THE HIGHLANDS. A Message From Pastor Gary THE CHURCH IN THE HIGHLANDS DECEMBER 2015

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1 THE CHURCH IN THE HIGHLANDS THE HIGHLANDS DECEMBER 2015 A Message From Pastor Gary Dear Friends, In the United Church of Christ, a Service of Installation confirms and celebrates the covenantal relationship among a local church, its pastor and teacher, and the United Church of Christ. On November 29, 2015, we had such a celebration! But the celebration was not restricted to the pastor on that day. Indeed, in the planning of the event, I took pains to make it clear that this was a day of celebration for us all, as we entered into a sacred covenant together. The relationship between a pastor and church is more than just an employment contract. It is more like a marriage, a sacred covenant. On that day, a charge was given to the Church in the Highlands congregation and its pastor. The charge was delivered by Reverend Dr. Gawain de Leeuw, Rector of Saint Bartholomew Episcopal Church in White Plains. Here is the Charge, as it was given on November 29 th. May we live into it together. A Charge to The Church in the Highlands, and to the Pastor We have heard the speakers. Gary you are charged to Serve this congregation To listen to this congregation; To share the work with this congregation. In this congregation s DNA, Is a heart of a thoughtful Christianity A Courageous Christianity, as embodied by Dr. Everett Parker One that embodies the democratic traditions of our nation, Lived a commitment to racial reconciliation And is dedicated to serve all in this community, the homeless, the hungry, and the alone. I charge you to listen in the stillness to the Word of God To speak the truth, as our arch poet Jesus, the word, is illumined in the world Endure the hard conversations; Confront the powers of empire; And do not be afraid to preach from your scars; Hold fast to what is beautiful and just; Soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, Shield the joyous; Gather the people in exile; Keep your people in prayer Feed them. To members of the congregation; Be the gathered people of Christ; Share in Gary s journey as he listens and leads with you. Let him make you uncomfortable, when he speaks difficult truths; Take risks with him, as you together discern your future. Trust your pastor on the small things; Challenge him on the big things. Together witness the heralding of the kingdom. Do not stay in this church Do not be entombed in these four walls Do not be sentimental about your past, Satisfied with your present, Or despair for what will come. But instead together go forth into the world; Be not afraid of what you see there. Enter all those places where people search for the living God The God who overturns our lives and illumines the difficult truth But has promised liberation to all those who would hear. Cont d pg. 4

2 The Highlands Page 2 The Church in the Highlands Pastor: Rev. Dr. Gary Percesepe garypercesepe@gmail.com cell Office Administrator: Teresa Franzoni ph fax info@churchinhighlands.org Moderator: Dr. Mareda Graves Director of Music: Dr. Robert Chase Early Childhood Center: Administrative Director Joanie Bivas ecc@churchinhighlands.org Church Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 1:30 pm Sunday Worship: 10:00 am Bible Study: 9:30 am Tuesdays Visit our NEW website: churchinthehighlands.org Like us on Facebook & follow us on Twitter December 6 December 7 First Night of Hanukkah Pearl Harbor Day December 20 Children s Christmas Story 10 am Worship December 24 Christmas Eve Service 7:30 pm December 25 Christmas Day Church Office Closed December 31 New Year s Eve MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! December Birthdays Rev. Ervin Graves Dec. 11 Linda Grossman Dec. 19 Happy Birthday! Want to share your birthday with us? Send it to info@churchinhighlands.org or call CALENDAR OF EVENTS News ~ Reminders Updates OFFICE HOURS: Pastor Gary teaches at Fordham University, continuing our church's unique relationship with the Jesuit University of the City of New York begun by Dr. Everett C. Parker, who taught at Fordham for many years. Pastor Gary's teaching schedule at Fordham is Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, and he continues to keep regular office hours at the Church, as follows: Monday & Thursday Tues, Wed, Thurs. 9 am - 2 pm 9 am - 11:15 am Pastor Gary is available to you at any time to assist with your spiritual care, by calling his cell phone: (937) , or the church office (914) If you are looking for rental space for parties, events, meetings and performances, come to CIH. We have a very bright and spacious Social Hall available. Call the church office for more information. Inside This Issue From the Pastor Cover Updates & Reminders 2 Nursery School & Thank You s 3 Ministry Matters article 5 Service of Installation 6 Craft Sale 7 BULLETIN BOARD: Take a moment to check our board when in the church building. We are always adding something new.

3 The Highlands P age 3 NURSERY SCHOOL The children have been having lots of fun preparing for Thanksgiving. They made many crafts and had feasts in their classrooms. The most important thing they learned was about giving, sharing and being kind to others. The teachers are beginning to prepare for the Christmas season which will include crafts, activities, songs, parties and a special visit from Santa. LETTERS OF THANKS From the Parker Family To the members of Church in the Highlands Dear Friends, The Parker family thanks you for all of your kind support in this time of mourning. Thank you also for the warm and cordial reception you hosted for us after the memorial service. The reception was very meaningful to the whole family. My father loved Church in the Highlands. Being a part of your community was an important and significant part of my father s later years. For all the love, kindness and patience you shared with him, much thanks. Yours in Christ, Truman E. Parker From the Squires Family Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays & Season s Greetings to everyone, Joy Bergins & Joanie Bivas Directors Dearest Gary & Church in in the Highlands, I really can t thank you enough for all your kind words about Quent. It really made my day reading the note. You were all very close to Quent s heart. God Bless and Love, Susan A. Squires Continued on pg. 4

