From
the Interim Pastor’s Pen:
At
the Annual Meeting of the Congregation on June 5 the congregation elected six
members to the Church Board, eight members to the Pastoral Search and
Nominating Committee, endorsed a three year Plan for Ministry, and adopted the
following Vision Statement. Jim Watts, a
member of the New Vision Team introduced this Statement through the following
comments. These words are worthy of our
continued reflection.
Kathleen
A. Waters
Interim
Pastor
The United Church of
Fayetteville is
a welcoming,
inclusive community of faith
that demonstrates
Christ’s love
by seeking justice
and nourishing each
person’s spiritual journey.
With God’s help, we
seek to realize this vision
through vibrant
worship,
caring fellowship,
challenging study,
open and democratic
governance,
and active
partnerships in mission and service
locally, nationally and
internationally.
Jesus’ Beatitudes, [that Mwelwa
just read to us] are presented as statements of fact: “Blessed are the
peacemakers …, blessed are the meek …, blessed are the poor in spirit …”. But
we realize, as the Gospel wants us to recognize, that they are not descriptions
of the way the world is but of the way it ought to be, of the way God wants it
to be, of the way it will be when God’s Kingdom comes. That is the nature of a
vision; it is a visionary conception of how things should be, of how we want
them to be, of how we think God wants us to make them.
So the vision statement being
presented to you this morning is also cast as a statement of what is: “The
United Church of Fayetteville is …” If we pause over the phrases that
follow—how welcoming and inclusive are we really? How often do we really
demonstrate Christ’s love? Do we actually seek justice? How well do we nurture
spiritual journeys, and do we really nurture that of each person?—if we
question these phrases, it is because we should. A vision, if it is a good one,
should act as a constant challenge and prod to examine what we do and how we do
it and judge ourselves against the standard that it lays out. The question
before us this morning is whether the standard enunciated by this statement is
challenging enough for the United Church of Fayetteville.
A church should be, by
definition, a community caught in the tension between God’s vision for the
world and the practical constraints of being a community of real human beings.
The scripture exhorts us to change the world, but our experience warns us that
trying to do too much can be as dangerous as doing too little. So the second
sentence of the vision statement tries to encapsulate realistic means by which
this church can achieve the vision set forth in the first sentence. The words
“Worship,” “fellowship,” and “study” point out the dimensions of our regular
activities together that should be fine-tuned to better achieve this vision.
The phrase “Open and democratic governance” evokes our dual denominational
heritage, Baptist and Presbyterian, that have for centuries emphasized seeking
God’s direction through the democratically expressed will of the congregation.
The phrase “Partnerships in mission and service” emphasizes that we need not, in
fact should not try to do this alone but need to join our hands and our money
with those of kindred spirits and organizations to achieve God’s vision through
us.
So is this vision statement
challenging enough? I think so. It is not Matthew’s Beatitudes or Isaiah’s
Calling of the Servant, but it stakes out a path for our church that is true to
that biblical vision. To embark on a spiritual journey together that commits us
to being welcoming and inclusive while showing love and seeking justice—that is
a tall order, but an attainable order. The words are loaded, and the rest of
the Re-Vision report is only a first step in unpacking their meaning. We will
spend the next three years and more developing the significance of this
statement in our life together. And in doing so, we will also be working to
make the world a bit more like God’s vision of how it should and will be!
The Pastor Search and Nominating
Committee (PSNC) met with the Revs. Dave John, Tracie Martin (Presbyterian
representatives), and Rev. Gary Baker (American Baptist representative) on June
8th. A brief overview of the
search process from the Presbyterian and American Baptist perspectives was
given.
The committee met with Rev.
Dave Johnson on June 13th and received an in-depth review of the
pastoral nominating process in the Presbyterian
Church. The committee met with the Rev. Gary Baker on
June 21st for
an in-depth orientation on
the American Baptist pastoral search process.
