Tuesday Night Lenten Series - The Practices That Transform Us

Here are the details for this year's Tuesday Night Lenten Series

Topic: The Practices That Transform Us
Book: Spiritual Disciplines Handbook by Adele Ahlberg Calhoun
Schedule: 6:45 - 8:30; includes simple supper

Dates, locations and themes

February 19 - Malverne - The Practice of Worship
February 26 - Freeport - The Practice of Opening One's Self To God
March 5 - Massapequa - The Practice of Avoiding False Gods
March 12 - Baldwin - The Practice of Sharing One's Life
March 19 - Garden City - The Practice of Making Present the Love of Christ

Spiritual Practice 1 - Breath Prayer

During Lent 2013 we're going to be focusing on simple spiritual practices that have the potential to transform our lives and our relationship with God.  Each week we'll be introducing a simple spiritual practice in worship and posting it to the blog.

Breath Prayer
Prayer is the most basic of spiritual practices and breath prayer is one of the oldest tools for prayer.  Breath prayers can be powerful centering devices as well as a way to feel the calming reassurance of God in difficult and stressful situations.

The prayer is very simple.  Slow down your breathing.  As you breathe in, say to yourself a name of God.  As you breathe out, say to your self a need or request you want God to address.  The graphic below has some ancient breath prayers, but you are free to identify your own names for God and add your own requests.

Its Souper Bowl Time!

Once again CPC has accepted the challenge from Middle Island Presbyterian Church as to who can collect the most canned goods for the Long Island Council of Churches Food Pantry during the month of February.  This year seven other churches joined us.  Already the combined churches have collected almost 5,000 food items, and the month isn't over.

Below is a chart as to how CPC is doing.  We won last year, but we're currently in fifth place!  Invite your neighbors, your friends, your family, even colleagues at work, to join in helping Long Island's hungry families.

Christmas Pageant 2012

We had a wonderful Christmas pageant this year complete with several firsts including inclusion of children from the Little Blessings Christian Preschool and the inclusion of adults in most of the major roles.  Check out the slide show below.

Christmas Gifts for the Bowery Mission Women's Center

The Presbyterian Women's Circle of Community Presbyterian Church is encouraging everyone to buy Christmas presents for the women of the Bowery Mission Women's Center this year.  The list is below. Gifts should be in church by Sunday, December 17.

List of Gift Ideas

Watches

Journals

Rain Boots

Pajamas, robes

Slippers

Gloves & scarves

Carrier book bags

Purses, wallets

Toiletry items

Lotions/Body Washes

Make-up

Jewelry

Picture frames

Pocket calendars

Appointment books

New Living Translation hardcover Bibles

Devotional books

Gift Cards (Walgreens, Payless, JC Penny, Starbucks, etc.)

Water bottles

Travel mugs

Sweaters & sweatshirts

Socks/pantyhose

Stationary & stamps

Resume/document folios

Pen & pencil sets

Personal CD players w/ Earphones

Rain boots

General Items needed for the Women’s Center

Loose leaf notebook paper

1” Three ring binders

Spiral notebooks

Towels & washcloths

Pillows

Winter White Corelle dishes and mugs

25 green placemats

Instructions

·       Any and all sizes are welcome.  Items that do not fit the women currently in the house will be saved for women who might come later in the year.

·       Do not wrap.

·       Items should be placed in the sanctuary, under the Christmas tree.

·       All items must be to the church by worship on Sunday morning, December 16

Advent/Christmas at CPC

Here is what's going on this Advent/Christmas season at Community Presbyterian.

Morning worship with lighting of the Advent Candle - Every Sunday in December, 9:45 am

Lighting of Malverne - Saturday, December 1, 5-9 pm
Community Presbyterian will be serving free hot cider, cookies and apples from our table on Hempstead Avenue.

Advent Kick-off Pot luck & Craft Night - Sunday, December 2, 5:30 pm
Pot luck dinner, crafts, worship and music with our sister congregations from Nassau Joint Ministry.

Christmas Caroling - Date & Time TBD
A simple supper followed by going house to house brining Christmas joy to our neighbors.  Then we return to the church for a quiet evening of conversation, cookies and crafts for the kids.

Christmas Pageant - Sunday, December 23, 9:45 am
We'll be starting a new tradition this year under the direction of Kimberly Birch & Bonnie Piotrowski.  The pageant is open to everyone regardless of age.

Christmas Eve Services - Monday, December 24, 4:00 pm and 11:00 pm
The 4:00 family service is a relaxed, child oriented celebration of Christmas, with communion.  The service lasts about a hour and fifteen minutes.  The 11:00 service follows a low key lessons and carols format, and finishes around 12:05 on Christmas Day.

Mission Opportunities
The Presbyterian Women this year are leading us in mission for the Christmas season.

