First
Reverend
Gloria J. McCanna, Pastor
845-896-9836 www.fishkillreformed.org
New Love,
New Mercy
October, 2009
Dear Friends,
As we continue in the ministry that God has called us to
be a part of, the congregation is invited to prayerfully participate in our 2009
Consecrating Stewards Program, New Love, New Mercy.
One goal of our stewardship theme, “New Love, New Mercy,” is to encourage each of us to make
a financial commitment to the church and God’s ministry for the coming year.
But an even greater goal is to allow this biblical, spiritual, inspirational
program to enrich our understanding of what it means to
be a steward. The program’s focus is not on how much the church needs, but on
how much we need to give. We will not be asked to give to meet a budget. Rather
each one will be asked to prayerfully determine what portion of income we are
led to give as a sign of faith and commitment to the way of Jesus Christ.
On the first two Sundays in November our two witnessing
steward, Louise Byers and Jay Wright will speak about how God has worked in their
lives and how they have been led to respond to God’s love and mercy.
On Consecration Sunday, November 15th, Rev.
Wayne Antworth, who also preached last year, will preach on Lamentations
3:21-24. As you may remember,
Stewardship
has always been central to Rev. Antworth’s understanding of the gospel and he
believes as a disciple of Christ our giving should not be seen as an obligation
but as a joyful act of generosity as we respond to God, the giver of all good
gifts.
On November 15th, we hope everyone will be present for
worship, the commitment and consecration of our pledges and a celebration
brunch in Fellowship hall. The RSVP slips will be available during worship in
the weeks to come.
May you use the coming days for prayerfully discerning
God’s leading in your life and our life together as the Body of Christ.
In Christ’s service,
October Calendar
|
1 |
Choir – 7 p.m. |
16 |
DeKerk Winkel setup – 9
a.m. – 5 p.m.* DeKerk Winkel – 6:30 – 8
p.m.* |
|
4 |
Sunday School - 9 a.m. Worship – 10 a.m. World Communion Sunday |
17 |
DeKerk Winkel 9 a.m.– 3
p.m.* |
|
6 |
Hand sewing – DuBois
upstairs – 10 a.m. – noon* |
|
|
|
7 |
Bible Study – 10 a.m. Crafts 10 a.m. DuBois
upstairs |
18 |
Sunday School – 9 a.m. Worship – 10 a.m. CROP Walk* |
|
8 |
Choir – 7 p.m. |
21 |
Choir – 7 p.m. |
|
11 |
Sunday School – 9 a.m. Worship – 10 a.m. |
22 |
Sunday School – 9 a.m. Worship – 10 a.m. Communion |
|
12 |
Women at |
25 |
Sunday School – 9 a.m. Worship – 10 a.m. |
|
13 |
Women at |
28 |
Bible Study – 10 a.m. |
|
14 |
Bible Study – 10 a.m. Crafts 10 a.m. DuBois
upstairs |
29 |
Choir – 7 p.m. |
|
15 |
Choir – 7 p.m. DeKerk Winkel setup – 7
p.m.* |
|
|
*see this Parish Visitor
Nursery Reminder
Just a reminder that nursery care is available during services
every Sunday morning for children up to three years old. Care is provided by a rotating staff of
volunteer parents and grandparents. If you are not ready to leave your
child in the nursery yet, but feel that sometimes he or she gets a little too
vocal during church, remember that the hearing amplifiers available on the
table in the back of the sanctuary work all the way to the DuBois parlor, so
you can still listen to the service from there.
If you are interested in volunteering to help with nursery care, please
contact Toni Houston at 227-7655 or tonihoustn@aol.com
The 2009 Church World Services CROP
Walk will be held on Sunday October 18.
The Dutchess county walk has had the highest pledge total in NY State
for the past few years. First Reformed has been in the
top 5 fund raising organizations in this walk.
Please consider joining our First Reformed walker contingent, or show
your support with a generous pledge. We
dedicate this year’s walk to the memory of Frank Dinoto, a long time CROP Walk
coordinator. For further information
please contact John Twohig at 831-5694, or at twigman52@hotmail.com.
IMPORTANT! As a
follow up to our Bread for the World Offering of Letters, we are asking
everyone to call Sens. Schumer and Gillibrand by Tuesday Oct. 6 urging them to
cosponsor Senate Bill 1524. This is a building block in making our
foreign aid programs more efficient and effective. Call toll free at
1-800-826-3688.
Coffee Hour Hosts 
HOST
(First Name): Please call the
others on your week to avoid duplication. Also assign or bring milk and
juice. PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP COFFEE HOUR EASY AND SIMPLE. NO NEED TO BAKE UNLESS YOU ENJOY IT! Come early to set up the table.
ALL
OTHERS: If you cannot do coffee
hour on this date, find a replacement
and call the church office with
the name of your replacement.
