First Things A Newsletter of the First Reformed Church, Schenectady, New York March, 2017 Ash Wednesday Service March 1 Have you ever wondered what Lent is, or why people give up things during this season? Perhaps you are new to the idea of Lent, and curious about how it might deepen your spiritual life. You are invited to begin your Lenten journey with a special worship service on Wednesday, March 1 at 7pm in the sanctuary. With notice, we offer childcare during this service and all Lenten activities. Wednesdays During Lent March 8 April 15 Cookies & Conversations 6:30pm Meet and greet in the sanctuary before class begins. Lenten Classes 7pm Our traditional five-week study offering four classes. Evening Worship 8pm A quiet service at the end of the evening led by Daniel Carlson. Wednesday Lenten Classes March 8 April 15, 7pm FRC will hold four different classes on the five Wednesdays of Lent. Because of the construction, we will serve light refreshments instead of a dinner. Here is a preview of studies offered: Justice Documentary FRC member Wales Brown has planned a study on the documentary film The 13 th [Amendment], which investigates the growth and effects of mass incarceration in our country. Wales will show the film in three parts and lead challenging discussions. History Class Historian Dr. Richard Rose will lead a study entitled The Other Side of the Story, examining the extreme hardships that have been faced by Asian-Americans and describe profiteering in the slave trade outside US borders. He will then spend two weeks on the Native American experience, dispelling myths and exploring the lives of 20 th and 21 st century American Indian people. The final week will focus on the present day and our future, exploring options and going forward. Religion Covenanter the Rev. Jonathan Vanderbeck will lead a five-week exploration of the work On Being Liked: From Shame to Celebration, This course will be using the work of Fr. James Alison, a gay Catholic priest, to unpack the question, What if God doesn t just love us, but actually LIKES us? This course will focus on affirmation of LGBTQ people and is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about that community. Go to https://tinyurl.com/onbeingliked for a more detailed course description. Ukulele for Lent Jamie Ipsen invites everyone ages 8-98 to learn how to play songs on the ukulele to get ready' for Easter. This little instrument will bring joy to your day. No prior experience is needed. If you have a ukulele please bring it. If you do not own one, we have some for you to use. Please register with the church office so we can prepare enough materials. Contact Jamie Ipsen with any questions. The Lenten Devotional booklet prepared by First Reformed members will be available on Sunday, February 26, and at the Ash Wednesday service of worship. Sunday Morning Lenten Devotional Discussion Join us Sunday mornings in Lent at 9am in the Poling Conference room to share about what devotional writing/s in the 2017 Lenten Devotional Booklet moved us in the past week and how and perhaps why, as we grow in our faith and in our understanding of foundational texts in the Christian tradition. Convener: Norma Brown.
Music & Worship Avery Presents: Combined Choir on March 3 On Friday, March 3 at 7pm (sanctuary), we will be presenting a program of choir music with the combined choirs of First Reformed Church and St. Thomas Church. The choirs will be directed by Julie Panke, Nelly Brown Bunk accompanied by Jessica Lawrence (trumpet) and Avery Tunningley. This is a great chance for our two faith traditions to share an evening of unity, fellowship, and music in a range of styles with an emphasis on Lenten selections. Please join us for an evening of great music. There will be a free will offering and a reception will follow. WORD Service March 10 This second Friday service features stories of life, of faith, and of the imagination. We feature tales from our writer s group and usually a visiting regional storyteller. In March, we will feature Abby Norton on the theme of enthusiasm. Start at 7pm. New Members Class Interested in a closer relationship with this congregation? Bill Levering will lead a membership orientation meeting March 5. It includes a tour of the church and a chat about who we are. It lasts 90 minutes and is held in the church office at 3pm on the first Sundays of October through May. Mardi Gras Vespers March 5 Jazz Vespers will take us down to New Orleans to celebrate Mardi Gras. The music will be provided by clarinetist Skip Parsons, who leads the Riverboat Jazz Band, which specializes in music that comes directly from the early days of jazz in the Crescent City. Joining Skip in such traditional New Orleans tunes as "Bourbon Street Parade," "Basin Street Blues," and "When then Saints Go Marching In" will be his longtime band mates Ken Olsen on trombone, Crick Diefendorf on banjo, Tim Coakley on drums, Pete Toigo on bass. This vespers promises to be a particularly joyous one, so make it a point to be there at 5pm on March 5 when we celebrate Mardi Gras. Drop In for Sunday Anthem For singers who cannot make it to regular Thursday night Chancel