Church. Brookville. Change Is In The Air! NEWSLETTER

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1 Brookville Church NEWSLETTER REV. VICKY L. EASTLAND Pastor of Congregational Life 2 BROOKVILLE ROAD BROOKVILLE, NY Where the doors are always open! September 2014 Change Is In The Air! I like to think that I handle change easily; always looking for something new to experience or learn. But if you ask my husband, he will tell you that I don t handle change well. Like when we moved to upstate New York after living in southern California for almost a decade. EVERYTHING was new: new house, new church, new stores and doctors, new ways of doing things and new friendships to forge. The thought of new opportunities sounded exciting in my head, but the reality wasn t so hot. We went from having everything at our fingertips and being surrounded by cultural diversity, to being surrounded by trees and mountains and not much else. It was beautiful, but also very isolating. As you may already know, The Interfaith Community of Long Island (IFC) is joining our campus full time starting this month. We are thrilled to have this group of about 30 families joining in on the exciting things we are doing here at Brookville. With growth comes change. There is that dratted word again, change! Even though I hate to admit it, like most people, I like predictability. Change means stepping out into the unknown and losing your comfortable routine, and that can be frightening. What if I don t like the change? What if it forces me to make adjustments that are down right uncomfortable? Sometimes change comes like a car racing full speed toward you and you find yourself caught in the headlights, exposing all your insecurities and fears. What a frightening thought! On the third Sunday of every month, beginning Sept. 21st we get to experience worship in a whole new way. We will have a 30 minute meditative and creative worship service leaving more time for fellowship. The IFC will be here on those Sundays so we ll have the opportunity to deepen our friendships with one another. This extended fellowship time will either be in the Narthex of the church or in the newly renovated basement under the sanctuary. (The renovation is currently in progress. If you d like to help with this project let me know, we d love to have you join in on the fun!) The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting, but on building the new. ~ Socrates Children and youth Sunday School classes will be combined with the IFC during worship. Lesley Mazzotta, our new Director of Multifaith Education is currently developing an outstanding new curriculum designed especially for our unique needs. (See Lesley s letter.) So, every third Sunday our fellowship hall will be filled with children and youth, over 50 of them! : ) Change is a critical part of growth; inner growth, spiritual growth, and in the church; numerical growth. With change comes adjustment, compromise, maybe even doing things you really would rather not do. But avoiding change can create bigger problems, such as lost opportunities, broken relationships and even loneliness. So why not give change a try? You may be pleasantly surprised at the richness it can bring to your life. The change from upstate New York to Long Island ended up being one of the happiest, most fulfilling changes I have ever made. With this change has come growth I didn t even imagine possible in my life. I have grown into my pants, so to speak, venturing out to face challenges my old self used to shy away from, because I didn t believe I had the ability to do such things, like helping shape a multifaith campus that is creating a model that other houses of faith can follow. Are you ready to try on change like a new pair of shoes that are shiny but stiff until worn in? Come on Sept. 14th to our Campus Open House to hear about the changes that we are doing around here, ones you may find are exactly the right fit for you; changes that are as exciting as they are scary; changes that you may want to be a part of helping shape. Then come back the following Sunday (Sept. 21st) for our first alternative worship experience. So buckle those seat belts and put on those new shoes, for change is in the air. Join us for an exciting ride! Yours truly, Rev. Vicky For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

