Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Speaks Out About Attacks on Gaza

Yesterday afternoon in New York, outside the Episcopal Church Center, a demonstration took place in front of the Israeli consulate. The demonstrators included orthodox Jews. All were calling for an immediate end to the attacks in Gaza. I join my voice to theirs and those of many others around the world, challenging the Israeli government to call a halt to this wholly disproportionate escalation of violence. I challenge the Palestinian forces to end their rocket attacks on Israelis. I further urge the United States government to use its influence to get these parties back to the negotiating table and end this senseless killing. President-elect Obama needs to be part of this initiative, which demands his attention now and is likely to do so through his early months in office. I urge a comprehensive response to these attacks. Innocent lives are being lost throughout the land we all call Holy, and as Christians remember the coming of the Prince of Peace, we ache for the absence of peace in the land of his birth.

Immediate attention should focus on vital humanitarian assistance to the suffocating people of Gaza. In March of this year, I spent a day in Gaza visiting religious and community leaders and the Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem. Since that visit, the situation, which was already devastating, has only worsened, with supplies of food, fuel, power, and medical supplies either cut off or indefinitely delayed. Our hospital must now try to treat the wounded under the most impossible circumstances.

I ask all people of faith to join with the Episcopalians in Jerusalem who this Sunday dispensed with their usual worship services and spent their time in prayer for those who are the objects of this violence. I pray for leaders who will seek a just peace for all in the Middle East, knowing that its achievement will only come when they have the courage to act boldly. But they must do so now, before the violence escalates further. It is only through a just and lasting peace that the hope of the ages can be fulfilled, that hope which we mark in the birth of a babe in Bethlehem.

The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop
The Episcopal Church

December 29, 2008

A Blessed Christmas

We celebrate the Nativity of Jesus Wednesday evening, 7pm, for the last time as St. Andrew's Chapel. Join us for singing carols at 7pm followed by a celebration of the Holy Eucharist. Next year we become St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church moving forward in the name of Jesus to bring his good news to those who have yet to hear the message of peace, joy and love.

Blessings and peace to you and all you love this Christmastide.

Pastor Dan

Advent 4, Feast of the Nativity and the Bishop

This coming Sunday (4 Advent) following the service we will help to 'green' the church. Decorations will emerge and we can all share in making the place ready for Wednesday evening's celebration of the Nativity.

I'm looking forward to this event. Bridget Williams announced last Sunday that her husband, Bob, will again be making breakfast for all who stay to help decorate. Pancakes, bacon, sausage will be served (I think I missed another item) in the hall. This should be a wonderful time for all of us.

Later that day, Tara Philhower is organizing a neighborhood caroling expedition. I haven't heard what time so I'll be announcing that Sunday morning.

Wednesday evening at 7 we will gather to celebrate the Incarnation. We have picked out a few carols in our hymnal to sing together before we start the actual service. So invite your friends and neighbors to join us. This should be a glorious celebration.

And be sure to mark you calendars that Jan. 11 is the Bishop's Visitation. We will have Bishop Taylor with us to offer Confirmation, Reception and Reaffirmation to those who wish. Confirmation is for those who have been baptized and would now like to publicly state they embrace the Baptismal Covenant and wish to further grow in their relationship with God. Those who have spoken to me have been coming to the God Talk sessions or have discussed this with me privately.

Reception is for those who are baptized in another Christian tradition and wish to be officially received into the Episcopal Church.

Reaffirmation is for those who are already baptized and confirmed but now wish to publicly reaffirm their baptismal vows. We are ready to launch a new congregation together. St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church will become a reality in the new year. This may be a time for you to consider Reaffirmation.

I need to know the names of those interested. You may let me know via email or I will have a clipboard sign up sheet on the back shelf this Sunday and Christmas Eve. The Bishop has asked for the names as soon as possible so that he may begin including them in his daily prayers.

