Cold Spring Church

Mar 12

Special Message Regarding Coronavirus Pandemic — Preparedness

By cscadmin Intersections, Newsletters, Sermons

Updated: March 12, 2020

Stay Healthy During Coronavirus Pandemic.

We will follow directives from the State of New Jersey, Cape May County Health Department, or other state or municipal authority should they impose assembly restrictions, quarantines, or other constraints to prevent or contain virus exposure including cancelling or postponing worship services, events, and closing our facilities. (Check back often for updates.)

From our new Healthy Living Team

The session has established a Healthy Living Team to promote healthy living practices, especially during health crises like the coronavirus pandemic. Jonna Myers (R.N.) and Melissa Arnott (EdD.) are leading this team.

We encourage appropriate social distancing during the pandemic: Our sanctuary in the Red Brick Church is spacious enough to allow worshippers who choose to attend to comfortably practice recommended social distancing protocols. (Our average attendance is 70. Our sanctuary seats 300 including our balcony, leaving lots of room to spread out as needed.)

Live streaming of worship: Should services be cancelled due to the pandemic, visit our Facebook page for FaceBook Live video streaming, and/or our website for messages and music content. Stay spiritually nourished and connected!

What about Easter? Its possible that our two Easter services may be postponed, but they will not be cancelled! Should the coronavirus pandemic threat continue into April (Easter is April 12), we may need to postpone our services to a later, safer, date. Easter is one amazing event we don’t want to miss celebrating, so we will just choose a different date to gather if the April 12th events are postponed. (Stay tuned!)

What we are doing: We are re-doubling our efforts to ensure that Price Hall and sanctuary, bathrooms, other surfaces are clean, using disinfectants that are approved by the CDC. Boxes of tissues have been provided in center aisle pews. Hand sanitizer is provided. We installed automatic paper towel dispensers in our bathrooms that are safer to operate.

What you can do: We have our own special areas at home or at work that we need to pay attention to during virus outbreaks. Everyone’s cleaning list should include door knobs, handrails, and handles on your microwave, refrigerator, cabinets, and those toilet and faucet handles, too.

Check with neighbors! If you are able, reach out to your neighbors, especially those who are home bound.

Stock-up! Remember to have at least a three-week’s supply of food essentials and any required respiratory medications. BUT…

Please do not hoard – if you have extra soap and hand sanitizer – bring it to church – we will use it! Hoarding is not neighborly!

Contact the Deacons or call the office for assistance with essential shopping or doctor’s visits. We want to help!

Go Online! Shop for groceries, contribute to the church, listen to worship services, and even pay bills online. Follow us on Facebook, and please Like our page. It helps others discover our page!

You Can Prepare for Any Infectious Disease Outbreak

In light of the pandemic of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), resources are available for our congregation. Now is the time to prepare and be aware of safer community practices. According to a Preparedness for Pandemics guide published by the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, simple precautions can help everyone participate in healthy ways.

Everyday Musts During A Pandemic:

More Hand Washing – Less Face Touching. Washing hands thoroughly and frequently is essential. Especially every time you go out in public. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can be found in and around bathrooms in the Red Brick Church and Price Hall. Use sanitizer often, but hand washing is a must!
Stay at home if you are sick. Remember you can stay connected to our community when you’re sick at home or away from home by visiting our website. Listen to sermons and music, watch videos, and connect to us on Facebook. Consider giving online. Staying away from others when you’re sick is a must!
Simply smile and use your welcoming words, without handshakes. Welcoming hospitality takes many forms, and your smile is a wonderful gift others enjoy receiving! Social distancing is a must!

As we gather for events and worship, simply smile, and use your welcoming words, without handshakes. Frequently and thoroughly washing our hands is essential. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers (containing at least 60% alcohol) can be found in and around bathrooms in the Red Brick Church and Price Hall. Use sanitizer often. (Again, hand washing is better!)

Thank you for modeling protective health practices and praying for those most severely affected by the pandemic, especially the most vulnerable and isolated members of communities around the world. Should you have any special needs or concerns, please let a Deacon or session member know how we can assist you.

