St. Nicholas Sunday is December 14th.
Christmas Eve Worship Service is Wednesday, December 24th at 7:15pm.
USHERS/GREETERS: We are recruiting members to serve as ushers/greeters for 2026/27. A list of current ushers is on the glass cabinet in the back of the church. Please take a look at the list. If you are already listed, update your information, note especially dates you may not be available in 2026. If you are not currently on the list please consider assisting with this important service and add your name to the list.
GREAT SCHOLARS FUND – SUPPORTING OUR MUSIC MINISTRY As we continue to pray and work
toward filling the music ministry vacancy, the Worship Committee is exploring exciting options to meet our musical needs. One essential resource for this effort is the Great Music Scholars Fund, which helps ensure we have the financial support necessary to bring enriching worship experiences to our congregation. We invite you to prayerfully consider contributing to this fund. If you feel led to give:
• Please write “Great Scholars” in the memo section if writing a check.
• If giving cash, kindly write “Great Scholars” on an envelope to designate your donation.
Your generosity will play a vital role in sustaining and growing our worship ministry. Thank you for your support, prayers, and commitment to our church’s musical future! Blessings, Worship Committee.
THE ADULT BIBLE STUDY meets Sundays after worship. The group is working with a book by Philip Yancey as its focal point. The book, Grace, is accompanied by a series of videos which we will explore and discuss together. New members to the group are always welcomed!
PLEDGES FOR 2026 – Thank you so much for your continued support. Your commitment to our church’s ministry is much appreciated. We have received pledges from 22 families for General and Mission Funds. General Fund pledges total $52,565 and Mission Fund pledges total $5,500.
GIVING ENVELOPES – If you would like to receive envelopes with your name and don’t have any, please let our church secretary know so we can get them to you. Thank you again, your contributions are vital to the health of our church and the mission work we support.
DO YOU HAVE AN EMAIL ADDRESS? If you do, please let us know using the plastic box in the narthex of the sanctuary.
OUTREACH/MISSION
THE MEN’S OVERFLOW SHELTER: Pam Bullock, who visited us a few weeks ago to talk about the Men’s Overflow Shelter, mentioned that if anyone was interested in donating to The Shelter, they are looking for monetary donations to purchase paper goods. They do not have the room to store the paper goods so they established an account for monetary donations and they will buy the products as needed. If you are interested in donating to this fund please put the money in an envelope marked Shelter-Paper Goods, in the collection basket.
CAN PULL TABS FOR RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE: GRC will once again be collecting can pull tabs for donation to the Ronald McDonald House. These tabs are recycled by the organization to raise funds for their work. Additional information can be found at: https://rmhcofalbany.org/getinvolved/pull-together/. The tabs may be placed in the basket on the glass cabinet in the narthex of the sanctuary.
DOORS OF HOPE FOOD PANTRY AND THRIFT STORE. They are now located at the 43 Mall, 12 Mall Way, West Sand Lake, NY 12176. Phone is 518-674-4048. We continue our collection of non-perishable food items for the food pantry. Items may be dropped off at the church (if no one is at the church you may leave the items on the covered steps next to the side door). Thank you!!
GRC DEACONS 2025 MISSION FUND DISBURSEMENTS: The Deacons met to disburse some of the monies from the Mission Fund. The following donations were made RCA Missionary Joshua Vis, Project Peace Missionary ($3,500); Capital Area Council of Churches, Men’s Overflow Shelter ($500); Interfaith Partnership for the Homeless ($500), Joseph’s House and Shelter ($1,000); St. Paul’s Center ($500). THANK YOU FOR MAKING THESE DONATIONS POSSIBLE!
WELCOME TO WORSHIP
LARGE PRINT CHALICE HYMNALS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE NARTHEX OF THE SANCTUARY ON THE GLASS CABINET.
SANCTUARY FLOWERS – The cost is $40 for two arrangements. A sign-up sheet can be found on the glass cabinet in the narthex of the sanctuary, or you can contact the church to make arrangements. You are welcome to take them home with you following worship.
GRC NURSERY – We welcome young children (under 3 years of age) to use our nursery during worship. Every family who leaves a child in the nursery is required to take a pager in case of an emergency and/or they need to be contacted to tend to their child (such as for a diaper change).