Karen Twohig can be reached at
831-5694 if you have any concerns regarding your availability to do coffee hour
due to health or other large issues. If
you just have a conflict about the particular Sunday, please try to switch with
someone, and only call Karen if you can’t find anyone.
OCTOBER NOVEMBER
4
DACHENHAUSEN/TOTINO,
Crawford, Harty 1 SKINNER/BEAUDWAY, Gallo, Teske
11 BARON, Aronow, Rudberg 8 BADOWSKI, Wynn, Jones
18 FELLIN, Sanders, Byers 15 STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY BRUNCH
25 HOFFMAN, Nolting, Binder 22 THANKSGIVING DINNER
29
HOUSTON, Binder, Carruthers
DE KERK WINKEL
“Our
Friday,
Oct. 16th 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Saturday,
October 17th 9 am – 3 p.m.
Art – Crafts –
Collectibles – Baked Goods – Books - Jewelry
Sign up in Christian
Ed. Bldg.
Desperately
needed! Set up and clean up people.
Bring things to the
Library on Thurs. Evening after 6:30,
Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
CAN
YOU HAND SEW SOMETHING THAT'S REAL EASY? WE NEED YOU!
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6TH, 10 AM--12 AM, DUBOIS
UPSTAIRS
BRING: WHITE THREAD, NEEDLE, SCISSORS
WE NEED YOUR HELP MAKING
QUESTIONS: CALL RONNIE 724-3499
WOMEN OF THE CHURCH
The Warwick Center Women's
Auxiliary cordially invites you to their Open House, "Warwick Days"
which will be held on Monday October 12 and Tuesday October 13. A group
of us will be car pooling from the DuBois House parking lot on Tuesday, October
13 at 8:30 AM. The speaker will be The Rev. Kathleen Edwards Chase,
Senior Pastor of the First Reformed Church in
Save the date. Mark your calendar. The Reformed Church Women of the Hudson
Valley will be hold their Fall Conference at our church on Saturday, November 7.
Registration will begin at 9:15 AM, with breakfast at 9:30 and the program at
10:15. Rev. Mark Mast, Pastor of Outreach and Church Planting will speak on
“Missions - At Home and Abroad”. He will relate how he feels the mission
field is changing and what opportunities are available for doing missions right
here in the
Socks for Hedgewood
The Women of the Church
will again be providing a pair of socks for each resident at Hedgewood Adult Home
in Beacon for Christmas. We will need approximately 75 pair of men's and
80 pair of women's socks. Won't you help us meet this
goal? You may leave the socks in the church or DuBois House. We
will be wrapping them at our November meeting so we would appreciate it if you
would leave them by November 18.
CHURCH
CONCERNS LIST
For about a year now, in an effort to keep communication lines open in
our church family, the Communications Committee has offered the Church Concerns
List. It is an attempt to fill an
information niche for people who want to be kept in the loop on church matters
but who don’t necessarily want to be on the Prayer Chain. People on this list might be contacted by
phone or by e-mail, as an example, when a memorial service is announced on a
Monday for the following Friday and it misses the weekly bulletin. In another case, when an event has to be
postponed or cancelled, a message may be sent out to people on this list thus
insuring that as many people as possible get the information they need in a
timely fashion.
We currently have about forty-five people on our contact list. If you would like to be added to this list
please notify Rich Lanni either by phone (545-896-6889) or by e-mail
(rjl104@optonline.net).
Reverend
Gloria McCanna and First Reformed
I’m sorry I wasn’t able to join you for the
service on Sunday to celebrate my Uncle Frank’s (DiNoto) life. I am fortunate to have the memory and to have
shared a service with him at your church a few years ago. I know how much he enjoyed coffee hour and
hugs!
Feel free to contact me, especially if you
are visiting the
Best
regards,
Anne
DiNoto
781-646-0252
annedinoto@yahoo.com
Following
are John Twohig’s remarks at the Memorial for Frank DiNoto:
Good
afternoon everyone.
I’ve never been asked to do this kind of thing before,
but Frank requested it. He had that
ability to get you involved in all sorts of new and exciting things, even when
you were reluctant to try something new. And today he’s done it once
again. I am sorely tempted to tell a
bunch of Frank stories, and we all have our own Frank stories, but I will limit
myself to commenting on his unique knack of knowing every bakery, deli and
eatery in this area. I had suggested, on
more than one occasion, that he write a food column for The Southern Dutchess
News. I titled it “Dining with Dinoto.”
One thing I was sure of, that if I were ever shipwrecked on a desert
island, I would have wanted Frank with me, because I would have been assured of
his being able to find a muffin, snack or sandwich to keep us going. Frank combined his love of food and his
concern for young people by providing refreshments for Sunday school classes
and vacation bible school for many years.
