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The Newsletter Middle Country Lutheran Parish - November - December 2008


Current News and Events at Hope Lutheran Church
  • Seasonal News
  • Pastor Hills's "Vision of Hope"
  • Music & Worship information
  • Christmas Worship Schedule
  • Weekly Events
  • Financial Update
  • Youth Information
  • Extra Years of Zest News



  • PREPARATIONS UNDERWAY FOR HOLY-DAYS


    During the months of November and December we have many events and special services as part of our celebration of the “Holiday Season.”

    Nearly every Sunday has a special theme during this important time of the year. We celebrated the Feast of All Saints on Sunday, November 2 and our Annual Remembrance Sunday services were held on November 9th along with our “Novemberfest,” a celebration of the 525th anniversary of the birthday of Martin Luther.

    A Narrative Communion Service was developed for the weekend of November 15-16. This special service provides a running commentary on the meaning of the worship service we use every weekend, explaining why we do what we do in worship. 

    On Christ the King Sunday, the final Sunday of our church year, the weekend of November 22nd and 23rd , we will hear a message given by Dr. Rick Bliese, President of Luther Seminary (where Pastor Hill was trained) who is in our synod that weekend for an Evangelical Outreach Event organized by Pastor Hill and members of our synod’s Commission for Evangelical Outreach for pastors and lay leaders on Saturday in Brooklyn.

    A Thanksgiving Eve service will begin at 7:30 on Wednesday, November 26th, and the following weekend is the first weekend in the season of Advent, a time for reflection on the great themes of hope, joy, peace, and love that set the stage for the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord on Christmas Eve.


    AFTER THANKSGIVING EVENTS

    Other special events and services are planned for this holiday season, and we encourage members to invite and bring along friends and relatives to them.

    The annual Adopt-a-Family program is beginning on the weekend of November 22-23. If you know of any needy families from our community who might benefit from this special giving emphasis, please share that information with Pastor Hill.

    Our annual Christmas Caroling and church decorating day will be the Sunday before Christmas, December 21. All members are invited to join in these activities, and suggestions of people to visit are welcome. Please speak with Joyce Stahl or Pastor Hill if you know people we might visit and sing for.



    WEEKLY EVENTS

    Sundays        8,9:30, 11:15 a.m. Worship

                        9:15 a.m.        Sunday School

                        9 a.m.             Blood Pressure  2nd & 4th Sunday

                                                  

    Mondays        7 p.m.            Joyful Ringers

                          7:30 p.m.       Secret Message

    Tuesdays        7 p.m.            Rejoice Dancers

                          7:30 p.m.       Grace Notes

                          7:30 p.m.       Bible Study Group

    Wednesdays   4 p.m.             Kids’ Choir Club 

                         7:30 p.m.        Evening Prayers

    Fridays          7 p.m.             Bowling League

    Saturdays      4 p.m.             Teen Ministry*

                         6 p.m.             Saturday Night Alive Service          

    * not every Saturday



     


    “Let’s Talk About the M-word”


    I remember vividly how every Sunday, as we sat down for dinner after coming home from church, my father would give a one-sentence summary of the pastor’s sermon.

    I was amazed that it took only one sentence to sum up what was at least a half-hour sermon (yes, they were that long back then– you don’t know how good you’ve got it today.) But what I found even more amazing was that every Sunday, the summary would be exactly the same as the week before, and it would amount to only four words.

    Mom would ask “What did the pastor preach about today?” and Dad would reply, “He talked about ‘money’.”

    When I think back over those Sunday afternoon “non-discussions,” I have to smile. I know that my father was a good church member and a faithful Christian, and I also knew quite well that he listened to the whole sermon the pastor preached every week. Eventually I realized that his summaries reflected more what he was thinking than what the pastor had said.

    Although our world today is much different from the world I grew up in, some things never seem to change. It is still true that one of the toughest things for us to talk openly and honestly about in the church is the notorious “M-word.”

    Everyone knows quite well that to be an active church with a full-time pastor, a staff, a building, and a host of programs for all sorts of people takes money. There’s no way around that, at least if we continue with certain assumptions about what it takes to be a church. The problem is that we just don’t know how to talk about how we, as individuals and families, get and use the money we have at our disposal.

