MAY 2011 COMMACK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Th e Mes s eng e r Open Hearts
Open Minds
Open Doors
A Wo rd Fro m O u r Pa s to r Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed!
What’s Inside
Prayer & Thanks
Birthdays
Thrift Shoppe
Upcoming Events
UMW
Historical Remembrance of CUMC
Boy Scouts
Youth Happenings
Methodist Call To Action
Letter from Bishop Park
Family Page
May Calendar
Rev. Lynda Bates-Stepe Pastor
Donna Etergineoso Editor
We are just a few days into our Great Fifty Day celebration of Easter and the joy and excitement of Easter Sunday continues to fill our lives. If you were not able to be with us, it was a vibrant and festive morning.
Spirit but with the contribution of many, many people. I am grateful to the many Readers and worship participants who led different services, the worship committee who did so much planning and organizing, Ginny Eichenauer for the meditation tables at our Wednesday Lenten Service (not to mention everyone who set up and served great soup for dinner), the Confirmation Class for their contribution, the ushers, acolytes and greeters who set the tone for those attending the different services, Dotty Arola and the choir who always manage to get it just right, Donna Etergineoso for creating beautiful bulletins and inserts, Alex Alvarado for keeping everything clean and welcoming.
Some of us gathered at 6:00 am in the fog and midst at Sunken Meadow State Park. We worshiped together led by our youth and a few walkers and passersby stopped and joined us. As we left the park the fog lifted and the sun shined through bright and strong. Our 9:00 am worship was also a moving time with music led by our wonderful choir and the Communion Table There is also the church web site and adset for all. vertisements in the local papers that invite and inform the community of what is hapThe Day of Resurrection was preceded by a pening. As you can tell, there’s a whole Community Easter Egg Hunt which was team of folks who give their time, energy organized by Deb Hervey and many others and creativity to bring it all together. including Sunday School teachers and parents. And Ginny Eichenauer contacted People often thank me for a moving time of all the families of children who have been worship but my part is just that – a part. I baptized in the last few years; it’s such fun will always seek God’s direction and do my to see them again and interact with them. best but it is the contributions everyone It truly is a community event as we have offers that make it something pleasing to several families join us from the neighbor- God and moving to those who join us. hood who hear about the event online. It is a wonderful way to invite people into the And Easter has just begun! Join us on Sunchurch and share God’s wondrous love days as we continue to celebrate the with them. Resurrection and the way God empowers us to live as disciples of Jesus Christ! Throughout Lent our worship experiences have been remarkable. That has Peace, happened under the guidance of the Holy Rev. Lynda Bates-Stepe 486 Town Line Road · Commack NY 11725 (631) 499-7310 Office:
[email protected] Pastor:
[email protected] www.commack-umc.org
May 2011
A Prayer... Dear God, Help us to be kind to each other. Help us to remember to help one another. Thank you for showing us how to be kind. Help me to hear what you tell me to be. Amen
Thank You Thank you to our friends near and far for all the lovely cards and phone calls we received in April for birthday, anniversary, Easter and Get Well wishes. April was a busy month for us! Thank you, Florence & Frank Schneckenburger
M AY B i r t h d a y s 1st 2nd 11th 13th 15th 15th 17th 22nd 23rd
Tricia Nehlsen-Green Rev. Beverly Furey Sam D’Amato Phyllis D’Amato Marge Wright Richard Tammaro Al Fick Harriet Neuberth Dolly Walker
23rd 25th 27th 27th
John P. Kessler Judy Titolo Arthur Titolo Beth Theofield Marsha Baron Tom Colavito Tracey Donovan Johnny Reddo
We send you specially wrapped wishes, wanting you to have happy times In celebrating the anniversary of your birth date. Happy Birthday! The Shoppe is once again open with all our Spring and Summer fashions and houseware items. We would like to give many thanks to all of our hard working volunteers who worked to pack up the winter items and change over to the new season and to the gentlemen who helped by transporting those heavy bags and boxes! Once again... we are asking for volunteers. There is always room and a need for someone to stop in to assist, even an hour would be helpful. Thank you for your continued support with all of your donations. Page 2
May 2011
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Our Community During our March meeting we collected 121 articles of new undergarments and socks for St. Anne’s soup kitchen. Ginny delivered them and reported that the coordinators were very pleased to receive them, as these items are not usually donated.
