A Newsletter of the First Reformed Church, Schenectady, New York January, 2016

Transcription

1 First Things A Newsletter of the First Reformed Church, Schenectady, New York January, 2016 Unity Luncheon January 10 On Friday, January 1 at 7pm in Poling Chapel, Avery will present the 1924 silent movie comedy "Sherlock Jr." starring Buster Keaton. While the movie is modest in length at 45 minutes, it doesn't hold back when it comes to content! Buster Keaton plays a mild mannered movie projectionist who gets caught up in a fantasy sequence when he "leaps" into the movie he is showing. What results is a movie within a movie and a "roller coaster ride" of thrills. Please help us celebrate a new year with a charming look into the past! We hope to see you there. Reception to follow. New Bible Study January 12 Paige Convis is starting a new Bible study on Tuesday's at 7:00pm. We will meet for about an hour each week to read and discuss scripture and how it speaks to our lives and to the current events happening in the world. Please join us for this time of study and sharing. We will begin our study in the book of Job. We will grapple with the age old question-- Why do bad things happen to good people? There might not be any good answers, but we will wonder together about the wisdom God's Word has for us even today. The second Sunday in January has been set aside each year to honor unity between FRC and UPC. Everyone is invited to the Unity Luncheon Sunday, January 10 right after worship in Friendship Hall. The theme this year is Reflecting on Unity. We will have a catered Lasagna luncheon served by the women of the church in Fellowship Hall. Special vegan and gluten free meals will be served. Our keynote speaker will be Viki Brooks. She was very involved with the transition of UPC and she will share some of her stories. Andy Chestnut and his group the Usual Suspects will be on the stage entertaining us with dinner music. Barbara Walton will put on display many of the UPC church banners. Contact Gay Doolittle or Amy Brule if you have any questions. Anyone wishing to participate in any way: making salad, baking bar cookies, setting up, serving or cleaning up, are more than welcome to contact Gay or Amy with your interest. If you can, sign up in Assembly Hall or call the church office to let us know you are coming. Entered into Eternal Rest Jean S. Brown 11/30/15 Service to be held 1/23/16 at 11am Pauline Reece 12/7/15 Lois Hodges 12/19/15 Neil Moynihan 12/27/15 Baptismal Buddies January 31 Our second occasional gathering for recently and soon-to-be baptized babies and their parents will be January 31, after worship, beginning in the Dirck Romeyn room and concluding with a tour of Kinderwyck. There will again be refreshments, an informal opportunity get to know one another, and an ongoing conversation on how FRC can become more of a place of grace for our youngest members and their parents. Folks will also get a liturgical resource enabling the fulfillment of the vows made in baptism. Refreshments will be provided. Call the church office and leave a message to register. Word Service January 8 Hear stories of newness and change from Bill and Linda Ward, Paige Convis, Kathy and Rudy Petersen, and Bill and Abby Norton Levering. If you have a great story to tell on this theme, let us know. The Petersen's tale will be accompanied by Avery like a radio show of old. 7pm. Poling Chapel.

