You are cordially invited to attend FPCY New Member Classes! Sundays February 22, March 1, 8 & 15 @9:15am with a welcome into membership at the 10:30am service on the 15th. Classes will be held in the conference room next to the office. Everyone is invited and welcome to attend…Whether you are already a member or a prospective member, we invite you to come; learn about the government and history of our church; discuss our beliefs, our values; share stories of our backgrounds, and best of all, create friendships with others who attend our church and are considering joining in our mission. Whether you are an “older” member or a “new attendee,” you are invited to attend any or all of the classes. Enrich your connection to the church, discover intentional fellowship, investigate your faith: Why do you come to church? What are you looking for in a church? How do you plan to live your faith? The classes are exploratory experiences. They are a fun, informative, fellowship opportunity! So, please consider joining us! Any Questions, please ask Chip, Tami or call Lisa in the church office @ 914-245-2186.

Confirmation Classes Begin Soon: Youth in grades 9-12: Confirmation class will be held on Sunday afternoons at 4 pm starting on February 22 through March 22. We will send out a letter to all eligible youth with more details. If interested, please contact Tami Seidel or Kaycee Perry. Summer 2026—Montreat Youth Conference—WONDER & WANDER: Aug 1-8, 2026 Montreat, North Carolina— Time to start planning and fundraising! More information will be coming out soon but start thinking about if you think your youth will attend since we will need numbers soon. All youth entering grade 7 through graduating seniors are welcome! The Conference starts on August 2, and we will drive down on August 1. We are also hoping to join with a few other churches on the drive. Stay tuned for more info and parents’ meeting!

There is so much division around us and within us. How can we talk with one another and love one another in these challenging times? The Tuesday morning (10am to 11:30am) Faith4Life is currently studying these two books: Elusive Grace: Loving Your Enemies While Striving for God’s Justice by Scott Black Johnston (pastor Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in NYC) Disarming Leviathan: Loving Your Christian Nationalist Neighbors by Caleb Campbell Books are available for a suggested donation of $12 each. All are welcome!

All women are invited to join us in celebrating February birthdays. Saturday, Feb. 7 from 9-10:30am. Let us know you’re coming.

February 8, 6 to 8pm Let’s hang out at a Super Bowl Party!!! Even if you don’t like football, come and play games, critique the ads and eat Super Bowl food! We will watch the game until 8pm or the halftime show is over, which ever is the later. (We won’t force you out till halftime is done.) Here’s what you can bring: Your favorite game day snack for sharing and a donation for the Souper Bowl of Caring food drive. Hope to see you there!

Souper Bowl of Caring FPCY will be participating by collecting the items most needed for our pantry right now. So on February 8, we ask you to bring cans of fruit, vegetables, or healthy breakfast cereals to donate to our pantry. You can also easily give electronically, and use the “Food Pantry Plus” line, or you can write “Food Pantry” on the memo line of your check and mail it to the church office or place it in the offering plate.

Many of us no longer use offering envelopes, so we don’t get that little reminder about the Deacons’ Fund. In the midst of our blessings, however, the Deacons ask that you remember those who are not as fortunate as we are. No matter what the season, the Deacons are ready to offer help. We ask that you join us this February and through the year in lending a helping hand and heart to those in need. Please consider giving to this fund, either with the traditional envelope, with a check marked “Deacons’ Fund” or online through MyFPCY. We are grateful for the support of our congregation and community. We welcome your suggestions, your participation, and your prayers for our ministry.

2024 ANNUAL REPORT

Jesus is calling….for us to worship online this Sunday! In light of the encroaching winter storm, we will be moving our Sunday morning worship service to Zoom at 10:30 am. Stay tuned for the Zoom information which will be sent out by email on Sunday morning. Sunday School and Faith4Life are cancelled. Bring your coffee, tea and hot chocolate, as we gather online to hear once again Christ’s call to “Follow me.”