The nuts and bolts of the
Presbyterian process are as follows: (1) Getting organized – electing officers;
(2) Writing a Church Information Form (CIF); (3) Searching for
candidates/reviewing Personal Information Forms (PIFs); (4) The interview; (5)
Selection of a candidate; (6) Presentation to the congregation; (7) Approval by
Presbytery; (8) Ministry begins!
The following slate of PSNC
officers has been elected:
Chairperson: Jim Watts
Vice-Chairperson/Corresponding
Secretary: Jackie Meyer
Recording
Secretary/Website: Paul Arras
Community
and Church Packet: Joanne Birge, Kevin
Sweder, Sarah Spencer
Treasurer: Dave DeHority
Devotions: rotating responsibility
Duties
to be determined upon her return: Sul Young
Choi
Please
keep PSNC in your prayers.
submitted by Beth Krauss
WORSHIP FOR
JULY-AUGUST 2005
Welcome to Worship at 9:25 AM!
Word to the Children each
Sunday
Summer Child Care time: 9 AM-11 AM
Lemonade & Fellowship Time
in Memorial Garden – 10:30 AM
July 3 Rev. Earl
Arnold, preaching Sacrament of
Communion (Come forward)
Scripture: Matthew 11:16
- 19, 25 – 30
Music led by Alice Hatt; Jennifer
Greene, vocal solo; Dan Blumenthal, instrumental solo
Liturgist:
Norm Hatt
July 10 Rev.
Dr. Kathleen Waters, preaching
Sermon:
“The Listening Heart”
Scripture: Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23
Music led by Alice Hatt,
Linda Raymond, Cara Steiner
Liturgist:
Andy Baxter
July 17 Rev.
Dr. Kathleen Waters, preaching
Sermon: “Living With Weeds”
Scripture: Matt. 13:24-30,
36-43
Music led by Alice Hatt; Horn solo by Sarah
Spencer; Men’s Chorus
Liturgist:
Linda Raymond
July 24 Rev.
Dr. Kathleen Waters, preaching
Sermon: “Before You Give Up”
Scripture: Matt. 13:31-33,
44-52
Music led by Alice Hatt;
Women’s Chorus; Richard Blumenthal, instrumental solo
Liturgist:
Sarah Vonhof
July 31 Rev.
Dr. Kathleen Waters, preaching
Sermon: “Super Size Meal”
Scripture: Matt. 14:13-21
Music led by Alice Hatt; Jennifer
Greene, French Horn Solo
Liturgist: Ann Chu
August 7 Rev. Dr.
Kathleen Waters, preaching Sacrament of
Communion (come forward)
Sermon: “Stepping Out”
Scripture: Matt. 14:22-33
Music led by Alice Hatt;
Elizabeth Price, vocal solo; Summer Handbells
Liturgist: Scott Manuel
August 14 Rev.
Dr. David Wood, preaching
Music led by Jennifer Greene; Emily Dunuwila,
Vocal solo
Liturgist:
Barbara Morison
August 21 Rev.
Bill Carlsen, preaching
Music led by Alice Hatt; Emily Olmsted, Vocal Solo
Liturgist:
Chris Harrison
August 28 Rev. Dr. Dana Horrell,
preaching
Music led by Mary Doto, Andrea Doto &
friend, Vocal Duet
Liturgist:
Jim Watts
Sept.
4 Rev. Scott Cupp, preaching,
Sacrament of Communion (come forward)
Music led by Mary Doto, Gary & Nina
Lewis, vocal duets with guitar
Liturgist:
Gloria Manuel
Welcome
Our Guest Preachers
July 3 Earl Arnold serves the greater church
in two capacities; one as the Stated Clerk for the Presbytery of
Cayuga/Syracuse, and the other as the Stated Clerk for the Synod of the
Northeast. Rev. Arnold is the former
pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Mexico, NY. He is married to Sandy and they attend
Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church. Both
enjoy singing and are members of the Syracuse Chorale.
