THE OPEN DOOR

The Briarcliff Congregational Church 30 South State Road, PO Box 290, Briarcliff Manor, New York 10510

914-941-4368 www.briarcliffchurch.org

“Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.” Revelation 3:8

Volume 65 Number 6 March 2013

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

HEIM CONCERT 2

SERMON TALK BACK 2

MODERATOR’S REPORT 2

HOLY WEEK CALENDAR 3

WOMEN’S SOCIETY 3

PEACE CORPS SUNDAY 4

NOTES FROM FIMI 4

BRIARCLIFF BUILDERS 5

PRAYERS 5

CELEBRATIONS 6

GRIEF & HEALING 6

MARCH CALENDAR 7

Dear Good People of Briarcliff Church,

Yesterday, on the first Sunday of Lent, I preached a sermon in which I

remembered an old friend, Lydia Rhodes. Lydia and I were best buddies

through the first year of our graduate work, undertaken as it was at Union

Seminary in NYC. It was the day’s text, “A wandering Aramaen was my

ancestor…” (Dt. 26:1-11) that brought my old friend to mind because she had

made such uncommon sense of it as we both studied our way through the

Hebrew scriptures forty years ago. Truthfully, I suspect I’ll never ever read

those verses without thinking of Lydia’s interpretation.

Regrettably, Lydia is now just a memory to me. After some illness, she

eventually dropped out of seminary, and over the years since we’ve lost touch.

But as I prepared Sunday’s message, memories of our friendship flooded back

and I’ve been newly thankful for how many and precious the gifts she brought

were to me. I miss Lydia and I wish I could tell her how, even now, I wish she

was still my pal.

Tell a friend how important they are to you. Tell them what gifts they bear.

Tell them you love them and would be impoverished without them. Tell them

how they enhance your experience of the lovely and good. Tell them clearly

they’re God’s blessing in your life. Tell them how grateful you are for

everything the two of you share … and how you don’t ever want to lose them.

If you must have a reason, think of it as a Lenten discipline. Surely, the Gospel

teaches, “No greater love hath anyone than to lay down one’s life for a friend.”

Thankful for your friendship,

The Rev’d Dr. Bonnie Rosborough, Pastor

SAVE THESE DATES

MARCH

2 Heim Concert

9, 23 Grief Workshop

18 Church Council

19 Men’s Fellowship

APRIL

6 Grief followup

7 NOLA Mission Report

11 Women’s Society

12 Choral Festival

14 Laity Sunday

21 Moving Sunday

27 Rummage Sale

Contact Us At:

rosborough@

briarcliffchurch.org

AND

church-office

@briarcliffchurch.org

2

THE BRIARCLIFF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

is proud to present

SAMBELEZA

TIM MORAN WOODWINDS, GUEST ARTIST

JEFF FULLER BASS

NANNY ASSIS PERCUSSION

ISABELLA MENDES PIANO/VOCAL

Works by A.C. Jobim, Baden Powell, Mauricio Einhorn,

Carlos Lyra, Joao Donato and others

PIANIST “DR. JOE”

UTTERBACK

Playing jazz standards from the

Great American Song Book, Broadway,

Blues, Spirituals and Hymn Tune Improvisation

SATURDAY, MARCH 2, 2013, 7:30 P.M.

30 SOUTH STATE ROAD, BRIARCLIFF MANOR, NEW YORK

914-941-4368 WWW.BRIARCLIFFCHURCH.ORG

WINE AND CHEESE RECEPTION FOLLOWING THE CONCERT

ADMISSION FREE DONATIONS WELCOME

CONCERT MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEIM

MEMORIAL MUSIC FUND

SERMON TALK BACK

Sundays following worship in the Minister’s Study

(March 3rd, 17th and 24th)

Have you ever wanted to go deeper with

something the preacher has raised in a sermon and

been frustrated that there’s not more opportunity

to do that? Or have you wanted to contest

something that’s been suggested? Or, perhaps,

something’s not been clear and you’d like to

explore an idea further. Or, maybe you’d like to

know how on earth the preacher came to

understand the day’s texts in the way she did.

