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. Dr. John E. Carrington, Pastor (631) 499-4770 November 2007 T

Open Hearts

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Open Doors

request and when the house was fully restored there was a window over the kitchen sink. The new window not only gave her light as she worked in that kitchen preparing meals for her family and washing the dishes and pots, but it gave her a clear view of the mountain that was behind her house. It was no wonder that she wanted a window to view the majestic mountains daily. Think about what she had missed through the years because she did not have that window. We can get a lift when we can take our eyes off, at least for a moment, the tasks we must do around the house or even in the other places where we work. I am so pleased that my desk in the church office now faces a window, even though it is a small window. From my window I can see the branches of a tree as the wind blows gently upon the leaves and I can see and hear children playing in the yard in front of me. What a difference a window can make. The Psalmist had it right when he

A Word from the Pastor: The story is told of a Vermont woman whose home was extensively damaged by fire. Her neighbors came to her and expressed their sympathy in her huge lose and offered to help her restore her home. They asked her if there were any changes that should be made to the house as they restored it. The woman was at first overwhelmed by the support that was coming from her neighbors, even though this was a part of their culture to help a friend or a neighbor who was in need. Then, after thanking them for their love and generosity, she said, “Yes there is something that I would like in the new house that I did not have. I would like to have a window over the kitchen sink” For all the years that she and her family had lived in that house there was no window over the kitchen sink that would add light as she worked at that sink. Her friends said yes to her simple

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remembrances the bread depicted. Our hostess provided a delicious repast of Native American breads, puddings and sauces homemade by Matilda from authentic recipes...a wonderful treat.

said, “I will lift up my eyes until the hills - from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121). Our task as Christians and as a church is to render help to our neighbors, to open windows so that we and they can be inspired by the majesty of God’s creation and be reminded that God is our help, not only when we are in trouble, in the living of our days. We do this for children and adults and we do this for all who come into our buildings or on our grounds.

UMW Officers presented by the nominating committee and elected for 2008: President: Nancy Gamby Vice President: Deb Hervey Secretary: Doris Hoffman Treasurer: Margie Zoltowsky Mission Coordinators Spiritual Growth: Ginny Eichenauer Publicity: Kathy Muller Social Action: Ann Aupperle Membership Nurture: Betty Carson Committee Chairwoman Hostesses: Cyndi Pinkham Sunshine: Joan Nehlsen Nominating: Betty Carson Nominating Committee Nancy Gamby Dorothy Megna Cyndi Pinkham Betty Carson U

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Congratulations to our UMW for being awarded a Five Star Unit Certificate. This is the 13th year that our unit has met the five star LIE District requirements.

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On Thursday, November 8th at 7:30 PM, the program, "Sustainers of Life", a world thank program, with a Native American Indian theme will be led by Ann Aupperle. Ginny Eichenauer will lead a short worship and Norma Adam will be our hostess for the evening. Women of all ages are welcome to attend, please call one of the officers if transportation is needed.

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to all my friends at the Commack United Methodist Church. Your cards and phone calls of sympathy at the death of my brother, Carl Leuschner, are what got me through the days following his death. The memorials are wonderful and I thank you for them. I am so glad I belong to such a wonderful church family.

At the October meeting, a meaningful pledge service was conducted by treasurer, Margie Zoltowsky. The Love Feast worship was led by Ginny, based on a feast of breads from all cultures. Sitting around a table, each woman received a cup of apple juice, a small sampling of various breads wrapped in colorful napkins and read a short message about the

God Bless you all! Love, Ann Aupperle

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for those who work directly with people. There is a second myth that suggests anyone can be a greeter. In reality, however, it takes special skills to be an effective greeter, just as it does to sing in the choir or teach in a classroom. Greeters drive the welcome wagon that connects the pastor with the arriving congregation. The front-door experience of every arriving person or family is a high priority in user-friendly churches.

CONGRATULATIONS... to George Fricke (son of Carole and Harold Fricke) and Alyssa Gibaldi, who were married on September 23, 2007 in Manhattan.