August 14
David Wood was born and raised in New Jersey. At the
beginning of his Sophomore year at Rutgers
University, he felt a
call on his life and for the past thirty-two years, has tried to understand
what it means to be faithful to that call. He completed his seminary work at
San Francisco Theological Seminary and the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California
in 1985. After pastorates in California
and northwestern Pennsylvania,
he returned to New Jersey
to pursue a doctorate in social ethics at Drew University,
completing his Ph.D with highest honors in 2000. While working towards his
graduate degree, he pastored inner city churches with mixed congregations in Orange, Irvington, and Newark N.J.
Most recently, he served as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church United in
downtown Syracuse.
He is currently a member of the board of the InterReligious Council of Central
New York as well as the board of the Community-Wide Dialogue to End Racism. He
loves reading, politics, sports, flyfishing, and sailing his 25-ft. sailboat
around Onondaga Lake as a member of the Onondaga Yacht
Club.
August 21
Bill Carlsen is Executive Minister of
the American Baptist Churches of New
York State,
a regional mission organization of American
Baptist Churches USA.
Approximately 340 congregations across Upstate New York are members of American
Baptist Churches of New York
State. Rev. Carlsen
provides Pastoral, administrative and program oversight for the Region. ABC/NYS
has a staff of 11 executive level and 8 support persons. A native of Long Island, New
York, he received his B.A. degree from Houghton College and his M’Div. from Gordon
Conwell Theological Seminary. He has held pastorates in Massachusetts and New York State.
He is ordained in the American Baptist
Churches USA.
Over the years, he has been a consultant in the area of stewardship in several
states, as well as in Mexico,
Thailand,
Zaire,
and Hong Kong. He has served as a member of
several national committees and task groups related to stewardship, leadership
development, discipleship, and transformational ministries for American Baptist
Churches in the USA.
He is a Trustee for Keuka
College and Chair of the
Foundation Board and Finance Committee for the Upstate Home for Children and
Adults. Rev. Carlsen is married and he and his wife Gail are the parents of two
adult sons, one is Andy, our former youth leader. They have two granddaughters.
August 28
Dana Horrell, a United Methodist
pastor, is Director of Global Disciple, Inc., a non-profit organization
providing resources for congregations in social ministry (www.globaldisciple.org). He has
directed the Eco-Justice Project at Cornell
University, and served as
pastor to churches in Chicago, as well as Trumansburg and McGraw, New York.
Degrees include a Ph.D. in Practical Theology (University of Chicago).
He is married to the Reverend Marti Swords-Horrell, pastor of Trinity United
Methodist Church
in Clay, and has two children, Nathan (17) and Madeline (14).
Pastoral
Care coverage in July & August
The pastor works with our Congregational Care
Committee and can be reached through the church office (637-3186), elders of
the month, or home phone.
Elders of the Month: July – Kathy
Bohnsack (682-8890), Beth Krauss (637-1215)
August
– Chris Harrison (637-0792), Bob Boland (637-3574)
Purpose of
Elders of the Month: For those
members with a crisis, emergency situation, a particular concern or need for
care, the elders of the month are available to assist the pastor, when a pastor
is unavailable, or when the church office is closed.
Procedure
for calling: please call the church office weekdays
between 9 AM – 3 PM;
otherwise call either the elders of the month or the pastoral caregiver.
July-August
Worship, Music & Spiritual Life
Worship team
plans for fall & Advent!
Come and help make worship at United Church
meaningful for you and the congregation. Interested in drama? music? Taize
or Iona worship? visual arts? Clowns?
Children’s Sabbath? World Communion? Thanksgiving? Advent? We’re getting a head
start on planning for fall through Christmas.
Join us at the Hatt’s home on Thursday, July 7th, 7 p.m. RSVP to Alice Hatt or Kathy
Bohnsack.
See the worship for
July-August page for the list of youth and adult soloists, instrumentalists,
and choruses each week!
Summer worship services provide many
opportunities for people to be involved in music. Anyone can sign up to join the “one-time”
offerings of our various ensembles throughout the summer. There are several choir opportunities with
different groups of people: take a look below and see how you might be involved
in something different for a summer Sunday worship; sign up as indicated. I look forward to seeing you!
