Tag Archive | new year

Pastor’s Post January, 2019

Dec28

Now that Christmas, 2018 is behind us, it’s time to close the books on our poet friend, W. H. Auden and his long Christmas poem, “For the Time Being.”  Here are some of his final words as he brings the story to an end:

Well, so that is that.  Now we must dismantle the tree,

Putting the decorations back into their cardboard boxes—

Some have got broken—and carrying them up to the attic.

The holly and the mistletoe must be taken down and burnt,

And the children got ready for school.  There are enough

Left-overs to do, warmed-up, for the rest of the week—

Not that we have much appetite, having drunk such a lot,

Stayed up so late, attempted—quite unsuccessfully—

To love all of our relatives, and in general

Grossly overestimated our powers. Once again

As in previous years we have seen the actual Vision and failed

To do more than entertain it as an agreeable

Possibility, once again we have sent Him away,

Begging though to remain His disobedient servant,

The promising child who cannot keep His word for long.

Sort of captures the mood of the days just after Christmas, doesn’t it?  Those feelings of joy, love and warmth wear off, and we are back in the rut of everyday existence before we know it.  As Auden says, “we have failed to do more than entertain it (the spirit of Christmas) as an agreeable possibility.”  Auden says we are like children who can’t keep a promise for very long.

Does Christmas simply offer a momentary respite from the ordinary?  Or, can we learn to live the whole year in the spirit of that special day?  You may read this after January 1, but there is still time for a resolution or two.  I would suggest more regular attendance at church—try to be present at least three out of four Sundays.  Don’t get upset if we are worshipping in “the other” church building.  All the buildings, all the meeting rooms are now “ours.”  Nothing is “theirs” any more.  The more time we spend together in worship and prayer, the easier will be our transformation into a united congregation.

Here are some special dates that I would like you to put in your appointment calendar:

Sunday, February 24.  We are planning to hold the final annual meeting of the two historic congregations and also the first congregational meeting of the new United Presbyterian Church. The session of the new congregation will be elected that day, along with its board of deacons.  This will take place immediately after the worship service.

Wednesday, March 6.  Ash Wednesday.  Please plan to attend the traditional evening service.  This is the beginning of Lent, and this will be an important season of prayer and re-commitment for all of us as we begin the adventure of being a revitalized, unified congregation.

Thursday evenings in Lent, March 7, 14, 21 and 28 and April 4 and 11.  These evenings will be dedicated to the study of our church’s mission in community—our relationship as a congregation of Christ’s followers to the social issues that affect us and those around us.  We will also spend some time at each meeting in group prayer.  Time and location to be announced

Sunday, April 21.  Easter.  We will have our third annual “sunrise” service on the lawn at Levittown and our 10 a.m. service at the Massapequa campus.

I hope you will be present for these events.  Please be a part of this new enterprise of the spirit as we begin life as a new church!  As poet Auden said in the closing lines of his Christmas poem:

“He is the Way.

Follow Him through the Land of Unlikeness;

You will see rare beasts, and have unique adventures.”

 

-Pastor Lou

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 2018 – Pastor’s Post

Jan3

Pastor’s Post:

As I look back on the past two and a half years, I am pleased with what we have been able to accomplish together. I was speaking with one long-term member this past week, and she reminded me that we have in many ways already become one congregation. We are accustomed to worshipping together, we share in our social events, and our sessions and deacons’ boards and many committees are now meeting jointly. This has been possible because the experience of getting to know each other has been largely a positive one. Of course, we notice our differences, the small variations in worship tradition, the differences in building use and so forth, but these variations do not divide us. We share in the joy of our faith and in our commitment to maintain a witness to the Gospel of Christ in the Presbyterian tradition in this part of Long Island.

