W. CN. RENSSELAER COUNTY LUTHERAN PARISH

Transcription

1 W. CN. RENSSELAER COUNTY LUTHERAN PARISH 470 Winter Street Extension, North Greenbush, NY Church Office: Website: sttlc.org Friends in Christ, We are over halfway through our Lenten journey to the cross and soon we will be celebrating Easter and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We think of Lent as a season of introspection, fasting, repentance and sacrifice. This Lenten season has seen much introspection as well as sacrifice within the life of our fledgling parish. Though we have been praying, planning, dreaming and discerning for years, there was still much to do when this parish became a reality. In a few short weeks, we have created a new worship space, utilizing worship materials, service assistants and musical gifts from both former congregations. We are trying celebrating Holy Communion each week and in different ways. We will continue to celebrate Holy Communion weekly during the season of Easter. Our Tree of Life Bible study on Wednesday evening has been an opportunity for members of the new parish to get to know each other over a meal of soup and bread before diving deeper into the Word. Outside of worship, the Trustees have been meeting twice a month to discuss and discern the many organizational decisions that need to be made and committees have been approved, with more in the works. We are being intentional about each decision, asking ourselves why we are making the choices we are making. Are we doing something out of tradition? Are we changing just for the sake of changing? All these questions as we remember that we are creating something new, a rebirth, a resurrection of the congregations which sacrificed themselves for the sake of continued ministry. I encourage you to reach out to me or the Trustees if you have any questions about the parish, or thoughts about some of the things we have tried. We would love to hear from you. I would also welcome any requests for visits. I will be contacting all members to invite you to have a one-to-one conversation with me so that I can get to know you better. I will be working my way through the membership randomly, but I do plan to get to everyone eventually. As we all discern what we are creating, and finding our place within that, I encourage you to hold fast to your faith, forgive others as needed, communicate clearly, and remember what we are here for: to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to spread the good news and to love one another. Throughout all the changes you are experiencing, our mission remains constant. God s love for us remains constant. Blessings and peace, Vicar Sam

2 Our Trustees are: Greg Whitney, President (3 year term) Megan VanAken, Vice President (2 year term) Lois Batsios, Secretary (3 year term) Darlene Ward, Member at Large (1 year term) Maureen Hoffman, Member at Large(1 year term) Janis Zipkin, Member at Large (2 year term) The following ministries have been approved: Social Ministry Movie Night Sunday School Altar Guild Worship & Music Personnel Men s Group VBS WELCA The following members accepted positions that needed to be filled: Bob Crowley was appointed Treasurer Bonny Mounteer was appointed Financial Secretary TRUSTEE MEETING NOTES (March 23, 2017) WORSHIP AND MUSIC COMMITTEE NOTES (March) Lenten Season April 2- Palm Sunday Service begins in the narthex. The congregation will process into the sanctuary singing All Glory Laud and Honor while choir remains in the sanctuary to lead the singing April 13, 7pm Maundy Thursday service will be reminiscent of a Seder and will not include feet washing April 14, 7pm Good Friday Tenebrae service April 16 Easter (Note-No latex balloons due to allergies) 8:30 Breakfast 10:00Service coordinated by Marion and Marilyn Egghunt after Service coordinated by Marilyn and Maureen Choir Choir rehearsals will take place during Lent to prepare one song for Good Friday and two for Easter Sunday. Wayne Mizerak has graciously agreed to be our accompanist for Holy Week, but cannot continue after that time. Danny will take on choir accompaniment duties and rehearsals will take place one night each week from 7pm-8:30 Other Music Dave Armento will be playing guitar and singing for the Prelude or the Offering during Lent and hopefully into the future Choir members will be taught how to be church cantors and we will begin singing the psalms during the Easter season. This has been a tradition at Trinity and many have already volunteered to sing. Hymns will continue to be chosen by Danny, however, Sam will notify him of special hymns requests. Worship Decisions Starting after Easter we will use setting 5 from the With One Voice book.

