Our Newsletter for: July 2019

FROM THE FIRST

Gray Matters By Rev. Barry Gray

July 2019

I’m always intrigued by the questions that are asked in Scripture, because very often they get us to the meat

of what’s really going on. In Luke 24:36-49 we find the resurrected Jesus, appearing to the totally bewil-

dered disciples who are confused, frightened and don’t know what to say or do when Jesus suddenly ap-

pears among them. Luke tells us that, instead of reassuring them as most of us would expect; Jesus took

the opportunity to ask them a question: “Why are you troubled and why do doubts rise in your minds?”

Knowing that, according to the best knowledge the disciples had, Jesus was supposed to be dead, we would

expect Jesus to understand why they were so freaked out. And He did, but Jesus wanted to turn their hearts

from fear to faith.

After reminding the disciples that they should have expected his death and resurrection; Jesus uses this op-

portunity to remind them of their responsibility, as witnesses of the amazing things they had seen and expe-

rienced; and he commands them to go, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and proclaim the Good News to

everyone.

Then, a little later, in Acts 3:11-13, the tables are turned on Peter as he addresses a group of people who

were also confused and frightened, from seeing and hearing about the miracle that had just taken place

through he and John. Notice that Peter follows Jesus’ lead by asking, them a question to turn their hearts

from fear to faith. “Men of Israel, why does this surprise you?

While the answers to both questions seem obvious to us, I’m thinking that the questions were asked, not to

gage their feelings, but to engage their faith; to remember that we’re talking about God here – the creator

and ruler of the universe who is perfectly capable of doing what seems impossible to us.

As we continue to work through the many issues that confront us in life, it is easy to let anger and bitterness

drive us and to allow fear and frustration to blind us to God working in and through all of our stuff. But if

we truly trust in the God who created the universe and everything in it, out of nothing, by simply speaking

it into being; the God who took on flesh and came to save us from our sins; the God who has always

worked miracles for His people; the sovereign God who rules everything according to his good purposes, I

have to ask us the same question Jesus asked: “Why are you troubled and why do doubts rise in your

minds?”

Do we trust God to work out his will for our lives and for His church or are we so focused on what we de-

sire that we are unable to trust God completely? We need to truly believe that our God is still on the throne

in heaven directing the affairs of humankind and that He will work out His perfect will for those who love

(Continued on page 3)

The First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Holly, NJ

Page 1

First Presbyterian Church

125 Garden Street

Mount Holly NJ 08060

609-267-0330

Church Office Email:

fpc.mtholly@gmail.com

Church Website:

www.firstpresmtholly.org

FROM THE EDITOR

Articles should be submitted by the 15th of the preceding month to the church office so that staff can review and get the material included in the following month’s edition. I can be reached at:

Robert Van Der Kamp 609-668-3557

bobvdk@yahoo.com

The Vision of First Presbyterian Church is: A Heart for the Rancocas Valley

Mission: First Presbyterian Church exists to honor God by making more disciples.

Servants of the Lord:

The Congregation

Servants of the Servants: Barry Gray

Pastor

Rick Hamilton Assistant Minister

Haley Bunting

Director of Next Generation Ministries

Jackie Bozarth

Organist and Director of Choirs

Brian Taylor Praise Band and Worship Leader

Harry Cunningham

Building Supervisor & Sexton

Jan Delgado Director of Community Lunch

Barbara Biedenbach

Administrative Assistant

Gretchen Bisbort Financial Secretary

Page 2

July Birthdays July Anniversaries

01 Connor Stewart

01 Nancy Jones

02 Ben Van Walsen

04 Erin Dopke

04 Peter Sanchez

09 Ray Gullo

10 Brian Taylor

10 Ian Traver

14 Gregory Kelley

14 Mardella Woolston

16 Steven Burke

16 Sonrisa Crespin

16 Natalie Kelley

17 Eileen Buerster

17 Teresa D’Entremont

18 Max Van Walsen

19 Jane Cowperthwait

21 Julie Corda

22 Kevin Dopke

23 Erin Knorr

24 Barbara Biedenbach

26 Jeff Grover

26 Karen Heide

27 James Craig

28 Kelly Burke

28 Sean Burke

30 Quinlan McClenahan

01 Moses and Sharon Correa

03 Anthony and Susan Opperman

04 Ray and Sheryl Markley

05 Jim and Mary Craig

07 Jim and Kathy Badgley

07 Jack and Ruth Megill

12 Joe and Elizabeth Amisson

20 Kevin and Allison Heide

21 Errol and Nicole Cady

28 Richard and Celeste Hamilton

and trust Him.

So don’t let your hearts be troubled about what you cannot control and do not allow bitterness and frustration

to control you. It is also important that we do not allow anything to become an idol that we value more than

we value God’s will for our lives. If, as Proverbs 21:1 says, “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord; He

directs it like a watercourse wherever He pleases” then we certainly can trust God to direct our lives in the path

He has chosen for us without fear, knowing that our sovereign God will work out His perfect will in our lives

and give us the outcome for all of this that He desires – an outcome that will result in much blessing and

growth.

