UPCOMING MEETINGS/EVENTS:
YOUTH GROUP, for middle-schoolers, will begin meeting about twice a month on Sunday evenings. The next meeting will be on November 24 at 6:30 PM. For more information, please contact the church office.
ADOPT A FAMILY, This year our church has adopted a family from Sunshine Day Nursery School for Christmas. Tags will be available for selection of individual wish list items in the back of the sanctuary starting Sunday, November 17th. Please return the item fully wrapped with the tag attached to the outside of the gift by Sunday December 15th.”
ADVENT WREATH READERS NEEDED, December 1, 8, 15, 22 and 24: Advent begins on Sunday, December 1, 2024 when we will begin our worship on Sunday mornings with the lighting of Advent Wreath candles as well as Christmas Eve. We are seeking volunteers who would like to lead the congregation in this portion of the service which will include a reading from the bulletin and then the lighting of a candle or candles. This is something that a family can do together or as an individual. A sign-up sheet can be found on the glass cabinet in the narthex of the sanctuary.
ST. NICHOLAS SUNDAY, December 8. St. Nicholas will be making a visit and collecting food for donation to Doors of Hope and knitted goods for CoNSERNS-U during the worship service. Reusable grocery bags will be available at the church for you to fill with non-perishable food items. Please bring your donations to worship on Sunday, December 8.
CHRISTIAN EDUCATION CHRISTMAS PAGEANT – December 15: The Christian Ed Christmas Pageant will be held during worship on Sunday, December 15.
PRE HOLIDAY COVER DISH DINNER, December 15 – Our Christian Education Committee is committed to
offering a few times a year multigenerational events as a way of keeping our youth connected to all of their church family Our next such event is a Church Cookbook Covered Dish Dinner on Sunday December 15th at 5:30pm in the CEB. Please come a few minutes early so we can eat at 5:30. You are encouraged to select a recipe from our Church Cookbook which is available on the conference table during coffee hour. A great way to get the recipe home is to take a photo with your phone. There will be a sign-up sheet at the back of the church as well as next to the cookbook. This is primarily so that we can set up enough seats and so we hopefully don’t end up with all the same dishes. Please don’t let not signing upkeep you from coming as we will set up extra seats. I look forward to seeing many of you there and to sharing a bit of early holiday cheer with you. Thank you, The Christian Education Committee.
CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE will be held on December 24, 2024. Special music will begin in the sanctuary at 7:15 PM followed by the service at 7:30 PM.
MEMORIAL POINSETTIAS ORDER DUE December 15: We will again decorate the sanctuary on Christmas Eve with poinsettia plants in memory of or in honor of loved ones. Extra flyers can be found on the glass table in the narthex. Completed order forms along with a check ($15 each), or cash, must be submitted by Sunday, December 15th. You are welcome to take the plant(s) home with you following the service on Christmas Eve.
PEW CANDLE INSTALLATION – December 22: Volunteers are needed to help install pew candle stands for our Christmas Eve service. If you are able and willing, please bring a screwdriver with you on December 22, 2024. We will install them following worship.
CANDLE-LIGHTING USHERS – December 24 – Candle-lighting ushers are needed for the Christmas Eve Service. If you are willing and able to help out, please add your name to the sign- up sheet on the glass cabinet in the narthex of the sanctuary. Ushers are asked to be at the church by 7:10 PM on Christmas Eve for review of the candle-lighting portion of the service.
OUTREACH/MISSION:
VOLUNTEERS WANTED: The Emergency Overflow Shelter is looking for people, who are comfortable lifting boxes, to help them unpack and set up at their new location-First Church in Albany, 110 North Pearl Street, Albany New York.
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 2024 MISSION FUND DISBURSEMENTS: Concerns-U ($1000); Camp Fowler ($1,000); New Brunswick Theological Seminary ($500); Joseph’s House and Shelter ($500); Doors of Hope ($1000); Capital City Rescue Mission ($1,000); Sunshine Day Nursery Scholarship Fund ($500); Sunshine Day Nursery (1000); RCA Missionary Joshua Vis, Project Peace Missionary ($1500); Eastern Door Counseling Center ($1000); Mom Starts Here ($500); Nassau Resource Center ($500). Total-$10,000.00. (Above figures do not include scholarships provided to Camp Fowler participants and others, non-monetary donations made to Concerns U and Doors of Hope, and gifts provided to those in need from the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund.) THANK YOU FOR MAKING THESE DONATIONS POSSIBLE!
OUTREACH/MISSION:
LARGE PRINT CHALICE HYMNALS ARE AVAILABLE IN THE NARTHEX OF THE SANCTUARY ON THE GLASS CABINET.
USHERS/GREETERS: WE ARE RECRUITING MEMBERS to serve as ushers/greeters for 2025/26. A list of current ushers is on the glass cabinet in the narthex of the sanctuary. Please take a look at the list. If you are already listed, update your information, note especially dates you may not be available in 2025. If you are not currently on the list, please consider assisting with this important service. If you have any questions, call the church office.
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 May 2025 on the signup sheet in the church lounge. Snacks can be simple and store-bought!
FINANCE UPDATE & FUNDRAISING
ANNUAL GIFT CARD FUNDRAISER – Due December 15 – If you are planning on giving gift cards this Christmas, be sure to order your cards from this year’s gift card fundraiser. Order forms will be provided in the weekly newsletter and also in the narthex to the sanctuary on the glass cabinet. Orders along with a check payable to Greenbush Reformed Church are due by December 1 and will be delivered by December 15.
DUE DATE TO REFILL HANNNAFORD GIFT CARDS IS December 1, 2024. If you are planning to refill your Hannaford Gift Card, please place your order in the offering plate or mail to Greenbush Reformed Church, PO Box 460, East Greenbush, NY 12061. New gift cards are also available for purchase. Please contact the church for more information.
GRC GENERAL FUND AS OF October 31, 2024: ()-Indicates Deficit. General Fund Income=$204,744 General Fund Expenses=$192,397; General Fund Net=$12,348; Budget estimate at this point=$17,415. Year-To-Date Average Worship Attendance=51. Thank you so very much for your ongoing support of our congregation and its ministry. Thanks to you, our financial health and ministry continues 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 RETT WOULD WELCOME CONVERSATION with any and all GRC folk. He can be found at the large table in the Church Lounge each Monday and Tuesday from 9-11am. Other times and places are possible.
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.