FEBRUARY 2012 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

There was a man who had two sons…

You know the man, don’t you? Nice guy. He’s done pretty well for himself and is very community oriented. A pillar at the church. And he’s a family man. The older boy is a good kid but that younger son… Well, let’s just say if I had a son like that, I’d kick his butt out the back door before he played me for a fool.

W h a t ’s Inside 

Birthdays

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Community

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Upcoming Events

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Boy Scouts

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Calendar

There was a man who had two sons… So what about that man and his two sons? We hear about one of the sons all the time but do we really know the story – the whole story? Jesus’ parable known as ―The Prodigal Son‖ is a popular favorite in our time. But in Jesus’ time it was shocking and offensive. And maybe, if we’re honest, we have some issues with it as well. Rev. Timothy Keller of the Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City wrote a book called The Prodigal God. It takes a new look at the well known passage from Luke. I recommend the book and also encourage you to join us for a study group on Monday evenings or Thursdays mornings to explore the passage and the book more deeply. You might be surprised at some new insights

you gain about this well known Bible story. We’ll meet Thursdays starting February 16 through March 22nd at 10:30 am in the Church Parlor. And we will have an evening class on Mondays at 7:30pm starting February 27th through April 2nd. Please sign up so we can order enough books. There will be a sign up sheet in the back of the church or call/email the church office. There was a man who had two sons… Nice guy. Too nice for his own good.

Peace, Rev. Lynda Bates-Stepe

Rev. Lynda Bates-Stepe Pastor

Donna Etergineoso Editor

486 Town Line Road · Commack NY 11725 (631) 499-7310 Office: [email protected] Pastor: [email protected] www.commack-umc.org

FEBRUARY 2012

Prayer Thou who art over us Thou who art one of us Thou who art: Give me a pure heart, that I may see Thee; a humble heart, that I may hear Thee; a heart of love, that I may serve Thee; a heart of faith, that I may abide in thee. Amen ~Dag Hammerskjöld, Sweden

Bir thdays 7TH 8th 13th 21st 23rd 25th

Barbara Mazzola Betty Carson Norma Adam Joan Svoboda Kathy Muller Arlene Lavoie Carol Wilson

F E B R UA RY

bir thdays

May this day and all your days be filled with the wonder of God’s special love for you.

Happy Birthday!

***Please note: If you wish to have your birth date noted, please send an email to the Church office and Donna will forward to me. Thank you, Kathy

ANNOUNCEMENT: New Member Class If you are interested in becoming a member of Commack UMC please join us for a meeting on Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 10:45. Get a cup of coffee and come over the Religious Education building (room to be announced). Child care is provided. We’ll discuss the membership vows, expectations of being a member and the date for becoming a member. Please call or email the office to let us know if you are attending (499-7310, [email protected]). If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact Rev. Lynda (499-7310, [email protected]).

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OCTOBER 2011

The Messenger

Community Welcome! Welcome!

Thanks for joining the club!! The staff is always in need of extra "hands"; to fold and hang clothing, to test, wash and arrange toys, to dust in our house ware area. We are also looking for high school students, in need of community service

We have a special need, a person to take digital photos of items in the shop and post them to the Internet. Come in and check out our always changing inventory. Betty Carson has rejoined our staff, as our monthly scheduler. Give her a call if you can fill in a spot at (631) 392-0329 Always a big ―Thank You‖ for your donations!

http://www.commackhistory.com We are hoping to arrange a date where he could come for a talk with our Church congregation; To quote him ―I have a million stories.‖ Robert requests that church members write down questions you might have on Commack history, he will plan a lecture around that collected group of 20-25 questions. A date for the lecture has yet to be set, please forward your questions to me via email [email protected] or in hand so we can get started and set a date. Separately, in the spring, we are planning a walk through our cemetery, as Robert is knowledgeable about the headstones and their history. John Muller, CUMC Historian Page 3

HISTORIAN’S CORNER

I have been in contact with Robert Saal, a Commack historian, where we enjoyed an exchange of old photos and history. Robert had interviewed many old-time Commack and church members and is quite knowledgeable regarding Commack’s history. His online site

THRIFT SHOPPE

Welcome to our two new volunteers..... Vicki Amato and Shannon Volz.

credit. After school or first Sat. of the month hours can be arranged.