Advent blessings and holy peace to you all...Pastor Dan

Dead Sea Scrolls

My mother's 80th birthday celebration included a museum expedition to see the Dead Sea Scrolls - I believe the exhibit is only being shown in two places in the U.S. It was an amazing experience! Only the Holy Spirit could have created, preserved, uncovered and given patience to those who restored them. Of course there were only a few fragments on display, so much of the exhibit focussed on the history of the Essenes at Qumran, the controversies over the true nature of the site and how the scrolls came to be there. At the time they were discovered, cello-tape had just been invented (what we now call Scotch tape) and it seemed ideal for taping the scroll fragments to glass plates. Fifty years on it became obvious that both tape and glass were damaging, so the preservation has had to be done over with modern techniques - another painstaking endeavor. The exhibited scroll fragments were shown in a carefully climate-controlled room and the dim light enhanced their sacred aura. The last room of the exhibit displayed some beautiful codex Bibles created over the centuries. The most recent was the King James Bible designed and illustrated by Barry Moser, published in 1999. You can read a wonderful article about this Bible at http://www.crosscurrents.org/madsenmoser.htm. Moser wanted his engravings to show people we can relate to in the present day, so there are no halos or other elements typical of many past religious artworks. The engravings are stark and beautiful.
Just one more comment on stewardship: a few weeks ago Fr Dan came to see The Cornerstone, the supportive housing residence I'm involved with in Newburgh. I'm pretty lax about putting money in the parking meters there - I'm usually rushing and, besides, haven't we done an amazing job of renovating the building and cleaning up the area? But Fr Dan put a coin in both his meter and mine and I have been careful to follow his example since. It's kind of like the broken window syndrome - the city needs our respect if its going to become what we want and believe it can be.

An Instructed Eucharist

This Sunday's God Talk will be a discussion of the instructed Eucharist we will have. I will be giving you commentary throughout the service about why we are doing what we are doing. And the sermon will deal with how we humans are liturgical people inside and outside of church. See you at 9am. Everyone is welcome.

God Talk

This Sunday is All Saints Sunday. We will celebrate all those who have gone before us and who now surround us as a cloud of witnesses to the gospel work we are currently doing. We will also celebrate our ministries together as we receive the pledge cards at the offering that symbolize our gratitude to God for the blessings we have been given.

Last Sunday we heard Jesus tell us what is the Greatest Commandment. And I hope that I was able to explain much of it's history in ways that you better understand the importance of the words of the gospel.

We had a great conversation at God Talk yesterday about Christian Principles in an Election Year. We also passed out an insert from the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church about Voting as Stewardship. It should be reachable at this link http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/eLife_insert_110208_eng_lettersize.pdf

Pray for a Name is the topic of this Sunday's God Talk. We will begin to narrow our search for a new name that will help us get noticed in the communities around Montgomery and hopefully help describe a bit of what we do and who we are.

On November 9 our God Talk conversation will be about Marriage and the Bible. Some of what you hear may surprise you. We are discussing this because of an upcoming resolution at our Diocesan Convention that you may also want to know about. I will have just attended the day before a pre-convention caucus in the city and will know more by then about this resolution.

Peace and every blessing to you all.

Pastor Dan

More on Stewardship

One of this morning's readings from Daily Light was 1 Timothy 6:8 But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. Easy, of course, to say when you HAVE plenty of food and clothing.
On Tuesday I was a presenter at a Women's Empowerment workshop. This is a court diversion program for women, usually first offenders, who've been arrested for shoplifting, prostitution, drug possession, etc. Another presenter, Sr Norma of Newburgh Ministries, mentioned that they had no toilet tissue to give out to needy families and that sometimes they had no baby formula, which was especially hard. Imagine having to tell a mother who needs milk for her baby that you have nothing to give her!
So I went to Sam's Club & bought t.p., disposable diapers and formula. The formula was $35 per case (I thought) so I happily pulled off 3 of them & headed to checkout. Imagine my shock when the total came to almost $800!! It seems that formula is $35 per CAN! Well, needless to say I had to put back two cases. Since then I've learned that WalMart has the same formula at $25 per can so next time I'll go there.
This was a real wake up call for me as to what our neighbors are facing every day. Again, our congregation is really terrific for the contributions we're making each week to the Food Pantry. From beans to detergent, everything helps.