2 HIGH HOLIDAYS 5775 The New Synagogue of Long Island OPEN HOUSE All are warmly welcomed to join Rabbi Stuart Paris, Hakohen, and Cantor Irene Failenbogen in celebrating the New Year Season at Brookville Reformed Church 2 Brookville Road ~ Brookville, NY Brookville Multifaith Campus Rosh HaShanah Wednesday Evening, September 24th: 7:30pm Thursday, September 25th: 10am to 12noon September 14, :30 a.m. ~ 2:00 p.m. Yom Kippur Eve - Kol Nidre Friday Evening, October 3rd at 7:30pm Game Show Name That Faith at 11:30 a.m. Program begins at 12:00 p.m. Yom Kippur Day Service - Saturday, October 4th: 10am to 12noon Time for Sharing: 12 to 1pm Memorial and Afternoon Service: 4 to 6pm Come and meet our faith leaders and learn about our exciting worship, education, fellowship and service opportunities. Our mission is to provide a safe and welcoming space for people of different faiths to connect through opportunities to learn, question and grow. Brookville Church, The Interfaith Community of Long Island, Muslim Reform Movement Organization, The New Synagogue of Long Island Condolences We share the sad news that Monroe Diefendorf passed away on August 16, 2014 at the age of 90. Monroe was a longtime member of Brookville Church before retiring to North Carolina. A memorial service was held on August 20. Synagogue of the Month Shabbat Services First Friday of Each Month at 7:00pm

3 New Director of Multifaith Education! We would like to introduce you to Lesley Mazzotta. Lesley has begun working for both the Interfaith Community of Long Island and Brookville Church to help shape our children, youth and adult multifaith educational programs. We are thrilled to have her ministering alongside us as we strive to build a safe and welcoming space for people of different faiths to connect through opportunities to learn, question and grow. Here is a letter from Lesley... Greetings everyone, I am delighted to begin my work as your Director of Multifaith Education here at Brookville. I have started meeting many of the leaders and members of the religious groups on campus, and there is a joyous warmth and generosity that emanates from everyone. I am honored to become part of your community. In my role, my responsibilities will include developing and implementing campus-wide programming that includes a new curriculum for both the Interfaith Community and Brookville s children and youth. On the third Sunday of every month, all the children and youth from both faith communities will combine to learn and deepen their understanding of both Christianity and Judaism. I am designing quarterly Multifaith events on campus that will be for all ages. Through creative programming that will bring opportunity for conversation and fellowship, we will build tolerance, respect and deeper understanding among our three religions. Come to our first event on Sept. 14th - our Campus Open House starting at 11:30 a.m. Another part of the ministry I am doing among you, is shaping a Multifaith Youth Group. On the third Sunday of every month, the youth group will come together to learn how to connect their faith to their everyday lives and the world around them. In addition, the youth group will join with other youth from various faith communities on Long Island for exciting events designed around fellowship, learning, and service. Some of those events will be: a High Ropes Adventure Course, Service Project to day laborers, a New Year s Ski Trip to Vermont, a trip to the Holocaust Museum in NYC and a lot more! I am passionate about the work I am doing for you, because I believe that all people, no matter what their religious background or where they are on their spiritual journey, desire a place where they can fully and safely explore their faith. It is my vision to create many exciting opportunities for Brookville s multifaith community to honor their individual religious traditions and beliefs, while coming together in significant ways. Stay tuned for more! Please feel free to reach out to me to say hello and share your dreams for your community. I can be reached at lesleymazzotta@gmail.com or (917) I m eager to hear from you. Blessings to you, Lesley INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE SEPT. 21 We are hosting the UN's International Day of Peace Multifaith Prayer Service on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 21. All are invited. Watch your , our Facebook page and website for the time along with more info. In previous year's this service has been hosted by the Westbury Friends Meeting, the Brahma Kumaris' Global Harmony House in Great Neck, and Masjid Darul Quran in Bay Shore. It is a great honor that we have been selected to host this year's service. Please come with your friends!

