NEWSLETTER

Transcription

1 Trinity Presbyterian Church December 2018/January 2019 NEWSLETTER : Rev. Kathleen Gorman- Coombs & Rev. Dr. Timothy Coombs 185 SWAGGERTOWN ROAD Scotia, NY PAGE 2 -A message from Pastor Kathy Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God. SUNDAY 10:00 AM Sunday School and nursery available during worship. We are an accessible Church. PAGE 3 - Information from Pastor Tim PAGE 4 - Boundaries- Adult Education PAGE 5 - Mission Committee PAGE 6 - Women s Spirituality PAGE 7 -FYI (For Your Information) PAGE 8 -News from Haiti Mission School PAGE 9 - Lenton Sermon Series PAGE 10 - SiCM News PAGES Mark Your Calendar PAGE 13 - March Calendar of Events Trinity Presbyterian Church, 185 Swaggertown Road, Scotia, NY (518) scotiatrinity@aol.com

2 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 Dear Friends: A message from Pastor Kathy. On Friday, Feb 1, Tim and I had lunch with Rabbi Matt Cutler of Congregation Gates of Heaven, a colleague we ve met through Schenectady Clergy Against Hate, who has also become a friend. After spending a few moments swapping Long Island memories (he s from Great Neck), we settled down to the business at hand: we wanted to ask for insights about Passover and the Seder meal, in preparation for once again engaging in this tradition as part of our Holy Thursday observance. We learned that in Jewish tradition, after the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD, the family dinner table became the altar. So, every meal is worship, a chance to remember and celebrate God s blessings. The Passover meal in particular is a time of remembrance, of sharing the family history and recalling God s act of liberating the Jews from slavery in Egypt. By the end of our meal together, Rabbi Cutler had offered to join us for the seder, to walk us through the steps of it with theological/spiritual explanation and narrative. We accepted right away! And look forward to this special opportunity. In order to enhance all of our experience of the seder, our Lenten sermon series is going to be based on the main elements of the seder plate, all of which have symbolic/ spiritual meaning. It is no coincidence that when Jesus broke break and shared wine at this meal, he did so as an act of remembrance that we now call communion; and at that meal, he would have engaged all of the seder foods and along with his disciples and companions, engaged in the rituals known as Haggadah. Matt also told us that the Passover story is, in a sense, a family history told with food (he says he always tells the children at CGOH This is the night you get to play with your food. ), and in connection with that, we are looking for folks from the congregation to share a story from their family history that has to do with food; it could be a particular food that you feel somehow symbolizes your family, or a food that is a must have at family meals, or a family specialty, and a story that goes with it. See Kathy or Tim if you have a story in mind! We hope to have someone share a story on each of the six Sundays. The series will culminate in the Seder meal, on Thursday, April 18, at which Rabbi Cutler will guide us through the meal, sharing meaning, symbol, and G-d s presence with us all through this aspect of our shared history. After the seder itself is over, there will be a brief communion service, connecting us into the sacrament of remembrance that we practice. Plan now to join us for this very special opportunity. Blessings, Kathy

3 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 3 INFORMATION FROM PASTOR TIM: YOUTH GROUP The youth group collected $257 for the SiCM Food Pantry with their Souperbowl of Sharing. Thanks to all who contributed on Sunday, February 3. The group will not meet again until the end of March. SHARE YOUR FAMILY STORY This Lenten season, which begins with Ash Wednesday, March 6, we will have a sermon series entitled The Seder Plate, which will highlight the various symbolic foods used in the Jewish meal of freedom. Rabbi Matt Cutler of Congregation Gates of Heaven, who will join us our Seder, teaches that when the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE, the family table became the new altar for Jewish people. This meant that all that was shared at table was viewed as an offering to God. To enhance our Sunday sermon series we want to feature stories of meals or foods that have special significance for your family. Suggestions might be a special dish handed down through the generations or a recipe learned on a mission trip or simply meal that is a family favorite. Contact Tim or Kathy if you have something to share. NEW MEMBER CLASS Trinity will hold a new member class at the end of March into April for anyone interested in joining the congregation. The class will teach about the basics of what being a member of a Presbyterian church entails as well as some basic stories that are important to the life of Trinity. See Tim, Kathy, or Laraine Longhurst if interested. CONGRATULATIONS TO Rick and Laraine Longhurst who celebrate 50 years of marriage! THANK YOU TO Louise Gundrum who served as our liturgist on February 17 with guest preacher/storyteller Dennis Dewey. Melissa Peterson and Jennifer Breslin who taught Sunday school this past month. John Hutchison who removed the snow from our walkways and steps with the recent blizzards. (From Kathy) Tim Coombs for cleaning the snow/ice off the roof, thereby reducing the roof leakage. The Collector, 1234 Main Street, Any Town, State ZIP

