The Old Man s News A Newsletter from Mt. Sinai Congregational Church, UCC December 2017 Celebrate the Season of Advent at our 8:30 am and 10:00 am Worship Services The First Sunday of Advent, December 3rd Longing for Light The Second Sunday of Advent, December 10th Longing for Peace The Third Sunday of Advent, December 17th Longing for Food The Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 24th Longing for Shelter 8:30 am - Communion Worship Service There will be no Sunday School so that families may worship together. Christmas Eve Worship Services, Sunday December 24th 5:00 pm Children and Families 9:00 pm Candlelight Service 11:00 pm Candlelight Service Contact Us Mt. Sinai Congregational Church United Church of Christ 233 North Country Road Mt. Sinai, NY 11766 Phone: 631-473-1582 Fax: 631-474-0556 Rev. Ronald Wood ronaldfwood@icloud.com Mary Larson, Licensed Minister mary_larson@optonline.net George Moravek, Organist masqued88@optimum.net Caroline Lavopa, Christian Education Director clavopa@optonline.net Jennifer Piccolo, Church Administrator mscc1@optonline.net Find Us Online Email If you want to be added to our email list, email mscc1@optonline.net Website www.mtsinaichurchli.org
Where does your passion for serving your church fit in our new structure? Not all options require a full-year commitment, so join your new church council at coffee hour after worship on Sunday 12/17 for answers and opportunities! Do you think you d like to plan worship services? you d like to read Scripture? you d like to decorate the worship space for Epiphany? Lent? Easter? Pentecost? Another season? you d like to serve Communion? you d enjoy greeting people at the door and helping them feel comfortable being in church? you d enjoy speaking with parents of babies to be baptized? you d like to help plan or contribute to the musical experience during worship? Then you should visit the Worship and Sacraments Ministry Board s table. Would you like to teach a Bible or other book study? help plan an all-church retreat? meet and mentor visitors or new members? join the Caring Ministry? teach Sunday School or create a youth program? go with the youth on a retreat or work camp experience? work with others on the Holiday Bazaar, the Barn Sale, or other fundraiser? plan a progressive dinner or some other adult fellowship event? revive the chicken barbecue? work with someone on the Social Justice Board to plan a program for youth or adults about race and privilege? Then you should visit the Congregational Nurture Ministry Board s table. Maybe you d like to go to the General Synod of the UCC, or the NY Conference annual meeting; help with food drives, join the food pantry crew, oversee the church emergency food pantry; join up with the Sunshine Center work crew, participate with other churches to solve immigration, be on hand when disaster strikes and neighbors need shelter, help with school supplies, mitten tree, or Easter basket drives; work on civil and human rights issues, including Open and Affirming actions and race/privilege issues; be feet on the ground when the call goes out to be Christ in the world; Then you should visit the Social Justice Ministry Board s table.
Do you think work closely with others in non-ordained staff review process? create and administer the personal policy for the church? collaborate with the finance board on salary decisions for non-ordained staff? work with others to identify board leaders and action team coordinators when vacancies occur? serve as a sounding board for the minister and congregation in support of both? Then you should visit the Personnel Ministry Board s table. Perhaps you d be interested in working with others in caring for the church building, the parsonage, and the grounds for each; helping to administer the church s endowment funds; designing and carrying out stewardship campaigns to help God s people to grow in their faith through their gifts to the church; counting the offering on a few Sundays each year; working with others to direct and coordinate the church s financial activities; serve as an auditor at the end of the fiscal year to evaluate the church s financial records; Then the Finance Ministry Board s table is one you d want to visit. Please note that food will be available at each board s table, so please feel free to visit each board and sample its offering of refreshments to enjoy and opportunities to serve our beloved Mt. Sinai Congregational Church! Hemidemisemiquavers By George Moravek And the season approaches! Anyone that would like to join the choir for the Christmas season is more than welcome. We are in special need of tenors and basses but all are welcome. We rehearse on Thursday evenings and rehearsals are lots of fun. Some read music well and some not as well, so don t feel intimidated. Everyone in the choir loves to have new people sing and any and all voices are needed. We are singing several of our favorites for advent. Child of Peace, Child of Hope has a simple melody and words that announce that grace and truth have been realized through the birth of Jesus. I Hear the Prophet Callin is sort of a county style anthem similar to Down to the River to Pray. Melanie will sing the solo in this also. We have done Almost There for the last two years and will be singing it again this year by popular request. Christmas Eve there will be much music and we will have returning college students Max Hanks and Cara Navaretta joining us. It is always a lot of work for the choir and me, but I love every second of this special holiday. Also, those of you that attended the last Three Village Chamber players loved the concert. They will be back Sunday afternoon January 14 at 4:00 pm for another wonderful concert. Please mark this date on your calendar and BRING FRIENDS!.