Choir rehearsals, you are welcomed and encouraged to join us on Sunday morning to sing anthems which may be familiar to you. We start at 9am in the Sanctuary. Here are the March titles: Mar 5: Lord Jesus, Think on Me (Healey) Mar 12: I Lift Mine Eyes (Williams) Mar 19: The Falconer (Fedak) When Rooks Fly Homeward (Baynon) Mar 26: Good Shepherd, May I Sing Thy Praise (Walker) First Forum After Worship After worship most Sundays at 11:15am in Poling Chapel we gather to learn about new ideas and existing efforts. We welcome suggestions for programs. Contact: Amy Brule 785-8201, Peggy King 370-1885, or Joe Doolittle 384-1700. Mar 5: Save Lives Suicides - Director of (AFS) American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Laura Marx Mar 12: FRC Youth Group Work Camp Report, Rev. Stacey Midge Mar 19: Creation Care Commitments, Rev. Daniel Carlson Mar 26: Visiting Methodist Pastor from Italy. Italy and USA: Two Countries Without Reformation, But. Rev. Antonio Lesignoli Sunday Refreshments Scaled Back For about a year, there will be a few changes in refreshments around Sunday morning worship. Dirck Romeyn room will house treats and beverages and you will find the hearty aroma of coffee wafting from the back of the sanctuary. Lacking a dishwasher and storage, responsible paper products will be used for the duration. We ask folks to bring items on a disposable plate and drop them off on the table in Dirck Romeyn room. NEW procedure for after-service snacks: NO signups, NO need to feed the 5,000 going forward please feel inspired to bring in ONE plate of goodies on a disposable plate and drop off in the Dirck Romeyn room. For Easter it can be a bit more special if you like.
Groups Horizons Bible Study The Horizons Bible study group will meet at 10am on Tuesdays in the Dirck Romeyn room. Anyone interested is welcome to participate. Contact Peg Miller for more information. Evening Circle The Evening Circle will not be meeting until April 19. Short-Short Writing Group The FRC Short-Short Writing Critique Group meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 7pm. Short- Shorts include fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, essays, and travel pieces told in 1,000 words or less. The group s mission is to help one another improve as writers. Tuesday Ladies The Tuesday Ladies meet every third Tuesday of the month in the home of Connie Young, 1400 Keyes Avenue at 7pm. All ladies welcome to chat and get to know each other. Hope to see you then. Next meeting will be on March 21, Please call Connie at 393-7061 if you have any questions or for more information. Group V Group V women's group will meet in the Dirck Romeyn room on Monday March 6 at 11am. We will discuss the Lenten programs that are offered this season. Call Maria Todd with Questions. Group VII Our next meeting will be on Friday, March 17 at 10am in the Dirck Romeyn Room. Any questions, contact Connie Young at 393-7061. Out To Lunch Bunch Without a kitchen, the our Fellowship Luncheons are starving and the TLC Lunch Bunch propose to combine forces. We will gather at Puzzles Bakery and Café at 515 State Street on the last Friday of the month, which is March 31, at noon. Puzzles strives to raise autism awareness by providing exposure and understanding of autism spectrum disorders. Let's support their efforts. If you re on board, contact Gay at 399-0499 or overdoo@msn.com or just show up with a smile, a bit of $$, and a wish to do some good. Faith Bookshop Heritage, Bookshop, Library: during renovations, one room fits all. It's located between the Dirck Romeyn room and the Church Street church door, so it's easy to browse after Sunday service. You'll find churchrelated items for sale, some library books for circulation and church history information. On the desk, there are yellow forms for ordering books at a 30% discount through librarian, Ruth Roinos. The Bookshop committee is also pleased to announce that Christina Jones has taken over as chair. Men s Breakfast Hears Brewer Bill Kenneally The Men's Breakfast group will meet on Saturday, March 11 at 8am and take advantage of a gracious invitation from the Men s Group at First Reformed Church of Scotia. The guest speaker is Bill Kenneally is a retired Price Chopper legal Counsel, a member of the West Glenville Reformed Church and a partner at Wolf Hollow Brewery. His topic, Faith, Community, and a Brewery. Wolf Hollow began in West Glenville as a small, community brewery with a mission of staying true to the community from which it springs. You ll recall we visited Wolf Hollow in September 2015 soon after it opened. All are welcome to join us for fellowship and discussion in Brink Hall. Enter the Christian Education Building and take a right. A light breakfast buffet will be available. So we have an approximate number for planning purposes, please sign up on the bulletin board in the Education Wing or call or email Gene Rowland 250-4302; rowland.gene2@gmail.com or Joe Doolittle 588-2801; aldenjoe@nycap.rr.com Stitch Group Our church stitch group meets every Thursday at 10am in Poling Conference room. Work on whatever project you have. For more info, contact Joan Lindsay, 399-3153.
