First Things A Newsletter of the First Reformed Church, Schenectady, New York July/August 2014 July 6 .......Rose Hunsberger 13 ......Chris Trombley 20 ......Bob Ridgway 27 ......Olivia Mancuso August 3…….Leah Kidwell-Fernandes, Johnny Willis 10 ......Choir, Kate & Rachel Rose 17 ......Gail Blinckmann 24 ......Helderberg Madrigal Singers 31 ......John Norton Senior Recital at FRC August 15 Olivia Cox will be presenting her Senior Recital at First Reformed Church in Poling Chapel on August 15 at 6pm. All are welcome! Each Sunday after the children’s message we will gather at Kinderwyck, where it is air conditioned and close to the after church goodies! We are looking to become a little more Bible savvy so we will play “5 Questions” each week. A pretest, followed by interactive learning (drama, music, art, games, etc.,) followed by a 100% guaranteed post test that will be given on a different Bible story each week. Everyone gets smart! We need one or two helpers (18 yrs +) to keep the program running. Call Jamie at 399-6848 if you are available even for just one week. Children ages 5- 95 are invited to attend “Spy School-VBS” August 4-8 from 3-5pm. Students will learn to decode and encode Bible verses. There will be psalm writing with invisible ink. We will speculate on what God’s fingerprints look like while we examine our own. All will become masters of disguise dressing up as our favorite Bible characters. God will be uncovered in amazing places! Healthy snacks each day! Fun guaranteed for all! Please call the church office at 377-2201 to reserve your spot. Helpers are always needed! Call Jamie at 399-6848 to volunteer. Summer Pot Lucks and Worship All those who hunger for good food and relaxed fellowship are invited to bring something edible to share on Wednesday, July 16 or August 13 at 6pm in Assembly Hall. Following dinner and cleanup, a contemplative communion service will be held in Poling Chapel at 7 for all who wish to conclude the evening with reflective, refreshing, and re-centering worship of God. No reservation required; those with questions may contact Daniel Carlson. New Committee Leadership Have a new idea? Want to cheer on a project? Here are the folks: Worship ......................... George Trimarco Adult Education ..................... Mary Jewett Archives and Historical Concerns ......................................... Caroline Welch Fellowship ................... Nancy Wainwright Finance ................................ Fred Daniels Membership ......................... Rob Dickson Mission & Benevolence.......... Peggy King Property ................................Bill Rochelle Youth Education.................. Dave Hjelmar Support and Care ............................ Vickie McGowan-Horan Creation Corner God is a friend of silence. See how nature—trees and flowers and grass— grow in silence. See the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life. --Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Transcript
First Things
A Newsletter of the First Reformed Church, Schenectady, New York July/August 2014
August 3…….Leah Kidwell-Fernandes, Johnny Willis 10 ......Choir, Kate & Rachel Rose 17 ......Gail Blinckmann 24 ......Helderberg Madrigal Singers 31 ......John Norton Senior Recital at FRC August 15
Olivia Cox will be presenting her Senior Recital at First Reformed Church in Poling Chapel on August 15 at 6pm. All are welcome!
Each Sunday after the children’s message we will gather at Kinderwyck, where it is air conditioned and close to the after church
goodies! We are looking to become a little more Bible savvy so we will play “5 Questions” each week. A pretest, followed by interactive learning (drama, music, art, games, etc.,) followed by a 100% guaranteed post test that will be given on a different Bible story each week. Everyone gets smart! We need one or two helpers (18 yrs +) to keep the program running. Call Jamie at 399-6848 if you are available even for just one week.
Children ages 5-95 are invited to attend “Spy School-VBS” August 4-8 from 3-5pm. Students will learn to
decode and encode Bible verses. There will be psalm writing with invisible ink. We will speculate on what God’s fingerprints look like while we examine our own. All will become masters of disguise dressing up as our favorite Bible characters. God will be uncovered in amazing places!
Healthy snacks each day! Fun
guaranteed for all! Please call the church office at 377-2201 to reserve your spot. Helpers are always needed! Call Jamie at 399-6848 to volunteer.
Summer Pot Lucks and Worship All those who hunger for good food and relaxed fellowship are invited to bring something edible to share on Wednesday, July 16 or August 13 at 6pm in Assembly Hall. Following dinner and cleanup, a contemplative communion service will be held in Poling Chapel at 7 for all who wish to conclude the evening with reflective, refreshing, and re-centering worship of God. No reservation required; those with questions may contact Daniel Carlson.
New Committee Leadership
Have a new idea? Want to cheer on a project? Here are the folks:
Worship ......................... George Trimarco Adult Education ..................... Mary Jewett Archives and Historical Concerns ......................................... Caroline Welch Fellowship ................... Nancy Wainwright Finance ................................ Fred Daniels Membership ......................... Rob Dickson Mission & Benevolence .......... Peggy King Property ................................ Bill Rochelle Youth Education .................. Dave Hjelmar Support and Care ............................ Vickie McGowan-Horan
Creation Corner
God is a friend of silence. See how nature—trees and flowers and grass—
grow in silence. See the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence.
