Commack United Methodist Church
486 Townline Road Commack, NY 11725-7310 (631) 499-7310 Web Site: http://www.commack-umc.org Email:
[email protected] Pastor’s E-Mail:
[email protected] Rev. Richard C. Mills, Pastor (631) 499-4770 July / August 2007
Open Hearts
Open Minds
Dear Brother or Sister in Christ,
Open Doors
Much has happened the last month. We have been celebrating the nine years that Dick has been our Pastor and all of the ways that his ministry has touched our lives. At the same time we received word that our hard work in preparing for a new Pastor was answered with the appointment of Rev. Richard Allen to our church. The Staff-Parish Relations committee and those who have met Rev. Allen all thought him to be an exceptional candidate. Then, suddenly, for reasons that are not known to us and for reasons which are not our congregation’s fault, we were suddenly informed that his appointment to our church had been withdrawn.
For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith… Romans 12:3-6
We now wait for the deliberate decision process, led by the Bishop and facilitated by the Cabinet to provide another candidate to us. This deliberation has to include both an evaluation of possible candidates and the needs of many other 1
congregations. It is a difficult process that could take days, weeks, or months and may involve pastoral changes in several congregations. Because our congregation and our needs are known to both the Bishop and our District Superintendent, we must trust that their deliberations will result in a favorable outcome.
with faith in God’s grace and mercy and for each of us to view this time as an opportunity to exercise God’s gifts to us according to the proportion of our faith.
In the meantime, we will be without a Pastor for our congregation. Our secular world teaches us to be the squeaky wheel; angry, upset and litigious. As we resist all of those impulses, we must remember that the United Methodist Church is a connectional ministry and that we are much larger than just one congregation. We depend on the United Methodist Church to give us guidance, provide ministry resources, carry out world-wide missions and manage important relief efforts on our behalf. Therefore, our congregation must use its strengths to be purposeful, thoughtful and patient and to press on with God’s work while we wait for news from the Bishop.
A MISSION MOMENT
Our congregation has strong skills in many areas. Perhaps it is because of these strengths that we are asked to step into these shoes. During this time we will continue on. Our congregation is blessed with a certified lay speaker and a local lay speaker who are working together on a schedule for preaching and we will be assigned Pastoral assistance for Communion and other sacraments. We have had offers of help from the clergy of the Long Island Korean United Methodist Church. We will all see a little more variety during worship service and the various committee heads and members will be asked to step up into new temporary roles.
MISSION PRAYER FOCUS Philippine Women Migrant Workers and Children Empowerment Samoa Bible Women's Training in Fiji & Samoa CUMC's social concerns, mission and outreach programs
It is important that we approach this time
Monday, July 16 we will meet in the
Mike Hervey Co-Chair SPR, Ministries
Chair
Council
on
Recently, a lady who was new to the community began volunteering at the mission. She got a job and was blessed to move to a safer living environment. She needed a bed, but was going to wait until she received her first paycheck to purchase one. The mission’s thrift store was able to meet the need. I arranged for the delivery of the bed and she asked, "How could someone love me so much? You don't even know me well!" God loves all his children and He will provide. by: Earnestine VarnadoMississippi Church & Community Worker
UNITED METHODIST WOMEN There will not be any meetings during July & August.
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Church parking lot at 6:15 PM in order to carpool to St Catherine of Siena Nursing Home for our annual visit. Refreshments must be and are supplied by the staff, we visit and conduct a singa-long which has always been enjoyable for the residents and UMW members. Please join us!
reminder of all the gifts and blessings received from You this day and all the days of their lives. On their day of celebration, we thank you for their lives and all blessings and ask for another year filled with Your presence in their lives that they may continue to grow in your love. Amen
Our next regular meeting will be on Thursday, September 13 at 7:30 PM. The program How We are 'Raced', about our ethnic relationships and Shine,Shine,Shine! will be presented by Joan Nehlsen, Norma Adam and Dot Megna. Hostess for the evening to be determined...