Justice Action Committee Nevertheless, she persisted have become famous words used to silence Elizabeth Warren on the Senate Floor. What is important to you? What are you willing to speak out for? We cannot become complacent. There are many ways we as individuals can put Justice in Action. Look for events in March, and during Wednesday s Lenten Series. Learn more about issues you are passionate about and find ways to make a difference in our local community. Tell us what you are doing and we will help to get the word out. How do you show Justice in Action? Contact Consistory Members Liz Mastrianni lzmastro@gmail.com or Jeanne Shoulder jmshoulder@hotmail.com. We meet the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 6:30pm, before Consistory meetings, but as Joe Doolittle stated we are a Virtual Committee.we notify each other of events and actions we can participate in, as we are called to Do Justice. Give Easter Memorial Flowers Each Easter, members of Chancel Guild adorn our church with beautiful Easter flowers. Your family can contribute to remember a loved one or honor a loved one. Please send your suggested donation of $20 to Chancel Guild c/o Marlene Risseeuw, 2140 Niskayuna Dr., Niskayuna, NY 12309 and contact the church office with the name of the person the flowers are in honor or memory of. Even if you have donated in previous years, please place an order by April 7. Moving Experiences We are in a time of transition in our congregation, so there are few things that will be different for the next year: We will be having a scaled back coffee fellowship after worship. Coffee will not be available in Assembly Hall before the service, but will be in Dirck Romeyn room and the Narthex. The most commonly available restrooms on Sunday mornings will be the ones down the steps in the Narthex. Food and Clothing Donations Behind the door to the bookshop are two plastic bins with lids marked food and clothing. Leave your donations in the appropriate bin. Contact Bill Clock at 641-2585 if you bring in a big donation. March Preacher Forum Vespers at 5pm 5 Bill Levering Save Lives Suicides - Director of (AFS) American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Laura Marx Mardi Gras- Skip Parsons, clarinet; Ken Olsen, trombone; Crick Diefendorf, banjo; Tim Coakley, drums; Pete Toigo, bass; 12 Bill Levering FRC Youth Group Work Camp Report, Rev. Stacey Midge Scott Bassinson, piano 19 Bill Levering 26 Bill Levering Creation Care Commitments, Rev. Daniel Carlson Visiting Italian Pastor: Christianity in Italy and USA Peg Delaney, piano; Bill Delaney, bass; Tom D'andrea, drums Azzaam Hameed, piano
Creation Care Corner "Speak the truth. Speak it loud and often, calmly but insistently, and speak it, as the Quakers say, to power. Material accumulation is not the purpose of human existence. Not all growth is good. The environment is a necessity, not a luxury. There is such a thing as 'enough'" --Donnella Meadows Visiting Pastor Antonio Lesignoli at Forum March 26 Meet our visiting Italian pastor Antonio Lesignoli. Born in Parma, Italy on February 13, 1969, he married Maddalena Bochicchio in 2002. Anotnion studied at the Waldensian Seminary in Rome and the William Booth Training College in London. Antonio was commissioned as a Salvation Army Officer in July 2005 and served in Ariano Irpino, Naples, and Milan. He then served Methodist churches in Piedmont and now in Cremona and Piacenza. He is visiting our congregation for two months to learn about progressive American Christianity. Email him at alesignoli@chiesavaldese.org Youth Youth Group This month's service project is decorating and packing spring bags for children who use the SICM Emergency Food Pantry. We will meet on March 26 after the worship service in the Mezzanine. All youth in grades 6-12 are invited, and lunch will be provided. Please consider bringing items to donate as listed in the SICM Spring Bags announcement. Sunday School and Children s Music All Children s Sunday school and Music Classes have moved to the Walton House near the church office. For everyone's safety, parents must sign out their child upon pickup. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Shannon Kerwin or Jamie Ipsen 399-6848. Learn to play the Ukulele: Each Sunday: 9am-9:55am Church School: K-8, after the Children s Message Childrens Music: Kirk Ringers, Singers, Orff: 11:15am 12pm Camp Fowler Registration is Open! Yes, it is already that time, so be sure 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. "I Will Be With You..." What a comfort it can be to have a caring friend will to walk with you through troubling times. A Stephen Minister can be that person. If you, or someone you love, is going through a difficult time in life, contact one of our Stephen Leaders, Rev. Daniel Carlson, Maria Todd, Joanne Arnold, Lisa Ettkin. They will help you find the care to need. Archives and Historical Concerns We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new display cabinets for the Heritage Room, located by the Dirck Romeyn Room entrance. The delivery is expected mid-march. Our first exhibit will focus on images of Easter as depicted in the bibles in our Archives. We are looking for suggestions for future exhibits. Please find a committee member and tell us what you're interested in seeing. The Archives Committee will be supporting the Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region's 16th annual conference being held at SCCC March 24 and 25.
Mission Schenectady Inner City Ministry Help the Youth Group After Church March 12 SICM is assembling spring bags for children who use the Emergency Food Pantry. The FRC Youth Group will be decorating and assembling bags on March 12 after the worship service. Please consider donating one or more of the following items: 8"x10" gift bags, Small games/puzzles, Sidewalk chalk, Yo-yos, Jump ropes, Bubbles, Coloring books and crayons, Craft supplies, Small outdoor games, Healthy snacks (100% fruit snacks, granola bars, etc.)there is a donation box available in the office for these items, which must be dropped off by March 26. Notes from Roots and Wisdom Covenanter Chris Li I'm very excited to tell you that we have started planting our first seeds of the season at Roots & Wisdom. So far we have scallions, onions, leeks, kale, parsley, and celery started indoors under a grow light. It won't be long until the ground warms up, and we are transplanting our seedlings outside. At this time, we have also opened signups for Harvest Share, a program run by the youth who work for Roots & Wisdom. Harvest Share members receive a selection of vegetables from our garden every week, starting in June and lasting through September. All proceeds go back into supporting Roots & Wisdom. I will be visiting the church on March 5; for anyone who is interested in learning more about Harvest Share or Roots & Wisdom in general, I will be more than happy to answer questions at that time. Have a wonderful month and see you soon. Covenanter Update from Jonathan Vanderbeck This past month has been busy between the amazing mission trip to Philadelphia with our youth and overseeing Trinity Reformed Church, and also having the opportunity to preach at FRC again. This coming month, I ll be leading an adult education course for Lent on sexuality; take note of the longer article on Lenten activities for more information. Also, SAVE THE DATE on Friday, March 24 at 6:30pm, I will be presenting a benefit concert for Room for All, titled A Night with Elton Jonathan. I ll be using the music of Sir Elton John to tell my own story of how I came to be a minister. Marilyn Paarlberg, Executive Director of Room for All will also give a brief presentation. This is a free event, with donations collected at the end of the show. RSVP to (616) 822-3644 or RevJonathan16@gmail.com to reserve your seat!