3 [10 OF THE] 30 Ways to Add Humor to Your Life in 30 Days Prepared for National Humor Month By Steve Wilson, Director 1. Learn about April Fool's Day and be sure to play only safe & tasteful pranks Read the 100 funniest clean jokes of all time Rent DVDs on the American Film Institute's list of America's 100 Greatest Comedies Get more movie suggestions from Bravo's 100 Funniest Movies of All Time Wear a funny t-shirt. You don t have to be good at telling jokes, let your shirt do it. Here s a source for kid s T-shirts Have an online TV theme music contest. Play by yourself or invite a friend Cook up fun foods for kids, 8. Take in the show at your local comedy club. 9. Read or re-read Norman Cousins two books that led the way to the public and professional appreciation of humor: Anatomy of an Illness, and Head First: The Biology of Hope. 10. Visit your local bookstore or library and get very friendly with the humor section. Check out a variety of media by funny people who match your sense of humor: DVDs, books, audiotapes, videotapes, CDs. Check the rest online under National Humor Month (April). Remember the saying Laughter is the Best Medicine? PS your parish nurse is almost to Wittenburg!!!! Where are you on the journey with Luther? [April Fool] Rensselaer County Health Dept. has FREE RADON TEST KITS for property-owners in ALL TOWNS in the county. Call Sara Hovanecz, PH Technician, at Best to do while house is still closed up. *Radon is leading cause of lung cancer in the US IN NON SMOKERS UPCOMING EVENTS: 4/3 Join others at Alexis Diner and help support the Walk a Mile which takes place on 4/29. Please see the flyer on the board to left of church entrance. May- Look for the Congregation Health Needs Survey each Sunday June- Red Cross Blood Drive on the 24 th 8AM to 1PM * Parish Nurse new address; LmacPN@outlook.com TC //

4 Do you ever wonder what exactly is a Parish Nurse and what is their role? Below find some information about our Parish Nurse Program, and Liz Macris, BS, RN, HTCP, Parish Nurse Credentials: Liz completed the basic Parish Nurse Training Program and received certification at the pinning ceremony on 10/29/2006.She is also certified in Healing Touch Therapy When should I call the Parish Nurse? When Healing Touch Therapy is indicated for the promotion of health and healing For emotional, spiritual, mental, or physical needs that arise in your or your family s life When YOU need support or counsel For emergencies after making a 911 call If you are unable to reach a family member For emergencies FIRST CALL 911 then call Liz s cell phone at to let her know the situation. Emergencies include: Immediate hospital or ER admission Sudden illness or injury Uncontrolled bleeding Sudden irregular heart beat Fever over 101 Trouble breathing/ Increased shortness of breath W. Cn. Rensselaer County Lutheran Church Parish Nurse How to see the Parish Nurse: Office hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM by appointment only Please call the parish nurse office at to make an appointment. If you cannot reach the office, then you may call (cell) or (home) or L.macPN@outlook.com

5 THE WEST CENTRAL RENSSELAER COUNTY LUTHERAN PARISH: THINGS WE SHOULD ALL KNOW ABOUT OUR NEW CHURCH March 2017 WORSHIP: Worship will held Sunday mornings at 10:00 am in North Greenbush. This is a temporary schedule that will continue through Easter. After that, the time will be revisited and a permanent time for worship will be decided upon. PASTORAL CARE: Vicar Sam Rossi will lead worship and provide any other pastoral care functions including visitations and confirmation. As we hope you know, Pastor Ernie Mossl declined to accept the call to become our mission developer. The Synod has begun a search for a new candidate to accept this call. OUR NAME: We recently learned it is recommended a congregation under development refrain from quickly establishing a new name and wait several months until the new Parish has established its new direction and identity before undertaking this important task. We will therefore be suspending the naming process. West Central Rensselaer County Lutheran Parish will be used in the meantime (and in the legal process). WORSHIP AND MUSIC: A committee has been established to explore worship and related matters. If you are a singer or musician, a schedule to prepare a choir program for Easter will be forthcoming. CHRISTIAN EDUCATION/SUNDAY SCHOOL: This committee has been working to blend together the programs of the two churches. Contact Carol Mizerak, Jane Meissner or Marilyn Dyer for more information on this. GIVING: Until the legal process creating a new church entity is completed, both churches will maintain their existing process for giving. This means if you have been writing a check to Trinity, for example, you should continue to do so. Likewise, Simply Giving will continue as in the past. LEGAL MATTERS: All the legal documents necessary for the consolidation have been submitted to our lawyer who is currently reviewing them before submission to the court for approval. According to NYS Religious Incorporation Law, such a consolidation requires the approval of a NYS Supreme Court judge and we do not know when this will happen. NEWNESS: One of the cornerstones of our efforts over the past year has been to recognize we are creating a new church, not just in appearance and time of worship, but in purpose and spirit. As described in the Proposal, the Interim Church Council (aka Initial Trustees) will become the primary decision maker when it comes to matters of the new Parish. The existing Councils will focus on what one might call old business. Lastly, one item of business, new or old, as we make our new direction a reality, is for us all to be reminding each other that things are going to be different in the future. GOT KEYS? To all folks who have a key for the WSL building, kindly turn it in as soon as possible. Thank you -Maureen

