January Newsletter

 

 

 


The Parish Visitor

The First Reformed Church of Fishkill

January 2008

Dear Friends,

 

Well, it finally happened. My $5.95 a month dial-up service for accessing my email and internet at home has been replaced with high-speed wireless internet access. I really didn’t think it would happen – I wasn’t even sure if it needed to happen. But it has – but not without a few bumps in the road.

 

The serviceman took 3 times longer than expected,

The modem doesn’t sit flat on the shelf, because the cable is too short,

Half of the channels on the television no longer come in, and

The wireless printer doesn’t know it’s wireless.

 

Other than these few bumps, (that I’m sure will all be fixed in a timely fashion ☺), the wireless access and the high speed service allows me to send this letter to the Parish Visitor editor, sitting in my living room next to the Christmas tree, enjoying the decorations and the flocks of birds that have arrived in the back yard. But all this doesn’t change the fact the letter is long overdue. (Sorry, Celeste.)

 

I’m thankful for products and gadgets that make our lives easier, allowing us to do things quicker, and access resources faster – but we still have to do the work. We still have to write the letters.

 

So as we enter the New Year, may we make wise choices with our resources, checking in with our God to see how we are called to live our lives, so that how we choose to live in 2008, will be bring glory to our Lord Jesus Christ, who holds all of  eternity.

 

Happy New Year and Peace on Earth, Good will to all,

 

 

JANUARY CALENDAR

6

Sunday School 9 am

Worship 10 am - Communion

22

Bible Study 7:30 pm – DuBois House

 8

Winter Blood Drive 2 – 7:30 pm*

23

Bible Study 10 am – DuBois House

Women of the Church 1:30 pm – DuBois House

 9

Bible Study 10 am - DuBois House

24

Choir practice 7 pm

10

Choir practice 7 pm

26

Stone Soup and Movie 4 pm*

13

Sunday School 9 am

Worship 10 am

Membership class 11:45*

27

Sunday School  9 am

Worship  10 am

Membership Class 11:45*

15

Consistory 7:15 pm

29

 

Bible Study 7:30 pm – DuBois House

16

Bible Study 10 am - DuBois  House

30

Bible Study 10 am – DuBois House

17

Choir practice 7 pm

31

Choir practice 7 pm

 20

Sunday School  9 am

Worship 10 am

Membership class 11:45*

 

 

 *See this Parish Visitor for more information

 

 

 

Notes from December Consistory Meeting

 

Ø       Deacon MaryLu Aronow led devotions which focused on our temporary home and our eternal home 

Ø       The Treasurers Operating Report for September shows revenues totaling $21,992.88, and expenses totaling $20,628.26.

Ø       11 Christmas Carolers sang at the homes of 9 church families in the Fishkill/Beacon area, on December 9th.

Ø       Rev Jeff Japinga, Executive Coordinator for the RCA, will join us for worship on January 6th.

Ø       In November the final payment towards the DuBois House mortgage was paid. Yeah!

Ø       A weather cancellation policy was discussed.

Ø       The Fishkill Food Pantry served 6,246 meals in November.

Ø       The Elders are discussing ways to prepare and present the communion elements in ways that ensure healthy practices.

Ø       Next Consistory meeting is January 15th, at 7:15pm, for both current and new members.

 

 

 

The 2008 Offering envelopes are available. For those who had envelopes in 2007, the envelopes are ready to be picked up in the back of the sanctuary. If you did not have envelopes in 2007, but would like to have a set, please see John Houston.

 

 

Coffee Hour Hosts

for January and February 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.

 

January                                                           February

 6 Fellin, McCoy, Hawkins, Dorrie Hansen     3 Diyeso, Perry, Byrne, Houston        

13 Campbell, Rudberg, Utter, Merritt              10 Deneu, Cook, Grassick, Beaudway

20 Minot, Hoffman, Wynn, Jones                    17 Michaelis, Potter, Wesley, Vasquez

27 Gorba, Suggitt, Harty, Lane                        24 Heroy, Alexander, Aronow, DeGregoriis

 

 

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

 

 

FAMILY MOVIE AND "STONE SOUP" NIGHT

Saturday, January 26

4 P.M.

 

Come out for our annual "stone soup" night.  Turkey carcasses from our Thanksgiving dinner have been cooked down and are awaiting the additional ingredients.  Come out for the family movie (to be voted on) and then enjoy our delicious homemade soup and bread with dessert to follow.  Those planning on coming are asked to bring your favorite item for soup to be put in the pot.  Examples are: carrots, celery, onion, beans, noodles, rice, pasta or anything else you would put into your soup.  We ask that the veggies are washed and cut up, ready to be put into the pot.  Sign up sheet will be in the fellowship hall so we get an idea on how many to plan for.

 

 

Reminder:

    Our winter blood drive in cooperation with the Hudson Valley division of The Greater New York Blood Center will be held in the Bill Perry Fellowship Hall (our Education Building) on January 8 from 2 – 7:30 pm.  If you are eligible to donate blood, please come to the drive. This time of the year shortages are even more critical than at other times.  See you there!

   

 

 

 

 

Dearest Pastor Gloria and precious Church Family All…

          How overwhelmed and humbled Walt and I and our beautiful family are!  And, most of all, so very thankful for all your thoughts, and prayers, and cards and calls, that bolster our spirits and renew our strength and confidence in each new day!

          How can we do anything else but move forward, in the hope we share in God’s grace and mercy upon each of our lives, in sending His Son Jesus, our risen Savior, to redeem us from our sins!  And we have His resurrection promise of life eternal with Him in His glory!  If we but repent and believe and receive Him!  Oh, how I love that Christmas hymn “Come into my heart Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for Thee”!

          So we rejoice together in His glorious coming as the Bible tells us.  Rejoice always…pray without ceasing…in everything give thanks…for this is the will of God, in His Son, Jesus!  1 Thess. 5:16, 17, 18

          We pray God’s rich blessings surround you and fill your lives in each new day, as He does ours, through you!                                                                                                                               Lovingly,

                                                                                  June and Walt (Saunders) and our family

 

 

Dear Church Family,

          A very sincere thank you for your prayers, inquiries, cards, flowers and calls following my recent surgery.  Bud and I are truly blessed to be part of such a caring and supportive church.  Our wish is for the peace and joy of Christmas for all.

                                                                      Jean Corwin

 

                      Thank you all so very much for your love and support following Mark’s death.  Being surrounded by your goodness helped us through this sad time and made us even more grateful to be part of such a wonderful Church Family.

                                                                      Linda, Jessica, Matthew and Mina Baron

 

          Jerry and I thank the carolers for their visit in December.  It was wonderful and Jerry Happily joined in the singing.  Thank you for your prayers for healing for Jerry.  The intellect is intact—speech impaired.  Progress is slow with speech therapy even after eight months.  We have hope and are thankful to our Lord for each day.

                                                          Juanita and Jerry Nolting.

 

 

 

 

Thank you!

                                 

Dear Church Family,

          Thank you for your generous support in preparing Christmas for our adopted family.  The $451 we received was matched by the deacons giving us $920 to provide a grand Christmas for the family.  Without you we would not have been successful in this outreach.

          On Friday, Dec. 14th, several of us had fun shopping for the family and enjoyed pizza afterward. We purchased new clothes, shoes pajamas, socks, and gloves for each of the four children and games for their Play Station II as well as a toy for the 15 month old and a book for each child. Children’s Church helped by decorating cookies for the family.  During Sunday School on December 23, we wrapped the gifts.  Wish everyone could have seen all the wrapped packages lined up in the Education building hallway!

          We pray God will bless this family as we have been blessed in preparing for their Christmas.  May your hearts be filled with God’s love and may the wondrous spirit of Christmas be with you throughout the year.                            

                                                          With much appreciation,

                        The Sunday School students and staff

 

 

Thank you….

 

Dear Friends,

        Thank you for all your Christmas wishes and blessings. It is a true joy to worship together during this awe filled season. And for those of you who cannot be here on Sunday mornings, please know you are thought of often and that we are all united by the Spirit of God.

        Thank you for the wonderful winter coat. It is light, warm and beautiful. And the 4 bronze ornaments, depicting the Biblical characters of the Nativity story are a lovely addition to my Christmas tree.

        Thank you, also for the gift of money. Part of it will be saved and used for my trip to Central Europe next August.

        And for those who were as surprised as me to see the second jacket in the gift box – turns out it was another order that was suppose to go to a woman in Gladwin, Michigan!  I’m still trying to sort that one out!

 

                                              Peace be with you and goodwill to all,

                                             

 

From the Deacons:

 

ó                                                                                    The Thanksgiving offering totaled $1366.  My Brothers’ Table in St. Croix and the Elizabeth A. Karlson food pantry each received $683.

 

ó                                                                                    The Deacons chose the following recipients for end-of-year giving:

          $2000. to be placed in the Pastor’s Discretionary Fund

          $1250. to Gardiner Reformed Church to help them repair their water-damaged foundation.

          $1200. to Mid-Hudson Classis toward their share of the Titus’ mission.

 

          Any questions can be addressed to me or to any of the other Deacons.

 

                                                                      Celeste Rudberg

                                                                        Chair

 

Hear ye!  Hear ye!

 

The Chime Choir is looking for people who may be interested in being substitutes for the choir or possibly be interested in learning how to “ring those chimes”.  From time to time, we need one or more people to fill in some spots for those who, for whatever reason, may not be available to ring.  We also would like to make some time in January available for those interested in learning how to ring the chimes.  If you are one of those people for either reason, please contact Connie Lacey at church (896-9836) or at home (897-5962).  Try it!  You’ll like it!

 

Women of the Church

 

The Women’s group will meet on Wednesday, January 23rd at 1:30 pm in the DuBois House for a planning meeting.  Please bring ideas.  Refreshments will be served.

 

The Women of the Church are grateful for the wonderful response in helping us supply 200 gifts of sox for Hedgewood.  The staff at the adult home are very appreciative as well, so we thank each one kindly for your generosity.  June Saunders was missed but she will be back to lead the singing.  We thank Thea Schallenberg for graciously leading the caroling.  For the devotion Karon Perry read Pastor Gloria’s advent message of “Fear Not!”; finishing with the following from Juanita Nolting’s  Indiana church titled:

Our Greatest Need

If our greatest need had been information,

God would have sent us an educator;

If our greatest need had been technology,

God would have sent us a scientist;

If our greatest need had been money,

God would have sent us an economist;

If our greatest need had been pleasure,

God would have sent us an entertainer;

But our greatest need was forgiveness,

So God sent us a Savior.

 

          The year 2008 celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  In cooperation with St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Dutchess County Vicariate of Catholic Parishes, and the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute there will be:    

         

1)                         An Ecumenical Prayer Service at St. Martin de Porres Church, 118 Cedar Valley Road, Poughkeepsie, on Sunday, January 20 at 3:00 pm

2)                         A lecture, entitled “Christian Unity:  The Reality and the Promise,” at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Wilbur Blvd., Poughkeepsie, on Thursday, January 24 at 7:30 pm.

                      All are invited to attend.

 

Vigil Volunteering

 

Vassar Brothers Medical Center, in collaboration with Hospice, Inc., and with support from the Community Foundation of Dutchess County, is creating a volunteer program to support dying patients and their families.  Vigil Volunteers will be able to provide a unique understanding, guiding the family and providing a comforting presence so dying patients are not alone.

 

The initial training will take place:  Thursday, March 6th and 13th from 6:30 pm – 9:30 pm and Saturday, March 15h from 9 am – 3 pm.  There is no cost, but an expectation that a trained vigil volunteer will be available 4 hours a week for those in need.  Course prerequisites:  1) Completion of the Hospice, Inc. volunteer training course (the next series starts 1/9/08 – call 485-2273 for information) or equivalent experience; 2) Completion of the volunteer registration process at VBMC or Hospice. 

 

For more information call Rev. J. Simon at 483-6644.

 

 

 

Opinion on the Golden Compass

 

Don't let the Golden Compass point you in the wrong direction. While I have not seen the movie, I have read the book it was based upon. I have also read the two sequels, and read much about the controversy of this series. The author is an avowed atheist who publicly says his books "are about killing God" and that he is "trying to undermine the basis of Christian belief."

 

The movie claims to have watered down or removed most of the religious references. If so, it could be seen as a good adventure story. However, if you have children or grandchildren who will then read the book, be forewarned that what they read will be quite different. According to the books, the church is the all powerful authority in life.  Everyone has a daemon - an animal that reflects his or her soul.  The church is performing experiments on kidnapped children in secret.  Lyra, the main character, sets out to rescue them.  Along the way there will be references to male castration and female circumcision, and suggestion of sexual relations between witches and adults.  In a philosophical discussion of God at the end of book one, Lyra's father quotes the story of Adam and Eve as if reading from the Bible, except that the story is twisted with Adam and Eve also having daemons. Lyra's father goes on to say that God has admitted his own nature to be partly sinful. 

 

The next two books in the series are more explicit in the death-of-God theme that began in book one.  God is portrayed as merely the first of many angels, and he is now old and weak and faces a rebellion by angels and humans alike. He has mostly retreated and handed over power and authority to another angel, in preparation for the cosmic battle that is shaping up.  Lyra is the Eve of a new creation, foretold to and awaited by the witches.  By book three, a  former nun tells Lyra that she left the Christian faith because it's "a very powerful and convincing mistake, that's all", and God is dead, replaced by a "Republic of Heaven."

 

While much of this might go right past the reader focusing on the  main adventure, there is enough explicit anti-Christian context to make you think twice about the movie and books.  This is nothing like the pro-Christian subtlety of the Chronicles of Narnia.

 

                                                                                                          Toni Houston

 

December 2007 - From Jack and Susannah Dabney's - RCA Missionaries in Albania

 

Dear Friends,

          [This edited letter was originally sent to a supporting church in West Virginia. The entire letter is posted in Fellowship Hall.] 

    When I was a boy, our culture was increasingly disenchanted with the ways in which American merchants annually pushed back the dates for beginning to celebrate Christmas. When municipalities put up Christmas lights and stores began to decorate and advertise as early as Thanksgiving this was considered soulless paganism and rank materialism.

A Celebration of Celebrating

     When we moved to Albania I missed the lights and decorations and music of Christmas. Not only did they not begin at Thanksgiving, the city shops and streets were as busy on Christmas Day itself as on any other work day. The big celebration here is the arrival of the New Year. It is a celebration of the ordinary with no special revelation of the loving, gracious intervention of the Sovereign God for our salvation. It is a celebration of celebrating by finite creatures that are lonely for their Creator. There is no manifest connection of this culture to the God who emptied Himself taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men. Susannah and I are sent into the midst of a people walking in darkness whose hope and joy neither seeks nor expects any satisfaction beyond what is ordinary and automatic. Such celebrations amount to little more than loud whistling in the dark. This year I find that I am thankful even for the materialism which caused a minority of merchants to hang lights and holiday decorations. Whatever their motives I am thankful for any stimulus to glorify and worship Emanuel with the shepherds and the angels. We celebrate the living Jesus Christ who is our hope and joy!

Christmas Eve

    In the morning Susannah and Lindita, the wife of Pastor Akil Pano, again made dressing for our respective Christmas dinners. I completed our shopping after which I ran into a familiar Roma gypsy mother with one of her children. She asked if I could buy some food for her family. We went into the market where we purchased a chicken, a kilo of hamburger, some bread and rice. I told her again that Jesus loves her. She vocalized her praise of Jezusi and asked me to greet Susannah for her.

    That evening our local church held its first Christmas Eve candle light service. We invited a Muslim couple from across the street. Susannah and I have been building a relationship with them since we arrived in Albania. Her husband, Miri was not able to come to church with us as he owns a small business and had to work. Miranda and their six year old son, Denisi went to church with us. This was Miranda’s first time in a Christian church, and she may have never been in a mosque. Miranda asked Susannah about a manger that was located prominently in the room. I heard Susannah explain to her about the birth of Jesus, giving her an Albanian New Testament folded open to the Gospel of Luke, chapters 1 and 2. We respect and care about this family. We pray that the Lord make our witness fruitful!

Neta’s Great Light

    In our recent “Dear Friends” letter, we wrote about Neta who had surgery to remove a tumor and that “thankfully they found no malignancy. Neta is recovering slowly.” Initially we thought that Neta had been one of those referred to in Isaiah 9:2 who walked in darkness, until at the report of the Doctor that they had found no malignancy, suddenly she had seen Isaiah’s great light. However, a week later we learned that in this culture, the medical community considers it a kindness to withhold such truth from persons diagnosed with life threatening diseases.

    The question arises: is there a light so great that it still shines and brings hope in the face of really bad news? And if a person discovers that their “good news” is less than the truth; that it is only artificial and temporary; that they really do have cancer; is there a great light for such persons? The good news of Christmas is relevant for both those with, as well as those without cancer.

Good Books for Pastors and Student-Pastors

    Several years ago the Reformed Church gave its Spring Mission Offering to help provide good books for pastors and pastors in training here in Albania. To date we have translated and published four titles in the Albanian language: The Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin, an abridged edition by Hillary Osborne and Tony Lane, The Kingdom of God by John Bright, A short History of the Early Church, by Harry Boer, and Kiss Your Church by Dick Little. Today I delivered sixty books to the Evangelical Bible College where I will be teaching a New Testament Survey from March until May.

     On 9 December Susannah hosted her regular “Second Sunday” meeting for unmarried women missionaries. The missionary women sang Christmas Carols, made Christmas Wreaths, ate a bowl of Susannah’s famous chili and a dessert. Then they watched the classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

    On 16 December Susannah and Anita teamed up to begin a ministry to unmarried Albanian women, most of whom attend Disciples of Jesus Church..

    Thank you for your partnership in mission with us here in Albania.

       Jesus Christ is Lord!        

                                                                      Blessed New Year in Christ,   Jack and Susannah Dabney

Croatia Update

Accidents bring seminary community together By Rev. Eric J. Titus

          ‘Tis the night before the night before Christmas as I write this. I’m sitting in the nice warm room that serves as our office (Nancy’s and mine) in our new house here in Croatia. The year has been absolutely full and chaotic. 

          There have been a lot of changes in the past year, even beyond our moving to a new place in Osijek.  I have been filling the role of student dean this year, which brings with it new responsibilities of overseeing the care of the student body. Perhaps one of the most challenging times for me came when a van full of our students (who were out on practical ministry assignment) swerved off a slippery road near a town ninety minutes from Osijek and rolled over. 

          Seeing the pictures of the accident (and the van itself which is now in the back parking lot of the seminary), I recognize it is no small miracle that everyone walked away alive. We had one student hospitalized with head injuries and a broken leg. This student was in the middle of a class with me about the theology of suffering. I told her she really didn’t have to do field work! We are grateful that she was able to come back to the seminary with us and has now gone home for Christmas as have most all of our other residential students.

          I had the job of making pastoral phone calls on behalf of the seminary to the families of the students involved. Though the news was generally good, in that the other students were banged up but not seriously hurt, it was a stretch to have to convey this emotional information through a language barrier. I was grateful for a wonderful translator working with me.

          About two weeks later we received word that another one of our professors (a very kind man from Norway) had run his car off the road not far from the other accident, rolled onto his roof, and was hanging upside down from his seatbelt as the water from the river he landed in began filling up his car!  He, too, came out of it physically intact but a bit shaken.

          After the slight “hearers shock” wears off, one cannot help but thank God for God’s particular grace. How quickly things change. You may be sitting in a warm office one day and hanging upside down in freezing water the next!  I sense this grace of God is exactly what these people and our seminary community experienced.

          What struck me about these accidents was how quickly the students and professors responded to each other.  In a moment of time, even though we had different languages and cultural backgrounds, we were drawn together instantly by our common humanity. Even more, we were drawn together by our common Christian humanity. We gathered many times as a community for prayer and worship, and many more in smaller groups to wonder about it all.

          We were drawn together because we were human: we were drawn together in a community because we were Christian.  It did not escape me that we were together in suffering because God in human form had suffered for us.  In a sense, when we were in our most tragic situation, this is when God came to make our humanly Christian life a possibility. 

          These recent events have quickly passed and it hasn’t taken long for the seminary to fall into its usual routine: classes, study, grading, grumbling, laughing. How quickly our memory evaporates and the intensity of the moment passes.  I would that the accidents had never occurred of course. Yet, I do not want to quickly yield the fast sense of community we had, the fervency of prayer, or the honesty of worship that took seed in that soil. I do not wish to forget that I am a Christian human. 

          So it is that I sit on this night before the night before Christmas, warm and grateful to God for the wonder of the Incarnation that makes it possible for me to be humanly Christian. We are grateful for you too, who have come along with us for this most incredible, unpredictable divine adventure in mission.

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

          In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born kind of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage….and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.”

                                                                 Matthew 2:1-2, 9-10.