The Newsletter of Lyall

     We have a new shipment of Care Notes which you will find in the Social Room and in
the upstairs hallway. The new titles include: Living with Cancer, Facing Cancer
as a Family, Dealing with the Anger that Comes with Grief, Anger: When You Feel
Like You’re Going to Explode, Bearing the Special Grief of Suicide, Coping with
Pain, Where Is God in My Suffering?, Caring for Yourself When You’re Caring for
Someone Ill, End of Life Concerns, At the Bedside of a Dying One, It’s OK to
Feel Relieved When Someone You Love Dies, Mad Isn’t Bad (for children), When
Your Grandparent Dies (Teens), and a Teen Care packet (20 titles).

FWSCS News
Kathy King

• Our theme this year, Wisdom of the Vine, is based on the Gospel of John, Chapter 15: 1-8. Jesus is the Vine, and we are the branches.
  How much fruit do you bear for the Lord? Come and learn how to increase your fruit output!
  
  
•  In February we mailed our program, budget, and pledge letter to each of the women of the church. We hope that you will take time to persue it  . . .
  and then become involved with our meetings and events.
  
  
• Our officers for 2010 are President,
  Kathy King, Vice President, Betty Doyle,Secretary, Dot McCracken, and Treasurer, Kristen Reid. Once again,
  Adelaide Jasmine will lead us in devotions and oversee the Sunshine Committee.

Women’s Retreat
Kathy King

Palm Sunday
Kathy King

     Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, which is on March 28th  this year. Join us
in our regular worship service as we lift our voices and our hearts, saying “Bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in the highest heaven!”

 We have many events planned for Holy Week: look for more information in the April Newsletter.

     I would like to express my thanks
and appreciation for the lovely basket of flowers sent for my Mother's funeral.
It was very thoughtful. The prayers, cards, and kind words of comfort were
deeply appreciated.

With Gratitude,
Joyce Nielsen

Congratulations!

     Congratulations to Pastor Long and Nanci on the birth of their daughter, Della Katherine. 
She was born on February 8th , weighing in at 9 lbs. 10 oz.  Her brother and sisters are George, Anna and Mary.

March Birthdays
By Joyce Nielsen

  5.   Adelaide Jasmine

  8.   Nora Kehoe
        Paige Kehoe
       
 11.  Douglas Doyle
       Sue Robertson
      
13.   Kristen DiFiore

14.   Veronica Peterson

17.   Brian Lawyer

18.   Daniel Blayney
       CurtisLarsen, Jr.
    
19.   Brett Blackburn
       Alyssa Dunlop
       MollyOlson
       Tim Olson
 
24.   Peter Miller, Sr.

25.   Jaye Meyer

26.   Andrew Gartelmann

        Sally O’Brien

27.   William Strayer

29.   Jean Armstrong

31.   Valerie Rarick

March Anniversaries
By Joyce Nielsen

6.   George & Judy Oppenheimer

12.   Henry & Margaret Staats

26.   John & Marilyn Kading

27.   Cory & Margie Cole

Thoughts and Prayers

 Please keep in your thoughts and prayers the following individuals: George Davis, at home; Jerry Secor, at home;  Helen (Terry) Della-Volpe, at home;
prayers for comfort and peace  for Maureen Tonner, mother of Kelly Nielsen; Rhonda Fitzsimmons, cousin of Joyce Nielsen; Holly Gang, cousin of Joyce Nielsen, recovering from surgery; prayers for Judy Scofield, battling cancer;   Shirley Evert, recovering from shoulder surgery; Susan Liskey, recovering from cellulitis; Kathleen Minimi, cousin of Joyce
Nielsen, undergoing surgery; prayers for Rich Rogers, working in Afghanistan; prayers for Jenn Seaman, at home; Rosemary Longo, cousin of Joyce Nielsen; prayers for Sue Robertson; Katrina Wack, prayers for upcoming surgery and treatment for cancer.