Special Meeting of the Congregation The Executive Council has called a special meeting for Sunday, January 7th after the 10 am service. The purpose of the meeting is to install church officers for 2018 and to vote on the proposed 2018 budget. Childcare will be extended. All are encouraged to attend! BOCO - Christmas Fund Offering - We will be collecting offerings during the month of December for the Christmas Fund. Your contribution to the Christmas Fund provides direct financial assistance to retired and active united Church of Christ authorized ministers and lay employees and their surviving spouses. Including, pension and health premium supplementation, emergency assistance and Christmas thank you checks. This is a ministry of the Board of Pensions. Board of Christian Outreach - BOCO The Mitten Tree - The Board of Christian Outreach (BOCO) will have the Mitten Tree in Voorhees Hall in December. Your donations of mittens, hats, gloves, scarves, socks, gift cards and NEW Unwrapped toys for infants, children and teens will be going to the Long Island Council of Churches in Riverhead. Please visit the tree and take a card for your donation. Thank you. BOCO would also like to thank the following businesses that made generous donations to our annual fall dinner dance. Please give them a special Thank You when you are at their store. Amazing Olive, Brian s Aquarium, Bridgeport & Port Jeff Steamboat Company, Brooklyn Bagels, Café Spiga, George s Kitchen, Ritual Wellness & Laser Spa, Rocky Point Haircutters, Savino s Hideaway Restaurant, Spring Lake Golf Club, Town & Country Market, Vivid Image Salon and Power House Gym. Board of Christian Outreach (BOCO) Island Heart Food Pantry Serving our Community Adults Children Over 60 Total Families October 2017 671 458 143 1272 351 Christmas Caroling- Our annual event will be held on December 17 th at 5:00 pm. There will be sign up sheets in Voorhees Hall. Everyone is welcome to join us. If you can, bring a dessert to share afterward. There will be hot chocolate and hot apple cider out and waiting. If you have any questions, please call Mary Larson at the office or email her at mary_larson@optonline.net.
Christmas Poinsettias Order Form Christmas Holiday Order Form Due at church office no later than Tuesday, December 12 (no exceptions) PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY!! Name & Phone # In MEMORY of In HONOR of Christmas Poinsettias ($10 each) Emergency Assistance Fund Island Heart Food Pantry Long Island Council of Churches Dream Fund (Endowment Fund) General Fund Total $
Amazon Smile - Did you know that Amazon will donate.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon- Smile purchases to Mt. Sinai Congregational Church whenever you shop on AmazonSmile? AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Same products, same price, same service. You can also easily shop Amazon by clicking the Amazon button on the right side of our church website. Happy Shopping!
