Good News. The Monthly Newsletter of the People of HAMILTON UNION PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH GUILDERLAND, NEW YORK. February 2013

Transcription

1 The Monthly Newsletter of the People of HAMILTON UNION PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH GUILDERLAND, NEW YORK February 2013 Sunday Morning Worship Services are regularly held at 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. Teach us to love O God, perfect us in love, That we may conquer all selfishness and hatred of others; Fill our hearts with thy joy, And shed abroad in them thy peace which passeth understanding; That so those murmurings and disputings To which we are too prone may be overcome. Make us long-suffering and gentle, And thus subdue our hastiness and angry tempers, And grant that we may bring forth the blessed fruits of the Spirit, To thy praise and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Rev. Henry Alford ( )

2 Meet the Apostle Paul! This year our Lenten study series will focus on the Apostle Paul: for Western Christians, the most influential figure in Christianity besides Jesus. Some people argue that Paul actually is the author of the Jesus we worship and that Christianity as we know it is Paul s creation. So, who is this guy? Is he Paul the male chauvinist? Paul the supporter of slavery? Paul the anti-semite? How much is the Paul we think we know a product of the theological reflections of other theologians most notably St. Augustine, Martin Luther and John Calvin. Is Paul the man we meet in the Acts of the Apostles or that of his authentic letters or that of the letters written in his name? Whoever he was and whatever he believed and taught, Paul was a passionate disciple of Jesus Christ. Through his letters we meet a real human being who was wrestled to the ground by the Gospel and spent the rest of his life wrestling with the implications of his experience. We meet a man who never intended to found a new religion and who suffered deeply that his fellow Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah. We meet a man who yearned for the unity of all believers and who was acutely pained that he was the source of attack and division. In short we someone who, like us, cares deeply about the faith and yet lives with the painful awareness that the ideal of faith and the reality are miles apart both in our personal lives and in the church. The series will begin with dessert pot luck on Sunday, February 10 th at 6:30 followed by a presentation of my trip to Greece in October. This will provide the general atmosphere of Paul s ministry as well as my experiences of this wonderful journey. The rest of the series is as follows: Wednesday, February 20: 7-8:30 pm and Sunday, February 24: 11:30 am -1pm: Introduction to the life and ministry of Saul/Paul of Tarsus (Meeting Paul again for the first time or Who is Paul and why are people saying such horrible things about him?) Wednesday, February 27: 7-8:30 pm and Sunday, March 3: 11:30 am-1pm: The Letters to the Corinthians Wednesday, March 6: 7-8:30 pm and Sunday, March 10: 11:30 am-1 pm: The Letter to the Ephesians Wednesday, March 13: 7-8:30 pm and Sunday, March 17: 11:30 am-1 pm: The Letter to the Philippians Sign-up sheets will be available. Please indicate what sessions you plan to attend so that I can have sufficient hand outs for everyone. Sunday participants may want to provide soup or sandwiches for lunch. Page 2 Stewart

3 Lay Readers, Greeters, and Ushers Feb. 3 Lay Reader Wayne Goodnow Greeter/Usher Joan Niecey Ushers Joy Harding Mickey Nieman Terry Nieman Serving Communion Betty Dietz* Howard Jacobson Beth Lassi William Irwin Shirley Irwin Feb. 10 Lay Reader Victor Rau-Sirois Greeter/Usher Charlotte Hasselbarth Ushers Margaret Gardam Laura Smith Steve Smith * Denotes team leader. The team leader should call the other servers in advance to make sure they plan to attend church on the designated day. If not, the server should find a substitute and let the team leader know. Feb. 17 Lay Reader George Hannett Greeter/Usher Betty Koban Ushers Don Montgomery Henry Montgomery Chuck Koban Feb. 24 Lay Reader Carl Hasselbarth Greeter /Usher Gail Ostrander Ushers Jerry Ostrander Melinda Reilly Katy Waggener WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU! The Deacon on Call for February is = If you are unable to serve on your scheduled date, please FIND A SUBSTITUTE and NOTIFY THE CHURCH SECRETARY. Page 3