The more we receive in silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life.
--Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Summer Refreshments In Huntley Garden
Over the summer, whenever possible, our post service refreshments will be served in the Huntley Garden. Please consider signing up for helping in Assembly Hall where you will also see an important instruction sheet.
Some Bookstore Profits Go To Ethiopia Those who purchased “Cat’s Meow” cards in the Bookshop will be interested to know that profits from the sale of these cards have been wired to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia. Tearing of the fistula during childbirth is common in African countries where girls are married off as young as nine years of age. This money will go to provide fistula repair. “Half the Sky,” by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, chronicles the injustices against women around the world and discusses this condition which causes women and young girls to be pariahs in their villages. The fistula repair hospital was set up decades ago by Catherine and Reg Hamlin.
“Hometown Hero” On June 1st of this year, our very own housekeeper, Diana Wahid, was sleeping and woke up to a telephone call a little after midnight. As it was unusual for people to be calling her home so late, Diana and her husband knew something was wrong. On the other end of the phone was Diana’s tenant who urged her to go check on his pregnant wife and call 911. While on the phone, Diana realized that the woman was going into labor and that the baby would arrive before help. So, with phone assistance from emergency responders, Diana was able to deliver the woman’s baby safely! Diana had never done something like this and was proud that she could help save not only the baby’s life, but her tenant’s as well. She said, “With the help of 911, people can do anything. Even though help was not physically there, I still felt their presence.” Once help did arrive, the EMT’s cut the baby’s umbilical cord and made sure all was well with both mother and baby. Good job Diana for your good deeds and honorable work!
Office Closed Friday July 4, 2014
RCA General Synod 2014 News Summary General Synod 2014 met June 12-17 on the campus of Central College in Pella, Iowa, and addressed many aspects of ministry and mission in the RCA. The synods of the RCA and Christian Reformed Church in North America met simultaneously and made plans to grow closer. Responding to a report identifying mass incarceration as "the most critical social issue of our time," synod approved a series of recommendations from the Commission on Christian Action calling for education, advocacy, and direct action related to prison reform and mandatory sentencing reform. Delegates instructed the Commission on Church Order to begin the process of incorporating a definition of marriage as between one man and one woman into the Book of Church Order, in advance of two General Synod reports addressing human sexuality and same-sex relationships that are anticipated in 2015. Delegates overwhelmingly approved a recommendation to more deliberately support ministry to children with disabilities. The work will be folded into Transformed and Transforming, the 15-year goal of the Reformed Church in America. Delegates spent time in prayer, deploring the violence caused by guns and other instruments of senseless violence, and encouraged churches to lift up this concern in prayer throughout the coming year. Delegates also denied an overture that would permit three or more classes to bring a charge against another classis for failure to discipline members of consistories, ministers, or commissioned pastors.
Groups
Yoga at FRC
Monday evening Yoga
will not be taking place for the rest of the summer, classes will resume mid September. If you have any questions, please contact Douglas at 229-7291 or [email protected].
Flash Fiction Writers Group
A Flash
Fiction critique group meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month at 7pm in the Walton Conference Room. Flash Fiction is a COMPLETE story, fiction or nonfiction, written in 1,000 words or less. For more info and signups, contact James Gonda at [email protected] or the church office.
Faith Bookshop
Watch for the arrival of large and small
butterflies coming in to the Bookshop from Brazil and Kenya. Also, don’t overlook the article “Profits Go To Ethiopia” in this issue of First Things, as it relates to another item sold in the Bookshop.
Adult Education and Nurture Committee
The Adult Education will not have regular meetings during the summer. The committee will meet in late July or early August to plan programs and activities for the fall season. This committee is seeking new members who have an interest in adult education at FRC/UPC. If you have ideas for programs but cannot join the committee at this time, please share them with committee members or Chairperson, Mary Jewett at 355-8059 or [email protected].
Summer Kerygma Conversations
If you are interested in meeting up with other members to discuss whatever is currently of interest to you (e.g., an experience, event, book, movie, trip, issue) then you are invited to join us for a leisurely yet engaging conversation from 9:30 – 11am, Wednesday, July 30 (note date change) and/or August 27 in the Dirck Romeyn room. No preregistration required; those with questions may contact Daniel Carlson.
Summertime Blues?
Though it may be summer, Stephen Ministers are always available! If you are having a difficult time in life or facing a challenge, contact Stephen Leaders, Daniel Carlson (346-6416) or Vernetta Theuner (355-2543) who can provide a confidential referral to trained, compassionate Christian friends. Stephen Ministers accept and respect their Care Receivers, assisting them wherever they are in life. They can be trusted to faithfully keep all that is shared in confidence. This ministry is available to all UPC and FRC members and friends, as well as others in the community. The burdens of life are always lessened with a caring friend by your side—no matter the season.
