Welcome to
The First Presbyterian Church
of Woodbury Heights
Welcome to
The First Presbyterian Church
of Woodbury Heights
Session 2024
Building and Property
David Taylor (Chair)
James Dawson
Stewardship and Finance
Richard Daugherty (Chair)
Sherry Outten
Clerk of Session
Denise Pitchford
Membership, Outreach,
and Communication
Denise Pitchford (Chair)
Samantha Eachus
Worship and Program
Diane Belcher (Chair)
John Pitchford
Christian Education
Mike Woodrow (Chair)
Brad Gilmore
Highlights from Session-May
Pastor’s Report
·Examination of Confirmands took place. Lauren G., Howard G., Victoria G., Marley K., Robbie U., and Shannon W. were all approved for membership into the church. Welcome!
·The baptisms of Marley & Hannah K. took place.
·Session voted to approve vacation for Pastor Will from 7/7-7/13.
Building & Property
·Basement Fire inspector (GCSI Security Group Came to the Annex for inspection and the inspection passed.
·Heater in the Annex was fixed temporarily and now it’s still continuing to not work. Additionally, the basement in the Annex will be tested for the moisture content and recommendations to correct/improve any issues.
·Thanks to Brad Gilmore for donating his time and money to fix the projector in Cooper hall!
·Raynor Electric is going to be coming out to inspect our electric for the church courtyard and also a few other odds and ends for the church property.
Christian Education
·Nursery Update- volunteers are needed for Nursery coverage
·Sunday School ending- a meeting was held to wrap up the program year and a Hawaiian themed celebration for the end of the year was planned.
·Children’s message- $315 was collected so far. $310 will be used to purchase the following animals from Heifer Fund International, as decided on by the students of the Sunday School:
2 Hope baskets- variety of animals to start a family for
income
1 sheep
2 chicks & ducks
Stewardship & Finance
·Financing plans are being investigated for the possible purchase of a new electronic church sign outside of the building.
Worship & Program
·Communion- May 19th Pentecost- Rev. Dan Pure, pulpit supply
·Flower Chair needed- Erin Zorio has resigned from the position, so a new chair is needed. Thank you for your many years of service Erin!
Membership & Outreach
·We are up to 113 active members.
·A team meeting was held where plans for updating the church brochure, adding to the newsletter, forming a mission committee, creating a worship night, a follies revival, and possibly having a chicken BBQ once again were all discussed with team members.
Deacons
·Communion will be served on 5/19
·92 items were collected for the food pantry in April; YTD-497
·The Sunshine Luncheon hosted 19 people and 2 deacons
·Graduate Sunday will be 6/9
Highlights from Session-April 2024
Pastor’s Report
1. Weekday Bible Study has resumed on Tuesday mornings at 10:30am in Cooper Hall.
2. VBS meeting with the Ministerium churches- plans are being organized for a joint VBS to take place at Wenonah Presbyterian Church the week of July 29th. It will be held Monday through Thursday of that week, with 8 churches interested in participating. More to come on this!
Building & Property
-B&P will be reaching out to the candidates that volunteered at the sign up day about helping with extra jobs around the annex that can be done by anyone:
■ Cleaning out the Basement with masks and Gloves
■ Painting office, old laundry, kitchen, and much more will be on the agenda
■ Getting rid of stuff in the attic!! A lot of stuff!
■ Cleaning of all of the 1st floor rooms (Deep Cleaning)
■ Begin cleaning out the garage to get set up for a workshop and storage area!
-Spring Clean Up Weekend (Thank You) We would love your feedback
➢ If you attended, how did it go?
-Proposals for a replacement sign in front of the church are being investigated currently.
Christian Education
-Last Day of Sunday School – 5/19
-Confirmation Sunday will occur on 5/12
Membership & Outreach
-Jessica & Rich Keene Membership Reaffirmation: April 14
-Recognition of 50-Year Member Clay Cary: April 21
Deacons
-5/1- Sunshine Luncheon will be held at the church in the Primary Room
-6/9- Graduate Sunday
Highlights from December 14th 2022 Session meeting
At their monthly meeting on Wednesday, Dec 14th, 2022, Session addressed the following business:
-The Nominating Committee is currently seeking candidates for Elders and Deacons.
-New offering envelopes were purchased.
-The minutes from our November Congregational Meeting were read and approved as presented.