Hebrews 13:2 “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

2007 ANNUAL FAIR Our fair was a successful event thanks to the many hands that made things run so smoothly. My special thank you to the White individual booth organizers: Elephant: the Svoboda’s and Joan Nehlsen; Bake Table: Marge Zoltowsky; Country Kitchen: Patti Spory; Boutique: Kathy Muller; Korean Foods: LIKUMC ladies.

Thank you all for the time you have given to this important church function. In this season of thankfulness, I would be remiss if I didn’t express my gratefulness to you. Here are two paragraphs from the book “Serving as a Church Greeter”, by Leslie Parrott who is formerly a Pastor and a past president of Olivet Nazarene University: Page 63 There is a myth that suggests church greeters are not important and may in fact not be needed in small churches where everyone knows everyone else. The fact is that greeters are to the arriving worshiper what the teller is to the bank or the waiter is to the restaurant. The money may be in the vault, the food prepared in the kitchen, and the sermon delivered from the pulpit, but the teller, the waiter, and the church greeter are the first visible contact point, working with the customers as they arrive for service. And to this point in time, no one has projected any satisfactory replacements

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There is much that 'goes on' before and behind the scenes and I extend my sincere appreciation to those who sewed and crafted all year, baked goodies, cooked, brought in and sorted white elephants, acted as salespeople and assisted in setting up, breaking down, making phone calls and obtaining donations. The Boutique Table will be available at our Harvest Dinner, next month. All of our fair receipts go toward the current expenses of our Church.

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Thanks again, John Muller WELCOME!!

Family Retreat”. We will begin serving immediately following the church service. We will also set up coffee and tea so we can still have “coffee hour”. We believe that everyone ought to be able to enjoy our church camp, but the rates for each house are quite high. The house we have chosen for next April holds 25 people and we hope all spots will be filled! Treat yourself and your family to a unique experience. There is no fancy resort that can bring warm memories and happy thoughts like this retreat. So please support our goal.

September 2, 2007 was the Welcoming Sunday for our wonderful new Pastor, John E. Carrington, and his lovely wife Virginia. God Bless our church, our new pastor and his family.

Ginny Eichenauer A MISSION MOMENT Lord, give your blessing as Jabez asked of you. Bless, indeed, the rich, the poor; the happy, the sad; the sweet, the mean; the young, the old; and all of us in between. Amen

A Quick Reminder...

Please do not lean anything against the organ boxes upfront. Please don’t store anymore items behind them, either. It creates vibrations that sound awful. Thank you, Dotty Arola

I found this short but meaningful prayer request in the UMC Prayer Calendar and wondered...who is JABEZ? I obtained this information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, then checked my Bible: In the Books of Chronicles, Jabez is a well-respected man (ancestor in the lineage of the kings tribe of Judah, whose prayer to God for blessing was answered, see 1 CHRONICLES 4:9-10. Moreover the author paused in this long

NURTURE WORKAREA On Sunday, November 11th, we will be cooking a patriotic pancake breakfast for Veteran’s Day. The cost will be $6.00 for adults and $4.00 for children under 12 years of age. This fundraiser will help in the cost for our “All Church P

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list to give Jabez a place of honor in the long list of Kings and lineage.

Thank our Lord that you are you! Happy Birthday!

The name Jabez sounds like the Hebrew word for pain, and was given to him because of the pain his mother suffered while bearing him; whether the pain was a result of the birth or coincided with the birth is unclear. A simple man, like you and me... 1Cr.4:9 says that Jabez enjoyed greater respect than his brothers, he was a religious man, living in God...The prayer of Jabez has served both as a puzzle and also as an inspiration and model for some Christians.

Have you made appointment for picture taking?

your your

Thursday, Nov. 29th: 3-9:30pm Saturday, Dec.1st: 10am-5pm P

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Contact Betty Carson or Matilda Gollatz If you have a picture you would like to use for the directory, please notify us. There will be a five dollar processing charge.