2 Soup Shabbat with Congregation Gates of Heaven In lieu of our usual pulpit exchange, this year we will participate in the Third Annual Gates Soup Shabbat on Friday, January 22. This year, the money raised will benefit Jubilee USA, an international debt relief organization working to build an economy that serves, protects, and promotes participation of the most vulnerable. You are invited to make soup for this event. Volunteers each make a big pot of hearty soup (enough to serve 12-15), bring it to Gates, and then attendees are encouraged to donate the amount they would spend on dinner out. If you're willing to cook for Global Justice, contact Stacey to claim your soup (we don't want eight beef & barleys, after all). Please plan for soups that do not contain pork. Taize Worship at Union College Paige Convis will be leading Taize worship on the campus of Union College on Friday's from 1:15-1:45pm in the Prayer and Mediation Room on the second floor in the Reamer Campus Center. Community friends are invited for a time of prayer, song and mediation. food for body, mind, & soul Wednesdays in January Dinner at 6--bring edibles you like and wish to contribute to the table set in Assembly Hall where food and friendly conversation are shared. Study at 7--delve into discussions led by Stacey Midge on the church of the future. Worship at 8--end the evening with a brief, reflective service of song, scripture, silence, communion, and spoken prayers for those in need. First Forum after Worship After worship most Sundays at 11:15am in Poling Chapel, suggestions for programs are welcome from any committee or member; simply contact Amy Brule , Peggy King , or Joe Doolittle January 3: Building a Parenting Program Wales Brown January 10: Unity Luncheon Viki Brooks, speaker January 17: Community Justice CAB Program Cheryl Vallee January 24: Environment, Climate Change Heather Ipsen January 31: Social Media Amy Tessitore Many thanks to all those who made the season bright at First Reformed in Schenectady. For the work of the Chancel Guild and the fabulous adornment of the sanctuary. For the Chrismon tree again festooned by Caroline Jones-Assini and Carol Welsh. For Julie and Corine and the tremendous work of the choirs and instrumentalists. For all those who baked Christmas sweetness and for Karen Gonda who corralled it. For Gay Doolittle who made the Friendship Hall all shiny and wonderful, and for all who shared the love of the season with a fine Christmas smile. Kerygma Conversations Back January 6 A study and discussion of the biblical Prophets and our own practice of prophetic faith begins Epiphany, January 6, and continues each Wednesday, 9:30-11am, in Poling Conference room, concluding sometime before Pentecost, May 15. Those who've been in this group for years and those who come for the first time will be warmly welcomed and invited to take part in this lively gathering of other life-long learners and doers of the Word. The required resource book will be determined by the first class and available soon thereafter. Those with questions regarding this Adult Education and Nurture opportunity may contact Daniel Carlson.

3 Heritage Sunday is Feb. 7 The theme of our next Heritage Sunday is Charting our Historical Voyage and will be hosted by Caroline Welch in the Poling Chapel during First Forum. Two speakers will be featured: Dale Brown will give a PowerPoint presentation on our six different church buildings since 1680, and James Gonda will recite an abridged version of the Historical Sermon once given by the Rev William Elliot Griffis, 18 th Pastor of First Reformed from 1877 to 1886, to celebrate our church s 200 th anniversary. James will appear in period costume and related items from our historical collections will be on display. Historic Lenten Series Begins February 17 For each of the five Wednesdays during Lent, the Archives & Historical Concerns Committee with spotlight a noteworthy former Pastor of First Reformed who had an immense impact on our church, our community, and the world. The standout clergymen will be: Bernardus Freerman, ; Dirck Romeyn, ; William Elliot Griffis, ; George Lunn, ; Clark Poling, New Member Class Sunday, Jan 3 at 3pm in Church Office Groups Horizons Bible Study We will begin a study on Luke's gospel starting January 12. Study guides are $10, payable to Peg Miller. Anyone interested in joining us is welcome. The Short-Short Writing Group A writing critique group meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month in the Schermerhorn Conference room at 7pm. Short- Shorts are stories, essays, memoirs, or other non-fiction works told in 1,000 words or less. For more info, contact James Gonda at jgonda12309@gmail.com. Call for Submissions for FRC Journal The Beverwyck Anthology is now accepting submissions for its March 2016 issue. Fiction, nonfiction, essays, memoirs, and travel pieces not exceeding one thousand words are acceptable. Poetry of less than 100 lines is also acceptable. Submissions should be appropriate for a church publication. Please submissions to Rudy and Kathy Petersen, Editorsin-Chief, at thebeverwyck@gmail.com. Faith Bookshop Because of display limitations, the Bookshop's donated jewelry project was postponed until after the holiday season. Watch the Sunday bulletins for the new date. Meanwhile, thank you to the