UPCOMING EVENTS

TURKEY DINNER TO SUPPORT PROJECT PAUL

There will be 4 seatings for the dinner:  4:00, 5:00, 6:00, and 7:00.  Tickets cost $15.00 for adults and $8.00 for children under 12.  Take-out meals are also available at a price of $15.00.  Seating is limited, and reservations are necessary.  Call or email Sharon Wessel to order tickets (Phone:  732-431-3372; email:  swe456ssel@aol.com).

Project Paul’s Educational Support Program helps low-income single mothers who have returned to school and need help with transportation or child-care.  “We know that education and training are critical to success in this difficult economy,” commented Case Wagenvoord, event chair.  “By coming to the Turkey Dinner, you will not only get a great meal, but you will be supporting a great cause.”  

Lenten Adult Education Offerings

          You are invited to observe Lent this year by participating in one or more of our Adult Education Events, sponsored by the Christian Education Committee.  Below are options to choose from.  The Committee asks that our members participate in at least one event during the Lenten season. These will start after Feb. 17^th.

·      Faith & Fitness classes – Don Pope will be offering classes on ways that we can grow spiritually while we work on healthy practices and lifestyle issues.  The first meeting will be on Saturday Feb. 27^th from 8:30 to 10am.  Gene Killian will present a workshop on the Chinese practice of Chi Gong.  

·      Wednesday evening 7:30pm “Space For Grace” worship & Bible study in the church sanctuary.   During Lent we will offer weekly worship and discussion based on the “7 Last Words” of Jesus on the cross.   This is a refreshing mix of bible study, discussion and worship with communion.  

·      Weekly After Church Video Discussion Series: “First Light” at 11:40am in the church office.   This series, set in the Holy Land, discusses Jesus’ ministry and passion in light of historical research and against the background of the Roman Empire. 

·      Women’s Group – Saturday, Feb 20 from 10:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.  Deepening Our Faith:  A Spiritual Journey with Pema Chodron   Pema Chodron is a revered American Buddhist nun whose ministry brings the tenets of Buddhism to Western seekers of wisdom.  Join Maybeth Conway and Judy Chevalier, who have participated in weekend retreats with Pema, for a brief stroll on the Buddhist spiritual path that leads to compassionate abiding.

·      Bible Study Classes:  Thursday Mornings at 10am (Call for location) and Tuesday evenings (Through the Bible in a Year) from 7-8pm in the church office. 

Second Annual "Bridges" Bizarre Bazaar, Rehash the Trash, bring an item you never want to see again-bring home a "real treasure?" Wednesday March 24, 2010 - Holmdel Fire Company#1 - Doors open 7:00pm     Bazaar 7:30pm, desserts--coffee---tea, advance ticket sales $10.00 if available $15.00 at the door, checks payable to: Holmdel Community Church (Bridges on memo line) (tax deductible) - send checks to: Kathy Logan, 8 Stagecoach Dr., Holmdel NJ 07733.  For information call 732-706-9467. Attach name and phone number to check.  Donations of non-perishable foods for a local food bank would be appreciated

New Pictorial Directory - We will be putting together our very own pictorial directory this year, thanks to the talents of those in our church, especially Ron & Amy Schmidt and Janice Liebenow.   Ron is a professional photographer, and both he and Amy are book-writers with their own on-line business.  We are lucky to have them on board.

          The plan is to take pictures in the church sanctuary of everyone in the church, and then to put these pictures, along with contact information, into a directory.  This directory will be able to be downloaded in a PDF file from our church’s website (with a pass code).  And it will be available in hard-copy (paper).  It will not be posted on-line, so you won’t have to worry about security.

  We will have sign-up sheets in the narthex at church and in Fellowship Hall. Amy and others will be scheduling appointments – most often after church.

  You don’t have to dress up in fancy clothes; you can choose how you’d like to look, and informal clothes are fine.   This is really an ‘in-house’ directory, and so it will be more relaxed.

  This will also not cost you or the church anything.   No one will be pressuring you to buy photographs.   What a relief!

PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES

1. Choir - Our choir provides beautiful and uplifting music during our worship service.  They meet one evening during the week (Thursdays) for rehearsal.  New voices are always welcome.

2. Programs for the Young – Children and youth are valued and included in our community.  In each Sunday morning worship service we have a children's message, presented by our Church School director or a layperson. Children serve as acolytes during the worship service.  During the Christmas Season we have a children’s pageant in worship; and at the beginning of the summer, we have a Children’s Day service with songs, skits, readings and presentations done by the children. We also have many purely fun activities including: a Halloween Party, a Mardi Gras party, an Easter Egg Hunt, and more.  As the children mature we actively solicit their help in the running of our church. Preteens and teenagers work alongside of adults during work parties, at dinners, and fund-raisers. We are always searching for ways to make all feel as though they belong.