Newish Confessing
Members
Ralph Rosenthal
Jeff, Lauren, & Emilia Cannizzo
Jacob Ettkin
54th Stockade Walkabout Plans are underway for September 27, 2014 from 11am – 5pm, and we need some help welcoming visitors to FRC. Have you an activity, program, display, or such for people to do or see as they tour FRC? Contact Laura Lee Linder at 882-6866 to sign up.
Name Tags
Since we are going to have many new faces in worship, it would be helpful
to all the new members and Union Presbyterian members if we all wore our name tags. Name tags can be found on the door by Poling Chapel and Assembly Hall. Don’t have one? Contact the church office or let us know on a white pew card.
First Forum Seeks Ideas
During the School year, we gather for a
program or speaker after worship. Suggestions for programs are welcome from any committee or member; simply contact Joe Doolittle 384-1700, Peggy King 370-1885, or Amy Brule 785-8201.
Central College Choir Thanks
Central College Choir director Mark Babcock and the choir were impressed with our wonderful acoustics, beautiful building, and great hospitality. Thanks to everyone who helped make it a memorable experience.
JH & SH Youth Schedule
Normal youth group programming will be on hiatus for the summer, but stay tuned for special events in the warm weather!
New Covenanters! Please welcome our new Covenanters, Kelsey and Kendra Kleinwolterink, who arrived in June and will be with us for the next year. They are from Sibley, Iowa, and recently graduated from Northwestern College, both with degrees in Sociology. They will be working with the YWCA and Patty’s Place, and helping out at church with our youngest children. Also, they look quite a bit alike. They’re excited to be here and looking forward to a great year in Schenectady. SICM Summer Lunch Program
Our joint congregations have responsibility for five weeks of the SICM Summer Lunch Program this year. Volunteers are needed! A sign-up sheet is available in Assembly Hall for the following dates: July 28-August 1, August 4-8, August 11-15, August 18-22, and August 25-29. As volunteers, we provide a valuable service for the children of Schenectady which requires a commitment of less than two hours each day. Please check the list and sign-up for as many dates as you are available. If you have questions, contact Ellie Rowland, 250-4302.
Fowler Day Camp at Steinmetz Park Do you love kids and being outdoors? Like singing songs, playing games, and making crafts? If any of these things sound appealing (especially loving kids,) we would love to have you as a volunteer at the Fowler Day Camp from July 28 – August 1. We need at least 8 adults to act as “cabin counselors” who watch over a group of kids and get to know them over the course of the week from 9am – 4pm each day. No special skills or particular mobility is required as staff will provide programming. Other volunteers will be needed for shorter spans of time as well. Please sign up in the office, on the clipboard in Assembly Hall, or with Stacey Midge.
Farewell to Jeremy Bork July 27 We will bid farewell to our Covenanter and student under care, Jeremy Bork, with a reception after worship on July 27. Have some cake, thank him for his service with us in the last year, and wish him well as he goes to pursue a Master of Divinity at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, MI.
FRC Celebrates Two Births! Paul and Susan Houpt are joyful to announce that their daughter, Megan, gave birth to Daniel Matthew Stark on Mother’s Day, May 11, 2014. Marey Bailey and Joe Yavonditte are thrilled with the birth of their grandson, Luca Bailey-Yavonditte, on March 19. Proud parents are Tys and AnneMarie Bailey-Yavonditte.
Items for a Building Drive For many years our congregation has been considering a building drive to address a few issues left over from the last one and to build for the future. We are not considering any kind of expansion, but renovations to existing space that need to be brought up to contemporary standards or remodeled for new use. The list is longer than you might imagine and includes kitchen and roof renovations that are a bit pricey. The elevator alone will be a challenge for us to meet. We are putting together the costs for this project and will be looking to get it moving in the spring. Main Sanctuary Building Fix slate roof Fix gutters and heat cables Fix cork flooring Repair and redecorate stairwells and corridors Repair and repoint exterior entrances
Replace main boiler room door Repair bell tower Provide additional handicapped seating and wheelchair spaces Provide a new high quality sound system inputs Rebuild the main organ action system Friendship Hall Provide elevator to serve Friendship Hall and Poling house Provide major electrical and lighting upgrades Renovate Friendship Hall, including comfortable chairs Install audio visual system Major renovation of kitchen and its fixtures. Parking Lots Repair sidewalks Seal and restripe lots Provide for additional handicapped spaces Kinderwyck Provide new siding and trim, door and frame for the back addition Renovate interior, considering mixed use 12 North Church and Walton House Replace all roofs Re-carpet and renovate office area Poling Chapel Replace chairs Review options for air conditioning Assembly Hall Major renovation of kitchen and it fixtures Review options for air conditioning Redecorate restrooms Poling House Upgrade mission dorm room including air conditioning and repairs Repair and renovate Poling Conference Room Fix leak, repair walls, renovate room Repair damaged stained glass window Renovate heating and AC in choir room Fix exterior door
Summer Biking Frolic
Pack a picnic lunch, peddle down to church, lock-up on our sturdy front fence, worship, and then join cyclists of all sorts for non-rigorous ride after service on Sunday, July 20! Leaving from church, we’ll ride west on the Mohawk Hudson Bikeway for 5.5 miles, stopping at Rotterdam Kiwanis’ Park along the river for leisurely lunch, before returning the way we came. A second, longer bike hike to the east is being considered for a Sunday in August, more details will follow. Contact Daniel Carlson with questions regarding the bike frolics.