There are lots of reasons for SERMON TALK

BACK, an opportunity to meet with the preacher

of the day and get your two-cents in. We’ll meet

following worship in the Minister’s Study

(Bonnie’s office) where, courtesy of the Deacons,

refreshments also will be available. Won’t you join

the conversation?

MODERATOR’S REPORT

At January’s Church Council meeting (which

was actually held on February 4 due to weather)

those present had a lively discussion about the

mission and purpose of our Church. This

flowed out of Bonnie’s insight during her

sabbatical study that successful churches seem

to have a commonly agreed upon mission and

purpose. Using a document the Deacons

developed during their retreat, we broke into

small groups and discussed what they identified

as our gifts/strengths.

The discussion is too long and too complex to

summarize here but one thing was very clear:

everyone seemed to feel that we do a poor job

communicating what we’re doing to the wider

community. We have a much improved web

site, our Church Administrator, Drea Pecor, is

eager to keep it fresh and updated, but people

are not sending her pictures and written

material to enable her to do this. So please, keep

this in mind as you plan events and attend

Church functions. Send in information as to

what your committee/board is doing. Take

pictures and send them along. The members of

the Communications Committee are eager to

help. If you want someone to write something

up or take photos, speak with Tom Vincent or

John Panagacos. Along the same theme, Robyn

Wild and Drea are going to work on getting

BCC on Facebook. If we want to attract younger

people, we have to employ the information

resources they look at.

Other actions at Council were approval of

Andrew Nichols as a Junior Deacon and

appointment of Sally Lewis as Treasurer. Drea is

giving up this position so that she can devote

more time to electronic media. (See above!)

Pastor Bonnie also announced that Jo Tucker

will not continue as Youth Director.

Our next Church Council meeting will be on

March 18. It’s early this time because of Easter.

At that meeting, we will have an in depth

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discussion of the future of our youth program.

This was identified as one of the strengths of the

Church at the January meeting so you may

wonder, why do we need to talk about it? Quite

simply, the departure of Jo Tucker and the

completion of the 2013 New Orleans mission

trip make this a good time to think about what

direction this program should take in the future.

While the decision on this rests properly with

the Board of Christian Education, the youth

program is the responsibility of the whole

church and I believe that the entire church

community should have an opportunity to

express their views and ideas. I particularly

urge the young people of the church to come to

this meeting and tell us what sort of program

will best meet their needs and fit into their busy

lives. We’ll put this first on the agenda.

Our discussion at the February meeting was

greatly enhanced by the presence of people who

are not on the Church Council but took time to

participate. My hope is that this will again be

the case in March. So, things are cooking. We’re

trying to innovate and think in new ways to

enhance the future of our Church. Join in the

conversation; we need everyone’s wisdom and

experience.

Joan Austin, Moderator

HOLY WEEK AT BCC

PALM SUNDAY, March 24 Worship at 10 a.m.

MAUNDY THURSDAY, March 28

Worship at 7:30 p.m.

EASTER SUNDAY, March 31 Worship at 9:30 and 11 a.m.

WOMEN’S SOCIETY REPORT

The Women’s Society met on Valentine’s Day for

Halfway to Spring Book and Lunch Sharing. Over

twenty women attended. We joyfully celebrated

Betty Rossi’s special birthday. Our long and varied

list of favorite books will be shared with all

Women’s Society members. Our next meeting is

March 14, 2013 at 9:30 a.m. in the Eastman Room.

Katie Shields from the Cancer Support Team will

be speaking. The Cancer Support Team is a

recipient of our benevolence. After many years of

directing the majority of our funds to church

renovation projects like the Parish House kitchen

and the Eastman Room, it gave us great pleasure

to donate $5,500 to local charities and activities

that church members are engaged. In addition,

the Women’s Society donates 40% of profits from

the Rummage Sale to the Briarcliff Congregational

Church Trustees for operating expenses. This

year, the Women’s Society is giving an additional

$6,000 toward replacing the Parish House

basement floor. As you can see, the Rummage

Sale is an extremely important fundraiser for our

church. This year, Moving Sunday is April 21, 2013

followed by Rummage Week, culminating in the

Rummage Sale on April 27, 2013. If you haven’t

been involved, come. Sign up. We need you!

