FORGIVENESS. Volume 32, Number 3 April 2013

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "FORGIVENESS. Volume 32, Number 3 April 2013"

Jeremy Dennis
5 years ago
Views:

1 Volume 32, Number 3 April 2013 FORGIVENESS I was wrong, arrogantly self righteously wrong. So interested in being understood, I didn t understand. So anxious to be right, I didn t see your pain. How is it then that you re the one to bring the flowers? ~ Ann Weems, Searching for Shalom

Holy Week at Valley Presbyterian Church Maundy Thursday, March 28 at 7 PM Communion & Tenebrae Come for a meditative service at table in the sanctuary, remembering the gifts given by Jesus to his

Then we will follow the service of Tenebrae, or Shadows, as we recall Jesus final hours, before extinguishing the light and stripping the sanctuary of all adornment.

Good Friday Procession March 29 @ 10 AM Congregational Church Brookfield Join an ecumenical group of both lay people and clergy from our town s churches in walking a symbolic Stations of the Cross,

2 Holy Week at Valley Presbyterian Church Maundy Thursday, March 28 at 7 PM Communion & Tenebrae Come for a meditative service at table in the sanctuary, remembering the gifts given by Jesus to his friends and to us at The Last Supper. We will read scripture, sing, pray and meditate, as we share communion together. Then we will follow the service of Tenebrae, or Shadows, as we recall Jesus final hours, before extinguishing the light and stripping the sanctuary of all adornment. Join us for this powerful service of remembrance. Good Friday Procession March 10 AM Congregational Church Brookfield Join an ecumenical group of both lay people and clergy from our town s churches in walking a symbolic Stations of the Cross, with scripture readings and prayer at various sites in Brookfield Center. The walk begins and ends at Congregational Church Brookfield, 160 Whisconier Road (at the corner of Rt 25 and Rt 133) Easter Sunrise, March 31 at 6 AM Weighart s Farm In the tradition of the ancient Vigil of Easter Eve, this ecumenical worship begins in darkness and ends in daylight, bringing Christians together from all over town. Special offering will go to the Emergency Fund at Brookfield Social Services. Rev. Jennifer Whipple, of Congregational Church Brookfield, shares the Good News of Easter. Meet at Weighart s Farm, 23 Whisconier Road, in Brookfield.

4 WORSHIP NOTES As Spring again enters the arena of life, one will able to notice changes in the sanctuary starting on Maundy Thursday and into Easter. Maundy Thursday we will celebrate the Last Supper with Communion followed by the Tenebrae service. Friday an Ecumenical Stations of the Cross will be observed at the Brookfield Congregational Church at 10 am. As in years past, a Sunrise Easter service will take place at Weigart s field on Whisconier Road at 6 am. Valley s Easter service will begin at 10 am, and the church will once again be adorned with the banners of celebration as the Living Lord rises from the dead, and new life bursts forth with joy. The new configuration of the sanctuary will be maintained until we assume the summer seating arrangement in June. This gives each of us a chance to view the congregation from a different vantage point and to join face to face in worship. April 7 April Worship Notes Second Sunday of Easter ~ Communion Acts 5:27-32 Revelation 1:4-8 Psalm 150 John 20:19-31 April 14 Third Sunday of Easter Acts 9:1-6 Revelation 5:11-14 Psalm 30 John 21:1-19 April 21 Fourth Sunday of Easter Acts 9:36-43 Revelation 7:9-17 Psalm 23 John 10:22-30 April 28 Fifth Sunday of Easter ~ 3 rd & 4 th Grade Bible Presentation Acts 11:1-18 Revelation 21:1-6 Psalm 148 John 13:31-35

5 Worship in the Round One of the great gifts of this church is the instability of every piece of furniture in the sanctuary. I mean that in the very best way. We have what is known in liturgical circles as "flexible space," meaning we can move our chairs, our pulpit, baptismal font, communion table, our platforms, into any number of configurations. We can reorient our sanctuary in summer, as we do, to face the woods outside our windows, or we can worship in the round, in a square, in a rainbow (half circle) formation...practically anything we want! So, beginning on Maundy Thursday, when we gather around tables in the sanctuary, and continuing through the Easter season, we will be worshipping in the round, as this congregation used to do yearly. For some of you this may feel disorienting, so let me give you a little background. When 16th Century theologian John Calvin, forefather of Presbyterianism, took over the church in Geneva, one of the first things he did was to reorient the sanctuary by moving the pulpit from the front to about half way back in the nave and turning the pews in a semicircle to face it. As a formerly Roman Catholic sanctuary, all of the pews had been forward facing in order for parishioners to glimpse the high altar at the back of the chancel, where the priest would celebrate the Eucharist. But one of the biggest changes to worship, and really to theological understanding for Protestantism, was that the Eucharist was not the most important part of worship, preaching was. Martin Luther claimed that the church existed wherever the Word of God was preached, but Calvin one-upped him, saying it existed wherever the Word was preached and heard, meaning you needed not only an effective preacher but an attentive audience. In order for that to happen. In the days before microphones, Calvin moved the pulpit, which enabled everyone to hear the sermon and physically demonstrated the Word's centrality in worship. Today, many churches are spending large amounts of money to reorient their sanctuaries for worship in the round, to help them build deeper communities of faith. Thanks to your forward-thinking founding pastor, Rev. Jim Gertmenian, we already have that ability. So, for the 50 day season of Easter, when the disciples were so closely gathered to one another, looking inward and reforming their community in light of a risen savior, we too will face one another, with the Word and cross and Table in a central place. We will have the chance to see each other and know each other from a new angle, to experience a different view of the congregation, and maybe even gain a richer perspective of the Risen Christ, of God-With-Us. Just imagine what the Holy Spirit might do come Pentecost, as we are recommissioned to preach the Gospel to the world! See you in church! Rev. Adele