Entered Into Eternal Rest
Chuck Nelson June 7, 2014
Workers Needed Always needed: Refreshment leaders for Sunday Morning Church School teachers Choir members Kinderwyck baby bouncers Needed Now: Committee members Stewardship leader for fall Bulletin Board Honchos
Progress Report on Joint Witness
Marilyn Leach, UPC On July 1, 2013, with the consent and blessing of Albany Presbytery and the Schenectady Classis of the Reformed Church in America, a Joint Congre-gational Witness was established between Union Presbyterian Church and the First Reformed Church of Schenectady. After eleven months the participants from both congregations are ready to declare our Joint Congregational Witness a great success.
We have joined together in invigorating worship, with both UPC and FRC members feeling a new level of enthusiasm and renewed energy:
UPC members serve as lay readers, minute-for-mission speakers, and greeters
UPC choir singers now comprise a full one-third of the joint chancel choir
UPC music coordinators lead special music and Orff Consort; both include many FRC musician
FRC and UPC members contributed written reflections for a Lenten devotional booklet
We have joined together in decision making and study:
One or more UPC people serve on all of the FRC committees
Two representatives attend the Session/Consistory meetings of the partnering congregation
UPC Bible study group continues, now with FRC participants
FRC Kerygma Conversations continue, now with UPC participants
UPC is well-represented at weekly First Forum discussions; a UPC member is one of three planners
We have joined together in fellowship:
UPC people contribute Sunday refreshments and Lenten meals
UPC women attend FRC women’s group and FRC women attend UPC Evening Circle events
The Men’s Breakfast from UPC now involves equal numbers of FRC men
The Fellowship Luncheon from UPC now involves equal numbers of FRC participants
We work side by side in local and wider mission:
Both FRC and UPC serve lunches in the SICM summer lunch program and can now share staffing
Both FRC and UPC serve Salvation Army Soup Kitchen lunches, and can share scheduling
We work together in the Home Furnishings Program warehouse, on the Board and the delivery van
We fund, plan and work on a nutrition program with and at State St. Presbyterian Church
FRC joined in the 2013 PCUSA Peacemaking Offering and in 2014’s One Great Hour of Sharing
With no separate building to support, UPC donates some $30,000 more toward mission.
We join together in caring:
The prayer chains of UPC and FRC have been combined and an electronic alternative added FRC clergy minister to UPC Special Care members in cooperation with UPC Deacons
FRC clergy make themselves available to all UPC members in welcome and support
UPC’s Messenger is now part of FRC’s First Things newsletter including birthday lists and concerns
Services of FRC’s Stephen Ministry are available to all, including both UPC and FRC members
Both UPC and FRC members deliver sanctuary flowers to shut-ins and the bereaved
On the anniversaries of their deaths, both UPC and FRC people are remembered in prayer
UPC members showing up for the first time at FRC are warmly welcomed and tend to return
We join together in celebration of our individual histories:
Art objects from our Park Avenue building are displayed throughout FRC
Artwork belonging to both congregations is prominently displayed in Friendship Hall
One of two Narthex showcases is dedicated to displays by and about UPC
Room 22 is UPC’s own special niche for our records and treasures
UPC’s baptism font graces the FRC sanctuary
UPC communion ware is used along with FRC’s almost identical communion ware, as a symbol
UPC is learning the rich history of the First Reformed Church, begun before 1680
We join together in regarding our JWC as a great blessing:
FRC members remark on a new level of enthusiasm and optimism
UPC members rejoice in the many programming opportunities and the many new friendships
UPC’s hard workers, accustomed to dutiful over-busyness, take on the tasks they enjoy
FRC members comment on what hard and valuable workers these UPC people are
Our problems: Coffee hour needs to be moved to a bigger room. Where can we find more parking?
We look ahead to a time when our two congregations might become one.
Consistory Approves Joining Plan for Congregational Vote At its June meeting, the consistory approved a general outline for the joining of First Reformed Church and Union Presbyterian Church. This establishes the final steps for the organic union of the two congregations. After other groups look at the document below and have input, it will be voted on by FRC at a special called congregational meeting in late summer or early fall.
