November 2009 Newsletter
- SEMI-ANNUAL TIME CHANGE
- Budget Meeting & Congregational Meeting
- Council Update
- Choir News
- Gospel Music Sunday
- Paperless Sundays
- November Service & Bulletin Roles
- November Supporting Roles
- November & December Communion Rotations
- Rotations
- Bible Study Group
- Sustainable Living Affinity Group
- November Tab.Edu
- Tab's Fabulous Retreat
- Beverly Dale's 20th Anniversary at the CA
- Tab Online
- Fun! Group News!
- Fabulous Retreat Food!
SEMI-ANNUAL TIME CHANGE
Don't forget to set your BACK ONE HOUR on Saturday night for the autumn switch back to Eastern Standard Time!
Budget Meeting & Congregational Meeting
On Sunday, November 1 there is a meeting to review/discuss the proposed 2010 budget at 11:45 am. The new budget will be voted on at the annual Congregational Meeting, after worship on November 22. Please plan to attend both meetings!
Council Update
At their October meeting, Tab's council met with Wendy and Justin Keane Kline for membership. Justin works at Penn in informational systems and Wendy is an attorney. They first attended Tab this past Easter and have decided to make this community their spiritual home. Welcome Wendy and Justin!
The council also voted for Tab to become a member organization of the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia (SBN). SBN is a network of businesses and non-profits committed to supporting an environmentally sustainable, socially just local economy (see http://www.sbnphiladelphia.org for more information). As a member organization, Tab will be listed in the SBN directory which has a circulation of 10,000 people who share many of our values.
The council also received an update on the comprehensive informational database that Chris Purdom is developing, which will enable church staff and leaders to have ready access to the information from the Time & Talent sheets and the Welcome Books. Many thanks to Chris for the hours that have gone into (and will go into) this important project.
Choir News
Calling all singers! There are still many openings in the Tab Ensemble, especially for TENORS and BASSES! If you've been waiting for an invite or are a little shy about singing, don’t hesitate--NOW'S the time! You do NOT need to read music, nor be an "accomplished" singer, just one who loves to sing and perhaps has some previous singing/choral experience. It would be great to have more voices for Gospel Music Sunday (see below) and Advent, so come lift your voice in song with Holly and the wonderful Tab Ensemble. We rehearse three Wednesdays per month, 7:00-8:30 pm; some gather at 6:00 pm to share a meal. The schedule for the rest of the season is below, worship services on the left, WEDNESDAY rehearsals (except where noted!) on the right. Contact Holly at holmus [at] aol [dot] com if you are interested or have questions.
| NOV 1 - Warm-up 9:15 am | NOV 4 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| NOV 8 - Warm-up 9:15 am | NOV 11 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| NOV 15 - OFF | NOV 18 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| NOV 22 - Warm-up 9:00 am - GOSPEL MUSIC SUNDAY | NOV 25 - OFF |
| NOV 29 - OFF | DEC 2 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| DEC 6 - Warm-up 9:15 am | DEC 9 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| DEC 13 - Warm-up 9:15 am | THURSDAY, DEC 17 - 6 pm: Dinner; 7 pm: Rehearsal |
| DEC 20 - Warm-up 9:15 am | THURSDAY, DEC 24 - CHRISTMAS EVE (time TBA) |
| DEC 27 - OFF | DEC 30 - OFF |
Gospel Music Sunday
Don't miss our next celebration of the music of the African and African American cultures on Sunday, November 22. The Tab Ensemble will have some special guests and the music promises to be uplifting and filled with hope, promise and thanksgiving (on the Sunday before Thanksgiving!). Be sure to arrive early or on time to not miss a DROP of this wonderful, spirit-filled Sunday music celebration!
Paperless Sundays
The third Sunday of each month (usually) is paperless (no printed bulletin, shown on the grids by the shading on November 15). Contact the office for tips on creating a paperless liturgy.