CHILDREN’S PROGRAM – Please join us on Sundays for our Children & Worship (ages 3-7) and Godly Play (ages 8-12) programs after the children’s message during worship. This meets every Sunday except for communion Sundays.
THE NURTURE AND FELLOWSHIP: We need volunteers to provide snacks and juice for fellowship time following church (coffee is provided). Please sign up for a Sunday between now and June 2025 on the signup sheet in the church lounge. Snacks can be simple and store-bought!
FINANCE UPDATE & FUNDRAISING
DUE DATE TO REFILL HANNNAFORD GIFT CARDS has been changed to Sunday, October 5, 2025.
Since 2017, we have raised over $11,000 through the purchase and refilling of Hannaford Gift Cards. Through your normal grocery shopping at Hannaford using your gift card, GRC earns 5% (see “Refilling Your Card” below for information on how it works). This has been a good fundraiser for the church requiring very little fundraising effort Unfortunately, participation in this monthly program has slowly waned as it has gotten more difficult to reach the minimum order amount ($1,000) to earn the discount. If we are to continue this fundraiser, we will need additional participants.
If you shop at Hannaford and would like to help support this fundraiser, there are cards available (in $50 denominations) which can be obtained by contacting our church secretary and submitting a check payable to “Greenbush Reformed Church”. Be sure to write “Hannaford Gift Card” in the memo of the check. For those who may already have a gift card and would like to resume participation, please check to see that your card is still active and submit your check by the refill due date.
REFILLING YOUR CARD
· When you purchase your card, please let us know if you plan to refill the card in the future so that we can record your name and sixteen-digit card number.
· By the first Sunday of each month, submit a check payable to “Greenbush Reformed Church”. In the memo of the check, indicate that it is for “Hannaford” and provide the last four digits of your card number. Order due dates are printed in the weekly announcements as a reminder.
· You can place the check in the offering plate or mail it to the church (make sure to allow enough time to reach us by the refill due date). Once the funds are available on your card, we will notify you by e-mail. Refills are generally processed on Monday once the weekly offering has been processed by the counting team.
· You can refill the card with any amount up to a maximum balance of $500. Please make sure that your balance will not exceed $500 when deciding how much to add to the card.
· If your card has a zero balance for more than 30 days it will no longer be active, and you will need to get a new card. If your card will no longer scan at the store, please contact the church secretary to get a new card.
· REMEMBER: DO NOT REFILL YOUR CARD THROUGH HANNAFORD. WE ONLY GET THE DISCOUNT IF YOU REFILL THE CARD THROUGH GRC!
We thank those who have been participating in this fundraiser throughout the past several years. It is only one of the many ways that you have supported GRC, and we are truly grateful!
GRC GENERAL FUND AS OF September 30, 2025: ()-Indicates Deficit. General Fund Income=$192,780 General Fund Expenses=$170,060; General Fund Net=$22,720; Budget estimate at this point=$22,772. Year-To-Date Average, Worship Attendance = 57 with 42 Views. Thank you so very much for your ongoing support of our congregation and its ministry. Our financial health and ministry continue to remain strong throughout these difficult days
ONLINE BILL PAY – Did you know you can make your weekly donation to the church online? Sometimes it’s difficult to keep track of our financial support of the church. Most banks today now offer a solution to this through an online bill pay option where you can schedule your donation to be paid automatically. Once set up, the bank will automatically cut a check and send it to the church according to the schedule you set. Not only will this be a help to you but it will also be a significant blessing to the church, especially during those times of the year when donations fall off such as during the summer months. For more information contact your bank or check your bank’s website.
CHURCH LEADERSHIP
PASTOR MASHONA IS STARTING TO SCHEDULE OFFICE HOURS. Currently she has drop-in office hours
scheduled on Wednesday from 9am – 1 pm. She’s available by appointment by calling the church number and is eager to meet with each and every person in the congregation. Please feel free to call and set up a time to meet. She is open to coffee shops, parks and community events!
SUNSHINE DAY NURSERY NEWS
ALLERGY REQUEST FROM SUNSHINE DAY NURSERY-Two children now going to Sunshine Day Nursery have peanut/tree nut allergies. One child is severely allergic meaning that her allergy can be triggered simply by touching a common surface that has peanut/tree nut debris or oil (such as a toilet handle, door handle, or railing). To help prevent triggering a severe reaction in these children, please use caution in the Christian Ed Building including washing hands before entering building.