The Courier

January 2003

Volume 56, Issue 1

A New Year

I would like to alert everyone in the parish about two events occurring this month at Christ Church. The first is our “Gift to the City” concert on New Year’s Day in the afternoon. We hope to make this an annual event, and a wonderful way for people in Poughkeepsie to begin their new year. The plan is to bring together three or four musical groups who perform sacred music from a variety of traditions. Our own Christ Church Choir will always serve as host, but the event will include other groups from other faith traditions such as Jewish, Muslim, and Native American, etc., or from within the Christian tradition such as gospel, contemporary, Shaker, etc. Instrumentalists and drummers may also participate in future.

The idea is based upon the accessibility of music between religious traditions. We can study, understand, or argue various theologies, but music can simply be enjoyed and appreciated. On the first day of the year, let’s start the year out right by joining with our neighbors to hear from the richness of religious experience. Your choice is pretty clear. You can either at home, eating chips and watching TV as grown men slam into each other on a grassy field, or you can come to Christ Church, bring your friends, and honor the unity that God calls us to build. 2003 will be our inaugural year for the concert. It will start small, but that’s okay. Once we see its value, others will join us. Do not be dismayed by small numbers. If God is behind this, and it is our hope and prayer that that is the case, the event will serve its purpose.

So make your plans: Wednesday, January 1, 2003, 3 PM at Christ Church. A light reception will follow.

The second event has to do with our neighborhood ministries. After more than a year of preparation, the Community Center at Christ Church, the “Center of the Square”, has received all of its accreditation from New York State, and the federal government. The Community Center Board will be conducted a “Founding Donors” during the month of January amongst the members of Christ Church. I know that we have been conducting numerous fund-raising campaigns lately, but read one. This campaign is designed so that everyone will be able to participate. Donations are being sought in the one to five dollar range – no more! The name of every donor will be recorded in a book which will become part of the official history of the Community Center. At these prices even newborn babies can afford to contribute.

The Center of the Square Community Center will enable us to expand our local ministries in partnership with members of the neighborhood. It will be eligible for government funding and for other sources of funding that will not make grants to religious institutions. The Center will initially have responsibility for the Summer Camp, Climb the Beanstalk, and the Latino cultural orientations. Other services will be added as personnel and funding becomes available. A press conference is scheduled in February to announce to the public the establishment of the Center. Thanks to everyone who has helped bring us to this point. Everyone’s continuing prayers and support are needed.

Michael

A NOTE FROM GOD

January 5	Psalm 84:1-8	Jeremiah 31:7-14	Ephesians 1:3-6, 15-19a	Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
January 12	Psalm 89:1-29	Isaiah 42:1-9	Acts 10:34-38	Mark 1:7-11
January 19	Psalm 63:1-8	1 Samuel 3:1-10(11-20)	1 Corinthians 6:11b-20	John 1:43-51
January 26	Psalm 130	Jeremiah 3:21-4:2	1 Corinthians 7:17-23	Mark 1:14-20

SCHEDULE FOR THE CATECHESIS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

We will meet on Sunday mornings at 9:55 in the Atrium of the Parish House.

January 5	The Adoration of the Three Kings
January 12	The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

We will give you a schedule for the rest of the year in January. Topics we will work on include Baptism, the liturgical calendar, more work with the Altar, and the parables.

FROM THE WARDENS

We want to express our very sincere thanks to all of the leaders whose work during this past year has helped to move Christ Church forward in our ministries:

To the Vestry, which has launched us on a Capital Campaign, and that has been an act of great faith; and has managed our finances with the faithful and able assistance of Joe Crown, our Treasurer, and the Investment Committee, chaired by John Colclough. Managing our finances is not always an easy matter, requiring the same juggling we must frequently do at home.

