October 2014

Dear Friends,

What makes a church member?

Membership in the Reformed Church in America is divided into

three categories: Baptized, confessing and inactive.

Everyone who has been baptized in the church is a baptized

member. This includes all infants, children, and youth who have

not yet made their Confirmation. It also includes any adults who

have been baptized, but never become confessing members.

Confessing or active members are those who have been baptized,

have met with the Board of Elders and been received into

membership. There are three ways that this can happen. A person

might make a profession of faith – a first time commitment of

membership, such as Confirmation. A transfer would happen when

a person who is a confessing member of one congregation seeks to

become a member of a different congregation. A reaffirmation of

faith would be needed if a person has become an inactive member

or been removed from the roll of membership of the original

church they joined. When meeting with the Board of Elders, a

person may be asked what brought them to the church or other

questions about their life and faith. They are also asked to affirm

that they believe that Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. A

confessing member promises to be a faithful member of the

congregation which they are joining. This is done through

attendance in worship and sharing in the Lord’s Supper. It may

also take the form of sharing gifts and talents. When requesting

baptism for an infant, at least one parent must be a confessing member. If a member’s active life with the church ceases for one year, by not attending worship, then the Board of Elders will move them to inactive membership, unless illness or some other circumstance makes worship impossible. An inactive member may move back to active membership by resuming worship attendance and requesting reaffirmation from the Board of Elders. Any questions about your membership? Interested in making the decision to affirm, reaffirm or transfer? You may speak to Pastor Linda. There will be an Elders’ meeting on Sunday, October 19th for anyone who would like to speak to the Elders about joining or reaffirming their membership. Come and explore the path that is right for you. There will then be an opportunity for new members to join the church on October 26th in worship. Church membership is about making a commitment to Christ’s church and moving to a deeper relationship with Jesus. It is about taking your place as a co-worker in God’s kingdom, here in College Point, and also in the church throughout the earth. The church is a family in Christ. We hope you will join us. Shalom Pastor Linda

Worship in October

October 5 Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost/Worldwide Communion

Sunday – Communion – “The Feast of Booths: A Dramatic Retelling of the story in Nehemiah”

12 Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost – Worship Committee will be leading

worship

19 Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost –

Peace with Justice Sunday –

26 Twentieth Sunday after

Pentecost/Reformation Sunday –

Opportunity for new members to join the church - Matthew 22:34-46

Please keep the following in your prayers this week: Stacy Maeurer, Jeaanne Holden, Janet Flory, Thomas Kenniff,

Jennifer Cabral, Kayla Verdino, Greg and Dorothy Doyle-

Wandell, Mark Clingo, Lydia Marcantonio, Thelma Whittaker, Joy

Zomer, Rob Anderson, Barbara Stalmack, Henry Wegmann,

Elizabeth Artinger, Edward Troster, Tina Banks, Carmela Carillo

and family, Cathy Cunningham, Robert Zittel, Helen Torok and

family, Neil Troster, Elana Ficalora, Anne Johannson, Tina

McKinley, Charles Ayers, Paul Angenbroich, Richard Carboni,

Ted Buhl, Mary Weber, Judy Troster, Terry Hoffman, Mary

McKeown, Rosemary Ricken, Ruth Sottolano, Maria Bateman,

Tony Artinger, Kathleen Hart Brumm, Betty Farina, Sabina

Cardali, Tom McDonald, Matthew Lotz, Danny McCaffrey, Billy

Schmidt, Richie Schmidt, Catherine Raines, Jennifer Piatek, Ed

Duggan, Virginia Maresca, Dorothy Weis, Brian Giordano, Arlene

Bealin, Charles Kenney, Raymond & Cathy Wegmann, Carmela

Oppedisano, James Folmsbee, James Donaghy, Nick Markoulakis,

Glenn Brown, Maryann Hernandez, Barbara O’Keefe, Frank

Basile, Don Bozzo, Lucille Smith, Laura Brady, Kristy Breen, Pam

Crabtree, Frank Priore, Pam Dobular, Rosie Riollano, Tim Dolan,

Grace Agunzo, Louis Werner, Renaldo Weaver, Madalene Basile,

Ralph & Zonia Seizinger, Maria Negele, Ken Trautwig, Debbie

Tanico, George Legaz, Angela McIntyre, Anna Lebel and family,

Eric Rivera, Ronnie Sowa, Joyce M, Catherine Norton, Barbara

Carson, Eileen Poll, Darius Grayhall, Dorothy Stanley, Barbara

Plitt, Marilyn Landet, Veronica Ivins, Ariela Brand, Andrew

Elizee, Margret Elizee, Arlene Stetzner, Irene Newman Gerdau,

Peter Vroom, Gerhard Kern, Brianna Brackett, Peter Gribbin, Ron

Durham, Daphne Hanousek, Caren Mack, Ernest Ackerman, Rudy

Zachernegg, William Schutt, Doreen Ziegler Adam Crabtree, Billy

Newman, Jeff Ivans, Carina Basile, Barbara Garrick, Alma &

Billy Bernett, Tom Cahill, Arnold Rodriguez, Maureen Kiley,

Emily Garrick, Michele Broccoli All people in our nation and around the world affected by natural

disasters.