3. Bible Study – Two groups meet weekly.  On Thursday mornings a group gathers for coffee and conversation to discuss the scripture readings for the upcoming week or a book of interest to the group.   The pastor presents the historic background, how it relates to other scripture and what it might mean in our lives.  
On Wednesday evenings at 7:30pm, a group meets to study themes in scripture, using written or DVD curriculum.

4. Second Hour Programs - These short-term discussion groups follow the coffee hour on Sunday Mornings, and are led by a layperson or clergy. Topics ranging from Questions of Faith, to Religion in Art have been discussed.


5.  Historical Committee - This committee has investigated and compiled histories of our church's 300+ year past. Copies of the various histories are available in the church office for a nominal fee. Each year we put on a Historic Colonial Thanksgiving Service in which everyone is invited to dress in colonial costumes.

6. Country Bazaar - This event is our Church's major fund-raiser. Members work diligently to prepare craft items, homemade soups, jams, jellies, pies and other baked goods, trash-and-treasure and a luncheon. Preparations for the event are ongoing throughout the year.

7. Turkey Dinner For Missions – In March of each year, we hold a large Turkey Dinner to raise funds for a local mission project, such as the Parker Clinic, St. Marks Food Pantry, or the Bridges program.  Over 400 people are served, and all the funds are given away.

8.    Mission Programs – Our various outreach and mission programs (listed below) are important ways for our community to build fellowship and to help others.

9. Individual Activities - Many in the congregation are involved in local outreach groups working in various areas of need, in some eases these areas of individual action have blossomed into involvement of many in the church. If you have a talent or other interest--please share it with us.


COMMITTEES              Our church is active, democratic, and is run and led by its members and friends

1.     Church Council - Council members or Deacons compose the governing body of the church and are elected by the congregation at the annual meeting. They are responsible for both the spiritual and business facets of the church. Membership is open only to members of the congregation. Many members of the Council have only recently joined the church.

2.   Church Life Committee - This committee is responsible for planning social events (Broadway trips, Progressive Dinners, Covered Dish Dinners, etc.), advertising special events in the community, and coordinating Coffee Hour and Family Breakfast.

3.     Missions Committee - This committee is responsible for our outreach into both our local and global community. In addition to determining the direction of our church's mission focus, they also are active in raising funds to provide support than approved in our annual budget. Their main fund-raiser is a Turkey Dinner each Spring. The Missions Committee also sponsors a 25-mile Bike-A-Thon in the fall to raise money for Bridges and St. Mark's Soup Kitchen.

4.     Worship Committee - This committee is responsible for the coordination of all worship services. This includes coordinating lay participation (deacons, ushers, greeters, readers), music and preparation for all special services. The worship committee works closely with the pastor in determining ways to keep the worship service both fresh and meaningful. Members are needed for both "behind the scenes" with such activities as coordinating the acolytes, decorating the Sanctuary for Christmas, and soliciting lay participants; and also for active participation in the service, such as greeting, lay reading, dramatic presentations and children’s messages.

5. Christian Education Committee - This committee is chaired by a Council member and is responsible for all education outside of the worship service. This includes Adult Education, Confirmation Class, Youth Fellowship, and Sunday School. Volunteers are needed to coordinate the programs, teach Sunday School (permanent or substitute basis), work with the teenage Youth Group, and coordinate or lead an adult Bible study or discussion group.

6.   Building and Grounds Committee - This committee is chaired by a Council member and is responsible for the maintenance of the property. Some members of the committee coordinate repairs and maintenance with outside contractors while other members perform some of the necessary maintenance. In the spring of each year, the committee sponsors an All Church Work Party, during which much of the annual upkeep is done by members of the church, followed by a luncheon.

7. Pastoral/Personnel Committee - This committee is responsible for managing personnel issues between the Church and all paid employees.     Members of the committee act as mediators for any issues, which arise as well as provide annual performance evaluations for the paid staff.

8. Christian Care Committee – This committee helps the church three areas of ministry: providing pastoral care for church members and friends, fostering the inclusion and nurturing of new members and overseeing the area of spiritual formation and direction.

9.  Good News Team – This group which is part of Church Life, assists with greeting visitors and newer members, advertising and outreach in the community, and coordinating some events like the “Dine with 7 or 9” dinners or the “Ministry Fair” that introduces people to the activities of the church.