The Church Herald Stony Brook Community Church (United Methodist), Stony Brook, New York G o d s W o r k m a n s h i p For we are [God s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. ~ Ephesians 2:10 Greetings in the name of our Lord and savior, Christ Jesus! As we begin this new church year together, there is much that God is giving us to do together as the people of God in this place that we call Stony Brook Community Church. As September arrives I would like to ask us all to consider what God is calling us to do together in this year ahead. More to the point, I would like to ask you to consider in prayerful thought WHO God is calling YOU to be, or become this year? STONY BROOK COMMUNITY CHURCH 216 Christian Avenue Stony Brook, NY 11790 Chuck Van Houten, Pastor Church Office Tel: (631) 751-0574 Church E-mail: stonybrookcommunitychurch@gmail.com Pastor s Study Tel: (631) 751-0659 Church Website: www.stonybrookcommunitychurch.org Newsletter Table of Contents 1...Pastor s Letter 3...Lectionary for September 4...September Calendar 5...Council, Trustees & Music 6...Hymn / Food Pantry 7...Apple Festival 2014 8...Car Show / Texas Shelter Donations 9...The Headlong Retreat Into Childhood Partisanship Please send updates and information to Newsletter Editor, Bob Retnauer, at bobretnauer@optimum.net That is why I am asking us all, as a church, to begin something new this year. Above you will find a verse from one of my favorite of all of Paul s epistles, Ephesians. As Paul writes to the people at the church in Ephesus, he is encouraging them yes, even challenging them to embrace their true identity in Christ Jesus and thus their true calling in life (remember: All of us have a calling). Paul gets right to the point saying, For we are [God s] workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. In that single verse there are four distinct points that flow to the heart of who we are and why we are here. Have you identified what they are? On Sunday, September 14th, which is the day on which we will celebrate National Back To Church Sunday (the day after our annual Apple Festival), we will take a look at what this verse will mean for us as a community of faith and as individual followers of Christ in the months ahead. I pray you will be present on that Sunday and that you will choose to invite and encourage family, friends, coworkers, and neighbors to meet you at SBCC for worship, coffee, and friendship as we begin God s new year together. Continued on next page... NYAC VISION STATEMENT The New York Annual Conference, through the grace of God, embodies a beloved community of hope, building up a healthy Body of Christ, with heartwarmed United Methodists in mission for the transformation of the world. August 2014 1
In addition, I would also like to offer you a challenge as God s handcrafted and re-creating workmanship in the world today. I was recently reading a book by Bill Hybels. Bill is the Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois. The book of his I purchased while at The Global Leadership Summit two weeks ago is entitled Simplify: Ten Practices to Unclutter Your Soul. I d like to share one very simple, but often overlooked way to unclutter and nurture your soul in this coming year. In chapter two of this book, entitled From Overscheduling to Organized: Harnessing Your Calendar s Power, Hybels asks the question; Who do You Want To Become? Of course that is an all important question for all of us, as we are always in the process of becoming no matter what age or where we are in our lives, as our God is an ever-present, creating and re-creating God (Thanks be to God!). In saying that I am reminded of one of my favorite sayings: Who you are is God s gift to you. Who you become is your gift to God. In asking that question Who do you want to become? Hybels also talks about the importance of filling in the squares of your datebook and the priorities those squares create in your life. The truth is, as those squares get filled/written in, they represent the commitments you make for the coming weeks and months of your one life on this earth. It s an inescapable reality that what you fill those squares with will determine who you are and who you become. Hybels tells the story of a man who talked with him about his challenges and questions of faith one Sunday morning after church. Bill suggested he take an upcoming bible study in the church. The man said he would consider it. Then Bill did something he had not done before. He asked the man to take out his date book. The man took out his phone and pulled up his date book with a puzzled look on his face. Bill then invited him to schedule in the next three months worth of Sunday evenings for a specific bible study at the church. He challenged the man right then and there to commit to attending by taking the step of scheduling it into his calendar and thus making the time. And guess what? The man showed up to the first few weeks. Then about half way through when he was considering giving up, he later told Bill, that something began to click. Something began to change for him in very meaningful ways. By the end of the study, he had come to