I had dubbed him “Mr. Snacks,” a title he smiled at. This is but one
example of Frank’s zest for life. He
swam, hiked, skied, sailed, traveled and explored, sometimes alone, but many
times sweeping others along for the adventure.
I think it was this enthusiasm, which kept Frank going these past few
years. That and some very sage and timely words from pastor Gloria.
For Karen and me, Frank led us to jazz vespers, winery
tours, Army football, Marist basketball, Jets football and many other
activities. There are, however, 2 of
these that will remain with us for a long time.
First, I
am the church’s CROP walk recruiter thanks to Frank, who suggested I take over
that job from him a number of years ago.
“John,” he said, “you’d be good at this.” What a salesman. We, here at First Reformed,
are dedicating this year’s walk to his memory.
The other is the Peace Pole planted in front of Dubois
house. We first attended the annual
world peace festival held in Amenia on Frank’s urging. And it was his drive,
which led to the wonderful ceremony here that set that pole in place. With Don Muysken’s help, that pole will be
here long after we are gone.
Frank, like all of us did not always achieve what he
set out to do, but the Peace Pole is a testament to his seeking peace, both
within himself and in the outside world.
Thank you to Willa Skinner and Julie Sanders for leading tours of our historical sanctuary during the Revolutionary War weekend, and to Connie Lacey for providing a wonderful organ concert. Special thanks to our youth volunteers, Greg Totino and Claire Houston. Greg did cemetery tours, while Claire helped with the church tours. They are both helping in an ongoing project to put genealogical information from our records into a more comprehensive computer genealogy of Fishkill.
BOY
SCOUT TROOP
PREPARES
FOR AN HISTORIC YEAR
Your Boy Scout Troop
65, chartered here at the First Reformed Church of Fishkill, is preparing for
an historic year in Scouting and Troop History. 2010 marks the 10th
Anniversary of the Troop charter, and the 100th Anniversary of
Scouting. Boy Scouts of America is sponsoring a variety of events to mark the
occasion, and locally, the Hudson Valley Council will be hosting a 100th
Anniversary of Scouting Extravaganza Event in May of 2010 at the Dutchess
County Fairgrounds. The Troop is making special plans to celebrate their
anniversary in February with their Annual Court of Honor. The Troop originally
started out with five scouts and has grown about six-fold over the last ten
years!
To complement the
growth of the Scout Troop, we are blessed with a depth of experienced and new
adult leadership. We have added a variety of activities that appeal to Scouts
of all ranks and experience levels. In addition to monthly campouts and
District and Council events, the Troop organizes hikes, bike rides, rafting
trips, rock climbing excursions, fishing trips, and a variety of educational
tours. Recent activities of particular note include a trip to Boston /
Lexington / Concord and hike of the Freedom Trail, Summer Camp in the Pocono
Mountains, and participation in the “No Child Left Inside” Hike across the
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.
A Venture Crew 65 has
been formed under the leadership of Stacy and Ed Tucholski. Venturing is a
youth development program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and women
who are 14 (and have completed the eighth grade) to 21 years of age.
Venturing's purpose is to provide positive experiences to help young people
mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults.
The troop continues to
perform a variety of service projects throughout the community including
Property Cleanup Days and Food Drives for the Food Pantry at the First Reformed
Church of Fishkill, provide refreshments to weary travelers at the Rest Stop on
Route 84, Parade and Color Guard Assemblies in the Fishkill Community, and help
with the running of the Purim Carnival at the Beacon Hebrew Alliance. The Troop
currently has two Eagle Scout Candidates who are organizing projects to benefit
the community (Peter Shepherd – Construction of a Storage Shed for First
Reformed Church of Fishkill, and Matt Detterline – Renovations to a traffic
island at the Emergency Entrance to
If you would like more
information regarding scouting opportunities, activities, or service projects,
please check out our website at www.troop65fishkill.org or contact Jon
Detterline, Scoutmaster, at (845) 897-9800 or Detterline@optonline.net
News from Children's Community Services
It's
hard to believe that the summer has disappeared so quickly but here it is the
beginning of another school year. The Before and
After School Program opened September 9th. Many of the children from last
year have moved on but we have many new friends to share our time with.
Despite
the crazy summer weather, there have been many exciting changes in the building
this year. New lighting, roof, plumbing and new security doors are all
major improvements that have occurred. Added to that, our playground is
currently undergoing transformation. With MUCH gratitude to John Houston,
Roy Carruthers, Matt Golden (Kathy Campbell's son), John Hansen and
"John", a village resident these changes are underway. We
are also working with Craig Moore (Kate Lanni Moore's husband) who along with
his crew are working on our "patio".
