On the Calendar

Worship Time is now 10:00am.

Don’t forget that our worship time remains at 10:00am as we move into September. Our Sunday gathering time stays constant throughout the year.

Bible Study

90-minutes a week can change your life and change the world, really. Join us Thursday afternoons at 2 p.m. starting September 18 as we listen to, discuss and meditate on God's Word for us. We will be focusing on the Sunday morning Gospel reading and how we can use the scripture to enhance our life of faith and prayer.

Starting Monday, September 8, we will be having a 7:30pm Bible Study. This will take the place of the Tuesday evening (8pm) Study. Come as often as you can and bring a friend. This group can be a wonderful place of friendship and support for people of all walks of life.

Sunday School

will begin again on September 21 and there will be a Volunteers’ Meeting after worship on September 7. If you would like to volunteer to be a teacher or helper, please join us at this meeting or call the church office.

Choir Rehearsals

will begin again on Thursday, September 4, at 8pm and the choir will sing on Sunday, September 7. If you would like to join the choir or would like more information, please call, email or speak to Scott Jones.

Annual Back-to-School Celebration

Our annual Back-to-School Celebration will be held on Sunday, September 21st. We plan on pitching the tent and inviting the neighbors, the town and everyone we know. If you would like to be part of the planning team or would like to serve that day, call the church office or submit the form at the back of this newsletter. But whatever you do, be sure to mark your calendars, and invite your friends. There will be a Volunteers’ Meeting Sunday, September 7 after worship.

Invite a Friend

Martin Marty has said, “Invitation is what evangelism is all about! It is one person inviting another to find the Lord.” In a real sense, evangelism programs and opportunities are essentially God’s people reaching out to others with an invitation. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) becomes global only as individual disciples reach out to those around them. According to Marty, there is only one word that separates congregations that grow from those that don’t. That word is “invite”!

Invitation works! Because most people find new places and new gatherings intimidating, they are far more likely to “come and see” if they are invited by a friend or relative. Invitations work because the person doing the inviting takes responsibility to acquaint the visitor with others. Those who are invited and welcomed are more likely to eventually join than those who may come on their own initiative. WHO ARE YOU INVITING TO THE FALL FESTIVAL, September 21st?

Invite, Invite, Invite!

Statistics reveal a surprising truth. More than 40% of New Jersey residents are not affiliated with any church. There is a lot of work for us to do in reaching the unchurched and offering them the opportunity to deepen their relationship with Jesus through participation in a faithful community.

We say, “come and follow Jesus for the sake of the world.” It’s more than a tag line. It describes the missional behaviors to which we aspire: Invitation, Discipleship, and Service. We are challenged to increase our capacity to invite, to say “Come and follow Jesus for the sake of the world,” easily and often.

We strive for consistency in our invitation. When we are convinced of the wonder of a relationship with Jesus, we will find ways to offer that joy to others. Beyond inviting people to worship, we are called in our Baptism to share our experiences with God’s presence in our lives and to point to the places where God’s grace is alive in the world. We can get into a conversation on a commuter train or bus, we can witness in the grocery lines, we can point to Christ in our neighborhoods, we can carefully listen to others as they talk about things that are puzzling to them. Through all these behaviors we say, “come.”

It is important to be intentional in our witness. We are inviting people to follow Jesus, to know and be captivated by our Lord Jesus so that they will want a deeper relationship. We are challenged to intentionally build relationships with others who are not like us and show the love of Christ.

Save the Date(s)!

From the Office of the Bishop

SYNOD CHURCH HOUSE DEDICATION
SEPTEMBER 20, 2008

The newly renovated Synod Church House will be dedicated at noon on Saturday, September 20. You are invited for the prayers of dedication, an open house, and a lunch-time cookout in the backyard! The Synod Hearing on the ELCA Draft Social Statement on Human Sexuality will follow at 2pm. An invitation with picture is posted on the Synod website www.njsynod.org

SOCIAL STATEMENT ON HUMAN SEXUALITY HEARING SEPTEMBER 20, 2008

An open hearing on the first draft of the proposed ELCA Social Statement on Human Sexuality will be held on Saturday, September 20th at 2pm at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Hamilton Square (located immediately behind the Synod Church House). An invitation flyer is posted on the Synod website at www.njsynod.org The Bishop will serve as moderator and the Rev. Dr. Timothy Wengert, a member of the ELCA Human Sexuality Studies Task Force will be present as listener on behalf of the Task Force.

Get Involved in Issues of Justice

Just Neighbors Announces the First New Jersey Retreat featuring the Just Neighbors program of faith and social justice.
The retreat begins 7pm Wednesday, September 17th and ends 2:30pm on Friday, September 19th at the Stella Maris Retreat House in Elberon, N.J.
Through videos, interactive exercises, scripture and discussion, Just Neighbors allows us to walk in the shoes of the poor and together explore our response of faith.
Subjects of the Retreat: faith, compassion and action, affordable housing, low wages, racial equity, hunger, children’s issues, advocacy.
Retreat Includes: Worship, large and small group discussions, role plays, simulations…relaxation!

For reservations or information, contact:
fmccann@familypromise.org
or call (908) 273-1100 x14

Stewardship Strengthens...

Yard Sale on Saturday, September 20th

We will be holding a yard sale under the big tent on Saturday, September 20th from 9:30am until 12:30pm. If you are interested in donating to or helping with the sale, call Stefeny and Pastor Jim at (732) 548-1215. Look for more information.

Saint Barnabas Hospice and Palliative Care Center

Put your compassion into action. Saint Barnabas Hospice services families in all of Essex, Monmouth, Morris and Union Counties, as well as parts of Bergen, Hudson, Middlesex, Passaic & Somerset and volunteers are needed everywhere! However, you’ll only volunteer where YOU are comfortable going to. The families are in need of kind, caring people to ease the stressful time of facing the death of a loved-one, and to provide emotional support. If you have as little at 3 hours a week to give, please consider becoming a volunteer.

Trainings are happening this fall in the following areas: Belleville, Long Branch, Newark, North Arlington, Union, West Orange. Call (973) 322-4846 or sballas@sbhcs.com

Veteran Volunteers Needed!

The hospice enables our veteran patients & their loved ones to maximize their quality of life. VETERAN VOLUNTEERS are needed to provide companionship, support and comfort to our veteran hospice patients. Free training is provided to veterans to become a VETERAN POPPY VOLUNTEER. Thank you for your service to our great country. Please call: Terry Hudak- Volunteer Manager at (973) 771-2687.

Thank you for your generous gifts that truly do help make a difference in the lives of people in this community and beyond.