realize the profound impact that study had had on his faith life. He found that he was a believer in God, and in the goodness of the gospel he found the life changing resurrection of Christ Jesus, all because he took the simple step of filling in a box in his datebook with a study at his church. I want to challenge you to make a similarly simple yet all too easy to overlook commitment to Christ this year in your life. Get involved in God s workmanship and recreation of your life, God s nurturing and yes, even redirection of your life. Pencil in, type in, or swipe into your date book one of our upcoming studies at the church, especially Disciple Bible Study which will be offered Wednesday afternoons and evenings this coming year at SBCC. Imagine the difference that would be made in each of our lives, and in our community and church if we committed to study God s word together this year. [Please note that if there is enough interest to justify another session each week we can schedule one for another day and time.] Now, imagine what it would be like for us as a Community of Faith if we all scheduled Sunday Worship in our calendar for next Sunday, and then the Sunday after that, and the Sunday after that. Imagine how your faith, how your life, how our church, how our community would be transformed if we each made that commitment. Then imagine we made one more weekly scheduled commitment for the coming year: to invite one person to Sunday worship and fellowship each week or each month that you placed in one of those boxes on your calendar; if you committed to doing for God this year, as you seek to fulfill the workmanship of God in your life, the good works which you were created for in Christ Jesus. Will you schedule in those good works of faith, which God has already prepared for you in the year ahead? Take part in your recreation, your remaking, your becoming God s more complete work this coming year together, one week at a time. It all begins on September 14th so Mark Your Calendar! Come and get info on Sunday school, Bible studies, and what our new sermon series will be for September and October. Please know that I look forward to seeing you in the weeks ahead. In the mean time, don't forget to get involved in the SBCC annual APPLE FESTIVAL on Saturday, September 13th! What a great way to begin the New Year together as God s workmanship here on Long Island. It s going to be a big weekend. I hope to see you then. It s going to be a great year in Christ at SBCC! In the mean time, may God continue to challenge you and bless richly with the things that matter most. Yours in God s love, joy, and humor, Pastor Chuck August 2014 2
L E C T I O N A R Y F O R S E P T E M B E R 31 August Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost Exodus 3:1-15. God calls Moses from a burning bush and commissions him to collaborate in delivering the Israelites from Egyptian oppression. Romans 12:9-21. This week s focus is on being one body in Christ loving one another, respecting and forgiving one another, loving and reaching out in care to enemies, and blessing even those who persecute us. Matthew 16:21-28. Any who will be disciples of Jesus must lay claims to themselves aside, pick up a crucifix, and follow him. Exodus 3:1 15; Psalm 105:1 6, 23 26, 45c (UMH 828); Romans 12:9 21; Matthew 16:21 28 07 September Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost Exodus 12:1-14. God instructs Moses and Aaron how the people are to prepare for The Passover of YHWH and its observance throughout all generations. Romans 13:8-14. Paul exhorts the Romans to owe no one anything except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. Matthew 18:15-20. Jesus teaches how to deal with conflict between church members and promises his presence wherever two or three are gathered in his name. Exodus 12:1 14 or Psalm 148 (UMH 861); Romans 13:8 14 14 September Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost The crossing of the Red Sea in this week s reading from Exodus is a foundational story for Jews, Christians, and peoples around the world throughout human history seeking or trusting in God s power to deliver them from oppression and danger. The teaching in Matthew this week focuses on forgiveness as an indispensible practice for all Christians to offer to one another, and indeed to all people, under all circumstances always. Exodus 14:19 31; Exodus 15:1b-11, 20 21 (UMH 135); Romans 14:1 12; Matthew 18:21 35 21 September Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost We completed the readings in Romans last Sunday. Today we begin a series in Philippians. Exodus 16:2 15; Psalm 105:1 6, 37 45 or Psalm 78 (UMH 799); Philippians 1:21 30 28 September Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost Exodus 17:1 7; Psalm 78:1 4, 12 16 (UMH 799); Philippians 2:1 13; Matthew 21:23 32 August 2014 3
September 2014 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 31 5 6 1 7:00 (pm) AA Labor Day office closed 2 3 4 7:00 (pm) Finance 6:00 AA 7:30 Choir 7 11:30 Choir 1:00 Pie Making 8 9 10 11 7:00 (pm) AA 6:00 AA 12 13 Apple Festival! 14 Back to Church Sunday 15 7:00 (pm) AA 16 7:30 (pm) Church Council 17 18 6:00 AA 7:30 Choir 19 20 21 11:30 Choir 22 7:00 (pm) AA 23 7:30 (pm) Trustees 24 1:00 and 7:00: Disciple orientation 25 6:00 AA 26 27 28 29 7:00 (pm) AA 30 1 1:00 and 7:00: Disciple classes 2 6:00 AA 7:30 Choir 3 4 August 2014 4
