COMMUNITY CHURCH OF DOUGLASTON ANCHOR Rev. Dr. Linden DeBie Senior Minister "Hope is like an anchor for our lives, an anchor safe and sure" - Heb. 6:19 OCTOBER 2014 Dearly Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ: Let me share a few lines from a delightful letter we received from Eagle Scout Candidate Michael Tuffey. Thank you very much for your support of my Eagle Scout Project. By including my flier in your bulletin, you helped deliver my message to the Douglaston Community. As a result my project was a success. I was able to provide each of the 140 residents of the St. Alban s Community Living Center with a personal care kit... I greatly appreciate your efforts to help make my project successful. A few months ago our Consistory traveled to Manhattan where we engaged in a session intended to broaden our vision of the Community Church of Douglaston. Many good ideas as well as challenges came out of that session. One item of major importance was our role in the community. We see ourselves as a true community church, that is, one that serves the community to the best of our ability. Michael s project was just one of the many ways we do that. Although the Consistory never hesitated in our conclusion that we must be a community church, I would like to pause and write briefly about why that is so important. I believe the importance of being an active community church is one way by which we can love our neighbor. Some might challenge that notion, and say that what Jesus means by love your neighbor is to show respect for one another and act in accord with the principle of brotherly love. They might say that is as far as we need to go. I would disagree. Indeed, Jesus was challenged on the same question. When a young man asked him what he needed to do to be welcomed into the Kingdom of God, Jesus answered that he should love God and love his neighbor. Yet the young man was still uncertain. He asked Jesus, Who is my neighbor? And Jesus replied by telling the story of the Good Samaritan. It was the memorable tale of a man robbed and beaten and left to die. Two of the Jewish religious leaders passing by ignored him, but a Samaritan man took pity on him, bound his wounds and carried him to an inn. There he instructed the innkeeper to take care of him until he was well. Then Jesus asked the young man, who was a neighbor to the man that was robbed and beaten? The young man answered, The Samaritan.
Clearly Jesus expects more from us than respect and simple concern. Loving our neighbor requires action, sacrifice and true love; love which Jesus says comes from the heart. And please notice that Jesus doesn t add a closing moral conclusion to his tale such as do likewise and thereby you will make the world a better place. That may indeed be the case, but that was not his chief concern. Jesus connected the love of God which is of foremost importance, with the love of neighbor, almost as if to say you can t have one without the other. Thus as much as worship is central to our faith, the love of others is there as well. We are a community church because all churches must be community churches in the sense that we must dedicate ourselves to an active, sacrificial love that is visible and effectual among the ones in need. As we begin this new season may it be a New Season of Our Love to each other, inspired by the grace of God and led by the Holy Spirit. Yours in the great challenges ahead, Linden PRAYER LIST IMMEDIATE PRAYERS BETTY COLLINS, REV. STEVEN PIERCE AND CO-WORKERS VISITING IN OMAN, MAIA WITOWSKI O DONNELL, BILL SIEVERS MORE THAN A CHURCH WHO WE ARE We are a congregation of the Reformed Church in America, RCA, this country s oldest Protestant denomination. And while our roots are deeply embedded in this historic faith, we are a diverse, ecumenical fellowship of believers from a variety of religious backgrounds. We respect the great traditions of our membership, but our identity as the Body of Christ is manifest through our worship, our service and our care of one another. We affirm God as our rock and our fortress, a never wavering source of security in our lives! Yet we are still eager to change and grow with the challenges presented in our community, as we recognize that we are here to serve God and our neighbors. At CCD we strive to be a welcoming haven and a reliable source of spiritual growth and fulfillment. In 2015, CCD will be celebrating our 100 th anniversary in Douglaston! CONTINUED PRAYERS CHARLIE STONE, COLLEEN NOBREGA, PATRICK, SUSAN ROSE TRUSSUX.
The Elders Corner Experiencing God's Peace By Living in the Now Having an attitude of peace and calm is priceless. It's an attitude that says, 'I'm trusting God,' and it speaks powerfully to people. In fact, it is how others can see God through you. But it takes time, focus, and the grace of God to be consistently at peace. Too often our stress level is tied up in our circumstances. You could be stressed because you're always busy or you're struggling financially or because you're not getting along with someone you love or because of a threatening health issue. Our minds and hearts are too sharply focused on the negative. To conquer the stress in our lives, we need to learn to access the peace that's been provided for us by the overcoming power of Jesus. Don t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all he has done. Then you will experience God s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6, 7 If you can learn to trust God 'in the now by receiving His grace, you will experience peace and that's powerful. Prayer Starter: God, I know that You have overcome any and every obstacle, so I ask You to help me live in the peace that You've provided for me. Show me how to trust You as I live 'in the now.' In His Service, Ed Palafox One way to develop consistent peace is to learn to live 'in the now.' We can spend a lot of time thinking about the past or wondering what the future holds, but we can't accomplish anything unless our mind is focused on today. The Bible tells us that God gives us grace for each day that we live. I believe God's grace is the power that enables and energizes us to do what we need to do and He gives it generously, as we need it. Every day we need to say, God has given me today. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Remember the Lord s Prayer? Give us this day our daily bread. And yes, take everything to the Lord in prayer.