To Parish Life Episkopos, which guides our spiritual life as a congregation. They have planned field trips to Tanglewood, a baseball game and the Cathedral. Our music program has greatly expanded and enhanced our worship under the talented direction of Laura Russell and John Sullivan. Our education program now includes Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, Sunday School, Adult Forum and Catechumenate, supported by many adults as planners, teachers and sponsors. The community room floor, which all of us are now enjoying, would not have been possible without Marge Bliss’s efforts.

To Property Episkopos, which works constantly to care for our house or worship and ministry by overseeing the security of our buildings; responding appropriately to acts of vandalism such as the breaking of the skylight; caring for our park through the care and maintenance of our trees; and managing maintenance and problems with heat, light and roof leaks, all under the considerable constraints of a limited budget and the constant need to prioritize. Two areas of special mention: the refinishing of the front door, contributed and done by Sam Im, Hal Gregorius, and Bill Graff; and Bill Graff’s mammoth efforts to get a full assessment of the condition of the Tower, so its rehabilitation can be put out for bids, and to write grants in an effort to fund the work. In case anyone is not aware, some work on the Tower was accomplished during the assessment – removal of years’ worth of pigeon and bat guano, and the securing of the window openings to minimize continuing accumulations.

To Community Ministry Episkopos, which guides our community ministries through the management of the use of our buildings by various community groups (our buildings are in use daily by a number of different groups in the community); fund-raising for and planning and running the Summer Program; overseeing and helping to recruit staff for Climb the Beanstalk, our reading program, and the Homeless Shelter. CME has done an extraordinary job of fund-raising during this year, which has made possible the support of ministries that we could not provide for through the budget process.

Without the work of all these groups, with their faithful workers, our work as wardens would count for very little. We are an active and busy community in these and many other ways. We thank you all.

DEACON’S BENCH

Before we press on to the New Year, I want to thank each and every one of you, both from Christ Church and Trinity Church, who participated in our project to give gifts to the women at the Beacon Correctional facility to give to their children. You all absolutely outdid yourselves; not only did we meet and exceed our goal of 250 gifts, we very nearly doubled the goal!! Special thanks to Linda Wood and Deacon Vivian Seipp for helping to make this a very successful collaborative effort.

Martha Gutowski and I couldn’t believe the growing pile in our Lay Ministry Room; it just kept increasing as the days went by. When we finally started to pack it all up, we loaded both my van and her station wagon ... full. The women at the prison were deeply touched by the kindness and caring of so many people they didn’t even know. Please know that your reaching out in this way has blessed many with a sense of hope and the joy of God’s love being born into the world.

This project involved people outside of our two congregations as well and gave those members of our extended family and opportunity to participate also. Gifts came from family and friends of parishioners, from the Mission Guadalupe at Christ Church and from several individuals who visit us frequently through community meetings in our parish buildings. The building up and the binding together of such service to God’s people by God’s people is why I became a deacon. Thank you from the bottom of my heart; you are a blessing in my life.

Yours in Christ,

Deacon Mary

CHANCEL FLOOR REFINISHED

Many thanks to Ron Davis, former sexton at Christ Church, who is now in business for himself specializing in floor maintenance. As a way of thanking the parish for getting him started, he refinished the wooden chancel floor in preparation for Christmas services at no charge. The parish office sent a letter of thanks, but if anyone else would like to call and say thanks, his number is 452-9625.

NEWSLETTER DEADLINE

The DEADLINE for the February “Courier” is Sunday, January 19. Please bring items to the parish office, or you may e-mail articles to me at christchurch@mindspring.com.

Thank you!

Michele Haynes

FROM THE BATON OF LAURA RUSSELL, MUSIC DIRECTOR

The Choir

The Choir has been busy this month preparing beautiful music for our Christmas Eve service. Their hard work and ongoing dedication to music worship at Christ Church should be an inspiration to us all. Thank you, Choir!