Condolences

     We extend our sympathy to Bertha and her family on the death of her husband, 
Jack Howe, who died peacefully Friday, Jan. 22nd at St. Francis Hospital in his 89th year.
Jack was a long-time member of Lyall and was a soloist in our Church Choir for 60 years.  If there’s a celestial choir,
we know his wonderful voice is there, glorifying our Lord.  As Jesus said “Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who
lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26, NRSV).

     We also extend our sympathy to the family of Griff Baxter, who died Wed., Jan. 20th  at Vassar Brothers Medical Center.  He was 72.  
While we extend our deepest sympathy, we also rejoice in the witness of a life redeemed.  “This is life eternal, “says
our Lord, “that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3, KJV).

 Lyall 2009 Missions Summary                        
Betty Doyle

 Mission activities in 2009 were
many and varied across the congregation, all of whom make up the mission
committee. We can't account for all of the individual activities you've been
reaching out through but here's a summary of what the "body" has been
involved in.

 We continued to support the following missionaries: Karen Stockton in
Kenya and Daniel & Sarah Zagami in Madagascar through African Inland
Ministries, Larry & Susan Salay in Ecuador through Wycliffe Bible
Translators, and Aaron & Holly Hicks in Spain through World Harvest
Ministries. Newsletters and pictures from them can be seen regularly on the
Missions bulletin board outside the pastor's office.

As outreach ministries outside of our area, we supported Angel Tree/Prison
Fellowship Ministries which delivers gifts of love and a message of hope to
children of prisoners throughout the country.  Samaritan’s Purse as an
international Christian relief and evangelism organization, and new this year
was Bread for the World Institute, an international Christian organization
doing research, education and publication of an annual report on the state of
world hunger, The Hunger Report, analyzing the causes of and solutions to
hunger.

Locally we continued support of Hudson River Housing to provide decent affordable
housing for low to moderate income people in the area, Sound of Life
contemporary Christian radio station, CareNet Pregnancy Center, and Youth Mission
Outreach as a Poughkeepsie inner city Christian
youth ministry. New to the list this year, is the Salvation Army Poughkeepsie
Corps providing hot meals as well as other necessities to the needy.

Group activities which you generously supported include:

• Rural Migrant Ministries Walkathon for Summer Youth Camp - our team was lead by Izzy Ouellette.
  
  
• Baby Bottle Blessings for CareNet Pregnancy Center coordinated by Harriet Cole with nearly $900 collected.
  
  
• Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box campaign: Activities coordinated through FWSCS - collected boxes from our church and other area organizations and delivered them to the Poughkeepsie collection site.
  
  
• Compassionate Christmas Cards coordinated by Kristen Reid
  
  
• See the FWSCS report for more church mission activity and giving.

2009 News from Aaron & Holly Hicks

Spain

Ministry highlights of the year:

* Feb:  we sponsor a bilingual Grace Renewal conference here in Spain with 40 attendees from Spain, N. Africa, and Europe

* Mar:  we celebrate our first baptism at our church plant, an African man from Ghana from
a musilm background

* Mar. 29: we officially dedicate our new international church-plant here in
Granada: la Iglesia de Reconciliación (Reconciliation Church)

* Apr:  we restart our "mercy ministry" to the needy in our neighborhood with a
free clothing bazaar and over 80 needy families are served

* May:  we receive official approval from the government to receive and distribute
European-Union funded food to the needy in our neighborhood, and serve over 150
needy families                          

* June: we sponsor our first-ever English Camp outreach to kids in our neighborhood, with the help
of a Presbyterian church in North Carolina

* July thru Sept: we spend our first "home ministry assignment" (furlough) in the
U.S. and have many chances to speak at churches and reconnect with family and friends

* Oct:  our second annual Straights of Gilbratar retreat with our partner mission team from
N. Africa, with exciting plans for future cooperation between the continents

Some memorable moments in our family life this year include:

* April - to the ER 3 times in 1week for 3 sets of stitches:  1st Anna, 2nd Daniel, 3rd Aaron!

* June - approved for visa renewal by the Spanish gov’t for 2 more years!