• Bakeless Bake Sale - a fundraiser for the Presbyterian Women.  Take whatever you would normally spend on the annual Presbyterian Women cookie walk and just give that to the women.
• Christmas Presents for the Bowery Mission Women's Center - The Bowery Mission gives homeless and hurting women a chance to rebuild their lives.  The Presbyterian Women make sure these women have a wonderful Christmas.  List of presents needed.

Food Drive 2012!

This year’s food drive week is June 10-16. On Sunday the 10th, leaflets will be distributed at church and we will divvy up the neighborhood. We have 2000 door hangers and we mean to hang each and every one of them! Then, on the 16th, we will collect the food from our neighbors and bring it to the church’s front yard. Be sure to sign up for a shift in front of the church on Saturday from 10-3! Don't live near Malverne? Join us by making a donation to your local food pantry or soup kitchen.

Long Island suffers from hunger along with the rest of the nation. In one survey done by Feeding America, it was found that of Long Island households utilizing food pantries:

-         47% had to choose between paying for food and paying for utilities

-         49% had to choose between food and rent or mortgage

-         36% had to choose between food and medicine or medical care

-         44% had to choose between food and transportation

-         34% had to choose between food and gasoline

-         39% are under the age of 18

-         4% are elderly

-         30% include someone with poor health

-         6% of “households” are homeless

Unfortunately, donations to food pantries usually drop off during the summer and schools no longer offer free or reduced cost lunch to students. Families suffer during this season which is why we hold our annual food drive in June. What can you do to help? Bring some of the items below to the church on Saturday, June 16 between 10 and 3. We’ll be donating the food to the Long Island Council of Churches’ Food Pantry.

Here is what the Food Pantry needs most to meet this increased need:

• Canned vegetables (low salt)
• Soup (low salt/low fat)
• Canned fruit, 100% Fruit Juice (not fruit drink)
• Pasta, rice, canned beans
• Complete pancake mix
• Oatmeal, grits, dry cereal (non/low sugar)
• Canned tuna, chicken, salmon (in water)
• Canned stew
• Nuts (low salt), peanut butter, jelly
• Dry milk, Parmalat
• Shampoo, soap, toiletries
• Clean, gently-used clothing
• Diapers (all sizes), Enfamil formula, baby cereal, baby wipes and powder

For more info:

Visit http://www.ncccusa.org/ecmin/licc/

2012 Confirmation Class

Since November kids from Malverne have joined youth from the Presbyterian Churches in Baldwin and Massapequa for confirmation class.  We finished up last Tuesday night with a special closing service at the Malverne church.  Check out the picture.

Planting Onions

On Sunday we joined with our partner congregations and spent a few hours at Crossroads Farm at Grossmans, a CSA here in Malverne. We got a tour, planted onions and then got to pull carrots to take home. Check out the picts.

Holy Week Schedule

The following is the schedule for Holy Week at CPC

Maundy Thursday - 4:00 pm
A contemplative service featuring foot washing and communion

Good Friday - 7:30 pm
A reading of the Passion Narrative from John's Gospel combined with a Tenebrae (dying of the light) service.

Day of Gladness - Saturday, April 7
A special day where the entire congregation is being challenged to intentionally make the gladness of Christ's resurrection known in ways large and small.

EASTER
Sunrise Service - 6:30 am at Jones Beach #6
This is the annual Nassau County Sunrise Service sponsored by the Long Island Council of Churches. Adrian Pratt, the Pastor of Baldwin Presbyterian Church is preaching this year.

Resurrection Celebration - 9:45 am
We bring the Alleluia back into the sanctuary and raise it to the rafters. Includes the telling of the Easter Story in ways appropriate for children and adults alike. We'll also be reporting on our Day of Gladness activities.

Easter Egg Hunt - 11:15

Palm Sunday 2012

We had a great Palm Sunday service, filled with processions, singing and communion. Many thank you to our worship leaders, the choir and Pam Jusino for helping develop the liturgy and the movement. Also thanks to Karen Record for shooting this video.

Untitled from Fritz Nelson on Vimeo.

We Did It! CPC Wins Souper Bowl Collection

Thanks to Rob's abundant efforts, CPC more than survived a last minute surge by Middle Island and won the SouperBowl 2012 food collection competition. We'll receive the trophy on April 12th at the Presbytery Meeting in Roosevelt.

Here's the final standings.


Here are some pictures from Shirley Yang as they delivered all the food to the Long Island Council of Churches Food Pantry in Freeport.

2012 Lenten Study - God's Abundant Table

Nassau Joint Ministries presents God's Abundant Table, a Lenten journey of food, community and worship across five stand-alone sessions. Topics include God's abundance, hospitality, the link between justice and food, spiritual food and giving thanks. Sessions begin with a simple dinner at 6:45 followed by a study and then closing with worship.

