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Message from the Pastor

Believe it or not, it is time for us to begin again the pilgrimage of Lent. It is traditionally a time of introspection, a time to slow down, a time to pause and reflect upon our personal goals and priorities, a time of prayer and strengthening our spiritual lives.

Lent is also a time to gather together as members of this community of faith to engage in Bible study and dialogue, to enter into worship and prayer, and to share food and friendship.

The Apostle Paul gives us a marvelous example of Christian community when he writes in Acts 2:42; “They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

You are invited to join us for an amazing spiritual journey this year. It begins on Wednesday, February 6th with the Ash Wednesday dinner and worship service. We will be reminded of our humanity and of the hope and promise of new life that springs forth from the ashes.

Our Lenten journey continues as we worship together every Sunday. This year there are two opportunities for worship each week. Our traditional Sunday morning service which offers dynamic and inspirational worship and music, and our Coffee House Worship which is a more casual and contemporary worship experience.

Every Wednesday evening, we will gather together for dinner at 6PM and Bible Study at 6:45 PM. I hope that you will plan to fully participate in this interactive time of study and dialogue as we learn and share and grow together.

On Sunday, February 24th, everyone is invited to attend the Dedication and Celebration of our new Social Hall. It will be a luncheon. The cost is $15.00 for adults, and children are free. It will be an exciting day as we unveil the beautiful fully renovated room.

Throughout the year we will focus on creating an ACTS community. ACTS stands for Authentic, Community Transforming Spiritually. We will provide more opportunities for Bible study, small groups, hands on mission and much more. Stay tuned for more information.

Blessings & Peace,
Pastor Wanda

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Calendar for February 2008

EVERY SUNDAY

• 9:15am ~ Choir Practice
• 10:30am ~ Worship Service (Sunday School & Child Care)
• 11:40am ~ Fellowship Hour
• 5:00pm ~ Get Connected Café service

EVERY MONDAY

• 10:00am ~ Recovery Group

EVERY THURSDAY

• 10:00am ~ Thursday Ladies
• 8:00pm ~ Recovery Group

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Quick Notes

Ash Wednesday
Please join us in the Colonial Room at 6 PM to share in a Soup & Salad Dinner followed by the Ash Wednesday Worship Service at 7:30 PM in the Sanctuary of the Presbyterian Church in Garden City.

2nd Annual Congregational Meeting
Notice is hereby given of our 2nd Annual Congregational Meeting called for Sunday, February, 10th 2008 to be held in the Sanctuary following the worship service.

Interfaith Sandwich Making
On Saturday, February 23rd at 1PM our church will hold the Interfaith Sandwich Making Event. Volunteers are needed. If you would like to help, please see Eric or Doris Anang.

Lenten Bible Study
Please Join Us in the Colonial Room of the Presbyterian Church in Garden City Wednesday evenings for a delicious Soup & Salad Dinner followed by Bible Study. The Schedule is as follows:

• Feb. 13th ~ 6PM Dinner ~ 6:45 Bible Study
• Feb. 20th ~ 6PM Dinner ~ 6:45 Bible Study
• Feb. 27th ~ 6PM Dinner ~ 6:45 Bible Study
• March 5th ~ 6PM Dinner ~ 6:45 Bible Study
• March 12th ~ 6PM Dinner ~ 6:45 Bible Study

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Music Notes

Thank You: Once again, we would like to thank all our singing and ringing choir members and our instrumentalists for the beautiful Christmas Eve music, it was magnificent!

We have switched gears now and are starting to work on Lenten, Holy Week, and Easter music. If you would like to join us on our musical Spiritual journey, we would love to welcome you!

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Youth News

10 boxes of ziti, $10-
8 pounds of cheese, $32-
8 jars of tomato sauce, $24-
7 pounds of ground beef, $30-
4 pounds of green beans, $8-
5 loaves of Italian bread, $5-
Working together to feed 20 hungry people in our own county…………PRICELESS

On Saturday, January 12th, the youth groups of Garden City Presbyterian Church & Glen Cove Presbyterian Church worked together to prepare a meal for a men’s shelter in the Glen Cove Church. After preparing a delicious meal of Baked Ziti, Italian Bread, Salad, Green Beans and Fruit at our church, we then traveled to Glen Cove to serve the meal. Volunteering for and participating in such a wonderful program made us really feel like we were contributing to our community in a positive way.

