Holy Week at the First Presbyterian Church in Pitman, New
Jersey
Prayer Vigil:
Time for God in a Space for God The three most important days in the
church year are those that begin on Good Friday (April 9) and conclude on
Easter Sunday (April 11). Our
church’s Worship Commission is inviting church members and friends to try a new
way of remembering this important time.
You are invited to sign up to come to our church sometime on Friday,
Saturday or Sunday to pray in our church sanctuary. Our goal is to have people sign up so we will
be praying around the clock from Friday afternoon at 3:00 PM (when the ecumenical Good Friday
service concludes) until Easter morning at 9:30 AM (when our first Easter worship
service begins), a total of 42 hours!
The idea of this prayer vigil is not original, but one that many
churches have found to be a transforming way for people to grow in their faith
(sample prayers and biblical readings will be available) and to care for one
another (a list of those to pray for will be in our sanctuary). We can always pray anywhere at any time, but
this vigil is a way for us to come to a quiet place, away from our usual
distractions, and spend some time with God.
Please email us (bcgillette@snip.net) if you would be willing to pray
and/or read the Bible in the sanctuary for one hour You will grow in your faith and help our church grow in its
faithfulness. Thank you.
Holy Week
Palm Sunday/Passion Sunday, April 4th, 8:45 AM 11:00 AM. Holy Week begins with the events of Palm
Sunday/Passion Sunday. We remember Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, surrounded by joyful crowds who
wanted him to be their king. We also
remember his suffering and death for the sins of the world. Adults are having one group during Lent that is an adult
Bible study and discussion on the biblical texts about Jesus’ passion and resurrection (the
book is better than any movie). Church-wide
lunch at noon with Linda Griffith’s presentation on her recent mission trip.
Tuesday, April 6th, 6:30-7:45 PM Lenten
Pizza/Study
Come and enjoy a pizza and salad
supper, followed by a Bible Study on the upcoming Sunday’s biblical text.
Children are welcome to eat with their parents, and then participate in a
special Lenten educational series for them during the program for adults. Please call the church office
at 589-1050 for more
information or to sign up.
Wednesday:
12:00 PM Mid-week Bible Study (Acts 9: the conversion of Paul)
5:00 PM Presbyterians volunteer at Pitman Pantry & Simple Things Shop
in Crafton
House
Maundy Thursday, April 8th On Maundy Thursday, you are invited to a special worship
service at 7:30 PM in our Sanctuary.
Good Friday Ecumenical Service, April 9th This year the Good Friday service
will be held at the First Baptist Church, from 12 noon until 3:00 PM. We will remember Jesus’ suffering and
death. Ministers and musicians from many
churches in town will contribute to this very moving service.
Tenebrae
Service April 9th Good Friday 7:30 PM Come join us together with the Pitman
Methodists for this special service in
our church sanctuary.
Prayer
Vigil:
Call our church office or sign up in our narthex today to spend an hour
in quiet prayer in our church sanctuary sometime between Good Friday and Easter
Sunday. Pitman Presbyterians prayed
around the clock in 2003 for the fifty hours between our Good Friday worship
service and our Easter worship service.
Saturday, 8:00
PM, “Jesus Christ Superstar” Join our church group going to popular musical at
the Williamstown Middle School (see below for details).
Renewed
for Life: Daily Meditations for Lent
from
the works of Henri J. M. Nouwen
Lent
is a wonderful opportunity for us Christians to pause in our busyness and take
stock of our lives through prayer and reflection. This booklet, Renewed for Life: Daily Meditations for Lent,
features a unique blend of some of the earliest and some of the last published
works by Henri J.M. Nouwen, one of the most popular and profound spiritual
writers of the past century. Nouwen
always insisted on prayer as the basis not only of our relationship with God
but also an understanding of ourselves.
This booklet offers a Scripture verse, a meditation from one of Nouwen’s
works and prayer fro each day from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Pick up your copy of this devotional booklet
in our church narthex or church office.
More information about Nouwen is available at http://nouwen.net/
You Are
Invited to a Delicious
Pizza and Salad Dinner
And
Lively Discussion on the Tuesday
Evenings in Lent
Our Tuesday evening Lenten series will be a
time of food, fun, and fellowship for all ages.
Individuals, couples and families are all invited! We will meet on Tuesdays, beginning on March
2nd from 6:30 P.M. to 7:45 P.M. Come and
enjoy a pizza and salad supper (please let us know what your favorite pizza
toppings and salad dressings are), followed by a program. The children will enjoy a
brief activity or game time while the adults have an opportunity to learn
together as we discuss issues of faith and life.
The
whole Tuesday evening program (dinner and Bible study) will be only 75 minutes. Dinner will be provided (donations welcome)
and there is no homework for the Bible study.
Children are welcome to eat with their parents, and then participate in
a special Lenten educational series for them during the program for
adults. You may come to any or all of
these programs, as your schedule allows.