Because God is fully in charge of our future, personally and corporately, we can turn our full attention and all

of our energies to the responsibilities God has given to us – to be His witnesses, to tell the gospel message to

all, and to keep on doing all the wonderful work of mission, building up the Kingdom of God. If we keep our

focus on all the exciting things that God has entrusted us to do in His name, we will certainly be able to trust

our God to fully handle what we cannot.

(Continued from page 1)

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Gray Matters (Cont)

Next Generation Ministries Moments

Hello, church!

My name is Haley Bunting and in case you missed it, I got hired at the church as the Director of Next

Generation Ministries! It is so good to be home! Growing up at the church I never imagined that I

would graduate and return to be on staff here at First Pres. But let me tell you; God is good! I am so

blessed and encouraged by this congregation and the value they see in youth and children’s ministry. I

have decided to use my space here in the monthly newsletter to share about some “ministry moments”

that I get to experience while on staff here and serving our children and youth.

These past few weeks have been absolutely incredible as I begin to settle into this new role. Between

recruiting for VBS, editing the youth summer calendar for the 5th time, and figuring out things like

budget and background checks, I have begun to have a lot of meaningful connections. I am really enjoy-

ing the conversations the youth and I have been having around the table on Sunday mornings. We too

are learning how to become Contagious Christians in our schools, works, and social lives. Some of

these concepts of being a “Contagious Christian” has really challenged the youth and these Sunday ses-

sions and discussions are really beginning to challenge how they live outside of these four walls. This

past Sunday we practiced writing our testimony during Sunday school and it was incredible to see and

hear the way God was working through those youth.

I have also really valued the small conversations that I am having with people who are experiencing a

fire in their hearts for children’s ministry. People in this congregation are really beginning to see what a

children’s ministry here at FPC could look like and all the possibilities following Paul Borden’s direc-

tion and that is so encouraging to me.

Stay tuned for more exciting ministry moments and feel free to contact me (hbuntingfpc@gmail.com)!

Thanks for your continued support and prayer!

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH STATED SESSION MEETING May 13, 2019 125 Garden Street, Mount Holly, NJ Moderator: Rev. B. Gray Clerk of Session: K. Badgley excused; Elder M. Beck served as Clerk pro tem Elders Present (Retiring): M. Beck, G. Kibler, J. Kipp, C. Kosowski, P. Nicolette, M. Rivera, D. Ur-

ban Elders Present (New/continuing): J. Amisson, S. Buchanan, D. Burke, C. Grover, W. McFarland, L. Taylor Elders Excused: S. Burke Elders Absent: None Staff Present: B. Gray Staff Excused: R. Hamilton The meeting opened at 7:02 PM with devotions based on John 17:20-26 and prayer. APPROVED: Docket as sent by email. RECEIVED and APPROVED as part of the Consent Docket: Minutes of the Stated Session Meeting of April 8, 2019 and Called Session Meeting of April 28, 2019 Report of the Clerk. APPPROVED: 2019-2020 Session calendar (attached). Report of the Pastor. The new team structure and organizational chart were considered outside the consent docket. Report of the Assistant Minister. No action items. Report of the Facilities and Capital Projects Team. No action items. Report of the Mission Team. No action items. Report of the Nominating Team. No action items. Report of the Financial Secretary. General Fund, Checking account: Balance as of April 1, 2019 $ 7,683.53 Total Income 46,054.99 Transfers from Restricted Fund ----

Total Expenses (37,885.71) Transfer to Benevolence Fund (-----------)

Balance as of April 30, 2019 $15,852.81 STATISTICS: April 2019 Professions of Faith: 3 Lord’s Supper: The congregation celebrated the Lord’s Supper on April 7, 2019 as well as the Maundy Thursday Soup and Bread Love Feast. In-home communion was served to nine covenant partners and their families on April 7. Baptisms: 0 Weddings: 0 Funerals: 0 ACTION ITEMS considered outside the Consent Docket:

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APPROVED: Team Structure and Organizational Chart (attached), as changed from the Docket OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS The Session meeting was suspended to convene a meeting of the Board of Trustees. President W. McFarland presided. The following were nominated and elected to serve as officers of the Board of Trustees until installation of new Elder/Trustees in May 2020: President: W. McFarland Vice-president: J. Amisson Secretary: K. Badgley Treasurer: (None was named. Elder Burke will be contacted to see if he

will serve again.) Asst. Treasurer: C. Winner

The meeting of the Board of Trustees was adjourned, and the Session meeting resumed. DISCUSSED: The introduction of the revised function of Session will begin with ECO’s video se-

ries “Into the Core Competencies,” a leadership training course. Session will start the series on June 3.