    We don’t believe that churches should be like other organizations that collect weekly or monthly “dues,” and we also know that decades ago churches abandoned the practice of publishing what each family contributed to the church in their annual reports. And, as active, busy people, we all know that it would be much more costly in the use of our time for us to engage in running a lot of fund-raising events to support our church’s ministry. The church would probably earn a lot more money if the same people simply gave one full-day’s pay as their offering instead of stressing themselves out for months to prepare for a one-day fund raising event, wouldn’t it?

    As the new year approaches, we will all be thinking a lot about money, especially thanks to the recent events on Wall Street. We would gain a lot as a congregation if we were to spend some time talking to one another about how we feel about our money, our church, God’s mission, and our partnership with God. Pray for the members of our Congregation Council as they continue to formulate their plans to encourage a healthy dialogue about the “M-word,” and that they find ways to encourage us to discuss openly the other “M-word,” the word “Mission.”The truth is that we cannot have the one without the other.

                 

         With love,               

         


        Pastor Hill
      
                              





                                      The Worship & Music Page






    ADVENT - a joyful season


                “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near;

                repent, and believe in the good news” Mark 1:15


                “Believe in the good news” We all need to hear those words especially in our world

     today. Advent gives us a chance to begin again and turn our lives to God. It is a time of hope amid crisis, light in deep darkness, a growing sense of expectation, a growing trust in the promises of God. We watch, wait and prepare for God’s coming reign of justice and peace but even more we are hopeful, excited and even joyous as we see that reign come to pass in our own place and time.


    ADVENT CANDLE LIGHTING                           

                Families, individuals, groups are invited to light the Advent candles and read a short prayer during the Saturday night or Sunday morning worship services. Sign up on the chart that is posted in the narthex. Look for the appropriate reading for the week in Advent you chose and take a copy to practice.


    '


                 STIRRING UP ADVENTADVENT WEDNESDAY EVENING SERVICES

                Our Wednesday Advent evening services at 7:30 p.m. focus on Recipes for relationships: Our relationships with God, our families, and each other.

                            God’s Covenant                 December 3        Calls us into relationships of promise and hope

                            God’s Grace                      December 10       His self-giving love—a grace that saves the beloved

                            God’s Empowerment         December 17       Encourages us to empower those we love

          On Sunday, December 27th we will finish the series with “Intimacy” which is found swaddled in the manger —Emmanuel come near.

    ADVENT SOUP & SANDWICH DINNER AND SERVICE OF LESSONS AND CAROLS

                Sunday, December 14th at 5:30 p.m. join us for fellowship around a simple dinner of soup and sandwiches. Soup will be provided just sign up and bring a few sandwiches to share. After shopping, decorating this simple time gives us a chance to just relax and enjoy a meal together.

                At 7 p.m. we worship with a service of Lessons and Carols for Advent. This service is a special series of scripture readings, with hymns, songs, and special music.


    POINSETTIAS

                Help decorate our church for the Christmas Season by donating Poinsettia plants. Forms and donation envelopes will be found in the narthex. Cost will be $15.00 per plant. After the 11 p.m. Christmas Eve service you are welcome to take your plant home.


    SPECIAL CHOIR REHEARSALS FOR ADVENT/CHRISTMAS

                Besides rehearsing in between the services on Sunday mornings, two short rehearsals are planned for Wednesday evenings from 8—8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays December 3rd and 17th.

     

    CHRISTMAS DECORATING AND CAROLING

                Sunday, December, 21st after the 11:15 a.m. service we will begin to decorate the church for our Christmas celebrations of the birth of our Lord. All are welcome to help!

                 Then at 3 p.m. we leave the church to sing Christmas carols at homes of those shut-in or in need of cheer. It’s a fun time for all! We car pool and drive to the various places – words and music are provided.





             CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES


          4 p.m. A Family Service of Holy Communion

         7, 9 & 11 p.m. Candlelight Services of Holy Communion




    CHRISTMAS DAY SERVICE

           10 a.m. Holy Communion Celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord


         There will be NO Saturday evening worship service on December 27th.