2003 Concert Series

Looking ahead to the new year, we are planning another concert series at Christ Church. While all the events have not yet been confirmed, here is a partial listing. Please save these dates:

Schedule of Music and Concerts:

Wednesday, January 1 at 3:00 p.m.: “Gift to the City” New Year’s Day Concert

Begin the New Year with your neighbors, experiencing beautiful, spiritual music from diverse musical and religious traditions. Free – all are welcome!

Shalom Singers – a community-wide Jewish choir singing music from the Jewish tradition

Sacred Bridge Interfaith Choir – music from the shared Jewish and Christian traditions of the Old Testament and Psalms, and music that stresses our common bonds and hope for the future of humankind

Christ Church Choir – European Sacred Music tradition

Sunday, February 9 at 3:30 p.m.: Organ Recital – John Sullivan
”Fantasies, Fanfares & Jigs: Oh My!” This concert is presented by our own John Sullivan and will feature a wonderful selection of organ works.

Saturday, February 22 at 3:30 p.m.: Christ Church Choir Concert

Sunday, March 2 at 3:00 p.m.: Concert of Chamber Music – oboe, clarinet and bassoon

Saturday, May 3 at 4:00 p.m.: Christ Church Spring Choir Concert

GIFT TO THE CITY CONCERT

When the world changed on September 11, 2001, communities of faith realized they would need to change as well, and change accordingly. Poughkeepsie is a city of great diversity, religions and otherwise. Working with our music staff, we have decided to offer our building and our choir in witness to the unity we proclaim as the people of God – the diverse people of God. In this inaugural year of the concert, a choir known as the “Shalom Singers” and the newly-formed “Sacred Bridge” Choir will be joining us in a free concert on New Year’s Day at 3pm. The concert is a gift to the people of Poughkeepsie and its surrounding communities. Where consuls, presidents, and extremists find division and conflict, we will find and celebrate unity – in music, and in the simple act of coming together.

Please come. Please invite your neighbors. Come with someone who is very different from you so that you may leave with someone who is one and the same. The football games will go on without you. Start the year out right. We are one!

Michael

SUNDAY SCHOOL DRAMA SCHEDULE

This fall our Sunday School children worked on a video presentation of the “near sacrifice” of Isaac by his father Abraham, as found in the book of Genesis. Ably assisted by Nick Currie and Chris Morgan, the locally-produced and edited drama was presented to audiences during the month of November. The show exists on CD. If you missed it, please speak to Nick and see if he can arrange a showing.

We offer the following dialogue between Abraham and Isaac as typical of what you can expect. The scene is when the altar has been completed on Mt. Moriah, and now the sacrifice (Isaac, although he hasn’t been told he’s the sacrifice) must be placed on the altar so that it can be offered to Yahweh.

Abraham (to Isaac): Get on the altar.

Isaac: Excuse me.

Abraham: I said, get on the altar.

Isaac: You mean you want me to put a sheep on the altar?

Abraham: No, I want you to get on the altar.

Isaac: I don’t understand.

Abraham: What part of “get on the altar” don’t you understand?

Isaac: There’s no way you’re going to get me on that altar.

Abraham: Do you want to take a nap on the altar?

Isaac: Sure!

FEBRUARY PREACHING SERIES

On Sundays February 9, 16 and 23, we will offer a preaching series that looks back on the “Civil Rights Movement” of the 1960’s and looks forward to addressing continuing racism in America. Deacon Mary or I will introduce the sermon each of the three Sundays, and then turn the pulpit over to a member of the congregation who had personal and active experiences during the Movement itself. I feel it is extremely important that we not lose the memory of what happened and how people acted during those times.

Therefore I am inviting anyone in the parish who has a personal and active experience from the Civil Rights years and would be willing to share it with us, to come to a planning meeting on Wednesday, January 15 at 7:30 p.m. The group will hear the various stories and decide how to proceed. Attendance at the planning meeting does neither guarantee nor necessitate speaking from the pulpit.

Michael

Return to Couriers Page