6 Session Notes March began on both a sad and a celebratory note as we said goodbye to Gerry and celebrated a life well lived. The March 2nd service was filled with her family, current and prior members and pastors and her many friends from the community. It was difficult to say goodbye but we found strength in knowing that she is in a better place and free of pain. March also saw changes in Valley's family as some long term visitors "officially" joined the fold. Valley is blessed with many visitors and it's always a time to celebrate when people decide to formalize their relationship with Valley's family of faith and PC (USA). Lynn and Mike Ecsedy joined Valley by Reaffirmation of Faith; Jill Heidel joined by Letter of Transfer from Trinity Lutheran Church, Reading, PA; Ed Neiger joined by Letter of Transfer from Irvington Presbyterian Church, Irvington, NY; and Mary Ann Neiger was welcomed into Valley's Extended Family. The next new members' classes are tentatively scheduled for June. Another blessing comes when our youth start a more formal part of their faith journey. Kayla Downs and Drew Zuvanich have begun their confirmation classes and are looking forward to their confirmation in May. They are fortunate to have and we appreciate Anne Fries and John Sutor who are serving as their mentors. There were also some changes in the board of Deacons (BoD) as they said thanks and farewell to Rich Franks and Vicki Michalek as they moved off the BoD but continue to serve Valley in many other ways. Please keep Session in your prayers as they work to keep Valley operating smoothly and to meet the needs of the congregation. Pray for our Presbytery as well while they struggle with defining their role and how best to serve.

7 MISSION Many thanks to all who contributed to the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering received on Palm Sunday and Easter. We all know how Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has helped our area after the Newtown tragedy. This offering will allow PDA, as well as Presbyterian Hunger Program (which includes homeless issues) (PHP) and Self-Development of Peoples (SDOP) to use our offering to continue to address their particular areas to make a difference. Looking ahead: APRIL will bring a focus on collecting much needed items for hygiene kits and clean-up buckets. With several recent major storms, both the hygiene kits and the clean-up buckets are in short supply. Please take a copy of the items needed list and purchase what you can. If you have questions, please speak with Judy Cunningham. Beginning the first week of MAY, alternative giving cards will be available for Mother s Day. It is a good way to honor mothers and help other women worldwide. In JUNE, plans are being formulated to have part of a service address the world s water situation through Living Waters for the World information. We are also happy to welcome Angel Pai to the Mission Committee! Judy Cunningham, Chair Deacon News The new year brought two new deacons to the board - John Sutor and Granville Reed. As a result, flock lists have been changed and reassigned. The list is posted on the bulletin board outside the choir room. Please check the list if you are not sure who your deacon is. Feel free to contact your deacon with any needs or concerns you may have. Final exams for college students are right around the corner. In anticipation of this, the deacons are preparing care packages to be shipped off to Valley college students during exam week. Please contact your deacon or the church office with the names and updated addresses of college students. We expect to ship the packages out at the end of April. We have an active prayer chain group which is run by the deacons. Please feel free to bring your prayer request(s) to any of the deacons. God listens to and answers our prayers!

The Narthex became a very cozy viewing room, and we had plenty of sweet and salty snacks! A great time was had by all.