4 Blessing of the Animals Celebration Sunday, September 28, :00 am Worship Service Brookville Church 2 Brookville Rd., Brookville Bring your pet for a blessing to celebrate St. Francis Day. There will be refreshments for all ages and all species following the service. All friendly, well behaved, vaccinated pets with ID on leashes/carriers, photos of those that cannot attend or stuffed animals are welcome. Please bring Fancy Feast or Friskies canned cat food; Purina One or Pedigree dry dog food; clumping cat litter; or make a monetary donation to Animal Lovers League, Glen Cove. PLEASE RECYCLE To help care for the earth, please use the recycling container in the kitchen of the Fellowship Hall to dispose of plastics (#1, 2, 4, 5 & 6), glass bottles, jars, metal (including aluminum foil and tins) and cardboard. Please clean/rinse all items before putting in the recycling container. Additional containers are available in office areas to recycle paper. Thank you for doing your part to help us be good stewards of the earth. COMMON GROUNDS COFFEEHOUSE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19th at 7:30 p.m. Our fall Coffeehouse is coming! Join us for coffee and other refreshments while we listen to folk music performed by Stuart Racey and Irene Failenbogen of the Interfaith Congregation, as well as Lisa Denison and Mark Coffey from our own Brookville Congregation. Our very special guest for the evening will be SANDY CHAPIN, the founder and widow of Harry Chapin, whose organization LONG ISLAND CARES, THE HARRY CHAPIN FOOD BANK will be the beneficiary of any and all funds and food-stuffs we collect during the evening. Sandy will tell us about how she and Harry began the first food bank on Long Island, and stay to enjoy the music, which will include a few of Harry s hits! Please join us for this exciting event, and help to raise food and funds for our neighbors in need right here on Long Island. LONG ISLAND CARES BOXES ARE NOW LOCATED ON OUR CAMPUS Please take the opportunity to donate dry and canned goods whenever you are on campus, between now September 19. We are hoping to have a large donation of actual food, as well as money. With our combined efforts we can do great things! Other donations are also needed Please contact Lisa Denison at or if you are able to donate raffle baskets, baked goods, beverages or YOUR TIME on the evening of the performance. All offers of help are welcome! SEE YOU ALL ON SEPTEMBER 19th at 7:30!

5 Choir News I hope that everyone has enjoyed the wonderful season of summer! I had a great summer filled with all the things I love about this season - gardening, bbq s, friends and time to plan. It was so nice to see my friends at the Reformed Church of Locust Valley during the month of July and it was a special treat to work with Rev. James Eastland and Rev. Bosch. As we begin this wonderful season, I am making a request for anyone who would like to sing in our regular choir, please call me or me. We are in need of choir members. If you know of anyone who you think would like to sing, please ask them and get in touch with me. The fall season is now upon us and there are so many musical offerings coming up. So get your calendars out and write these dates down. You will want to be at all the events coming up. September 19 7:30pm Lisa Denison and friends coffeehouse concert in the Fellowship Hall. Please bring everyone you know to see our talented performers. September 21 10:00am Musica Shmoozika will perform during the morning service. October 18-4:00-6:00pm the first play rehearsal for our annual Christmas play. October 22 7:30pm the first rehearsal for the adult Choir singing in the Christmas Cantata November 21 7:30pm Musica Shmoozika will perform this coffeehouse concert December 14 10:00am The Christmas play starring our youth. December 21 10:00am The annual Christmas Cantata You will also find all of these events on the Brookville Church web calendar. We are ready to go!!! Carol Goglia ~ cgoglia@aol.com July 27, 2014 Shared Worship at Douglaston Docks, Queens The Community Reformed Churches of Douglaston and Manhassett, The Reformed Church of Locust Valley and our congregation gathered seaside for a special Unity Service. Rev. Justin Meyers was there along with his lovely family, all the way from Muscat, Oman! We heard Rev. Meyers, our Partner in Peace and Education preach of his experiences in Oman and what it truly means to be someone's neighbor. Following worship the group who will be visiting the Meyers in Oman in October met with them in preparation for their trip. Please be in prayer for Rev. Meyers, his family, the Al Amana Centre and the small group of 8 that will be traveling to Oman in the fall. For more info about the work being done to further dialogue between Muslims and Christians in Oman, visit:

6 Growth & Development ~ by Kris Baggelaar, chairperson Metaphor can be a simple way to communicate complex reality. The right metaphor conjures images and meanings that often go deeper than what words alone can convey. If we think of Brookville Church (BRC) in terms of movies, for example, we have another tool to provide insights into the many ways BRC approaches growth and change, i.e. our style of vision, leadership and engagement, all of which contribute to our magnetism. How well have we, are we now, and will we draw in others? We might choose Do the Right Thing as a film metaphor. With our roots solely in the Dutch Reformed tradition since 1732, BRC has transformed into a place of religious diversity. Where once only Protestant believers called Brookville home, now the New Synagogue of LI, the IFC of LI, and the Muslim Reform Movement Organization share the same address. While BRC has always held open its doors to others, it now shines as a beacon for both traditionalists and progressives, bringing together and strengthening the ties that bind a diverse community through service, collaboration, engagement, and above all, inclusion. Or do we place more emphasis on the journey itself, along the philosophical lines of Jerry Maguire? With our feet planted firmly in 18 th -century Protestant doctrine but our eyes gazing at empty pews in the 21 st century how will we proceed, addressing this potentially life-threatening challenge? It will require not only an unrelenting adherence to a course of inclusion regardless of what direction the winds may blow us making everyone feel welcome, but also a devotion to nurturing emotional connections with all who cross our threshold, members, visitors, and religious partners alike. With a strong sense of family as our guiding light, we can be a magnetic and engaging community of worshipers, fostering meaningful relationships through planned activities and participation. Or will BRC adapt and transform to a modern world through the cinematic lens of Best in Show? As we embrace a wide-ranging tri-faith collection of individuals loosely akin to a group of vastly different breeds and diverse and sometimes eccentric owners, breeders, and handlers, will we rise to the challenge by reinventing ourselves, encouraging transformative experiences by embracing similarities, while respecting differences? While it might appear on the surface as chaotic and lacking in religious identity, our tri-faith community is united, not only through creative programming, essential partnerships, and meaningful conversation (as we are professing in our upcoming Open House press release), but also by a highly motivated, service-oriented attitude, i.e., public commitment. What movie best characterizes BRC today and what movie would you like us to be in five years? Imagine all the possibilities; discuss with others, and share your ideas of how we can take steps toward becoming magnetic. Our meal ministry is now official. In spring 2014 an account was created: brookvillemealministry, which will provide a more structured means to implement Together We Serve meal ministry, one of G&D s long-term reach-out efforts. It will afford easy access and availability to all Brookville faith families. All that is involved is entering the address/ location where meal(s) are to be delivered (we find out about needs when a family/individual and/or one of the faith leaders/members alerts that there is a need); dates are selected/meal preferences/ allergies/dislikes are entered; then volunteers (we are acquiring names/ addresses now) are notified by and asked to go to our mealtrain address, book a date and bring a meal. It's that easy! Call the church office ( ) for additional information. A field trip took place on Sunday, August 24 th, when Brookville and the Reformed Church of Locust Valley (RCLV) attended worship at NYC s historic Marble Collegiate Church, Fifth Avenue at 29 th Street. We were warmly greeted upon our arrival and ushered to front-row pews that had been reserved for us. Following a magnificent, transporting service, which included a greeting to BRC and RCLV as special guests by Rev. Travis Winckler, we had an opportunity to meet and shake hands with Dr. Michael Brown, Senior Minister, who thanked us wholeheartedly for coming that day. Marble members Tebbie and Joe Clift then treated our group to a private tour, and we learned much about Marble s storied past and impressive physical features, including cantilevered balconies and Tiffany stained-glass windows. A delicious brunch and fellowship followed at nearby Wine 30 restaurant s outdoor patio, where Tebbie and Joe Clift joined us. We told them about Brookville s tri-faith initiative, which they applauded, acknowledging that, even though its numbers are vastly greater than ours, Marble has been experiencing the same steady decline in attendance over the years as has BRC. They encouraged other collaborations with BRC and RCLV, especially outreach ministries; we plan to continue our dialogue along these lines in the coming months. If you are interested in seeing the service we experienced first-hand on August 24th, Marble Collegiate Church offers livestreaming video at www. marblechurch.org/ connect/livestreaming (Note: you will hear BRC and RCLV mentioned by name at 01:37:01). Plan on joining us on a future outing, you ll be glad you did.

