Brookdale Reformed Church A quick look at what’s happening … 16 Bellevue Ave, Bloomfield NJ 07003 – PO Box 2306 Volume 2 No.4 October 2015 A Word From Our Pastor - I recently celebrated 1 year at BRC and boy what a year it has been! Since I began, we have been doing a lot of thinking on what it means to be the hands, feet and heart of Christ in our community. We are called to be a living voice for our Lord and in doing so; we must be relevant to our neighbors and good stewards of our resources. Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as he loves us and we want to take that seriously. So our focus has been and we will continue to ask-‘What can we do to help you?’ We’ve and we done projects andservice events with our neighbors Kids in mindwith and Hugs we are-planning many With thatbegun in mind, willmany be doing more Wrapping The need to go to more for the future. One of our recent themes has been knocking down our walls (not literally) and using the projects and offering various types of events: such the hospital is scary for anyone, but for young rubble to build bridges out into our communityso look for us with our white t-shirts and open hands and hearts as small group discussions, family events, creativity children it can be one of the most traumatic and as we donurture things around neighborhood. But faith bridges are also built so that people in the community feel events, events,the compassion events, stress filled situations of comfortable in coming to us-(I promise, we don’t bite and are actually quite friendly.) events, and fun events. In fact, there are many their young lives. Then upcoming events and projects, so read the rest of the Newsletter, and check our website frequently: www.brookdalereformed.rcachurches.org. But you don’t have to wait for an event to come - Everyone is welcome to our Sunday Worship Service at 10:30am. Mark Your Calendar (see details this issue) Oct 17, 10:30 AM – Water gift at Brookdale Park Oct 26, 7:30 PM – Mid-Week Prayer Meeting Nov 7, 5:30 PM – 5:30 Pasta Dinner - side of Music Nov 12, 6:30 PM – Civic Showcase at BHS Gym Nov 29 & following – Room For Jesus? Nov 30, 7:30pm - Advent Prayer Service Dec 12, 7:00pm – NNJ Tres Dias Secuela Dec 14, 7:30 PM - Blue Christmas Service Dec 24, 7:30 PM - Christmas Eve Service Outdoor Worship Series a Success - We had our final 2015 outdoor worship on August 9; it was a beautiful time in the shade of our big tree. The birds and a dog were singing a joyful song to the Lord with us. We did have another outdoor service scheduled for September 13 but the grass was wet from a day and night of much needed rain, so we moved indoors; that was to be our last outdoor service for 2015. But hey, every day is special when the Lord is in it, right? So why not come and join us indoors? Anytime!!!! We are a friendly bunch with a love for Jesus and our neighbors. A Gift of Water … the Living Kind! Fine art and crafts grace the 16th annual Fall Fine Art and Crafts Fair at the Essex County's Brookdale Park Show on October 17-18. At this show over 160 exhibitors from NJ and throughout the Northeast will exhibit their jewelry, furniture, glass, fiber, pottery, oils, watercolors, serigraphs, photography, leather, sculpture, wood and more. BRC will not participate in the show per se, but we plan to visit the park on Saturday the 17th and distribute free water to folks visiting our neighborhood. We’ll also have a stand in front of the church where we will continue to distribute free water and lemonade! Of course we’d love to share about Jesus’s offer of Living Water with folks we meet who’d like to chat. Stop by! add the bright lights, sounds, strangers, needles, tests, and periods of time away from a loved one to the mix and fear goes through the roof. We are making ‘Comfort Blankies’ and providing them to area hospitals in hope of helping to alleviate some of the fear and stress that young children feel in the hospital. The soft blankies are large enough to wrap around their upper bodies, are trimmed with silky satin for rubbing, and have a stuffed friend attached for something to hold onto. To date we have delivered 20 blankies to Mountainside Hospital and Clara Maas Hospital has asked for 25 as well. “In as much as you have done it … unto the least of these you have done it unto me”; Jesus said that! Few of us have the opportunity to make sweeping changes to the world … nor are we expected to. BUT … we are all called to be the hands, feet and heart of Jesus wherever we might be – and collectively THAT does change the world … one little bit at a time. Several programs at Brookdale aim to do just that. There’s the blankie project mentioned to the previous article, and beyond that we also place stuffed animals (to help calm traumatized kids) in every police car and emergency vehicle in town! Another example - one of our parishioners has for years been making and distributing “blessing bags” containing an assortment of toiletries, small clothing items such as socks or gloves, snack food, Bible tracts, prayer cards and the like for distribution to the indigent in and around the area. We have made this a church-wide project, asking church members to contribute content, help assemble, and then distribute bags to the needy. Another example – on the last Saturday of every month we offer a community meal, thinking particularly of those whose finances run out before the calendar does. Some of these projects are new, some have been going on for years (the community meal is in its 8th year!) and we will be adding more. Church member, or “just a friend” … we welcome your participation. (Over) Pasta Dinner with a Side