Read the announcements for the week beginning Sunday

CALENDAR FOR THE WEEK OF DECEMBER 21, 2014
Sunday
9:15 a.m.
9:35 a.m.
10:15 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
3:00 – 5:30 p.m.
Monday.
Nursery School Closed
No Balance Yoga
No Rehearsals
No Quilters Meeting
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
1:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
9:00 p.m.
Friday
Nursery School Closed
Christmas Eve
Limited Church office hours
Nursery School Closed
Family Worship Service – Sanctuary
Contemplative Worship with Communion – FH
Traditional Candlelight Worship Service -- Sanctuary
Traditional Candlelight Worship Service -- Sanctuary
Traditional Candlelight Worship Service -- Sanctuary
Merry Christmas!
Office Closed
Office Closed
Saturday
Sunday
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Worship
Church School
Coffee and Fellowship – Fellowship Hall
Worship
Jubilation! Rehearsal
Congregational Christmas Caroling – Meet at Church
10:00 a.m.
10:30 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
Alumni Bell Rehearsal
First Sunday after Christmas
No church school
Coffee and Fellowship – Bring a plate of Christmas
Cookies – Fellowship Hall
Worship
No choir rehearsals
Worship Attendance
December 14, 2014 9:15 a.m. 247 11:00 a.m. 137
Church School 52
OUR SANCTUARY TREE ORNAMENTS: The beautiful candles, bells, stars, and
angels that adorn our sanctuary tree were made by the loving hands of our
Church School students. Our students are from ages 3 up through 7th
grade. Please enjoy their Christmas offering of ornaments made to the
glory of God and in thanks for the birth of Jesus!
BOB THURSTON’S 90TH BIRTHDAY is on December 31st. If you’d like to wish
him a very happy birthday, please send a card to his address at Noreen
McKeen Lourdes Residence, Room 462, 315 South Flagler Dr., West
Palm Beach, FL 33401-5613. Happy Birthday, Bob!
Welcome to the Colts Neck Reformed Church. We are happy to have you
worshiping with us this morning. As we prepare for worship, please set your cell
phone to vibrate.
Announcements
Large print bulletins and Bibles are available from any usher.
PERSONAL HEARING ASSIST EQUIPMENT is available from any usher.
FLOWERS ON THE CHANCEL TABLE this morning at 9:15 a.m. are given by the
Savage family in memory of Anne C. McCreight and Natalie N. Savage.
FLOWERS ON THE CHANCEL TABLE this morning at 11:00 a.m. are given by the
Flock and Weh families in loving memory of Charles and Marian Flock and
Vera and William Frantz.
MUSIC this morning is offered by Alleluia Angels and Cherub Choir.
THANK YOU TO KRISSY CANTIN who designed today’s bulletin cover.
ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTERS
(9:15 a.m.)
Tim and Marian Bauman
(11:00 a.m.)
Dan and Gwen Saxby
CHILDCARE FOR INFANTS AND TODDLERS up to age three is provided in the
Nursery (downstairs in the church) during both the 9:15 and 11:00 a.m.
worship services. Our nursery caregivers today are Terri and Dillon O’Neil
during both the 9:15 and 11:00 services. A pager system is available for
parents to feel secure in leaving their little ones. Please email or call the
church office ([email protected], 732-462-4555) for
more information or if you have questions about the church nursery.
COFFEE AND FELLOWSHIP: Join us this morning for coffee and fellowship in
Fellowship Hall following the 9:15 worship service. Thank you to the
following people for hosting today: Natalie Fox, Lynne Garner, the
Gassaways, Janice Hammond, Brenda McQuerrey, the Serafins, and
Charlotte Squarcy. Please consider volunteering for this important ministry
of the church. Direction sheets are available and support is just a phone
call away. Sign up on the bulletin board and please contact Dianne
Maxwell (732-706-5683) if you have questions.
CHURCH SCHOOL PARENTS: There will not be any Church School next
Sunday, December 28th, as there is only one service at 11:00 a.m. Please
bring your children to worship next Sunday and enjoy the service as a
family!
CHRISTMAS BOOKS: Our library outside Fellowship Hall in the Community
Center building has a display of Christmas books for you to check out and
enjoy with your family.
THE CHURCH OFFICE will be open for limited office hours from December
24th until January 5th. Please call ahead before stopping by or leave a
voice message on the church answering machine and someone will return
the call as soon as possible.