Joint Witness to the Glory of
God and the Furtherance of the Reign of Jesus Christ
Established by the Union Presbyterian Church of
Schenectady and the First Reformed Church
of Schenectady Union Presbyterian Church (UPC) and First Reformed Church, Schenectady (FRC) strive to embrace each other in one com-munity of Christian faith aimed at combining worship, mission, re-sources and other endeavors that will bring us together as one body of Christ. By joining together, we hope to be an even stronger voice for mission in the community, worship, and service to God. General Process
UPC agrees to seek dismissal as a congregation from the PC(USA) through the Albany Presbytery to be a congregation in the Reformed Church of America and then to be immediately merged with the First Reformed Church by Schenectady Classis under the terms below. Assets
UPC agrees to establish an orderly allocation of its assets that considers the needs of the mission of the Presbytery of Albany, the intentions of former donors, and UPC’s desire to merge the fruits of its past with the vision of its future with FRC. FRC agrees to satisfy any debts and liabilities of UPC with UPC assets. FRC agrees to establish separate accounts to receive and hold any endowments, restricted, and unrestricted funds of UPC and to publish the accounting of those funds at each annual meeting of FRC. FRC agrees to insure the
commitments of designated funds, to respect the desire of UPC as to the administration of all funds, and to treat all UPC funds with the same diligence as is applied to FRC funds. Support
FRC agrees to continue support any of the groups of UPC that continue to meet. FRC agrees to provide pastoral services to all UPC members and those formerly connected to the congregation. Membership
FRC agrees to receive into its active membership any active members of UPC. FRC agrees to receive into other forms of membership (adherent, inactive) people connected with UPC who desire it. FRC agrees to accept on its rolls of elders and deacons any ordained in UPC or members of UPC previously ordained by the PC(USA). Facilities
FRC agrees to provide and care for, in perpetuity, the heritage and records of UPC. FRC agrees to honor and maintain in the worship life of the community an honored place for UPC sacramental objects including the baptismal font and communion ware. Mission Support
As a token of the history of our mutual historic commitment to mission, FRC will annually collect a One Great Hour of Sharing Offering that will be distributed by the PC(USA) or its successor.
UPC Youth REACH WorkCamp REACH WorkCamp is something that the UPC youth have been participating in with St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church since 2008. That year we sent Madeleine Cleworth and Alex Restina with the St. Stephen’s crew to West Virginia to let us know what it was all about. Over the years the group has been to West Virginia (multiple times), Maine and Pennsylvania. This year we are sending 10 youth to Monroe North Caroline. Attending on our behalf are: Madeleine Cleworth, Emma Cotter, Timothy Cotter, Colin Foster, Olivia Hess, John Hess, Lauren Kuo, Annaleigh Lester, Rachel Rose, and Samantha Rushton. They will be leaving, early in the morning on July 12 from St. Stephen’s parking lot, in two “decorated” 15 passenger vans and a Penske truck to carry all their gear. They will overnight in Staunton, VA at Emmanuel Church and following service get back on the road to Monroe. Their week will be spent: scraping, painting, digging, pouring, measuring, cutting, hammering, and sweating. They will be broken up into work crews
where they will meet people from all over the country. Each evening they will come back together to discuss their work site and their “neighbor” who they are helping. Nightly programs, that include skits and songs, are presented by the Reach Staff to help the youth explore their faith and what it means to be a Christian. Prior to turning in for the night they will get together with their youth group to discuss the evening program. The youth do not always agree, but they are very open to hearing each other’s perspective. Their living quarters will be a classroom in a local school where they will blow up their mattresses and allow their duffel bags to explode its contents everywhere. After an exhausting, yet very rewarding week they will pack back up into their vans and head home. With them they will have care cards written to them from their work crew and other people they got to know during the week. Many tears will be shed, because so many laughs and triumphs were shared. It is a week they will never forget. Thank you for your support. Please pray for safe travels and safety during the week.
Senior Moments
After many months of working together, it looks like Union Presbyterian Church will take the final steps in joining with us completely. Many different groups have to give final approval, but we hope this will take place before Christmas, and certainly before next Easter. There are some detail documents in this newsletter because we will need to have a congregational meeting to make this happen. If you have any questions or concerns about this process, please contact me. We intend no surprises. This whole process is a sign of hope for the church: hope that we can set aside differences to focus on our joint witness to God's love; hope that together we can be stronger than limping separately; hope that our denominations will begin to see the necessity of working together better. In this newsletter you will also see the first sketch of a fund raising effort to address several large issues in our life together. I hope you will be able to begin planning now to help in the joint effort, just as we are planning now for this project and its impact on the lives of those to follow. Have a restful summer.
July Preacher Reader 10 am Music Vespers at 5pm
6 Jeremy Bork Jim Miller Jazz Nat Phipps, Pete Toigo, Tom D’Andrea
13 Stacey Midge Barbara Walton Organ Tim Olsen, piano
20 Stacey Midge Carol Troost Bob Ridgway Paul Mastriani, Linda Brown, Tom D’Andrea
27 Stacey Midge Chris Fernandes Olivia Mancuso Dave Gleason, piano
August Preacher Reader 10 am Music Vespers at 5pm
3 Stacey Midge Ellie Rowland Leah & Johnny Nat Phipps, piano
10 Lynn Gilgore Jim Miller Organ TBA
17 Paula Gravelle Marilyn Leach Jazz Peg Delaney, piano
24 Bill Levering Mary Jewett Helderberg Madrigal Singers Azzaam Hameed, piano
31 Bill Levering Nancy Davidson John Norton Peg Delaney, piano
The Messenger Union Presbyterian Church (518)377-2201 [email protected] www.unionpres.com
Clerk’s Corner by Marilyn Leach Clerk of Session Albany Presbytery’s Transitional Presbyter, the Rev. Shannan Vance-Ocampo, was our guest at the June 3 meeting of Session for the purpose of learning about our Joint Congregational Witness and our hopes for the future.