All veterans, those who serve our country and their families

If you have an update on anyone listed, please send it to

prayerrequests@frccp.org or call the Church Office

(718) 359-3956. Thank you.

OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS

October

05 Carol Lange

06 Judy Demaris McDonald

08 Angelica Lee Lockerbie

09 Ericka Lynn Blanc

14 Kimberly Zeena Smith

15 Ted Buhl

John Newton

16 Andrew Tucker

20 Reverend Linda Burlew Gold

Frank Priore

21 Alice Crotty

24 Marcus Martinez

25 May Erickson

26 Tina Banks

John Carmichael

Stephanie Motz

29 Carly Losgar

31 Harry Hoffman

Thank you to Speedo the Clown for all their help

with Renew! Refresh! Revive!

Prayer for Autumn Days

Author Unknown

God of the seasons, there is a time for everything; there is a time for

dying and a time for rising. We need courage to enter into the transformation process.

God of autumn, the trees are saying goodbye to their green, letting go of what has been. We, too, have our moments of surrender, with all their insecurity and risk. Help us to let go when we need to do so.

God of fallen leaves lying in colored patterns on the ground, our lives have their own patterns. As we see the patterns of our own growth,

may we learn from them.

God of misty days and harvest moon nights, there is always the dimension of mystery and wonder in our lives. We always need to

recognize your power-filled presence. May we gain strength from this.

God of harvest wagons and fields of ripened grain, many gifts of growth lie within the season of our surrender. We must wait for

harvest in faith and hope. Grant us patience when we do not see the blessings.

God of geese going south for another season, your wisdom enables us to know what needs to be left behind and what needs to be carried

into the future. We yearn for insight and vision.

God of flowers touched with frost and windows wearing white designs, may your love keep our hearts from growing cold in the

empty seasons.

God of life, you believe in us, you enrich us, you entrust us with the freedom to choose life. For all this, we are grateful.

It Was One of Those Fine October Days

It was one of those fine October days free from summer’s heat and haze

but not yet gripped by autumn chill.

It was one of those fine October days when the sky’s so clear you can see the moon

through the atmosphere at midday.

It was one of those fine October days when the trees sport yellow and red instead of everyday summer green.

It was one of those fine October days

when one draws a deep breath and is grateful

to be resident on Earth.

Richard Greene

Church Chuckles

It was the end of the day when I parked my police van in front of

the station. As I gathered my equipment, my K-9 partner, Jake,

was barking, and I saw a little boy staring in at me. 'Is that a dog

you got back there?' he asked.

'It sure is,' I replied.

Puzzled, the boy looked at me and then towards the back of the

van. Finally he said, 'What'd he do?'

It’s A Small Story, But A Very Cute Story

By: Narrenaditya

Some where in midtown Mumbai there’s a posh locality meant for the living of only aristocratic families. It’s perhaps the only locality in the most popular city of India where there are many independent houses and a very few apartment buildings.. Meridian Towers is one such apartment complex in that locality that houses the families of the rich and the famous personalities of Mumbai. And it is in these apartments that our beloved Ramakanth Joglekar and his wife Bhavana Joglekar are living… However, it’s not important here to know what exactly Ramakanth and his wife Bhavana do for their living but it is definitely important to know what made them the central point of this story. Ramakanth is about sixty years of age and Bhavana about fifty seven…They do everything to make their lives happy and it is again not relevant here to know more about their other family members because it’s only the cute couple of Ramakanth and Bhavana that live in that posh five bed room apartment where our story is now taking place. Ramakanth and Bhavana have a very long and successful love marriage that is about thirty five years old now…Their love story may not be as intense as Sohni-Mahiwal or Shajahan and Mumtaz but they strongly believe that they have a better and more powerful love story to narrate to the world if only the world is willing to pay some attention to them. They still spend a lot of time together and still believe in squeezing maximum juices out of life. With a wide collection of world’s most popular and rich varieties of Red Wine, the lovely middle aged couple of Ramakanth and Bhavana take pride in throwing lavish parties to their other aristocratic friends, often. Life is on a song for the lovely couple until Ramakanth gradually started noticing a problem in his wife that really kept bothering him a lot. However, his abundant love for his wife did not allow him to discuss it with her. But at the same time he cannot remain

ignorant of the problem and some how wants his wife to overcome

that problem at the earliest. He had spent many sleepless nights

unable to know what to do.