4 The Highlands P age 4 Continued from Page 3 From Halfway Houses of Westchester Dear Gary, On behalf of Halfway Houses of Westchester, I would like to thank you, the Board of Community and World Service and your congregation for once again giving so generously and for allowing us to use church grounds and facilities to hold our fundraising picnic. Donations received helped us to raise close to $1,500. Your church s commitment to helping our cause is sincerely appreciated. Thanks again for your generous support of our efforts. Best Wishes, Kathleen Torres Secretary Halfway Houses of Westchester provide supportive housing for homeless people in early recovery. Through their programs they have seen may lives changed for the better. Some of the money raised is used to pay the mortgages on these homes. YOUR NEW LIFE STARTS HERE Continued from front cover So do the work. Stand with the weak and challenge the powerful, Listen to each other with charity, Treat each other with magnanimity. With humility lead to risk the deep love we know in Jesus. And in the time of trouble, Stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. And finally, Do not simply speak the Gospel, But live what the resurrection has given you, That our words say our work is not in vain; That even in the midst of winter, there is life ready to sprout And that in his love we with courage can face the future. Go together with Gary, And as you tread this territory seeking justice and truth, Know that he is guided by the grate prophet, priest, messiah Our Lord Christ, And that in the valleys and summits of your life together, With his grace, You will find the great joy of knowing That Gods love has not abandoned you, But awaits. Keep the people in prayer. Do the work. Do not tarry, Do not stay here. Go forth. Peace to you, Pastor Gary

5 The Highlands P age 5 WHEN A NONE DOESN T KNOW THEY RE A PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIAN I was in conversation with one of my best friends about why I love belonging to the United Church of Christ. My friend hasn t attended church regularly for most of her life, but she s always been open to it. She went to plenty of Lutheran services as a child, but she couldn t reconcile the idea of serving a male God or Jesus as a male savior. I told this friend there are many Christians who use gender-neutral pronouns for God and who even use gender-neutral pronouns for the Christ. She asked me if I could send her some reading materials about God being gender neutral, and told me she was looking forward to learning more about this idea. My friend simply hadn t considered there could be a group of Christians who believed in a gender-neutral version of God. Because she never heard about such people. When I talk to many of my millennial peers, I hear more of the same. They can t believe I belong to a Christian denomination that stands for social justice, embraces evolving theology, and affirms all people. I was even one of those millennials myself before I found a job listing (and later local church) in an unfamiliar denomination called the United Church of Christ. Mainline Christians often discount people like my friend and me as misguided or spiritually lazy when they see us labeled as nones or spiritual, but not religious. Article is by Marchae Grair. She is a Netflix addict, puppy enthusiast, songbird, Millennial dreamer, and God lover, to name a few. She is the editor of New Sacred and social media associate for the United Church of Christ. Many of the people progressive Christians assume are done with organized religion don t even know mainline denominations exist, and might even consider joining us if they did. It s great to be a progressive church and to do the powerful work associated with it; but we need to reevaluate our approach to discipleship when people outside of our progressive Christian niche don t know what we re doing and that they can be part of it too. We can t support social justice crusades without shouting our theology just as loudly so people can t separate our passion for justice and our passion for the gospel. We are missing our chance for a true resurgence of the mainline church if people can t make connections between our justice stances, biblical beliefs, and our identities as progressive Christians. We can t stay in our progressive Christian silos without working harder to reclaim the gospel from those who use it for hate. As the United Church of Christ prepares to launch it s next identity campaign, I hope this denomination, and all mainline Christians for that matter, are committed to being louder than ever about who we are and what we have to offer spiritual people who have a mind for openness and activism. Because frankly, without answering the call to make ourselves more relevant than ever, I m afraid one day, we won t be relevant at all.

6 The Highlands P age 6 PICTURES FROM PASTOR GARY S SERVICE OF INSTALLATION Some highlights from Pastor Gary s Service of Installation It was a day of commitment, trust, coming together and celebration Thank You to all who attended and for all your prayers and best wishes

7 The Highlands P age 7 CHRISTMAS CRAFTS AT THE CHURCH IN THE HIGHLANDS If you like handmade items, The Church in the Highlands is the place to be. Our church Secretary, Teresa Franzoni, Nursery School teachers, Mary Parravani and Sara LaMattina and a parent of one of the ECC children made so many beautiful and unique gift-giving items. You will find handmade jewelry, ornaments, decorations, wreaths, vases, wooden holiday scenes, mason jars, scarves, headbands, purses and so much more. Part of the proceeds go to The Church in the Highlands Early Childhood Center. We love giving back. We hope you will visit to take a look at all the creative things for sale or just to stop by and say hello. We wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year 2016

8 THE CHURCH IN THE HIGHLANDS 35 Bryant Avenue White Plains, NY Phone: Fax: Church Pastor s garypercesepe@gmail.com No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here. If you have moved, changed your phone number or address, please let us know. We want to be able to keep in touch. If you would like to be removed from our mailing list and no longer receive a copy of The Highlands, please us or call our office. We hate to see you go but we understand and respect your request.