6 FREE MOVIE NIGHT LION Rated PG-13 for thematic material and some sensuality. Place: St. Timothy s Church When: Friday, April 6:30 pm FREE POPCORN AND SOFT DRINKS Five-year-old Saroo gets lost on a train which takes him thousands of miles across India, away from home and family. Saroo must learn to survive alone in Kolkata, before ultimately being adopted by an Australian couple. Twenty five years later, armed with only a handful of memories, his unwavering determination, and a revolutionary technology known as Google Earth, he sets out to find his lost family and finally return to his first home. Based on the book "A Long Way Home," written by Saroo Brierley. A TIME TO REMEMBER by Greg Whitney As we prepared to start a new Parish, St. Timothy s celebrated Holy Closure with many of you on February 26th. Emotions were high and not only tears were shed but people looked toward the future wondering what God had in store for us. On the 25 th of February we celebrated the long life of St. Timothy s over dinner. Many people came out to celebrate what St. Timothy s meant to them. We had Bishop John Macholz., Pastor Dave Preisinger, Pastor Norma Malfatti, Pastor Greg Tennermann, Pastor Dan Hahn and Vicar Sam along with many past and current members. We had guest speakers, time of sharing and a video that captured many aspects of St. Timothy s life. Although the video highlighted many past and present members, during the making of this video, there were some pictures that inadvertently were not included. The task of making such a video is very long and unfortunately leaves room for mistakes. This in no way was done on purpose or diminishes how people impacted the life of St. Timothy s. During the creation of the video, the DeMartini s sent some photos that didn't make it to the final video. I apologize for leaving out the photos of the DeMartini s and pray for their forgiveness. As most you are already aware they have been active at St. Timothy s for over 30 years. WALK A MILE IN HER SHOES EVENT Monday, April 3rd - The fund raiser to benefit the Sexual Assault and Crime Victims Assistance Program at Samaritan Hospital starts at Alexis Diner-for every person that eats breakfast, lunch or dinner there on 4/3 and mentions supporting the Walk a Mile event, Alexi will donate to the cause. We will report the final benefit after this date. Saturday, April 29 th The Tenth Annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is planned from 11am to 1pm at the Troy Riverfront Park. Men who participate will ask sponsors to pay them to walk a mile in women's shoes (optional). Women are very welcome, too. The sign up sheet to join The Parish team is posted, so please walk with us this year. Registration is $20. Day of registration is at 11 a.m. and the walk begins at noon. Pre-register online at

7 UPCOMING EVENTS 03/29 Lenten bible study with soup supper 03/30 Choir Rehearsal 04/01 Regional Food Bank Packing 9:30am (First Saturday of each month) 04/03 Eat at Alexis dinner today to benefit the Walk a Mile Event 04/06, 04/10, 04/14 Choir rehearsals 04/13 Maundy Thursday Worship Service 7pm 04/14 Good Friday Tenebrae Service 7pm 04/16 Easter Morning: Breakfast 8:30 am/ Worship 10am/ Easter Egg Hunt for kids and adults after worship service 04/23 We welcome Norma Malfati as our worship leader today 04/29 Annual Walk a Mile Event see Liz, our parish nurse, to sign up to walk VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Altar Guild- members work in pairs to set up and clean up for communion and change the parament colors and banners. For more info, contact Cheryl at cabenjamin@aol.com or call Signboard- Responsibilites include changing out the message on the sign in front of the church, usually monthly see Jon or Bob to volunteer or rencoparish@gmail.com St. Pauly Box upkeep: helpers check donation box to be sure items inside are not blocking the doorsee Bob or Jon to volunteer or rencoparish@gmail.com Movie Night Helper: set up/ clean up /make popcorn for Fourth Friday of each month see Rebecca to volunteer or call or rencoparish@gmail.com NEW PARISH DIRECTORY Please fill out a MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION SHEET and turn it in after church services, or send your name and contact information to RenCoParish@gmail.com. This will help ensure that you are registered as a member of The Parish and are added to our church directory. Additionally, you will receive the Parish Newsletter and be informed about important parish happenings. So please fill out the information sheet to be freshly added to our member list or to update any old information that may be in our system. Thank you, Rebecca G. WEST CENTRAL RENSSELAER COUNTY LUTHERAN PARISH 470 Winter Street Extension, North Greenbush, NY Vicar Samantha Rossi: srossi@ltsp.edu Greg Whitney, President of the Board of Trustees , askandwewillpray@aol.com Liz Macris, Parish Nurse: , L.macPN@outlook.com Rebecca Gaudino Secretary Church Office: RenCoParish@gmail.com Website: sttlc.org Like us on Facebook