May 12th: we will once again host guests from Pilgrim State Hospital. Members are requested to bring a plate of finger foods by 6:00 PM as the guests arrive promptly at 6:30. All members of the congregation, including our men are encouraged to attend this evening of meaningful fellowship of refreshment and song.
June 9th: UMW meeting cancelled as it is Annual Conference week
June 19th: Father’s Day candles will also be placed on our altar. Applications will be available. With June 5th as the deadline for submission
October 1st: UMW District Spring meeting at East Moriches UMC.
November 5th: UMW Annual Conference, CT
UMW
At our April meeting, Deb Hervey presented ―Angels in Fur‖ a program about service dogs. Many of these loving animals are prepared for service by prison inmates, who consequently show positive changes in their life behaviors. Being taught to turn on light switches, pick up telephones, etc., the dogs then proceed to serve injured veterans, the elderly and handicapped people.
DATES TO REMEMBER: May 8th: Mother’s Day candles will again be placed on the altar.
Our annual Harvest Fair is scheduled for Saturday, October 22, 2011, and planning is underway! We’ll have all of our traditional booths again this year and some new attractions are still in the design stage
As you begin your spring cleaning, please save the items that you no longer want but are still functional, in good condition, so you can donate them to our White Elephant Table. We’ll be accepting donations prior to the Fair.
HARVEST FAIR
Remember the Parcel Post Booth while you are on vacation in a far-away land or while sightseeing on Long Island by purchasing a small item to donate. All items will be sold for $5 (so the item you purchase should cost no less than $5.00). Please wrap it in brown paper to disguise the contents (the surprise is half the fun!) and note from where it originates on the package. You may give your donation to Sobana or to me…or you may drop it off in the church office, noting it is for the Parcel Post Booth at the Harvest Fair.
If you would like to share your talents on a craft project or two, please speak with Kathy Muller. It’s wonderful if you have some ideas for projects…and, if you don’t, I’m sure you’ll be inspired after talking with Kathy! Thank you! . Connie Jarvis, Harvest Fair Chairperson Page 3
May 2011 May 2011
Historical Remembrances of CUMC The following is a letter and an article emailed on April 15th written by Mr. John Hubbs regarding his ancestor’s membership in the CUMC. Dear Commack United Methodist Church: My name is John Hubbs and I stumbled upon your website and found it interesting especially being a part of the Hubbs family. I wrote up some family history in the attachment and also attached a picture of the centennial celebration. I have more pictures of family that you might want (grandfather/ mother, great Grandfather/mother etc. I hope you find the article and picture interesting in the history of that grand old church. May God Bless the Church and the congregation, John I recently went to your church history page and being a 7th generation Hubbs family member I was disappointed in not seeing my grandfather mentioned along the way. He was born in Commack in 1880 to John C. Hubbs and Elizabeth Wicks Hubbs. He married Emma Underwood in 1900 and built his home on South Commack Rd. now just north of the power line crossing. He did all the church maintenance from 1914 through the late 30’s. He used to walk every Sunday morning at 5 AM to the church to start the wood/coal stove. The small cellar on the north side was dug by him when they went to oil heat. My Grandmother played the pump organ for many years at church. I remember singing in the choir when my mother was the director and Mabel Goldsmith played the organ- this was all in the 40’s and 50’s. I used to bring my Grandfather back to the Homecomings. The last time we came was in the mid 60’s and it was held in the new church building. I came
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away a little disappointed that nobody came up to him and said hello or inquired who he was. By this time, he was in his mid 80s and still was a strong man. Unfortunately, I’ll never be the man he was. I am now the oldest member of the family at 75 and live in NC and am a member of the Mills River United Methodist Church. I go up every Thanksgiving and put flowers on his and my parents graves and marvel at how the cemetery has grown. I used to cut grass and dug graves there for Mr. Shea for many years even after I was married when he was short of help. I moved to upstate NY in 1980. My brother and 2 daughters still live on LI so when I visit and drive through town it is all so surreal - things have changed! My memories in Commack are good ones; 6 kids graduating from the old grade school, Mr. Shea’s son and I sneaking out of choir practice to hang out behind one of the larger head stones. There was a story that was told to me about Joe Moreland getting his foot stuck inside the old coal stove during the summer because he opened the door and rested his foot in the opening. Looking back I think the minister who christened me was Mr. Gray and the minister who married my parents in the church was Larry Westin. I will attach and share a picture of the Centennial celebration of the church with this message. Also, I don’t know if you know where James Hubbs is buried- it is on the south side of the church and it is a red sandstone and cannot be read any more. The last time I looked the stone was broken. He was born in 1741 and died in 1792 I think, I have a family history program that has the first Hubbs com-
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ing to RI in 1640 and then I have a 100 year absence until James Hubbs was born. I thought maybe you who are into the history of the church might enjoy reading this and feel that people like my grandfather who did more for the church than most over 30 years or so should be recognized for it, he was a quiet humble hard working man. Thanks for allowing me to write these words and hope they can be saved in the church history archives.