-Clothing bin- after discussion, a motion was made and approved to allow American Textile Recycling Service to place 1, possibly 2, clothing collection bins for their company on the church parking lot, with payment to the church in the amount of $75/month per bin for the space and pick up every 2 weeks.
-Advent party for Sunday school was held 12/18-the kids did a scavenger hunt, crafts, sensory bin and imaginative play for the little guys, bingo, coloring, and treats.
-Our next Communion is on 1/15.
Highlights from November 16th 2022 Session meeting
At their monthly meeting on Wednesday, Nov 16th, 2022, Session addressed the following business:
-Saturday 12/3 was approved for the Deacon's Christmas Cookie Exchange and Carol sing along in Cooper Hall & the Courtyard.
-Next communion is 11/27.
-Our year to date collection for the food pantry is 1500 items so far.
-26 pints of blood were collected at the blood drive in October. Our next one is in March.
-16 fruit baskets will be shared at Thanksgiving with staff, special members, and spouses of those members we lost this year.
-5 families are registered for gift assistance with the Christmas Giving Tree. Unwrapped toys will also be collected and shared with the GWCM.
-A Work day for leaf removal will be scheduled soon.
-Advent party to be planned for the Sunday school.
-Trunk or Treat- Oct 30th from 5-8pm @ Woodbury Heights Fall Festival on West Jersey Ave. Thank you to everyone who worked the pumpkin decorating booth and provided trunks. It was well attended. Thank you, also, to Joyce Woodrow for making a sign for the church that was displayed at the pumpkin station, and to Jessica Keene, who provided an amazing activity flyer that included word searches, coloring activities, and information about our church. She made 100 and they were all handed out with special treats donated by our church members. What a fun community connection event this was for our church!
-A Lessons & Carols service is planned for Christmas Eve due to the lack of available pastors for this date.
-Meeting w/ Joint Sessions- Nov 1st @ Memorial -7pm- a recap of items discussed at the meeting was given. We are working with Memorial Presbyterian to introduce more joint activities, and opportunities for us to support one another and the community more effectively.
-New members- A meeting will be scheduled for those interested in becoming members.
Highlights from October 19th 2022 Session meeting
At their monthly meeting on Wednesday, October 19th, 2022, Session addressed the following business:
-PNC Update- John Pitchford shared that the PNC is still meeting weekly to continue their progress. Several interviews of candidates are taking place over the next few months.
-Our church will participate in a joint community trunk or treat/fall festival event sponsored by the borough of Woodbury Heights, Oct 30th from 5-8pm @ Woodbury Heights Fall Festival on West Jersey Ave. Community service money will be used to provide an activity booth of pumpkin decorating at the trunk or treat/fall festival event sponsored by the borough of Woodbury Heights for the purpose of community outreach and engagement for the church.
-11/26- 9am will be the Deacon’s Decorating Brunch in the Sanctuary
-Mission Committee- Members are still needed for this committee
-Workday was a success and we will have another in a few weeks mainly to rake leaves.
-Sunday school is meeting every Sunday at 10am in Cooper Hall
-A Congregational meeting will be held on 11/20 after church to present the 2023 budget to the congregation and to fill vacancies on the Nominating Committee.
-Remembrance Sunday November 6- All Saints Day will be celebrated with Communion and a remembrance of those in the past year. The Greater Woodbury Cooperative Ministry will also celebrate an Evensong service that evening at the Episcopal church in Woodbury.
-Our next date for communion is Remembrance Sunday/ All Saints Day- 11/6.
-Ladies luncheon- will be held once a month. The next one will be 11/6 after church service in Cooper Hall.
Highlights from the June Session meeting:
At their monthly meeting on Wednesday, June 15th, 2022, Session addressed the following business:
-John Pitchford reported that the PNC has completed the Ministry Information Form. The MIF will be typed up and presented to Session for their approval and submission to COM.
-Building & Property Committee will complete the removal of the large tree on the back of the parking lot.
-Our next communion will be served on August 14th.
-Laura Seidelmann has resigned from her position as church organist. A replacement for the summer months has been found, and will begin on July 3rd.
-We are still in need of a Mission Committee Chairperson. If you are interested, please speak with any member of Session.
-The Deacons are investigating the possibility of having an ecumenical service with Mt. Zion Wesley once again, to be held on World Communion Sunday, October 2nd.