Men’s Chorus! Imagine the sound of a large chorus of men -
join our men of the church - youth and adults - to sing in worship on Sunday,
July 17th! There will be a
rehearsal on Wed. July 13th at 7:15 p.m. in Beard Lounge. If you can’t make the rehearsal we
may set up another one, just let me know! (Contact the church office by Tues.
July 12th or email Alice Hatt.)
Women’s Chorus
The Women’s Chorus sings in worship on Sunday July
24th You don’t have to be in the
choir to join us – all girls, youth and adult women are invited to join! Just
let me know that you are coming and I’ll have music ready. (Call the church office to sign up by Tuesday,
July 19th or email Alice Hatt.) Rehearsal will be Wednesday,
July 20th at 7:15 p.m.
in Beard Lounge.
Summer Handbells - Youth and Adults will play in worship on Sunday,
August 7th -- current, former and new members will rehearse on Wed.
Aug. 3rd at 7:15 p.m. Contact the church office by Mon. Aug. 1st
to sign up or email Alice Hatt.
Let’s ring together again before we lose our style (or technique)!
Word with the Children - There will be time for word
with the children each Sunday this summer, children of all ages are welcome to
come down front!
Garden Flowers for the Table
Flowers in your garden may be abundant this summer
- sign up to bring some garden flowers for the Communion table in worship! (See the Flower chart by Fellowship Hall or
contact Marti Vasiliades)
Audio-Visual Committee
The A-V Committee of the Capital Campaign project
is meeting this summer. The committee is setting goals for sanctuary audio
visual needs, will secure board approval and make a proposal for the project.
The chairperson is Jim Spencer, members are: Tony Greene, Alice Hatt, Dan Hatt,
Kamal Jabbour, Jim Mitscher, John Price.
“Welcome Home Sunday” is September 11th
and the Senior Choir will sing in the 9:25
AM service followed by the Fellowship Brunch. After worship we’ll have our choir
registrations and information table for all the choirs. Summer is a good time
to sing in one of our special choirs or offer your musical interests in some
other way; let’s talk about how you might like to become involved in the music
ministries at United
Church!
A Prayer of thanks for
travel and hospitality...
Lord, today you made us known
to friends we did not know, and you have given us seats in homes which are not
our own. You have brought the distant near, and made a brother of a stranger.
We thank you, Lord; your love be praised! Amen.
(From Mozambique, in “Extending
the Table”)
Alice Dickerson Hatt,
Minister of Music &
Worship
What’s Up from Down Under
Sharing and Caring by the Young
People
Of United Church
Mark these upcoming events on your calendars
!
Sept.11 9:30 a.m. Welcome Back Sunday
followed by Welcome
Back Brunch, Sunday School
and Choir Registration
Sept.18 9:00 a.m. Begin Sunday School and Choir
New
Directions! Children's Ministries is feeling the
changes reflecting the spirit of new direction in our church- the dynamic
leadership of Rev. Waters as our interim pastor, the excitement of new visions
and the search for a new pastor, and changes in leadership and membership in
both Children's Ministries and Youth Committees. We will set our sails to catch the Spirit of
this new direction and be ready for some exciting, new adventures.
Mark Your
Calendars Now! Come to church on September 11th for Welcome Back Sunday’s 9:30 service and Sunday school/choir
registration, followed by a delicious brunch.
The following Sunday, September
18th, will be the opening day of another fantastic
Sunday school year at United Church!
New
Leadership! With grateful thanks for her
enthusiastic leadership, we say goodbye to Brenda
Hines as Chair of Children's Ministries and welcome Greg Ketcham and his many talents to that office. Heading the committee will be a family affair
with Martha Ketcham actively sharing
the many responsibilities. A warm
welcome to both of you!!
LAMP Visit!! There was much excitement when the
representative from LAMP returned bearing letters for our 6th and 7th graders
from the children of Compeche,
Mexico. In February, our kids in Mission Possible had written letters in Spanish to the children of
Compeche introducing themselves and were thrilled to receive these
responses. Each child now has a pen pal
and will get to know their new friend as they continue to trade letters.
