The Arrival of Fall

What a unusual August we had…First the very sad and unfortunate shooting in Boonton, then the very surprising earthquake which was felt in NJ (by many) and then Hurricane Irene — which thankfully did not destroy life and property to the levels at which it was predicted, but the Rockaway River was certainly the main actor in Boonton! By the time you read this, hopefully all of the stormy events will have now passed… and… September will be upon us once again. As much as we sometimes dread the arrival of fall as well as schedules and structure, they are helpful as we move back into a rhythm of work and school, as well as creativity and growth.

This is true for all that’s already planned for you for the fall here at FCB.

We kickoff with a Special Sept 11th remembrance service, Sunday morning at 10AM. This will be a service for all to attend (including children) to remember that tragic day and offer prayers and continued hope and healing for all. As part of that service the worship committee has created two very meaningful rites that will assist us in remembering that solemn day and also aid us in the on-going healing; a journey between memory and hope.

Sept 18th is “Rally Day” which is our official “back to fall schedule,” with opening communion, the commissioning of Sunday School teachers, first day of Sunday School, and the first ROCK meeting of the year. (Tekna Theou kicks off on Sept 11th.)

Sept 25th is Boonton Day (after worship on Main street) where we will again have booths with games and fundraisers as well as opportunities to make our Boonton presence known on Main Street. Our fabulous choir will also again be ‘taking the stage’ to sing some wonderful gospel crowd pleasers. Plan to stop by or volunteer to help at our booths 11am – 5pm!

October 1st will be our annual Officer’s Retreat at Chatham Township 9–4 and Sunday, October 3rd isWorld Communion Sunday, where we bring and share breads from all different cultures as we celebrate sharing the Lord’s Supper simultaneously with people all over the world (in their respective time zones). This will also be the first day that John Malacek pronounced (mah-lah-check), our new Princeton seminarian will be joining us. John will be with us as a seminary intern from October through April of 2012 as part of his Field Education as he pursues a Masters of Divinity from Princeton. Look for more information about John in our October Spire issue.

We will also be starting a new Men’s bible study Oct 15th for all those men who would like to deepen their faith and their relationship with God and one another. I hope you’ll plan to take time to be a part of this new and wonderful community.

Sunday, Oct 23rd we’ll be also hosting the 2nd annual inaugural organ concert with guest organist, Dr. Andrew Moore, another lauded nationally known organist, to celebrate again the wonderful instrument that you were ‘instrumental’ in having installed in our newly renovated sanctuary!

These, of course are only some of the highlights to mark on your calendars but the real meaningful events are the connections and reconnections to God and one another. It is my sincere prayer that you will all return rested and hungry for the learning, living, loving and spreading the gospel to all who are eager to be touched by the Spirit – the very Spirit that moves and that binds all of us together, near and far.

Awaiting with you in Christ,
Jen