The meeting adjourned at 8:59 PM following a season of prayer. Attest: Melody Beck Clerk of Session, Pro tem ADDENDUM: On Monday, June 3, 2019 the Session (Elders Amisson, Buchanan, Burke, Grover, McFarland, and Tay-lor), Pastor Gray, Clerk Badgley, Assistant Minister Hamilton, Director of Next Generation Ministries Bunting and Deacon Van Der Kamp viewed the first video of ECO’s video series “Into the Core Compe-tencies” and discussed the questions for the video. Each person was asked to register for the video se-ries in order to view the next segment before the next session meeting. Attest: Kathryn M. Badgley Clerk of Session

(Continued on page 6)

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Session Calendar June 1, 2019 – May 31, 2020

2019 June 10 Stated Meeting July 7 Summer Worship schedule, TBD July 8 Stated Meeting August No meeting September 9 Stated Meeting September 28-29 Heritage Presbytery meeting, Park Road Presbyterian Church, Wyomissing, PA

(formerly FPC, Reading, PA) October 7 Stated Meeting (a week early to avoid Columbus Day holiday) November 11 Stated Meeting December 9 Stated Meeting December 24 Christmas Eve December 31 New Year’s Eve 2020 January 13 Stated Meeting February 4-6 ECO National Gathering/Synod meeting/Heritage Presbytery meeting, Dallas, ie, Grape

vine, TX February 10 Stated Meeting February 26 Ash Wednesday March 8 Annual Meeting of Congregation/Corporation March 9 Stated Meeting April 5 Palm Sunday April 9 Maundy Thursday April 10 Good Friday April 12 Easter April 13 Stated Meeting May 10 Installation of Elders and Deacons May 11 Stated Meeting; election of officers of Board of Trustees Unless specifically changed, the Lord’s Supper will be observed on the first Sunday of each month. Other ob-servances will be added at the request of the Worship Team and pastor.

(Continued from page 5)

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School Backpack Annual Drive

The Board of Deacons is asking for your help with our Annual Backpack Drive! Our Annual Backpack Drive starts

July 7 and will run through Sunday, August 11, 2019. Look for the shopping list printed on the next page in this

newsletter and in the Weekly Update starting June 30.. You may bring your purchases to worship any Sunday we are

collecting or drop them off at the Church Office. ‘Back to school’ supply sales usually begin in early July. Check out

your circulars to see what bargains you can find to help our local students. Please only buy the sizes listed in the

shopping list. If you are unable to shop but still wish to donate to this much needed outreach, please make checks

payable to First Presbyterian Church with ‘School Backpack Drive’ in the memo line. Additionally, if you are inter-

ested in helping with this outreach, please contact the church office.

American Red Cross Blood Drive

Where: First Presbyterian Church

When: Saturday, Aug 31, 2019

Time: 8 am - 1 pm

Appointments are preferred.

For an appointment please contact: Mary Craig at 609.267.8621

Community Luncheon

Thank you for your generous donations which made Father’s Day joyful for our guests. We are currently col-

lecting summer clothing for men, women and children. Toiletries are always needed. Toiletries mean deodor-

ant, razor, shaving cream, soap, shampoo, toothbrush and toothpaste. Thank you in advance & God bless your

caring for others.

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Backpack Drive

Shopping List

It’s that time of year again to help with the backpack drive! Below is a shopping list you can take with you to

help you purchase what our local children need in order to be ready for school. You can purchase any or all of

the items on this list. A cash donation is also appreciated if you are unable to shop or just don’t have the time.

Make checks payable to First Presbyterian Church w/ ‘School Backpack Drive’ in the memo line. Please drop

off your school supplies to the church no later than August 11, 2019.

Backpacks – 6th -7th grade size

Colored Pencils, 12 pack

Crayola® Crayons, 16 Pack or 24 pack or 36 pack

Crayola® Crayons, Large 8 Pack (No jumbo sizes)

Elmer’s® Glue 4 oz bottle

Erasers: Pink Pearl & Pencil Top

Glue Sticks - reg or large(.77)

Highlighters, any color

Index cards 3x5, 100 pack (individually wrapped)

Loose Leaf Paper, wide rule or college rule, single packs of 100-150 sheets

Marble Composition book

Markers, expo Dry Erase, 8 Pack or 4 pack (black) or 4 pack w/eraser

Sharpies Markers, 10 Pack or 5 pack (black)

Markers, washable, 8 pack

Pencils, #2

Pencil Box Sliders

Pencil Pouch, Zippered – 3 Ring – plastic and cloth

Pens, blue, black & red

Pocket Folders (paper without spine), 2 pocket, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, purple

Pocket Folders, Plastic, 2 pocket, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange, purple

Post-It® Notes 3” x 3”, 1” x 1” and 3” x 5”

Rulers, 12 inch

Spiral Notebooks, wide or college rule, single or three subject or five subject

The Deacons extend our sincerest thanks in advance for embracing local children within our community ex-

pressing the love of Christ. Matthew 25:31-46

Any gently used items donated will go directly to the school as back-up supplies but are not recommend-

ed for the backpacks being given to the students. Thank you for your understanding.

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July 2019