We have much more to do and now that school is in session, volunteers are
appearing. It really is exciting to see this transformation of the
playground happening. Watch for the repositioning of the swings and the
arrival of our fire truck!
We would
like to invite anyone in the congregation to visit CCS and see all that has
happened upstairs to make our building sparkle. We are so grateful to the
members of the church for their support in offering this program to the
community. So many families are touched by the program and remember us
for a long time (a recent visit from a high school senior and request for work
from a former DKS student and now college graduate. We also have children
of former children!!).
If you
know of anyone who might be interested in any of the CCS programs, please have
them call us...896-9876.
Heather
Hansen, Director
Prayer Chain
Would you like to be a part of a group of people who have agreed to
pray when special needs arise? All you
have to do is call the next person on the chain, and then pray for the
request. You can also receive the prayer
requests by e-mail.
Remember James 5:16: Pray for each other so that you will be
healed. The prayer of a righteous person
is powerful.
If you have a prayer
request or would like to join the prayer chain, please call Liz Alexander
at 297-7414, Maryann Fellin at 896-6734, or Juanita Nolting at 897-5527
The Stewardship Committee has been writing articles on ways to Care for
Our Creation for the last several months. Please let us know if
they have been helpful or useful to you.
Since winter is coming we thought we'd
talk about Light Bulbs. -Energy Star CFLs light bulbs are an
energy-saving alternative to regular light bulbs. These are the
curly cued bulbs. Here are some ways that Energy Star CFLs are better
than other bulbs:
1. They use 75% less energy than regular bulbs to produce the
same amount of light.
2. They last 6,000 hours or more--7 to 10 times longer than
regular bulbs.
3. They produce less heat.
Consider using these bulbs if you haven't already done so. Saving
energy means savings for you and for our environment. This is one
more way to Care for our Creation.
Notes from
September Consistory Meeting
Ü The meeting opened with the sharing of joys and
concerns. Elder
Ü Treasurers Operating Report for August shows revenues
totaling $16,481.57 and expenses totaling $16,447.22.
Ü Our insurance coverage with Emery and Webb will be
continued for the coming year.
Ü Brendon, son of Randy and Jennifer Hansen will be
baptized October 18th.
Ü The
Ü Laura Dachenhausen has resigned from her deacon
position on consistory due to health and time issues.
Ü 30 people participated in
Ü Connie Lacey presented an organ concert of Early
American Music for the Fishkill Ramble Sept. 19th.
Ü Jon Detterline is the scoutmaster for BSA Troop 65,
for which we are the chartered organization. They are currently meeting at the
hunting club due to the large size of the troop.
Ü The stump and extra brick and wood has been removed
from the church playground. A patio, playground barrier and more black rubber
material have been installed.
Ü
Next regular
+ + + + +
By Nancy Titus
As the leaves begin to change and the weather cools,
our hearts and minds are with our colleagues half a world away in
While most
We remain connected to the flurry of activity at our
mission as we communicate with colleagues by email. They are busy attending to
faculty meetings and last-minute details. This week, familiar faces will return
early to take exams they did not complete last year, and new students will
arrive. Many of the practical details will be decided, in typical Croatian
fashion, as they arise.
While we are happy to be away from some of the
pressure of these days, we are saddened too, to be missing out on welcoming
students to a new academic year. There is always something so fresh and
renewing about new beginnings and seeing old friends after several months’
absence.
We will continue to play a role in the work of the
seminary, supervising our departments from afar, but our biggest work, as this
semester begins, is the work that our partners also do every day: pray. Knowing
the details from the other side informs our prayers as we dedicate this
seminary year, the students and faculty to the Lord, asking Him for grace, for
learning, for growth in mind and spirit, in short, for all the work to glorify
Him. We pray for the greater church in
As for us here in
We are thankful for a big answer to prayer regarding
Eric’s registration for his final year of his doctoral program at
When he is not traveling, Eric is working on his
dissertation. He has converted the dining room into Dissertation Central, where
he can keep his research notes, books, and file cards in order as he spreads
out and puts ideas together. (Don’t worry, we eat at
the kitchen table.) He has been doing research at home and will soon add
regular visits to theological libraries in our area. He expects to have the
main body of research done and some of the writing ready for his mentor when he
sees him in January.
We are also gearing up for a speaking schedule that
will have us at a different church almost every Sunday until our return to
We ask you to pray for our travel schedule, that God
will keep us healthy and safe and strengthen the children as one or the other
of us is gone on a weekly basis.
Eric and Nancy Titus are RCA missionaries in
First
Reformed
DE KERK WINKEL
“Our
Friday, October 16th 6:30 – 8 p.m.
Saturday, October 17th 9 am
– 3 p.m.
Art – Crafts –
Collectibles – Baked Goods – Books - Jewelry
Kitchen’s open – Come for supper on Friday, lunch on Saturday!