The Jan Peek and Noontime Meal programs are two excellent opportunities for you to help address food insecurity in our neighborhood. We urgently need volunteers for February and beyond. On the fourth Sunday of each month, 3 families from our church prepare dinner for 35-40 residents of Jan Peek House in Peekskill, either at home or together in our church kitchen. It’s a very rewarding experience, as the residents are always very grateful for both the physical and the spiritual sustenance that you are providing. If you’ve never done it before, don’t worry — we can team you up with an experienced family. You can sign up  (or contact Jeff Kephart). On the second Wednesday of each month, we provide lunch to 120 people at the Salvation Army in Peekskill, many of whom work in the area. The Noontime Meal process just takes an hour. You place an order at the Cortlandt ShopRite a few days ahead and then deliver the food on Tuesday, enabling the Salvation Army staff to prepare the lunch for Wednesday. Lieutenant Jesse Flanders of the Salvation Army describes the Noontime Meal as a ray of hope for its clients – a source of stability that helps them mentally and spiritually by reducing worry and stress. If you are interested in helping with Noontime Meal, please sign up or contact Jeff Kephart.

Due to the weather forecast, all in-person events are cancelled, including church school and both services. A zoom link for the 10:30 service will follow later this morning.

Souper Bowl of Caring FPCY will be participating by collecting the items most needed for our pantry right now. So on February 9, we ask you to bring cans of fruit, vegetables, or healthy breakfast cereals to donate to our pantry

January 17 at 8am Attention All Men Join us on the 3rd Saturday of each month as we cook breakfast in our church kitchen and enjoy a time of fellowship with one another.

New Year’s and Nachos! – SUNDAY from 5:00-7:00 pm HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Let’s get together in this Sunday to eat some Nachos (and some other treats) and make some New Year’s Resolutions!!! 2025 has come and gone with many challenges and celebrations. Let’s reflect on last year and ways that God was there for us. Then we will look at 2026, make some resolutions and think about the ways God can be there for us and we can be there for God throughout the year. Plus, while looking at the new year we need to make a Meal Plan for Jan Peek! Which is only 2 weeks away!! Upcoming Youth Group Dates: * Saturday January 24—Cook for Jan Peek House. We will meet in the kitchen at Church to prepare the meal from 2-5pm. Then those wanting to serve will head over to Jan Peek in Peekskill around 5:30, we need to be set up by 5:45 so we can begin serving around 6pm. In the past we aim to serve till 7pm but sometimes we are done a little earlier. For those doing the full day we will provide a small meal. Hours are eligible for school community service. WE NEED ADULTS also to help cook, drive and deliver food. Please let Kaycee ([email protected]) know if you can come and how long you can stay to help. Even if you can’t do the whole time, we’d still love to have your help. * Summer 2026—Montreat Youth Conference—WONDER & WANDER—Aug 1-8, 2026 Montreat, North Carolina. Time to start planning and fundraising for the Montreat Youth Conference this summer. Its theme is Wonder & Wander. More information will be coming out soon but start thinking about if you think your youth will attend since we will need numbers soon. All youth entering grade 7 through graduating seniors are welcome! The Conference starts on August 2, and we will drive down on August 1. We are also hoping to join with a few other churches on the drive. Stay tuned for more info and parents’ meeting!  

Radical Hospitality! Coffee Hour Hosts and Clean Up Crews are needed after each Worship Service.  Sign up to host a coffee hour in the Gathering Space or go online to the Realm Sign Up page.  (“2026 Winter and Spring Coffee Hour”). * Set Up Volunteers: Prepare the coffee pots and buffet table, usually on Saturday * Host Volunteers: Provide treats for the buffet table, milk for the coffee and offer hospitality in Fellowship Hall. * Clean Up Volunteers: Wash the dishes and coffee pots and tidy Fellowship Hall. Contact [email protected] with any questions.  Instruction sheets are posted in the Gathering Space.

Please consider joining our Usher Ministry! Be among the first smiling faces that our attendees see when they arrive for worship service. Meet new friends. Most usher teams serve just once a month. New ushers are needed at both worship services. Instruction is available. Please contact Karen Gerth or Carol Cornish for more information.