Mother’s Day Candlelight Celebration The Commack UMW invites all to honor and remember our mothers, grandmothers and women who have been like a mother to us. We’ll be lighting candles on Mother’s Day just prior to the service and they will remain lit throughout the worship service as a wonderful symbol of the warmth and guidance these women bring / have brought to our lives. A dollar donation for each woman being honored is requested. Drop it in the offering plate or at the church office by Sunday, May1st. Your Name: _______________________________
A HAPPENING! ANTIQUE ROADSHOW RETURNS! Ed Costello, Certified Antiques Appraiser will return on
FRIDAY MAY 6TH AT 7PM The first 40 people to sign up will receive an appraisal of one item....
AT NO CHARGE.
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On May 6TH learn about “YOUR TREASURE” and DON’T MISS THE FUN!
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TICKETS $10 EACH
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COFFEE AND CAKE, OF COURSE!
Woman’s Name
Honor/Memory
All proceeds will support our various local, national and/or global mission projects. Thank you for your support of this project.
Sign up on the sheet in the hallway or contact: Pat, Margie, Karen or Lisa Page 5
May 2011
Boy Scouts Troop 125 Celebrates 82nd Eagle Scout- Christopher M. Zambito Christopher M. Zambito became Boy Scout Troop 125’s 82nd Eagle Scout during a special ceremony at an Eagle Court of Honor, held on April 9, 2011 at the Commack United Methodist Church. In addition to earning 27 Merit Badges (21 of which are necessary to obtain the rank of Eagle) – 6 more than needed to reach this scouting rank – Zambito led a dozen scouts, friends and family members in his Eagle Scout Community Service Project that took a total of 324 man-hours to complete from his initial planning and drawings to fundraising for the materials. Eagle Scout Zambito built a wheelchair accessible pathway made of crushed slate to one of the main buildings in the Scope Outdoor Learning Lab. He also extended an area off the pathway for a wheelchair accessible picnic table and replaced the wood and hardware on the existing metal frame of a wheelchair accessible table. The project took 19 months to complete the planning, implementation and paperwork and included a car wash to raise the funds needed to purchase any materials that had not been donated. GTS Builders Supply, Inc donated hardware for the picnic table, weed barrier and mason line. Caleb Smith State Park donated approximately five cubic yards of crushed slate. Eagle Scout Zambito explained that he picked this project because he ―felt like I had the knowledge, skills, and resources to help me complete a project such as this.‖ He has been a member of Troop 125 since 2004, following his 4 years as a Cub Scout and Webelos Scout in Cub Pack #329, where he had earned his Arrow of Light Award (Cub Scout’s highest award ).