folks who have brought in jewelry, and we welcome more! Men s Breakfast January 9 The next meeting of the Men's Breakfast group will take place on Saturday, January 9. Meetings are held in Assembly Hall, beginning with breakfast at 8am. Following the meal we traditionally have a brief program presentation. Our speaker for the January 9 meeting is Walt Robb, who will speak about "Generating an Electrical Revolution". This talk will examine various techniques for generating electrical energy, and make some projections (or educated guesses?) about the future use of these alternate modalities. There will be a signup sheet in Assembly Hall. For further information, contact Gene Rowland at or erowland@nycap.rr.com. Stitch Group Our church stitch group meets every Thursday at 10am in Poling Conf. room. Work on whatever project you have. All are welcome! For more info, contact Joan Lindsay, Tuesday Ladies Meetings are every third Tuesday of the month in the home of Connie Young, 1400 Keyes Avenue. Our next meeting on January 19 will be our salad supper meeting. All ladies welcome to chat and get to know each other while we enjoy dinner at 6pm. Hope to see you then. Please call Connie at if you have any questions or for more information. Group VII Group VII meets next on Friday, January 15 at 10am in the Dirck Romeyn Room. Co-hostesses are: Carol Schweizer and Birdie Blackmer. The program is a Visit with the Covenanters. Any questions, contact Ronnie Bartholic at

4 Evening Circle Evening Circle meets again on January 20. Please mark your calendars and join us!! We will be discussing the book A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Bachman. It's an easy read. Friday Fellowship Luncheon January 29 Our next meeting will be January 29. Our hosts will be Ellie & Gene Rowland and Sally & Bob Clark. Jenna Riley from Mabee Farm will be our speaker. The topic is Secrets of Mabee House!. Everyone likes to know secrets! Please join us, bring a dish to share, and enjoy the fellowship, good food, and an interesting program. All are welcome! If you have any ideas for speakers or programs, please contact Sally Bestgen or Amy Brule. New Book Club - The New Jim Crow, Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness Our third meeting is Sunday, January 17 at noon on the Mezzanine. We will discuss chapters 3 & 4. The fourth meeting will be scheduled at that time. Contact either Mary Alice Jewett or Jeanne Shoulder with any questions. Lunch will be provided. Friends for Racial Justice Stories of Racial Healing- Tuesday January 5, 7-9pm Arthur s Market, 35 North Ferry Street. A follow-up to JAC First Forum. Come listen and share stories to deepen understanding of the complexities of racism in our society. Co-Sponsored by FRC/JAC and SICM. Questions contact Joe Doolittle or aldenjoe@nycap.rr.com. Youth Youth Schedule The youth group is open to all students in grades 6-12, including friends who do not normally attend FRC. It meets every Sunday night from 5-7pm unless other indicated, for discussion, food, learning, fellowship, games, and service. Upcoming Schedule: Jan. 3 Regular Meeting Jan. 10 Regular Meeting Jan. 17 Regular Meeting Jan. 24 Regular Meeting Jan. 31 Pancake Brunch 9am set-up and cook The youth will also be doing some fundraising during January for their annual mission trip. This year's trip is to Palermo, Italy, where they will be serving the immigrant and refugee population with our mission partners, JJ and Tim TenClay, and the Waldensian Church Diaconal Center. Pancake Brunch Join the Youth Group after worship on January 31 for a Pancake Brunch to benefit the annual Mission Trip. Brunch is offered on a free will donation basis, so please be generous and support our senior high youth. Camp Fowler: Registration is Open! Yes, it's already that time - to reserve your spot for a week or more at Camp Fowler this summer. Senior high campers are especially encouraged to sign up early, as those weeks fill up quickly. Schedules, rates, registration, and other information are available online at campfowler.org, or from Stacey. Scholarship information is also available from Stacey. Mission Shares Maybe we can't all go to Italy, but we can all be part of supporting the Youth Group as they travel to Palermo to work with immigrant and refugee populations, in partnership with the Waldensian Church and RCA missionaries JJ and Tim TenClay. Mission Shares are $25 each. With each mission share purchased, you will receive a ticket to our annual Mission Shareholders' Dinner, where the youth will tell about their experiences in Italy. This year, for the first time, you will also receive a bracelet - the same as those that will be given to the youth when they are commissioned on Feb. 7 -to remind you to pray for our youth during their trip. Please contact a youth group member or Stacey to donate a share. What to Do With Those Bottles and Cans Turn in your redeemable recyclables at Creating Change Redemption Center at 309 Saratoga Rd. in Glenville, and tell them to donate the deposit to the First Reformed Church of Schenectady Youth Mission Trip. The youth group has an account there and will collect donations until the mission trip in February. The Youth Group is heading to Palermo, Italy to do mission work with refugees. We missed you at Church School last week! See you Sunday.

