyterian Church. May 4th

and June 1st.

Presbyterian Women

Calendar of Events

Coordinating Team Sunday, May 3

rd

Noon

Gerri Apostolos, Moderator

Tabitha Circle

Monday, May 11th

Dinner

6:00 p.m.

Lydia Circle

Tuesday, May 12th

10:00 a.m.

Janice Rockmore, Hostess

Ruth Circle

Wednesday, May 13th

7:30 p.m.

(Tour of 1867 Sanctuary- all are welcome)

Hostesses – Gerri Apostolos & Sandy Pezzillo

Mission Sewing

Tuesday, May 19th

10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Leader – Sylvia Allen

Guest Book

Ruth Circle

Next Coordinating Team Meeting

Sunday, June 7th

Noon

______________________________________

Garden Prayer

First, plant five rows of peas:

Preparedness, Promptness, Perseverance,

Politeness, and Prayer.

Next to them plant 3 rows of squash:

Squash gossip, Squash criticism, and Squash

indifference.

Then plant 5 rows of lettuce:

Let us be faithful, let us be unselfish, let us be loyal,

Let us be truthful, and let us love one another.

And no garden is complete without turnips:

Turn up for church, turn up with a smile, and turn

up with determination.

Seniors

The Ewing Presbyterian Seniors met on Tuesday,

April 7, at noon in the Education building. After

enjoying lunch, we went across Scotch Road to the

1867 Sanctuary. Helen and Bob Kull brought us

into the building and discussed what had already

been done such as asbestos and mold remediation

and went on to give us a picture of what they hope

to get done in the near future. Preservation New

Jersey has discarded the idea of having some rental

office space in the building and as a result, hopes to

have certificate of occupancy (if all goes well) by

the end of this year. They gave us some idea of the

hoops they have to go through in that process, but

they also will not be surprised if others surface.

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 5th

when we will meet in the Education building for

lunch and then travel to Cherry Grove Farm in

Lawrenceville. We will hear about what the farm

does, sample some of their cheeses and have a

chance to shop in their store. There will be minimal

walking.

In June we will be traveling to the Hunterdon Hills

Playhouse for lunch and a show. The date is

Wednesday, June 3rd, and the show is Fox on the

Fairway, a comedy. Cost is $20 and the deadline

for registering is May 17th

.

Janice Rockmore

_____________________________________

Graduate Recognition

If you know of a church member who is graduating

from high school, college, or graduate school,

please contact Pam in the Church Office so we can

officially recognize and share this accomplishment

with the whole church family.

_________________________________________

Time for Prayer

As an extension of our May 1st Unity in the

Community observances, the faith communities of

the area will be inviting the entire community to

join in a shared time of prayer, reflection, and

meditation for an end to violence and the coming of

peace to our neighborhoods. This will take place on

Thursday, May 7th

, the National Day of Prayer, at

noon. Wherever you may be, whatever you may be

doing, please stop, and join in this time of prayer for

our community.

__________________________________________

National Day of Prayer

St. John’s Baptist Church, located at Oregon

Avenue in Ewing, invites members of Ewing

Presbyterian Church to join them on Thursday, May

7th

to commemorate National Day of Prayer. The

event begins promptly at 6:30 p.m. This year’s

theme is Lord Hear Our Cry.

__________________________________________

Praying Presbyterians

Many people know that the first Saturday of May

represents the greatest two minutes of sports: the

Kentucky Derby. However, many people may not

be aware that the first Thursday in May is National

Prayer Day which was enacted in 1952, but

amended in 1988 to designate the first Thursday as

a national day of prayer. All Americans, regardless

of their religious or political affiliation, are

encouraged to pray on this day. The theme for the

nation this year is “One Voice, United in Prayer.”

But you may ask, aside from the National Day of

Prayer, how often do Presbyterians pray?

According to the U.S. Congregational Life Survey

three out of five Presbyterians spend time daily

praying on their own (63%). 17% pray a few times

a week; 2% about once a week; 12% pray

occasionally; 4% hardly ever; and 1% reported

never praying.

Seven out of ten Presbyterians pray daily for

themselves or their family members. About one-

quarter (27%) pray daily for world peace or an end

to war, and one out of five (23%) pray daily for an

end to world hunger or poverty.

But do Presbyterians perceive that all this praying

makes a difference? The majority of Presbyterians

(62%) think prayers make a difference and few

(4%) had much doubt about the effectiveness of

their prayers. The survey also found that national

and international events have a moderate effect on

the frequency of prayer.

Please consider taking some time on Thursday to

pray.

Nursery School Notes

The children have really been enjoying the daily

opportunity to go outside to our beautiful

playground to play and run in the warm, sunny

weather. All of our classes are busy getting ready

for their end of the year programs, which they

lovingly prepare for their families and friends to

enjoy.

Family Picnic - The school will be holding its

annual Family Picnic on Friday, May 15th

from 5:30

to 7:30 p.m. This will be a very special picnic

celebrating EPNS’s 50th

Anniversary. All church

members and friends are invited to join us on this

festive occasion.

Plant Sale – Thank you so much to those of you

who ordered plants for the playground fundraiser.

All proceeds will go toward new equipment and

maintenance of the playground. Plant order pickup

day is Saturday, May 9th

from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Plants will also be available in Room 4 on Mother’s

Day, Sunday, May 10th after the church service.

