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

We Give Thanks

Last Sunday at CPC we renewed our Thanksgiving Banner, pinning leaves with our own prayers of Thanksgiving up on the large cloth banner reading "Thank you."

Here are some of the prayers of thanks that were offered. Add your own Prayer of Thanksgiving to the comments, or add it to the banner in church next time you are there.

• Family and church
• My family
• Guiding and protecting us through a difficult year
• A new addition to the family
• A loving, wonderful wife
• Every breath I take
• Family, good friends, good health
• Life, family, church
• Food, water, shelter
• Good health & Pastor Fritz's leadership
• For God keeping us strong in tough times and blessing us in good times
• Shepherds who take care of the sheep
• Love of children
• Wife, family & friends - for health & peace in their lives
• A loving family who is there when I need them
• Love, family, health
• The opportunities I have been luckily enough to be given
• Strength and good health to continue caring for my mother-in-law
• Mommy, Papa, Daddy
• That God puts up with me
• Family, friendship, patience, health, happiness
• My little boys & family
• The warm friendship found at CPC
• Amazing family & friends
• Wonderful family
• Health & family
• Church & family
• Wife, daughter, future son-in-law & church
• Wife who picks me up from the train station at 11:30 pm
• Healthy family
  

The Annotated Guide to Advent/Christmas at CPC

Every place has its traditions, and some are a little peculiar, so I thought I'd explain a little about what we do at CPC to keep our spirits focused on Christ during this season.

Download the entire Advent/Christmas schedule

The Advent Wreath - A devotional tool used to focus on the light that Christ brings into our lives during Christmas. Consists of four candles (either pink or purple) symbolizing the weeks leading up to Christmas and a white center candle symbolizing Christ. On Sundays during worship, starting November 27, we will light one candle each week. Then on Christmas Eve we will light the inner white candle. Many of us also have advent wreaths in our homes and light them daily during a meal or during private devotions. The church distributes a daily Advent devotional to help focus us on Christ's coming.

Poinsettias - members and friends of the congregation contribute to decorating the sanctuary by buying poinsettias in honor or remembrance of those they love. Those who desire to take their poinsettias home after the Christmas Eve service pay a premium of $12. Those who leave their poinsettias behind to decorate the sanctuary through the Christmas season pay $6. Those who are feeling generous or forgetful pay $12 and leave their poinsettia behind.

Advent Kickoff Potluck (Sunday, Nov. 27 @ 6:00) - a low key dinner to get the Christmas season started right.

Lighting of Malverne (Saturday, Dec. 3 from 5-9) - Malverne's Christmas festival. We have a table out on Hempstead Avenue (which is closed) and give away free cookies and hot cider while inviting everyone to join us for the Christmas season (and beyond).

Cookie Walk (Sunday, Dec. 11 after church) - an annual fundraiser for the Presbyterian Women. In the old days they would bake cookies and sell them to the congregation. Now everyone in the congregation bakes cookies and then buys their cookies back.

The Christmas Tree (Decorated on Dec. 11 during worship) - The sanctuary Christmas Tree is communally decorated with generations of ornaments made by church school children and others.

Caroling (Sunday, Dec. 11 @ 3:30) - We gather for a simple dinner of soup, bread and hot dogs before careening around town to sing carols at the homes of our shut ins and others. We than return to the church for a relaxing evening of hot coco, cookies and conversation in the church lounge.

Christmas Eve Services (Dec. 24, 4:00 & 11:00) - The so called "family service," the 4:oo service makes a special effort to include the congregation's children in telling the Christmas story. It also includes special music, Pastor Fritz's Christmas sermon and communion. The 4:00 service tends to run a little longer than an ordinary Sunday service. The 11:00 service is a low key service of lessons and carols. Members of the congregation read a series of scriptures beginning with Genesis that illuminate the coming of Jesus. Between readings the congregation sings carols or special music is offered. There is no sermon. The service ends shortly after 12:00 am on Christmas morning.

Download the entire Advent/Christmas schedule

Church Fair 2011

Many thanks to everyone who helped with this year's church fair and dinner - and a special thanks to those who came and spent money. The fair raised over $5,200 for the church.

Check out the slide show.

Church Fair this Weekend

Saturday, 10 - 3, Dinner at 6:00. Dinner is $12.

Fresh Vegetables • Mary’s Crafts • Fair Trade Crafts from around the world • Baked Goods • Baskets & More Baskets • Quilt Raffle • Hand made Children’s Clothes • Sausage Lady • Children’s craft project • Pork Dinner

Check out the quilt


Here's the flier. Click for a printable PDF.