Church Council Report The Church Council met on August 12th for our summer meeting. Committee and program reports were heard from Youth, Apple Festival, Trustees, and PAC. We reviewed the events from the last month including the well-attended church picnic, the outstanding PAC performance, and the exciting auto show. Again, thanks to the many people who worked so hard to make their special event successful! The upcoming month we have several exciting events in the life of our church. Behind the scenes the Apple Festival Committee is hard at work making sure plans are going smoothly. Be sure to check the bulletin board in the Community Room for all the sign-up opportunities! Also, the same week is our Back to Church Sunday. This is our chance to let the community know what wonderful things are going on at Stony Brook Community Church, so circle September 13th and 14th on your calendar! Trustees brought before Council a proposal regarding the Op Shop. Plans are being considered in hopes of sprucing up the building and improving the Op Shop to appeal to high school and college students as well as the current shoppers. Council decided the idea is worth pursuing. Remember, Council is open to all members of the congregation. Anyone who is interested may attend. The next meeting will be on September 16th. Trustees report Parsonage: Renovations are almost complete. New oil burner will be installed soon. Basement refinishing is nearing completion. NSMS: Estimates for new heating system are being obtained. A PE has been retained to evaluate the present system and recommend ways to improve the heating in the school building. Renovations to several classrooms are completed as well as the bathrooms. We are obligated to install CO detectors to the present fire alarm system per new regulations of Brookhaven Township. Op Shop: The Trustees have recommended to Church council a new plan for the Op Shop. It will be necessary to close the shop for a short time to do the necessary renovations. Further updates to follow. Church: New audio system to be installed this fall. Disciple Bible Study to begin on Sept.24th and will run for thirty-four weeks. Rental Properties: New leases have been signed with present tenants for the next year. Another Year of Glorious Church Music is About to Begin! After a well-deserved rest over the summer the Stony Brook Community Church choir is about to start singing again. The first rehearsal will be on Thursday, September 4 at 7:30; the following rehearsals will be either Thursday evenings or Sunday after church. All singers are welcome you do not need to know how to read music. Please speak to Joan Wingerter or Valerie Grehan for more information. Thanks very much to those whose musical gifts enriched (and are still enriching!) our summer worship: Margaret Krebs, Bill Hamilton, Henry Poor, Shannon Graham, Danny Fisher, Brianna Munch, Molly Marino, and Pastor Chuck. We are most grateful for your talents! August 2014 5
Please continue to donate food. Coram is an area with people who are hungry! They need: peanut butter, pasta, oatmeal, cereal, bread, muffin and pancake mixes, macaroni and cheese mix, canned tuna & chicken, 100% juice. ~ Rob Retnauer August 2014 6
Apple Festival 2014 The Apple Festival is fast approaching! This year the Festival will be held on September 13, guaranteeing [really!] beautiful early fall weather. This should be a wonderful day for everyone, but it does mean much organization and work has to be done at the very start of the church year. As we discovered when we considered changing the Festival s name last spring, when people think of the Festival they think of pies! Apple Pies!! Genuinely Homemade Apple Pies!!! Our pies are indeed wonderful, but they do, of course, need to be made. Please plan on coming to our Pie Making Extravaganza, September 7th at 1:00. If you haven t done this before you may be amazed at how much fun it is rather like an old-fashioned corn husking bee. Just bring your favorite knife, peeler, rolling pin, large bowl, and sense of community. Pies are definitely a highlight, but the other foods are great also. People line up for our apple fritters which we have thanks to those who make the apple fritter batter. It s easy and does not require peeling and chopping the apples: ask Pat Martin for the simple recipe. Baked goods at our bake table sell out fast: we can always use more. Please plan on baking and bringing your favorite recipe. And those famous pies taste fresh baked when they have spent the week between Pie Sunday and the Festival in someone s freezer: if you have any extra freezer space please let Beth Lunde know. Want some coffee with your apple treat? We have a wonderful big coffee pot..that unfortunately keeps blowing fuses. Anyone have a generator we can borrow for the day? We promise no hurricane will sweep through while your generator is at the Festival. And while eating your apple fritter you can wander around looking at our Attic Treasures table. This table will be filled with all the wonderful treasures you brought to the Festival (already priced!) that morning. Please start looking around for all the priceless items that no longer fit with your life style (or no longer fit in your house!). There are lots of other roles to fill to make the Festival the rousing success we all know it can be. Please sign up in the Community Room to help the church, enhance our relations with our neighbors, and have a great time. August 2014 7