Stewardship

Just to take a step back from the upcoming conversation about Christian values and politics, last Sunday's GodTalk about stewardship was excellent. As chairperson of a volunteer board, I am often talking to board members about donations, since 100% participation is critical to grant applications. I ask them - and this is not original - to give an amount that is meaningful to them, whether $1 or $1000. Relating this to stewardship, giving of our time and talents is equally important to giving money. Making a personal commitment to pray for one another (I love Fr Dan's "praying for my labels") or to help with the monthly cleanup or to be present on Sunday mornings all contribute to the energy of our chapel, to its growth and ministry. And making that commitment shapes our lives in a rich serenity that is continuously nourishing.

Christian Principles in an Election Year

St. Andrew’s Chapel will discuss Christian principles in an election year on Sunday, October 26, following the 9am service.
“Every person of faith is informed by their beliefs especially when making a decision during an election year,” said the Rev. Canon Daniel Webster, vicar of St. Andrew’s Chapel. “We will not discuss who to vote for. We will discuss what the bible tells us about issues such as war, the economy, health care and environmental justice.”
Participants will follow an outline provided by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. The discussion guide is also available online at www.ncccusa.org.
The 105-year old Montgomery landmark is located at 74 Wallkill Avenue. Everyone is welcome. For more information call 845.240.2395.

Church & Children

This post is a bit after-the-fact, but I don't want to miss the opportunity to comment on what a wonderful & welcoming place we are for children. Of course, Brenda's girls are a familiar presence and so obviously comfortable being in church. When I had my grandsons with me two weeks ago, I was able to have a first-hand experience. Alice & Casey took immediate charge of Finn (& Brenda later cuddled him to sleep), allowing me to reassure Bo (aka Forth) that he was in a safe place. I don't know why he has such a phobia about church, but I feel confident that if I keep bringing him - however erratically - he'll begin to relax. That Sunday was the first time he'd left my side - thanks, again, to Casey sitting with him to color.
Fr Dan is amazing in his ability to keep his cool and preach his sermon regardless of distractions - I know that despite his kidding us that he hadn't had time to prepare his sermon he'd in fact put a lot of thought into it. It gave me such a warm feeling to take the boys up to the altar rail so they could be blessed. I'm looking forward to a time when we reach a Sunday School "critical mass." In the meantime, thanks to my fellow parishioners for your open-heartedness. Forth & Finn don't sleep over nearly as often as I would like but I'll be bringing them whenever I can.

Grapes of Wrath

As I posted earlier, I spent my summer vacation reading Grapes of Wrath. I was stunned by the Biblical symbolism throughout - I certainly never perceived any of that when I read the book in high school!
On Sunday, October 5th at 3:00 pm, a dramatic reading of the Grapes of Wrath will be presented at the Montgomery Senior Center. Admission is free and we will be collecting canned goods & nonperishable foods for the Montgomery Food Pantry. Please come and please spread the word!

Ending Summer Sundays

Our readings these past Sundays have been very instructive. We heard abount discernment of God's mission for Jesus when he encountered the Canaanite woman. Then Paul tells us about how we are all connected as one Body of Christ and that we all have different gifts to share. This Sunday we will hear of Jesus talking about the inevitable suffering that comes with being one of his disciples.

As summer ends we are hearing great challenges in Scripture readings in our Sunday lectionary. Let's not forget whose we are as we come to an end of another summer season. We are the Lord's in every way. If you are away this Sunday, may your travels be safe. Come home to us as we will be gearing up for new challenges and new opportunites this fall.