    FIRST SUNDAY OF CHRISTMAS—December 28th

                            Services of Holy Communion at 8, 9:30 & 11:15 a.m.




    FOLLOW THAT STAR!

                A Christmas pageant for our children and teens is being planned for

    Sunday, January 4th at the 9:30 a.m. service. Rehearsals are planned for Saturdays,

    December 6, 13th and January 3rd at 11 a.m. Sign up forms for the journey to follow the star will be handed out and posted.



    EPIPHANY SERVICE

    On Tuesday, January 6th Come and Adore Our Newborn Savior at 11 a.m. with a Service celebrating the Epiphany of Our Lord and then stay for lunch.





    THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE

     Three Thanksgiving Portraits

                Wednesday, November 26th at 7:30 p.m. we give thanks to God for all the blessings we have received.

                Our Chimes group will lead us in worship and make us more aware of what we should be thankful for with three plays.





    LUTHER SEMINARY PRESIDENT TO PREACH AT HOPE

    The Rev. Dr. Rick Bliese, President ofLuther Seminary, the ELCA’s largest seminary (and Pastor Hill’s alma mater) will be our guest preacher at out services on the weekend of November 22-23. Dr. Bliese is one of the world’s leading missiologists and an important voice among leaders in the Lutheran tradition. He will be in our synod to speak at an all-day conference event on “The Evangelizing Church”sponsored by the synod’s Commission for Evangelical Outreach for pastors and laypeople in Brooklyn on Saturday, November 22.

    Any members of Hope interested in attending this event should speak with Pastor Hill. Pastor Hill is the chair of the Commission and will be hosting Dr. Bliese in his home, so he invited Dr. Bliese to preach here. Don’t miss this tremendous opportunity to meet and hear this leader in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

     

    BISHOP RIMBO IS INSTALLED

                 On Sunday, October 12, nearly a thousand Lutherans gathered at Central Synagogue in Manhattan to celebrate the installation of the new bishop of our Metropolitan New York Synod, the Rev. Robert Rimbo.

                The beautiful worship space was filled with wonderful music including choral anthems, solos, and the great hymns of the Church.

                ELCA Presiding Bishop, Mark Hanson, presided at the service and preached a message based on the assigned texts for the day.

                Bishop Rimbo, who is still somewhat of a newcomer to our Metro New York Synod, served as pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at Central Park West in Manhattan before being elected at last May’s Synod Assembly. But he is not new to the office of bishop, having served more than a whole term as bishop of the Southeast Michigan Synod.


    FOCUS GROUPS PLANNED

    FOR JANUARY


    The Council is working on plans for having two “Focus Groups” during the month of January to help us begin the process of discerning the future of our church. Members of Hope will be selected for invitations to serve by attending one of the two group sessions being planned.

    If you receive a letter inviting you to attend one of these groups, please consider the invitation prayerfully and respond promptly. We will invite members because we are looking for a representative cross-section of our membership to attend these 90 minute sessions. Others who do not receive a personal invitation may also attend if they can. Your input will be very valuable.

    As the new year approaches the bishop will be working on developing his staff. He has already started meeting with individual conferences to become better acquainted with our clergy and lay leaders.




                  FINANCIAL UPDATE


    Thanks to the increased giving of several members of Hope in recent weeks, we have been able to keep from falling behind on bills, but we are still trying to catch up on the expenses we have already incurred or expect to have before the end of this calendar year. Although the fiscal year of our church runs from July 1 to June 30, the calendar year is significant because as members look to file their income taxes, the offerings donated prior to December 31 are what they will be able to report for 2008.

    Given our nation’s current financial crisis and the anxiety many are experiencing because of the uncertainties it causes, it is difficult to ask members to give extraordinary amounts in their offerings at this time. Yet it would be unfair and irresponsible to not inform our members that if we would all be able to give an increase in our offerings, our situation would improve locally.

    As in past years we will be setting up a Christmas Giving Tree with envelopes for bills that are currently due. If you take any envelopes, please use them and return them in any regular offering prior to December 31.

    Make any checks payable to our church so your donation can be counted as such and the treasurer can pay the bills with a church check.