O C T O B E R 2F 0E 1 B 1R U A R Y 2 0 1 2

Mark Your Calendar...

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner All you can eat!

Corned Beef & Cabbage with all the trimmings.

Saturday, March 17th at 6:00pm Tickets must be purchased on or before Wednesday, March 14th. If you have any questions please call the church office.

The Prodigal God Bible Study Schedule Thursday Mornings ___@ 10:30am___

Monday Evenings ___@ 7:30pm____

February 16th

February 27th

February 23rd

March 5th

March 1st

March 12th

March 8th

March 19th

March 15th

March 26th

March 22nd

April 2nd

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Ash Wednesday service February 22, 2012 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary Holy Communion and the opportunity to receive ashes Wednesday evening Lenten schedule will be announced.

The Messenger

COMMUNITY In January, Deb Hervey led the installation of 2012 officers, renewing our commitment to become closer to Christ through missions. We ended with the song, ―A Circle of Love.‖ We all then proceeded to relate our personal reasons for maintaining our UMW membership. Matilda Gollatz was then honored with the UMW Special Mission Membership pin for her years of commitment to UMW and its missions.

UMW

The next meeting will be held on Thursday, February 9th at 7:30 pm in the parlor, program and hostess to be announced.

All women are invited to attend. If transportation is needed, please contact any UMW member and arrangements will be made.

We will meet on Tuesday, February 21st at 10am in room 9 of the RE Building. At this time we will take inventory of our supplies and plan for a new year of handcrafting.

LYDIA CIRCLE

This informal group gathers for fellowship and discussion with an occasional program, planned by volunteers. Light refreshments are served.

CRAFT WORKSHOP

If you like making crafts, we are the group for you! We meet every Tuesday from 10am -1pm from late February until the fair in October and usually bring a bagged lunch. If you are interested or have questions, please contact Kathy Muller.

We meet at 10:30-12 in the parlor, on the 1st Wednesday of the month. All women are invited to attend.

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FEBRUARY 2012

BOY SCOUT TROOP 125 Scouts Participate in CUMC’s Angel Tree Program The Boy Scouts from Troop 125 participated in the church’s Angel Tree Program where they provided five gifts during the Christmas holiday. Each patrol in the Troop was responsible for purchasing and wrapping the gift listed on each of the five ―Angels‖ selected from the tree. The scouts found it to be a very rewarding experience.

Boy Scot Troop 125 Brings the Peace Light to CUMC On December 4, scouts from Troop 125 attended a mass at Christ the King Church in Commack to receive the flame from the Peace Light. Since 1990, Boy Scouts have participated in the Peace Light Celebration which is meant to usher in the holiday season for people of all religions and backgrounds through peace and tranquility. Every year a child from upper Austria retrieves the flame from the grotto of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The light is then distributed throughout the world through the participation and cooperation of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. The light arrives at Kennedy Airport where it is then transported to Christ the King Church in Commack. A Mass was held and families lit their lanterns from the flame to bring back to their homes and share with family and friends. The Peace Light was brought to the Boy Scout meeting on Tuesday, December 6, where it was available to all. The flame was shared with members of CUMC through the relighting of the gas stove in the kitchen.

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The Messenger

SMITHTOWN HISTORICAL SOCIETY BENEFITS FROM EAGLE SCOUT DANIEL HUSSEY’S PROJECT An Eagle Court of Honor celebrating the achievement of Daniel Hussey, Boy Scout Troop 125’s 87th Eagle Scout, was held on January 7, 2012 at the Commack United Methodist Church. For his Eagle Project, Daniel designed, built and installed 5 historical interpretive signs for the Smithtown Historical Society in Smithtown, NY. These signs can be found in front of:     

The Rosneath Cottage The Empenetus Smith Tavern The Judge J. Lawrence Smith Homestead The Franklin O. Arthur Farm House The Brush Barn