Last Sunday I announced that the Sisters of the Order of St. Helena have decided to close the convents at Vails Gate and New York City. They will all move to August, Georgia. Beginning a week from Sunday we will have one of Chris Harrison's pen and ink drawings of the Chapel for you to sign. It will be our gift to the sisters who have given so much to this diocese, this region and this parish over the years.

And beginning a week from Sunday we will have a flip chart and marker where you can write down what name you think we should for a new Episcopal Church in Montgomery. You heard Bishop Roskam tell us at my installation what a unique opportunity it is for us to move forward with a new name and a new identity in the community.

So let's put the Holy Spirit in charge of our new life together. Let's let her speak through each of us, with our various gifts, to enlighten us as we discern God's call for this community at this time and in this place.

Peace and gratitude,

Pastor Dan

The Martyrs of Knoxville

My fellow believers in Tennessee were interrupted in their July 27 Sunday service by hatred, gunfire and death. I call them “fellow believers” because people of faith are united by a bond that cannot be separated by miles or denomination.
Every Sunday you find Catholics, Protestants, Unitarians, Mormons and others gathered in prayer and praise of the God we all worship and serve. We who do this are living out the dream of our nation’s founders to freely practice our religion.
Many of the millions of Sunday worshippers are seeking to build what Jesus called the Kingdom of God here on earth. The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called it the “Beloved Community.” You find it outlined in the Hebrew prophet Isaiah (Chapter 61) and restated by Jesus in several places of the Christian gospels.
The gunman in Knoxville, Jim Adkisson, said he was angry at the “liberal movement” and found a target for his rage in a church that has expressed its witness to God in ways some have labeled liberal.
I don’t know whether the gunman listened to talk radio but the neo-conservatives there constantly fan the flames of hatred. They pour gasoline on the flames of discontent. Now they do so under the same protection the Constitution grants religious groups to worship as they feel called to do.
There used to be a time when the purveyors of hatred could not use our public airwaves with defamatory and inflammatory language. Until the 1980s-- when the patron saint of neo-conservative America, Ronald Reagan, removed the “fairness doctrine” from American broadcasters—the John Hagees, Pat Robertsons, Rush Limbaughs, James Dobsons and Michael Savages could not have said on the air what they have been able to say these past two decades.
Our government, our society, had demanded that if you were going to use our publicly owned airwaves you had to be fair. After all fairness is a noble and desirable goal for any society.
But no more. Now Lou Dobbs can keep ranting about the “war and the middle class” and scapegoating undocumented aliens with complete abandon. Mr. Adkisson also said in his letter he couldn’t get a job. Had he heard that because he was white and nearly 60 that his employment problems were because of liberals, or people of color, or undocumented workers who would work for less?
Nearly 30,000 people a year die from gun violence. Yet recently the U.S. Supreme Court said the Second Amendment—which clearly states gun ownership is for militias--allows anyone to keep and bear arms. Mr. Adkisson reportedly bought his shotgun at a pawn shop.
That Supreme Court decision coupled with the removal of the fairness doctrine, I fear, will create other such acts of violence.
What happened in Knoxville could just as easily have happened in my Episcopal church Sunday. Our church openly welcomes people of difference. Our church has a bishop who happens to be gay and lives in a committed partnership. And that bishop, the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, had to wear a bullet proof vest during the ceremony that made him a bishop because of death threats.
So I feel a great connection to the martyrs of Knoxville and the entire congregation there. I pray for them. And I pray for Mr. Adkisson and those like him who feel violence is the only answer.
And I pray for our country. The right of free speech must be tempered. (You cannot yell ‘fire’ in a crowded theater). Free speech in the public square should be civil. The right to bear arms must be tempered especially when those who hear the hatemongers on radio and TV can so easily solve their perceived problems with guns rather than words.
This madness of allowing the words of fear and hate to be broadcast unchecked coupled with free access to instruments of death and vindication must be stopped. Otherwise a vortex of violence will envelope our nation like never before.

