April 2025 | The Life of the Church
Session Report
Some members of the 2025 confirmation class
The session has been spending time in 2025 visioning for the future of the church as well as digging into the Bible to see what we are called on to provide for children and families in the church. A decision was made by the session to explore the possibility of finding an associate pastor who will take on Family Ministries. An informational meeting was held in the Session House May 4th for interested members of the congregation. If you would like more information please speak to Pastor Jon.
During their business meetings the session makes note of how many people received communion each month as well as any change in the membership roles. In February they noted the death of longtime member Jane P. Talmage.
Our year-to-date income has been under budget. Unexpected expenses have driven our shortfall, mostly involving building maintenance and repair issues. It was suggested that a reminder about the per capita expense should be put into the bulletin or the “News From the Pews”. A committee will be formed to review the membership rolls. Additional information about budget issues can be addressed to our church treasurer, Wendy Mott.
At the April meeting session members met with the members of the confirmation class to assess their readiness for joining the church. Each confirmand met with a session member to talk about what they have learned in the classes and whether or not they feel they were ready to join the church. Confirmation will be held May 18th which will also be celebrated as Family Sunday.
Areas to be repaired
Buildings & Grounds Committee
The committee reported work needing to be done on the steeple which will involve scaffolding - a very expensive proposition. More will be reported on this as things evolve but this is going to further challenge the church’s budget this year.
There is also considerable work needing to be done on the manse and the committee will be making numerous repairs. Windows which were painted shut have been opened and other areas of concern are being addressed. We will be hiring a structural engineer to assess the foundation of the house before a kitchen renovation can be considered. The kitchen was last renovated in 1995 so although appliances have been updated, cabinets, flooring, and tile all need to be replaced.
Personnel Committee
Our wonderful church administrator, June Lester, retired at the end of April and the committee spent some time discussing the job as well as the load on our church treasurer, who has been doing much more bookkeeping than should be expected of a volunteer. The decision was made to again divide the job into two positions (as has been done in the past). To that end, the Session approved the hiring of Amber Talmage to be an outside contractor who will take care of our bookkeeping, including payroll and reporting. Bess Rattray has been hired to take care of the administration of the church office and will be doing our weekly bulletins, secretarial work for Pastor Jon, and social media posts as well as working with all the church committees and officers to assist where needed in their duties. Of special interest to our church history buffs: The Reverend Nathanial Huntting, the second minister of this church, is the seventh great-grandfather of Bess Rattray! How neat is that, right?
June has been a great asset to the church and we will miss her greatly! But we are excited about getting to know Bess and having Amber to tackle our financial duties. The church office hours will remain the same and we hope members will take just a few minutes out of their day in the next couple months to stop in and introduce themselves to Bess.
Bess Rattray
Worship & Music Committee
A new (badly needed) copy machine was purchased for the church office. Aside from performing more reliably and efficiently than the old machine, the new model adds features that return much needed time to the office administrator.
It was agreed that the Elder of the Month will make a decision about whether communion will be served in the pews or done by intinction.
Communications & Evangelism Committee
The committee took charge of advertising and events for Holy Week.
It was felt that communication between committees and boards could be improved.
A project to create a new church directory is in the works.
Volunteers at Maureen’s Haven
Mission Committee
The Mission Committee continues its work with Maureen’s Haven and sent a team to Cuba recently. In April members of the congregation traveled to Bridgehampton to set up beds and feed dinner to 41 guests of Maureen’s Haven. This is an ongoing mission and other congregants are encouraged to join when needed. Although Maureen’s Haven does not provide overnight accommodations during the warmer months, once the autumn arrives there will be more need for help in giving our friends a warm meal and place to sleep when the weather is cold. Please consider this for the future.
In addition to Cuba and Maureen’s Haven, the Mission Committee reminds our members that our church needs members to walk in the Hamptons Pride Parade June 7th and they are collecting for Laundry Love, One Great Hour of Sharing, and the Heifer Project, which will be done this year in memory of Karen Schulz, our former minister’s wife who passed this winter. If you need a bank for saving your coins or have any questions about how you can assist in any of these projects please speak to Barbara D’Andrea.
New Opportunity!