8 Valley Family Movie Night a big hit! EVENTS On March 1st we enjoyed Valley Family Movie Night! About 20 folks of all ages came out to see the 1963 version of "The Incredible Journey," a charming story of three pets--two dogs and a cat--trying to find their way home. The Narthex became a very cozy viewing room, and we had plenty of sweet and salty snacks! A great time was had by all. Thanks to Kyle McGough for having this great idea, and to Anne Fries and Megan Christian for organizing it. We can't wait till the next one! Sandy Hook Run for the Families raises $500,000 On Saturday, March 23, twenty folks from Valley comprised our team for the Sandy Hook Run for the Families. Originally planned for the campus of Western Connecticut State University, the race grew so large it was moved first to Danbury and then to Hartford. Registration hit capacity before race day; 15,000 runners helped raise nearly $500,000 for United Way of Western Connecticut for counseling services and other needs for families, teachers and first responders affected by the event in December. Our team included: Lori and Chad Peck; Vicki, Brandon, Zach and Addie Michalek and their cousin Connor; Lynn Ecsedy; Angeles Pai; Rev. Adele; not pictured are Mike Downs; Andy Fries; Wendy Del Monte; Kimmie, Devin and Tricia Johnson; Kimberly, Aaron, Lane and Lee LaTourette. A special thank you to Wendy Del Monte for suggesting we do this, and to Angeles Pai for being our team captain. Valley loves S.H.E.S.!

NEW HYMNALS Late last year our Session approved the purchase of the new Presbyterian hymnal, Glory to God to be published in September 2013.

If you too would like to honor a special person in your life by purchasing a hymnal, we are planning to order a few more copies at $15 each.

Present were Megan Christian, Georgiann Sutor, Rev. Adele, Bill Thomas, and Ann Thomas. Much of the discussion focused redoing the sign in pew pads to allow more space for information, i.e., home address, phone number, and email address.

9 NEW HYMNALS Late last year our Session approved the purchase of the new Presbyterian hymnal, Glory to God to be published in September Thanks to a generous donation by Charles Lindberg in loving memory of his wife Dolores, we were able to order 134 new hymnals. If you too would like to honor a special person in your life by purchasing a hymnal, we are planning to order a few more copies at $15 each. Please contact the Church Office before May 15 to take advantage of the pre-publishing price break. OUTREACH COMMITTEE The Outreach Committee met after worship on March 17, Present were Megan Christian, Georgiann Sutor, Rev. Adele, Bill Thomas, and Ann Thomas. Much of the discussion focused redoing the sign in pew pads to allow more space for information, i.e., home address, phone number, and address. Georgiann will contact the printer about the new design pad. We also discussed timing of notes to visitors and the follow-up calls. A special notice about the Easter services was placed in the Newtown Bee (free) and the Danbury News Times for Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. Thanks to Nancy Munn, we had sandwich boards in front of the church announcing Maundy Thursday and Easter Sunday services. Ann Thomas, Chair Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers An imaginative do-it-yourself approach to spirituality... With a stand-up comic s snap and pop, candid and righteous Lamott tells hilarious and wrenching tales about various predicaments that have sparked her prayers and inspired her to encourage others to pray anytime, anywhere, and any way. - Booklist Wisdom s Women is in the midst of a book study considering prayer, using Anne Lamott's Help. Thanks. Wow. We'll meet for supper and discussion from 6:30-8 PM on April 10 (Thanks), and May 1 (Wow). The book is available at most bookstores, on e-readers, and through Amazon.com. Even if you missed Help, join us for the next two! Please RSVP to Terri in the Church Office, or valleypresct@gmail.com.

Bits and Pieces Help Needed - Spring Cleaning The Spring Cleaning at Valley will be Saturday, April 6th, 8:30am - 11:30am A list of tasks has been assembled for inside and outside.

10 Bits and Pieces Help Needed - Spring Cleaning The Spring Cleaning at Valley will be Saturday, April 6th, 8:30am - 11:30am A list of tasks has been assembled for inside and outside. Among them are the needs for dusters, window washers, vacuuming the chairs where the seat meets the back (need a couple of people to bring vacuums from home), cleaning the bathrooms, cleaning the yard (sticks on lawn and in gardens, sand in parking lot, replace curbing etc.) and other items. The more helping-hands there are, the more we'll be able to do to "spring-clean" our church home. Mark your calendar to have a good time working along with some of your church family! May Saturday, April 27th ARTICLES TO: gerryatvalley@charter.net

Valley Presbyterian Church 21 West Whisconier Road Brookfield, CT 06804 VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 21 West Whisconier Road Brookfield, CT 06804 Telephone:

11 Valley Presbyterian Church 21 West Whisconier Road Brookfield, CT VALLEY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 21 West Whisconier Road Brookfield, CT Telephone: Minister: The Rev. Adele Crawford Director of Music: Max Vladimiroff WORSHIP SERVICE SUNDAY, 10:00 A.M. ADULT STUDY, 9:00 A.M. and CHURCH SCHOOL PROVIDED

Volume 35, Number 2 March 2016

Volume 35, Number 2 March 2016 Praying It doesn't have to be the blue iris, it could be weeds in a vacant lot, or a few small stones; just pay attention, then patch A few words together and don't try to