Parents and Children

I just returned from a wonderful week at Pawleys Island, SC, with my parents - we stay at an inn (no shoes, no tv, no computers, no cell phones, no locks on doors, shower down the hall) with 3 meals a day and no obligations other than snoozing, sunning, rocking on the porch and reading. One of the highlights is Miss Frances, who manages the staff and also sings her own amazing version of Happy Birthday to anyone celebrating during the week. In a conversation with my mother on the last day there was mutual head-shaking over children who don't "do right" and Miss Frances gave my mother several examples of Bible offspring (both children & adults) who stray from the path. And then she cited Adam and Eve, whose parent was no other than God - and who still messed up. So as parents we can only do our best and then put our children in God's hands. At the end of the conversation, Miss Frances blessed my parents in song - bringing my mother to tears.
During the week I read Grapes of Wrath, this Fall's Big Read for Orange County. There's a big difference between reading it in high school and as an adult! There are some amazing Biblical associations and tremendous richness of language, symbolism and feeling. I highly recommend reading the book and/or taking in some of the programs planned for September & October (movie showing, dramatic reading, book discussions, art exhibits) - check with your local library to find out what, when & where. Everything is free and some venues will be accepting donations of canned goods for local food pantries.

Summer

I hope everyone is having a great summer. I am happy to see that attendance hasn't dropped too much this summer. It has been wonderfull seeing people every week. We do have our vestry meeting on Mon. Aug 11 and our cleaning day is the 4th Sunday of the month. We could really use help cleaning up the closets and stuff in the parish hall and in the entry area.

Gratitude

I don't remember exactly Fr. Dan's reference to gratitude in Sunday's sermon, but it reminded me of one of my favorite verses:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Another Update from ER-D

Here is another e-mail I received from ER-D:


Dear Friend in Christ,
Episcopal Relief & Development has received urgent appeals for assistance from several dioceses affected by the devastating floods in the Midwest. Your help is needed immediately. The support of your church is critical to our ability to respond quickly.
This is an opportunity for your congregation to make a vital difference in the lives of people who are facing incredible loss.
As you remember those deeply affected by this disaster, please encourage your congregation to pray…and give generously.
Kindly photocopy this bulletin insert and place it in your Sunday Service leaflet this Sunday, June 29. Also, encourage your congregation to visit Episcopal Relief & Development’s website www.er-d.org, to make an immediate, convenient and secure contribution to help those affected by the flooding.
Thank you for your partnership, prayers and compassion.
Yours faithfully,
Robert W. RadtkePresident

Episcopal Relief and Development

I received this in an e-mail and it said to put it in the bulletin this Sunday so I thought I should put it here too.


Dear Friend in Christ,
Episcopal Relief & Development has received urgent appeals for assistance from dioceses affected by the devastating floods in the Midwest. We know this bulletin insert is reaching you late in the week, but your help is needed immediately. The support of your church is critical to our ability to respond quickly.
This is an opportunity for your congregation to make a vital difference in the lives of people who are facing incredible loss.
As you remember those deeply affected by this disaster, please encourage your congregation to pray…and give generously.
Kindly photocopy this bulletin insert and place it in your Sunday Service leaflet this Sunday, June 22 or the following Sunday, June 29. Also, encourage your congregation to visit Episcopal Relief & Development’s website www.er-d.org, to make an immediate, convenient and secure contribution to help those affected by the flooding.
Thank you for your partnership, prayers and compassion.
Yours faithfully,
Robert W. RadtkePresident

I hope you all can help!!!

It's been a long while!

Well, it is that time of year again! End of school and beginning of summer! It has been a great school year this year. We have come a far way! Our vestry is taking the month of July off however we are going to start a monthly cleaning of the parish hall. We really need to get into all the stuff that has been collecting dust for a long time. So, next Thursday the 26th we will be meeting at the chapel at 7PM to go through some stuff. It is important for those that know what to save and what to toss to come and help. We really need to get rid of stuff! At our last vestry meeting Pastor Dan brought up torture awareness. He has a petition that he would like everyone that is against torture to sign and we even put an ad in the Wallkill Valley Times. The ad was on Page 3 in the bottom left hand corner on July 18th's paper. This is the basic ad:

Torture is a Sin

Torture violates the basic dignity of the
human person that all religions hold dear.
It degrades all involved--the victim, the
torturer, the policy maker. It contradicts
our nation’s most cherished ideals.