Your Prayers and Concerns are requested for:
Barbara Bye, cousin of Valerie Busico, inoperable tumor on her voice box
Elijah, baby whose parents are friends of Jeff & Jamie Knol, recovering
from open heart surgery
Tamar Goetke's sister Shireen and her family as their foster child was
returned to her mother this week
Ken Howlett, recovering from a medical procedure
Dot Jaasma, being treated for lymphoma.
Judy Johnson, sister of Art Peslak, who fell and broke her knee cap
Dr. Brian Karasic, friend of Al Zaccaria, chemotherapy for colon cancer
Ann Luisi, Carol Barnett's mother, recovering from breast cancer surgery
Maria, daughter-in-law of Lydia Coulson, complications following a bone
marrow transplant
Betty Petrie, Clark Petrie's mother, stomach cancer and on hospice care
Jim Schatzle, recovering from kidney surgery
John Slisky, son of Vera Santucci, who is going through some trying times
Kira Stackhouse, friend of Maria & Earl Siddons, who is having surgery in
the beginning of January
Violet Tarasuk, sister of Vera Santucci, recovering from a cornea
transplant and now has double pneumonia
Laurie Thomas, a friend of Earl and Maria Siddons who will have a liver
biopsy in January
Mission Partner: Today, we ask for your prayers for recently appointed
RCA missionaries, Andrew and Amy Fields, who are working on the
Caribbean coast of Honduras, known as La Moskita region. Partnering
with the Moravian Church in Honduras, their focus is education of pastors
and church leaders in biblical, theological and ministerial courses, helping
them to build upon the local Bible Institute’s existing programs and
resources. Andrew and Amy’s goal is to work to build a rich educational
environment for pastoral training, improve facilities so that students can
focus more on their studies than on living conditions, and provide students
with access to quality books and other resources for their studies. Please
pray that God will guide Andrew and Amy to create a flourishing
environment for all.
REMINDER TO ALUMNI BELL CHOIR: We will rehearse on Saturday,
December 27th, at 10:00 a.m. and will ring during worship next Sunday,
December 28th.
CDS AND DVDS OF “THE SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS” concert held last Sunday,
December 14th, can be ordered by signing up on the bulletin board in
Fellowship Hall.
CHRISTMAS CAROLING OPPORTUNITY! Come join your church family this
afternoon at 3:00 p.m. as we drive to sing to some of our
congregation’s homebound members as well as caroling
in the immediate neighborhood of the church before
returning to Fellowship Hall for hot chocolate, concluding
at 5:30 p.m.
BIBLE STUDIES~
THERE WILL NOT BE ANY MEETINGS for the Women’s, Thursday, or Senior
Bible Studies during Christmas and New Year’s weeks. The studies will
begin again during the week of January 5th.
THE NEXT MEN’S BREAKFAST BIBLE STUDY will be Saturday, January 3rd, in
Fellowship Hall from 7:30 – 9:00 a.m. for breakfast and Bible study. They
will be using the study guide The Kingdom Equation: A Fresh Look at the
Parables of Jesus. Study guides will be available at the meeting. Come
and enjoy some wonderful food and fellowship!
For more information on any of these Bible Studies, you may contact Debi
Jensen at the church office (732-462-4555 x115 or email
[email protected]).
ELECTRONIC GIVING IS COMING! Why? It makes your life simpler. Your
contribution to the Church will be handled like your other payments. Set it
up once, and it happens automatically after that. But we all know that
giving to the Church is quite different from paying our electric bill. It is a
faith-filled pledge of our financial gifts to God. We will prayerfully consider
our gifts when setting up the recurring payments. In Church on Sunday,
you may still choose to put an envelope in the offering plate (there will be a
place on the envelope to indicate that you give electronically). In January,
detailed instructions on electronic giving will be distributed. More info to
come!
2015 OFFERING ENVELOPES are available for pick up today. They are
located on tables in Fellowship Hall. Please pick up your envelopes and
help us save on the cost of mailing them. Do not start using these until
2015 and remember that your number may have changed as we re-assign
them each year, alphabetically. If you wish to have offering envelopes
assigned and don’t find any with your name on them, please notify Pam
Licata in the church office and she will assign them for you.
MINISTRY CENTER BASEMENT TO BE PAINTED – HELP WANTED!