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After graduating this June, Eagle Scout Zambito plans on attending a college to get an engineering degree while joining an Air Force ROTC leading to his ultimate goal of becoming an officer in the US Air Force. Eagle Scout Zambito commented, ―Boy Scouts has had nothing but positive influences on my life. It has given me knowledge to do things that very few people I know can do. It has helped me become a better leader, and a better, more efficient worker. I am proud to have been a part of such a great troop. Although at several times there have been roadblocks in the path to where I am now, I am glad that I persevered. Boy Scouts has been full of amazing experiences that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.‖ The new Eagle Scout is the son of Charles L. and Cynthia M. Zambito and brother of Troop 125 Eagle Scout (#72- 2006) Charles S. Zambito and Caitlin M. Zambito.
From left to right, brother and Troop 125 Eagle Scout (#72- 2006) Charles, Eagle Dad Charles, Eagle Mom Cynthia & sister Caitlin
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BOY SCOUT LEADERS MAKE GOOD ON PROMISE OF “POLAR DIP” FOR EXCEEDING FUNDRAISING GOAL FOR A GOOD CAUSE On the evening of Tuesday, March 29, Scoutmaster Bob Kowalski, Assistant Scoutmaster Ken Voigt and Committee Chairman Charlie Zambito met at Sunken Meadow State Park to make good on their promise after the scouts exceeded all of the fundraising goals set to the raise money for St. Baldrick’s. It started a few months back when the leaders of Boy Scout Troop 125 challenged the scouts to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The goal was to raise $750 - which the scouts in the Troop would have a spaghetti dinner cooked by the leaders – was easily surpassed. With a total of $2650 raised to date, the stakes for the above mentioned leaders was raised to a refreshing ―polar dip.‖ The leaders made haste as they quickly ran into the water with their full class ―A‖ uniform on and became submerged from head to toe. They were joined on the beach by many of the scouts and parents from the Troop, who were waiting for them with towels and cheers. After a quick change into dry, warm clothes, their night wasn’t over. It was back to CUMC to cook the scouts their promised spaghetti dinner. A good time was had by all but Mr. Voigt was heard saying that the bar will be ―raised to $10,000 next year.‖ If not more… The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. Donations will continue to be accepted on behalf of Troop 125 until December 2011 through their website at
www.stbaldricks.org.
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May 2011
Youth Happenings! Theo’s Having Great Fun and Learning About God’s Covenants Since Christmas, we’ve left our friends, Abraham, Sarah, Noah and Moses behind and are learning about New Testament Stories. We continue to have a great time in the kitchen for our Eat Your Way Through the Bible lessons on the 1st Sunday of each month with Grandpa Artie and Ms. Jen as our workshop leaders.
pull that we often feel in our hearts to stay close to God when our friends may be encouraging us to make different choices. Everyone in the sanctuary could smell what we were doing the first Sunday in April as the scent of fresh baked pretzels wafted up to the sanctuary. The children shared the fruits of their labor with the congregation during coffee hour. Pretzel Sunday is now an annual tradition at Commack UMC. It is a great symbol of prayer to share during the Lenten season.
What would you do if you were in Sunday School and needed to throw a party welcoming back someone who had been gone a long time and lots of people were going to attend??? You’d feed them pizza of course! Grandpa Artie had us all cooking delicious pizzas for our Prodigal Son Return Party! It was some party! We spent the rest of February learning the lesson that if we make mistakes and stray away from God, he’ll always welcome us back like the Prodigal Son’s father did for him.
We also learned the Tale of Three Trees. It’s a great story that really brings home the point that God does provide us with what we wish for, but not always the same way we think we have asked. All three trees were connected with the greatest person on earth – Jesus!
March kicked off with Taffy in the kitchen. What on earth would taffy have to do with our Covenant keepers, especially the Woman with the Alabaster Jar!
Three of our youth joined with almost 200 youth from around the conference in January to Ignite the Holy
The woman has recognized who Jesus is: he is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed One. Therefore, she anoints him for burial. She is paying homage to the King, just as the magi paid homage to the baby born in a manger. A life of faith is like a two-sided coin: to perform acts of social justice without working on the spirit makes the action the focus, not God. To indulge oneself exclusively in the nurture of the spirit is self-serving, placing the focus on oneself. Life is filled with contradictions, with people pulling us in different directions, with mixed messages and with our own struggle to do what is right. So-oo the children made taffy to really feel the Page 8
Everyone is looking forward to our Easter activities.
