OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD – Please join us for our next Multi-Generational event filling Operation
Christmas Child Boxes. We will meet after church on Nov. 7th to fill the boxes. Watch for a sign-up sheet in the back of the church to help purchase items to put into them or buy items on your own. We will be doing this stone soup style, everyone brings some items, and we will fill the boxes together. We do need to know how many boxes to order, this is in addition to the normal number of boxes our church fills. Please us know by Oct 20th if you plan to join so we can get an idea of how many boxes to order.
SERVICE OF INSTALLATION: Celebrate with us on October 19 as we, with the Classis of Albany, joyfully install Rev. Dr. Mashona Walston as Minister of Greenbush Reformed Church!
PATCHWORK PLUS – We extend our warmest invitation to join us on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month at 10:00 a.m. in the church lounge. You do not need to sew or knit, you may cut or iron or just sit and enjoy the fellowship. We would enjoy your company. Bring a lunch and enjoy our devotional Quilt stories. Our Fall meetings will be October 9, and November 13. Over the years we have donated quilts to charitable organizations and have donated proceeds from quilt sales to our GRC mission recipients. This Spring we delivered 4 twin size quilts to Community Hospice for Camp Erin which will take place in September at Camp Fowler. We received a lovely “Thank You” valuing our donation at $600. This fall we will be donating proceeds to our church Roof fund. We express our deepest appreciation to our church members and wonderful visitors for supporting our activities.
ROOF REPAIR FUND – The roof repair campaign has begun. As was mentioned, this is a 2-year project. We need to replace the funds used to put the new roof on. The estimated cost was $45,000.00. In addition, it was discovered that the bell steeple is also in need of some repair as some of the wood has and/or beginning to show rot. A complete estimate project cost of this repair will be between $15,000 and $20,000. Several approaches are being considered. One is to be able to work via grant monies to get GRC on the National Historic Register. The second is to have each of the congregation to take on a project/event as a fund raiser. This will take each of us to gather a team and put it together. It can be such things as a BBQ, raffle, or another thought.
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.
COUNTING TEAM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Do you enjoy numbers or are you good with handling money? If so, we need folks to help with our counting team which handles the weekly collections and gets it posted to the right person. This is a task that should take 30 – 40 minutes and happens right after worship on Sundays. We offer training and it is a vital part of our worship service that requires confidentiality, accuracy, and honesty. Please reach out to the church secretary if interested.
THE ADULT BIBLE STUDY will reconvene Sunday, in October after worship. The group is working with a book by Philip Yancey as its focal point. The book, Prayer: Does it Make Any Difference, is accompanied by a series of videos which we will explore and discuss together. New members to the group are always welcomed!
PLEDGES FOR 2025 – Thank you so much for your continued support. Your commitment to our church’s ministry is much appreciated. We have received pledges from 38 families for General and Mission Funds. General Fund pledges total $107,748 and Mission Fund pledges total $14,959.
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, which we support, is in need of paper goods, (plate, cups, napkins), hotel-size lotions and bar soaps. If you would like to contribute to the cost of these items, or would like to donate these items, please let Michelle Martin or our secretary know. Thank you so much!
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: In February 2025, 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 ($1,000); 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 August 31, 2025: ()-Indicates Deficit. General Fund Income=$173,293 General Fund Expenses=$153,990; General Fund Net=$19,303; Budget estimate at this point=$20,724. 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.