* Oct. - Aaron passes his Spanish driver's license exams, theory & practice, first try--a
rare occurrence in Granada

Prayer concerns include:

* finances: we are feeling the effects of the economic crisis with overall donations
down while the exchange rate has gone up; we need to raise more support this year

* Anna's schooling:  Anna was diagnosed with a learning disability this summer and we continue to struggle with her educational and social future

* continued opportunities to share the love of Jesus with friends and neighbors, especially Juan & Rosa, Federico & Maria Angeles, Carlos
& Inma, David & Lola

* equipping leaders in our church-plant, especially guys that Aaron is working with:  Nicolas, Ahmed, Luciano, Tomas, Arley

Again, we are so thankful for you.  None of this would be possible were it not
for your partnership with us financially and in prayer!

"I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you,
I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first
day until now, being confident of this:  that he who began a good work in
you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  
Phil. 1:3-6

May the Lord bless you in the New Year 2010.  

Questions Children Ask

Taken from “103 Questions Children Ask
about Right from Wrong”

How did God decide what was wrong and what was right?

     God didn’t have a meeting with the angels and announce that some actions were right
and some actions were wrong.  He is perfect and right.  God’s very
nature is good, and whatever he does is right.  And anything that is
against God’s nature is wrong.  God’s rules in the Bible tell us what God is like.

     Remember also that God tells us what is right and  wrong because he loves us.  His rules protect us and guide us.  It’s
like our telling a baby not to touch a hot stove.  We want to keep the baby from getting hurt.  We make the rule because we love the baby. 
God tells us what to do for the same reason.  He wants to take care of us, to make us joyful, and to help us live.

* Daylight Savings Time Begins, March 14th

* First Day of Spring, March 20th              

2009 Year End News from Karen Stockton

Rift Valley Academy in Kenya:

This is compiled from an email to bring you up to date. See the
full text on the Missions bulletins board.

Communications email/internet problems recently: My life is surrounded by correspondence:
filtering correspondence sent to Creative Access Nations for the school, as
admissions director, writing to parents of my dorm girls and communicating with
you. This has been challenging and has meant an increase in needed patience and
time to do this part of my work at RVA.

This past school term was amazing!  Although there are always “issues” with 20
high school girls living on one hallway, we have flourished over the last 3
months.  It has been a term full of encouragement and growth for which I
am thankful. For the first time in my dorm parenting years, we wrote a dorm
covenant together.  It was such a blessing. The two terms we were together
last year are best described as “Refining Months”. We’re now benefiting from a
more solid stable dorm life.

The transition from 9th to 10th grade in regard to academics was a huge leap. They
are now managing the work load well for the most part. Some of girls were on
the JV basketball team and some on varsity. I spent the term moving from one
basketball game to another, trying to give equal cheering time to all the
players! Several girls were involved in the musical drama, 7 Brides for 7
Brothers and I was very proud of their performance. 

We celebrated Christmas in November making Gingerbread Houses, a Secret Santa Gift
Exchange, a White Elephant Gift Exchange and a Candlelight Snack meal. 
The girls put stockings together for each girl. Their work and interaction was
a testimony of how much they have grown together as a dorm over the past
year.  I’m am very proud dorm mom!!

Art Class.  I am taking an Art Survey Course at RVA.  I have LOVED
every minute of it!  Not only am I finding it very therapeutic and
rewarding, I am also enjoying being on the same plane as the students and
working alongside them. 

   

Prayer needed:

* Parents to have more reliable contact with their children

* Students to have more reliable internet access to complete school
projects and connect with colleges in their junior and senior years

* Better & affordable internet access

 
Grateful thanks, Karen

Change of Address
By Joyce Nielsen

 It is important that the church office be informed of any change of address. 
Quite often the post office returns newsletters from those who have recently
moved out of the area or have changed their address.  The church then is
charged a fee for each returned newsletter.  We would greatly appreciate a
telephone call or written notice of the change.  Also, if you prefer to no
longer receive the church newsletter, please let us know.

Special Dates

* Third Sunday in Lent, March 7th

* Girl Scout Sunday, March 7th

* Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 14th

* Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 21st