Spirit within them. Kimberly Clendenning, Maggie Hervey and Sarah Mackay had a terrific time. The workshops were meaningful and the worship services energetic and moving! Several members have sent e-mails or stopped to chat when they are in church, but we haven’t had a consistent group for an activity since the holidays. Pastor, Miss Jenn and Ms. Deb will be getting together to brainstorm ways to reenergize youth group. Look for more in the next Messenger. Our project for May/June will be soldier boxes. Date and time for assembling for mailing to be announced in May.
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MOVIE NIGHT TO RETURN after Easter Watch for questionnaire for input into day, time and movies that your family would come out to see. Time and Location will be in bulletin once determined.
Things will be Shaking in the Sanctuary in the Last Week in June Everyone ages 3 to 103 is invited to attend Vacation Bible School, Sunday, June 26th to Wednesday, June 29th from 6:30 – 8:30PM. Join us in the Shake-It Up Café – Where Kids Carry Out God’s Recipe!
Each evening we’ll learn about kids spreading the love of God to others, learn wonderful Bible stories and then create a craft or play games or do other activities as we celebrate biblical festivals that reveal ingredients to:
Be a follower of God
Be ready for God
Give happily to God
Believe fully in Jesus
Remember Jesus often
Come and be a part of the festival we will be celebrating each night! That includes the adults too. Each night the adults will have time to take a more in-depth look at the festivals and the gospel stories where they occur.
VBS 6/26 - 6/29 from 6:30pm - 8:30pm
CUMC Thrift Shoppe
COMMUNITY YARD SALE JUNE 11, 2011 10AM - 3PM
Vendors Wanted 10 x 10 Space $20 Refundable Cleanup Fee $25 For more information call Church office 499-7310 Page 9
May 2011
A Call To Action A Reordering of the Life of the Church The adaptive challenge for The United Methodist Church is: To redirect the flow of attention, energy, and resources to an intense concentration on fostering and sustaining an increase in the number of vital congregations effective in making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This challenge to the United Methodist Church comes from a steering committee that has been studying the direction and future of the denomination and the congregations that serve God as United Methodist Churches. A Call to Action has gone out to all the churches, Annual Conferences, Jurisdictional and General Church organizations and bodies to review, evaluate and realign themselves to creating vital congregation for the next decade. The study defines vital congregations as those that evidence specific characteristics that work together to influence congregational vitality. They are: Effective pastoral leadership including inspirational preaching, mentoring laity, and effective management Multiple small groups and programs for children and youth A mix of traditional and contemporary worship services A high percentage of spiritually engaged laity who assume leadership roles This movement for change comes after growing concern for the health of the denominations and churches within the structure. Review of different resources and data led to identification of ―a creeping crisis of relevancy with an accompanying acute crisis of an underperforming economic model that are both linked to frailties in the UMC’s culture.‖ The Call to Action and the challenge it advances is a response to these concerns. According the Call, to meet the challenge requires that we; Change our mindset so that our primary focus and commitment is on fostering and sustaining congregational vitality (see The Book of Discipline 2008, pars. 201, 202) Articulate and commit to newly clarified and dramatically higher performance expectations for all levels of the church Expect and provide courageous, accountable leadership that assumes responsibility for upsetting current paradigms and shaping and adopting new understandings that result in more effective practices—and that this begin with the Council of Bishops Institute and report measurable performance results in all sectors of the Connection on an ongoing and regular basis, enabling us to learn and adjust the ways we invest and use our talent, time, and money. Leaders, beginning with the bishops and including lay and clergy across the Connection, must lead and immediately, repeatedly, and energetically make it plain that our current culture and practices are resulting in overall decline that is toxic and constricts our missional effectiveness. More information about the Call to Action can be found on the New York Annual Conference web-site (www.nyac.com) and The United Methodist Church website (www.umc.org/calltoaction).
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May 2011
Family Page- Logic Puzzle
Using the above clues and the logic matrix on the next page, see if you could determine each of the amateur astronomer’s full name, the time each packed up for the night, the planet and nebula each captured. Place your final answers below.
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Worksheet
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