May 2013 - Community Church of Douglaston

COMMUNITY CHURCH OF DOUGLASTON
“ANCHOR”
Rev. Dr. Linden DeBie
Senior Minister
Rev. Adrienne Flipse Hausch
Minister of Congregational Care
May
"Hope is like an anchor for our lives,
an anchor safe and sure" - Heb. 6:19
2012
Dearly Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ:
The summer around here isn‟t typically considered a time of great religious excitement.
Indeed, with all the travel, activities, absence of kids‟ programs and just staying home on
Sunday, our numbers at church dwindle significantly. But this year there‟s plenty of room for
excitement. This summer the Community Church of Douglaston and the Community
Reformed Church in Manhasset are teaming up, joining hands and uniting hearts in worship.
Each Sunday this summer the churches will be worshipping together starting off in Manhasset
for the month of July and then returning here to CCD for the month of August. Let me share
with you how excited our friends at Manhasset are over this opportunity for church unity and
inter-denominational fellowship. This was the letter I received from their pastor, Steve Pierce,
just prior to our Elders‟ meeting.
Dear Friends at the Community Church of Douglaston:
On behalf of the Consistory and congregation of the Community Reformed Church of
Manhasset, I would like to inform you of our unanimous enthusiasm and excitement
over the possibility of joining you for summer worship. We see this as a great
opportunity to strengthen each other‟s ministries through worship and
encouragement. Your pastor, Reverend DeBie and I are committed to carefully
planning out our July and August together. Please know that I consider it a real
blessing to be able to partner with you in ministry this summer.
Sincerely,
Rev. Steven D. Pierce
Minister
Of course, our elders embraced the concept and we immediately began planning the
worship events. We moved the service up to 9:30, both as a compromise with the earlier
schedule of Manhasset and because we have been encouraged by our church families to
begin earlier so that they worship and be off in a timely manner on their summer outings and
activities. This makes sense especially for busy families who want to worship but have a full
day planned.
Music will be especially wonderful as now
we can draw from an even greater talent
pool from both our congregations. We will
be inviting back the Muccini sisters,
Harrison Lu, Anna Heifetz, Kimberly Iannuzzi
Pidherny and Jerry and Mike Slater just to
name the folks that made summer worship
here so special last year. Plus we will have
several equally talented folks from
Manhasset sharing their gifts with us as well.
Also all of our pastors will be involved,
exchanging pulpits, sharing in the liturgy
and preaching on texts that will refresh
and inspire you.
We will guarantee transportation to
Manhasset for those unable to get there
otherwise, and when you arrive, there will
be members of CCD Consistory there to
meet and greet you so you know you‟re in
the right place and properly directed.
Our kick-off services both at Manhasset
(July 7) and CCD (August 4) will include a
wonderful brunch and social hour where
the two churches can get better
acquainted.
Like I said, exciting news! So, be sure to
reserve each available Sunday on your
summer calendar for this delightful
program of shared ministry.
Yours in what promises to be a summer to
remember!
Anonymous, the Douglaston Garden Club,
the Douglaston Civic Association, and the
Tuesday Morning Music Club. Hearts in the
Community, which offers short term
financial and other assistance to those in
need in our community as well as providing
holiday dinners to local families each year,
and the Blanton-Peale Counseling Center,
which offers
professional
counseling
services to the community, both call CCD
home. In addition to hosting NYC's
Department of Education's Universal PreKindergarten (UPK); in September CCD
partnered
with
Queensborough
Community College to offer the After
School Academy (ASA), which provides a
program after school for students K-5.
PROPERTY COMMITTEE REPORT
Sanctuary doors have repaired and rehung. Handicapped ramp has been
cleaned and repaired. New slip resistant
coating on ramp will go on when weather
permits.
All 10 toilets have been replaced. The toilet
stall doors will be re-hung with new locks
shortly.
Most of the ornamental trees on the
property
have
been
pruned.
Tree stump near rear door to Ed Building
was removed. Another tree, paid for by
Helen Kahn, will be put in its place.
Linden
SAVE THE DATE: SUNDAY, JUNE 23
CCD: MORE THAN A CHURCH
COMMUNITY FOCUS & OUTREACH
Located in the
heart of Douglaston
Village,
CCD‟s
facilities are used by
many local groups
such as Alcoholics
Featuring Pastor
Adrienne‟s famous
homemade potato
salad, macaroni salad
and coleslaw! And of
course all the other
good stuff!