The Building and Grounds Committee, led by Bob
Gassaway, is looking to “spruce up” the Ministry Center
basement a bit and would like to paint the walls. Volunteers
are needed and welcome to assist in this project. Please let
Pam Licata in the church office know if you are willing and able
to join in the “painting party” set for Saturday, January 10, 2015.
Exact start times to be announced. Speak with Bob Gassaway at 732-9463177 if you have questions.
HABITAT BLITZ BUILD: Preparations for our Spring Blitz Build continue.
Currently we are looking for a storage container company or trailer
company that would be willing to supply units that we will be able to put on
the build site. They will be used to store tools and building materials for the
duration of the project. We also need a tree company to remove some
trees at the build site. If you have a lead for either of these two needs
please contact James Wishbow at [[email protected]].
THE CNRC WOMEN’S 2015 RETREAT: There are two
opportunities to attend this yearly retreat. The
overnight retreat will be held at the Chateau Inn
and Suites in Spring Lake, from Friday, January
23rd, at 7:00 p.m. through Saturday, January
24th, at 7:00 p.m. The day retreat will be held in
Fellowship Hall on Saturday, January 31st, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The sign-up sheet and all of the details about these two opportunities can
be found on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. The deadline for the
overnight retreat has been extended until January 11, 2015. You may
continue to sign up and pay for the day retreat until January 24, 2014. Pick
up an information sheet and read all about this year’s leader, Rev. Jeanie
Collins-Mason, and the retreat’s focus: “Psalms for All Seasons”.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH SUPPER: will be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal
Church in Freehold on Friday, January 9th. Thank you
to all who signed up to volunteer last Sunday. There
are a few more openings for volunteers and supplies,
and more donations of new or gently used
holiday/winter decorations are still needed. Please
sign up to help on the bulletin board in Fellowship
Hall. More details can be found in the December newsletter or please
contact Beth Burke at 732-462-9827.
FAMILY PROMISE: It is time again for the First Presbyterian Church in
Freehold to host Family Promise. As a support congregation, CNRC is
responsible for preparing dinner, visiting in the evening, and serving as
overnight hosts on Thursday, January 8th. Please see the sign-up sheet
on the bulletin board today if you can participate in this important program.
If you would like to know more about this mission endeavor, contact Barb
Serafin [732-946-3311, [email protected]] or Kathy Rodman [732946-4121, [email protected]] with questions.
THE DATE FOR THE YOUTH WORSHIP LOCK-IN has been changed to April 17
– 18, 2015. We will begin at 7:00 p.m. on Friday night and end on
Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m. During the lock-in, we will be planning the
Youth Worship Service, which has been re-scheduled for May 17, 2015.
Please check the January newsletter for more information.
WRAPPING PAPER NEEDED: The Youth Group will be collecting new
unopened rolls of wrapping paper to be used next year. Please pick one
up while you are out Christmas shopping or wait until after and get them at
a discount. Next year, the Youth Group will be providing a wrapping
service to raise money for youth activities. New unopened rolls can be
dropped off in Fellowship Hall, or during the week in the church office.
Please contact Bernadette Riehle at 732-299-9912 or Jeff Knol in the
church office at 732-462-4555 X122 or [[email protected]].
We look forward
to seeing you at one of our
Christmas Eve celebrations!
There
are
five
worship
opportunities on Christmas Eve,
Wednesday December 24th, as we
celebrate the birth of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ.
1:00 p.m. – This is a family service in
which the message of Good News will
be conveyed in an interactive way that
is especially geared to children of all
ages. This service will be in the
Sanctuary.
3:00 p.m. – Held in Fellowship Hall, upstairs in the Community
Center, this is a contemplative worship time. The service will center
around hearing the nativity story, sharing the sacrament of
communion, and singing “Silent Night” with the lighting of candles.
4:00, 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. – The three later Christmas Eve evening
worship opportunities will be in the Sanctuary and are traditional
Christmas Eve services with carols and candles. Music will be
offered by the Celebration Ringers and Jubilation! choir at 4:00 p.m.
The Exultation Ringers, Senior Choir and instrumentalists will offer
music at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.
Nursery Care will be offered during the 4:00 and 7:00 p.m. services.
First Sunday after Christmas
We worship at 11:00 a.m. only on Sunday, December 28th.
Nursery care will be available. Coffee and Fellowship will be
available from 10:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. Please bring a plate of
Christmas cookies to share.