We expect that, with the guidance of our Merger Commission and the approval of Presbytery, we will complete a legal and financial merger of the congregations this year. I am hoping that this process will proceed smoothly and will not preoccupy us. However, we hope to have “all hands on deck” for the decisions that lie ahead about our worship arrangements. We have been alternating worship locations each week for over two years. This has always been regarded as a temporary arrangement because being reliably present in one place is important for newcomers and visitors. We can’t grow if people have trouble finding us!

I understand that the decision about where to worship is complicated and sensitive. For that reason, we want everyone to be a part of the decision-making process. Later this month, you will receive a survey that I hope you will respond to quickly and thoughtfully. Basically, you will be asked your opinion about where we should worship at 10 a.m. on Sundays, the reasons that lie behind your preference, and your thoughts about the future of the building that you do not choose. For example, should there be worship at other times of the week or month in the other building? Should we continue to use it for other purposes? Should we sell it? We also want to hear any ideas you have about long-range solutions, such as selling both buildings and finding or building a new place to center our church.

Your opinions will be incorporated into our decision-making process. The final choices about worship location and building uses will be made by the sessions meeting jointly or as a merged, new session for the new United Presbyterian Church. Any property sale will need the approval of Presbytery.

I am praying that we do not become so involved in these matters of property that we lose sight of our basic mission to declare the Good News to all and to provide worship services that inspire us and give us the opportunity to praise God and to invoke God’s blessing on us and our community. I know that change can be painful and disruptive, but let us keep in mind the example of Abraham and Sarah who were summoned by God to leave their settled life and to go out into the unknown, and Elijah who found shelter where he could in the wilderness and was fed by ravens, and our Lord himself who, during his ministry, had no place he could call his own.
Thanks be to God who in His mercy has given us the gift of His presence in our midst and the equally valuable gift of our fellowship with each other. May the Lord be a pillar of fire by night and of cloud by day going before us into the future.
-Pastor Lou

Pastor’s Post – January 2017

Jan5

presbyterain-symbol

A Friend on the Road Ahead:  Working with Presbytery 

 This year, 2017, our two congregations will continue on our road toward merger.  It is my hope and expectation that at Easter of 2018 (April 1) we will have a grand celebration of our new unified church.

Celebrating with us at that time, I trust, will be many representatives of other Presbyterian churches on Long Island.  These are our brothers and sisters in Christ, joined together with us as members of the Presbytery of Long Island.  As we move down our road this year, the Presbytery will become a more visible and important partner for us.  It is important that we have a clear understanding of the role of Presbytery in our congregational life.

The Presbyterian Church in the USA is a part of the worldwide fellowship of Reformed churches.  This means we are theological and ecclesiological descendants of the church that John Calvin founded in Geneva, Switzerland in the 16th century.  Our more immediate spiritual ancestors were the people of the Church of Scotland.  Reformed theology leads quite naturally to democratic governance.  Instead of relying on bishops and priests to make decisions for us, we govern ourselves.  All authority among Presbyterians is derived from church members who elect their ruling elders and their teaching elders (pastors).

In order to maintain a unity of purpose and practice and to organize missions and educational institutions, the Presbyterian Church maintains regional and national councils.  Thus, our two congregations are members of the Presbytery of Long Island, the Synod of the Northeast, and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the USA.

The Presbytery of Long Island has 55 local congregations within it.  There are 67 lay commissioners who represent these congregations when Presbytery meets, which is about five times a year.  (There are a few large congregations who are allowed to send more than one person to Presbytery, and that is why there are more commissioners than congregations.)  There are also over 100 clergy serving or retired who are eligible to attend and vote at Presbytery meetings.  Some of these clergy are living outside the area or are not interested in being active, so the number actually present at any given meeting of Presbytery is much lower.

Presbytery maintains a number of committees.  Arguably, the most important of these are the Committee on Ministry which oversees business related to our clergy, and the Board of Trustees, which is responsible for matters involving finance and real estate.