Torture abuse threatens the soul of our
nation. Sign the petition.

Abolish torture now.
www.tortureisamoralissue.org

National Religious Campaign Against Torture
www.nrcat.org

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Chapel
74 Wallkill Avenue – Montgomery
Sunday Service – 9am

So, this gets out the message that we are standing against torture and it is an advertisement for our service! Also, after reading this blog you could go onto http://www.tortureisamoralissue.org/ to sign the petition against torture.

Well, I hope everyone is doing great and I will see you in church on Sunday at 9.

What's going on...

Well, it has been a little quiet lately so I thought I would do a little update as to what is going on. A couple of weeks ago we collected $44 for relief in Myanmar and the week after we collected $66 for earthquake relief in China. That is awesome news! These collections took place without advance notice and no one planned on putting extra cash in the plate. That is just great! We have had a few visitors come to worship with us which is just wonderful! I love to see new faces in the pews! If you just happened on this website please drop an e-mail if you wish to receive more information about the chapel.
We are currently trying to come up with our mission statement. This is necessary because we are basically considered a new congregation. With this comes the opportunity to change our name. This is a very sensitive subject to some people and I can understand why. However, I also see the benefit from changing our name. We will still be the little green church (hopefully going green too) and we will also have "Formally St. Andrew's Chapel" for a long time. I, personally, was born and raise in this church and I am very comfortable with changing the name. A name is just a name at this point for me. We have the opportunity to choose a name that really means something to all of us. Currently there are quite a few St. Andrew's in the area. There is one in Walden and in New Paltz plus many others. If we all put our heads together I am sure that we will be able to find a name that really means something! Anyway, enough about that...
On to the plant sale. We made $322! Thank you to everyone that participated in this fundraiser. We will be selling mums in the fall, mid September, so please keep that in mind. We will also try to sell some poinsettias during advent too.

ERD

As I announced this past Sunday, we have an opportunity for someone to be our contact for outreach opportunities with Episcopal Relief and Development. In two consecutive Sundays we collected $100 for cyclone and earthquake relief! We can also be selling Bishops Blend coffee to neighbors and our weekday members in the parish hall to help raise funds for the work of ERD. Pray about it and let me know if you are interested. I forgot to announce Sunday that this Saturday is the diocesan environmental event in Bedford, Westchester County. If you would like to ride with me we can meet at the chapel, or the Newburgh Park and Ride. I'll be leaving at 830a. We should return by 430p. Please let me know if you'd like to join me. We can be the little green church in more ways than color.

Also, the Christian Care of Creation workshop Saturday. Registration information is below. And please know if there is any diocesan event you wish to attend, never let the registration fee keep you away. We will make sure your registration cost is covered. Blessings and peace to you. Pastor Dan REGISTRATION: Fee: $20. Scholarships available Deadline: Wednesday, May 28th Register online or contact Lila Botero on 914-693-3848/fax 914-0407/regiontwo@dioceseny.org



This is an E-mail that was sent out from Pastor Dan. If anyone is interested please feel free to step up to take care of the project for ERD! Thank you!

St. Andrew's News Release!

