The Parish Visitor

First Reformed Church of Fishkill, Fishkill, NY

February 2008

 

                                             

Dear Friends,

 

Each day the sunlight of the Epiphany Season shines a little bit longer, and the beauty and color of the sky, especially at sunrise and sunset, is stupendous.

 

As the beauty of that light rest upon us, a reminder that we are clothed with Christ, we enter the Season of Lent at almost the earliest date possible – February 6th.  Looking at the Liturgical Calendar, the next time Lent begins this early is February 7th, 2035!

 

But let’s not wait until 2035 to set aside time to practice some of the classic Christian disciplines, such as fasting, solitude, simplicity, confession, prayer, study, and celebration. For the practice of these disciplines will take us to a deeper understanding of the great mystery of the faith: Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again.

 

Following Fat Tuesday, (Mardi Gras), when many celebrate with pancakes and other treats, we begin our Lenten Journey together on Ash Wednesday at 7:30pm. At this service, palms that graced the sanctuary last year for Palm Sunday become the ashes which remind us of the cost of our sins and the grace of our God. 

 

May we all be open to God’s grace, and in so doing, gain a deeper understanding of what it means to be the body of Christ in this world.

 

Blessings upon you,

P.S. Anyone needing a ride to church is asked to call the church office.

 

 

 

                      

FEBRUARY CALENDAR

3

Sunday School 9 am

Worship 10 am Communion

Chime choir 11:30 am

18-25

Calvin’s Cleaners Team 3

4-11

Calvin’s Cleaners Team 1

19

Consistory 7:15 pm

5

Bible Study 7:30 pm

20

Bible Study 10 am

Lenten Devotional 12 noon*

6

Bible Study 10 am

Ash Wednesday Service 7:30 pm

21

Choir 7 pm

7

Choir 7 pm

24

Sunday School 9 am

Worship 10 am

Congregational Meeting

Chime Choir 11:30

10

Sunday School 9 am

Worship 10 am

Chime choir 11:30 am

25-3/2

Calvin’s Cleaners Team 4

11-18

Calvin’s Cleaners Team 2

26

Classis meeting 5:30 pm*

12

Bible Study 7:30 pm

27

Bible Study 10 am

Craft Group 10 am*

Lenten Devotional 12 noon*

13

Bible Study 10 am

Lenten Devotional 12 noon*

28

Choir 7 pm

14

Choir 7 pm

 

 

16

Game and Dessert Party*

 

 

17

Sunday School 9 am

Worship 10 am

Chime choir 11:30 am

 

 

* See this Parish Visitor for more information

 

Calvin’s Cleaners Teams:

 

Team 1  Jay Wright

Team 2  Worship and Music

Team 3  Tom Schmidt

Team 4  Linda Baron

Team 5  MaryLou Aronow

Balance team – Dan Byers (every 5th Sunday of a given month)

 

 

 

 

Help Wanted: A few faithful teams (called the Calvin Cleaners) weekly clean the sanctuary and Dubois House. We are looking for people to help out a few times a year, in order to lighten the load and keep our facilities clean and neat. If you could help or have questions, please contact Marylou Aronow at 831—4035 or email her at aronowm@wcmc.com or lu123@optonline.net.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee Hour Hosts

For February and March 2008:

Please note that the first name listed each Sunday should contact the other hosts regarding food share and as a reminder of the date. If you are not available on the assigned date, it is your responsibility to find a substitute or trade dates, put the change on the list in the Education Building, and advise the office for the Sunday bulletin.  You may notice that you are being asked to serve at coffee hour more often.  With the wonderful attendance each Sunday, we are putting four families on board instead of three. Thank you to everyone for being so gracious.

 

February                                                                  March

 3 Diyeso, Perry, Byrne, Houston                             2  Nolting, Hughes, Jodlowski, Landanno       

10 Deneu, Cook, Grassick, Beaudway                      9  Silverstein, Moffitt, Sanders, J, Carruthers

17 Michaelis, Potter, Wesley, Vasquez                     16 Teske, Skinner, Schallenberg, Byers

24 Heroy, Alexander, Aronow, DeGregoriis              23 Gundersen, Chao, Kyer, Purifoy

30 Supan, Binder, Saya, VanNostrand

 

 

 

 

 

 

GAME & DESSERT AFTERNOON

Come and join us for an afternoon of fun, Saturday February 16th from 1-4 P.M. in the Fellowship Hall.  Bring your favorite players and your games (board or card).  We will provide dessert and drink.  Barbara VanVoorhis is hoping some pinochle players will come so she can play.

Last year we had a game of Train (using dominos) and a game called Sequence going.   Sign up sheet will be in Fellowship Hall.

 

 

 

CRAFT GROUP;

 

    It may seem early to be getting ready for De Kerk Winkel but the Craft Group has started meeting.  Come join us and bring your ideas.  We will be meeting upstairs in Du Bois House on the last Wednesday of the month in February and March at 10 AM.  If you can't come but have ideas, please talk to Dorrie Hansen at Coffee Hour or call her at 896-8307.

 

 

HELP WANTED

  The Classis of Mid-Hudson will be meeting at our church on Tuesday, February 26.  We need help to prepare the dinner to be served at 6:30 PM.  If you can help set up, cook, serve or clean up please sign up on the list in the entry to the Education Building.  We will begin working at 3 o'clock, but any time you can work will be appreciated.  If you have any questions please talk to Dorrie Hansen or call her at 896-8307.

 

 

LENTEN DEVOTIONAL

 

The Worship and Music Committee will lead a "TREAT YOURSELF TO LUNCH" Devotional for Five Wednesdays during Lent, beginning February 13th, through March 12th.   We will meet at Noon each Wednesday at the JACKALOPE BBQ RESTAURANT for a short devotion and time of fellowship.  We will have a different facilitator each week to lead us in a ten minute devotional from The Upper Room Daily Disciplines.  Look for the sign-up sheet in Fellowship Hall.

 

 

Notes from January Consistory Meeting

 

Ø  Elder Thea Schallenberg led devotions which focused on how our Creator God turns burdens into blessings, and our “Why’s?” into “What shall we do?”

Ø  The Treasurers Operating Report for December shows revenues totaling $44,301.84, and expenses totaling $31,049.36

Ø  The Classis of Mid-Hudson will hold their meeting at our church on Tuesday, Feb 26th, beginning with worship at 5:30pm.

Ø  The Community Lenten service at St. Mary’s has been cancelled due to schedule conflicts. 

Ø  A consistory workshop will be held Saturday, Feb. 23rd at the Poughkeepsie Reformed Church.

Ø  The congregational meeting is set for Sunday, Feb. 24th, following worship.

Ø  The Personnel Committee met and reviewed all employees for 2007.

Ø  The Hopewell Reformed Church Service Committee has insulated the Food Pantry walls and removed a beam that had rotted.  .

Ø  Next Consistory meeting is February 19th, at 7:15pm.

 

 

For those who would like to be in touch with Frank DeNoto, his address is 50 Howard St., Fredonia, NY 14063 and his phone number is 716-679-2250

 

 

FLOWERS:  Beginning in February we will be getting flowers for the sanctuary from Fishkill Florals and Plants.  The cost for the flowers will be $40 a Sunday, payable to Women of the Reformed Church at the time they are placed.  If you would like to place flowers, you may sign up on the flower chart in the Fellowship Hall or call the church office.  If you have any questions please talk to Liz Alexander or call her at 297-7414.

 

Assessment - What is it?

 

The Assessment that you may have heard about represents our church's share of the costs of running the denomination, the regional synods and most importantly our Mid-Hudson Classis. This includes mission programs, planting new churches, assisting churches that are in need, and many other things. The total that any church pays depends upon membership and other factors. Our church's share for 2008 works out to approximately $85 per member. If you are willing and able, you may contribute toward this cost using the Assessment envelope in your envelope packet.

 

 

 

Fishkill Food Pantry Notes

  

This January, compliments of Hopewell Reformed Church parishioners, we had a thermal wall installed on our back cellar wall of the DuBois House food pantry. This will help to keep things a bit warmer in our workplace. Thank you Hopewell!

 

We also thank all those donors at Fishkill Reformed for their generous contributions to the pantry.

 

Currently the Pantry would appreciate your donations of the following items:

   Canned fruits                                               Instant or canned potatoes

   Canned mixed vegetable (15 0z size)           Non-sweet cereal (Total, Wheaties etc.)

 

At this time we have AMPLE supply and DO NOT need the following:

          Peanut butter

          Canned green beans; kidney beans, corn and peas, as well as

          Pasta and Spaghetti sauce

 

Please note: We are always ready to accept unfolded, regular size paper shopping bags.

         

                                                                                    Thanks again,

                                                                                    Food Pantry Volunteer Staff

 

-        -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -           -          

 

"Wish List" from the Property Committee

Help make the committee's wishes for 2008 come true!

A Sign- up sheet will be posted in the Ed Center to do one of the tasks listed below.

Check with Ray VanVoorhis about details (rvanvoorhis@lmvarchitects.com or 226-1312) and expenses.

1.  Help with Spring yard Clean-up

2.  Help with Spring painting projects- Exterior Mechanical Doors at Education Building, wood cover and basement doors of the Church, wood condenser covers, DuBois House front and rear stair ways, Route 9 sign, etc.

3.  Miscellaneous minor plumbing projects- toilet, sink repairs, etc.

 

 

 

Dear Members of the First Reformed Protestant Church of Fishkill,

 

Thanks so much for your recent gift to our steeple foundation fund!  You have given us so much encouragement by this gift.  The steeple is in the process of being raised today (1/11/08) and next week they will begin to tear out the crumbling bricks and replace them with blocks and cement.

 

It is very heartening to know that there is a sister church who cares about our dilemma.  God has been gracious to us so far.  We have received $12,000. to date and we believe God will provide all that we need so we won’t have to take out a loan.

 

Thanks again for your generosity.

                                                                                  Yours in Christ,

                                                                                  (Rev.) Gary Sissel

                                                                                  Gardner Reformed Church

 

(Note:  The Deacons authorized $1250. toward the repair of their steeple foundation as part of our year-end mission moneys.)

 

                                                          + + +

 

Dear Neighbors,

 

On behalf of the chefs, guests, and board of directors of My Brothers’ Table, I wish to thank you for your donation check for My Brothers’ Table. We are so appreciative of the way in which our community supports My Brothers’ Table making it possible to serve hungry people nutritious food on a daily basis.  This year we project that we will again serve over 11,000 meals to residents of our community.

 

Be assured hungry people will continue to receive nutritious food because of generosity such as yours.

 

Thank you very much,

 

Sincerely,

 

Rev. Rod Koopmans

Executive Director

 

+++++

 

 

The following Thank You note was received from the family who were the recipients of the gifts provided by the Advent program free-will offering with matching funds from the Deacons:

 

 

 

 

 

 First Reformed Winter Blood Drive

 

On January 8th our blood drive yielded 30 units from 25 donors.

 

Thanks to all those from FRC that donated. For those who could not attend, as well as those ready and able to donate again, please note that the Spring Drive will be held at Church of Resurrection, Rte 376, Hopewell Junction on Saturday April 05 in the afternoon.

 

Look for reminders in our April Parish Visitor and our church bulletins

Please support this partnering effort with "The Gift of Life"

 

                                                             Hap and Tom Schmidt- Blood Drive Coordinators

 

 

A Lenten Project from the Deacons

 

          Here is another opportunity for us to make a difference!  We will be putting together Hygiene Kits and School Kits for the Church World Service Heart-to-Heart program.  Sign-up sheets are posted in Fellowship Hall.  You may provide pieces for a kit or the entire kit.  Items can be left in the back of the church or in DuBois House. If you prefer to donate money, we will use it to purchase items for the kits.  We will need to have all items or money by April 6. Any questions?  Call Celeste Rudberg at 221-9330.

 

 

 

LABELS FOR EDUCATION          We are still collecting Campbell's Labels for Education.  We will now be sending them to the Menaul School in Albuquerque, New Mexico    It is a faith based school for students in grades 6-12.  Its mission is to prepare students for success in college, and teaches them to engage the world as lifelong learners and ethical leaders in service to the community, respecting the Christian tradition.  It is a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Consortium of Racial and Ethnic Schools.    Instead of collecting the front label of participating products, we now collect the UPC for most products.  In addition to Campbell's, other brands include Franco-American, Pepperidge Farm, Swanson, and Prego.  The labels enable the school to get free educational merchandise such as computers, software, musical instruments, and library books.  If you use any of these products, why not take time to save the UPC or the entire label.  You may leave them in the Fellowship Hall in a plastic bag on the bulletin board, or in DuBois House, in a jar next to the mail boxes. More information about the labels and products is available at www.labelsforeducation.com.

 

 

You can find Jack and Susannah Dabney’s informative letter on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall.  Below are their prayer requests:

 

Prayer requests:

1.                     Continued healing and stabilization for our two year old grandson Asa Ayers (from Pancreatis).

2.                     Grace needed for our grandson Christopher Coleman to be weaned from medication originally given to prevent seizures; so that Christopher continues to be well, stable and capable of all that the Lord has planned for him to be and do.

3.                     Healing and grace for Craig Lyle (cancer of the stomach with liver involvement) and Coit Dubose (cancer of the colon): two friends recently diagnosed.

4.                     God to bless the final planning and teaching of the New Testament Survey I am teaching at the Evangelical Theological College.

5.                     Healing for Jack, an ongoing ache in my hip and right thigh (perhaps a pinched nerve).

6.                     Continued improvement in our understanding and use of the Albanian language.

7.                     God’s blessing on the ministry of translating and publishing books in the Albanian language to assist pastors and pastor training schools.

8.                     God’s blessing on Behar’s growth in his new Christian faith.

 

 

 

Croatia Update

Finals week pressures faculty, students alike

 By Nancy Titus

          It’s crunch time in Osijek.

          Students have returned from the Christmas holidays, and are beginning to eye finals week, which at the time I write this is two weeks away.

          Schools in Croatia run on a slightly different schedule than we are used to in the States. In fact, it is pretty much the opposite.

          In the States, elementary and secondary schools generally get seven to ten days off at Christmas and have semesters that end in February with no time off between the semesters. Colleges, though, are much more likely to complete the first semester’s courses before Christmas, and have a long Christmas holiday before a new semester with all new classes begins.

          Here in Croatia, our children in elementary school finished their first semester of classes before Christmas and enjoyed three weeks off from school. (They have an unbalanced school year, in that the first semester is quite a bit shorter than the second.) Our seminary students, however, only got two weeks off for Christmas and will compete their semester on Feb. 8. They will have no break between finals week and the beginning of the second semester.

          You may be used to the idea of finals week being the week when students have final exams in all their classes. That’s obvious, right? Well, as with just about everything else, things are a little more complicated here. Because of the nature of our modular courses, in which students start a new intensive class about every three weeks, students have potentially already taken several finals before they get to finals week.

          In Croatia, education law grants students rights that are normal here but seem downright bizarre to Americans. Eric and I are still getting used to some of them. For example, students are allowed to defer or retake finals if they wish – up to three times. Unlike American colleges, in which all course work must be done by the final and then the course grade is tabulated, Croatians can choose not to even take the exam if they do not feel prepared for it. They are allowed to carry over two such unfinished courses into the next school year though many carry more.

          If students in the United States could do this, think of the chaos that would naturally ensue as students who felt under pressure would opt for this easy out. As I remember it, students are supposed to feel pressure during finals week, but I also remember the best thing about it was no matter what, it would all be over in a week.

          But what if it wasn’t?

          Now that you have that picture in mind, you have a better understanding of our situation here. Because they can, students do defer their exams and often for poor reasons. We try to tell them that they will never be more prepared for the exam than immediately after taking the course, but the siren song of another day calls to many of them. They often don’t think ahead to the problem they will encounter the next semester when they have a full load of new courses plus the leftovers from the last one.

          In addition, this places a huge administrative burden on us as faculty members, both in having to arrange for finals for courses that are not even on our schedule but also as mentors trying to keep track of our students’ progress and encourage them to clean up this unfinished business. Once these courses are stale, they naturally don’t want to jump back into the material and prepare to take a final. Some even have research papers outstanding, months after the due date! We understand it is a Croatian thing, so we try not to make judgments about the relative benefit of this law and just try to get our students through their finals, but you can see the dilemma.

          So, pray for us as we prepare to give finals and for our students as they decide whether or not to take them. Pray that students will want to do the work now and that they will do it well the first time around, freeing them for the work ahead.

 

Eric and Nancy Titus are RCA missionaries in Osijek, Croatia, where they work at the Evangelical Theological Seminary and with the Reformed Christian Church in Croatia. They have three children: Samuel, Valerie, and Penny.

First Reformed Church of Fishkill

1153 Main Street

Fishkill, NY 12524

845-896-9836

www.fishkillreformed.org

 

Cancellations : If  Sunday morning worship is cancelled, the closing will be posted in 3 locations:

 (1)The church phone answering machine greeting – 896-9836

 (2) Radio station WHUD – 100.7 FM   or   www.whud.com

 (3) Website - www.cancellations.com