You are also welcome to join us for the adult study without
participating in the dinner. Please email our church office at pitmanpres@dca.net or call our church
office (589-1050) to make a reservation so we can order enough pizza! Thank you!
Lenten
Supper and Study
Name:_______________________________ Phone:______________
Number
of Adults: ______
Number of Children __________
Favorite
Pizza Topping __________________
Favorite Salad Dressing ________________
Please circle dates you hope to
participate:
March
2 March 9 March 16 March 23 March 30 April 6
Information
about other opportunities for learning and personal growth at our church can be
found at http://firstpresby.org/GrowingOpportunities.htm
“Jesus Christ Superstar”
on April 10th
On Saturday, April 10th, a group of
church members and friends will be traveling to the Williamstown Middle School
to see Jesus Christ Superstar. Bring
your family and friends! Youth group
members are invited and encouraged to attend; transportation will be available
with our youth group leaders. Sarah
Donofrio has a role in this production, so join us for a wonderful show and
support one of our church youth at the same time. The show is at 8:00 PM, and we will be
carpooling from the church (meet in the alley behind our church) at 7 PM. Tickets are $12; a block of tickets has been
reserved for us. Please contact Bev
Donofrio (582-7422) or Debby Guarni (582-4282) if you would like tickets to sit
with our church group. Youth who need
transportation may also wish to contact youth leader Becky Crossan (468-7231)
about a ride. Thank you.
Sunday Worship & Church School
Read
about what is happening in our church’s worship services and church school this
Sunday in Lent: http://www.firstpresby.org/sunday.htm
Remembering
and Helping Others in Lent:
One
Great Hour of Sharing
During
Lent, we join other Christians in supporting the One Great Hour of Sharing
offering. This offering goes to help the
poor, the hungry and refugees. You can
use a “fish bank” to make a daily offering at home and then bring it to
church. More information about One Great
Hour of Sharing can be found at http://www.pcusa.org/oghs/about.htm Information about our church’s mission projects
and opportunities for service can be found at http://firstpresby.org/Missions.htm
Pastor on the
Passion (Movie and More)
Everyone seems to
be talking (pro and con) about the Mel Gibson movie, The Passion of Christ.
Co-Pastor Bruce Gillette has put together a special web page with links to
the biblical texts, reviews of the movie, hymns, and theological
reflections. Check it out and share it
with others: http://firstpresby.org/Passion.htm
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Lenten Activites
2004 Now Completed
Join us on February
25th, at 7:30 PM in our church sanctuary for this special worship service
marking the start of the Lenten season.
The worship service will be a traditional celebration, rich in
symbolism, that Christians have observed for over a thousand years. The service includes hymn-singing, reading
from the Bible, a brief meditation, prayers, special music by the Chancel Choir
and then ashes for those who want to come forward. The ashes remind us that our
lives are gifts from God and we continue to depend on our Lord. Join us for a special service as we begin the
Lenten season together.
Ash Wednesday—Is it
Presbyterian?
Our culture does
not know what to do with Ash Wednesday. We do a pretty good job with the
feasting right before Ash Wednesday, mind you—more and more people even outside
of New Orleans celebrate Mardi Gras with beads and floats, and more and more
people devour pancakes and waffles at Shrove Tuesday celebrations. Any excuse
for a feast is welcome! But what to do with the depressingly titled Ash
Wednesday? Read more from current
Presbyterian magazine titled Ideas! For Church Leaders:
http://www.pcusa.org/ideas/spring04/ashwednesday.htm
A
Labyrinth in the Social Hall of the First Presbyterian Church in Pitman
during
the First Weekend in Lent, February 28-29
We
are grateful to the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd in Pitman for lending
us their labyrinth, a wonderful tool for prayer and meditation. The public is invited to come to our church
on this first Saturday or Sunday (February 28-29) in Lent to spend some
personal, quiet time walking praying and meditating on the labyrinth. Presbyterians Today had a recent
article about labyrinths by Kristine Haig of the PCUSA Office for Spiritual
Formation: http://www.pcusa.org/today/department/spiritualfitness/past/1002-sf.htm
More
information about labyrinths can be PCUSA Office for Spiritual Formation’s
newsletter, Hungry Hearts http://www.pcusa.org/spiritualformation/hungryhearts/archive/labyrinth.pdf “A–maze–ing Prayer: The labyrinth offers ancient meditation for
today's hurried souls” from Christianity Today’s Leadership Journal: http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2001/004/4.38.html
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Easter Morning Sunrise Service, April 11th, 6:00 AM
On Easter Morning there will
be an ecumenical Sunrise Service at 6:00 a.m. at Alycon Park Pavilion. 
Church School, Easter Morning,
April 11th, 9:30 AM Join us on Easter Sunday, for our annual
Easter Egg Hunt and a church school lesson.
Remember to bring your One Great Hour
Easter
Sunday Worship, April 11th,
9:30 AM and 11:00 AM