The Session reviewed the Clerk’s “Progress Report on Joint Congregational Witness: prepared for the June 6-7 meeting of Albany Presbytery – a report printed separately in its entirety. (The same report was also printed in First Reformed’s June 1 annual report.) Gene and Ellie Rowland and Marilyn Leach spoke at the Presbytery meeting, as did Partnering Team member Laura Rogers and FRC Senior Minister the Rev. Dr. Bill Levering. We also showed a video that captured the enthusiasm of UPC members who are committed to our joint witness with FRC. Our report was well received by the members of Presbytery.
The Session discussed next steps in our Joint Witness, and determined that representatives of the Session will speak with the Albany Presbytery Committee on Ministry at its August 13 meeting about our intentions for merger and the allocation of the money in the UPC Foundation. The Session plans to meet on August 5 to finalize input for the COM meeting.
The FRC Consistory and the UPC Session are currently perfecting an updated Joint Witness agreement defining our relationship and responsibilities after the proposed merger. The updated Joint Witness agreement will need approval of both the UPC and FRC congregations by two-thirds majority of members present and voting. The UPC congregation will be notified and a congregational meeting will be called (presumably for early in September) when the Committee on Ministry and other officers of Albany Presbytery have received and commented upon our proposals.
The Session has received a request from Richard Mathews, an ordained Elder and former President of the UPC Board of Trustees, to have his membership transferred to the First Presbyterian Church of York, PA. Dick’s daughter Emily and her family are members of that congregation.
The Session congratulates UPC’s high school graduates: Rachel Rose, Brennan Colby, Samantha Rushton, Haley White, Olivia Hess, and also Annaleigh Lester, who is celebrating her home-school graduation a year early. Congratulations also to Becky Rose, who just graduated from Wells College and will attend graduate school at Buffalo next year.
Eleven UPC teenager will participate in this summer’s REACH workcamp in North Carolina the week of July 13. If you missed their fundraiser last month, you can still purchase a “mission share” for $20. Your $20 not only helps with the kids’ expenses for the trip, but also entitles you to a dinner at St. Stephen’s Church (date to be announced) where the teens will report on the workcamp!
We remember in our prayers…
Jean Tischler, further cancer treatment
UPC Chat & Chew July 1
UPC’s eldest member, Lil Roe, plans to continue Chat & Chew during the summer months. The dates are Tuesday, July 1; Friday, August 1; and Monday, September 1. Please bring your bag lunch for noon fellowship together in her home at 1192 Hedgewood Lane, Niskayuna, NY. Feel free to call Lil with any questions at 374-8705.
Joint Prayer Chain Requests In accord with the Joint Witness between First Reformed and Union Presbyterian, a United Prayer Ministry has been initiated to include concerns and requests from members of both congregations. To start a request for prayer, call or email one of the coordinators: Ann Gotwals (372-5089, [email protected],) Vernetta Thuener (355-2543,) and Nancy Davidson (370-5157, [email protected].) If you cannot reach the coordinators, call the church office and leave a message. The coordinators will begin contacting those among us who are committed to this ministry of prayer. We Celebrate Two Births!