November Service & Bulletin Roles
| Date | Preacher | Writer | Liturgist | Children's Time | Quote |
| Nov 1 | Suzanne Spaulding | Susan Pierce | Susan Pierce | Susan Collins | Jen Gleeson Blue |
| Nov 8 | Patricia Pearce | Kilian Kröll | Andy Lees | Todd Koser | Pauline Abernathy |
| Nov 15 | Patricia Pearce | Patricia Pearce | Deb Ahrens | Donald Wargo | Deb Burnham |
| Nov 22 | Patricia Pearce | Jon Hojnacki | Geneva Butz | Susan Pierce | Katherine Huseman |
| Nov 29 | Patricia Pearce | Barbara Purdom | Jean Erb | Katherine Huseman | Patricia Pearce |
November Supporting Roles
| Date | Greeters | Coffee Hour | Counter(s) | Recycling | Compost * |
| Nov 1 | Jim Gerhard & Megan Gibson | Bob Case & Susan Teegen-Case | Bob Case | Jim Gerhard | Todd Koser |
| Nov 8 | Geneva Butz & Jessica Culley | Ginny Rice & Lee Pugh | Jean Erb | Patricia Pearce | -- |
| Nov 15 | Lynn & Andy Lees | Jessica Culley & Chris Purdom | Chris Purdom | Bob Case | Kip Leitner |
| Nov 22 | Mike Ehling & Lee Pugh | Lynn & Andy Lees | Pauline Abernathy | Kip Leitner | -- |
| Nov 29 | Suzanne Spaulding & Mia King | Mike Ehling & Katherine Huseman | Chris Purdom | Todd Koser | -- |
* This is not going to be a weekly activity for the remainder of the year due to low volume.
November & December Communion Rotations
| Date | Co-Officiating | Set-up & Serving | Clean-up & Serving | Picking up Bread + |
| Nov 1 | Susan Teegen-Case & Beverly Dale | Jim Thacker | Ginny Rice | Lee Pugh |
| Dec 6 | Patricia Pearce & Katie Day | Jessica Culley | Todd Koser | Lee Pugh |
+ Bread donated by Four Worlds Bakery, 4423 Chestnut St.; it should be picked up the day before.
Rotations
Extra copies of the rotation schedule (right-click to save) are available on the Greeter's table every Sunday and copies are hanging on the refrigerator in the kitchen and on the bulletin boards in the office and community room. Remember to contact the office when you switch Sundays with someone (the information above reflects changes already made), and don't forget to check the schedule before you go out of town!
Bible Study Group
The Bible Study Group meets most Wednesdays, 5:30-7:00 pm at CA House (adjacent to Tab). To RSVP or get more information contact either Jean Erb (jeanerb (at) verizon (dot) net) or Nicole Diroff (nicolediroff (at) yahoo (dot) com). The Vanderbilt University Lectionary website has the readings for the current season.
Sustainable Living Affinity Group
The next potluck/meeting of the SLAG group is Tuesday, November 3 at 7 pm, in the Community Room. And don’t forget to bring your Pottstown recycling to church on November 1!
November Tab.Edu
- 11/1 – NO TAB.EDU (Meeting to examine the draft 2010 church budget)
- 11/8 – Congregational Conversations - These conversations will focus on the topic of extravagant hospitality and are a precursor to the Advent theme of "Welcoming the Stranger." All congregations need from time to time to brush up on practicing extravagant hospitality toward new people, strangers, who attend worship. Along those lines, you have also seen in the Time & Talent sheets a new service opportunity called "Ministries of Welcome". This ministry is the bridge into 2010 that carries on the effort to refresh and revisit the idea of extravagant hospitality. Sharing of ideas, Bible study and practical applications to help to form the foundation, scope and structure of the "Ministry of Welcoming" and extravagant hospitality at Tab.
- 11/15 - Congregational Conversations, continued.
- 11/22 – NO TAB.EDU - ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
- 11/29 – Recycling 101 - The Sustainable Living Affinity Group (SLAG) is hosting a workshop to share information/strategies on household recycling! Learn: how to prepare your recycling for SLAG’s Spring 2010 delivery to the Pottstown Recycling Center (they take nearly everything); how to recycle computers & small appliances; how to recycle food waste; how to recycle just about everything and leave your trash collector scratching his head! A handout is provided.
