50%of your gifts smooth the path for current and retired 50% church workers and their families in their time of need. Rev. Lynn Bledsoe’s world was rocked when Hurricane Helene swept away not only her long-held sense of security, but the very ground beneath her North Carolina home, causing a 15-foot drop off outside her front door. The needed repairs weren’t covered under insurance. Thankfully, Lynn received an unexpected lifeline, a grant to help with the repairs 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. Catherine Cox felt she was destined to be a teacher but raising twins as a single mom was challenging. She enrolled in Stillman College, supported by gifts to the Christmas Joy Offering, in her hometown of Tuscaloosa and she graduated this year as a Dean’s List Scholar in Mathematics. She will be teaching 7th and 8th grade mathematics at Stillman’s newest education partner, the I Dream Big Charter School. She credits Stillman’s close-knit community and engaged faculty for being instrumental in helping her to succeed and to land her dream job. 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”.

Need a gift for someone who has everything? Looking for an alternative to the commercial Christmas gift? Need a hostess gift to take to holiday party? Why not make a donation to our Food Pantry in honor of a friend or family member? Donations can be made in any amount! For each donation, you can select a card that you can mail or deliver in-person. Stop by the office or look for the table in the Gathering Space on Sundays this December!

For December we would like to request pancake mix (preferably the “just add water” kind) and syrup for those holiday break breakfasts at home for the school kids. Noting the item of the month and bringing in some supplies can help the pantry offer as wide a variety of foods as possible. Just place the items in the labeled donation bins at the back of the church 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!

Join us for our Christmas Lunch Bunch on Wednesday December 17 at noon. Ham and Potatoes will be provided; please bring a side! RSVP here

A special meeting of the Congregation and Corporation of the First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown will be held in person and on ZOOM (“hybrid”) on Sunday, December 14, 2025 in the Sanctuary following the 10:30 worship service for the purpose of: * The election of up to six Elders and four Deacons for the Class of 2028 * The election of one Elder for the Class of 2027 * The election of one Elder for the Class of 2026 * The election of up to two Youth Elders and two Youth Deacons for the Class of 2027 And to conduct any other business which may properly come before the meeting.

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and appreciate all the blessings in our lives.  For many of us, a family meal with a variety of beloved foods is a part of that gratitude. Help us to provide variety and special items for our Food Pantry clients for the December Holiday Season. Your donations to the Thanksgiving Offering, accepted throughout November, will help us offer roasts or pies or fresh produce (which is harder for us to source through our normal channels in the later months of the year) in the pre-Christmas pantry. 100% of this offering will be dedicated to use by our Food Pantry. Give online, by using the special offering envelope, or mark your check “Thanksgiving offering.” As ever, we are so grateful for your support! 

Join us this Advent season as we explore the voices of Advent with Matthew L. Skinner, Professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul and Scholar of Adult Education at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis. Together we’ll explore the voices of Jesus; John the Baptist; Mary, Zechariah and the Gospel of John; and finally, the voices of Angels and the Prophets. Connie will lead the discussions on Thursday from 10:30am until noon, and Sunday from 9:15am until 10:15. Both studies will be available in person in the library and online on Zoom. We begin on Thursday December 4 and Sunday December 7. Welcome to Advent, a season of hope!

Don’t miss this wonderful way to get into the holiday spirit! Join us on Sunday, November 30, 5:00-7:30 pm for dinner, caroling and decorating the Sanctuary for Advent and Christmas. All ages and helpers welcome! Please register so we know how much food and who can help with decorating.

Join us on Sunday November 16!

November 15 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.

You are invited to join us for our COMMITMENT SUNDAY WORSHIP November 16th at 8 am and 10:30 am with both services followed by a CELEBRATION BRUNCH. See you in Church! ~FPCY Stewardship Team

Thanksgiving is Coming!   Our Thanksgiving distribution sees about 50% more families than any other pantry of the year, so we are planning for more than 300! Here are ways you can help us help our neighbors to celebrate with their families: * We have been unable to secure enough turkeys to cover our anticipated needs for the November 23rd pantry —  PLEASE CAN YOU HELP? We would prefer the frozen turkeys to be of size 10-12 pounds, and to have them dropped off between 2 and 5pm on Friday the 21st (in the back parking lot). * Volunteer at the setup on November 21 or the Pantry on November 22 by signing up below.  Please note that nearly all our tasks will require able bodied folks who can lift cases of canned goods and 20 pound packed bags. Friday Set-Up—November 21 Saturday Distribution Help—November 22  * We particularly need young people (in age or energy) to help transport food out to the cars — AND — we also need to borrow ANYTHING that looks like a transport wagon to help in this transportation.  The only way we will be able to serve all our clients in the allotted time is with wheels and strong arms! * Food donations —  What we really need (besides the turkeys mentioned above) are: Canned corn Canned fruit other than pears Corn Muffin Mix (it’s the item of the month as well) Any Questions?  Contact Debbie Bernardini or Katharine Frase THANK YOU !!! Your pantry team —

Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate and appreciate all the blessings in our lives.  For many of us, a family meal with a variety of beloved foods is a part of that gratitude. Help us to provide variety and special items for our Food Pantry clients for the December Holiday Season. Your donations to the Thanksgiving Offering, accepted throughout November, will help us offer roasts or pies or fresh produce (which is harder for us to source through our normal channels in the later months of the year) in the pre-Christmas pantry. 100% of this offering will be dedicated to use by our Food Pantry. Give online, by using the special offering envelope, or mark your check “Thanksgiving offering.” As ever, we are so grateful for your support! 

