THE
TRUMPETER

The Newsletter of the

July/August, 2005

Dear Friends,

      Summer is here!  What a great time to slow down and enjoy the beauty around us!  After feeling over-whelmed in May and June, and having survived the experience of a high school graduation in our family, it is so good to look at July and August and see this as being a time of renewal.

      Even as we make our summer plans of church camp and a vacation trip, and look at getting some long-awaited projects finished, we’ve begun looking beyond at what’s being planned for the fall. That’s right, we’re already starting to think about the Sunday School getting started again, and what other kinds of ministry we need to be focusing on.

      In the meantime, have a good summer. Take time for worship: in church on Sunday mornings, and at home whenever it feels right to praise God for something special you feel in your life.  

                                    Your pastor,

                                   Richard Dykstra

     Sunday Worship is at 10:00 through Labor Day.  

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Pastor’s Vacation
     The Dykstras will be away from July 25-Aug. 3. Leading worship on July 31 in his absence will be the Rev. Alphonz Lamprecht.  Rev. Lamprecht is a familiar face to most of our members since he and his wife Irene worship with us frequently during the summer. 

More Worship in August

          The John More Association will be in Roxbury for their reunion on August 6-7. Part of their reunion involves a worship service based on the old Scottish Presbyterian Service of Praise and ‘Kirkin’ of the Tartan.  The service is set for Sunday morning, August 7, and will be led by More  family members and guests. All are invited to this moving service of worship.

Have you seen it yet?

          We have a new Web site listing our church and its activities!  You can find us listed at: 

                  http://churches.rca.org/gouldchurch/                 

          Thanks to David Dykstra for creating this web site as one of his projects this year! Carol Ann Dykstra updates the information on it.

Going to Camp Fowler

      We have seven campers going to Fowler this summer. Matt Cammer, Jon Dykstra, and Rev. Rich Dykstra, will be camping from July 10-16. Nathanael Bibbo will be out of camp and  Sean Lutz & Kevin Lutz will be in camp from July 24-30.  Kelsey O’Brien and Chryste Springman will be with the senior high in-camp group from August 7-13, and Alisa Fersch will be hiking and canoeing with Fowler from August 14-20.
    

 

Congratulations to DJ Tobin & Stacy Wright who were married on June 18 in Fredonia!

Congratulations to Justin Stingle & Danielle Hinkley on their July 9 wedding!

Congratulations to the following couples on their wedding anniversaries:

      June 17, 1950 Henry & Margaret Koch
      June 2, 1944 Don & Pauline Hadden
      June 30, 1945 Glen & Marian Brownell
      Aug. 25, 1950 Gene & Wilma Bierne
      Aug. 26, 1945 Andrew & Emily Schuman

Welcome to our newest Members:
      The following people were welcomed into the church on Sunday, June 19:
      Chelsea Jaeger
      Fred & Helen Jinoch
      AnnMarie Dunning

Church Finances
          June was a better month for us in that we caught up a bit on our budget.  Income for our general expenses totaled $40,256 while the expenses totaled $46,424.  A fundraising letter is being sent out to present our budget needs to our members and supporters.
          Please do your part to help us catch up so that we can carry out the ministry that we feel called to do.

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Church Picnic
      We’re planning a church picnic on Sunday, August 21!  Watch the weekly bulletin for details on what we expect to be a great time of food and games for all ages.

Women of Faith
      Women are reminded that the “Women of Faith” conference will be in Albany the week of Sept. 23 & 24. For more information regarding the event as well as registration, please contact Kellie Sullivan.
      While marking your calendars, remember to reserve the date of Oct. 7 for our Pot Roast Dinner!

Afghan Raffle
      The women’s group has begun a raffle for an afghan that was started by Audrey Raeder when she found out that her cancer had returned. Audrey completed several squares before getting too sick to continue. Her daughter Noreen and neighbor Sharon Dumond worked at completing the afghan and gave it to the church women to use as a fundraiser.
      Raffle tickets are available through the church office, some of the church women, and will be available at the Labor Day event in the park.  The drawing for the afghan will be on Friday, October 7 during the Pot Roast Dinner.

Tickets are $1.each or 6 for $5. 

      For more information, contact Sharon Dumond, or the Church office.

Vacation Bible School
      Thank you to so many who worked to make VBS such a great adventure in June! About 45 pupils were involved, and the daily offerings totaled enough to help six children in Ghana attend school for a year. Each $25 contributed helped pay for books and materials for one pupil.
      Thanks to Bonnie Bibbo, Sue Kuhlow, Lorrayne Bolger, Laura O’Brien, Bonnie Grocholl, Kerry DeVito, Shirley Gephard, Sue Burrows, Nancy Mattice, Olive Van Aken, Carly Finch, Pastor Bill & Pastor Rich, and our youth who worked as helpers!

Play Ground
      After a year of fundraising, the totals for the new playground tally in at $12,100.  We still have some money to raise to meet our goal of $15,000, but we are hoping to lay the plans for the actual equipment desired. Then we can place the order and start planning on installation dates. We’ll be looking for volunteers to install it when it is here.
      Donations are needed. Please send them to the church marked “playground”.
     We will be doing a pancake breakfast during the Labor Day event in the Park. Help (and diners) will be needed.

An Important Point of Difference
            In his book, The One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard says, “There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you are interested in doing something, you do it only when it is convenient. When you are committed to something, you accept no excuses.”  Good soil represents the company of the committed, people who are willing to serve Christ to the best of their abilities, people who are willing to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to see Christ’s kingdom come, people who by their work and their witness bear fruit that does not perish. What kind of soil are you?

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“Light for Life”

Saturday, July 16^th, 3-5:30 p.m.
Roxbury Arts Group Gallery
8^th Annual Art Exhibit and Silent Auction
to benefit Catskill Rural AIDS Services
Original art donated by prominent artists.
Refreshments and door prizes included.
Admission: $15 donation at the door.
Information: 436-9554 or (845) 767-3544
(Web page: catskill-aids.org.)

Note: Catskill Rural AIDS Services (CRAS) provides support services for people living with HIV/AIDS, both infected and affected, throughout Delaware and Otsego Counties . CRAS runs the only locally-based toll-free AIDS Hotline in the counties. This fundraiser provides over 30% of CRAS’s operating budget each year. Almost all financial support comes from private, non-governmental sources including individuals, foundations, churches and businesses.