Presbyterian Women
Nurture Faith, Support Mission, Work For Justice and Peace, and Build Community
PW News
For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad. - Edwin Teal
If winter is slumber, spring is birth and summer is life, then autumn rounds out to be reflection. Mother Earth just closed up the drapes on another year and it’s time to reflect on what’s come before. - Mitchell Burgess
We held our Fall Luncheon on September 9. It was nice that participants included four men of our church (Baron Ashfield, George Cannock, Charlie King and Wayne Mayer).
PW was pleased to be able to give scholarships this year to Kelsey Gunther, Sarah LaBrie and Kyle Montross. We wish them success and happiness in their continuing education.
Our coming events include:
- October 24 - Silent Auction
- November 21 - Holiday Bazaar
- December 9 - Christmas Luncheon
Wishing you all a beautiful fall season.
Marcy Berchtold
President, Presbyterian Women 783-4782
PW Events Throughout The Church
Here's some information about PW events throughout the church.
Dear Presbyterian Sisters,
In July, seven women from Hudson River Presbytery had the great experience of attending the Churchwide Gathering of Presbyterian Women in Louisville KY. The theme was “God will do Wonders Among You,” and there were many wonderful experiences of worship, music, drama, thoughtful workshops, great conversations, and general sharing.
Although it seems that many of the women's groups in the congregations of Hudson River Presbytery are struggling to survive, the national organization of PW is gaining new strength and direction. There are many programs emerging to capture the interest of Presbyterian Women, whether or not they are active in local groups. And over the past two years, our PWs in Hudson River Presbytery have contributed over $25,000 to the mission of the National PW and the PCUSA, and over $5000 to the special offerings! We are grateful to all those women who have contributed.
It is again time to request that your group consider your pledge to Presbyterian Women! See Judy Wason for more details or to make a pledge.
Some of the contributions to PW in the Presbytery have gone to purchase material for stoles for the graduates of the Certificate in Ministry and Human Services program at Sing Sing Prison; the sewing has been done by PW women in Katonah and Monroe. It's a simple project; let us know if your PW would like to take a turn! In addition, Prison Partnership Coordinator “Shepp” Sheppard has begun a mission of sending Christmas Cards to prisoners who have been forgotten by the outside world. Many of us have holiday fairs; for now, please save any donations of greeting cards that you may receive! Details about mailing will be available later this fall.
Please do not forget that this is the season for the PW Thank Offering:
The Thank Offering is a PW offering collected in the fall of each year that gives women a tangible way to express their gratitude for the special blessings in their lives. The offering funds projects such as agricultural development, child care, community organization, criminal justice, drug counseling, economic justice, elderly care, employment training, homelessness, literacy, violence and women’s concerns. At least 40 percent of this offering supports health ministries throughout the world. The remaining 60 percent funds new creative ideas for mission. (From the website, www.pcusa.org/pw/thank/index.htm)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Plans are well underway for this year's special events. Our Fall Gathering will be the afternoon of Saturday, Nov. 14 at the Ossining Church. Nurse Paula Graham will lead a program on Wellness and Parish Nursing, that should benefit the health of each of us. "Shepp" Sheppard will talk about two mission projects: collecting Bibles for prisoners, and sending Christmas cards to those who otherwise would be forgotten. Bring along any Bibles you wish to donate, and, in the meantime, start saving Christmas cards. Hopefully, we'll have instructions for mailing by the time of the Gathering. Childcare will be available upon request.
We all look forward to our traditional Ash Wednesday Retreat, which will be held on Feb. 17, 2010 at Stony Point. PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND, WHETHER OR NOT YOUR CHURCH HAS AN ACTIVE WOMEN'S GROUP!
We also have several interesting opportunities with the Churchwide PW. PW will again send a delegation to the United Nations 54th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which runs for two weeks, beginning on February 27, 2010. Judy has attended for the past four years; it is an incredible experience. Please let her know right away if you would like to participate.
In addition, during 2010, PW will offer a series of “Transformation in Partnership Travel/Study Tours,” to Russia (May 3-17), Reformation Sites in Switzerland and France (August 31-September 8), and Eastern Europe (October 5-21). Contact Judy or Faye for more information. Additional travel opportunities to “Destinations for Spiritual Travelers” can be found at www.way-points.org 
.
More information about all the activities of PW can be found at www.pwsne.org ; for the Synod, and www.pcusa.org/pw for Churchwide. There is also a new section of the site, www.pcusa.org/allwomen , which has lots of great ideas and a forum!
Finally, there is a PW USA Mission Experience in September 2010, titled Meeting our Sisters in the Dakotas, which will focus on the lives of Native American women. If you are interested, look for more information at www.pcusa.org/pw .
This year we anticipate doing almost all of our communicating via email and the web. Please help by making sure we have contact information for at least one woman in your congregation.
Wishing you joy and success as you begin new program years,
Judy Wason (jwason@optonline.net)
Faye Bishop (fayejay413@yahoo.com)
A Reminder How All Church Members Can Help
The Cottage, our nearly-famous thrift store, provides basic resources to less fortunate families in our valley. Just as important, it has been vital to our Church’s financial health in these economic times. But our volunteer ranks are stretched thin. We need more Cottage workers to share the load. It’s not a difficult job – it takes no special skills to sort, stock or sell – but those who have volunteered have found it rewarding. We have day and evening hours throughout the week.
Could you work a few hours once a month? Do you know a friend who could work with you? Please call Cindy Wykretowicz (783-2893) to learn more.
