The Herald September 2018

Transcription

1 2018 Volume 9 G r e a t K i l l s M o r a v i a n C h u r c h The Herald September 2018 Thoughts on the 2018 Northern Province Synod of the Moravian Church in America by Deborah Nasta, Central Elder GKMC Early this year I realized 2018 would be rich with new church experiences - even though I am a lifelong Moravian. I was chosen as an alternate to the Northern Province Synod at our Church Council 2018 however by June I was selected to attend. I had never been asked to represent our church at such a meeting / conference and was encouraged by other church members at GKMC who attended similar events. Before leaving I explored the Synod website which included info on the many committees that attendees would participate in - I was very excited to see I would be serving on the Congregational Leadership committee which included Pastors Eileen Edwards and Lynnette Delbridge. Through the work of this and many other committees I learned a tremendous amount about the common ministries of the broader Moravian church including similarities and differences, new and familiar traditions across the Provinces. The theme of Synod was Gather Grow Go it obviously was a wonderful Gathering of Pastors, Lay persons from the many Moravian churches of the Northern Province and Keynote Speakers. Over the course of several days we worshipped together, broke bread together and shared the outcome of our committee s work hearing from all of the other committees. This outpouring made it feel easy to Grow. In particular it was lovely to listen, comment and collaborate with all of the members of the Congregational Leadership committee. One item that resonated with me was that many congregations are very small and are struggling to build their membership. They have difficulty attracting new members, supporting a full time pastor, repairing their buildings, etc. At GKMC we have some of the same problems but are fortunate to have the support of the UBC. Although the challenge to increase church membership hovers about us I feel we can take this moment in time to enrich the lives of our smaller church family. We should be able to truly support all of our members and really get to know one another. We should know everyone s names and greet them with love and friendship each Sunday. By the end of five days we were extremely tired but blessed and ready to Go back to our home congregations. Each of us completed this thought: I was grateful for the many gifts bestowed by the Presence and Guidance of the Spirit of our God but because of Synod, I am enriched, encouraged and I will find joy in serving my church community. Once I was back home I experienced the joy of attending the John Hus Metro Church service at Castleton Hill Moravian Church, another first for me- where I saw many friends from the Synod. Later this fall the Metro churches will support the Youth Rally/Bible Bowl at NDMC on Columbus Day weekend. GKMC will help pack a Grab & Go meal on Sunday October 7 th for the participants. If you are feeling the call to serve please let me know! God Bless you! Deborah

2 PAGE 2 THE HERALD 2018 VOLUME 9 Ministries and Fellowship Bible Study and bagged lunch Bible Study will resume on September 16th coinciding with Sunday School. Book Study Group Meets on Mondays at 1:00pm and will resume on October 15th. Our Aging Gracefully Group Will meet on September 24th to discuss Bible Study and sharings from our summer. Choir Rehearsals will begin on September 16th. All are welcome to add your voices! Sunday School September 16th is the first day of the new session. Classes begin at 9:30am. Join us for worship at 11am and a special grandparents fellowship afterwards. Don t forget to bring your grandparents to this end of summer celebration! Youth Group for Junior and Senior High students meet on Sunday evenings from 6:00pm-8:00pm sometimes at Great Kills Moravian, most of the time at Castleton Hill Moravian. Check bulletin for class dates. Youth Rally at NDMC, October 5-7th. More details to follow. Wellness at Great Kills Moravian Gentle/Chair-supported Yoga Wednesdays 9:30am-10:30am Pastor Tracy will lead a flowing yoga class to get the day started! Donations received go to GKMC. No class on September 5th. Tai Chi on Mondays Sensei Mike Poole, Will begin on Monday, September 17th. See above for class schedule. Tai Chi with Sensei Mike Poole Tai Chi will be held on Mondays, beginning September 17th. Class schedule is as follows: 9am - Yang 8 10am - Seated Tai Chi 11am - Tai Chi for Arthritis 12pm- Tai Chi Fan 2:30pm - Meditation & Mindfulness 3:30pm - Tai Chi for Energy 6:30pm - Yang 24 Classes are 1 hour. Fee is pay as you are able. Yoga with Gen Giles Wednesdays 7:00pm, $5.00. Please bring your mat for this beginner/ intermediate class. Free Adult Classes at the Great Kills Public Library The library offers free classes and events for adults: Quilting, Adult Coloring, Adult Crafts, Afternoon Movies, Knitting & Crocheting Club. Anyone interested can call (718) or visit the library. Community Outreaches Vanderbilt Community Dinner Saturday, September 15th 4pm-6:30pm. You are invited to Vanderbilt s monthly community dinner. If you would like to help in any way or need more information, please contact Paula Presutti, (347) Staten Island Friendship Dinner Sunday, September 16th 5pm-7pm at Church of St. Clare You are invited to a series of Friendship Dinners to get to know new people and places on Staten Island. These are Potluck Dinners, please do not bring meat so all can eat. Great Kills Garden Club The Great Kills Garden Club meets on the third Wednesday, at Great Kills Moravian. Their next meeting will be on Wednesday, September 19 at 7:00pm. These meetings are open to the community, all are welcomed.