4 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 4 BOUNDARIES ADULT EDUCATION COURSE Lisa Ettkin will be leading the course Boundaries beginning the end of February. The Boundaries course is based on the book by Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend. Below read a description of this best selling book: Does your life feel like it's out of control? Perhaps you feel like you have to say yes to everyone's requests. Maybe you find yourself readily taking responsibility for others' feelings and problems. Or perhaps you focus so much on being loving and unselfish that you've forgotten your own limits and limitations. Or maybe it's all of the above. In the New York Times bestseller, Boundaries, Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend help you learn when to say yes and know how to say no in order to take control of your life and set healthy, biblical boundaries with your spouse, children, friends, parents, co-workers, and even yourself. Can I set limits and still be a loving person? What are legitimate boundaries? How do I effectively manage my digital life so that it doesn't control me? What if someone is upset or hurt by my boundaries? How do I answer someone who wants my time, love, energy, or money? Why do I feel guilty or afraid when I consider setting boundaries? How do boundaries relate to mutual submission within marriage? Aren t boundaries selfish? Boundaries can be purchased from any major book seller.

5 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 5 MISSION COMMITTEE NOTES An excerpt from Woodberry Crossing s latest newsletter:... And we are always grateful to our old supporters: Trinity Presbyterian from Scotia, NY whose faithful energies continue to inspire us for their loving service. This year a group of 25 ranging from 6 months to 79 built a shed for the llamas, stiles for jumping over fences, refurbished the deck and railings, the dock and the blue bird houses. They bring hard work, creativity and fun encased in a spiritual wrap! Our work with the Weekend Backpack Program continues. We give extra thanks to those who volunteered to pick up food at the Food Bank in Latham and those who faithfully showed up each week to pack and deliver the bags to the schools. It seems the winter storms hit particularly hard midweek this month and we are especially grateful to those who braved the snow, ice and wind to help feed our community s kids in need. Do you know of an older high school teen or college student who might be interested in serving with SiCM s Summer Internship Program? A stipend is paid. If you are interested please check out for more information or talk with Mariellen Boomhower or Kathy Gorman-Coombs for more information. Applications are due April 30 th. Mark your calendars: * This year s SiCM CROP Walk is slated for Sunday, May 5 th. Each year hundreds of walkers from county houses of worship gather raise funds to relieve hunger issues both locally and nationally. Schenectady Community Ministry sponsors the event, and it s a Trinity tradition to turn out in large numbers. * Our Presbyterian denominational collection, One Great Hour of Sharing, will be held during Lent. Look for further information in the coming weeks. * Christmas cards are still requested for the Jail Ministry and will be gratefully accepted through the year as are postage stamps, which we try to provide for the Christmas cards.

6 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 6 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 6 Women s Spirituality Events in March Women s Spirituality Field Trip to Seneca Falls May 17-18, 2019 I have wanted to do this for years take a field trip to visit the Women s Rights National Historical Park and other sites in Seneca Falls. Sites include National Women s Hall of Fame, the Elizabeth Cady Stanton home, Cayuga-Seneca Canal Trail, a few sites related to the movie It s a Wonderful Life (not exactly Women s History, but could be fun). And, with so much to do, so much herstory about strong women why not bring along your daughters and/or granddaughters? I am looking into reasonable but decent hotels. If you are interested, please me (revkgc@gmail.com) with info on whether you d want to stay all weekend (leave late Friday afternoon, get home Sunday afternoon), or if not, what time period would work for you. I will also put a sign up sheet in the Annex with room to indicate how many nights, etc. See me if you have questions! And here is an article Laraine Longhurst found about the city and it s rich history: htmlstory.html CraCing and EssenEal Oils with Anna Port Sunday, March 17, 5 PM Join Anna Port at 5 PM on Sunday, March 17 th for a relaxing evening of fellowship and cra?ing. Snacks will be provided to enjoy while beading and creadng custom essendal oil blends. Bring a friend and we ll see you there! Note- date has changed!