Keep a look out for the form to order Easter Lilies.

We depend on the generosity of friends and

members of the congregation to make our

sanctuary even more beautiful on Easter Sunday.

Celebrate the season by remembering or honoring

a person or event with a lily. The troughs outside

the church will soon be reflective of impending

spring. Look for the pansies!

Cancer Support Team

On Thursday, March 14, Judith Dobrof, Executive

Director, and Katie Shields, R.N. will present a

program about the Cancer Support Team. (see

above, Women’s Society Report) Katie Shields and

Rosalie Matsuoka worked together for six years as

hospice nurses at United Hospital in Port Chester.

For over 30 years, thousands of individuals and

families in Westchester have counted on Cancer

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Support Team. Cancer Support Team (CST) is a

unique, non-profit home care organization that

provides professional nursing, social work, and

other supportive services, free of charge, to cancer

patients and their families living in lower

Westchester County, New York. Cancer Support

Team receives a large portion of its funding from

the Swim Across America which sponsors Long

Island Sound swims and pool swims for cancer

related programs, as well as from private

donations and other fund raising efforts.

Peace Corps Sunday, March 10th

Benevolence is excited to be hosting our first-ever

Peace Corps Sunday where we will feature the

projects of BCC members Kristin Caspar and

Serena Cheung, as well as Kristin's fellow

volunteer, Charlene Espinoza. All three of these

intrepid young ladies are working in West Africa

(Kristin and Charlene in Liberia and Serena in

Benin) and have developed programs that provide

new opportunities for the women and girls of their

villages to build self-esteem and gain additional

financial independence for themselves and their

families. This is a fundraising event and all the

proceeds will be sent directly to the respective

Peace Corps volunteers in support of their

individual projects. Come see the video that

Kristin produced about the Martha Tubman

Library she has built and buy a bookmark to

support the library. Need a fabulous tote bag or

apron for Easter or Mother's Day? Charlene has

sent over Bosh Bosh (meaning multi-colored

fabric) items sewn and personally identified by her

new seamstresses. Or how about helping girls in

Benin go to summer school/camp or gain

confidence through a Spelling Bee? Serena has

created both opportunities for the young ladies in

her village.

The outreach of BCC is truly global and we hope

you will come check out these projects in Beebe

Hall during coffee hour on March 10th. Each

purchase will enrich several lives in the most basic

and fundamental way. Act locally and think

globally!

You Are Needed and Wanted!

Isn't that nice to hear? Have you often thought it

would be great to meet more people at BCC?

Wished you knew more about the Church School

or adult education programs here? Yearned to

respond in a meaningful way to help others less

fortunate? Love the music opportunities offered at

BCC and want to spread our musical gospel? The

Nominations Committee is beginning its work to

fill vacancies on the various Boards and

Committees for the 2013-2014 year beginning in

June. We will be looking for people willing to give

some time to BCC in support of our many

programs and administrative needs. Please say

YES when approached by a member of

Nominations - or let us know what your interests

and talents are so we can find a church-related fit

that is just right for you. Additionally, Joan Austin,

BCC's Moderator, will be stepping down as

required by the BCC By-Laws after four inspired

years of guidance. Nominations welcomes

suggestions, input and/or nominations of possible

candidates for this important position. Please

contact Martha Yergeau (mcyer@aol.com or 941-

5608) with your thoughts and suggestions.

NOTES FROM FIMI

We are busy making music at BCC during the

Lent season. The instrumental Quartet -- Janet

Moulton, Jan Aiello, Natalie Breuel and Alan

Pike, formed for the Talent Show in the fall, will

be playing on March 3 for our worship service.

Our Junior Choir will also be singing. The Junior

Choir and I are having a good time in our

rehearsals. These are the girls not long ago who

were in the 3-4 year old classes. Their voices are

increasingly stronger as they grow physically.

It’s such a joy to watch them grow.

On Easter four of our teens, Rachel Zieff,

Charlotte Luttkus, Dan Hickey, and Natalie

Breuel will sing and play for the family service.

