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THE
Weathervane
101 Bridgeboro Road, Moorestown, New Jersey (856) 235-1688
December 2010 If you know me, you will know my Father also. John 14:7
January 2011
Dear Friends,
A Few of the families at
Some day I hope to get to a palace in Rome and see a painting by a man named
The Gingerbread House Challenge
Reni. It is painted into the ceiling of the dome, over 100 feet high. To stand at the
on Saturday, November 27th
floor level and look upward, the painting seems to be surrounded by a fog which
leaves its content unclear. But in the center of the great dome room is a huge mir-
ror, which in its reflection picks up the picture. By looking into the mirror you can
see the picture with great clarity.
Jesus, born in a manger at Bethlehem, is the mirror of God. The Bible could not be
clearer ~ Jesus is God speaking for God’s self. He said on a number of occasions,
“If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” No power on earth has done
more to tame the hostile forces of humankind than this Child of Bethlehem. In fact,
those forces are not only tamed by those who open their hearts to it, those forces
The Williams Family
are defeated through a cross that extends its shadow over the manger scene. My
prayer is that this Christ will fill your heart and home not only this month, but every
day of your life. There is no greater gift anyone can receive than the gift of Jesus’
saving love and grace. I encourage you to receive and offer that gift to those you
love this season. Offer it by name ~ the Name above all names.
Merry Christmas to all in this blessed congregation. Thank you for your generosity
as we conclude the calendar year and thank you for supporting the leadership, staff
and my own family in both the joys and challenges faced.
I did want to thank you for your prayers during this recovery from prostate surgery.
At this time it has been determined that more treatment is needed, so I anticipate
The Moxhay Family
beginning radiation treatment soon. Your prayers are your best gifts. I look forward
to our best Christmas and New Year celebration ever!
DECEMBER 5 DECEMBER 5
STANDING AS A SIGNAL THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO REMEMBER
Isaiah 11:1-10 and John 6:16-21 Mark 12:28-34
Jonathan Miller Wes Allen
DECEMBER 12 DECEMBER 12
3rd Sunday in Advent THE CHRISTMAS MYSTERY
LOOKING FOR JESUS IN ADVENT? AND A POOR WIDOW
Isaiah 35:1-10 and John 6:22-34 Mark 12: 35-44
Dick Herman Jonathan Miller
DECEMBER 19
DECEMBER 19
4th Sunday in Advent
THE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE
GOD WITH US ~THE STAPLE OF LIFE AND HAPPY GIFTS
Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25 and John 6:35-40 Mark 13:1-13
Jonathan Miller Martha Jordan
DECEMBER 24
Christmas Eve
THE MESSIAH SIGN
Luke 2:8-14
4pm and 5:30pm Family Services in the Sanctuary
Jonathan Miller
4:15pm “Little Ones Service” in the Commons
Holly Asciutto and Wes Allen
7pm New Creation ~ Martha Jordan
8:30pm Holy Communion ~ Jonathan Miller
11pm Lessons and Carols ~ Dick Herman
DECEMBER 25
THE GOD YOU TOUCH
10am Worship only
John 1:14-18
Jonathan Miller
DECEMBER 26 DECEMBER 26
NO TIME TO PLAY ~ THE STRUGGLE BEGINS WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AT THE END
Isaiah 63:7-9, Matthew 2:13-23 and John 6:41-51 Mark 13:14-27
10am Worship only Jonathan Miller Dick Herman
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JANUARY 2 JANUARY 2
Holy Communion MAYBE TONIGHT, MAYBE THIS YEAR
A DIFFICULT TEACHING ~ IN THE NEW YEAR Mark 13:28-37
John 6:52-71 Wes Allen
Martha Jordan
JANUARY 9
JANUARY 9
TALK ABOUT A GIFT OF LOVE!
DISCERNING THE TIMES
Mark 14:1-9
John 7:1-36
Jonathan Miller
Jonathan Miller
JANUARY 16 JANUARY 16
THE SIGN OF THE TIMES BETRAYAL
Numbers 20:2-13 and John 7:37-52 Mark 14:10-21
Martha Jordan
Jonathan Miller
JANUARY 23 JANUARY 23
WHEN JESUS WROTE ON THE GROUND RENEWAL FROM THE INSIDE OUT
John 8:1-11 Christian Andrews
Christian Andrews
JANUARY 30
JANUARY 30 FAMOUS LAST WORDS
THE Q AND A GOES ON Mark 14:22-31
John 8:21-33 Wes Allen
Jonathan Miller
Financial Update . . .
Our 2010 General Fund income is still about $160,000 less than our YTD expenses. Your continued generosity in the coming
weeks will help us meet our expenses by December 31st. If you can make an extra gift, or complete payment on your 2010
pledge, your help will be greatly appreciated!