Children's
2005 Mission Yearbook Reminder All
4th through 7th graders are reminded to bring their 2005 Children's Mission
Yearbook to service during the summer and to keep up their reading in it. In the Mission Yearbook, every two pages
covers one week in 2005 and are filled with readings and activities that teach
about Presbyterian involvement in mission around the world. The Mission Yearbook is used as an additional
resource for both the classrooms and for Mission Possible. Have some fun and share it with an adult !!!!
“Way Off
Broadway” Variety Show a Hit!!!! Wow,
what a show! Acts
ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime accented with delicious
desserts. Lorraine Dimon and her dog
Weener, all the kids and adults with truly tremendous talents in music and
dance, Jim Watts and his lecture on Leviticus and an original short story by
Paul Arras were enjoyed by all. Pies did
fly, thanks to our young clowns, with the real shaving cream action occurring
downstairs!! A great big thanks to all who used their talents, on and off stage, to
create an evening of entertainment and fun in support of the church
development!
Judy
Spencer
Director
of Children's Ministries
SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS
Congratulations to Our
Scholarship Winners!
On June 12th, Graduate Sunday, we
were pleased to present scholarships to three of our best and brightest.
Kevin
Gordon and Chris Baxter received
scholarships funded by the Lou Marshall and Christopher Steele grants.
The Lou
Marshall Fund was established in memory of Louis Marshall, a member of United Church
from 1965 until his death in 1988. The
fund is designed to provide college scholarship assistance to a high school
senior church member based on an essay about his or her faith.
The Christopher
Steele Memorial Fund was established in memory of Chris Steele, (1960-2004)
a member of United
Church and son of Robert
& Elizabeth Steele, to provide college scholarship assistance to a high
school senior church member.
Morgan
Kuhns received the Donna Prickett
Scholarship. The Donna Prickett Scholarship Fund was
established in memory of the Rev. Ms. Donna Prickett, to provide scholarship
assistance to young people intending careers in medicine or health related
fields. Rev. Prickett (1920-1999) was a
school teacher for 20 years, then a Director of Christian Education who went on
to become ordained as the first woman pastor in the Presbytery of San Gabriel
(CA) in 1970. She served as Associate
Executive for Women’s Concerns of the Synod of the Northeast, PCUSA in Syracuse from 1975 to
1989, and was active at United
Church with her husband
Rob in her retirement years.
We are so proud of all of our graduates and
young people. You are all winners! Good luck!
Submitted
by Penny Applebee, Memorial Committee Chair
Singles, please put
July 9th at 4:00 PM
down on your calendar for a picnic at the home of Kathy Clay, One
Kelly Drive in Manlius. Bring a dish to pass. Sign up on the bulletin board, or call Kathy
at 682-9269. All are very welcome.
What’s Going Down Up
In The Attic????
MISSION TRIP in July
Keep in your prayer our youth and adult guides
as they head down to Butler,
PA for a mission trip the week of
July 24. Participants are: Youth: Esau Price, Elizabeth Price, Sarah Spencer,
Rob Gordon, Laura Royer, Matt Bonsted, Jess Ziomek, Sam Harrison, Kevin Gordon,
Matt Craft, Ben Girardi, Adult Guides: Janet Press, Steve Harrison, Andy
Carlsen
Keep your eyes on this space for
future exciting news of OUR youth.
Highlights from the UCF
Board Meeting
– June 21, 2005
submitted by Chris Harrison
- Welcome
of new Board Members: Ed Clarke, Greg Ketcham, Linda Hickok, Janet Press,
Steve Kuhns, Lizzy Price.
- Introduction
and acceptance into membership of new members: Chickwa Bwalya, Wendy Knafelc-Schmidt,
Nancy Schiffhauer, and Richard Turrell.
- Nomination
and election of Beth Krauss as the new Moderator..