The Senior Choir will sing for both services and

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the trumpet shall sound by Connor Frost. .

Looking ahead, we will have a choir festival on

Friday, April 12 at 8PM which involves five

choirs. It will be grand and I hope all will come

to enjoy. On June 2nd, the Senior Choir will be

singing the entire “Mass in G Major” by Franz

Schubert with a professional string quartet. If

anyone would like to sing with us for this event,

please see me for rehearsal schedule.

Peace,

Hui-Mei Lin, Music Director

REPORT FROM THE BRIARCLIFF

BUILDERS/BOOSTERS

Super Storm Sandy hit the East Coast just over 100

days ago. The crisis is on-going and recovery

efforts are slow. In addition to FEMA, two of the

more active relief groups in NYC have been

Occupy Sandy, and NYCares, where 3 of worked a

month ago. Barry Bosak found Occupy Sandy on

one of his trips to Brooklyn to visit family; he

delivered part of our collection of food, socks and

underwear to Sally at St. John's Episcopal Church,

almost under the Verazanno Bridge on 99th Street

in Bay Ridge. Barry is a whiz at navigating! Sally

told Barry that volunteers are needed weekdays

for KP duty! as they deliver thousands of meals to

Sandy-effected neighbors. NO professional

experience is needed. Just show up, 9 - 3pm daily

and she will put us to work! So, we are planning a

trip to St. John's on Wednesday, February 27.

Meet at the church at 8am. We plan to take along

some bulk food for their use, like 20# bags of rice.

We are looking for a Saturday in March to

volunteer with NYCares - perhaps March 9 or 16

for working on houses, but we are waiting for

direction from our NYCares group leader.

Thousands of thanks for all the food and socks

and underwear filling our containers. It’s a

marvelous outpouring of generosity - keep it

coming! TOM RUFFING, JEFF HARTER,

BARBARA REESE, JANE OZER and her friend,

SUSAN, GAE SAVINO, SARAH YERGEAU, ROSE

MATSUOKA, MIDGE and BARRY BOSAK, and

JOHN MICKEL have indicated their interest in

helping Sandy victims. PRAISE TLHE LORD for

you all! Call me, 417/5639 or email me at

mickelcj@aol.com if you would like to join us.

Carol Mickel

We have been praying for the following and invite you to, as well:

For those ill -

Dianne Scarcella, Geri, Mary Alenstein, Dean

Ruzich, Jack, Bruce, Janine Baker, Stephanie

Prentiss, Shirley Newman, Mary Norton,

Lorene Rosborough, Jeanne Batchelor

For those who grieve –

Family and friends of Sanra Rossman,

family and friends of Sharon Sternschein,

family and friends of William Olson, family

and friends of Roger Fulton, and Anna’s

cousin, Gregg

For those in need –

Marilyn, Nancy, the people and communities

devastated by Storm Sandy (and for people to

help in the recovery)

That we might be more aware of the poor and

ways our church could help;

Wanted - Facebook Experts

The church has begun a new program to put

up a Facebook Page and to use it with our

website to make the community aware of all

that goes on at BCC as part of a new

membership drive.

We would like to hear from anyone who

knows about Facebook or social media

communications. Please call or write the

church office.

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That healing might be possible for those suffering

in and about Newtown, Ct.;

That Syrians fleeing violence might find safe

refuge, adequate shelter and the food

they need;

For President Obama, on the occasion of his

second inauguration; and for his

administration;

That violence in our culture and world be reduced;

For our young people and their advisors in

New Orleans;

For our troops, that they be agents of peace;

For those who serve in the Peace Corps,

especially those of this parish

CELEBRATIONS

Christ is the vine, we are the branches.

We labor under the delusion that

we are isolated from other people.

The consequences are fear, suspicion and conflict -

all of which are destroying our world today.

Imagine what would happen if people were to

drop this fantasy of separateness.

What if even just the Christians were to

let go of this delusion?

What if we were to move beyond our little,

separate self to discover

our true Self, this shining sun that each of us is?

There would be a revolution.

Terence Grant The Silence of Unknowing

Happy Birthday to Harriet Olden on March 11th.

