March 2010 Lantern Features Many Lenten and Easter Activities

The First Presbyterian Church of Matawan has published its March 2010 Lantern. Here are some upcoming events mentioned in the Lantern:

• Presbyterian Nursery School registration begins 27 February from 9 am to 10:30 am. Registration continues weekdays 9 am to 3 pm until classes are full. Half-day classes are available for kids 2 1/2 to 5.
• Wednesdays during Lent you can attend dinner/devotional events in the Adult Lounge from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. (The Weekly Women's Study Group will continue its Wed meetings after Lent.)
• The Saturday Morning Women's Study Group meets in the Adult Lounge at 10 am. 
• New Member classes will begin 14 March in the Adult Lounge at 9 am.
• Our Progressive Dinner will be held 20 March. Sign up in Fellowship Hall or call Carol Cashin.
• Our Lenten Fish Fry will be held 27 March at 6 pm in Fellowship Hall. Take out orders will be available starting at 5 pm. The meal will be catered by the Argyle Restaurant of Kearny.
• The Church School will "Walk through Holy Week" in Fellowship Hall on Palm Sunday (28 March) at 9:15 am.
• There will be a seder celebration in Fellowship Hall on Maundy Thursday (1 April) at 6:30 pm.
• There will be a Good Friday worship service and dramatic presentation in the sanctuary on 2 April at 7:30 pm.
• Easter (4 April) will include an Easter sunrise service (tentatively set for 6:30 am), Easter egg hunt (9:30 am), and Easter worship (10:30 am)
• The always popular Dixieland Bank and Chili Fest will be held on 25 April at 5 pm in Fellowship Hall. 120 persons attended last year's performance. The church is seeking advertisers and sponsors for its Concert Series.
• Sign up for Spaghetti for the Soul, which will be held on 2 October.

Former Westminster Pres Sunday School Teacher/Elder Dies At 86

EDITH J. WINTERFIELD
AGE: 86 MIDDLETOWN

Edith Jiran Winterfield, 86, of the Belford section of Middletown, passed away Friday, Feb. 19, 2010, at Gateway Care Center, Eatontown. Born and raised in Bronx, NY, Edith was an active member of Jan Hus Presbyterian Church. She graduated from Walton High School Class of 1940. In 1955, Mrs. Winterfield moved to Middletown where she was a charter member of Westminster Presbyterian Church. There, she faithfully served as a Sunday School teacher and on the Church Session. She was a loving wife, mother and devoted grandmother to Daniel and Joseph who were the loves of her life. She lived for Church and family and will be greatly missed.

Mrs.Winterfield was predeceased by her son, Gary, in 1954, and her husband, Edward, in 2003. Surviving are her son and daughter-in-law, Paul and Christine Winterfield, Wall Township; grandsons and their wives, Daniel and Linda Winterfield, Mays Landing, and Joseph and Stefanie Winterfield, Columbia, MD. Also surviving are her sister, Stephanie Skinner, Whiting; a niece, Nancy Magee, Palm Coast, Fl. and a nephew, Stephen Skinner, Red Bank.

Visiting will be Monday, Feb. 22, 2010 from 2-5 pm at John F. Pfleger Funeral Home, 115 Tindall Road, Middletown. Funeral services are scheduled for Tuesday at 10 am at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Fair View Cemetery, Middletown. In lieu of flowers, donations would be appreciated to the Alzheimer's Association , 400 Morris Ave., Denville, NJ 07834 or Westminster Presbyterian Church, 94 Tindall Rd., Middletown, NJ 07748.

Click here to submit condolences or send an email to condolences@pflegerfuneralhome.com.

Source: Asbury Park Press

Presbyterians on Marco Island Support Mission

The Marco Eagle published an interesting summary of mission efforts at a couple of churches on Marco Island in Florida. The Marco Presbyterian Church recently hosted a mission conference to discuss some of the 20 overseas missions they currently support. They invited 3 missionary couples to speak, including a couple who have ministered to Persian-speakers in Africa and Asia and will soon begin the same work in Europe. Note that this Presbyterian church also sponsors 7 local mission efforts.

2010 Lenten Devotional Guide

The deadline has been extended for contributions to this year's Lenten Devotional Guide. Kindly put together one or more devotional pieces -- they needn't be long -- and drop them in Shereen Silwowski's mail folder in the church hallway by the end of the week.

This year's theme is your personal portrait of Jesus. Write a few lines on how you see him and why, using a Bible verse for context. You may focus on Jesus' role as a teacher, a healer, the Son of God, the King of Kings, your personal savior, the Messiah, or humble servant, God made Man, the Risen Christ, or something else?

If you need help picking a verse, the Bible Bulletin Board offers this list of Bible verses dealing with Jesus. If you need other help with your reflection, contact Shereen or Elizabeth, or contact Reverend Loril through the church office at 732-566-2663.

Please use the following basic format for your devotional piece:

Luke 18:16 "Then Jesus called for the children and ... Let the children come to me. For the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."

I see myself sitting at the feet of Jesus or gathered in his arms, feeling the love and devotion of a father towards his child. This verse inspires in me a feeling of reciprocal trust, acceptance, and unconditional love. An approachable parent with his obedient son or daughter.

Please help keep this annual devotional guide's tradition alive.

Haiti Update as of 31 January 2010

Randy Ackley, coordinator of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has published a video update for Presbyterian congregations discussing their long term strategy to support the people in Haiti and how local churches can help at this point in the process.

PDA has also published the following notices in recent days:

Help is on the way – what is needed, what is not

(Photo, right: The people of Haiti work together to distribute relief supplies. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, ACT.) Presbyterian Disaster Assistance continues to respond in Haiti. As of January 28, 2010, in addition to a key expert being assigned to Haiti to carry out assessments, $409,000 has been sent to assist with emergency needs. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance is responding as a member of the ACT Alliance (ACT.)