They will help visitors better understand the historical buildings and their significance in the history of Long Island. Daniel’s project aids the Smithtown Historical Society in their commitment to the preservation, restoration, and interpretation of Long Island’s heritage for the education and enjoyment of all who visit. A total of 363.8 hours was logged into the project by Daniel, 23 additional youths and 14 adults from the planning stage through its completion. About why he chose this project, Daniel said, ―The project gave me the opportunity to lead boys in research, planning, construction and installation of the signs. I also felt it was a worthwhile project that would inform visitors to the history of Long Island and the Smithtown Historical Society.‖ In addition to the car wash fundraiser that was held to raise the necessary money to fund the project, many local companies donated materials, resources and their time to help Daniel complete this Eagle Project. These companies include Sunshine Physical Therapy in Commack (use of parking lot for car wash), Ace Hardware in Commack (donated materials), Scott's Five Star Meat Center in Commack (donated food for the volunteers), Kleet Lumber in Huntington (donated $50 worth of supplies), Dix Hills Bagels (donated bagels for the volun-

teers) and Signs By Tomorrow (for their guidance and their services cutting the signs to size). Daniel earned a total of 47 Merit Badges (21 of which are necessary to obtain the rank of Eagle) – twenty-six more than needed to reach this scouting rank. Daniel began scouting in first grade as a Tiger Cub with Pack 403. He went on to earn the Arrow of Light Award, the only Cub Scout Award allowed to be worn on the Boy Scout uniform. As a member of Troop 125 for 7 years, he held various leadership positions including Senior Patrol Leader, Patrol Leader, Assistant Patrol Leader and Webmaster. He is an Ordeal Member of the Order of the Arrow and has been awarded the religious emblems of his Roman Catholic faith, the Ad Altare Dei and the Pope Pius XII. Daniel just finished his first semester at Manhattan College where he is majoring in Civil Engineering. He is a graduate of Commack High School, where he had the distinction of graduating with an International Baccalaureate Diploma (a highly regarded world-wide recognized achievement, a program which only a few districts throughout Long Island offer and from that only a very small percentage of students earn this achievement). He was also a member of the Cross Country, winter and spring track team and was a varsity member since his sophomore year. The newest Eagle Scout is the son of Rose and Kevin Hussey (of East Northport) and brother of fellow Troop 125 Eagle Kevin Hussey (2007).

From left to right: Daniel’s father, Kevin Hussey, Eagle Scout Daniel Hussey, fellow Eagle Scout Kevin and mother Rose.

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Making Positive Changes

Making Positive Changes

While a few United Methodists envision a more complicated-than-usual 2012, many hope to simplify their lives this year. Here are some ideas taken from a blog found on UMC.org by Barbara Dunlap-Berg, who is internal content editor, United Methodist Communications in Nashville, Tenn.

Growing spiritually, conserving God’s gifts and being happy with less seem to be on the minds of many United Methodists who responded to a recent Facebook post. We asked, ―Do you hope to simplify your life in 2012? If so, how?‖ Along with receiving nearly 300 ―likes,‖ the query prompted many ideas. Writing from New Braunfels, Texas, Susie Smith Cummins offered a slice of wisdom. “Don‟t dwell on (those) who let you down. Cherish those who hold you up.” Geoffrey Kruse-Safford of Elgin, Ill., said, “There are the things that matter — my faith, my family, following the will of God in my life. Then there‟s everything else.” “I am going to get rid of clutter, in all forms, physical, emotional, social and religious,” vowed Kelli Ellen Kurtz of Phoenix. “There will be less distraction in my life … so my focus can be true to where my energy needs to be directed. I will be in the moment.” And from Chicago, Jackie Walker Gibson wrote, “I‟m resolving to do less in 2012 so I can make more time for the more important things in life. My plan is to learn how to say „no‟ in a way that allows me to have that down time but doesn‟t offend people.” Every response appeared carefully thought out — even the tongue-in-cheek one from Jon Schuetzeberg of Los Angeles. “All the same colored socks!”

Some respondents leaned toward spirituality, while others encouraged lifestyle changes. Here — from A to Z — is a sampling: 

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Allow God to guide my way. Trust God fully. Focus on God’s priorities. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Be more faithful in daily devotions. Get rid of Clutter — both physical and psychological. Decide what is non-essential and donate it to bless others. Do what I need to do when I need to do it. Embark on ambitions I actually know I will accomplish. Forgive and forget. Give my best gifts — time and attention — to the people and tasks that matter the most. Have more family time. Listen and do God’s will. Listen to my conscience.

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Make church my focal point. Love Others. Praise, pray, practice my faith. Re-evaluate my commitments. Am I doing tasks to make myself look good or to answer God's call? Serve more in my church and community. Study the Bible. Read the Bible from cover to cover. Tithe. Work for peace. Worship passionately. Zap worry from my life.