5 Daniel s Doctoral Update I'm hopping happy to report I've finished the first draft of my thesis, To Serve the World We Touch. It is now in the capable hands of my thesis adviser, who, I'm sure will recommend/require I make some revisions before my thesis committee can have at it in preparation for my defense in Chicago sometime late winter. I've found this research, work, and writing to be among the most challenging--and rewarding-- experiences of my ministry. I feel so incredibly blessed by and grateful for the enlightenment, affirmation, challenge, collaboration of my pastoral colleagues, the Creation Care Commission, my Advisory Group on Ministry, Kerygma Conversations, Early Bird Sunday Study, our consistory, and all those of you who inquire about, pray for, and live towards this work of congregational transformation for the world's good and God's glory. Mission Mission Partners Did you know that FRC supports mission partners around the globe? Meet a few of those whose ministries we support: Shelvis and Nancy Smith-Mather work with RECONCILE, (Resource Centre for Civil Leadership), an indigenous ecumenical Christian organization. It promotes peace-building by providing training in trauma recovery, conflict transformation, and civic education. RECONCILE's activities are in areas of high inter-ethnic conflict, with the churches often being the typical point of entry into these communities. Shelvis is also principal of the Peace Institute, which offers three-month courses in community-based trauma healing, peace studies, and conflict transformation. The Al-Amana Centre is an interfaith effort in Oman. FRC supports both Doug Leonard and Justin Meyers in their work there. The Centre develops programs to help international visitors understand and appreciate Omani culture, tradition and religion. They cooperate with religious leaders to support interfaith and intercultural initiatives of peaceful coexistence, and pursue opportunities for cooperation that contribute to the common good. J.J. and Tim TenClay work in the region of Palermo, Sicily. J.J. serves in partnership with the Waldensian Church as a social action worker, developing partnerships with medical, mental health/substance abuse, governmental, and social service entities as well as ministries focused on meeting the physical, spiritual, and socioeconomic needs of the over 500,000 migrants in the area, most of whom are from Africa and the Middle East. Tim is the pastor of a multicultural congregation in Palermo. Our youth group will visit the TenClays in February during our annual mission trip. You can learn more about these and other RCA Mission Partners at Notes and News Pledge Update Our pledge response has been good so far. Have you made your pledge for 2016? The easiest way to do it is to go online at 1stReformed.com and you will see a link on the left. It takes less than 30 seconds. Offering Envelopes 2016 Offering Envelopes are in the church office. Extra envelopes were ordered and are available. If you decide to take a box of envelopes please be sure to record the envelope number on the list on the table. Membership Check In In the next month, we will be sending notes to folks who may wish to move to the inactive membership list. Since our classis assessment is so high, we try to keep our active membership list accurate. Remember the Church in Your Will

6 Senior Moments - Bill Levering Many thanks to the New York State Council of Churches who put up with me in many forms over the last few years. Say hello to their new executive, Peter Cook, on the right in this picture. Many thanks to Abby, here with my son Ryan and Terrill and Calvin, for her good work carrying a child for them, due mid-february. Thanks to all for new high water mark for our Advent and Christmas attendance. We tried a new jazz format at 11pm on Christmas Eve, and it seemed to work, more than doubling last year s attendance. We ll keep this for next year. I hope when your New Year s resolutions move in the direction of church attendance, you will consider the Word service on second Fridays at 7pm. Folks you know tell moving stories of faith as well as some wonderful writing and great stories from the Bible. All in all it s a painless way of finding God in the midst of life. What s in store for 2016 at FRC? The consistory is interested in exploring new directions in music so look forward to some educational efforts at figuring out what praise music is and what contemporary music means. Don t panic. Like the jazz piano preludes folks appreciate, we can find new ways of getting closer to God that are beautiful. We hope to engage in support and dialog with the Muslim community in the months ahead. Look for Forums after church and some shared activities. Islam in the Capital region is understandably shaken by the events of the last year and needs our friendship. What we need in 2016: Some new folks to help implement the building program. One or two to learn the detailed finances of the church. We don t have enough back up right now. Help on the Membership and Fellowship Committee. If any of these interest you, please let me know. Senior PaStor S Open House January 2, 2016, 4 9pm 923 Northumberland Drive Amazon Smiles on Us I know that many of you shop the online retailer Amazon. Their Smile program gives a portion of each sale to registered non-profits and churches. FRC Schenectady is all set up with them and in fact, receives a bit each month from folks who have already done this. It doesn t coast a dime and is an easy way to support the church. End of Year UPC Mission At the end of 2015, the Union Presbyterian Mission Fund of FRC went to: United Presbyterian Church of Northville: Feed the Kids Program Westminster Presbyterian Church: Hope Mission School in Liberia PC(USA) Advocacy Ministries Stony Point Conference Center Oakwood Food Pantry in Troy Campus Protestant Ministry Home Furnishings Program Joan Nicole Prince Home SICM Food Program Senior High Mission Trip to Palermo Italy