Dylan Thomas, son of Jaclyn
and Kevin Weber, and grandson of Carol and George Leitze
Reece Elizabeth, daughter of Gabrielle and Rick Rutherford, and granddaughter of Toni and Ben Masaitis
Summer Stories Most magazines have an edition of stories for summer reading. Why not First Things? The stories below are a sampling of recent winners of the Women On Writing web site. If you become interest in this form of writing, show up at the flash fiction group that meets monthly. We will start our literary venture with folks no one really knows so that if you hate this, no one needs to have their feelings hurt. These stories may or may not have any theological meaning but may be good for discussion. The Heart of Town
By Jayne Martin Everyone in the village agreed; there was something most unusual about the garden in front of the long-abandoned Humelsmith house. Harriet Humelsmith, the last of the family to live in the old, wood-frame Victorian, was said to have been tending her beloved tulips when she took her last breath, planting herself face-first into a bed of begonias, and rumors abounded that her spirit still remained. Not only were the garden’s flowers larger and brighter in color than those of any of its neighbors; but even in the harshest of winters they raised their blooms toward the sky in what could only be described as a defiance of every natural law. This, however, was not the strangest thing about the old place, for though no one would speak of it for fear of being thought quite out of their minds, several of the villagers could swear they had heard the flowers whisper to them as they passed by. Gladys Weesley had been warned by a gentle geranium not to sleep in her bedroom on the very night that a large branch from an ancient oak had crashed through the roof pulverizing the bed where she surely would have been at slumber, while Delores Kiddlebaum found the comments of a climbing rose
about her sizeable derriere particularly thorny, but she never wore horizontal stripes again. Though the garden was glorious, the house itself had fallen to neglect over the years, becoming quite the eyesore; and since no one had ever come forth to claim the property, talks among some of the village council about tearing it down continued to clash fiercely with those who wished to see it restored. Having neither the resources nor the will to do either, the council inevitably voted to table the discussion for another time; and so it would have continued had it not been for the arrival in the village of Teddy and Lettie Talontongue, of the Tallahassee Talontongues, who found the land where the Humelsmith home had peacefully sat for generations to be the perfect location for a summer retreat. At first buoyed by the belief that the home would finally be restored to its former glory, the village folk were thrilled to welcome the Talontongues. It was not until their true plans were revealed that everyone realized how they had been duped, for rising upon the bulldozed ruins of the beloved home and garden would be a massive mansion surrounded by a six-foot stone wall. As mortifying as was the mansion, the villagers could not get over the insult of the stone wall. Why no one in the village had so much as a picket fence! The villagers were bereft. For the first time that anyone could remember, the flowers in the Humelsmith garden began to wilt, and those who would admit to it were certain they heard crying amongst the Baby’s Breath. Ashamed for being so quick to sell off what they clearly saw now as a town treasure, the village council was no longer at odds over its future. When the Talontongues found not a bulldozer operator in the county who would lay blade to the land, and not a bricklayer or a carpenter, not a plumber or a painter, not an electrician or a roofer or even a chimney maker who would hire on to build upon its ruins, they begrudgingly sold the
property back to the village and left town in quite a huff. And so the Humelsmith home remains to this very day,and the children of the villagers, having grown up playing among the precocious petals all their lives, find nothing unusual about the garden at all, though they still keep those conversations to themselves. The Promise
By Natalie Hart On the day of my wedding, there was a space on the pew next to my father. It wasn’t an obvious gap. People had shuffled along, spread themselves out, put handbags beside them in an effort to make the chasm less visible. But we all knew it was there. As my father reluctantly released my arm at the altar and returned to his place, my eyes trailed after him and hung on the absence until the vicar coughed awkwardly. She had promised to come. Not that promises meant anything with my mother, you must understand. She had promised to organise my sixteenth birthday party, to hold my hand while I had my wisdom teeth removed, to be there smiling and applauding at my graduation. I should have learned that promises did not translate into actions, that they were merely expressions of intent to put both our hearts at ease. But the drink washed away her promises and numbed her soul to maternal instincts. The liquid selfishness coursed through her veins, dulling her heart and igniting my anger. It would have been better if she hadn’t promised at all, if we had both just accepted the way things were and the inevitable outcome. But in flickering moments, she returned: the woman who had carefully braided my hair before school for eleven years; the woman who had arranged my packed lunches into smiley faces that grinned out at me, to the envy of other kids, as I opened my lunchbox at break-time; the woman my father had married.
And in the brief moments she returned I, the fool that I was, lapped up her promises. She had even come with me to choose the dress, had cried as I tried it on, had looked into my eyes and told me that she had never been more proud and that she would not miss it “for the world.” For the world, no, but perhaps for the bottle. These moments of hope, or normality, made each betrayal more bitter than the last. Each time a semi-healed wound was ripped open afresh, the building scar tissue making it harder to close. As my father made his wedding speech, recalling anecdotes of my childhood from a happier time, I made my resolve. No more would each milestone in my life be approached with trepidation, wondering if she would be there sober, wondering whether she would be there at all. No longer would her empty promises tear at me, leaving my new husband to gather my broken pieces and coax me back together. No longer would I wonder what kind of grandmother she would be, whether she would cause my children the same heartache she inflicted on me. No, she would not have that chance. And so the years went by. There were Christmas cards and birthday cards, the odd phone call, but never an apology. She kicked up a fuss when Harry was born, and I wouldn’t let her come to visit. I sorely missed having a mother’s wisdom, but reminded myself that I was sparing my son from the pain that I had endured. But now, here we are. Her skin is grey, and there are tubes coming out of her nose. The nurses all know her from so many visits before. I can see them looking at me quizzically; they must be wondering why they don’t recognise me. The doctor says that it is bad, that
her liver is failing, that she doesn’t have long. So I sit at her side, one hand holding hers and the other wrapped tightly around a tumbler of amber liquid. Because the one promise I made myself was that, when the time came, she wouldn’t be alone. Stage
By Jenny Wang For several weeks, I stayed at my neighbor’s house. I ate their food, accepted their rides to school, played in their backyard, pretended there was nothing wrong. They told me my mother was coming back soon from the hospital, but they didn’t specify what was wrong, only that I should be ready for her return. When Mrs. Palmer called me one day to the visitor at the front door, I failed to recognize the woman in the bandana that covered her bare head. It was only after I heard her call my name, with the same deep, gentle voice that soothed my occasional nightmares, that I realized it was my mother. Her injury was worse than I imagined. I remember crying. No, bawling as I ran into her open arms and nuzzled my dripping nose into her soft dress. The state of her hair was what devastated me. In my seven-year-old mentality, I concluded that the boys who always threatened to cut off my braids if I didn’t give them my lunch had shaved my mother’s silky, chestnut-brown hair. And that was the worst injury you could inflict on a girl. Though she tried her best to hide her fatigue, I knew that the school bullies, so tall and brooding, had shaken her spirit. I let her rest. I set the dinner table. I poured her water at the first sign of a coughing fit. I ran for the pail when she couldn’t hold down her stomach. When she was well enough to start making her famous jam again, I decided that my PB&J sandwich was
to be kept from the very boys who victimized her in the first place. The next day, as the three hulking figures approached my empty table, supervisors and teachers averting their attention as usual, I waited prepared. With my lunch box strapped securely across my body, I charged at them, screaming and clawing at the vacant air. When I felt my fingers break their rough skin, I opened my eyes and saw one boy covering his face, moaning, a trickle of blood running down his cheek. The principal called my mother. As she entered the office, she threw me a look. I can’t say what kind of look exactly, only that I knew that gaze, the way her furrowed brow brought our attention to her green eyes, making her both more intimidating and more stunning. It was the look that made you want to turn away in shame and yet drew you in even closer. It was the look of my mother as I had always known. After her talk with the principal, Mother took my hand and dragged me outside to the car, where I kept quiet, waiting for her to rebuke me. Instead, as she let me into the backseat, she crawled in after me, drew me close, and rocked back and forth. I clung to her blouse and leaned into the sound of her sobs. I thought I had already memorized her, all of her—her scent, her touch, her sounds. Yet when I imagine the sweaty-sweet smell of her neck and the stifling, calming feel of her embrace, I think of this moment, when she felt the most real. I decided to only quietly demonstrate my support for her from then on, by doing my homework on my own, by cleaning my room without asking, by going to bed when she requested, by writing the three apology letters to the boys on my own. Though it took some time, Mother’s hair grew back, and by then, she no longer seemed so tall.
1 – Emma Kowaleski Ryan Muse Robert Ridgway Vernetta Thuener 2 – Angela Anderson Matthew Osborne Marlene Risseeuw Samantha Rushton 3 – Herbert Bachorik Veronica Bartholic Wales Brown Aniko Fellegi-Bobok Kevin Shultes 5 – Madison Adams Eric Burgoyne 6 – Brooke Adams Samantha Erickson Samantha Hjelmar 7 – Luke Carlson Therese McCarty Hannah Valachovic 8 – Frances Shuey 9 – Virginia McDermott Hunter Scribner Deborah Troost 10 – Trevor Anderson Eugene Cox Jackson Eberz Jean Lindsay Kurt Redman 11 – Haley Raymond 12 – Charles Van Wie 13 – Grif Laycock Bradley Lewis 14 – Carol De La Marter Benjamin Krawczak Lois Stickney 15 – Ben Masiatis James Tillma 16 – Dorothy Linder-Mitchell William Martin Maurice Robbins R. Madelyn Young
18 – Mary Delory 19 – Eric Evans Owen Evans Carlos Grande Moran 20 – Ruth George Marjorie McSwain 21 – Brad Hjelmar 23 – Thomas Gatta Emile Walraven 24 – Stanley Mathes 25 – Ryleigh DiDonna 26 – Kaitlyn Hjelmar Carolyn Jones-Assini Valerie Ramsey 27 – Eleanor Brown Linda Malgieri 28 – Dave Pizzolo Gaela Schweizer Colin Swain 29 – Jeannette Davidson Gerald Myers Alexandra Phillips Robert Templeton 30 – Virginia Laumeister
4 – Sarah Bachorik Jessica Daniels Ann Hammett Kenneth Roinos John Runfola III Shannon Shultes Philip Yourno
5 – Tom Lindsay Krista Vena 7 – Amanda Bogatka Art Casey 8 – Camila Grande Thomas Merten 9 – Brianna Bogatka Sherry Cesare Rachael Cox 10 – Cathy Lewis Kassandra Vena 11 – Ryan Saxton 13 – Eleanor Colby Joan Crandall 14 – John Neikirk Jesse Rushton Maxine Sherrill 15 – Olivia Cox 16 – Erin Falconer Janet Lawrence Thomas Raimo 17 – Barbara Matthews Mark Wemple 19 – Chris Erickson Sue Zeltmann 21 – James Mc Cullough 22 – Karen Norton 23 – June Osborne 25 – Becky Draffen-Grande 26 – Sue Settle 28 – Annalyn Dexter-Jackson David Houghtaling Toni Masiatis 29 – Andrew Assini Joseph Dickinson Nancy Rimany 30 – Eric Langdon 31 – Margaret Schadler
This list is for both FRC and UPC birthdays.
Every Sunday
Worship, 10am Summer Church School, 10:20am Forum, 11:15am Vespers, 5pm