7 TRINITY THE COLLECTOR PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 7 For Your Information... Mark your calendars Reminder: Please let us know if there is any change in your directory information- phone numbers, address, address, etc. Please send to our church secretary at scotiatrinity@aol.com. Thank you! Birthdays 1 Joseph Bauhofer, Scott Murray 4 Richard THANK Ekblaw, YOU Gabriel TO Massey 5 Melissa Peterson 6 Matthew Kenyon 9 Brian Bauhofer, Ciara Hartman 14 Megan Clune, Frank Potochnik 15 Phil Garvey 17 Lauren DeLuca 18 Scott Hayes 20 Joe Savoie 25 Michael Kausch 28 Zachary Bell Announcers March 3 March 10 March 17 March 24 March 31 Counters March 3 March 10 March 17 March 24 March 31 Ushers March 3 March 10 March 17 March 24 March 31 Clickers March 3 March 10 March 17 March 24 Louise Gundrum Don Wheeler Melissa Peterson Steve Parsons Linda Rockinger Jenn & Glenn Pietrow Tom & Vicky Eddy-Helenek Rick & Laraine Longhurst Jenn & Glenn Pietrow Jim & Wendi Brandow Don & Pat Wheeler The Masucci Family Rick & Laraine Longhurst Linda Rockinger & Phil Garvey Terry & Melissa Peterson Steve Parsons Joe Savoie TBA Jen Pietrow The Collector, 1234 Main Street, Any Town, State March ZIP Vicky Helenek

8 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 8 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 8 News from the Haiti Mission School March 2019 INFLATION Exchange rates are important in our dealings with Haiti. As I write this newsletter, the exchange rate is above 80 gourdes per dollar. Last year at this time, it was in the mid 60 s. For us, this means our dollars buy more gourdes. For instance, if we send 100 dollars to Junior, currently he gets 8,000 gourdes instead of the 6500 he would have gotten last year. On the surface it sounds good. Unfortunately for most Haitians, who don t have U.S. dollars to spend, the news is not so good. One reason the exchange rate is higher is that the country is undergoing an inflation of nearly 20 percent since last year. Compounding the inflation problem are taxes on necessities such as food and gas. As a result of these issues, gas prices have almost doubled in the last year for Haitians. Food prices in Haiti are also up nearly seventeen percent over the last year according to tradingeconomics.com. In places like Jèrèmie, where most food and other goods need to be transported from Port Au Prince by truck, the costs have nearly doubled. As you can imagine, when a Haitian, who is already barely making it from day to day, is confronted with inflation and increased taxes, life gets increasingly difficult. This will clearly affect the cost of our food program as well. In addition, as I am writing this newsletter (mid-february), the government is proposing a 10,000 gourde fee for any Haitian (in country or abroad) who hasn t paid income taxes. This fee will be charged if they need any official government document (passport, birth certificate, document notarized, etc.). At the same time, they are proposing a 75% salary and benefits increase for all senators and members of congress! Thousands of Haitians have taken to the streets in protest of this and other government corruption. They are demanding the President, Jovenal Moise, step down. Unfortunately, in Haiti the president has been forcibly removed numerous times over the years. And of course, this removal of the president causes another problem, since few people want to invest in a country where the government is unstable. The circle goes on and on leading to more inflation and more protests, and so on. It makes us very sad for our Haitian friends. Please pray for Haiti and better solutions. HAITI TRIP STILL ON These manifestations, as they call them, happen mostly in Port Au Prince. However, when we spoke to one of our representatives in Jèrèmie, manifestations are now happening in Jèrèmie and other places around the country. Most of the time, these protests don t last for a long period of time, so we are still planning to go in March (15-21). Si Dieu vle if God wants. Mostly this trip will follow up on the November trip. It is important to see how the school has progressed under government control. There are several actions our Board has discussed concerning things like uniforms and books that will need to be worked out with the local committee. And of course, further discussions on the building project are necessary. While in Haiti, Howard and JoEllen will also visit Howard s projects in Monet and Gomyea. If you want to keep up with the activities of the team, you can follow us on Facebook at Howard Nicols and/or JoEllen Parsons where we will try to post pictures and stories each day. In Christ s service, Tom and JoEllen Parsons The Board of the Friends of Siloam School at Labastille And the students and families of the school Please continue to keep Sabrina and the rest of Haiti s Restavec children in your prayers

9 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 9 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 9 Schedule for the Lenten Sermon Series Sunday, March 10: Matzah (Unleavened bread) Symbolic of the three groups of Jews: Priests, Levites and Israelites. The matzot also commemorate the three measures of fine flour that Abraham told Sarah to bake into matzah when they were visited by the three angels (Genesis 18:6) Sunday, March 17: Zeroah (Lamb bone) Represents the lamb that was the special paschal sacrifice on the eve of the exodus from Egypt, and annually on the anernoon before Passover in the Holy Temple. Sunday, March 24: Beitzah (Egg) Represents the pre-holiday offering (chagigah) that was brought in the days of the Holy Temple. The Aramaic word for egg is bei ah, which is similar to the Aramaic word for desire, expressing that this was the night when G-d desired to redeem us. Sunday, March 31: Maror and Chazaret (BiWer Herbs) BiVer herbs (maror) remind us of the biverness of the slavery of our ancestors in Egypt. Sunday, April 7: Charoset (paste/mortar) Mixture of apples, pears, nuts and wine, resembling the mortar and brick made by the Jews when they toiled for Pharaoh. Sunday, April 14: Karpas (vegetable) Alludes to the backbreaking work of the Jews as slaves, as the Hebrew levers of karpas can be arranged to spell the word perech plus the lever samech. Perech means backbreaking work, and samech is numerically equivalent to 60, referring to 60 myriads, equaling 600,000, which was the number of Jewish males over 20 years of age who were enslaved in Egypt. Seder Meal: Thursday, April 18 With special guest, Rabbi MaM Cutler