Pledges to the 2011 General Fund now total $1,145,900 as compared to $1,018,500 this time last year. Thank you! Pledge
cards are still available in the narthex or from the church office.
2011 offering envelopes are now available in the lobby outside of the Commons. If you have requested envelopes, please
help us save on postage costs by picking up your box of envelopes.
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Let me ask you to think on and pray over one question: What are the gifts? I don’t mean, “What’s on your Christmas list?” or “Can
you guess what’ll be under the tree?” Rather, looking to the gospel where the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us” as Jesus was
born: “What gifts does God have for you?” … gifts you can embrace, enjoy and respond to with praise. AND, “For what gifts are you
grateful that came from His hand to you in 2010?”
One great gift Jesus hands me every day is the reminder that I am (we are) not alone. As the prophet said of Jesus’ birth – “the virgin
shall be with child, give birth to a son and call him Immanuel”—which means “God with us” (Isa. 7:14; Mt. 1:22,23). I.e., God has not
walked away from me nor given up on me … and you. God is with me and you.
One of the great gifts He gave me this year was a four month sabbatical to reconnect with Him, with Lissa and with my own soul. What
a great gift those months were…THANK YOU! But the sabbatical was and is a gift for all of us … for you as well as me … a gift that
will continue to unfold for us during the three days of January 21-23, 2011. During that weekend, we’ll welcome Christian Andrews to
guide us on a journey into the heart of God’s love for us and of His presence with us in the Holy Spirit who daily makes possible the life
we’ve always wanted which is Life As It’s Meant to Be.
Christian, who was with us for a Sunday last February, is lead pastor of ORB (The Outreach Red Bank Community Church) which
started in 2002 as an outreach ministry towards young people and is now a multi-generational church. The soul of that church, reflect-
ing the soul of their pastor, is to be a body of people through whom the good news of Jesus Christ can go out into the world and
through whom all kinds of people can come to know and follow him.” Those who heard him in February already know Christian as a
powerful and creative communicator of God’s truth.
As I look forward to that weekend, two images come to mind: FIRE and WATER. FIRE IN THE
HEART and STREAMS OF LIVING WATER WITHIN THE SOUL. There’s power in those images:
as fire drives an engine or water turns a turbine. There’s joy in those images: as fire “dances” and water
“bubbles”. But there’s also a Person in those images – for they are visual images for God’s Holy Spirit
who is God With Us every day, who gives us the power to live and the joy that makes life worth living.
Life As It’s Meant to Be:
Therefore the sub-title to the weekend:
The Holy Spirit and the Transformed Life.
Elsewhere in The Weathervane, you’ll find the preliminary schedule for the weekend. As you’ll see, it’s a whole church family weekend
with ministry for kids, youth and adults … with times geared for each and others for us all together. And here’s what I like to encour-
age you to do with this gift: look the schedule over and jot in your calendar, PDS or Daytimer when you can and will be there to open
the gift God has for us in that weekend. Then, begin to pray with me for that weekend … seek out a way you can do even one small
thing to help out for the weekend (call Harris Ransom at the church and let him know when you can help out).
As you come into the Holy Season – ask yourself: “What are the gifts?” Celebrate THE gift in Jesus, and look forward to the gifts He
has for you during the Spiritual Renewal Weekend in January. As always, I remain … yours in Christ’s service
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A Preliminary Schedule
The turn of another year signals the passage of time and reminds us that we live within the limitations set by God. Three
thousand years ago, King David understood the boundaries of life on earth when he said in Psalm 139:15-16, “Like an open book, you
watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before
I'd even lived one day.” (The Message) We all have to use our time wisely as we have a limited amount of time. But how do you de-
cide how to spend your time?
Allow me to give you a spiritual check list to help improve your spiritual journey.
It’s been said that an optimist stays up until midnight to see the New Year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.
Join the ranks of forward thinkers who are filled with hope because they know the secret of Romans 8:26-28: “Meanwhile, the moment
we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He
does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know our-
selves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of
love for God is worked into something good.”
As you prepare for the birth of a Babe in Bethlehem and the beginning of 2011, let’s make an effort to bring our best to God for God
will not let us down.
Blessings,
Dr. Diogenes Allen will lead a four week Adult Sunday School class beginning January 9th.
He will talk about the Theology for the Troubled Believer, which is the title of his recent book.
The reasons people are attracted to Christianity and its teachings are many and varied. Dr. Allen
hopes to supply the missing pieces of the puzzle that are needed to make sense of the Christian
understanding of God and our life. The book addresses issues and questions that emerge on
a daily life for people.