4 Upcoming Schedule for Lay Readers, Greeters, and Ushers Mar 3 lay leader: Bill Hasselbarth greeter/usher: Ann McKinney other ushers: Peter McKinney, Chandra Reis, Jon Reis Mar 10 lay leader: Mark Hutchinson greeter: Norma Hardenburg ushers: Hannah Hunter-Harris, Gwyn Ramage, Bill Ramage Melinda Reilly Mar 17 lay leader: Shelby Deere greeter/usher: Irma Morris other ushers: Bill Morris, Dorothy Rice, Joanne Wagner Mar 24 lay leader: Diane Irwin greeter: Dorothy Favitta other ushers: Joy Harding, Cindy Schultz, Nancy Snyder, June Edick Mar 31 lay leader: Bill Irwin greeter/usher: Harold Armstrong other ushers: Al Deitz, Mickey Nieman, Terry Nieman Apr 7 lay leader: Ann McKinney greeter/usher: Maureen Kimmerer other ushers: Peter McKinney, Mickey Nieman, Terry Nieman, Ruth Ryf Apr 14 lay leader: Michael Masley-Hannett greeter/usher: Shirley Irwin other ushers: Bill Irwin, Al Deitz, Katy Waggener Apr 21 lay leader: Ron Messersmith greeter: Carolyn Sarbello ushers: Bill Sarbello, Betty Koban, Chuck Koban, Nancy Snyder Apr 28 lay leader: Bill Morris greeter/usher: Irma Morris other ushers: June Edick, Dianna Newman, Sue Ferris, Margaret Gardam Upcoming Schedule for Communion Servers Mar 3 Gerry Oakley* Dianna Newman Terry Nieman Margaret Gardam Fred Sirois Apr 7 Susan Smith* Hannah Hunter-Harris Carl Hasselbarth Wayne Gannett Nelda Polansky Page 4

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6 I wish to express my gratitude to the church who continues to love and nurture me. The generosity of so many does not go unnoticed and I want to say a big thank you for the monetary gifts given to me at Christmas by the congregation, the Presbyterian Women and the choir. It gives me immense pleasure to announce that I ve spent every last cent! You see, I ve purchased a new organ. Well, it isn t exactly new, but it is new to me. Frank and I have been married over 26 years. Prior to our wedding, I purchased a theatre organ since the price was right and I wished to avoid a possible financial disagreement down the road as it cost more than my car! I d always desired a church organ and God saw fit that all the pieces fell in place. This included me finding a home for my theatre organ. I feel extremely blessed and I thank you all for helping to make this happen! An extra bonus is that due to the necessity of moving things about my studio to make room for this fine instrument, I ve been forced to address some much overdue cleaning! Charlotte Palmeri Dear HUPC Family, Thank you for your continued support of Community Gift Sunday. Each year it becomes a bit more challenging because of the economy. We provided 61 families with holiday food and 59 families with both food and Christmas gifts with the assistance of the Hamilton Union Nursery School, two Girl Scout/Brownie troops, one Cub Scout troop, Celtic Tours, and the Guilderland Interfaith Council participating churches that includes HUPC. Once again I would like to thank Maggie Anatriello for overseeing this program and would also like to thank Deb, Heidi & Katie Waggener for all of their help. Special thanks to the Presbyterian Women for the hats and mittens and for the monetary donations to the Pantry for both food and Christmas (angel) gifts. Your support throughout the year for the Two Cents a Meal donations is very much appreciated. Lynda Jacobson Page 6

7 Happy Birthday... Kenneth McKaig (February 19) Happy Anniversary... Bill & Shirley Irwin (February 18) Renee Kimmerer (February 22) Gwyn Ramage (February 22) Katy Waggener (February 23) Steve Smith (February 25) If you would like your special occasion celebrated in the Good News newsletter, please contact Hannah Hunter Harris at: or Updating the dates for 2013 Hi everyone. Last Summer when we planned the "Making Disciples" Class we really didn't know exactly what the calendar would look like in Since then we moved the retreat experience to January and discovered that the third week in February was not good for several people. So please mark your calendars: February 24th is the next Making Disciples Class- ( Steve Smith, MJ Pattison and Matt and Josh have dinner) Since we are not planning a retreat we can also have a class on March 17th. April 21st and May 19th should still be fine. Looking forward to being back together again this month after a hiatus since November. Page 7