7 First Futures Building Campaign Moves Forward on a Triple Track Following the November meeting of the congregation, the First Futures Campaign is swinging into gear on three parallel tracks: planning, engineering, and fund raising. First, thank you to all who attended and participated in the congregational meeting in November. Many good and constructive comments were made, and the congregation voted 70 to 27 to move forward with the general building concept as presented with an estimated overall budget of $3 million. A number of important concerns were voiced, and the Steering Committee will be following up on the comments offered. At the December meeting of the Consistory the following "go forward" actions were affirmed: Planning: The Steering Committee, which coordinated the creation of the approved concept plan, heard many observations which require follow up and a greater attention to detail. A number of questions pertained to how the church's commitment to mission is being changed and how mission might evolve in the new spaces. It is the responsibility of the Steering Committee to address these concerns to the Consistory and develop the plan more fully, and to start Rev. Stacey has included an article in this month's First Things which provides important context and content. Engineering: The plan as presented is a concept plan, and now the work of translating the concept into actual engineering and design decisions must begin. This will require close work with the architects, and an effort is underway to find members of the congregation who are willing to assist in this task. Fundraising: Planning is already underway supporting the effort to raise $1 million for the First Futures Campaign. Materials will be developed and pledges will be sought through the winter and spring. The First Futures Fundraising Committee will be meeting just after the New Year to finalize the program. As we move ahead on these three tracks the core design principles will remain in focus: the our building will feel more open, be easier to access, and more functional for our purpose. How we embrace change and dream about the future are important at this stage, and we encourage everyone to be open for all that the future can hold. First Futures Building Campaign Expands Our Mission - Rev. Stacey Midge One of the messages that came through loud and clear at the recent congregational meeting was concern about cuts in mission funding, and particularly how this will affect the Covenanter Program. As the staff person primarily responsible for our mission programming, I hope it might be helpful for me to address some of these questions. First, the specific. For the most part, our current mission funding will not change. All of our Mission & Benevolence distributions to local, national, and global agencies will continue. The Lunn Center remains exactly as it is, with Lynne Gilgore doing great work to connect local nonprofits with the resources they need. The only part of our current mission program that changes at all is the Covenanter Program. So, what is happening to the Covenanter Program? Be assured, nothing is changing with our current Covenanters. We have made a commitment to them for this program cycle. After the current cycle, which ends in late summer 2016, the program will be slightly altered. We will decrease our maximum capacity from four to two Covenanters, and they will be housed in the third floor apartment at the church instead of off-site. The Covenanters have been a wonderful addition to FRC, and will continue to be so. We have frequently had fewer than four Covenanters, so the shift is minimal. Given the limited number of applicants, and the goals of those who become Covenanters, downscaling actually allows us to run a stronger program, in which we can place our Covenanters in the best possible assignments and work even more closely with them to ensure a positive experience in Schenectady. For a time, our Covenanter Program will perhaps be less expansive, but quite possibly more effective. It will also free up staff time to coordinate other mission opportunities, especially those that involve more of the congregation in direct mission efforts. Which brings me to the more general questions that arose at the meeting, about whether the First Futures funding will value building over mission. I believe this is a false dichotomy. One of the greatest gifts we have given the community around us is the gift of space: rooms for meetings, rehearsals, counseling, celebrations, and more. Our hospitality is a form of mission. The ways that people meet and learn are shifting, and gathering spaces are shifting accordingly. Technology is changing rapidly and rapidly changing us. The future is calling us to provide flexible, multi-use space that can meet needs we cannot yet foresee. As we step bravely to open ourselves to a future not yet entirely defined, we are not closing ourselves to mission; we are growing even further into a hub of mission & community engagement. The reality of the First Futures campaign is that we will all sacrifice as part of this process. We will be asked to give individually, and collectively. But we don't sacrifice for nothing. We give for the sake of those who are yet to come, who will be looking for a space where they can meet each other, and where they can meet God.