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Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays don’t necessarily find everyone feeling warm and cheerful. For some of us, the joy
and happiness advertised on television or in greeting cards, gives a bittersweet taste to this time of year when nostalgic
memories of past holidays bring a stark awareness that life has changed and people we love are gone. Dealing with the
death of a loved one, facing life after divorce or separation, coping with the loss of a job, living with cancer or some other
disease that puts a question mark over the future can make holiday parties and festivities painful for many people in our
congregation and community.
That’s why we offer each year at this time a quiet Advent Service of Remembrance that is reflective and quiet in tenor, accepting of
where we really are, giving room for tears (if needed) or a quiet smile. This is a service which holds out healing and hope for every-
one who is present by creating sacred space for families, friends and anyone living through dark times.
So, we invite you to join us on Sunday, December 5 in a candlelit sanctuary at 7:00 pm, for a time of special music, scripture, sto-
ries, quiet reflection, healing prayer and communion; and Pastor Dick Herman will bring a simple meditation entitled Sow in Tears
… Reap in Joy.
Please come or come with someone you care about who needs such a service of healing – and bring a picture or remembrance of
your loved one(s) to place on the window sills of our sanctuary to say in the presence of our Lord and our friends, that our love for
them and God’s love for us and them still carries us through it all.
Missionwares is another way to respond to those in need around the world at Christmas. Through Missionwares, fair in-
come is derived for skilled artisans in exchange for their beautiful and unique handcrafts and jewelry. In addition to offering hand-
crafts from the two largest Christian organizations that assist third world artisans, Missionwares also welcomes other ministries that
focus in special areas. One example is Africa Team Ministries (CA) that imports handcrafts and jewelry from Kenya to support the
HIV/AIDS training of church elders through the Presbyterian Church of East Africa. Another example is Wonderfully Made Jewelry
(VA) whose mission is to create hope through an alternative income for survivors of trafficking and exploitation. Each item of
jewelry tells a story of the avenue to lasting freedom for victims of trafficking and represents a discussion piece because of the
beauty of the design and elegance in the materials and craftsmanship.
The schedule for Missionwares coincides with the Alternative Gift Market .
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Through the Christmas Joy Offering, the Board of Pensions assists current or re-
tired church workers in crisis or in the event of an extraordinary medical situation or
natural disaster. As the staff was discussing Advent activities, Pastor Martha
shared her testimony about the significance of Christmas Joy offerings in
her family. In 2003 the Jordan’s daughter KD was progressing with the help
of special speech services provided by their New York school district. In
2005 they moved to a small town in Indiana where the special services KD
was receiving were not available. They continued to work at home to help
KD develop her communication skills and found a speech therapist to work
with her through the summer. However, they learned that the summer services would not be covered by insurance. Without
continuity of care the Jordan’s were deeply concerned that KD would lose ground. “Through the generosity of the Christ-
mas Joy Offering we were able to afford the therapy for the summer. As a pastor, it was a wonderful blessing knowing that
our church and denomination supported us.”
Our denomination historically promotes education, especially through establishing and supporting racial ethnic schools. The Christ-
mas Joy Offering provides scholarships to deserving students and helps schools with basic operating costs. These schools develop
leaders for tomorrow as they enable students to discover and pursue their dreams - Barber-Scotia College (NC); Cook College &
Theological School (AZ);; Knoxville College (TN); Menaul School (NM); Sheldon Jackson College (AK) Stillman College (AL); Pres-
byterian Pan American School (TX)
Christmas Joy Offering envelopes (star), as well as FPC Christmas Offering envelopes (candles), are in our stewardship supplies and
pew racks in the sanctuary. As you are able, please add your gifts to these special offerings on Manger Sunday, December 19th.
..........LOOKING AHEAD.........
Wednesday, December 15th
4:45pm Kingdom Kids and 6:30pm Crossing Zone Tuesday, February 2, 2011
Christmas Parties Youth Breakfast resumes at 6:30am
at various locations in the Moorestown area.
Sunday, December 19
Stay tuned.
Christmas Play during Sunday School Hour at 9:30am
February 25-27, 2011
Senior High Lake Champion Winter Retreat
Experience the weekend of your life with all your friends. At Lake
Champion you’ll have an opportunity to ride on the alpine swing,
tackle the ropes course, zipline across the frozen lake and be
challenged in your relationship with God.
$135/person
Register online by February 14, 2011
Epiphany Concert
Sunday, January 9, 2011
7:30pm in the Sanctuary
Choristers, Chapel Choir and Adult Choir
Seasonal Works for Individual and Combined Choirs
Joel Krott, Director
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Winter Gathering
SAVE THE DATE of Presbyterian Women
for the 94th Annual
Check one:
_____Pick Up _____Donate * Please bring this form to the church office by December 15th