Feb 01

Love0

February 2019 Brickette

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Feb 01

Love0

We Have A Heart

By cscadmin Intersections

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Whether you enjoy or avoid Valentine’s Day, we all have one inescapable need: to feel loved. Love is a core value of Cold Spring Church. God loves us more than we can possibly imagine. “For God loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…” (John 3:16-17). We seek to, “love one another with mutual affection…” and to “outdo one another in showing honor” (Romans 12:10). We want to belong to something meaningful and feel cared for. Each of us can fulfill our life’s mission of love that God has given us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10). God wants us to show that love to others every day of the year.

“The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (That is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:8b-13).

For many, special days like Valentine’s Day only reinforces that we either feel loved, or it reminds us that we feel unloved. While all of us are unlovable from time to time, all of us can count on God “lavishing his love on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1).

You are loved! All of us (and I mean all of us, including me!) struggle to consistently and authentically have a heart for everyone. Always listen and show respect to others. Jesus’ love for the world shows us that we will have heart-to-heart contact with neighbors we might not agree with, with people we may not like, or even fear. Our neighbors, young and old, deserve to experience the love of God. And Cold Spring Church continues to deliver spiritual resources to our neighbors. As Presbyterians, we are positively influenced by the great 16th Century Reformers like John Calvin. Our faith affects our entire being. Our Transformation Journey engages both our mind and heart.

To “have a heart” as a follower of Jesus, however, is not easy. It is not automatic. On our Transformation Journey, we want to thoughtfully reflect on our ministry as we move forward. How do we do that? One way is to remind each other to test all we do by asking ourselves:

“Does this idea show I have a heart?,”

“How does our project/ministry show the love of God?,”

“In what ways did our service/event/activity show God’s love?,”

“How could I improve and better show God’s love next time?”

The Apostle Paul reminded the community of faith in Rome:

“The word is near you, on your lips and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim).”

As we embrace a We Have a Heart spirit this year, we will better reflect and demonstrate the love of God in greater Cape May because… (say it with me!):

I have a heart!

We have a heart!

Yes, we do, and we will!

And thank you for all you do!

Pastor Kevin

Jan 01

Love1

Open the Deck Chairs- TEA for the New Year!

By cscadmin Intersections

This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone (Titus 3:8, NIV).

Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!” (Matthew 9:37-38, MSG).

SS Cold Spring Church– One of my favorite Peanuts cartoons shows Lucy, once again, lecturing Charlie Brown on the meaning of life: “Charlie Brown, life is like a deck chair on a cruise ship. Passengers open up these canvas deck chairs so they can sit in the sun. Some people place their chairs facing the rear of the ship so they can see where they’ve been. Other people face their chairs forward – they want to see where they’re going. On the cruise ship of life, which way is your deck chair facing?” Charlie replies, feeling frustrated: “I’ve never been able to get one unfolded.”

Sometimes we can feel a lot like Charlie Brown. Getting stuck at getting started! It can consume our valuable time, energy, and attention to the point that we end up accomplishing very little, and even more importantly, could end up distressed, or depressed, figuring out the next step! For Charlie, which way his deck chair was facing, finding his place on the ship was secondary to getting the deck chair opened in the first place!

Opening our own life’s deck chairs represent how we invest three gifts that God has given all of us to share. And I mean all of us; no matter our age or experience, whatever our talents or interests, or particular cycle of life, or our mobility. The three gifts are our Time, Energy, and Attention. (Think of it as our TEA, for short: Time, Energy, and Attention.) As the New Year begins, take a moment to review how your TEA is tasting! If you have lots of Energy and Attention, but no Time, you probably feel overwhelmed. If you have Time and Attention, but no Energy, you are likely exhausted. Or, maybe you have lots of Time and Energy, but no Attention. If that describes you, then you are probably distracted. But when our TEA is in balance, we can “open our deck chairs” to feeling more energized and engaged. And, we will feel more satisfied in doing good in the community in the name of Jesus Christ! We will find our own unique place on the ship called, Cold Spring Presbyterian Church. God commissioned us three hundred years ago to chart a course for blessing our community in the name of Jesus Christ. Do you need help with your deck chair?