8 February s Mission of the Month: Schoharie County Flood Relief What with the devastation brought by Hurricane Sandy it easy to forget that less than two years ago the Schoharie Valley was decimated by Hurricane Irene and successive storms. While much progress has been made to help with the recovery much of the funding has gone to help local businesses. This is a good thing; however many homeowners are still unable to repair their homes and are in great need. The Schoharie County Flood Relief provides funds and other assistance to help the people bypassed by federal funding. Under the direction of Gary Riggi, a Deacon at St. Clair s Roman Catholic Church, thousands of dollars have been given to help people resume their long disrupted lives. On February 10, Gary Riggi will preach at the 10 am service about the evidence of the living Christ in the ministry of Schoharie County Relief. He will be available after worship to answer any questions. If you would like to offer your personal support for this important ministry please use the green mission of the month envelope or a pew envelope. Checks should be made to Hamilton Union. Help Needed with Bottle Collection The Mission and Social Witness Ministry Team needs someone to handle the ongoing can and bottle deposit collection as soon as possible. This entails collecting the cans and bottles from the church every week or two, redeeming them for their 5-cent deposits, and returning the proceeds to Church. Proceeds from this effort go to support the Food Pantry at HUPC. We usually raise between $175 to upwards of $200 per year with this effort. If you can help, please contact Karen Williamson, Moderator, at or by at kawillia@earthlink.net. Page 8

9 HAITI MISSION SCHOOL NEWS As we come into the second month of the New Year, we expect to be in Haiti with a team. This is the first time we have brought a team with us and we are eager to show off the school. We believe it is important for the children at the school to see that there are other people in the US providing support for their education. It is also important for those who support the school to actually see it in operation. We hope this will be the first of many groups making the trip. Drop us an (haitimissionschool@gmail.com) if you would like information about upcoming mission trips. We have been promised by the school board in Labastille that the cistern will be in operation when we arrive. Fresh water at last! It s been such a long time coming. We re eager to have a dedication and celebration and pictures for our next posting. We Americans always expect to see things done yesterday. Haitians operate on a different schedule which we laughingly call Haitian time They seem more interested in relationships than progress. To get anything done, many negotiations must happen and often things grind to a halt for one reason or another until we light a fire. I start to carp about it, and then think about our own government. Haitians live so close to the edge of disaster all the time. We were reminded of this a couple of years ago when a friend fell and broke her arm. As a result she lost her job. She had been the primary support for her extended family. Since there is virtually no health insurance in Haiti, she now had to rely on friends and family members for support. She didn t go to the hospital, but if she had, she would have had to provide her own bedding and food, and someone would have had to bring her medicine from a pharmacy. In any case, this family was suddenly cast into an extreme situation. Now I recognize that medical emergencies can cause major financial and other problems here in the US also. But it usually doesn t happen with something as minor as a broken arm. This is why they rely so heavily on God. It makes me think: What do I have to trust in God for? ByTheWay We intend to post to the website while we are in Haiti, so if you wish to follow our adventures (and our misadventures too) check us out at Also if your church newsletter does not include our monthly article, check the above website. Rev. Tom Parsons Page 9