The response in Haiti is still in the relatively early phase of emergency relief. The most effective way to respond is through financial support. PDA is not requesting material aid, other than the preparation of Gift of the Heart hygiene and baby kits, to replenish the supply after more than 35,000 kits have been directed to Haiti. Volunteers are not requested at this time.

Relief distributions

As of January 27, relief services through ACT partners include:

• distribution of clean water; installation of latrines; health/hygiene team
• provision of hot meals and/or funding to purchase meals
• health and nutrition clinics
• food distribution and assistance for people with disabilities
• hygiene kits, baby kits, blankets
• medicines

According to the January 27 OCHA report, the government is reporting more than 260,000 people who have left the earthquake-affected areas, moving to departments in the north and south. While Leogane was affected, the Hôpital Sainte Croix is functional, and together with the Faculte des Sciences Infirmiere l’Universite Episcopale d’Haiti (FSIL) nursing school is offering support to those injured. PDA is supporting these entities as they work with people injured during the earthquake.

Upcoming needs

As assessments continue, needs for intermediate support and long term recovery assistance will become more clearly defined. Updates will be provided on the needs and the response. Some of the needs being identified at this time include:

• Food preparation items and cooking facilities, for people to prepare locally purchased foods
• Support for restoring livelihoods
• Options for shelter
• Community based psychosocial support
• Staff care
• Rehabilitation services

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance will continue to care for those in need, regardless of religion, race, creed, or nationality of the recipients. The coordinated response will include (but may not be limited to) the areas of relief, education, psychosocial support, water and sanitation and disaster preparedness.

Message concerning Haitian orphans

(Photo, right: A family in Haiti affected by the quake. Photo by Paul Jeffrey, ACT.) Randy Ackley, coordinator for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, urges caution when reading and sharing information about children left — presumably — orphaned by the January 12 earthquake in Haiti.

This report does not refer to the issue of orphans who were already in the process of adoption prior to the earthquake. Some of these are the children you might see on news reports or other communications, as they arrive in the United States.

Caution is needed when dealing with other children in the disaster area. Frequently, well meaning people and organizations rush to get the children out of harm’s way and into the arms of well meaning adoptive parents. Unfortunately, there are often issues related to the fact that the children may actually still have caring and concerned family, even parents, in the disaster area who were separated due to the event. Taking such children out of their own communities in these circumstances does not do them a service when they have caring family who would eventually find them.

Another issue is to watch for the security of the children, to avoid not-so-well-meaning people preying on vulnerable children following a disaster.Protection of children should be a key issue for all of us, and sending them out of their home area may not be the appropriate answer.

As media gives attention to various aspects of humanitarian care for disaster survivors, please be aware that underlying issues must sometimes be considered when discerning how to best serve the most vulnerable people. As assessments and the Haiti response continues, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), through PDA, will make every effort to support the children of Haiti affected by this disaster in an effective and appropriate response.

ECPAT has prepared a manual about protecting children from trafficking and sexual violence during emergencies. ECPAT is a network of organizations and individuals working together to ensure that children around the world are free from commercial sexual exploitation.

There is much, much more to be done.  PDA is asking us to stand in the GAP for disaster survivors as we Give, Act, and Pray for Haiti and its people.

Mission, Worship, and Music Are the Focus at First Pres Muncie

The Reverend Ronald Naylor, is celebrating 25 years in the pulpit at the First Presbyterian Church in Muncie, Indiana, according to The Star Press. First Pres is his fourth pastorate, having previously served in Rushville, Indiana; Greenville, Ohio; and Port Huron, Michigan. He earned his masters of theology from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Founded in 1828, First Pres is the second oldest church in town, but the congregation remains quite vibrant in mission. With $189,000 in total mission giving last year (25% of overall contributions), the church's 686 members are able to be very active in both worldwide and local mission. The congregation has been able to send Reverend Naylor on 6 mission trips to Haiti, as well as on visits to Honduras and Mexico. They've sent him to Central Europe, even the Vatican. The church is also involved in Korea, not only because it has a sister congregation in Korea with over 10,000 members, but because an associate pastor conducts services for a contingent of 115 Korean worshipers in Muncie.

The church focuses much attention on its worship and music programs. It has a second associate pastor with extensive experience in music and youth; an organist who also serves as music coordinator; and a worship and music leader with a strong background in music.

Reverend Naylor is to be congratulated on his fine stewardship of what sounds like a wonderful congregation. You probably would have made a fine lawyer, but we're confident you've found your niche.

Donations Needed for Veterans Home

FPC Matawan is collecting donations for our 7th annual Valentine's Day visit to the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home in Menlo Park. Items are being collected through 10 February. The facility has approximately 290 veterans in residence, including 30 females. It would be nice to have Valentines for each.

Donations of the following goods or checks made out to the church earmarked for "Veterans" are sought:

Personal Items

• Electric razors
• Writing tablets and pens
• Hair brushes and combs
• Wheelchair bags, cupholders, and gloves
• Toothbrushes
• Large-face or talking watches
• Sunglasses
• Tissues

Clothing Items

• Sweatpants (L-XXXL)
• White tube socks
• Throws, shawls, Afghans (twin-sized)
• Baseball caps
• Decorative T-shirts
• Short sleeved shirts
• Sweaters (button-up, zip up)
• Winter gloves and hats

Recreational Items

• Arts and crafts supplies
• Sports equipment
• Movies (DVD or VHS)
• Music and relaxation recordings (CD or tape)
• Books (large print or audio), including Chicken Soup for the Soul
• Magazines and puzzle books (large print, if available)
• Board games
• Video games (CD)
• Clock radios and talking clocks
• Universal remotes
• Wind chimes and mobiles