Consider the scripture verses above for insight from God’s word about how we can find our place on board. The Apostle Paul wrote the letter to Titus, the New Testament book bearing his name, as a kind of instruction manual for the young pastor. Titus was concerned about what activities the new community of faith should focus on. The believers who met at Titus’ house church on the Island of Crete didn’t just to be busy. They wanted their Time, Energy, and Attention focused on the right priorities. Loving and glorifying God. Serving others. So Paul stressed— devote yourselves to doing good! That’s Titus’ bottom line as he followed Christ, and how Paul wanted every ministry and activity to be evaluated. Was it good for others? Did it accomplish good, or not? If so, do more of that. And if not, then stop doing that!

Jesus’ words inspire us to get involved in this New Year. He said, “What a huge harvest! How few workers!” When we look at the greater Cape May community of neighbors, friends, and family, do we see opportunities? Well, God does. And God has invited Cold Spring Presbyterian Church to “open our deck chairs” and do good! There’s work to accomplish. Love to demonstrate. Service to offer. Like it was said of Jesus who reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. Proclaiming the Good News about Jesus requires us to do good. To bless others. To respect others. To welcome everyone.

Once we figure out where we put our “opened deck chair” we will know how we fit in, join in, or serve by investing our Time, Energy, and Attention better. Some of us want to celebrate where we’ve been. We have lots of experience. That’s great. You would be a great encourager, prayer warrior, or contributor, and your source of wisdom can help us move forward. Or, perhaps you are called to face forward and help to set the course, grow, and help the ship bring its gifts to the community.

Our communities and neighborhoods deserve hope and wellness of mind, body and spirit. Cold Spring Presbyterian Church has the spiritual resources to do even more good in 2019. Will you consider your TEA this week and ask God how to best invest your Time, Energy, and Attention. Get those deck chairs opened and get ready, “striving what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13). I think 2019 is going to be an amazing adventure in our 305th year of doing good in Jesus’ name. Get your TEA ready! All aboard!

-Dr. Kevin Yoho, transformation pastor

Dec 24

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2018-12-24 Message- Churches, Mattress Stores, and Deputy Shepherds Beyond the Manger

By cscadmin Sermons

Luke 2:15-18

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. Beyond the Manger was inspired by the writing of Joseph Martin and Ray Bakke.

Find out what churches, mattress stores, and shepherds can teach us beyond the manger!

Beyond the manger, We hear no Silent Night

There are no sounds of animals, No star is shining bright

Beyond the manger.

Beyond the manger, We see healing in the streets

Words of hope and forgiveness meet, But now we hear the angry crowd

The sounds of the hammer fall, I see a rugged cross, the chill of night.

Beyond the manger.

Beyond the manger, We see no see no swaddling clothes,

No host of angels sing, There is no candle glow.

Beyond the manger.

Beyond the manger, On the dump outside of town

Amazing grace breaking his heart, The messiah hangs upon a cross

Beyond the manger.

Because the tomb was empty, our lives can be filled

Beyond the manger.

Like the shepherds, you have met at the manger tonight. And can now see beyond it! To the life, words, signs, and work of Jesus. To the cross. The empty tomb. The ascension and promised return!

And you are being sent out as deputy shepherds! That’s right. Each of you has a job to tell the community: There is hope. Spiritual resources are available for young and old. Our mission is to those who have not been reached. To proclaim the Good News about Jesus, and if necessary, use words!

What have you heard? Will you make it known?

What gift have you received? Will you share it?

What hope and peace have you felt? Will you go and tell the amazing news!?

Then our entire community can see God’s amazing love and get the spiritual resources it needs for wellness and living the abundant life Jesus promises!

Now, get up, deputy shepherds, and go!

Oct 18

Love16

10-19-25 Worship Service

By Norris Clark Intersections, Newsletters, Sermons

Our online service is found here.

You have found a place to encounter God and people who care about you – just as you are, right where you are, anytime.

Energize your life and discover the amazing love of Jesus! This week is the perfect time to join us in person for worship. Enjoy live music, solo, lyric videos, and a message of hope from God’s word.

We are excited to welcome you to worship in our historic Red Brick Church on Sundays at 10:30 AM.