Then one fine morning Ramakanth personally visited Dr.Jayavanth

Divakar, an ENT Surgeon practicing in Linking Road,Santa Cruz,

Mumbai. He told the doctor..”Doc, I have a doubt for the last

couple of months that my wife is going deaf day by day. But I

cannot discuss the problem with her as it may be very

embarrassing for her to accept it. So what do you want me to do?

Please help”

Doctor smiled and said “It’s only your doubt that she is developing

deafness but you are not sure that she is deaf. So conduct a small

test. When she is working in the kitchen tomorrow ask her a

question “What curry are you cooking for lunch today?”..

“..First you stand at a thirty feet distance from her and put this

question in a low tone.. Then reduce the distance by five feet and

move slightly closer to her and put the same question from twenty

five feet distance and then from twenty feet distance and so on

Like that, keep decreasing five feet every time and repeat the

question..”

“..Remember, the tone when you put the question should be in

normal conversational level and not more than that Let me know

at what distance you got the reply from her and then we will be

able to know how severe her deafness is and what line of treatment

should be adopted. Don’t worry I will take care of it..”

Next morning Bhavana was busy in the kitchen preparing food

items for the day. Ramakanth thought “it’s the right time to

perform the test on her.”

He went into their master bedroom; stood in the utmost corner of

the room which is more than thirty feet from Bhavana and asked

her in a normal tone. “Sweetheart, what’s cooking up for lunch?”..

No reply from Bhavana..

A shocked Ramakanth reduced the distance and put the same question from about twenty five feet now. No reply again as Bhavana was busy frying something on the pan.. A heart broken Ramakanth repeated the question from twenty feet and then from fifteen feet and again from ten feet but was not getting any reply from his beloved wife. Without even lifting her head she was busy with her cooking operation. Finally Ramakanth, who is now almost in tears for his beloved wife, moved very close to her and asked the same question from less than a five feet distance “Sweetheart, what’s cooking up for lunch?.”.. Watching her beloved husband standing almost next to her Bhavana turned to him and said “It’s Deep Onion Fried Chicken curry Sweetheart. But why are you asking the same question so many times? First you asked me from the corner of our bed room “Sweetheart, what’s cooking up for lunch?” I said, ” Deep Onion Fried Chicken curry..”.. “..Then you came to our wardrobe and asked the same question and again I replied. Then you repeated the same question standing near our double cot, then from our dressing table, then standing at the entrance of our bedroom and then from our dining table and now finally standing so close to me you are asking the same question “Sweetheart what’s cooking up for lunch?”.. ”It’s your favorite Deep Onion Fried Chicken Curry sweetheart, but now tell me what’s wrong with you?” “..Why are you acting so funny? Why are you asking the same question so many times? Is everything fine with you or is there any problem? Why don’t you get checked up once? There is a very good ENT specialist by name Dr.Jayavanth Divakar in Linking Road,Santa Cruz.. His wife is my childhood friend. Shall I make his appointment tomorrow? You are sixty sweetheart and there is nothing wrong in getting checked up once.”

ANNOUNCMENTS

Bible Study

Monday Night Bible Study will resume on October 27th

at 7 pm.

We will be studying "The New Testament from Scratch" so if

you ever wanted to start Bible study, now is the perfect time to

join! Please speak to Pastor Linda if you would like to join us.

Third Sunday Programs

October – “Protecting our Children” – A program on child safety and

abuse prevention policies and programs.

November- "Counting Our Blessings"- with Sister Ave Clark

December- " Joyful Traditions" - By Peter Rose. Lecture focuses

on how the Dutch brought us Santa, presents & treats

January- " God's Not Dead" - This faith based movie, with Kevin

Sobel, is about the an atheist college professor who announces that

as far as he's concerned God is dead and wants all of his students

to agree. One student challenges him and thus the drama unfolds.

Warming Center

After prayerful consideration, the members of Consistory have

been working on other ways to help the homeless for this winter.

Last winter was an emergency situation; however now that we

have more time for planning we can help them find more suitable

shelter. If you know of any resources that can be utilized, please

speak to any Consistory member or Pastor Linda. Thank you.