3 2018 VOLUME 9 THE HERALD PAGE 3 Church Business Church Office will be closed on Monday, September 3rd for the observance of Labor Day. Join us for worship on September 16th for a special grandparent's celebration and ice cream social, don t forget to bring your grand children! Sunday School will begin at 9:30am. Trustee News from August: Treasurer/Bookkeeper Report for August July Total Income: $ 4, (offerings, building usage, church events) July Total Expenses: $ 12, If you wish to reserve space in our facility for your event and/or ministry please see the Church Office for a Building Use application. The Boards must approve any new request. Ministries and Events Brother Duane Ullrich will mark the 35th Anniversary of his ordination on September 25th. A celebration of this anniversary will be held on Sunday, September 23rd at NDMC. There will be a morning worship at 10am followed by a fellowship meal. All are welcome, rsvp to by September 4th. The Woman of Grace Ministry and Vanderbilt Moravian Church present: Caribbean Night on the Lawn Saturday, September 8 at 6pm. Come out for an evening of Caribbean delicacies, raffles and music. Proceeds go towards the refurbishment of VMC. Donation is $20 and includes dinner. For additional information, contact Dawne Benjamin th Moravian Woman s Conference Unleash Your Power! June 20-23, 2019 Embassy Suites in Winston-Salem, NC Registration forms are available in the church office and online at moravianwomeansconference.org. To receive an Early Bird discount, registrations must be received no later than 11:59pm on January 11, For more information, visit moravianwomensconference.org Ever have a computer freeze up on you? Just at that moment when you least want it to happen everything locks up and nothing works. Until recently I had issues with my computer screen that often caused everything to freeze up. In the middle of working on an or sermon, the only solution was to press the reset/power button which forced the computer to shut down before restarting. I would anxiously wait as everything came back up hoping I could recover the work that was lost. Don Richter invites me to think about the idea of a hard reset differently. When life feels hard, fought with tension, knowing how and when to press the reset button can help us to find new solutions and experience renewal. Play is the rest button God gives us to get a fresh take on a situation and to renew our lives (Don Richter, Ways to Live: Christian Practices for Teens). It is important that we take time to play and laugh in the midst of work. Playfulness leads us to seek new solutions, take different paths, and invite wonder about things that may seem silly or impossible at first. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:20 I love these two passages of scripture because they remind me that I don t have to take myself so seriously. God is the one really at work in all that I do. The Labor Day holiday provides us with a regular opportunity to give thanks for our work and the work of others but it also reminds us that God is the one who gives us work and works through all that we do in God s name. The Labor Day holiday was established as a recognition of the need for people to have a hard reset or reboot. Indeed, a holy reset is one that moves us beyond picnics and outings to real sabbath renewal. For many of us, Labor Day, is the last weekend of summer vacation. One last weekend to play before we return to the regular schedules and responsibilities of the school year. Let us all enjoy one final reset this summer finding renewal and moving forward in playfulness, as we gather around God s Table on September 9 and share in an Ice Cream Social on September 16. I look forward to joining you in Godly playfulness as our fall ministries kickoff and a new choir season begins. In Christ, Pastor Tracy