Jabez is also mentioned in 1 Chronicles. 2:55, possibly as a place name. A book "The Prayer of Jabez" by Bruce Wilkerson has sold over one million copies and is still available.

For our out-of-town or state members or extended church families who wish to be included in the pictorial directory, please send your picture with $5.00 for the processing fee.

NOVEMBER BIRTHDAY GREETINGS TO:

SOME DATES TO REMEMBER: Saturday, November 17: 6:00 PM Annual Harvest Dinner Thursday, November 21: 7:30 PM Thanksgiving Eve Service Thursday, November 29: Portrait appointments with Olan Mills Saturday, December 1: Portrait appointments with Olan Mills Saturday, December 8: 9:30 AM, UMW Christmas cookie donations and packaging Sunday, December 9: 10 AM, UMW Christmas Cookie Sale Sunday, December 9: 5:00 PM, Christmas Choral Program Thursday, December 13: 7:30 PM, UMW Christmas Worship & Fellowship Sept. 19-21, 2008: UMW retreat @ Camp Quinipet

Dottie Arola Christopher Bagno Dan D'Amato Sean Kessler Doug Miller Jake Reddo Lisa Reddo Jeanette Sehringer Bert Waidelich Make a wish and give it wings, Dreams of bright and beautiful things Dance through all the fun filled hours Don't forget to smell the flowers. Share some love and birthday cake All the life joys are yours to take And when the evening comes to view

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members in attendance. This was Art and Carol Wilson’s last luncheon as they will be moving to a new home in Maryland this fall. Carol thanked everyone for their support and hard work over the years. Those years total 30 and during that time, the Thrift Shoppe has paid for the mortgage on the church parsonage, as well as contributing to the Current Expense of the church. Congratulations Thrift Shoppe workers; a job well done! ANNUAL HARVEST DINNER Save this date, Saturday, November 17th as a day for fasting; but only up to 6:00pm. WHY? It is the evening of our annual “ALL YOU CAN EAT” Harvest Dinner. No, it is not spaghetti or fish or even chicken, but roast beef with all the fixings. Tickets have now been printed and will be sold after church on Sundays (please see Lisa Rysdyk), or can be purchased from Donna at the church office. Tickets must be bought prior to Wednesday, November 14th. Adults are $12.00; $5.00 for children 6-10; and children under six are free. To prepare for this event we also need help. The cooks cannot do this alone. In the morning we need potato and veggie peelers, tables need to be set up, and dessert makers making their favorite dessert. Around 5:30pm “runners” are necessary to dish out food to the servers (scouts) to take to the tables. Afterward a clean-up crew is needed. There will be a sign-up sheet in the hall, so bring the family, the neighbors, and your friends. See you there! Patti and Gery Spory P

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THRIFT SHOPPE NEWS Our annual luncheon was held on August 15, 2007 at Mauricio’s Orlando’s II Restaurant in St. James, with 20 6

Sunday School Lifts Off for 2007-2008 Year On Rally Sunday the children and youth led the service as the kick-off to a new year. Children of all ages were involved as Skylar, the scholarly, chattering, sky squirrel puppet and his sidekick Scoop led the Youth Story. The congregation was invited to sing and share the some of the songs learned during VBS as the children shared the five important bible lessons they studied during VBS.

We are open Tuesdays and Friday from 10am – 4pm and the first Saturday of the month from 10am to 4pm. We can always use more volunteers (thank you Dagmar) and clean, useable donations.

They are now settled in their classes for another exciting Sunday School year.

Thank you, Carol and Art, for your many years of dedicated services.

This year Sunday School as three classes:

FROM THE CHURCH OFFICE... It is with regret that I am leaving my position as Church Administrative Assistant due to the many demands in my personal life which will be requiring my attention. The help and support of so many people in the church have made this position a joy. It has been a wonderful experience for me and I’m sure that whoever takes this position will experience the same.