10 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 10 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 10 SiCM News At the February SiCm Assembly meeting the following upcoming events were reported. Further information is available on the bulletin boards in the annex. *The CROP WALK is scheduled for Sunday, May 5th. Save the date. Sign up information will follow. *NAACP is reviving the Schenectady Chapter. Become a member and help meet their goal. *Summer employment is available as a SiCM Summer Intern. Overview and applications are available. *The Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Food Pantry is coming - March 3rd. *Donations are being collected for Patty s Place street ministry. See the list of requested items. Trinity will be hosting the SiCm Assembly meeting on Tuesday, March 5th at 6:45. Deacons will prepare coffee but would appreciate help with some snacks. If you are able to help by providing a finger food, please let Pat Wheeler know. All are welcome to attend the meeting. If you need more information or have questions about any of these see Pat or Don Wheeler.

11 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 11 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 11 Mark Your Calendar INVITATION OR Register online with Eventbrite INVITATION & REGISTATION for Empty Bowls An event to raise funds for the SiCM Food Program Date: Sunday, March 3, 2019 Time: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm Location: DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton 100 Nott Terrace, Schenectady, NY Please join us for an afternoon of fun and fellowship, and show your support for the SiCM Food Program! SiCM is pleased to invite you to the 2nd EMPTY BOWLS PROJECT. We are grateful to all those in our community who support us in times of need. DROP-IN FOR SOUP/STEW TASTING (served between 2 pm 4 pm) At this unique event, attendees taste each chef s crock pot of soup/stew and vote on their top three choices. Pick-A-Prize Activities Soups/Stews and Bread Desserts, coffee, tea and water *$25.00 is tax deductible 2019 EMPTY BOWLS REGISTRATION FORM Cut & Return by: Name Address Zip Phone Address Reservations may also be made at EventBrite, search Teens and Adults: Cost: $30.00/ticket # of reservations: $ Children ages 6-12: Cost: $15.00/ticket # of reservations: $ (children under 6 are free and welcome) Total: $ Bill Credit Card: / / / Name on Card: Exp.Date: Sec.Code: Make Check Payable to: SICM, ref. Empty Bowls. Return to: Laurie Bacheldor, SICM, 1055 Wendell Ave., Sch dy, NY 12308

12 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 12 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 12 Schenectady CROP Hunger Walk 2019 CROP Walk Recruiters Meeting: Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019 at 5:30PM at Emmanuel Friedens Church 218 Nott Terrace, Schenectady, NY Walkers find sponsors for a financial pledge. The event is held on May 5, 2019 at 2:00PM at Emmanual Friedens Church. To volunteer, become a recruiter, and learn more about the event, contact Laurie Bacheldor via at laurieb@sicm. us; Phone: x 101 Stay tuned for more information... CROP Walk helps fund national, international and local Food Pantries. U.S. Foodbanks can distribute $10 worth of groceries for every $1 given to them. Schenectady CROP Hunger Walk 2019 May 5th, 2019 All welcome to take part in 2019 SAVE THE DATE! Schenectady CROP Walk. Remember to RAIN or SHINE! wear running shoes and bring sunscreen!

13 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 13 TRINITY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH- NEWSLETTER PAGE 13 March Calendar of Events Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday am- Worship 10 Daylight Savings 10am- Worship 11:30am- Mission ASH WEDNESDAY 11 Tim and Kathy 12 away at NEXT 5:30pm- Service 6:30pm- Backpacks 7pm- BYOC (Bring Your Own Craft) 13 6:30pm- Backpacks Church: March pm-Thruway Concert 7:30 pm- choir 14 7am: Men s Book Glenville Queen 7:30pm- Choir March St. Patrick s Day 10am- Worship 5pm- Women s Spirituality Tim is in Arkansas :30pm- Backpacks 7pm- Session 21 7:30pm: Choir am- Worship :30pm- Children at the Well 7:00pm- Deacons 27 6:30pm- Backpacks 28 7am: Men s Book Glenville Queen 7:30pm- Choir am- Worship