4 PAGE 4 GREAT KILLS MORAVIAN CHURCH 62 Hillside Terrace Staten Island, New York Phone: Fax: pastor@greatkillsmoravian.org office@greatkillsmoravian.org *Office: Mon- Thurs 9am - 1pm (*office hours subject to change) "In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, love." Website: We are also on: Facebook, Google+, Google Reviews, and Yelp. A Christian Church serving Staten Island since 1886 THE HERALD September Worship Team Elder for September: Laura Hepworth Trustee for September: Janice Hermansen Usher Schedule: 9/2 Angela Jordan & Jimmy Jimenez 9/9 Laura Hepworth & Michael Crea 9/16 Barbara Feltus & Angela Jordan 9/23 Michael Crea & Jimmy Jimenez 9/30 Laura Hepworth & Barbara Feltus Prayers for: The Raymond Peterson Family, Adam, Amy Doersbacher, Bilbao Family, Joseph Buffcusco, Cascio Family, Steve & Cindy Cernak, Christopher, Frankie, Jason, Jen, Gail & Rob, Diane Gibbons, Bill & Sue (Sean) Glynn, Claire Grasso, Henry, Kelly, Linda, Giulianna LaHara, Chris Malchiodi, Donna Montanti, Claudia Morrison, Edith Nasta, Peter, Mary Petrocelli, Sam and all Caretakers, Catherine and Douglas Scannapieco, Joanne Verdiglione, David Weinlick. (Use the Praise & Prayer Request cards to add or remove names.) September Celebrations Birthdays 9/2 James Ruch 9/6 Ellen Steele Sean Poole 9/7 Ryan Christie 9/14 Carmine Russo Brian Korbeci 9/17 Joan Cutting Sohpia Scarpato Katie Rogers 9/18 Michael Crea, Jr. 9/20 Pastor Tracy Andrew Russo 9/26 Deborah Nasta 9/27 Stephen Nasta 9/29 Allison Gibbons Tyler D Avino 9/30 Mark Hertman 2018 VOLUME 9 Anniversaries 9/11 Evelyn & Jim Jimenez 9/16 Sonia & Al Schories 9/17 Nancy & Jim Doran 9/23 Enduela & Besnik Korbeci 9/26 Diane & Francis Gibbons 9/27 Susan & Benjamin Pulice 2018 Great Kills Moravian Church A not-for-profit camp operated by the Eastern District of the Moravian Church Financial aid available; see your church office or Hope Center Family and Adult Retreats Quilt Camp (Women's Retreat) September *Movement & Meditation Retreat October *Pastor Tracy is co leading a retreat with The Rev. Mike Poole, Jr. Join us for this mindful and inspirational weekend. For more information, see your church office or contact Hope Conference Center at or hopecenter@camphope.org They shall live in safety, and no one shall make them afraid. Ezekiel 34:28 The Herald Newsletter All news, articles, and church information for the newsletter must be in to the Church office by the 15th of the month. If you would like The Herald ed to you, send an to: office@greatkillsmoravian.org

5 September 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat am Worship Service 9 11am Worship Service 16 9:30am Sunday School 10am Choir Rehearsal 11am Worship Service 12pm Grandparent Ice Cream Social 12:30pm Bible Study 6pm Youth Group CHMC 23 9:30am Sunday School 10am Choir Rehearsal 11am Worship Service - Joyful Noise Offering* 12:30pm Bible Study 30 9:30am Sunday School 10:00am Choir Rehearsal 11am Worship Service- Joyful Noise Offering 12:30pm Bible Study 6pm Youth Group CHMC 3 Labor Day (Office Closed) *Tai Chi Classes 9am - 6:30pm 24 *Tai Chi Classes 9am - 6:30pm 1:00pm Aging Gracefully 4 5 No Gentle Chair Yoga 9:00am Federated Garden Club 11 7:00pm S.I. Referees 12 9:30m Gentle Chair Yoga 7:00pm Trustee Mtg :30am Gentle Chair Yoga 11:00am G.S Troop :00pm GK Garden Club :30am Gentle Chair Yoga :30am Elder's Mtg (tentative) *The Joyful Noise Offering for September will go toward Safe Horizons Christmas Giving Angel Tree *Tai Chi Class Schedule: 9am Yang 8 10am Seated Tai Chi 11am TCA 12 TC Fan 2:30pm M&M 3:30pm TCE 6:30pm Yang :00pm Community Dinner at Vanderbilt MC TC = Tai Chi TCA = Tai Chi Arthritis TC Fan = uses fans TCE = Tai Chi for Energy M&M = Meditation & Mindfulness

6 Great Kills Moravian Church 62 Hillside Terrace Staten Island, N Y Great Kills Moravian Church Worship Service for September September 2 Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost Old Time Hymn Singing Worship Service Guest Musician: Andrew Kay Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-9; Psalm 15; James 1:17-27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, September 9 Worship begins at 11am Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost Holy Communion Guest Musician: Jose Diaz Isaiah 35:4-7a; Psalm 146; James 2:1-10(11-13),14-17; Mark 7:24-37 September 16 Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost Isaiah 50:4-91; Psalm 116:1-9; James 3:1-12; Mark 8:27-28 (Grandparent Celebration and Ice Cream Social Following Worship) September 23 Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost Jeremiah 11:18-20; Psalm 54; James 3:13-4:3,7-8a; Mark 9:30-37 September 30 Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost Joyful Noise Offering Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29; Psalm 19:7-14, James 5:13-20; Mark 9:38-50

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