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The Union Hill Herald Union Hill Presbyterian Church December 2018

From the Pastor’s Desk…

Holiday Shopping

Once upon a time, Thanksgiving was a day for us to step off the world’s treadmill

(or rollercoaster) to enjoy time around the table with family. Parades and football

games were on TV, the aroma of the day’s meal filled the house, and we shared time

and conversation and laughter. Of course, such Norman Rockwell images are not

the reality of every home and family, yet the fourth Thursday of November was

generally a time to unplug and unwind.

What happened?

Somehow, the rush toward buy, buy, buy and get, get, get has turned Thanksgiving

into an opportunity to swallow an energy snack in order to hit the stores at

midnight, or 5 pm, or 2pm, or…

It’s enough to give us indigestion!

I like to think we have plenty of wonderful things going on here at Union Hill that

help us “ring in the season” while maintaining healthy boundaries, relationships,

and focus on anticipating the arrival of Jesus Christ in some new way.

As long as the world has us thinking of holiday shopping, why not be mindful of how

we can be “shopping” for ways right here at Union Hill to be faithfully honoring our

beliefs in a contemporary world that challenges and distorts so much?

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For those of us who attended the Interfaith Thanksgiving Gathering at Town Hall

November 18th, it was a blessed time to share fellowship in the community of people

whose beliefs and practices are variously distinct or similar to our own.

Completing the Grateful book study that same morning, I realized what fascinating

minds and hearts fill this congregation!

After worship on Christ the King Sunday, a focused group of merry members

decorated the sanctuary to usher in the Christmas spirit.

Ladies joined together December 1 to reflect on their personal anticipation of

Advent.

The next day, we bridged the gap between church and home by creating Advent

wreaths to grace our tables and remind us to focus during this time of faithful,

expectant waiting.

Over the four Sundays of Advent, consider being among those who begin our

worship with lighting the Advent candles and leading our special readings.

For the young, and those who love them, please come to youth group on December

9th when we reprise last year’s elf run, shopping for a young family nearby who

appreciates our church’s help with gifts for their young daughter…who is about to

be a big sister.

Holiday Cheer? What could be more fun than adding an OOH RAH to a HO HO HO

to support John Traflet and the Toys for Tots train?

We are blessed with a dynamic Sunday School program. We have already been

educated (and entertained) by our first two Family Fellowship Worship Services.

Resist the temptation to rush off to the mall on Sunday December 16th. Come to 10

am worship and receive the message of Christmas through the presentation of

drama and song that is our Christmas play and pageant!

Resist letting the parking lots and pushing and shoving of the malls get to you.

If you are shopping for meaning, for fulfillment, for hope…

this holiday season, consider doing some holiday shopping right here at Union Hill!

May you have a truly blessed Advent and Christmas Season,

Pastor Tim

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Christmas Eve Worship Services

5:00 pm – Family Service

7:30 pm – Candlelight Service

We hope you will join us, and please feel free to invite friends and neighbors. All are

welcome to join us on this special night!

If you would like to order a poinsettia for the sanctuary on Christmas Eve, please

speak to Ruth Petersen after church or email her at ruth.sen@hotmail.com.

Orders are due by December 17th.

The Community Interfaith Thanksgiving Service

It was wonderful to have Pastor Tim be part of the leadership team who

presented the community service on November 18th. It was a time of

faith and fellowship, bridging the differences in our religions to bring

out our similarities. A goodwill offering was collected to support the

Denville Food Pantry. Thank you to all the Union Hill members who

attended!

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SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS! Our Sunday School students have been busy preparing

for the Christmas program to be held on December 16th

during worship. This year’s production, The Curious

Lamb was written by and is being directed by Amy

Clarkson with support from Vicki Harrison and Jennifer

Smith. Following the worship service, Community Life

is preparing a special Coffee Hour to celebrate.

Aretha Franklin’s protégé made her debut at the second

Family Fellowship Worship Service which was held in

November. The theme this year is The Ten Commandments

and we covered Commandments 3 & 4 in this service.

Debbie Tomkins and Vicki Harrison put on a skit

demonstrating that God tells us in those two commandments that he wants

our R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Vicki has also designed “stone” tablets which we add to

with each service and display throughout the year. The next Family Fellowship

Service will be in February.