News from St. Andrew's Chapel, the Episcopal Church in Montgomery, NY 14 May 2008 Village congregation responds to cyclone, quake victims Montgomery, NY--The small Episcopal congregation of St. Andrew's Chapel here is responding to the devastating human suffering in China and Myanmar. "Last Sunday (May 11) of course we prayed for the victims of the cyclone in Myanmar," said the Rev. Canon Dan Webster, Vicar of St. Andrew's Chapel, "but we also designated our loose plate collection to Episcopal Relief and Development. ERD has partners already in Myanmar and has been able to get resources to them to assist with shelter, water and critical supplies to alleviate the suffering." "I was deeply gratified that 18 people were able to donate $55 without advance notice for the ERD effort," said Canon Webster. "The generosity of our congregation is humbling," he said. This Sunday (May 18) St. Andrew's will designate its loose plate collection to ERD for Chinese earthquake victims. ERD is working with partner organizations in Sichuan Province to provide basic necessities to the thousands of victims whose lives have been devastated by the natural disaster. "We have an obligation as Christians to love our neighbors as ourselves," Canon Webster said. "It's clear from the gospel of Jesus that our neighbors are not just in Montgomery but throughout the world. What we do may be small by comparison to other churches and organizations but coupled with prayer we can do wonders," said Canon Webster. ERD is the Episcopal Church's humanitarian aid agency. More information about its work in China and Myanmar may be found at www.er-d.org . St. Andrew's Chapel is one of the more than 200 congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of New York. It has been witnessing to the Christian gospel in Orange County for 105 years.

Out of Africa

On Sunday, Fr. Dan mentioned Carpenter's Kids - an organization that supports AIDS orphans in Africa. The web site is www.carpenterskids.net. I'm planning to sponsor a child and they are really looking for parishes to commit to sponsoring 50 children at $50 per year for 5 years. They will partner small parishes that wouldn't be able to take this on by themselves and it seems to me that this would be the best thing for us - if others are interested.
A related topic is "A Road to Hope: An evening with Immacullee Ilibagiza, Rwandan Genocide Survivor." This is a fundraiser for the Mid Hudson Christian Church. The venue is Aquinas Hall at Mt. St. Mary College in Newburgh, date/time is June 20th at 7:30 pm, tickets $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
There are so many "worthy causes" and we all have to limit ourselves - to remember our obligations TO ourselves. My own "favorite" charity is a local one and I consider that focus to be really important, but these two opportunities really call to me.

Homily & Reading

I felt so moved by Fr. Dan's homily on Sunday - his analogy to the Golden Girls made me think about the Scripture in a completely different way. I felt sad about the Golden Girls (which I love but never saw the end because I haven't watched TV in years) and also about the disciples, who must have felt so bereft - I'm not sure how I had thought they felt - there was always so much awe & excitement about one of Jesus' appearances that I didn't get beyond that.
This kind of ties in with a book I am reading - John by Niall Williams. It's beautifully written - a true literary novel - & thus not easy reading (& I know I'm reading it too fast as I always do) but not terribly long - the story of the Apostle John & his followers on the island of Patmos, after he's had the Revelation - and their individual/collective struggles with faith & sin.
And my last thought for today - this blog is a type of evangelism & by adopting this new technology we have expanded our opportunities for making ourselves & our faith known - thanks again, Brenda! (And glad you're feeling better.)
PS - I went to the Reading Scripture workshop on Saturday & met several nice folks from St. Andrews in New Paltz AND got a great little pronunciation guide for all those hard Bible names!

What a Celebration!

Well, yesterday was Pastor Dan's installation celebration! What a great experience! The church was full and our band played too! I have to commend all the band members on a job well done! Joe, Edie, Bill, Lynn, and of course me too! The reception had some wonderful food and great music too. The crowd was up and dancing almost as soon as we got there! It was very nice to meet Dan's family as well. I personally was happy to see some folks that haven't been attending regularly. I hope to see them some more in the future! Unfortunatly I can't comment too much more on the reception because I had to leave early do to illness. I was very upset to have to leave and not enjoy myself there! I certainly was looking forward to it. So, if anyone else out there has anything to add please add it! Thank you!

Now joining the blog...

Thanks, Brenda - I'm in!