The Men s Breakfast Group - Come be a part of the Men's Breakfast group. The group meets on alternative Wednesdays* starting at 7:30 a.m. at George's Kitchen located at 175 Sound Beach Blvd in Sound Beach across from the Fire Department. It is a buy-your-own event where men enjoy a range of low calorie (mainly oatmeal) to a host of higher calorie breakfasts. We have a motto, What happens at the Men's Breakfast stays at the Men's Breakfast. Need we say more? There is no fixed agenda but conversation flows freely. Come join us. No matter who you are or what you eat you are welcome. * Since many of you sometimes forget things, your e-mail can be placed on our distribution list with a reminder of which Wednesday we are meeting. E-mail our Information Director Bob Schultz at bobschultzny@gmail.com. Coffee Talk - Everyone is invited to join us for coffee and conversation at George s Kitchen in Sound Beach on a bi-weekly basis. This is an informal "group" and we ll talk about a lot of different things depending on where the conversation leads us. For more information you are invited to contact Mary Larson at mary_larson@optimum.net Time: 9:00 am Location: Georges Kitchen in Sound Beach Dates: December 14th and December 28th Lunch Bunch Lunch Bunch will be meeting on December 13th and Hartlin s Inn in Sound Beach The Women's Lunch Bunch meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 12:00 pm. Please call Marian Andersen at 631-744-9696 if you plan on attending. We meet at different local restaurants each month. This is a buy-your-own event where you are welcome to order whatever you like. There is a lot of great conversation and getting to know new people or touching base with those you have known for years. Come and join us. Friendly Circle Monday s at 7:30 pm. Friendly Circle is an informal group of people who work on sewing, crocheting and knitting projects together and individually. They make quilts for the Holiday Bazaar and work on projects to benefit non-profits, like Church World Service. Friendly Circle meets every Monday at 7:30 pm in the Conference Room and you are invited to come down and check it out. Old Man s News Published by the Mt. Sinai Congregational United Church of Christ formerly known as The Congregational Church in the Community of Old Man's, Miller s Place & Rocky Point, established 1789. If you would like something in the church s monthly newsletter, the deadline is the 15th of every month. Please, keep in mind that your submission may be edited for content and for space. Email mscc1@optonline.net for all submissions and questions. Thank you!
There is a possibility that any events on the calendar may change throughout the month. Any changes or updates can be found in the bulletin, on the website, or announced during worship services. Weekly Meetings (Unless otherwise noted) Mondays 7:30pm Friendly Circle (Conference Room) Wednesdays 5:30pm Yoga (Studio), 7:15pm - Interfaith Meditation Group (meets in the Sanctuary) Thursdays 5:00 pm - Girl Scouts (Voorhees Hall), 7:30pm - Choir Rehearsal Fridays 9:30am - Yoga (Studio) December 1 - December 2 Saturday 6:00pm - Messy Church Christmas December 3 - December 9 Sunday 8:30am Worship Service 9:00am - BOCE meeting 10:00am Communion Worship Service and Sunday School Monday 7:00pm - Course in Miracles (Studio) Tuesday 7:00pm BOCO meting (Conference Room) Wednesday 7:30am - Men s Breakfast (George s Kitchen) Thursday 4:30pm - Staff meeting (Jenn s House) Saturday 9:00am -- Deacons Hanging the Greens (Sanctuary) December 10 - December 16 Sunday 8:30am Worship Service 10:00am Worship Service and Sunday School Tuesday 7:00pm Deacons Meeting (Room 10) 7:00pm - Trustees (Conference Room) Wednesday 12:00pm - Lunch Bunch (Hartlin s Inn) Thursday 9:00am Coffee Talk (George s Kitchen) 6:30pm - Youth Group December 17 - December 23 Sunday 8:30am Worship Service 10:00am Worship Service and Sunday School 11:00am - New Board information tables at coffee hour 5:00pm - Christmas Caroling Monday 9:00am Wedding (Sanctuary) Wednesday 7:30am - Men s Breakfast (George s Kitchen) Saturday 7:30pm Songwriters Showcase December 24 - December 31 Sunday 8:30am Worship Communion Service 5:00pm Christmas Eve Children and Families Service 9:00pm - Christmas Eve Candlelight Service 11:00pm - Christmas Eve Candlelight Service Tuesday 7:00pm Executive Council meting (Conference Room) Thursday 9:00am Coffee Talk (George s Kitchen) 6:30pm - Youth Group Saturday 7:00pm - Songwriters Showcase Sunday 8:30am Worship Service 10:00am Welcome Sunday Worship Service and Sunday School 8:00pm - Songwriters Showcase News Year Eve (Voorhees Hall)