    There may be some confusion about finances caused by the impending sale of the property of St. Mark’s in Ridge. Although the sale is being completed, there will probably be some time before any of the proceeds become available for our local ministry at Hope because of the legalities involved in churches selling property.

    Further, after the initial reimbursements and payments are made from the proceeds, the merger agreement we made with St. Mark’s requires that the balance remaining be used to create the “St. Mark’s Mission Endowment Fund.” After that is done, we will be able to use any interest received for mission projects (not to replace member offerings).

    The simple fact is that the bills we have right now need to be paid now, and later on we will have a chance to think together about what we could do with the funds we will receive from the endowment.






    MEMBERS APPROVE SALE OF ST. MARK’S PROPERTY


    A large crowd gathered for the November 2nd Special Meeting of the Congregation to discuss and vote on a proposal to enter into a contract with the Temple Baptist Church of Middle Island who wished to buy the property formerly used for the ministry of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church on Smith Road in Ridge.

    Pastor Hill led devotions and shared with members the importance of the action taken by the members of St. Mark’s and Hope back in 2003 in forming a merger between the two congregations. Back at that time the members of both congregations hoped that the plans to build 32 high-quality subsidized senior citizen apartments would be approved by the Town of Brookhaven, making use of a grant of more than $4 million to Catholic Charities from the U.S.Department of Housing and Urban Development.

    Political elements prevented that plan from coming to fruition, so in succeeding years the building was rented out to Pastor Robert Dickerson who tried to start a ministry he called the “Capernaum Apostolic Christian Life Center.” The congregation did not develop as he hoped, so in the fall of 2007, in spite of the fact that we had just put together a formal lease agreement with the assistance of an attorney, he simply stopped paying any rent. Our Council made many attempts to collect the rental payments, but finally decided that their only course of action was to contact a realtor, ask Pastor Dickerson to surrender the keys to the church, and put the church property on the market.

    Following the advice of an attorney, the Council gave proper notification that the building was to be vacated by the end of August and the property was listed for sale. Almost immediately we had a solid offer and several additional inquiries. By the beginning of November Pastor Dickerson finally surrendered the keys. We had discovered earlier that the power had been shut off in the spring of 2008, so we made arrangements with LIPA to have power restored.

    The congregation voted unanimously (105 votes)to approve the contract and allow the sale to go forward, and we are now waiting for the closing on the sale. We have requested approval from the Synod Council, and we will need to have the sale approved by the office of the New York State Attorney General. We hope that the closing takes place soon.

    The net proceeds from the sale will be invested in a Mission Endowment Fund that we will set up. Members with expertise in financial matters will be asked to apply to serve on a board to oversee the investment plan. The Council will keep members apprised of the developments.



    PLANS FOR A MEMORIAL GARDEN AND TRAIL UNDERWAY

                 A long time ago some members of Hope had a vision of converting the overgrown “jungle” which occupies the northwestern corner of our church property into a beautiful garden trail designed with specific locations for personal and small group reflection. That area includes almost one third of all church-owned property here in Selden. Various ideas are being discussed already, so former Council President, Chris Geiger, has agreed to head up a Design Team that will develop plans and begin organizing our resources to make the project a reality. After the land is cleared, we will be able to plan out how to use the space.

                Funds for this project will come from Thrivent financial and through donations in memory of friends and loved ones, and labor for the project will come from us. Anyone wishing to join the design team should contact Chris Geiger at 736-2177 or cgeiger@supermarvin.com



    FOOD PANTRY PREPARES FOR THE HOLIDAYS

                Preparations are underway to help families in need with Thanksgiving food baskets. Each Thanksgiving and Christmas season, we average 35 - 40 baskets. We hope that we will be able to help even more families this year. Members of Hope, our Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops, Teen Ministry, and Anchor Nursery School have always been very generous when donating items to the food baskets and we are very grateful. We continue to need your help with this project for this year.