Pre-K/Early Primary (Pre-K – 1st grade) Kim Colavito and Rose Manchio

I will do what I can to help the church through this transition until then. As requested by the Staff / Parish Relations Committee, the job posting and description for both the Administrative Assistant position and the PPDN Financial Secretary will be posted on the bulletin board for those interested in the positions.

Each level has set goals for the year which will be shared in next month’s messenger.

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Elementary/Intermediate (2nd – 5th grade) Tricia Nehlsen and Paula Clendenning P

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Middle School (6th – 8th) Jackie Mallgraf and Sobana Prasad P

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Sunday School Music – Lisa Reddo

The teachers are also in the midst of planning the Christmas program (yes, Advent is just around the corner). Our High School students did such a good job of reading on Rally Sunday, that they’ve all been invited to help lead worship more often. They will be rotating as classroom helpers, participating in worship as acoloytes and

With love, Donna Mills

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readers, and being able to simply enjoy worshiping on Sunday mornings. They will learn life application lessons from the Bible through their youth group activities.

stand featuring popcorn and vintage candy for sale to support their activities.

Kimberly Attends Confirmation Retreat

On October 12 – 13th , Kimberly Clendenning attended the annual Conference Confirmation Retreat held at Camp Epworth. She participated in fun activities including an adventure course and scavenger hunt as well as action packed games and interesting discussion groups. One of the key lessons learned is that as Christians, we are continuously being shaped by God, the master potter. Each confirmand took time to think about how God is shaping them as they embark on their confirmation journey. The leaders of the conference and several pastors from other congregations commended Kimberly on being the sole attendee from her congregation. Way to go Kimberly! P

Education WorkGroup Plans to Distribute Advent Devotional Guides to all members The Education Workgroup will be distributing small devotional booklets to assist families in unplugging from the commercialism of Christmas and focus on the “reason for the season”. They will be distributed around Thanksgiving. Youth Group Hosts First Social Event for 2007/08!

On Sunday, September 21st, the Youth Group went bowling. All had a good time. The next social event is paint ball planned for Sunday, November 4th. All youth are invited attend and bring friends. P

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Youth Group Meets Weekly – Lots of Activities Planned for Year The Youth Group has kicked off another year. They meet regularly from 10:30 – 11:45. Upcoming activities include packing boxes for Soldiers, attending the candlelight vigil for Covenant House, packing the Thanksgiving Food boxes and preparing Finals Week survival kits for our members away at college. They’ll be having a car wash and running the concession stand on movie night for fund raisers.

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Movie Night Returns Come celebrate the beginning of Advent with the entire family. Commack UMC “Cinema” will be featuring The Nativity on Saturday, December, December 1st. A Veggie Tales animated movie relating to Christmas will be aired from 6:30 – 7:15. The feature film will begin at 7:30. U

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YOUTH CAR WASH SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD

The Youth Group will be running a concession

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give to our children when we teach them the joy of Christian love and caring!

10AM-3PM DONATIONS ACCEPTED!

On October 6th boy scouts, girl scouts, and students from the high school joined our regulars and we made 950 sandwiches. It is great to see so many young people caring enough to make a difference. Richard and I delivered to Brentwood where drivers were ready to make sure they reached their final destination. That final destination is the hands of a hungry person. Our sandwiches are distributed through the Lighthouse Mission, Patchoque, Mary Brennan Inn, Hempstead, First Methodist Church, Roosevelt, Pronto, Helping Hands Mission, Operation Homeless and other outreach programs on Long Island and New York City. We thank you for your continuous support of this ongoing ministry. Please add a special prayer as we are having bread problems again. See you the first Saturday of the month at 8:30 AM.