We will be hosting the November meeting. Volunteer hosts will be needed throughout the day. RSVP to join our hospitality efforts.

“Finding Your Faithful Voice in a Time of Christian Nationalism” with special guest speaker Rev. Jennifer Butler Monday, November 17 @ 7:00 pm First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown What exactly is Christian nationalism and how is it impacting political and religious life in the U.S. today? How are people of faith called to speak up and respond in our communities and world? Join us for an evening with the Rev. Jennifer Butler! Rev. Butler is a nationally recognized faith leader, author, and strategist working at the intersection of religion, democracy, and social justice. With over 30 years of experience combating religious extremism and building broad-based movements for human rights, Rev. Butler is a trusted expert on the threats posed by global Christian nationalism and the transformative power of faith-based organizing for the common good. In 2022, Rev. Butler founded Faith in Democracy, an international network of faith-based democracy defenders. She also served as the national faith engagement director for the Harris for President campaign, forging partnerships across religious traditions to advance democratic values. In 2005, Rev. Butler founded and led Faith in Public Life (FPL), a multi-faith advocacy network that, under her leadership, grew into a national force for justice, equality, and democracy over the next twenty years. Her efforts have been featured by the New York Times, and on NPR, CNN and MSNBC. She has advised U.S. government leaders, including as chair of the White House Council on Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships (2015–2016), and is a frequent commentator in outlets such as Religion News Service, Sojourners, and Red Letter Christians. Her books, Born Again: The Christian Right Globalized and Who Stole My Bible? Reclaiming Scripture as a Handbook for Resisting Tyranny, have shaped conversations on reclaiming faith from extremism and grounding civic action in sacred values.

We buy food in bulk from Feeding Westchester, but not all the items we’d like to offer are always available. This month we are requesting corn bread mix and corn muffin mix for our clients’ Thanksgiving tables. Thank you for helping to make their holiday tables festive! Noting the item of the month and bringing in some supplies can help the pantry offer as wide a variety of foods as possible. Just place the items in the labeled donation bins at the back of the church 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!

Thanksgiving is Coming!   Our Thanksgiving distribution sees about 50% more families than any other pantry of the year, so we are planning for 300+! * We have been unable to secure enough turkeys to cover our anticipated needs for the November 22rd pantry —  PLEASE CAN YOU HELP? We would prefer 10-12 pound frozen turkeys, and to have them dropped off either between 2 and 5pm on Friday the 21st (in the back parking lot) or early on the morning of Saturday, November 22rd (between 7 and 8am at the front of the Gathering Space in the circular drive off of Rt 202).  Please contact Katharine Frase if you have questions or concerns — we need to acquire about 100 turkeys, so this is really an “all hands on deck” request!  

Daylight Saving Time ends on November 2 this year.

On Sunday, November 9, we will be celebrating our living veterans. Please note that this is not a celebration of war, but instead, a recognition of those who put themselves at risk for their country. If you would like your living relative recognized in the bulletin, please fill out the form or submit the name to the church office by Nov 5 for inclusion in the bulletin. A sample would be: Lisa Flanagan wants to recognize her friend, Colonel Faith Chamberlain, Active Duty, US Army.

We will be hosting a guest speaker on Monday, November 17 at 7pm. Volunteers are needed for our hospitality/welcome team that evening. Can you help?  Rev. Jen Butler is the Founder of Faith in Public Life and author of Born Again: The Christian Right Globalized and Who Stole My Bible?: Reclaiming Scripture as a Handbook for Resisting Tyranny. She also chaired President Obama’s White House Council on Faith and Neighborhood Partnership.

Donations of winter garments are needed at Cornerstone Treatment Facilities in Rhinebeck, NY. Many of the patients arrive for treatment of mental illness and substance misuse with little to no warm coats, jackets, sweaters, hats or gloves. If you have such items please bring them to the Gathering Space at the church. Eric Kreuter will bring them to Cornerstone along with your prayers of healing.

When: November 1, 2025 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Where: 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

Saints, Songs, and Sacred Imagination Join us for one service only for a music ministry service celebrating our deep, harmonious connection between music and faith. Through powerful song and reflection, we’ll imagine together how music continues to shape our journey as a community of faith. The 8:00am worship service will resume on Nov. 11.

Youth Group Event Apple Picking at Wilken’s Farm Sunday, October 26, 3—5 PM Let’s have some fun, picking apples, eating donuts and enjoying this beautiful season. Bring a friend! Any questions, contact Kaycee Perry (kaycee@fpcyorktown.org).