**A special meeting was held between the PNC and Session on June 29th for the purpose of reviewing and approving the Ministry Information Form. The MIF was approved and submitted to COM on June 30th. COM approved the submission without comment. The MIF will be entered into a database to match with available pastoral candidates.**
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Highlights from the April Session meeting:
At the monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 20th, 2022, Session addressed the following business:
-Michele Elliott was elected and approved as the new Financial Secretary.
-Sarah Robbins was approved to hire 1 trumpet player for the Easter service.
-A brief update from the PNC was given stating they are working on completing the Ministry Information Form (MIF).
-A vote was taken to approve returning all pew cushions back into every pew in the sanctuary, as well as to resume the formal collection and blessing of tithes and offerings during the worship service.
-All work on the fire system upgrades has been completed.
-The church workday was a huge success with many jobs being accomplished. A special thank you to Rich Keene for his assistance with the removal of the old fencing, and the donation of the materials for the new fence to be installed.
-An agreement has been made with the cleaning service JanPro for the sexton responsibilities of the weekly cleaning of the church.
-Summer grass cutting/garden maintenance sign ups will resume this summer, and will be starting soon.
-Mr. Rogers Day and our Palm Sunday Easter Egg Hunt were both successful events. Thank you to all who made each of these special days possible.
-We will be recognizing our graduates in May and June.
-Our summer service schedule will begin on Father's Day, June 19th, and run through September 11th. Summer services will begin at 10am.
Highlights from the March Session meeting:
At the monthly meeting on Wednesday, March 16th, Session addressed the following business:
-The PNC's progress was reported. They have had 4 meetings and have created a Ministry Information Form (MIF), which describes the church to potential candidates. This MIF will be matched to a Personal Information Form (PIF) filled out by pastoral candidates.
-The Job Description and Responsibilities of the Financial Secretary Position was presented and approved. We have potential candidates for this role and the counting committee.
-It was approved to now offer regular communion service, but also have prepackaged cups for those concerned with taking from a communal plate. Next communion is Maundy Thursday 4/14 @7:30pm with Rev. Gaskill.
-Prayer Vigil will be in person this year. In person sign ups will take place on Sunday and a Sign Up Genius will be available during the week.
-Flower Fund donations are still needed.
-We are still looking for a candidate for the Sexton position.
-A church work day is planned for 4/3 immediately after church.
-Sunday School will continue to be offered weekly in Cooper Hall after the children's message.
-Donations are needed for egg fillers for this year's Easter Egg Hunt.
-Easter service will be at 11am. There will not be a sunrise service this year.
-The choir will begin processing again on Palm Sunday, and we will begin seeking children to serve as acolyte each week as well.
-Necessary licensing fees will be paid for by the choir fund to enable us the use of copyrighted music during our services and livestreaming.
-An update was given from this month's Presbytery meeting, which was attended by a representative from our Session.
Highlights from the February Session meeting:
At their monthly meeting on Wednesday, February 16th, 2022, Session addressed the following business:
-Per Capita Sunday will take place on February 27, 2022.
-Reorganization of Session Commissions took place. The 2022 Commissions are as follows:
Building & Property- Matt Woodrow*, Mike Woodrow, Dave Geserick
Christian Education- Sherry Outten*, Sam Eachus
Stewardship & Finance- Nick Zorio*, Jesse Butler
Worship & Program- Lori Taylor*, Diane Belcher, Sue MacWilliams
*denotes chair of committee
-We will be having a blood drive on Thursday, March 17th from 2-7 pm, to be held in the primary room.
-The Flower Fund is in need of more donations/sponsors. If you are interested in placing flowers in honor or in memory of someone, or just wish to support the cost of the beautiful arrangements that are shared with our special members and shut ins, please contact Erin Zorio.
-Updates to our Return to Worship guidelines have been made and will be shared via email and handouts the week of 2/21.
-We are still in search of a replacement for our Sexton responsibilities.
-Spring Workday - 4/3 after church ( Sat. 4/9 rain date)
-Craft supplies are needed for the children’s lessons. If you have supplies you would like to donate, please see Megan Geserick or Tracey Urion.
-Our Ash Wednesday service will be held on 3/2, with a meager meal beginning at 6:30pm and the service to follow at 7:15pm.
-Online service options will be offered via a livestream of the service on Facebook beginning on Sunday 2/27. Pre-recorded services offered via YouTube links will no longer be produced.
-Our church website has been updated and redesigned. A special thank you to Nick Zorio, Sue MacWilliams, and Michele Elliott for accomplishing this huge task for our church communications!