7 Photos from our August 24th trip to Marble Collegiate Church Joan Vivian, Cathy O'Neill, Shirley Durkin-Freni, Debi Baker, Kris Baggelaar and Nancy Worsham w/ Dr. Michael Brown, Senior Minister, Marble Collegiate Church Marble Collegiate Church Marble w/ Empire State Building in background Our group w/ tour guides Tebbie & Joe Clift

8 Reflections Reflections Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that upon other fields, on other days, will bear the fruits of victory. ~ General Douglas MacArthur In mid-august I received a letter from a friend, Monroe Diefendorf, who, in the fifties and sixties, was an Elder and leader of the Brookville Church. We kept in contact when he moved south to a retirement area, played golf, lost his first wife and remarried last November. He was active in his new church and traveled extensively. In June they went to the family home in Italy to celebrate his 90 th birthday, which was a huge and successful event. He wrote me, I m always hoping that you are smelling the roses along life s highway since we are never sure when the road will end. Three days later my friend reached the end of that road. I have not yet gotten over the loss of another friend in the Brookville Church, Charlie Buchan, who was also ninety when he died. I think of Charlie especially when we have a Consistory meeting and I now sit in his chair. Charlie served the Lord and the church right up to his last days surely he smelled the roses. Monroe knew about Brookville becoming a multifaith campus and beacon, but he was not ready to accept the new Brookville Church because (he said) he had become steeped in his old ways. Charlie, on the other hand, was a supporter of Rev. Ramirez plan for the future, as it unfolded a few years ago, just before Allan Ramirez retired and left. If we had an Honor Roll board both men would have their names on it. While looking for Monroe s obituary in his local Virginia paper I had to scroll down several names of other older people who had died the same week. Now I get regular and too frequent notices of my West Point classmates who have died. I know the names of all of them and some were special friends who shared a lot with me in the service and after. When we became cadets in 1954 we were taught about the traditions and learned to honor one of the oldest ones at the Academy. Our early Army, especially by the time of the War of 1812, wore grey wool uniforms which became the uniform of the cadets and still is. On Graduation Day we all joined the ranks of the Long Gray Line as living members. But the line extends beyond today, backwards, back past our last living day, to include all the members of an earlier day and we feel the grip of their far off hold. Being connected to that ghostly assemblage is an honor and carries with it a responsibility. Most institutions and organizations have traditions of value, some more and some less. It is claimed that at West Point when something is done once it becomes a tradition and is repeated into perpetuity. I know that is not quite true, but there are some really meaningful and somber traditions that we hold dear and actually enjoy repeating them year after year. At this time of the year we remember a seasonal tradition and I mention it at the end of each month s Reflection s column I ve been doing it for nearly thirty years writing BEAT NAVY! Probably one of the first things any cadet learns is to repeat BEAT NAVY! Now I should report that at the Naval Academy they exhort their teams to Beat Army in the same fashion. After our graduation, after retiring from the military and on into old age the chant is still repeated: BEAT NAVY! First and foremost we want it to happen in football at the December Army-Navy game, but also in all the other athletic competitions; we support our teams and each other and hope to BEAT NAVY. Nancy and I are looking forward again to gathering with a group of classmates and spouses in Virginia to watch the A-N game. To raise the call BEAT NAVY! Branch Worsham END WORDS: Academe, n.: An ancient school where morality and philosophy were taught. Academy, n.: A modern school where football is taught. BEAT NAVY! In football everything is complicated by the presence of the opposite team. WHEN YOU DRIVE ~ IF CAUTION CEASES ~ YOU ARE APT TO REST ~ IN PIECES