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Band Nite

On January 4th, 2008, The Presbyterian Church in Garden City held Band Nite, an event where young, talented local rock bands played in the Youth Room of the church. It was the third time the Church has held this event and it was free of charge to the youth of the community. Band Nite 3, organized by Peter Cianciotto, featured Signs of Saints, The Sweaters, Anti-Social Lullabies, and We Sing The Body Electric. Maria Santiago played acoustic songs in-between the bands’ sets. Over 50 people came to the show and everyone had a fantastic time.

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Finding God in Cups of Coffee

Getting Connected in 2008

by Kevin F. Story

“In the beginning, the earth was without form and void. Then God put on a strong pot of coffee and got to work.” —legend on a coffee mug

In this modern age where technology roams free, cell phones are the new pony (“Can I have one, Mommy?!”), and the latest electronic sweeps the nation faster than a fourteen-year-old can dismantle the Pentagon’s computer mainframe (which is frighteningly fast, actually), it can be difficult to find time for ourselves and God. The Internet has us moving at such a clip that we are forced to get with the program or get off the planet. The same technology that makes it possible for us to communicate with a hundred people a minute regardless of their location on Earth is the same technology that keeps us away from actual human communication. In all of our high-speed Internet connections, we have forgotten two other important connections: the human connection and the holy connection.

So, what can we do? GET CONNECTED. Regain a sense of self at the beginning of a new week (or, to think of it another way, at the end of what may be a long, stressful week). And maybe, just maybe, find God—in cups of coffee.

In cups of coffee?

Yes. You read right. What better way to wake us up from our groggy, early morning, lazy faith? or our frazzled, mid-day, running-out-of-steam faith? or even, perhaps, to get us through that long, all-nighter, crisis of faith? God is just the wake-up we need, always the perfect jolt to get us through even the hairiest of times.

And aren’t you in luck? Because, right here at our church, we have the perfect time for you to GET CONNECTED and WAKE UP! and smell God’s coffee. Every Sunday at 5pm we open the Get Connected Café to all who will enter our doorway. Our guests have ranged from members of our congregation (you know who you are!) to people who saw the sign on the street and were curious as to what we were doing. People walking off the street to hear God’s word! Oh, and maybe to indulge in a free cup of coffee and some cookies, too.

The best part is that God doesn’t care what you’re wearing, what time it is, what day it is, who you are, what you do, or how much money you have on your debit card. He doesn’t care how fast your Internet connection is, how much you pay for your cable package, what kind of car you drive, or how fast you can get money out of the ATM. All he cares about is that you’re there. All he wants you to do is relax, enjoy the coffee, and have a real conversation with someone. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll see what I mean when I say you’ll find God in cups of coffee.

One of the main goals of the Get Connected Café is to get new people coming to our church. To that end, we’re telling people it’s an ecumenical Café (I think “non-denominational” is the watchword), and we’ve been targeting the twenty-something’s of the world (or at least, Long Island) to come and Get Connected. (That’s not to say other people can’t or haven’t enjoyed the Get Connected Café!) A number of colleges are right around us, yet we never see any new faces from them. College students are generally not sure of what they’re doing, what they believe, who to hang out with. They want more than ever to Get Connected to someone who’s going to help them, and befriend them. Let’s be the church that befriends them. Let’s Get Connected to them.

The bottom line is this: spread the word! There are people out there in the world seeking this kind of connection with God; people you’ve probably met at work, or seen at school. Jesus says, “I will make you Fishers of People, if you follow me.” There are postcards on some of the tables throughout the church. Take one and pass it on.

Let’s GET CONNECTED to ourselves. Let’s GET CONNECTED to each other. Let’s GET CONNECTED to Christ this year. Let’s do it together! Amen!

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The online newsletter is an abridged version of the printed one, which can be found at the church.