W. CN. RENSSELAER COUNTY LUTHERAN PARISH

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1 W. CN. RENSSELAER COUNTY LUTHERAN PARISH 470 Winter Street Extension, North Greenbush, NY Church Office: Website: sttlc.org MAY 2017 NEWSLETTER MAY Jesus is Risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! We are well into the Easter season of our liturgical calendar and our thoughts are on the resurrection of Jesus and what this means for us. We are looking at scriptural accounts of the reactions and events that followed the resurrection. We see grief, disbelief, numbness, fear and awe among other reactions and all of these reactions are normal. Likewise, our parish is experiencing a resurrection the new creation formed from the legacy of two congregations seeking to find the best way to be the hands and feet of Jesus here in Rensselaer County. We have been experimenting with new worship settings, altar arrangements and Communion style. These are outward demonstrations of our new identity. I invite you to provide feedback to either the Trustees or myself regarding these changes. Amid these changes, our constant has been the focus on Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, and our purpose is to proclaim the good news and love our neighbor. With our compass pointed at Jesus, we can begin the journey of redevelopment with blessed assurance that we are on the right path. In the vein of redevelopment, we will be starting a new Bible Study on Acts which will focus on how the first Christians formed together into the early church and what we might learn from them. I would like to do this in the summer if you are interested, please let me know if you would like day/evening and a preferred day of the week and I will try to work from that. As a teaser, I will leave you with the following verses from Acts 2: 42-47: They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property ad possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. What theme do you notice in this passage? Does this look like church today? How is it different? What is their focus? What could we learn from the early church in this passage that we can use today? I invite you to spend some time with this passage and these questions and join us for a time of study over the summer. Peace and blessings, Vicar Sam

2 ON THE ROAD TO SOMEWHERE (based upon Luke 24: 13-35) Forgive my lack of original ideas as I paraphrase and modify thoughts put forth in recent commentaries and daily devotionals. About four months ago, many of us made a decision at our annual meetings to close our congregations and consolidate into a new parish. May, at four months later, might be the time when we wonder what we did and why? Or in other words, was this the right decision? As followers of Jesus, we were all excited and inspired to follow this new path towards recognizing Jesus. A new vicar (but not unknown to us) began life together with us. A candidate prayed hard and long upon this new call and eventually felt he was not the right person at this time for our new parish. So we continue on our road to Emmaus, hoping for an answer to our prayers. Just as Jesus left the disciples after his death and resurrection, we too feel like we have been left alone on our pathway to a new future. We had hoped echoes our thoughts of doubt, fear, and grief at our loss but Christ s ever abiding love and patience will turn this fear into a life-supporting trust just as we thought our energies and faith were about to be depleted. So before Jesus opens our eyes to scripture and shares bread with us, he comes along side our downtrodden selves and asks us to name our loss. Naming our pain, our grief, our loss is necessary before moving beyond them. We can t erase them or fully leave them behind, but possibly transcend them so that they no longer define us. This then allows us, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to be surprised. While we may be disappointed because we misunderstand God s work, our pain and grief are real. Jesus invites us to name it so that now there is room to be surprised by God s decision to show up just where we least expect God to be. As we share our feelings of doubt in our community of faith, we have to have confidence in God s promises of eternal grace and His patient and loving embrace. Might we be reminded why we were drawn to Jesus in the first place? Though our daily lives are sometimes filled with strife and hardship, because of Christ, we know about grace, forgiveness, fellowship, and a kind of peace that none of us can provide. When it comes to life with Jesus, it isn t up to us. There is nothing we have to do to be part of this new life in Christ. We re already included in God s plan. Our part is to trust and have faith that God s plan is far better than any we could pull together. Let God take it from here so that when we hear Jesus words of blessing at the table, our eyes will also be opened to His glory and surrounded by His embrace. May our journey on the road be blessed with this infusion of trust and knowledge that we are in His hands and our pathway will be illuminated by His Light! Jon Getbehead PRAISE TO GOD FOR A LIVING HOPE 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1: 3-9

3 Fostering Futures NY Invites you to Star Light, Star Bright A Benefit in Support of Children in Foster Care Thursday, June 1, :30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Shaker Ridge Country Club 802 Albany Shaker Rd. Albany, NY Please Save the Date Invitation to Follow