10th Annual SBCC Vintage European Sports Car and Motorcycle Display At the 10th Annual SBCC Vintage European Sports Car and Motorcycle Display there were 45 cars & motorbikes, the weather was perfect, the crowds huge, the music mellow!! And a special thanks to all the SBCC volunteers who lent a hand, including Dave and Sarah Klecher, Kathy Martin, Malcolm and Waveney Bowman, Sherrill Jones, and Chuck van Houten (who graciously officially opened the show). 2014 Vintage European Sports Car Show Part I http://www.dailymotion.com/video/kglmrhqr68wvub8bmbz 2014 Vintage European Sports Car Show Part II http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k31duknubnqcw78bmcw 2014 Vintage European Sports Car Show Part III http://www.dailymotion.com/video/kqrnwxymx2keju8bmdf Clips and photos from previous shows can also be viewed on the church website. Thanks to All of Us! Thanks to all of us who donated a huge collection of children s socks and underwear to be sent to the unaccompanied children currently being held at the Brownsville Texas immigrant shelter. Our collection has been taken to the Community UM Church of Massapequa which will send it on to Brownsville. If you would like an in-kind-donation receipt for tax purposes please contact the office. August 2014 8
THE HEADLONG RETREAT INTO CHILDHOOD PARTISANSHIP By Tom Ehrich / Religion News Service When I was a child, I lived in a black-and-white world of all-this or all-that. Humankind meant my family. The world meant my neighborhood. Religion meant my church. Politics meant my father s beliefs. Oh, I was aware that more was out there, but it had little claim on my imagination or loyalties. My world was complete. There were no gray areas, no compromises, no maybes. That was a child s view, reality writ small. In time, I advanced beyond it, until the world became large, complicated and gray, with places beyond imagining, people totally unlike anyone I knew, ideas beyond anything I heard at my parents table. It s called growing up. Discovering through knowledge and experience that the little I grew up knowing wasn t enough to know. We are witnessing today a headlong retreat into the not-knowing and simplistic partisanship of childhood. Ideas that make people uncomfortable are banished. Science that calls faith into question is shouted down. Politics isn t just hardball, it s dumb-ball: I must win, at any cost, and you must lose. I am right, and you are wrong. My tribe is the only tribe that has value and rights. This is the tragic core of the partisan thinking that is tearing apart our nation and our larger world. It takes the form of religious extremism: There is no God but my God! It takes the form of nihilism in politics: better to bring the entire state down than to compromise with the evil other. It takes the form of intolerance: Take the Fox News commentator who demanded that 911 operators in Texas stop sending emergency services to anyone who can t speak English. It takes the form of maniacal greediness: Any benefit you get is money out of my pocket. In this child s landscape, everything is fragile. If refugee children are allowed in, the entire nation will be lost. If the Affordable Care Act is allowed to work, an entire ideology of government will collapse. In today s partisanship, there can be no give-and-take, no negotiation. Partisan thinking is worse than legislative gridlock. It is the victory of ignorance. All people disagree, but ignorant people go farther: They demonize the other, declare the other unworthy of consideration. Partisan thinking obsesses about winning and destroying, as if Jesus was simply wrong in saying love your enemy and the last will be first. Partisan thinking uses religion as an arsenal of weapons for attaining victory. No respect for other points of view, no humility, no learning from religion s sorry record of extremist excesses. What is the way beyond partisan thinking? First, other points of view need to insist on being heard. They need to risk ugliness in the public square. Nothing changes if those being demonized simply withdraw in splendid silence. Two sides shouting will create a lot of noise, but one side shouting leads to repression. Second, rituals of compromise need to be maintained. The sensible center needs to stay in the room, offering a more hopeful path than extremist invective, even at the cost of being labeled soft. Extremist partisans are children out of control. They need grownups in the room to remind everyone that poison in the air kills all who breathe it. Tom Ehrich / Religion News Service Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. August 2014 9