Since April our sanctuary has been open every Wednesday from noon to 1pm for prayer and meditation. Anyone may drop in at any time during that hour to spend time alone in prayer, to meditate, to ask someone else to pray with them for a special need, or to join for a time of corporate prayer led by Pastor Jon. If you are interested,please feel free to come in and find a place where you are comfortable-no one will bother you if you wish to be alone, but there are people available to pray with or for you if you would like that. It is a casual time of quiet and a peaceful place to gather with others in the middle of your busy week. Everyone is welcome!
Questions and Answers!
What is per capita?
Each member of the Presbyterian Church is asked to contribute an annual per capita amount, which is determined by the local Presbytery. Here is a breakdown of what makes up this amount for 2025:
General Assembly: $10.84
Synod: $ 4.25
Presbytery: $27.00
Total: $42.09
If you have not submitted your per capita you can do so at any time – simply use an envelope in the pew and mark it “per capita” along with your name. Or mail a check to the church office at 120 Main Street marked for per capita.
What is the job of a ruling elder?
The ruling elders are elected by the congregation and serve three-year terms on the board. Elders share in the government and spiritual oversight of the church, working with the pastor to assist in leading worship and ensuring the church’s spiritual health.
What do the deacons of the church do?
Deacons are charged with acts of care and compassion, often undertaking ministries of feeding, visitation, prayer, and hospitality as well as other acts of service.
Who is in charge of the care and upkeep of our buildings?
The Buildings & Grounds Committee oversees the properties of the church. In addition to our grounds we own three buildings: the session house, the sanctuary, and the manse where our pastor’s family lives. These buildings were built in 1858, 1860, and 1830 respectfully and upkeep is essential for such historic buildings. They need to be safe and comfortable. In addition, this committee deals with snow removal, plowing, mowing, landscaping, and local utilities as well as the cell tower companies who lease space in our steeple.
Who makes decisions about our worship services, like the hymns we sing and the type of bulletin we use?
The Worship & Music Committee oversees all aspects of our worship services. Our pastor and our director of music both sit on this committee and have input into the details of our services, both on Sunday morning and during special church events such as Holy Week and Advent.
What does the Mission Committee do?
The Mission Committee is concerned with the various missions of the church. In addition to their Cuba mission and their work with Maureen’s Haven, they continue to be busy on numerous projects like the annual Heifer Project which provides animals to impoverished areas of the world in order to make the communities more self-sufficient. They also oversee the One Great Hour of Sharing and Christmas Joy special offerings collected every year, as well as adopting families for Christmas who are in need of help with buying gifts for their children.
The Mission Committee also oversees special offerings for disaster relief. The Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, whose motto is “Out of chaos, HOPE”, assists churches to care for communities affected by crisis and catastrophic events. It is the emergency and refugee program of the Presbyterian Church (USA). It is funded through the One Great Hour of Sharing program, which our mission committee coordinates every year.
All the committees of the church operate under the oversight of the Session and each provides important work in the life of the church. In addition to the committees already mentioned, there is a Christian Education Committee that is in charge of the education for all ages of the church and makes plans for our children’s Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Bible studies, and any other opportunities to assist in growth for our members. The Fellowship Committee plans opportunities for the congregation to gather outside the walls of the sanctuary. These may include dinners, movie nights, game nights, and other fun activities designed to provide social events where members can get to know the folks sitting in the pews near them on Sunday mornings. A Nominating Committee meets to select nominees to run for positions on the session and deacon boards, and a Pastoral Care Committee is charged with making sure that the needs of our pastor and family are met.
If you have a special interest in serving on one of the committees of the church please speak to the pastor.
What is the Long Island Presbytery?
The Long Island Presbytery is made up of all the churches on Long Island who are part of the Presbyterian Church (USA). There are 52 member churches and each one sends representatives to meetings of the Presbytery. The Presbytery office is located in West Islip. Our Long Island Presbytery (the oldest presbytery in the country) provides resources for churches covering such things as personnel, worship, church development, Christian Education, and Policies, among many others. Our per capita money goes to support the offices and personnel expenses of the Long Island Presbytery.
Where can I find additional information on the church?
First Presbyterian Church has a website which can be found with a simple google search, as well as a Facebook page and (hopefully soon!) an Instagram page where important announcements may be found. The church office is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 1pm and the phone number is 631-324-0711. (Wednesdays are “administration days and no appointments or drop-ins are appreciated except in the case of an emergency).
