Weekly Messenger

The Week of August 17^th, 2008

In order that we might give our full attention to God during the worship hour, we respectfully request that you turn off, or to silent mode, all cell phones and pagers and that no flash photography be taken. Thank you!

WELCOME TO ALL, especially guests and newcomers. We thank you for worshiping with us this morning. Please let us know of your presence by joining our members in signing our Friendship Pad (blue folder). If you have any questions, such as how to find the nursery or the restrooms, please ask one of our ushers and he or she will be glad to assist you. Parents of young children are invited to pick up a Children’s Worship Bag hanging on the wall in the narthex (entryway). Everyone is invited to gather in the Hartt Room immediately after worship for refreshments and conversation.

INFANTS AND CHILDREN UNDER TWO are being cared for during worship by competent, caring adults in the well-equipped “Crib Room” upstairs next to the church school office. We encourage families to bring their infants and toddlers to the Crib Room just prior to worship.

LARGE PRINT bulletins, Bibles, hymnals, and hearing enhancement devices are available – please ask the usher for them.

LEADING IN WORSHIP is Timothy Hoyt Duncan, Pastor and Barbara Sanderson, Liturgist.

USHERS SERVING YOU TODAY ARE. Stuart Paterson, Roger Sherman, Peter Hutchison and Steve Keller.

WE WISH TO WELCOME THE FOLLOWING GUEST MUSICIANS TO WORSHIP THIS MORNING: The Kings Park High School Quartet – Sarah Gilbert, Debbie Izzo, Jen Nally, and Brittany Schenke.

THE FLOWERS ON THE COMMUNION TABLE are in honor of Fred Blaha’s 90^th birthday!

THE FLOWERS ON THE ORGAN are in loving memory of Andrew from the Blondrage Family.

SUMMER SCHEDULE CHANGES: Through the month August, morning worship will be at 9:00 a.m. Also, the church office hours will be 9:00 a.m. to Noon, Tuesday through Friday. Pastor Tim and other staff members will be in and out during and beyond those hours, so if you need to meet with any one of them it will be best to call and make an appointment. Thank you!

THE USHERS FOR NEXT WEEK will be Rolf Olsen, Marilyn Fox, Cathy & Jack Coleman and Lloyd Gore.

WE REMEMBER IN PRAYER THIS WEEK: 1) current concerns –Harold Howe Jessie Michels, Art Shaw, Barbara Ascierto, Tom Bloomfield, Martha Bower, Judi Moore, Iris Hyman, Valerie Sabia, Mark Walker, The family of Eric Friedl, Fred Scott, Gladys Getty, Nicholas Scalzo, Alicia Greene, Fran Larkin, Richardo Vieira, 2) those in Healthcare facilities – The Arbors: Marge Hunter, Carillon: Jessie Michels, Atria: Dorothy Astman & Carol Trentadue, St. Johnland: Lillian Kelley & Jo Nieskens, Sunrise: Claire Norton-Taylor, Cold Spring Hills: Natalie Suydam 3) our sister church Nueva Paz, Cuba; our partner church, Iglesia Presbiteriana Hispana in Hempstead; the Presbytery of Long Island and its staff; the Presbyterian Church(USA), its Louisville staff and its missionaries worldwide.

The names of those on our prayer list will remain in the bulletin for six weeks. If, after the six-week period, you would like the name you submitted to remain on the list, please contact the church office with your request. Thank you! (To add or remove your name from this list, please call the church office, 261-6434.)

IF YOU HAVE A PASTORAL CONCERN/REQUEST, please share that information with Tom Bowman, Deacon, who will be standing at the baptismal font following the worship service. Relaying this type of information in this way will assist us greatly in our efforts to be attentive to the pastoral needs of members of our congregation. Thank you!

BIBLE STUDY - Please join us on September 10^th, 17^th, and 24^th at 7:30 p.m. for a study of Paul’s so-called “letter of joy,” written by Paul when he was in prison. How might Paul’s letter to the Philippians open a new way of perceiving ourselves and our world? How does Paul’s love letter address us today where we actually live? How might it change our minds and hearts about things- and about the world in which we find ourselves today?

A warm welcome to all who would enjoy a close reading and lively discussion of one of Paul’s shorter letters (only 4 pages: even I can do that!). Familiarity with the Bible is neither presumed nor required. Attendance need not be consecutive, but it just wouldn’t be as much fun! Come and discover the joy! Facilitated by Fred Woodward.

MARINER’S SURF & TURF AT SCUDDER PARK – Saturday, September 13^th at 4:00 p.m. Adults Only Event – All adults welcome – See flyer for details. If you have any questions please call Faye or John Michels at 757-6581.

STARTING TODAY, THE MISSION COMMITTEE will be sponsoring our VEGGIE-TABLE during fellowship hour after worship. Please bring in your excess garden bounties--tomatoes, zucchinis, peppers, cucumbers, etc., on Sunday morning for the Veggie-table. These items will be available to all members of the congregation and all we ask is a donation to the food pantry. Any items not sold will be donated to the food pantry. For those people who do not have a home garden, this is an excellent opportunity to enjoy home-grown vegetables. And a note to gardeners: you can also donate vegetables to the food pantry Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

WEEKDAY NURSERY SCHOOL is looking for someone to strip, sand and repaint the radiator covers in the classrooms and one bathroom (7 total). We will pay a reasonable fee or gladly accept volunteers. Please contact Susanne Haffner at 757-1342.

SAVE THE DATE! The annual Holmes Fall Benefit Dinner "Navigating Forward" will be held Thursday evening October 23, 2008 at the Central Park Boat House. Several FPC members attended last year and had a wonderful time. We are looking to put together a "Northport Table" for this year's dinner. If you are interested in attending, please contact Jim Burke (754 1260). 