We are so grateful to the congregation for answering our requests throughout the year for special items and financial support to enrich the choice we can offer to our clients. 2025 has been a year with increased need for our pantry services. Our December 20th pantry was one of the largest ever, with 262 families. The Thanksgiving Offering enabled us to offer pork and ham to our clients. Thanks to the generous food donations from the congregation, the Knights of Columbus at St Patrick’s Church, the St. Patrick’s School, the Yorktown Congress of Teachers, the Putnam Valley Middle School, local community groups and three youth football teams, we were able to offer an abundance of holiday baking and cooking options. We were also able to offer hand-knit scarves, hats and mittens to our pantry clients. We are particularly grateful to Wilkens’ Farms for the donation of bags of apples (and their wonderful pies at Thanksgiving!). Throughout the year we have benefited from several local farms, including the Garden of Hope. A special word of thanks to our volunteers, who work so hard every week – the distribution volunteers on December 20th spent four hours with the outside door open – truly cold hands with warm hearts!

This month we are again asking for canned tuna or chicken– high in protein and so versatile. Please help if you can! The 5oz cans are best for simplicity in distribution. When we suggest an “item of the month,” it’s not just some suggestion from a rotating calendar, it’s actually something that has not been easily available from Feeding Westchester. As you know, we now have a Full Choice model at the Food Pantry, where our clients can choose items that best fulfill the needs of their household. We buy food in bulk from Feeding Westchester, but not all the items we’d like to offer are always available. Noting the item of the month and bringing in some supplies can help the pantry offer as wide a variety of foods as possible. There are donation bins behind the Christian Education building. Of course all non-perishable items are welcome. If you would like to make a food donation, please note: * Non-Perishable FOOD Only * NO Food with expired dates on the packages. * Donate the quality of food you would serve to your own family. * Online contributions to the Food Pantry are also most welcome. You can find more information, including our distribution schedule on our Food Pantry Page. Thank you!  

For the month of January, First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown Food Pantry will receive a $1 donation from each purchase of the $2.50 reusable Fight Hunger Bag at the Hannaford store located at 162 Route 22, Pawling NY.

Calling all women to our next FPCY Women’s Birthday Breakfast Club! When: January 3, 2026 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Where: FPCY – Fellowship Hall Why: To get to know each other better and share in the joy of birthday blessings! What to bring: a breakfast dish to share Not a FPCY member? Please come. Lifelong member? Please come. Just passing through? Aren’t we all on this life’s journey? ALL are welcome! RSVP Today

Due to continuing concern about road conditions, the 10:30 service and congregational meeting which follows will be by Zoom only. A link to the Zoom meeting will be sent out before the service. Chip and Tami

Out of an abundance of caution, we are cancelling the first service due to the snow. We will open for Sunday school and the second service. We will “wake up to God’s dream” at the 10:30am service as we hear how God is waking up our youth to the dream God has for them and the joy of that good news. After the service, we will hold our congregational meeting to elect new Deacons and Elders. Please be safe this morning on the roads. Chip and Tami

50% of your gifts smooth the path for current and church workers and their families in their time of need. Born and raised a Presbyterian in South Korea, Rev. Jinho Kim’s life was changed when he met a missionary in the 1970s whose ministry focused on campus and youth evangelism with Spirit-filled worship and discipleship training. A few years later, his youth group was going to sing Christmas carols to marginalized unwed mothers. He was inspired “by faith,” to create a melody for the verse from Psalm 117, “The steadfast love of the Lord is great toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever,” which is still being sung a generation later. After retirement, having earned only a modest income throughout his years of service, Jinho felt the Psalmist’s love upon receiving help through the Assistance Program of the Board of Pensions, made possible by gifts to the Christmas Joy Offering. 50% of your gifts prepare students to learn and grow in faith at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color. High school senior Søren Briggs is the youngest ruling elder to be ordained at First Presbyterian Church in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. His love for both his home church and the Presbyterian-related Menaul School, supported by gifts to the Christmas Joy Offering, fuels his passion. Building on the school’s historic emphasis on ministry as a potential career path, a new class, titled “Called to Serve,” will help students appreciate the Reformed understanding of “vocation” as they explore together how their faith can be lived out in everyday life. Søren sees the class as helping him continue to cultivate good values: how to live your life as a kind person and how to practice your faith. Gifts to the Christmas Joy Special Offering of the PCUSA will be received throughout December. By giving to the Christmas Joy Offering, you will be providing assistance to current and retired church workers in their time of need and developing our future leaders at Presbyterian-related racial ethnic schools and colleges. Please consider giving to the Christmas Joy Offering in addition to your regular giving. Give online or by check — mark gifts “JOY”.

On Sunday, December 28, there will be a single service at 10:30am, in person and online.