10 The Following press release was composed by Greta Petry, Assistant Director Of Community Relations, Media Relations and Communication at UAlbany. We are reprinting it so you can see what are partners at the Cornerstone Campus Ministry were up to this fall, thanks to the organizational and inspirational talents of their campus Minister, the Reverend Sandy Damoff. World of Difference: Project Sandy In the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, University at Albany students, faculty and staff mucked out homes destroyed by the flood waters, distributed food and water to hard-hit areas, and raised money. Project Sandy was an umbrella group started by EOP counselor Claudio Gomez when he posted on Facebook the idea of sending a busload of supplies and volunteers to areas impacted by the storm. Working with Student Association and Christina Crosley of the Office of Student Involvement & Leadership, Gomez saw the project grow to include centralized donation locations, thousands of dollars raised, and busloads of volunteers who let storm survivors know they are not forgotten. Project Sandy resulted in an outpouring of support: Almost 90 UAlbany students dragged soggy furniture from damaged homes in Rockaway, knocked down drywall where mold was creeping in, pumped out basements, and shoveled sand left behind as the beach flowed through houses. This Dec. 1 Day of Service in Rockaway, Queens, was organized by the Rev. Sandy Damhof at UAlbany s Interfaith Center with the support of the Office of Student Success. Two trips to Far Rockaway, Queens, by mainly Educational Opportunity Program students who gave out flashlights, bottled water, and canned food to long lines of people who in some cases had neither electricity nor heat more than a month after the storm. About 400 UAlbany students packed the Campus Center Ballroom to raise $4,300 in one evening at Raffle Night, organized by Karla Jaime-Benitez of Residential Life. The proceeds went to All Nations Baptist Church of Woodhaven, Inc., a church that is actively helping storm victims cleanup and repair their homes. Raised $1,500 for the Food Bank for New York City through the Project Sandy website. Additional funds were raised through the site for the American Red Cross. "The sights and scenes reminded me a lot of what we first encountered when we did our first trip to New Orleans after Katrina," said Damhof. "Block after block, mile after mile of destroyed homes which mostly look OK from the outside, but once you step through the front door you realize the power of the tidal surge." Continued on the next page... Page 10

11 World of Difference: Project Sandy (continued) Ally Berlingieri, a senior from Rockaway Park, was part of a UAlbany team on Dec. 1 that helped a homeowner on 66th Street in Far Rockaway rip down the badly damaged ceilings, walls and floors of his house. Her own family lives just 10 minutes away. "My family still does not have heat (almost seven weeks after the storm) and we recently got electricity during Thanksgiving," said Berlingieri. "The fact that my school is reaching out to my hometown made me ecstatic." TRIO Director Chris Fernando oversaw the EOP trip to Far Rockaway Dec. 2 with Gomez. "I am deeply humbled and honored to work with our students and professionals," said Fernando. "Their compassion and dedication to help others is always inspiring. They belong to a vibrant community at UAlbany and in turn reflect that sense of positivity and can-do spirit back into other communities, both near and far." C.J. Belfon Jr., a senior on the Dec. 2 EOP trip to Far Rockaway joined the volunteers on one of three Durham School Services buses at 7 a.m. even though he had just returned to Albany from Poughkeepsie at 6 a.m. I was not going to miss this trip, said Belfon, an Information Science major. "I truly love these events because it shows me that there are still good people out there who help and support one another. We were able to see what really is needed and happening in these neighborhoods that the media alters or does not show. There's a lot of help needed all over and I plan to go to Red Hook, Brooklyn, on another date to assist further." Thank You Presbyterian Women would like to thank the members of the congregation and friends for the generous contributions made for our annual mitten tree project. We lost count after 100. This year we received many hand knitted mittens hats and scarves for which we are grateful. The purchased items are appreciated as well and were all distributed to the New Faith Family Center in Albany, the Schenectady City Mission, Living Resources Group Home on Lone Pine Road and the angel gifts through the Guilderland Food Pantry. As always, your generosity and support is much appreciated. Page 11

12 Presbyterian Women Sponsor Easter Basket Project Again this year we are participating in the Easter basket project for New Faith Family Center at the Capital City Rescue Mission and the New Life Family program at the Schenectady City Mission by collecting items to fill baskets for the children of the residents. Items may be placed in a box at the rear of the sanctuary from February 17 th through March 24 th. The baskets will be assembled on Monday, March 25th at 9:30 a.m. in the Fellowship room. We welcome anyone who would like to come and help. This year the ages of the children range from infants to teens. Watch the Sunday bulletin for announcement of the number of baskets we will provide. As always, thank you for your generosity. Suggested Items: Chocolate rabbits, eggs Coloring books Jump ropes Bubbles Small books Sticker books Crayons/markers Jellybeans Marshmallow chicks Hershey kisses Peanut butter eggs Foil-covered chocolate eggs Cash to equalize baskets Cellophane bags Page 12