The following appeared as an insert in the October 5 th Sunday Bulletin.
PARABLES AND PIZZA Join Pastor Linden on Monday evening, October 20th to discuss The Parable of the Wicked Servant. When Jesus was telling stories, he often taught using parables. Enjoy an evening exploring and discussing what this story means about God s love, mercy and forgiveness and what it means for you. RECIPE FOR HAPPINESS Take 2 heaping cups of Patience 1 heartful of Love 2 handfuls of Generosity Dash of Laughter 1 headful of Understanding Sprinkle generously with Kindness Add plenty of Faith and mix well. Spread over a period of a Lifetime and serve Everyone you meet. Found in the November 1970 published Douglaston Community Church Cookbook, edited and published under the sponsorship of The Guild for Christian Service Do you have this cookbook in your library? HAPPINESS THANK YOU- SEPTEMBER 21, 2014 It was a very special day Gratitude to all of you I pray Monday, October 20 6:30-8:30 pm Community Reformed Church at Manhasset, Lounge 90 Plandome Road, Manhasset Suggested donation: $5/person for pizza RSVP 516.627.3494 or karencrc2000@yahoo.com The announcement and applause were very nice and gave me pause Seventy five years I have spent Forty one in Douglaston I don t repent Music and singing so good to hear I can t say enough to you I fear I will not forget every kindness It made my day one of the best. Joan H. K. Hoffman
Sunday School Sunday, October 26, 3:00-5:00 pm Attention Parents and Children aged 4 to 14: JUNIOR/YOUTH CHOIR will resume on Sunday, OCTOBER 26, 2014 at 9:45 in the Chapel. Please note the date on your calendars. You don't need to read words or music to join the Junior/Youth Choir. EVERYONE is welcome, whether you've sung before or never sung a note. Plan to join Miss Sue and Miss Linda for a wonderful experience singing praises to the Lord. For more information, call Miss Linda at (718) 225-3902 or email her at Lindagnes@aol.com. SUMMER ENRICHMENT ACADEMY (ASA) at CCD The halls of CCD were alive with 4-10 year olds this past summer! Thank you to Pastor DeBie, Madeline and the members of the Consistory for allowing the first summer of the Summer Enrichment Academy to successfully take place! We exceeded our enrollment goals and received so much positive feedback from the parents and most importantly, the children. We felt so fortunate to be able to launch our program in such a wonderful space and provide a much-needed program to the families of Douglaston and Bayside. Children participated in organized, themed academic enrichment activities each day along with various physical activities such as sprinklers, relay races, soccer or playing on the playground. Children also learned about money with our snack canteen, music, car safety from our AAA presentation, the Summer Reading Program from the Queens Library presentation and so much more! Jacqueline Montgomery & Darlene O Rourke, Program Developers
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! TUESDAY MORNING MUSIC CLUB The Tuesday Morning Music Club invites you to attend their monthly concerts in the CCD Parlor followed by lunch. A donation is appreciated for the meal. Enjoy a variety of fine music works and performers representing members and guest artists. They meet the 4 th Tuesday of the month from 11am to 2pm, from October thru May, except for December. Their first concert will be on October 28 For more for information please call Carol at 646 824-6446. FOOD AND CLOTHING DONATIONS WANTED The CCD VESPERS this year will be on Sunday, December 7 th at 4:00 P.M.!!! The rehearsal times will be announced in the NOVEMBER ANCHOR. If you are interested in joining the "MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS CHOIR" please call the church office (718-229-2169) and give your phone number to MADELINE so that (Elizabeth Frank) can contact you. Winter clothing for kids, teens and adults; and sneakers in good condition. Please leave items on the inside bench by the back Church door.
COMMUNITY CHURCH OF DOUGLASTON 39-50 Douglaston Parkway Douglaston, New York 11363 www.ccdouglaston.org AFTER SCHOOL ACADEMY-ASA The After School Academy is now in its 3 rd year of programming at CCD. We are so happy to be able to support the community s future leaders from PS 98. By providing an enriching academically based program, we give our students the opportunity to learn through having fun. Our classes include the Theater, designing a science fair, establishing a better relationship with Math through play, and the common core basics of reading, writing and vocabulary-all through creative play and instruction. We are grateful to Dr. De Bie and the Consistory that we are able to continue this much needed after school program right here in our backyard. For more information, contact Amelia Tartaglia, Coordinator at atartaglia@qcc.cuny.edu or 718-279-0279. Jacqueline Montgomery Director, Queensborough Community College Kids & Teens College, the Afterschool Academy, Disabilities Program