CPC Ringwood Newsletter May 06, 2026

Volume 26-09, May 06, 2026

Church News and Updates

Where Grace Happens

Our next newsletter will go out on May 20th, 2026

Please let us know if you have news to share.

Our calendar on the Community Church website

CPC Ringwood YouTube Channel

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Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ~Matthew 14:25-27

My husband has a saying… Jesus may not always calm the sea, but he always calms the seasick. Generally speaking, life’s storms do not choose convenient times to show up in our lives. Unlike watching the weatherman on the evening news, the storms of life are often unpredictable, the length and severity of them unknown. That’s what makes them so scary.

But when we’re part of the Christian faith, we’re never alone in the boat. We are surrounded by people who love us, who will be there with us as we navigate our way through to the other side. And Christ himself promises to get us there.

When darkness surrounds us and we no longer see the horizon, Christ is with us. When the waves grow higher and the wind begins to howl, Christ is with us, bringing us through to the other side.

While the storms of life will certainly come, when we are in the midst of them it is so important to remember that they also pass. In time, the sun returns and we climb back out of the boat, to walk steadily once again.

So, whether you are just climbing into the boat with clouds on the horizon, are being tossed about by the winds and waves, or are standing safely on shore with the sun on your face, know that you are not alone. Christ is with you, and we, your church, are with you too.

Important Upcoming Dates - mark your calendar now

Ladies' Zoom Coffee - Thursday, May 7 at 11:00am

Click here to join the zoom call

National Day of Prayer

12:30-1:30 pm, Thursday, May 7 at the Ringwood Community Center

Pastor Arlene will be praying at this ecumenical event designed to bring together the community and lift our world up in prayer.

Wine Glass Painting Fund Raiser on Friday, May 8 at 7:00pm

Becoming Disciples Confirmation - in worship on Sunday, May 10 (Mother’s Day)

Women's Book Group - Monday, May 11th at 7:00pm in Fellowship Hall. Read chapters 4 & 5.

Women in Ministry Sunday, Mother’s Day, May 10

What a special day it will be, as the women of our congregation lead us in worship.

Calling All Current Active Elders: Save the Date

2nd Annual Session Retreat

9:30 am-2:00 pm, Saturday, May 16

Ponds Reformed Church in Oakland

Church Gardening Day - Saturday, May 16, 10:00-12:00

Ringwood Memorial Day Program - 6:00 pm on Wednesday May 20 at the Community Center

Pastor Arlene will be leading the Opening Prayer and the Skylands Chorale will be singing. Join us in remembering those who served and lost their lives.

Church Hike - Saturday, May 23

Pizza and a Movie (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) on Sunday May 31, 5:00 pm in the Sanctuary

Bible Studies

11:00 - 11:40 am on Tuesday mornings on Zoom.

7:00 pm on Tuesday nights in Fellowship Hall

10:00 am on Thursday mornings at Pastor Arlene & Ron's house.

Support Groups

Special Needs Caregiver Support for adult caregivers of special needs children and youth. Meets on the last Monday of every month in the church office..

7:00 pm on the last Wednesday of the month - Caregiver Support Group for adults caring for the ongoing physical, medical, and emotional needs of others.

ALL are welcome.

Carpenters' Club

Carpenter’s Club is back! This past Saturday our plucky group met at 8:00 am , enjoyed some donuts and coffee and set about some much needed maintenance.

Julie Haarman and Bruce Gibson tackled painting the fence around the Memorial Garden. Painting lattice is a slow and painstaking task.

Tom Klingen continued with his electrical work around the building.

Gary Wogisch and Neil MacDonald reset the gates surrounding our dumpster after months of being unable to close them. At least the raccoons were happy for a while.

John Yochim and John Lavoie set about replacing and repairing the leader pipes around the gym that have been damaged for a number of months.

There are many unfinished projects to be completed around our building and grounds. Please let us know if you are able and willing to help us on occasion. We meet about once a month..

Contact the church office if you can help!

Congregational Prayer Requests

"Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” Ephesians 6:18

Denise

Lily

Michele

David

Bob

Jessica

Dan

Jennifer

Susan

Trish

John

Barbara and Joe

Muriel

Final Call for Wine Glass Painting Fundraiser

This is your last chance to sign up for this Friday's event, which starts at 7:00pm.

Click on the flyer for further details and to access the QR code - or just click here to sign up.

With creativity, coffee and desserts and good company, this is an evening that promises to be a lot of fun - don't miss it!

Church Hiking Group - Laurelwood Arboretum

For our hike last month, an intrepid group of six defied the iffy weather forecast and returned to Laurelwood Arboretum in Wayne. In spite of the grey skies the spring colors were spectacular so, as always, Laurelwood did not disappoint. The rain only started as we returned to the parking lot, so clearly it was a hike that was meant to be! And here is just a taste of what you missed!

Our outing this month will be on SATURDAY MAY 23rd, and as usual it will be an easy walk suitable for all. We will most likely explore the spring colors in either Ringwood Manor or Skylands Manor, so do come and join us!

Any questions, comments or suggestions, please call or text Colin at 201-741-6090

Children, Youth and Family Ministries

Fairies and Dragons Festival

What a wonderful time we had at our Fairies & Dragons Festival. We saw so many smiling faces making crowns, wands and shields. We even made ribbon dancers and Fairy Doors. Many friends joined in for some Sunshine Yoga in the Glade and Storytime in the Labyrinth. We had a fantastic day and are so thankful to the families who came and spent their time with us and the youth and adults who helped pull it all together! We hope you join us for our next event!

Note from Session - an enormous 'thank you' to Tracy for making this event the success it was!

Graduate Sunday - June 14

We are excited to celebrate a special milestone in the lives of all of our students! On Sunday, June 14, we will be recognizing and honoring all the graduates in our church family: Pre-K, Eighth Grade, High School, Certificate Programs and College. We want to make sure that everyone is included, so please, if you or someone in your family is graduating this year, email Tracy at tracyrynkowski@gmail.com so that she can reach out for more information and make sure that every graduate is represented.

Skylands Learning Center News

Did you know?

Did you know that you can find all the videos from Presbytery workshops, meetings and other events on our web page? The last few years of videos are available for viewing now.

View the videos here.