WANT TO GET RID OF YOUR SUV? The soaring cost of gasoline and diesel is forcing many drivers to contemplate getting rid of their SUV in favor of something much more fuel-efficient. Why not donate your gas guzzler to the Long Island Council of Churches We could particularly use an SUV, station wagon, or small van for our Riverhead office. Your vehicle would certainly get better mileage than the large utility truck that was donated by KeySpan, which has now seen many miles of wear and tear, and you could get a hefty tax donation! Your generosity could save you money, save us money, and conserve precious resources—a win/win/win. Contact us at (631) 727-2210 or liccriv@optonline.net.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES are an added expense that families who use the services of the Ecumenical Lay Council’s Food Pantry cannot afford and we look to you to help supply these children with the tools necessary for success in school. Notebooks, pads, pens, pencils, looseleaf binders and paper refills, folders, backpacks, and whatever supplies you feel would help are most welcome. School will begin on September 3^rd, so please donate these items as soon as possible. Please leave your donations in the box provided in the Hartt Room or the Food Pantry box in the rear entryway of the church. Thank you!

FREE HOUSING INFORMATION AND COUNSELING – Long Island is experiencing an epidemic of families of losing their homes to foreclosure. For further information please call Housing Help Inc. at 754-0373. Please see the bulletin board to see the flyer.

A “HANDS ON MISSION OPPORTUNITY:”  The Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Program in New Orleans is looking for long term volunteers this fall.  The flyer reads: "Join us for 2-6 months and be a part of the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast.  You will work as a host of a volunteer village or organizer of the work teams and construction projects at one of our 5 volunteer villages.  A daily stipend and health insurance are available to all long term volunteers."  For more information please contact Wilf Wityshyn at 502 938 8093  field.pda@pcusa.org or www.pcusa.org/pda

SUMMER BLOOD DRIVE: Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Main Street, Northport, is holding a Summer Blood Drive on Monday, August 25^th from 4 to 8 pm. Call to make an appointment at 631-261-7670 or come in at your leisure during those hours. Give the Gift of Life!

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:  The Mission Committee invites you to enhance your summer reading by taking a book from the collection on the porch. In exchange, leave a non-perishable food item for the food pantry the next time you come to church.  Food bins can be found in the narthex of the sanctuary on your right as you enter and just outside the porch by the rear entrance. 

SACRED PLACE: A PRESBYTERIAN HERITAGE JOURNEY THROUGH SCOTLAND - As we anticipate the 225^th anniversary of this congregation’s initial founding, what better way to begin the celebration than with a trip to where it all really began, in bonnie ol’ Scotland. The session has approved the offering of this trip, open to all members and friends of First Presbyterian, which will take place on April 28^th to May 6^th, 2009. Led by the Rev. Jim Wallace (pastor at Setauket Presbyterian and native of Scotland) and Pastor Tim (who, along with Nancy, has been on two previous trips to Scotland), this trip will not be a typical group tour of the country. We will be visiting places of particular interest and importance to our Presbyterian heritage.

After flying into Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow, our travels will include stops at

· Iona (the very special and secluded island where, in 563 AD St. Columba founded a monastery and brought Christianity to Scotland)

· The area of Sterling (made famous by the movie “Braveheart”) which has great historical significance

· Loch Lomond, where we’ll do a bit a sailing and see why its shores are known as the “bonnie, bonnie banks”

· Loch Ness (perhaps catch a sight of that elusive monster?)

· St. Andrews, home of Scotland’s oldest university and a very significant site for the history of the Reformation. Here we’ll also share in morning worship with a local Kirk of Scotland congregation, and we’ll pay a visit to the world famous St. Andrews golf course (another kind of worship for some!)

· Edinburgh, known as “the Athens of the North.” We will spend time exploring Scotland’s beautiful capital city, including visits to the world famous Edinburgh Castle; the magnificent St. Giles Cathedral—sometimes called the mother church of Presbyterianism—where we’ll have a guided tour as well as share in the Noon Prayer Service; the home of John Knox (considered by many to be the father of Presbyterianism); as well as the Scottish Parliament

Our travels will include daily worship and reflection. And unlike many groups trips which have you unpacking and packing at a different hotel each night, over the course of these eight days we will be staying in only three hotels, venturing out on day trips to various locations.

The cost of the trip is a very reasonable $2495 per person (double occupancy), $300 single supplement. The price does not include airfare (some participants will want to use frequent flyer points, others might want to come in a few days early or stay a few extra days, so it is easiest to leave the travel arrangements up to each individual). The $2495 does include, however, full use of coach and driver, 7 hotel nights, 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners, porterage, ferries and tolls, all entrance fees to historic sites/places of interest on the itinerary, and the services of our tour manager throughout.

To learn more about the trip, there are two orientations planned with Tim and Jim: Sunday, August 17^th at 5:00 p.m. and Thursday, Sept. 11^th at 6:30 p.m. both in the Hartt Room. You need attend only one of the two. Or if you already know you want to go, you can sign up with Tim (fpcnpastor@optonline.net); a $500 deposit will be required by Sept. 30^th.

PLEASE RECYLE your bulletins in the bins provided at each exit if you do not plan on taking them home.

MEETINGS OF THE WEEK

Today, Sunday, August 17^th	Sunday Worship	9:00 a.m.
	Scotland Orientation – Hartt Room	5:00 p.m.
Tuesday	Membership – Hartt Room	7:30 p.m.
	Worship Committee – Porch	8:00 p.m.
Thursday	Take off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) - Porch	3:30 p.m.
Friday	AL-ANON - Hartt Room	8:00 p.m.
Next Sunday, August 24th	Sunday Worship	9:00 a.m.
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Church Office Hours:  Tuesday - Friday, 9:00 am to Noon.