Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Old Tappan, NJ

About POP

Worship

From Pastor Holliday

News & Happenings

POP Preschool

We're looking for your input to make POP the best it can be!

POP Question
of the Month

What kind of church-sponsored activity would inspire you to invite a friend?

Please email your responses to popquery@gmail.com

Thank you!

Prince of Peace Preschool to open a new class in January
Prince of Peace Preschool, Old Tappan, will be opening a new Stepping Stones Class beginning in January. This is a transitional program for children two years, ten months through three years old that are ready to start exploring preschool but not quite ready for a large prekindergarten program. It is a special place where our young threes can explore new friendships and gain independence in a warm and caring environment. The class is available either 2 or 3 days a week from 9:00-12:00 and will run from January to June. Registration will begin November 1st.

For more information call 201-965-3354 or visit our website at princeofpeacenj.org

Preschool News
Brrr! It may be a warm winter in NJ this year, but in our classroom it is chilly (and sometimes a little silly) as we collect milk cartons to build our own igloo! Next time you are downstairs enjoying coffee and fellowship, look up, and you can keep track of our progress as the cartons are grouped in 10’s (affording a real life math lesson as a bonus!). We will also be exploring polar animals and all of the donated Styrofoam packing will be turned into glaciers and icebergs! A unit on transportation will give us further opportunities for science exploration, literacy, and fun imaginative play!

We received a thank you from Linda English organizer of the NAPO/Soles4Souls effort. Our shoes, combined with donations from other local sites, contributed 1,832 pairs of shoes to this worthwhile charity. Many Thanks!

It is registration time for the 2012-2013 school year! We will be holding our second Open House on Thursday, March 1 for prospective families and a free trial class for our Playmates program. This year families who register on or before March 1 will be guaranteed 2011-2012 tuition rates for the 2012 – 2013 year.

We will be having a Valentines themed Pajama and Pizza Night on Friday, February 10 children ages 2 – 10 years. Enjoy an evening out knowing your children are being cared for by our preschool staff and enjoying crafts, pizza dinner, and games! Preregistration is required; call the church office for more information.

Your Trash may be our Treasure!
We are collecting clean gallon milk jugs (with caps), children’s or Irish (or other fun ethnic) music cassettes for our music center, and a size 5 hand me down girls outfit and hand me down children’s socks. Thank you for collecting coffee and oatmeal containers-our boxes are full!

Book of Faith

Be a part of this conversation at Prince of Peace this Lent at http://bookoffaith.ning.com/groups.

Please contact Pastor Holliday pastorholliday@princeofpeacenj.org for more information

Wurffel Fund College Aid Available

Financial aid for college students is now available through the Karl, John, Elizabeth Wurffel Memorial Fund. The aid will be provided in the form of student loans. While the amount of funds available is limited, Lutheran students are encouraged to apply. Terms for the loans are very beneficial to the recipients. Eligibility is described as follows:

"Any member of a NJ Synod, ELCA, congregation planning to attend or enrolled in a matriculated program of study in an accredited 4-year or 2-year college or university may apply. Loans are for undergraduate study only.

Priority of consideration is given on the basis of activity in the life of the church as described by the recommendation letter of the applicant's pastor and on the basis of need. Priority is given first to students attending any ELCA Lutheran College or University, and then to any accredited 2-year or 4-year university."

Please contact the church office to obtain the application and letter of recommendation forms.

Do You Know the Signs of a Stroke? Remember The 1st Three Letters.... S.T.R.

A neurologist said that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke... totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough. Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the individual to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (coherently-- e.g. It is sunny out today.)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

And… Stick out Your Tongue ...
Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked,' if it goes to one side or the other, this is also an indication of a stroke.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

The Christian Education Ministry
What are the aims and/or goals of this ministry?

The Christian Education Ministry is responsible for the overall education of the members of the congregation- including: Sunday School, Adult Bible Studies, Confirmation instruction, First Communion instruction, Vacation Bible School, Good Friday Mini Camp, and other educational programs. Our goals are:

Increasing attendance in these programs,
Promoting age appropriate familiarity with the Bible,
Instilling an understanding of God's unconditional love.
Meeting certain educational goals for our Sunday School children. By the time that they enter Confirmation Class, they should know; The Lord's Prayer (Grades1-2), The Ten Commandments (Grades 3-4), and The Apostles' Creed (Grades 5-6).

How will it accomplish these in the coming year?

Offering a variety of educational opportunities
Evaluating our curriculum to ensure that it meets our educational goals
Increasing publicity of our programs to increase attendance
Keeping accurate attendance records and reaching out to students who have not been attending Sunday School

What opportunities are there for volunteers?

Long Term Projects (approximate time needed)
Sunday School Teacher (1-3 hours a month)
Bible Study Leader (1-4 hours a month)

Short Term Projects
Teach Vacation Bible School (one week)
Create Decorations for VBS ( 2-3 hours)
Assist with Good Friday Mini Camp (1 day)

One-time opportunities
Assist with a Super Sunday(1-2 hours)
Assist with Rally Day (1-2 hours)

Make Suggestions to:
Andrea Flannery, Melissa Millad or Margaret Donne

Stewardship - Your Offering Envelopes

A number of people have asked for an explanation of the various ‘boxes' on the front of our offering envelopes. The regular Sunday envelope has four boxes marked:

Operation Expenses: These offerings pay for the day-to-day costs keeping Prince of Peace open and engaged in ministry. Included in this are: salaries, utilities, supplies, etc.
Mission Support: These offerings are remitted to the New Jersey Synod and the National Headquarters of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Included in this are: Staff salaries, costs of training clergy, distribution of church-wide materials for helping congregations, assistance to missions throughout the world, etc.
Mortgage: These offerings help to pay the current mortgage on the parsonage which will pay for the new roof on the church and other needed improvements.
Other: Unless the donor indicates otherwise (and you may use this box for any item you wish to specifically designate) these offerings are remitted to Synod for World Hunger.

In addition to the regular weekly envelope, your box contains envelopes for special, designated uses, such as flowers for decorating the altar, payment for your "Lutheran" magazine ($8.00 per subscription), etc. Other special envelopes are included for special services during the church year. All offerings made to the church are recorded by number and you receive a quarterly report to show your stewardship of your treasure toward Prince of Peace Church.

Facts About the Homeless

There has been a rapid increase in the number of homeless people caused by a weak economy and cuts in federal aid.
The homeless population is largely made up of adult men, but the proportion of women, children and youth has steadily increased.
Homeless individuals are often estranged from family and other social networks—1/3 are chronically mentally ill—1/2 are substance abusers.
Today's homeless, however, are mostly non-white, relatively young (middle 30s) and include a large number of women and children—1/3 are veterans.
28% of homeless clients report that they sometimes or often do not get enough to eat. 29% also report abuse or neglect in childhood from someone in their household.