Our two congregations are represented in the Presbytery of Long Island by our clergy (currently, that’s me) and lay persons (one for Levittown and one for Massapequa) who are elected by their respective sessions.  At the present time, Maria Studer represents Levittown Church with Marilyn Rodahan as alternate. Massapequa Church does not have a designated commissioner but seeks volunteers from meeting to meeting.

Our congregations contribute funds to help keep Presbytery and the Synod and General Assembly operating.  We most often get involved with Presbytery when we are choosing pastoral leadership.  This is because Presbytery is responsible for vetting and approving all clergy working in our congregations.  Presbytery also plays an important role when disputes arise between clergy and their congregants.

Presbytery is also involved in the stewardship of real property owned by congregations.  Any sale or long-term lease of a manse or a church building must be approved by Presbytery.  This is to insure that these large assets are not wasted or stolen and that the proceeds from sales or leases are used to sustain and/or grow Presbyterian congregations and mission.  If a congregation remains active, it will almost certainly keep the proceeds of the sale of its real estate for its own use, although Presbytery may impose certain restrictions on how the funds are used.

I have observed over the years that congregations frequently find themselves at odds with Presbytery or one of its committees. It is easy to get into the mentality that Presbytery is some kind of outside force that is invading our business and messing up our plans.  It certainly is true that at times the need for Presbytery approval of an action leads to annoying delays.  However, if we remember that Presbytery is a body made up of people who have been democratically selected both to be leaders of their congregations and voting reps at Presbytery, then maybe we can overcome our unhappiness.  We are all in the Presbyterian boat together, and we need to respect those who we have been chosen to lead us at all levels of governance and administration.   If you think democracy is distressing, just consider the alternatives!

If we get better acquainted with Presbytery and its officers, I am sure we will find it will be a supportive ally in our efforts to re-organize and to create a new church and a revitalized ministry.

 

-Pastor Lou

 

January 2015 – Pastor’s Post

Dec30

Cornell Bulletin

God With Us!

In the first week of the calendar year the church celebrates Epiphany.  The name “Epiphany” comes from the Greek word Epiphania, it means “to show, make known, or reveal.”  For Christians, Epiphany is to serve as reminder of God the Father’s unlimited love and mercy, which He has extended to all of humankind through the revelation of His Son, and of the hope of salvation that is now manifest for all who come to him in faith.

The dictionary defines epiphany as a sudden and profound understanding of something.  Oprah Winfrey has an article that is featured in her magazine entitled   “ What I Know for Sure,” in these articles she expounds on what she calls “aha moments”  and shares  a moment of epiphany about her various  life experiences.   The one thing I know for sure is that we need an epiphany of the awareness of God’s presence to encourage our hearts and to help us see Christ as Emmanuel (God with us) in our daily lives.  God wants us to have a sudden and profound awareness that He is Emmanuel, God with us and that we are never alone.  This awareness of God takes a special work of the Holy Spirit because it is hard to remember and easy to forget that God is with us when we face trials or even the mundane rituals of life.  good works.

As I begin the New Year, my prayer is that I will have not just one but several epiphanies of God’s presence in my life.  I challenge you to do the same.   When we recognize that God is with us our worries and fears will have to take a back seat.  We can let God take the wheel and let peace reign in our hearts.

The scriptures say that Christ is “Emmanuel God With Us.”  We are reminded of this during the joyous holiday season. But God promises to be with all year, not just at Christmas time.  Now that Christmas is over and the carols are no longer being sung, and the beautiful displays taken down, can you still sing the words “joy to the world and peace on earth good will to all?” When you have an epiphany of God’s presence every day, you will experience an inner peace that gives you joy that lasts all year long despite change and circumstances.

We have many changes ahead for us this year; we will be sharing ministry and worship with the Massapequa Community Presbyterian and most importantly preparing for the coming of a new pastor. We don’t know what any of this will look like or what the future holds for us but the one thing I know for sure is that God is with us and that we can trust that He will lead us in the right paths.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Terri

Interim Pastor

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