FALL FAIR REMINDER Our annual fall fair will be held on Saturday, October 13 in the fellowship hall. As usual we will have our Boutique, lovely items and gifts handmade by our ever talented ladies; a Bake & Goodie table, full of luscious delights; our White Elephant booth, your cast-off is someone else's treasure! For your early coffee and luncheon we will have The Country Kitchen with all sorts of homemade soup, sandwiches, desserts and authentic Korean Food, provided by LIKUMC, our Korean congregation.
Many thanks to all who submitted names and donations to the Mother's & Father's Day booklets. Again, Cyndi Pinkham did a fine job of collating and printing the booklets...thank you Cyndi. All proceeds do support our mission projects.
We are not sure about the Trustee's Produce & Cheese Stand, as prices have escalated, but will accept donations of your homemade jams, jellies, relishes, preserves and home grown produce.
JULY AND AUGUST BIRTHDAY GREETINGS JULY
AUGUST If you have any questions or wish to assist, please see me. John Muller, Fair Chair
Harry Gahrman Mary Lee Arfer Gery Spory Caroline Reddo Jessica Malgraff Mark Prasad Barbara Knippenberg Nick Mondelli Deb Hervey Lara Manjares-Ciamician Erin Sullivan Eileen Waidlich Susanne Litrel Dot Megna Andi Kessler Anne Tammaro John Kessler, Sr Cyndi Pinkham Michael Kopping Matilda Gollatz Ryan Kopping Sue Medina
Lord, let the feast of these births be a 3
the park just can’t do that.
Congrats to Christine Amato for receiving her MFA (Masters of Fine Art) this June from Long Island University at CW Post, she will begin teaching college art classes this fall. From Brad and Tracey Kopping
August 8, we will be going to Old Westbury Gardens for the famous Glenn Miller Orchestra. Be as fancy as you like with the picnic you bring ....we’ve seen tables set with candelabra!! Only restrictions are: no fires, alcohol or balloons permitted. Rumor has it that the Long Island Swing Dance group will turn up a half hour before to give some dance lessons, so keep that in mind. (The band was originally scheduled for July 25....so if you have that written down, please make the change on your calendar.) Tickets will be $7 for adults, $5 for 6-12 year olds. This is a grand evening always..........a beautiful setting and fabulous music and rhythm from what is still called the Number One band. Great night for all ages; big band music lovers, garden enthusiasts, and dancers!! Teens should come - for sure!!!
Also, congratulations to all high school graduates including: Michael Kopping, Kasandra Manjares, Michele Matera, Bryan Rysdyk, and other college graduates: Michael Bailey, Rhonda Matera and any other graduate who wasn’t listed here. HAPPENINGS FOR SUMMER !! On July 25 we will be gathering to go in the evening to Robert Moses Beach.....when crowds have left after the busy daytime activity. Pick up some carry-along dinner and car-pool! A whole car-full is reasonable for parking and there is no other cost. Note: This date was originally set for the Glenn Miller orchestra, but the band’s schedule changed and they will not be in the NY area then. Please skip further down and you will see the new date, August 8 please make the change in your date book).
We are planning a Progressive Dinner in early fall, a Hallowe’en Happening (hopefully with a repeat appearance from VOICES, the group which we so enjoyed last season) and........well, just too many ideas to put on one annual calendar! More about everything as it takes shape. Stay tuned - and we will look forward to all of our good times together this summer!
August 2nd is our annual trip to cheer on the Long Island Ducks! Game begins at 7:05 and seats are in our usual premium section. It’s always great to see our church’s name flashed on the Big Board! Make the plans now. Tickets will be $11 (a dollar increase from last year). Children 3 and under (lap-sitters!) are free. Tickets will be for sale shortly for this terrific night we always enjoy! We tried to negotiate a ‘kid’ price, but it was explained seats are so sought-after that
The Happening Committee
NothingButNets Contributions The youth combined with many members of our congregation and the 4
their leaders from Long Island on July 10th on one of three busloads of youth from around the New York Annual Conference bound Youth2007. As reported in the February issue of the Messenger, Youth2007 is THE Youth Gathering of The United Methodist Church. It will draw approximately six thousand youth from all over the globe to one amazing fellowship in Greensboro, North Carolina, July 11-15, 2007. During the five days of music, praise, prayer, learning, and growth, participants will be challenged to go back into their communities ready to make a difference in God's world and to live out their faith in ways they never thought possible.