MISSIONS WORKAREA

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The season for giving thanks is upon us. If we listed all we have to be thankful for most of us would have a very long list, but not everyone is that fortunate. We are again asking you to help us provide Thanksgiving dinners for families with financial difficulties. No one should ever be hungry, but especially on Thanksgiving. Please help fill our food box with vegetables, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, desserts and beverages as well as your usual contributions so we can share the joys of Thanksgiving with others. Anyone wishing to contribute a turkey or any other perishable items can call me for a pick up at 486-2047. If you know of someone needing help this holiday season, please call the office or call me directly. Our mission as Christians is to help others in the name of Our Lord. "Let us give thanks to the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ….He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others…." 2 Corinthians1: 3-4

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Special thanks go to the ladies who provide a steady supply of warm mittens and hats. They are really appreciated now that the weather is getting colder. We make deliveries to the soup kitchen in Brentwood for distribution to their guests.

Thanksgiving also signals the beginning of the Christmas season and our annual "angel tree". This tradition has given great joy to both the recipients and to the congregation. The angels quickly disappear and are replaced with gifts carefully chosen for a specific person. How discouraging it must be for a parent working hard to make ends meet not to be able to buy a Christmas gift for their child. While we can't help every child in need, we can make a difference to every child we do help. What a wonderful gift we give to Our Lord when we celebrate His birth by giving to His children! What a wonderful gift we

Our thoughts and prayers are always with the men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan and we especially think of the lonely holidays they will be spending far from home and family. Since it takes weeks for some of our packages to reach them, we’d like to start collecting items for holiday packages now. Some suggestions are: Magazines, paper back books, shampoo, conditioner, face wipes, shaving cream, razors, eye drops, lip balm, hair bands, candies, mints, small games, skin cream, men’s or woman’s socks, foot powder, 9

crossword puzzle books, batteries, Christmas CD’s, instant drink mixes, pop tarts, Pringles potato chips, trail mix, breakfast bars, cookies, non perishable microwave food, stationary, pens, international phone cards, encouraging letters or small bibles. If you would like to contribute towards postage or have any questions please see Penny White. Make sure that we have the name and address of anyone you would think would appreciate a package for Christmas. And as always let us pray for the safe return of all our military personnel.

cultural and historical understanding essential for success in our fast changing world. Suzanne Litrel will speak and sign books at Border’s Bookstore in Commack on Saturday November 10, from 4 – 5pm. The store is located on Jericho Turnpike near the Target superstore. Jackie Tempo may be purchased online at Amazon.com and iUniverse.com; readers may also purchase the book at the event. Ms. Litrel teaches AP World History, Honors Economics and International Relations at Bay Shore High School on Long Island, NY and has brought a highly competitive Model United Nations program to the school. She has served as Exam Reader and Table Leader for the AP World exam for the past three years, and writes exam questions for ETS. Ms. Litrel was featured as the News 12/Dowling College Teacher of the Month in 2005; Class Nobel Educator of Distinction in 2006; and Outstanding Long Island High School Social Studies Teacher of the Year in 2007.

We reach out to those in need not only at holidays, but also throughout the year. The contents of our food box are delivered to the Northport food pantry on a regular basis and of course it is always available for anyone who has a need. Please contact any committee member if you become aware of a need within the church or the community and we will do whatever we can with confidentiality completely assured.

Anne Tammaro & Gail Stroup Mission Workarea

Ms. Litrel was prompted to write Jackie Tempo and the Emperor's Seal when she first began teaching AP World History; at her urging, students read select historical fiction to put their learning into better context. Jackie Tempo is closely aligned with the AP World curriculum, but is enjoyed by students and the general public alike. The series continues with Jackie Tempo and the Voodoo Queen, set in 17thc Brazil and Jackie Tempo and the Sultan's Secret, set in 9th c Baghdad. And after that? Ms. Litrel, who earned an M.A. in Chinese Studies from the University of Michigan, quotes Confucius: "For the wise man looks into space and knows there are no limited dimensions." T

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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Suzanne M. Litrel has just published Jackie Tempo and the Emperor's Seal, the first in a series of a teen searching across time and space for her parents. Jackie Tempo is more than a time travel series for young adults; it excites and entertains while providing T

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See www.jackietempo.com for more information on the author and the series. TU

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