Fellowship Luncheon

There will be a fellowship luncheon October 8th at noon at

Danny’s Steakhouse on 15th Ave (the old 5 corners restaurant). If anyone is interested in attending, please speak to Eva Hrastnig-

Mieras or just plan to join us for lunch together that day.

Chimney Fund

The chimney of the Chapel was on the verge of collapse. Emergency repair was done to replace the old chimney with one

that is much stronger and able to withstand the elements. The cost was $12,000, which was borrowed out of our savings. If you would like to contribute to the offset the cost of these repairs,

please mark your donation “Chimney Fund.” Thank you for your help.

Gingerbread Fund

The gingerbread over the 119th Street door of the Chapel has been repaired, but the cost was significant. If you would like to

contribute to offset the cost of these repairs, please mark your donation “Gingerbread Fund”. All those who contribute will be recognized with their name on a gingerbread man on the bulletin board in the back of the Chapel. To date we have only collected

$665 in contributions. Thank you if you are able to help offset this large expense!

Flowers and Bulletins

Please note that there are still weeks available if you would like to give the gift of flowers or bulletins in memory or in honor of

friends or loved ones. Please speak to Doris Harris if you would like to make a contribution. You can also call the Church Office (718) 359-3956 or email us at office@frccp.org and we will pass

the information along to Doris.

Making a Difference

Dr. Brown’s workshop on the religious history of

Flushing, Queens was fascinating. Facts about two

dozen religions with matching videos were viewed by

College Point residents.

As a teacher, I was especially thrilled by his use of

pictures, as this is how I often communicated with

my students.

A question and answer period followed, which

provided several facts on little known information to

the audience; such as why religious women were

attired similarly to men of faith.

Dr. Brown’s books have been purchased by a group

of my friends and we look forward to reading them

and hope he will give us more lectures.

Thank you, Judy Eisenberg and Lucie Shannon

We would like to include “Making a Difference” as a regular feature in

our newsletter.

If you would like to contribute a testimonial of how our church is making

a difference in your life, please submit it to newsletter@frccp.org

Fall Fair --Save the Date!

Our Annual Fall Fair will be held on Saturday,

November 15th

, from 10 am to 4 pm.

New this year: crafts, games and fun activities for kids!

We will also be selling bratwurst and hotdogs. Tables are available for Vendors.

For more information, please call (718) 359-3956 or email us at office@frccp.org

Newsletter Ads

If you are interested in purchasing an ad to support our newsletter, please complete this form and mail to: First Reformed Church of College Point

118-17 14th

Avenue

College Point, NY 11356 The Steeple of the First Reformed Church is sent out eleven times a year to approximately three hundred homes, most of them in College Point. It is also posted online on our website and linked to through our Facebook page. Through your support we will be able to defray the costs of this ministry, which is our main contact with members who are shut in or out of state.

• All ads must be submitted camera ready. Size may be adjusted if needed.

• All ads are 2 x 3-1/2 inches (the size of a business card)

• Cost is $110 for publication in eleven issues of the newsletter (one year)

• No credit card logos may appear in any ads. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Business Name_______________________________________ Contact Name _______________________________________ Phone Number_______________________________________ Please enclose ad plus check made out to “First Reformed Church” DO NOT STAPLE AD TO THIS FORM

The Chapel Players

Of

The First Reformed Church of College Point

Present

FUTURE PERFECT A NEW COMEDY

By

Frank V. Priore

October 10th

, 11th

, 17th

, 18th

8:00 pm

October 11th

, 18th

2:00 pm Tickets $15

First Reformed Church of College Point

118-17 14th Avenue

College Point, NY 11356

(718) 359-3956

Would You like to serve in worship?

The Consistory has decided to open up opportunities for people to serve in worship. Please return this form in the offering plate if you

are interested in serving in any of these ways and you will be assigned a date and given instructions.

Anyone or any age may serve in any way, unless it is indicated otherwise. If you have any questions, you may speak to Pastor

Linda, Susan Brustmann or Lorraine Artinger.

Name ________________________________________________ Phone Number _________________________________________ E-Mail Address ________________________________________

I am interested in serving by: Ushering (Arrive at 10am to distribute bulletins and collect the offering) Greeting (Arrive at 10am and greet people as they arrive to worship) Scripture Reading Serve Communion (Only members of the Great Consistory) Donate Worship Flowers or Bulletins ($20 for flowers or $10 for bulletins) – Please indicate the date you would like, and the flower chair will contact you regarding availability. Singing in the choir (Information will be passed along to the choir director who will contact you) Host Fellowship Time (Set up coffee and tea pots and provide cookies or cakes) – An Information sheet will be available