On Sunday, December 2nd Estelle, Patrick & Meghan Harnisch helped

Debbie Tomkins write out approximately 50 Christmas cards for

distribution on 12/6/18 at the Caroling event at Morris View

Healthcare Center. Thank you to all three of them for patiently

writing out so many cards and working diligently on the project.

Thank you to all the students who have stepped up to be lectors recently!

You are very much appreciated!

Thank you to Kate Clarkson who will continue teaching the K-3rd grade

students this spring with the help of Emma Petersen, Matthew Baresh, and

Sean Clarkson. Julia and Jenna Curran remain our sitters for the pre-k

group, but adult volunteers are still needed for the spring session. Please

speak to Vicki Harrison for more information.

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UHPC Youth Group

On November 11th, our Youth Group members spent time

discussing Veterans Day and the

service and sacrifice of our current

and past veterans. They wrote out

cards to be delivered to those

currently serving in our various

military branches and to those

who are veterans within our

congregation. Thank you to Carol Fosburg & June

Kibe for their help in the kitchen.

Youth Group is open to students and their friends in 6 – 12th grade. We meet

approximately twice a month for meetings, Bible Study, mission projects, and

field trips. Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (when we remember to

update!)

Upcoming Dates:

December 9th – Santa’s Elves

December 27th - Alumni Open House

Pie Sales Continue!

Don’t forget to order your delicious apple or pumpkin pie for the holiday

season! Pies are frozen and ready to bake. Please speak to Jennifer Berk to order your

pie or for more information (berkj44@gmail.com).

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ASP Open Mic Night

Thank you to everyone who performed at our Open

Mic Night on November 17! It was a fun evening with a wide variety

of music. A goodwill offering was collected which will help offset the

costs of the Appalachia Service Project trip this summer. Your

support of this outreach mission is very much appreciated!

In addition, please remember that Shop Rite gift cards continue to

be available for purchase in Cosman Hall during coffee hour. The

gift cards can be used at any Shop Rite. Purchasers pay face value

for the cards, and Shop Rite donates 5% to help defray the cost of

the ASP trip. If you shop at Shop Rite, please consider supporting

this important mission outreach. If you have any questions, please

feel free to speak to Amy Clarkson.

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From the Union Hill Church Preschool

December is an exciting month at Union Hill Church Preschool! We are enjoying all the fun and festivities of the season. Students are hard at work making Christmas gifts for their parents, and learning holiday songs that we will sing for our families and friends. We

welcome parents who want to come in and teach the children about holidays that they may celebrate – Diwali, Hanukkah, Chinese New Year. All these presentations are enjoyed by the children and the staff alike. It is our goal to build a foundation of diversity, love and respect in our community. Tours of the school are available for anyone who may be interested in registering for the upcoming school year. Please call the preschool office at 973-361-5983 for more information. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and many blessings in the New Year!

Jill Head, Preschool Director

Community News

Denville Food Pantry

The Denville Food Pantry is grateful for the support it receives from our church

members! From weekly donations, to support for their Thanksgiving Food Drive,

Union Hill has been an active part of their mission. For Christmas, anyone who

would like to donate a new, unwrapped toy for a local child may do so at Town

Hall until December 17. If you would like to leave it in the Narthex with the food

donations, it will be gladly brought to town hall before the due date.

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Denville’s Ayres/Knuth Farm Foundation Annual Christmas Tree Sale

Stop by to pick up a beautiful fresh tree, wreath or roping! Weekends Friday November 30th through Sunday December 16th

Union Hill Farm Stand (25 Cooper Road West) Fridays 4 to 8 PM, and Saturday and Sundays from 10 AM to 4 PM

January Newsletter

The deadline for the January newsletter will be December 28. Please

send all submissions to mcadams4@optonline.net by that date, or

speak with Karen to make other arrangements. Thank you!

Union Hill Presbyterian Church 427 Franklin Road Denville, NJ 07834

www.unionhillchurch.org

Rev. Timothy Clarkson, Pastor Director of Music: Ms. June Kibe Preschool Director: Mrs. Jill Head

Admin. Assistant: Mrs. Debbie Tomkins Newsletter Editor: Mrs. Karen McAdams Church Office: 973-361-9020 Union Hill Church Preschool: 973-361-5983

Worship Service 10:00 am Sunday w/

Sunday School (through High School) and Toddler Care