Flowers

Well, it is that time of the year. The annual flower sale is back! This is our only planned fund raiser so we really need to make it a good one. We will have the same plants as last year and I will be send the order forms to all members on the mailing list this week. I will also have more on the back table in the church. I hope that everyone will sell these plants to all their friends, family, and co-workers! Delviery will be the Sunday after Mother's Day. This is the same day that we used last year and it seemed to work alright. I understand that some people like to use these flowers for their Mother's Day gift but perhaps you could give your Mom an IOU and give it to her the week after. I am sure that if you tell her why they are a week late she will understand! Also, orders must be in by Mother's Day I will be turning them in to Hoeffner's on that Monday. Last year we made about $300 I would love to at least double that. Please, go to everyone you know and tell them about it! 6 days until the first Installation at St. Andrew's Chapel!!!!!!! Yipee.... Congrats to all of us!!!!!!!

Invites

To all that would like to add to this blog please let me know by sending an e-mail to Standrewschapel@aol.com and I will invite you. After that you will be able to post stuff on the blog page instead of just commenting. If you would like to comment you can or you could write your own entry. I think this is a perfect way to use this blog. Thank you a bunch Anne....

Just in case no one realizes it yet... we only have 1 week until the installation! I can't wait. I have been getting phone calls from the invities and they all sound very nice and are looking forward to a fun evening. I expect that we all will have a great and I know that I am excited to have Dan for our very own first Vicar! See you on Sunday!

Thank You!

Thank you Anne for jumping right in with me. For those of you who are not used to the blogging process. Anne has left a comment on this blog and you all can read it by clicking the commet. It area on the bottom of each post. Anne has suggested that we all just comment on this blog as it can get too confusing to have multiple blogs. This is a great idea! However if you do want to put out your own ideas feel free to start your own! Also, I do plan on sprucing up the page a bit with pictures but I need to get them from my husband. I also need to get with him to fix up the web page. I need to put the phone number and everything on there!

On another note, I can't believe that Dan's Installation is coming up in less then 2 weeks! All the plans seem to be coming together. We have all the gifts together that we need to present to him and the service is going to be just wonderful. There have been alot of responses and most of them are yeses! Also, the food should be great. We are having Eggplant rolitini, Green beans, Chicken, and Penne Alfredo, Bread and salad and some other stuff too! I can't wait to PARTY! I believe that Dan feels the same way as do the rest of the congregation! We are going to see if we can get it videotaped because it is such a grand event! As I was cleaning the back table of the church last Tuesday I came across the Cenntenial programs. The date the we celebrated that was April 27, 2003. Can you believe that was exactly 5 years ago! Look at was has happened in just 5 short years!

Last little bit. If anyone in the congregation has a coat rack that we could use for the installation we would really appreciate it. We need them for the clergy to hang their bags on while the get robed. We do have two but I would like to have at least one more! Thanks a bunch!

Brand New Blog

Hello All, this is my first time ever doing a blog but why not jump right in. My name is Brenda and I am a part of St. Andrew's Chapel in Montgomery. We have started a new venture with a new Vicar this past January and so far we are moving full steam ahead! It has been great to have such an enthusiastic person join us at our little green church. As of today we are working on a whole bunch of things. We just installed our first phone! WOW welcome to the 21st century! We are planning our priest's installation service. We are going to have an awesome party after to celebrate this great beginning! After that we are going to start building our church! We are excited to be looking into doing new things!

Today I went to the Diocese in NYC and went to a seminar called Doing Church. It was a great day! The first part of the day I spent in a class about financial planning and I got a few ideas about what we need to be doing! Then we had an awesome lunch! It was a bag lunch but it was pretty darn good! On top of that we ate our lunch IN the Cathedral! I never thought we could eat in church let alone the Cathedral! After that I went to a seminar about Health and Vitality in the Church. That is where I learned of this blog spot. I learned some other things in there too but I think this is a pretty good tool! So, I hope to see all in church on Sunday at 9AM! The more the merrier! Keep looking back here to see what else is happening in St. Andrew's Chapel. Thanks for reading!