Briarcliff Congregational Church Presents

Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs “You Hem Me In, Behind and Before…”

Saturday, March 9th and 23rd, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

When we are dealing with a loved one’s death,

we often wonder where God is. We also wonder

where God is when we experience the pain of

loss. This two session workshop will cover these

and related issues.

Rev. Dr. Martha Jacobs is the author of

A Clergy Guide to End of Life Issues;

a blogger, The Huffington Post);

a Chaplain, New York Presbyterian Hospital –

Columbia Campus;

and Coordinator and Adjunct Professor,

Doctor of Ministry in Pastoral Care,

New York Theological Seminary.

This Lenten series is co-sponsored by BCC’s

Deacons and Christian Education Committee. Complimentary admission. Light refreshments.

This series is for people of all faiths.

CORRECTION: In last month’s issue of

The Open Door, we incorrectly showed

Barbara Brewster’s birthday as February 2.

It is February 27.

We’re sorry, Barbara – Happy Birthday!

BRIARCLIFF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

TEL: 914-941-4368 FAX: 914-941-1513 EMAIL: church-office@briarcliffchurch.org

MARCH 2013

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

Childcare is

available during

worship. Sunday

School meets

simultaneously.

1

2 Career Closet

9 – 11:30 a.m.

Heim Concert,

7:30 pm

3 WORSHIP

10 a.m.

Talk Back,

following

worship

4

Nominations,

7:30 pm

5

6

Deacons,

7:30 pm

7

8

9 Career Closet

9 – 11:30 a.m.

Grief & Healing

Workshop,

9:30 – 11:30 am

10 WORSHIP

10 a.m.

Peace Corps

Sunday

11

12

Benevolence,

8 pm

13

14 Women’s Society

9:30 am

15

Deadline for

April Open Door

16 Career Closet

9 – 11:30 a.m.

17 WORSHIP

10 a.m.

Talk Back,

following

worship

18

Church Council,

8 pm

19 Men’s

Fellowship,

10:30 am

Trustees,

7:45 pm

20

21

22

23 Grief & Healing

Workshop,

9:30 – 11:30 am

24 WORSHIP

10 a.m.

PALM SUNDAY

Talk Back,

following

worship Deadline for Easter

flower orders

25

26

27

28

MAUNDY

THURSDAY

Worship,

7:30 pm

29

GOOD

FRIDAY

30

HOLY

SATURDAY

31 WORSHIP

9:30 & 11 a.m.

EASTER

SUNDAY No Sunday School

Coming in April:

Sunday, April 7 ~ NOLA Mission Trip Report

Sunday, April 14 ~ Laity Sunday

Sunday, April 21 ~ Moving Sunday

Saturday, April 27 ~ Rummage Sale

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Easter Food Drive Your donation will benefit the Ossining Food Pantry

March 3 – 24th, 2013

Non-Perishable Food Donations are Welcome:

crackers, pasta, sauce, canned goods, potatoes, stuffing, beans,

rice, boxed mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, bread mixes and

applesauce, jellies, fruit and nut butters.

Please, no candy, perishable or expired food.

Donation Boxes can be found in Beebe Hall & the Sanctuary Foyer

Thank You for your healthy food donation. Hosted by the BCC/Christian Education Committee & Benevolence Committee

BRIARCLIFF

CONGREGATIONAL

CHURCH

EASTER MEMORIAL

FLOWERS 2013

If you wish to have loved ones remembered at Easter, or to give thanks

to God for the joy of life, please fill in the appropriate spaces below.

PERSON(S) MAKING THE DONATION:

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

I WISH TO HAVE THE FOLLOWING PERSON(S) REMEMBERED:

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________

_______ White LILIES $20 each = ___________________

_______ White AZALEAS at $20 each = ___________________

TOTAL ___________

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM WITH YOUR DONATION

(PAYABLE TO BCC WOMEN’S SOCIETY)

TO THE CHURCH OFFICE NO LATER THAN SUNDAY, MARCH 24TH

.

YOU MAY TAKE YOUR PLANT FOLLOWING THE

11AM SERVICE ON EASTER SUNDAY, MARCH 31ST

.