2 Year Old Class – Mrs. Contento - The class had

such great fun with the color purple. The magic of

mixing two colors and getting a new one was truly

exciting for them. We worked with finger paints

this year. It was great to let them get messy in the

name of art!

We are now working with a few poems and

songs. The class has made progress repeating

finger play songs and poems. They are getting

ready for the three year old class! The children

have a treat for their Mom's to celebrate Mother’s

day. We will give them a short presentation to

show how much we love them.

3 Year Old Class – Mrs. Genovay – April was a

busy month for the 3’s. We talked about Easter and

had a wonderful Easter Egg Hunt and party. We

couldn’t have asked for better weather! Children

also learned about things that grow and celebrated

Earth Week.

During the month of May, children will learn about

Community Helpers, such as fire fighters, police

officers, mail carriers, doctors, nurses and dentists.

They will learn that they are all our friends and are

here to help us. The children might even grow up to

be one of these helpers themselves one day. Our

other themes for the month will be Mother’s Day,

Teddy Bears, Caterpillars, Butterflies and Insects.

The highlight of the month will be our trip to the

firehouse.

4 Year Old Class – Mrs. Sipe - April has been a

time of change. Spring has finally arrived and we

were able to play outside in the play yard. We have

been learning about animals on land and in the sea. May will be a busy month. The children will be

planning and making gifts for one of their favorite

people. (Mother’s day is coming.) We will be

talking about insects and will watch caterpillars

change into butterflies. It will be a little sad to let

them fly away but they need to live the lives God

has planned for them. We are looking forward to

our trip to the Watershed in Hopewell where we

will look for insects in their natural Habitat.

May is also a little sad because we are finishing up

our time at EPNS and will be going to

Kindergarten. We are working hard to learn the

songs for our end of the year show which is held in

June.

Prayer Requests for healing, wholeness

and God’s special presence.

H. Wayne Berens

Shirley Brower

Bull Burton

Eleanor Ciccone, grandmother of Julie & Joey

Ciccone

Janet Corbin

Doris Cregar

Rachel Evans & Family

Quentin Fabiano

Karen Fuchs, sister of Laura Wallin

Ken Harvey

Kevin Hecky

Beth Hensler

Lydia Hill, cousin of Cathy Holland

Cathy Holland

Jean Hopkins

Ann Hough, sister-in-law of Mary Hough

Dan Hough

Nadine Kunz, mother of Becky Lovett

Bob & Marion Letts

Robert MacLaury

Charlie Magee, brother of Judy Carapezza

Maureen Magee, sister-in-law of Judy Carapezza

Kevin, Megan & McKenna Maisto, friend of Barb

Salles

Margaret Marcks

Matt Massimi

Samuel Meservey, grandson of Lois Meservey

Sue Milstead

Aaron Morgan

Leslie Nevius, cousin of Barb Salles

Alice Olson

Pamela Olson

Marissa Porfirio

Cara Pressman, friend of Laura Wallin

Bill Raughley, friend of Jane Perelli

Elizabeth Ranson

Robert Rodgers, friend of Laura Wallin

Barb Salles

Michael Bailey Schafer, grandnephew of Mary

Hough

Dick & Dottie Schenck

Ralph Sims

Ann Skeeter, mother of George Renwick

Krista Berens - Smart

Jane Snedeker

Ceil Szeg, friend of Bette Schubert

Frank Szachtowski, step-dad of Mike Hecky

Gene Taylor

Travis Turner, nephew of Gay McGraw

Skippy Twining, friend of Barb Salles

Gloria Vernam

Leisal Vidal, aunt of Nancy Kriegner

Nelson Wallin, father of Laura Wallin

Harold Walter

Kaitlynn Webster, granddaughter of Nancy

Coleman

Mary Lou Weinstetter

Alfred Wensley

Eileen Whang

Marva Wyckoff

Grace & Norm Yates, friends of the Letts family

May 2015

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

On Sundays 9:30 Worship, FH 10:30 Hospitality 11:00 Adult Ed. &

Sunday School 4:45 Jr. High Youth

Group On Mondays 5:15 AA, AL 6:00 Yoga, CR

On Tuesdays

7:30 Al-Anon,CR. 8:00 NA, AL On Wednesdays

6:00 L.O.G & High School Youth Group

On Thursdays

4:30 Yoga, CR 6:15 Choir 7:00 Scouts 7:00 Guitar Rm. 3 7:30 Bell Choir 8:00 AA, AL On Saturdays 3 pm AA, AL

*No Adult

Education, Sunday School, or Youth Group

1 Unity Walk

3:30 p.m.

Unity Dinner 7:00 p.m. Trenton Masonic Temple

2

3 Coordinating

Team Noon

Extended

Communion

4

UMIO Prayer Vigil & Meal

6:00 p.m.

5 SENIORS

NOON

BIG

COMMITTEE 7:00 P.M.

6

7

National Day of Prayer

8

9

10*

Blanket Sunday

11

Tabitha Circle 6:00 p.m.

12

Lydia Circle 10:00 a.m.

13

Ruth Circle 7:30 p.m.

14

15

-Jr. High Camp-

EPNS End of Year Picnic

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

16

---Johnsonburg---

17 Mercer Street Friends Food

Collection

Retreat---------

18

19 Mission

Sewing 10:00

Deacons’

Meeting 7:00 p.m.

20

21

22

23

24* Day of Pentecost _____________ 31 Trinity Sunday

25 Memorial Day

Office Closed

26

Session Meeting

7:00 p.m.

27 28

29 30