Senior Moments -Bill Levering So much is going on in the country, in the church, and in the vibrant life of our community. I have no doubt that you who are reading this also have had your own challenges and joys that add to the mix. We sometimes come to worship looking for a breath of peace from our overwhelming lives and may be annoyed that often the challenge of God just adds to the demands of life. I ll bet a few of you even get to this column because all the events and opportunities in this newsletter are more than you can integrate into your already busy life. God and the church offer challenge and comfort, but the first insight we may need to look for is which of these we need right now. Lent is the time of reflection when we come to God with our own individual and collective brokenness, seeking comfort and courage to face it. This is within the context of God s ultimate triumph in Easter. Much like our faith in the essential quality of the values our country will get us through periods of arrogance and injustice, our understanding of the power of God will get us through the tough business of the scatteredness of our disconnected lives. Communities of support and action are the vehicles for this hope. It is remotely possible that winter will end. Come in from the cold and join us in the community of hope. Johnson Library Starting on February 28, the Johnson Library will have a shelf of circulating books in the bookstore s temporary home in the Heritage Room. The first books you will find there are a selection of books from our Lenten and Easter collection. We will also be adding new books as we process them. Please Park in Our Lots Our Stockade neighbors like it if we try to park in our lots so that they can use the precious street parking. This will be even more important during construction. Classis Assessment Sometime soon you will be receiving a letter about our Classis assessment. We are currently assessed $93.99 a member to keep the denomination and its mission going. It's a lot, but we don't mind since it keeps us together nationally. It s sort of a franchise fee per member. Update on the First Futures Building Campaign Every Tuesday, a dedicated group of people meet to bring our plans for news spaces to fruition. At a recent meeting Bill Rochelle, Peter Ontkush, Art Casey, Fred Daniels, Brandon Stabler, Gary Nelson, Ralph Rosenthal, Larry Wilson, Sarah Raymond, and Bill Levering gathered to shape our final proposal and move to pick our general contractor. The bids came in a bit higher than we expected and the consistory will need to wrestle with the balance of new funding and/or cutting something back. We are within about 15% of being all settled. We want to thank everyone for keeping up on the building contributions and encourage those who have been waiting to see how it is going to jump on board. April 10-16 April 9 Palm Sunday April 13 Maundy Thursday April 14 Good Friday April 16 Easter Sunday
First Reformed Church 8 North Church Street Schenectady, NY 12305 (518) 377-2201 1stReformed@gmail.com www.1strereformed.com Address Service Requested Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Albany, NY Permit No. 736 March Birthdays March 2017 1 John Assini 2 Tom Burgoyne Lynn Wilkanowski 3 Sandy Moynihan 4 Audrey Bain 5 Rachel Bickauskas Joseph Gotwals Anders Ipsen 7 Karlyne Drimalas 10 Gabriella Pizzolo 11 Alexis Wisniewski 12 Wallace Graham Frances Lapham Diana Wahid 13 Joanne Arnold 14 Phillip Falconer Elizabeth Mastrianni Dottie Potochnik Kathryn Rose 15 Mary Jewett Deborah Tucker 16 Linnea D Andrea 17 Judy Arthur Bill Rochelle, Jr 18 Analine Hicks Chris Van Oort Audrey Mason 19 Greg Burgoyne Ryan Brazee 20 Anna Ipsen Christine Shultes 22 Brittany Rickard 23 Melinda Blinckmann 25 Gerald Myers 26 Elyne Schulte Justine Pierce Karen Nydegger 27 Richard Arthur Ruth Bergeron Jessica Rowe 28 Nancy Davidson 29 Robert Allen Peter Ontkush 30 Kerry Merchant Carol Schweizer Jayne Steubing Linda Ward 31 Alesha Breitenbach Chad Greskovich Laura Mason Every Sunday Choir Rehearsal, 9am Ukelele Practice, 9am Worship, 10am Church School, 10:15am Refreshments, 11am Kirk Ringers/Singers, 11:15am Forum, 11:15am Vespers, 5pm Weekly Monday: Men s News Group, 9am Klokken Tower Ringers, 7pm Tuesday: Morning Prayer, 10am Horizons Bible Study, 10am Wednesday: Kerygma, 9:30am Thursday: Bible Bunch, 7:30am Stitch Group, 10am Ensemble, 7:30pm Chancel Choir, 7:30pm Monthly Meetings Group V, 1 st Mon., 11am Support & Care, 1 st Tues., 11:30am Writers Group, 1 st & 3 rd Tues., 7pm Consistory, 2 nd Tues., 7:30pm Tues. Ladies, 3 rd Tue., 7pm Archives, 2 nd Wed., 1pm Stephen Ministry, 3 rd Thurs., 7pm Group VII, 3 rd Fri., 10am Avery Presents, 1 st Fri., 7pm Word Service, 2 nd Fri., 7pm New Member Class, 1 st Sun., 3pm Upcoming Events 3: Avery Presents 5: New Members Class 6: Group V 8: Archives 10: Word Service 11: Men s Breakfast 14: Consistory & Committees 16: Stephen Ministry 17: Group VII 21: Tuesday Ladies 31: Out To Lunch Bunch