                If you would like to make donations for the food baskets, the following items are needed:

                                  


                                           Turkeys (please no coupons)           Stuffing mix                         Canned mixed fruit              Peaches        
                                           Canned gravy                                 Large can/jar applesauce       Cookies Instant potatoes      Coffee                                                                        Canned carrots                               Peas
                                       Sweet potatoes                    Cake mix and frosting

                Non-perishable food items may be dropped off at the food pantry box at any time. Items to be frozen should be placed in the food pantry freezer located in the back of the Fellowship Hall. Monetary donations are always welcome and will help to purchase items still needed for the baskets.

    All donations should be in by November 21st.

    Your donations will help to give a family in need a wonderful dinner for Thanksgiving

    As always, thank you for your help, support and donations!



    ANCHOR NURSERY SCHOOL


    We still have openings in our nursery school for 3 and 4 year olds. Call the church for enrollment information.


    DO YOU RECEIVE THE ANCHOR NOTES?


    ANCHOR NOTES is a newsletter sent out almost weekly on the internet to all who wish to receive it. If you have not received it or if you have not been receiving it recently, please send a note with your e-mail address to Pastor Hill at his own e-mail address: rohill@optonline.net.
    The ANCHOR NOTES includes advance notices and timely reports and pictures of recent events around our church.




    Cruzando News

    2009 Youth Gathering New Orleans

    July 22-26, 2009


    TEENS REGISTERED FOR NEW ORLEANS

                We now have 10 teens registered to go to New Orleans for the 2009 Youth Gathering. They are excited about this journey. They will be preparing for the journey through Bible studies and service projects. They will also be participating in many fundraisers before the trip. We hope you will continue to support them generously. There is still room for teens who wish to register. If you wish to register, speak with Laura Laza at 642-7429 as soon as possible.


    TEEN NIGHTS ARE BEGINNING

    Join us on December 16th for a Christmas Concert with Agape, Lost and Found and Justin Vetrano at The Life Church in Old Westbury. Tickets are $7.00 each. Money is due by November 22.

    On Saturday, December 20th, following our Saturday Night service, we will have a Grab Bag Christmas Party from 7:00—8:30 Everyone should bring a gift to exchange worth no more than $10.


    XTRA YEARS OF ZEST

    FELLOWSHIP CHRISTMAS PARTY

             

    We will have our Christmas luncheon on Wednesday, December 10th.

    We will have bible study, promptly at 11 a.m. with Pastor Hill. We will be studying the book of Ruth.

    Our Christmas luncheon will begin at 12:30 p.m. There is a sign up sheet on the bulletin board so we can know how many people to expect. Also sign up for what you will bring to share for our luncheon. If you need suggestions call Jean Shaljian, 732-6893.

    We also do a grab bag. Bring a gift for no more than $10 to take part in the grab bag.

    Everyone is welcome. We have a happy Christmas celebration!



                  “CRISIS RESPONSE TEAM” CHANGES ITS NAME AND ITS PERSPECTIVE

                  During the month of October our Crisis Response Team announced to the congregation that it is changing its name and broadening its mission to include a wider range of needs and situations that arise in the lives of members of our congregation. This came about as a result of a review of the work that the team has done over the past two years and dialogue about the needs of members that we have become aware of.

                The change of name reflects the broader mission of the team. It is now called the “Caring Resources Team.” The new name indicates that the team is gearing up to be able to assist people with a larger variety of needs that may not be considered as “crises,” but which clearly should be addressed by fellow members of the congregation. When a member comes home from the hospital and has a time of recuperation, they may require some assistance or support from others. Or when a difficult situation arises in a family where outside help would be beneficial, the team can assist in finding and providing caring resources.

                Sometimes there is simply a need for more specialized information or for assistance with problem-solving, and the coaching of another member may be all that is needed.

                The team is seeking participants to offer to assist with a variety of areas such as providing transportation or emergency babysitting. Some members may wish to be on call to put together a meal for a family in a particular situation where that would help. Some may have expertise in dealing with legal, medical, or governmental programs or agency-related matters. The team would like to know who is available to offer such thing.

                Likewise the team wants to spread the news about what they are setting out to do so our members are able to find resources that can help them with their specific needs. Please let others know about the team.

                Contact the Caring Resource Team by calling the church office and leaving a message. The office is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and messages on the answering machine are checked regularly.




    MailArt Stahl (hopewebmaster@optonline.net)


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