of Music – Who can NNJ Tres Dias Secuela – Dec 12th at 7:00 PM– resist a pasta dinner, really? With a variety of sauces from our world famous chefs (well they should be!) Plus music to entertain and inspire – and all for a $10 donation ($5 for children under 10). Sure, it’s a fund-raiser (we’re saving for a new furnace) but that doesn’t make it any less of a gastronomical treat and all around good time. Plus, it’s in line with our general “building bridges” theme. The dinner provides a forum for dialoging with one another and learning about one another’s interests and needs. … and … the only thing we’ll bite is the meat balls! Join us! You’ll love it – promise! Secuela is a Spanish word, best translated as “sequel”. Brookdale Reformed Church is a strong supporter of Northern New Jersey’s Tres Dias which runs three day weekends designed to help Christians come into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ. Tres Dias weekends explain how to apply teachings from the Bible to our daily lives, help us see the plans God has for our lives, and help us to grow into Christian leaders in our churches, homes and working life. The organization also has monthly meetings called secuelas (sequels) providing ongoing opportunities to fellowship, share, and support one another in Christian growth. Brookdale frequently hosts the Christmas Secuela, to be held this year at the church on Saturday, December 12 beginning with a time of fellowship and refreshment at 7:00 PM. ALL ARE WELCOME! To learn more about Tres Dias visit www.tresdiasnj.org. Civic Showcase - November 12th - The Bloomfield Cultural Commission has scheduled its second hoped to be annual Civic Showcase for Thursday, November 12 beginning at 6:30 PM in the BHS gymnasium. The event’s purpose is “to provide an opportunity for the public to acquaint itself with the myriad of organizations within the township and the services or activities they provide … and to give local organizations the chance to acquaint themselves with one another”. This is consistent with BRC’s decision to be intentional in our outreach and to be more visible in the surrounding community which our Lord expects us to serve; hence our decision to participate. The Bloomfield Cultural Commission will provide a table for our materials, chairs and identifying signage. According to Michelle Davidson, the chairwoman of the cultural commission, there were 37 organizations represented at this “meet & greet” showcase last year … hopefully more this year. Our hope is to come away with many new and mutually beneficial relationships. The world needs prayer - Our country needs prayer. Our churches need prayer. Our family and friends need prayer. Fact is, all of us need prayer! Why not join us for our mid-week prayer meeting; our October meeting will be held at 7:30 PM, on the 26th at the Church House; for subsequent dates visit our website (link below) Also, a special Advent Prayer Service will be held on November 30 at the church (see article at right) Advent Prayer Service – Nov 30th at 7:30-PM Advent in Latin means “Coming”. The season of Advent for Christians is a joyful anticipation of the coming of our Savior, Jesus, but it can also be a hectic and stressful time of decorating, shopping, wrapping, cooking, and cleaning. The Advent Prayer Service is provided to help us put our priorities around this event in order and bring us closer to the real meaning of the season – the birth of our Messiah! Contact Us - Church Phone: 973-338-7676 Website: www.brookdalereformed.rcachurches.org E-Mail: brookdalereformedchurch@mail.com FaceBook: Brookdale Reformed Church Special Blue Christmas Service December 14th, 7:30pm -Christmas can be a painful time of year for some people. It may be the 1st or 20th Christmas without a loved family member(s) due to death or the many reasons for being apart. The constant refrains on the radio, TV, in shopping malls, and churches, about the joy of the season, about people getting together with family and friends, reminds many people of what they have lost or are missing. This anguish can make us feel alone in the midst of the celebrating and joy. Sometimes we need space and time to acknowledge our sadness; we need to know that we are not alone. We also need encouragement to live the days ahead of us. We are offering a ‘Blue Christmas Service’ to offer people a time and space to do all of this and still be able to wait with anticipation the birth of their Savior. Neighborhood Walk, November 29 et al – The doorbell rings – strange – weren’t really expecting anyone - and lo, there at the door stand Mary and Joseph. Mary is with child and looking very tired. Joseph begs: “We’ve travelled a long long way and no one has room for us ... can you make room for us? For our son Jesus who is about to be born?” 2000 years later, the question still remains … amidst all of the holiday hustle and bustle can we, will we, make room for Jesus. Beginning in late November and from time to time throughout December, friends and family of Brookdale Reformed Church will be surveying the neighborhood seeking an answer to that timeless question and offering a challenge to make room for Jesus! And of course we’ll take advantage of the opportunity to welcome our neighbors to our Christmas celebrations! Christmas Eve Service, 7:30 PM - So, get out your comfortable shoes and join us because this Advent we’re going to walk in our mind’s eye all the way to Bethlehem! Our Christmas Eve service will be our final destination (or maybe not). What will we find when we get there? Come and see for yourself. A hope-filled, peace-filled, joy-filled, and love-filled CHRISTmas to all!