4 Remember these tips: MAY IS NATIONAL MELANOMA/SKIN CANCER PREVENTION MONTH Stay out of the sun as much as possible between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. * Use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. Put on sunscreen every 2 hours and after you swim or sweat. If you have ever had skin cancer removed, use SPF 30. * Cover up with long sleeves and a hat. Best if is made with sun blocking materials! * Check your skin regularly for changes. UPCOMING EVENTS FOR YOUR CALENDARS May 7th immediately following service you are invited to join with Marge Milanese M.Ed & CPE, as we hear about understanding and coping with change & loss. May 21st before and following service Blood Pressure Screening May 6PM Meditation Class all welcome June 24th Red Cross Blood Drive (will post volunteer work list end May) Thank you to all who helped support the Walk A Mile fund raiser by *eating at the Alexis Diner ($500 from the Diner), **donating $, ***or Walking the Mile on the 29th. Check out the church Web Site where you will see a photo and a video (our walkers are waving as they pass by). With the Alexi s donation, we gave $680 to SACVAP to help support the staff and education for prevention of sexual exploitation. Did you know...? The 5 participants in the Lenten Journey with Martin Luther received their prizes and were photographed by Greg W. following service on the 30th. Photo on web site [Grace, Charlie, Gerry, Pam, & Chris] Please take a moment this month to fill out the Health Cabinet Survey sent to your address. See Darlene to obtain a hard copy. Our Parish Nurse has a "loan closet" available which includes: 1 wheelchair 4 regular walkers 1 walker with seat 1 raised toilet seat 1 commode 3 canes

5 HOSPITAL S NEW SOLAR POWER PROJECT SEES THE LIGHT OF DAY For women giving birth at the Phebe Hospital and School of Nursing near Monrovia, Liberia, the worry that the electricity may shut down just as the baby s head is crowning has long been a reality. Thanks to the Northeastern Minnesota s Synodical Women s Organization (SWO) that worry will soon be a thing of the past. An initiative of the Northeastern Minnesota SWO called PV for Phebe (PV stands for photovoltaic, the process by which light is turned into electricity) has raised nearly 65 percent of its $624,000 goal to provide solar energy to the hospital. And in March 2017, the Rural Renewable Energy Alliance (RREAL) a Minnesota-based not-for-profit that helps provide solar energy to people of all income levels began installing solar panels at Phebe Hospital. The project has been a faith walk from the very beginning; indeed, an army of believers brought it here to this point, said BJ Allen, RREAL s project manager for Phebe. Over $400,000 from more than 600 individuals came in so far. More than 400 ELCA congregations, (including St. Timothy s in North Greenbush) conferences and synods, ELCA Global Mission, Global Health Ministries, Wheat Ridge Ministries and the National Geographic Society have donated to the cause, Allen wrote in a recent report. Countless additional supporters helped bring about the dream of providing solar power to Phebe, Allen said. This project is a living manifestation of the unstoppable, caring, powerful, bold women of the ELCA. Founded in 1921 by the Lutheran church, in partnership with Methodist and Episcopalian churches, Phebe Hospital and School of Nursing sits 112 miles from Monrovia and serves approximately 450,000 patients a year. People living near the hospital recently stood in line to earn $5 a day to help install the system. Monrovia has no concrete trucks, so laborers mixed the concrete by hand, said former Northeastern Minnesota SWO board member Mary Jo Mettler. Mettler came up with the idea for PV for Phebe after she took part in a Women of the ELCA-sponsored Women Building Global Community 25th anniversary trip to Liberia in A follow-up trip to Phebe Hospital is planned for November to fine-tune the solar energy system, said Mettler, who hopes she can be there. The formal commissioning of the system will take place then.

6 FREE MOVIE NIGHT The Shack Place: W. Central Rens. County Parish in the building Formerly known as St. Timothy s Church When: Friday, 6:30 pm FREE POPCORN AND BEVERAGES THE SHACK STUDY AND DISCUSSION GROUP This study/discussion series is based on the recent film The Shack adapted from the 2007 book of the same name written by William P. Young. This powerful 5-week study offers hope for those who have experienced tragedy, are questioning God's love and goodness, and for those who want to grow stronger in their faith. Weekly topics: Week 1: Where Is God When I Need Him Most? Week 2: How Does God See Me? Week 3: Why Are You Doing This to Me? Week 4: How Can I Know the Heart of the Father? Week 5: So You Just Let Him Get Away With It? Now that Spring is finally upon us, we need to conduct our annual Spring clean-up day at our Parish as we must clean our little church (inside and out) and weed/trim the grounds. The date for our Spring Clean-up Day has been scheduled for Saturday, May 13, 2017 at 9:00 AM (rain or shine). Neither skill nor tools required and all volunteers are welcome remember, no job is too small and any small amount of your time can help. Please help us keep our church beautiful. Thanks in advance. Bill Benjamin - Property Committee Film Synopsis: The Shack takes us on a father's uplifting spiritual journey. Mack Phillips [Sam Worthington] spirals into a deep depression causing him to question his innermost beliefs. Mack, a man abused as a child, must come to terms with God and learn to forgive after his younger daughter is brutally murdered. When he travels to the small shack in the mountains where his daughter died, he has an encounter with God, who is portrayed in three variations: Papa, a middleaged African-American woman played by Octavia Spencer, represents God the Father, A Middle-Eastern man represents the Son (Jesus), and finally, the Holy Spirit, is shown as an Asian woman. Through these encounters, Mack finds important truths that will transform his understanding of his tragedy and change his life forever. Study/Discussion Group Sessions for The Shack are scheduled for Wednesday evenings at 6:30 on 5/31, 6/7, 6/14, 6/21, 6/28 All adults are welcome to participate, please bring a friend. Clips from the movie will be shown each week, and those clips will be the basis of our discussions. So if you are unable to attend all 5 sessions, do not hesitate to sign up- you cannot get behind by missing a class. But, please be so kind as to sign up in the narthex if you are interested so we can order the proper number of study guides. Thank you. Rebecca G