UMW raised a total of $540 for the Nothing But Nets project. This amount will be matched 3 more times resulting in a total of $2160. That means 216 families (a whole village in many areas) will be able to sleep at night under the safety of a specially treated mosquito net. Our gift was presented at Annual Conference by our Lay Delegates, Ginny Eichenauer and Ann Aupperle. They reported that the youth alone in the conference raised $29,000 for this project.
The theme for this event that is held every four years is SPLAT – Seek, Pray, Learn, Act and Teach. Maggie will be attending daily worship services featuring Christian musicians from around the country, participate in workshops ranging from to. Look for Maggie’s report of her experiences in the September messenger.
Vacation Bible School Lifted Off on June 24th! On the evening of Sunday June 24th thru Thursday, June 28th, the sanctuary was transformed into the hot air balloon lift off sight. Skylar, the flying squirrel, and Scoop, his reporter assistant, began each night sharing the theme for the evening. Stories of ordinary people in the Bible – an old man, an abandoned brother, a quiet sister, a short tax collector, and a grieving fisherman–taught the children how to follow, listen and repent to god and how to act for God.
Sunday School Children Celebrate Mother’s and Father’s Day with Gifts On Mother’s Day, the Sunday School children presented both the gift of their music as well as beautiful hand painted flower pots complete with packages of seeds to all the mothers in our congregation. They then busied themselves over the next two Sunday’s to prepare wonderful painted trucks, helicopters, cars, boats and trains to all the fathers in the congregation on Father’s Day.
MAGGIE HERVEY DEPARTS July 10th for YOUTH2007
Their final music presentation was on the Sunday School Sunday on June 24th. The youth shared the Children’s Time and also served as lay leaders on that
Maggie Hervey will be joining approximately 50 other youth and 5
day, which was Rev. Dick’s last Sunday with us.
We are happy we will be able to send AIM a check from our church for roughly $250 as a result of the Fashion Show tickets sold.
The Fashion Show ! “My Secret Boutique”
Tons of thanks to everyone whose help made it such a fun and spirited evening! Ann Aupperle, Penny and Tom, Kathy and John Muller and Martha Lockhart, John Titolo, Gail Stroup, Joanie Nehlsen, Carol and Art Wilson, Dotty Megna, Nancy Gamby, Mel Walker, Ginny Eichenauer...
Friday the 13th turned out to be a truly ‘Lucky Night’ for “My Secret Boutique” - the Fashion Show featuring clothes from our Thrift Shop. The outfits were great-looking choices, the models really ‘professional’ in appearance and presentation, the audience very enthusiastic, the refreshments and door prizes special.....Everyone had fun ! What more could we ask? Actually, there was more - lots more!
...and the women and the girls who took the time to choose just the right outfits and looked so absolutely great on the runway, with music in the background and Pat Ross introducing Super Models Nancy Gamby, Donna Kopping, Maggie Hervey, Andi Kessler, Kimberly Clendenning, Penny White, Betty Carson, Margie McNeill, Lisa Rysdyk, Ginny Eichenauer, Anne Tammaro,
First, $125 dollars worth of clothes was sold at the close of the show! Secondly, as you know, ticket money collected last fall was given toward the purchase of our new choir robes. When the show was rescheduled this April, the additional ticket sales gave us the opportunity to support AIM (a non-profit group, Aiding Infants and Mothers, now part of a larger organization). AIM was initially a group raising money to support the work of Dr. Robert Scanlon, a well-known ob/gyn in Huntington, who has long been volunteering two months a year to travel to Jos, Nigeria. There he trains midwives and health workers in safe deliveries and infant care - where one in ten babies dies in the first month of life.
What a fun night!
I want to thank you all for the great good-by dinner on June 17th and the super celebration at the worship service on June 24th. I leave here with many fond memories of great people. Dick
Congratulations to Peter and Kristen Titolo, who were married here on 6/9/07!