8 First Reformed Church 8 North Church Street Schenectady, NY (518) stReformed@gmail.com Address Service Requested Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Albany, NY Permit No. 736 January Birthdays January Kayla Kerwin Heather Scribner 2 Kyle Cox Frank Hammett Bill Levering Suzanne Sheldon 3 Thea Brandenburg Helen Phillips 4 Caroline Brooks Elena Grande 5 Brittany Dexter Inge-Lise Pangburn Helen Willis 6 Jill Masterson 8 Mary Pritchard Ronald Rhude 9 Clarence Countermine Blythe Czwakiel 10 Hermann Lintner 11 Paul Houpt William McColl 12 Anne Marie Hewitt 13 Karl Horstmann 14 Hannah Bachorik Mark Karl 15 Jeffrey Rickard 16 Sara Erickson Barbara Walton 17 James Cesare Jennifer Evans John Evans John Norton 18 Ryan Atherton Elaine Thuener Ernest Walton John Zeltmann 19 Jeremy Bork 20 David Cotter Mary Jane Fisher James Miller Alden Rivenburgh-Brown 21 Shaun Allen 22 David Kowaleski David Mahlmann Ruth Roinos 23 Marilyn Beadle Dorothy Graham Margaret Kiesow 24 Steven Breitenbach 25 Jeff Cannizzo Lorraine Kilgallen Barbara Landon 27 Susan Moses Peter Runfola 28 James Gonda 30 Abigail Bundy Gwen Mitsche Keith Muse 31 Daniel Fahey Darryl Wisniewski Every Sunday Early Bird Study, 8:30am Choir Rehearsal, 9am Orff, 9am Kinderwyk, 9:45am Worship, 10am Church School, 10:15am Refreshments, 11am Kirk Ringers & Singers, 11:15am Forum, 11:15am Vespers, 5pm Youth Group, 5pm Weekly Monday: Men s News Group, 9am Tuesday: Morning Prayer, 10am Horizons Bible Study, 10am Wednesday: Kerygma, 9:30am Thursday Belles, 1pm Midweek Meal, 6pm Midweek Class, 7pm Midweek Worship, 8pm Thursday: Bible Bunch, 7:30am Stitch Group, 10am Chancel Choir, 7:30pm Monthly Meetings Women s Group, 1 st Mon., 11am Creation Care, 4 th Mon., 7pm Support & Care, 1 st Tues., 11:30am Archives, 2 nd Tues., 6pm Tues. Ladies, 3 rd Tue., 7pm Consistory, 2 nd Tues., 7:30pm Archives, 2 nd Wed., 1pm Writers Group, 2 nd & 4 th Wed., 7pm Stephen Ministry, 3 rd Thurs., 7pm Group VII, 3 rd Fri., 10am First Friday Performance, 1 st Fri., 7pm New Word Service, 2 nd Fri., 7pm New Member Class, 1 st Sun., 3pm Upcoming Events 1: First Friday Performance 2: Pastor s Bash 3: New Member Class 4: Chancel Guild Clean-up 5: Support & Care 8: WORD Service 9: Men s Breakfast 10: Unity Luncheon 12: Evening Bible Study Consistory 15: Group VII 17: Book Club 19: Tuesday Ladies 21: Stephen Ministry 25: Creation Care 29: Fellowship Luncheon