Tab's Fabulous Retreat
From October 23 to 25 Tab had an amazing church retreat at Appel Farm in Elmer, NJ. So much planning and so many helpers made it such a successful event that it's hard to know where to start. From those who helped organize the fundraising talent show to those who coordinated menus, programs and carpools, and those who offered expertise leading workshops, it truly was an all church retreat! Thanks to everybody who helped and to all who participated. A special thanks to Susan Collins and Katherine Huseman, the primary organizers, and to Cheryl Trump, who stepped forward to be our on-site kitchen manager.
Beverly Dale's 20th Anniversary at the CA
The Christian Association will celebrate the Rev. Beverly Dale’s 20 years of service to the CA at a reception in her honor on Friday, November 6 from 5:00 to 7:30 pm at the CA House, 118 S. 37th St. It is open to the Penn and Philadelphia community and is free, although donations are accepted. For more info or to RSVP, send email to upennca@dolphin.upenn.edu or call 215-746-6350. An interview with Beverly is in the latest online Penn Current.
Tab Online
Tab's website has info about affinity groups, events, news, a calendar, sermons, and more! Go to the Tab Blog on Livejournal to stay up-to-date on the current worship themes, to download forms and schedules (the rotations schedule, Time & Talent forms, Pledge forms, the choir schedule), or just take advantage of the links to the Tabernacle CafePress shop, the Arts & Spirituality Center, the Christian Association and other groups. You can read updates to the Livejournal through your own journal/blog or through email by signing up for the RSS feed or the Atom feed for the Tab Livejournal. You can also join the Tab Facebook group (just search on "Tabernacle" when on the site), which already receives the Livejournal posts via RSS feed.
Fun! Group News!
Thanks to all who made the Retreat a success! That means everyone who came, ate, played, sang, talked and helped. Did you know that the idea for the Retreat began about two years ago at a Fun! Group potluck meeting? Interesting things happen at those meetings so please join us at the next one on Sunday, November 15 at 9 am in the Community Room.
Also, save the date: Saturday, December 5 at 6 pm, for the annual, not to be missed, Tab Advent Party! Help decorate the church for the season, eat wonderful food, sing carols and enjoy time with Tab friends. More info in the next newsletter. Going to a movie this month? Post details re time and date in Tab Forum if you'd like to invite others to join you. And if you'd like to plan a Fun! Group event, it's easy--just do it, and invite the Tab Community by publicizing it via an email to the Tab Forum.
Fabulous Retreat Food!
There were many requests for the recipe for Turkish Spinach and Lentil Soup (Saturday’s lunch). Here is a home version serving 6-8; Katherine Huseman’s edits are in brackets. The original is in the Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant Cookbook.
| 5 cups vegetable stock or water, more if needed [we used water] | 1 cup dried lentils |
| 1 tsp salt | 1/4 cup olive oil |
| 2 cups chopped onion | 3 garlic cloves, minced |
| 1/4 tsp cayenne | 2 bay leaves |
| 1/2 cup raw bulgur or use quinoa [add late in the cooking so it doesn't stick to the pot] | 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley |
| 2 cups chopped tomatoes | 1/4 cup tomato paste |
| pinch dried rosemary (or more if desired) | splash of balsamic vinegar (to taste) |
| 2 cups stemmed, cleaned, chopped fresh spinach or a bag of frozen |
Rinse lentils. [Moosewood's version has you cook the lentils and sauté the next set of ingredients separately. I never bother. I do the veggies in the soup pot, then add the lentils and water and reserve the last two ingredients till the final minutes of cooking.] Heat olive oil in heavy soup pot. Sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic, bay leaves, cayenne and raw bulgar [we used quinoa to avoid wheat products]. Stir on medium heat until onions are lightly browned.
Add lentils, water, tomatoes and simmer till lentils are almost done, adding more water or stock as necessary. During this time, thin the tomato paste with warm soup liquid and add it to pot.
When lentils are almost cooked, add bulgar or quinoa (about 10 min before soup is done.) Add rosemary, salt and pepper to taste and remove bay leaves if you wish. Just before serving stir in fresh spinach; let it wilt in the hot soup or add frozen spinach and cook till warm. Garnish with more fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread. [I often double the recipe.]
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