When asked where most of his help comes from, Dr. Scanlon said, without hesitation, ‘churches’...Happily, there is now also a FedEx grant and business donations , - and Girl Scout troops have made AIM a charity to support... 6
FATHER’S DAY BOOKLET Correction to the Father’s Day Booklet... Please add: honoring Donald Wright and all CUMC men to your Father’s Day Booklet, from Marge Wright and family.
NURTURING COMMITTEE In July and August we held two church activities right after the morning worship service. They are our two annual “Backward Breakfasts”. We don’t have specific dates at this time, but we will have inserts in our Sunday bulletins. Our hosts for this summer are Sobana and Sam Prasad and Karen and Mike Mallgraf. Watch for our Sunday updates!
RALLY DAY 2007 September 9th we will have a celebration on the 15th Sunday after Pentecost, on Rally Day after our summer vacations. Please invite a friend or family members to our church services as we return regularly scheduled Sunday School, Youth Group, Choir rehearsal, and Adult Bible Study.
LYDIA CIRCLE The Lydia circle met for a covered dish lunch. There was quite a banquet of delicious dishes. Donna and Pastor were invited to join us. THANK YOU to all who participated.
Following the worship service at 9:00 am September 9th at coffee hour, we will treat ourselves to the Apple in all it’s many uses. Please bring pie, cake, apple butter, apple crisp, apple sauce, or any apple dessert your family prefers. An apple will be given to everyone present.
We welcomed a new member, Dagmar MacKay, who brought a great platter and we were all pleased she joined us. It was with great pleasure that Janice Woods also joined us. Dolly Walker presented a lovely service about Pure Heart Holy Life, a piece written by Barbara Bush which was found in the Woman’s Bible. Thank you so much Dolly!
We hope to have tables displaying pictures, information sheets, and other materials from members or chair persons of various committees with samples or an explanation of first what their responsibility is, what they plan to do and urging any guests or members to join in our church activities. Sunday school curriculum and other materials will be on display.
We missed Ginny, Phyllis, Eileen and June. Ann and Ginny were at Annual Conference and Phyllis is recovering in the rehabilitation center in Smithtown. Eileen had thyroid surgery and hopefully will be at the meeting with June on July 11th. Hope to see you there!
So please come and bring your family and friends on Rally Day!
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Betty Carson
the earlier TV show by the same name. Both were about a doctor falsely accused of killing his wife and his quest to find the guilty assailant. One of the Old Testament’s most famous characters, Moses, was also a fugitive. Unfortunately, he was guilty as charges – a man on the run.
A piece from The Friendship Book... Our friend Marion attended a lecture where the speaker was an eminent consultant at a nearby hospital. One remark made a great impression.
When he was forty years old, Moses killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave. He fled to Midian where he found refuge with Jethro’s family. For forty more years, Moses looked back on that event, no doubt with sorrow and confusion. He would have been justified in thinking he was doomed to live out his life as a shepherd in Midian until he met the God of his forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God redeemed Moses from his life as a fugitive and commissioned him to return to Egypt and lead the Hebrew slaves to freedom. Looking back, Moses saw the fear of guilt. Looking forward, he saw the fear of inadequacy. But he also saw the presence and adequacy of God.
“To keep mentally fit, forget about yourself at least three times a day,” he said. “That can do more for you than a cart-load of pills and potions.” Not long afterwards, Marion’s clergyman told his congregation how a positive attitude achieved through prayer is of great benefit. “Come to God first and then go out to face the difficulties of life,” he suggested. Combine these two pieces of advice and you might get something like this: think about God at least three times a day and you will find the strength to cope with the challenges that lie ahead.
Don’t let shame or guilt keep you from seeing the mission God has for your going forward. Yesterday’s guilt is overshadowed by tomorrow’s grace.
A very big THANK YOU to all who helped in setting up, cleaning up, decorating for and organizing the dinner for Pastor Mills! It was a very touching celebration for him. LOOKING FORWARD: By faith [Moses] forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. Hebrews 11:27 The movie “The Fugitive” was based on
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