Dates & Locations:
February 28 - Massapequa
Presbyterian Community Church
150 Pittsburgh Street

March 6 - Garden City
The Presbyterian Church
91 Chester Avenue

March 13 - Malverne
Community Presbyterian Church
12 Nottingham Road

March 20 - Freeport
First Presbyterian Church
178 South Ocean Avenue

March 27 - Baldwin
First Presbyterian Church
717 Saint Luke's Place

Today's Souper Bowl Shopping Hint

Thanks to Don Neugebauer for catching the great deals on canned goods at Target. Campbells Condensed Soup four packs are $2.25 each. Goya tomato sauce is $.47 each. I was able to get 42 food items - soup, rice, beans and tomato sauce - for $25.

Souper Bowl Challenge

The Souper Bowl is a national collection for the hungry held on Super Bowl Sunday. Founded by the pastor of a Presbyterian Church in South Carolina, tens of thousands of churches, schools and youth organizations participate. For a full history go to the Souper Bowl web site.

The Souper Bowl Challenge began in 2011 when Middle Island Presbyterian Church challenged other congregations in the Presbytery of Long Island to a food collection contest during the month of February. The goal: collect as many food items as possible. The congregation that collected the most per member would win. That first year Malverne & Merrick accepted the challenge. Merrick won. In 2012 two other congregations: Yaphank and Bellmore have joined in the fun.

Current Souper Bowl standings as of February 19. Graph is of cans/member.

Congregational God Sightings 2011 & Prayers for 2012

Each year at Community Presbyterian's annual meeting we collect God Sightings from the previous year and prayer for the congregation in the year to come. Slightly condensed, these are this year's God Sightings and Prayers.

God Sightings for 2011
Our contributions to local missions
The way the congregation held together spiritually and financially through a year of economic distress
Church on the Road (2)
The three sages in the Christmas Pageant (1)
The energy brought by new members (4)
Craft Fair (4)
Lenten series on prayer
Advent/Christmas activities
Working together on the boiler (7)
Near balance of the budget
Our pastor (3)
Health of family & friends
Having God to guide my life
Thrift Shop ladies
Fellowship activities (2)
My baptism
Meeting and overcoming obstacles
Everyone who helps keep the congregation going
Use of Elders for preaching
Increased number of children in church
Growing partnerships with other congregations on youth ministry

Prayers for 2012
That we continue our good deeds and spread our love (2)
Growth of Little Blessings Preschool (4)
Membership growth(12)
Spiritual growth (2)
Meet the church budget (3)
Continue participation of young families
Continued blessing of the Lord's love
Growth in wisdom & generosity
Build up Sunday School (2)
Continue on as a congregation
Become a more vibrant, exciting pathway to a close relationship with God

Confirmation Art

Church history was the topic of last Tuesday's confirmation class. While Pastor Pam tried to cover 2,000 years in an hour and a half, the kids took to drawing the history on large sheets taped to the walls. Check out the video to see their unique take.

Allyce's paper.



Everyone Else's (Including Brittany)

Annual Meeting Sunday

CPC had its 98th annual meeting on Sunday and we shared reports, reviewed the church finances, elected officers and lifted up congregational priorities. We also collected congregational God sightings from 2011 and prayers for 2012. Those will be posted as soon as we get them typed up.

Got your own God sightings from 2011 and prayers for 2012? Leave them in the comments.

Need a copy of the Annual Report? Contact the church office.

Our congregational priorities for 2012 are:
- Increase number of congregation & community dinners
- Better care of our oldest members
- Continued focus on meeting the financial needs of the congregation.

Read Pastor Fritz's State of the Church address laying out the above priorities.

Congratulations and thank you to our new class of elders:
- Lorne Birch
- June Englese
- Shel Basch

And to our new class of Deacons:
- Dorothy Grace
- Lori Basch
- Shirley Yang
- Kayla Hospodka

Bowery Mission Women's Center Gifts

As our Christmas service project, we collected gifts for the women at The Bowery Mission Women's Center at Heartsease Home. As usual everyone was generous - we almost completely filled the back of Milan's truck - and as you can see from these pictures the women at the Women's Center were thrilled. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

Buy From Women for Women

This year our church wide mission project is to buy gifts for the women at The Bowery Mission Women's Center, a program on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that provides shelter, support, counseling and job training for women in crisis. Click here for the complete list of suggested gifts. (Note: the list is on page 2)

Wouldn't it be neat if you could double your impact by buying your gift for The Bowery Mission Women's Center from other programs that serve to empower women? The cool thing is you can - and you might very well save money by doing so. Here are some links to places you can shop.

Serrv - One of the largest outlets for fair trade crafts, the majority of Serrv's handicrafts are made by women through dozens of programs around the world that serve to educate and economically empower women, and through them, their communities.

Soup of Success - Soups, desserts & greeting cards by homeless women in Elkhart, IN

Women's Initiative Network - Foods stuffs & Jewelry by domestic violence survivors in Wichita, KS

Poverello Prints - amazing cards and artwork by the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi

Women of the Cloud Forest - jewelry & embroidered bags from Costa Rica

Tutwiler Quilters - quilted bags and place mats from the Mississippi Delta

Women's Bean Project - soup mixes from Denver, CO