7 Worship Volunteer Duties for May and June, 2017 Please find your own replacement if you cannot be available on date of assignment 7-May 14-May 21-May 28-May 4-June 11-June 18-June 25-June Altar Guild Bonny M & Karen H Greeters Gail S & Ja net M Marion D & Susan R Nora G & Peggy F Cheryl B & Debbie F Chris N & Joan H Marilyn D & Emily P Carol & Ken K Maureen H & Charlie H Donna & Ray L Bonny M & Carol K Ja net M & Greg W Marilyn D & Karen H Gail S & Jim M Lisa H & Susan R Nora G & Peggy F Ushers Joan H & Jim M Donna L & Zina H Darlene W & Sherry P Athena & Lois B Cheryl & Bill B Marion D & Jon G Zina & Charlie H Pam M & Joan H Reader Ken K Sandra G Nancy D Pam M Chris N Luis C Gerry U Bob C Communion Assistant Jon G Bill B Bonny M Lois B Liz M Athena B Marilyn D Chris N Acolyte Torie W Luis C Cydney R Jim M Zina H Jon G Bill B Marilyn D Worship Prayer Leader Marilyn D Rebecca G Jim M Chris N Cydney R Greg W Darlene W Athena B Coffee Set-up & Clean-up after Worship Provide After Worship Snack Marilyn D Gerry U Bonny M Liz M Cheryl B Zina H Donna L Carol K Cheryl B & Lisa H Charlie H & Gerry U Marlies P & Jim M Pam M & Donna L Athena B & Mary K Carol K & Marion D Liz M & Marlies P Lois B & Ray L Offering Counters Cheryl B & Pam M Bob C & Donna L Charlie H & Greg W Jon G & Pam M Donna L & Bob C Cheryl B & Jon G Bob C & Greg W Charlie H & Cheryl B

8 UPCOMING EVENTS 05/08 Trustee Meeting 6:00pm 05/15 St. Tim s Quilting Group, 10am-noon (Third Monday of each month) 05/23 Meditation Class -open to all- (Fourth Tuesday of each month) 05/26 Free Movie Night: The Shack (Fourth Friday of each month) 05/31 The Shack Study/Discussion Group begins 6:30pm 06/01 Star Light, Star Bright -A Benefit in Support of Children in Foster Care 5:30-7:30pm at Shaker Ridge Country Club 06/03 Regional Food Bank Packing 9:30am (First Saturday of each month) VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Prayer Leaders and Ushers are desperately needed: see Pam Martin to volunteer Cantors sing the Kyrie and the Psalm during service. Please sign up in the Narthex to volunteer or see Vicar Sam to learn more Signboard- Responsibilities include changing out the message on the sign in front of the church, usually monthly see Jon to volunteer or rencoparish@gmail.com St. Pauly Box upkeep- helpers check donation box to be sure items inside are not blocking the door- see Bob or Jon to volunteer or rencoparish@gmail.com Movie Night Helper are needed to set up/ clean up /make popcorn for Fourth the Friday of each month from 6pm-8:30pm see Rebecca to volunteer or call or rencoparish@gmail.com Since Trinity' closure we have been cleaning out the books, paperwork and anything that must be moved prior to the sale. We need help with this monumental task, and with only 2 volunteers, it has been slow work. If you are able to help with this task, please call Maureen and we will set up dates to work at the church. Thank you, Maureen L. Hoffman Marion Daus is chairperson for the Fellowship committee. She is looking for people who would like to join her in forming this group and defining its purpose and goals. If you are interested, please see Marion after church, contact her by phone at or by at mdaus@nycap.rr.com. Thank you, Marion Daus 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: Like us on RenCoParish@gmail.com Website: sttlc.org Facebook