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.