13 NEWS OF PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN We want to thank all the members of PW and the congregation who helped to support our various projects during the past year. These activities are summarized in the 2012 HUPC Annual Report. The Coordinating of Presbyterian Women met on January 5 at the home of Fran Kamp to review our mission and activities of 2012 and to plan for As we start 2013, all women of the Church are welcome to attend any of our PW functions. We have two circles which meet on the last Tuesday of each month. One circle meets at 10:30am and another circle meets at 7:30pm in the Church Lounge. Our current Bible Study is Dispatches from the Household of God which focuses on the Epistles. Each lesson stands on its own, so if you have not had an opportunity to attend, please consider joining us. Please join us on Ash Wednesday, February 13 th at 6pm for a Soup and Sandwich supper in the Multipurpose Room. Members of PW will provide the soups, you just have to bring a sandwich. Then at 7pm, we all enter the sanctuary for our Ash Wednesday service and Holy Communion. We need 3 more PW women to take someone from the People Who Need People list. This involves sending greeting cards, visits, phone calls and anything to brighten a person's day. Contact Charlotte Hasselbarth at chasselbarth@hotmail.com or if you are interested. We have an ongoing collection for cleaning supplies for The New Faith Family Center at the Capital Rescue Mission. Contact Carolyn Loesch at or crloesch@gmail.com for questions. Page 13

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15 Hamilton Union Happenings FEBRUARY 2013 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Communion 8:30am Early Worship Service (S) 10am Worship Service (S) 11:45am Handbell Choir Practice (S) 4 7pm Session Meeting (L) 5 3:30pm Brownie Troop 1495 (M) 6 7pm Boy Scouts (D) 7pm Webelos Scouts (D) 7pm Poking Brook Dancers (M) 7pm Chess Club (L) 7 7:15pm Chancel Choir Practice (C) Music Appreciation 8:30am Early Worship Service (S) 10am Worship Service (S) 11:45am Handbell Choir Practice (S) 6:30pm Meet the Apostle Paul (L) :30pm Brownie Troop 1779 (M) 7pm SCA Chorus (M) 13 Ash Wednesday 6pm Soup & Sandwich Supper (M) 7pm Communion (S) 7pm Boy Scouts (D) 7pm Webelos Scouts (D) 7pm Poking Brook Dancers (M) 7pm Chess Club (L) 14 Newsletter Deadline 7:15pm Chancel Choir Practice (C) :30am Early Worship Service (S) 10am Worship Service (S) 11:45am Handbell Choir Practice (S) :30pm Brownie Troop 1495 (M) 20 7pm Meet the Apostle Paul (S) 7pm Boy Scouts (D) 7pm Webelos Scouts (D) 7pm Poking Brook Dancers (M) 7pm Chess Club (L) 21 7:15pm Chancel Choir Practice (C) :30am Early Worship Service (S) 10am Worship Service (S) 11:30am Meet the Apostle Paul 11:45am Handbell Choir Practice (S) 5:30pm Making Disciples :30am PW Morning Circle (L) 3:30pm Brownie Troop 1779 (M) 7pm SCA Chorus (M) 7:30pm PW Evening Circle (L) 27 7pm Meet the Apostle Paul (S) 7pm Boy Scouts (D) 7pm Webelos Scouts (D) 7pm Poking Brook Dancers (M) 7pm Chess Club (L) 28 7:15pm Chancel Choir Practice (C) D = Downstairs L = Lounge S = Sanctuary M = Multipurpose Room C = Choir Corner

16 HAMILTON UNION PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 2291 Western Avenue Guilderland, New York NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID GUILDERLAND, NY PERMIT #1 Change Service Requested Dated Material Please Deliver Promptly. Church: (518) FAX: (518) Rev. Pattison (H) Website: HamiltonUnionPresbyterianChurch.org Ministers: The People of Hamilton Union Our Staff: Rev. Stewart Pattison, Pastor Rev. Douglas Gray, Pastor Emeritus Rev. Mary Jo Pattison, Parish Associate Charlotte Palmeri, Director of Music Cheryl Cootware, Church Secretary Newsletter deadline for the March issue is Thursday, February 14 GOOD NEWS Published monthly by the Session, and mailed to each church family household, students away from home, and others. Mark Hutchinson, Editor Address: