The Parish Visitor

The First Reformed Church of Fishkill

June 2007

Dear Friends,

Having just returned from the Preaching Conference in Nashville, I’m excited about what God has called us to do as a church planted at the corner of Main St. and Route 9. Though I still need to take time to prayerfully mull over all that I heard and read a couple of the books I picked up, I don’t want to lose the “thrill of the moment”.

It’s easy for the fullness of our schedules to rob us of the time we need to focus on different aspects of our life and just as easy to pretend we will take time to reflect “tomorrow”. But we all know that tomorrow never comes.

So I urge us all to take time, even if it is while we are physically doing something else. Sometimes we need to turn off the “tunes of the world” so that we can tune into the Spirit and see what is waiting for us.

So please join me in these Pentecost days in tuning in to the Holy Spirit that our Lord God has sent us to guide us and comfort us. Tune in while you’re driving, pulling weeds, washing dishes, quietly sitting, reading devotions, waiting in line, preparing for worship, or taking a breather on the front porch. Tune in when you’re transitioning from one task to another, or walking down the hallway. Tune in when you catch a glimpse of the mountain out the window, or the summer flowers along the walk. Tune in and listen. Tune in and expect the presence of God to be real to you. Even in the briefest of moments.

If we all tune in, I am sure we will hear the voice of God for us today.

With hope and faith,

JUNE CALENDAR

2	Spring cleanup 9 am*	17	Father’s Day Worship 10 am* Maurer-Geering Park Picnic Calvin’s Cleaners #3
3	Sunday School 9 am Worship 10 am Communion Calvin’s Cleaners #1	19	Mid-Hudson Classis Meeting – Woodstock Reformed Church 5:30 pm
5	Bible Study 7:30 pm Dubois House	20	Bible Study 10 am
6	Bible Study 10 am Dubois House Worship & Music Committee 11:30 am	24	Worship 10 am Calvin’s Cleaners #4
7	Choir Practice 7 pm	26	Consistory 7:15 pm
10	Sunday School 9 am Worship 10 am Children’s Sunday Calvin’s Cleaners #2	27	Bible Study 10 am Women of the Church Picnic*
12	Bible Study 7:30 pm DuBois House
13	Bible Study 10 am DuBois House
14	Communications Committee 11 am Choir Picnic 6 pm

*Look for further information in this Parish Visitor

The following are reminders of service commitments.

If you are unable to keep yours, please find someone to replace you

and notify the church office.

CALVIN’S CLEANERS

June July

3 Team 1 – Ray VanVoorhis 1 Team 5 – Tom Schmidt

10 Team 2 – Rich Lanni 8 Team 6 - vacant

17 Team 3 – Jay Wright 15 Team 7 - Linda Baron

24 Team 4 – Worship & Music 22 Team 8 - MaryLu Aronow

29 Balance team – Dan Byers

COUNTERS

June

3 Helene Wright, Victor Chao

10 John Twohig, Celeste Rudberg

17 Helen Wright, Celeste Rudberg (on Monday June 18^th)

24 Judy Michaelis, Harold Crawford

Coffee Hour Hosts

for June and July 2007:

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.

June

3^rd Van Geldern, Dorrie Hansen, Kyzer, Taylor\

10th Merritt, Carruthers, Lanni, Saya

17th Father’s Day Picnic

24^th Moffitt, Gunderson, Harty, Campbell

July

1 Hawkins, Fellin, Wright, Badowski

8 Sedita, Van Nostrand, Novick, Tegler

15 Strawberry Sunday

22 Dachenhausen, Byer, Serra, Smith

29 Crawford, Baron, Lacy

From Mother’s Day Brunch, by request:

Hot Fruit Salad Recipe

Ingredients

1 (20 oz) jar chunky applesauce

1 (21 0z) can cherry pie filling

1 (15 oz) can sliced peaches, DRAINED

1 (11 oz) can mandarin orange segments, DRAINED

1 (8 oz) can pineapple chunks

½ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

DIRECTIONS: Pour all ingredients into baking tin and mix.

Bake 90 minutes at 350 degrees uncovered.

FATHER'S DAY WORSHIP AND PICNIC

Rain or Shine, come join us for the annual Father's Day picnic on Sunday June17th at Maurer Geering Park Pavilion.  Our Sunday Service will be held first and then we have our picnic.  Sign up sheet will be in the Fellowship Hall.  Please consider bringing a salad, side dish or dessert to share.  We will supply the hamburgers/hot dogs. There will be games for the children and Dads (and Moms also).  Since all we have will be picnic tables w/benches, consider bringing a folding chair for your comfort,

SPRING CLEANUP

Saturday, June 2, 9 am. Work needs to be done around the church, the education building, the DuBois house and the parsonage. Sign up sheets listing tasks that need to be done are posted. Please sign up.

Notes from May Consistory Meeting

Ø Elder Thea Schallenberg led devotions on Servant Leadership, John 13:1-15

Ø The Treasurers Operating Report for April shows revenues totaling $23,510.45 and expenses totaling $18,403.16.

Ø Investment Committee approved Beechwood Group to move our funds from Citigroup to Wachovia Securities. This is not expected to affect our portfolio of investments.

Ø Elders approved the baptism of Genevieve Colette Bolger on June 24^th, 2007.

Ø Nine old tables from Fellowship Hall were donated to the Methodist Church to replace tables they lost when their building was flooded.

Ø Three hearing receivers are available on Sunday morning on the entryway table, for anyone needing the service amplified.

Ø The parsonage will have a walk through inspection this month. The tenants wish to renew the contract for another year.

Ø Next Consistory meeting is June 26th, at 7:15pm.

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THE BELHAR CONFESSION TO BE DISCUSSED AT GENERAL SYNOD

During the Lenten season, several church members met with Pastor Gloria to learn more about the Belhar Confession as it will be an important topic of discussion at the 2007 General Synod in June. Five years of study have been completed and our church will decide whether or not to provisionally adopt this confession as a fourth statement of our faith.

Advocates feel that it complements the statements of much earlier beliefs and that it is needed in our complex modern world. If it is adopted, we will see it used in worship and teaching for 2 years. Two more votes will follow before the final adoption in 2010

The Belhar was written by the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa. It was an outcry against the official apartheid policies of the South African government in 1982. In 1994, the merged black and colored congregations formally adopted this document. It sends a message of UNITY, RECONCILIATION AND JUSTICE and asks us to “Follow Christ’s mission in a lost and broken world.” It imagines a church which includes all who are baptized and that seeks to follow scripture in healing and transforming lives through the teachings and love of Jesus Christ. It is a call for an inclusive church – all races and ethnic groups, the poor, the imprisoned and the despised.

The Belhar Confession does no more than ask us to live as Jesus lived, but it is a tall order and compliance will not always be simple. When we return from Pella, we will be able to tell you more about the future of this creed for our lives.

Dan & Louise Byers

EDITOR’S NOTE: Dan is a delegate to General Synod and Louise is a corresponding delegate when the Synod meets at Central College in Pella, Iowa, June 7 – 12.

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I am grateful to everyone for the prayers, cards, phonecalls, and

visits while I was recuperating from knee replacement surgery.

The delicious meals that were prepared and delivered to my home

were certainly appreciated.  I am blessed to be a part of

such a caring church family.

Thank you so much,

Antje Landanno

A BOUQUET OF TULIPS

To Connie Kayson for fixing the draperies in Fellowship Hall. Connie cut them apart, cut out the worn parts, resewed them, cleaned them and hung them back up (with some help). They look brand new and saved the church a lot of money. THANK YOU, CONNIE (and your anonymous helpers, too!)

Our Easter offering totaled $2108. The money was divided evenly between Heifer International (for baskets of chicks, ducks, geese, rabbits, plus some extra) and Rural and Migrant Ministry for their summer camps for local rural and migrant youth. Thank you, one and all.

The Deacons

FRIENDS OF SENIORS is an all-volunteer organization that provides the following FREE services to senior citizens in Dutchess County:

1. Transportation to medical appointments/same day surgery procedures.

2. Assistance with grocery shopping, either for or with senior, depending on the particular need of the individual.

3. Visiting/keeping company with isolated seniors.

4. Telephone reassurance either on a daily basis, every other day, weekly, depending on the particular need of the individual.

5. Respite for primary care givers.

6. Referrals to other agencies and/or organizations, i.e. Meals-on Wheels, Office for the Aging, CASA.

WALK during the month of June to help raise money for Friends of Seniors, a 501(c)3 (tax-deductible) organization. Walkers will get sponsors to pledge $1 each time the person walks. It doesn’t matter how long a person walks, or how far, just as long as he/she walks.

Call 845-485-1277 for more information about FRIENDS OF SENIORS or for pledge forms.

Website: www.friendsofseniors.biz E-mail: friendsofseniors@juno.com

P.O. Box 2001, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601-0101

I have learned that Dutchess Outreach in Poughkeepsie collects business suits for men and women who are trying to get back into the workforce. In the next couple of weeks I will be taking some to them. If anyone has business attire suitable for this use, call me or email me and I will arrange to get them from you.

Celeste Rudberg

221-9330

mcrudberg@optonline.net

The theme for Bread for the World's 2007 Offering of Letters is “Seeds of Change." In 2007, the US Congress will reauthorize the farm bill, which occurs every 5 years. Bread for the World is focusing on this bill.  This legislation affects domestic and foreign farmers. 

During coffee hour on June 3^rd we will again be asking members of the congregation to write letters to our members of Congress urging their help. The sample letter states, “Our current farm policy provides large payments to some farmers but does little to help most farmers and other rural families of modest means.  I ask you to improve the farm bill to provide better and broader support for US farmers, strengthen communities in rural America, help hungry people in this country, and support the efforts of farmers in developing countries to sell their crops and feed their families."  We will keep a tally as to the number of letters sent from our congregation, and report these to Bread for the World.    When the representatives from Bread for the World meet with congress, they will report the number of letters of support that have been sent. 

SAVE THE DATE!

The 3^rd Annual First Reformed Church of Fishkill

GOLF OUTING

Thursday, September 13

Carvel Country Club

WOMEN OF THE CHURCH

The Women’s picnic will be on Wednesday, June 27^th. More information will follow as to location and time.

RICHARD KOOPMANS, FATHER OF REV. RODNEY KOOPMANS

passed away on Thursday, May 3, in Randolph, Wisconsin. Mr. Koopmans, born May 9, 1915, was a lifelong farmer and member of the First Reformed Church in Friesland. He and his wife, the former Elizabeth Boorsma who passed away in January 2005, were parents of six children, 15 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren. In addition, Mr. Koopmans was survived by one sister, several brothers- and sisters-in-law, many nieces, nephews and friends. Our prayers of comfort go out to Rod, Janie, and their family.

A DAY WITH REGGIE McNEAL, church consultant and author of The Present Future, will speak about the three architectural shifts necessary for today’s church to survive on Saturday, June 16^th, at New Paltz Reformed Church, 9:30 am to 3 pm. Registration is $10/person and includes lunch and snacks. Checks payable to: Mid-Hudson Classis should be sent to Pat Hall, Old Dutch Church 272 Wall Street, Kingston, NY 12401 by June 8^th. For more information call Lou LaFazia at 845-338-7722 or email llafazia@verizion.net.

REGIONAL SYNOD OF NEW YORK (RSNY) will hold its annual picnic on Saturday, June 30^th and Croton Point Park from 10 am – 5 pm.

For more information about the many programs and ministries of the RSNY visit the website: www.nysynod.org or call the Synod Office: 914-332-1311.

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Croatia Update

Weddings, construction kindred forms of growth

By Nancy Titus

RCA Missionary to Croatia

I saw three wedding parties taking pictures in the park yesterday. This is surely a good sign – hope for the future amid the flowering beauty of God’s springtime. Photographers pointed their big lenses at the women in white and their partners, surrounded by the purples, pinks, yellows and whites of manicured flowerbeds. A select number of close relatives stood nearby. I wasn’t there when they got in their cars and left, but I have been in Croatia long enough to know the sound of honking car horns is the sure sign that a wedding has taken place.

These couples, together with the rest of their generation, will need everything they can get to put their country back together as they try to build a better life for themselves and their children. The fallout from communism and war has left huge sectors of life still vastly dysfunctional despite all the new cars and fancy clothes you see on the streets. Things have certainly improved in recent years, but not for everyone.

The Croatian teacher who tutors our children is a wonderful example of the bright hope that springs eternal in the human heart. She is always upbeat and optimistic even as she rolls her eyes to describe one of the many things that do not make sense in her country. Like the fact that you can’t get almost any job unless you have connections, even if you have the best educational background. We are waiting to see if her semester in a temporary, part-time teaching job at a less-desirable school will have given her enough connections with the educational community to land a full-time job next year. Our first language helper is still looking for any entry-level job in any kind of public or private law office as her lack of connections seem to forever bar this single mom entry into the law profession.

Our children’s tutor told me those in power after communism said they were going to make 100 families wealthy, and that is exactly what happened. Everyone else struggled on their not–so merry way as prices rose and jobs disappeared.

Here in Osijek, many signs point to improved prosperity. There is a lot of construction going on, both large and small. New roofs. New paint. Sounds of renovations of some secret kind behind closed gates as you walk down the sidewalk. On our street, down a couple of blocks, there are now three big construction projects. Old houses were torn down, and now high-rise apartments are going up in their place. One such project, which has caused traffic problems since we arrived a year ago, is almost finished. The brightly colored balconies bring a nice relief to the dullness of most of the surrounding buildings. I noticed three other big, new projects this last month, and just yesterday at the house next door some kind of building began there. On it goes.

Even as I understand this development to be a good sign of a recovering economy, it comes with its own set of problems. The almost-finished six-story building of flats dwarfs the one-story house it butts up against. At least this project is three-houses-wide. The project going on across the street also will be five or six stories high but it is a narrow thing, as it replaces a single house. It seems wrong to me to have such a large structure which literally is attached to the one-story houses on either side. I don’t know yet how tall the third project is, but no doubt it, too, will tower over the older homes around it.

Seeing this happen leaves me with mixed feelings. I’m not sure I like the new shape of things, but I am glad for improved housing. As I see the shiny new facades, I am glad for those who will get to live in their own place, maybe for the first time. And everything will be fresh and new, like the marriages just starting.

So much here is old, patched together, and marginally functional. Facing that day-in and day-out is depressing even for the most optimistic. There needs to be at least some small space of newness where tender seedlings of a different and better way can be nurtured and thrive. Pray that these couples, and our students and churches, will find a way that they can be nurtured into everything good their Father has for them so they can grow and reflect His glory in this place!

First Reformed Church

1153 Main Street

Fishkill, NY 12524

845-896-9836

www.fishkillreformed.org

MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

CHILDREN’S DAY WORSHIP – June 10 – 10 am

FATHER’S DAY WORSHIP AND PICNIC - June 17 – Maurer-Geering Park 10 am

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL – August 13 – 17

3^rd ANNUAL GOLF OUTING – September 13 – Carvel Country Club