YOU ARE INVITED!
Everyone is invited to attend a very
special concert by the jazz quartet
Attention Screen on Sunday, May 19, 2013,
at 1:30PM in the church Sanctuary. Over
the last six years, Douglaston resident Bob
Reina has released three CDs of
improvised collaborative jazz with his
quartet on the stereophile label. This
concert, which will be recorded for later
release, will feature Bob performing on our
magnificent Ralph and Alice Greenlaw
Memorial pipe organ. Attention Screen
also welcomes its newest member,
trumpeter
Liam
Sillery,
whose
Phenomenology CD was awarded five
stars in Downbeat Magazine in 2010. The
group,
which
usually
performs
improvisational jazz, will be playing nine
new jazz and classical works composed by
its members. The pieces are designed to
demonstrate the broad range of textures
and colors the Greenlaw organ is capable
of, as well as spotlighting Liam Sillery‟s
unique trumpet phrasing style.
All proceeds from the concert will be
divided equally between Community
Church, to replenish “Music for the Next
Century,” the
church fund which
covers maintenance of the organ, and the
Douglaston Junior Yacht Squadron, which
provides sailing lessons to Douglaston‟s
children, to help fund the purchase of new
sailboats.
Tickets are $20 or $15 for balcony
seating. You may purchase tickets by
mailing a check to and payable to The
Community Church of Douglaston, 39-50
Douglaston Parkway, Douglaston, NY
11363 specifying “May 19” in the memo
section. Tickets will be held at the door.
Seating is limited, and tickets may not be
available on the day of the concert, so
purchasing your tickets in advance is
strongly recommended. Wines from Bob
Reina‟s cellar will be served during
intermission.
We hope you can attend this oncein-a-lifetime event. If you have any
questions, feel free to contact Bob Reina
at [email protected].
ORGANIST SEARCH IN PROGRESS
After listening to
congregation
members‟ views on
music and musicians
at CCD, the Organist
Search Committee
composed an advertisement which drew
a very good response. For the past two
months, the committee members have
been hard at work reading (resumes),
interviewing (candidates) and listening (to
them play). The next step is for the
prospective organists to meet the Pastors
and the Senior Choir and for the
Committee to receive and consider their
input. The Committee will then make its
recommendations to Consistory, which
makes
the
final
decision.
The members of the Committee, Ruth
Guideri, Harrison Lu, Linda
Mulé, Sue Stiles and Rett
Zabriskie, bring a wealth of
musical,
religious
and
congregational
knowledge to the search and take their
task very seriously. Although someone said
to me, “Don't let the pressure get to you. It
only represents the future of music at CCD
- a church steeped in the tradition of
quality and meaningful music ministry,” it‟s
hard not to. And so we ask for your prayers
as we come to the most difficult part of the
process, choosing among the many
talented and dedicated musicians who
are being considered so that we can
recommend the person we believe is best
suited to carry that tradition into the future.
of being acted upon
separation from the body.”
THE SOUL
I think Tillich says it is our spiritual
uniqueness, that about us which is
immortal, and then Webster said,
“…the immortal or spiritual part of the
person… is credited with the functions
of thinking…willing…determining all
behavior…moral or emotional nature of
man” That‟s a big “or.”
“What is the Soul?”, a child asks and the
old man/woman says, It‟s what„s left
when your body is gone.” I told my
child, “It‟s your feelings, what you know,
your thoughts.” “with all your soul, with
all your heart, and with all your mind,”
implies otherwise.
The Bible says:
“My soul will boast in the Lord.”
“my soul pants for you, O God.”
“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone,”
“Praise the Lord, O my soul,”
“my soul is down cast within me”
“kill the body, but cannot kill the soul”
“even to dividing soul and spirit”
It‟s not the spirit then.
Hodge, Systematic Theology, Volume 3,
says “if the soul and body are two
distinct substances, then the dissolution
of the later does not necessarily involve
the end of the conscious existence of
the former. If the Bible teaches the fact
of the continued, personal, individual
existence of the soul after death and
dissolution of the body… It assumes that
the soul and body in man are two
distinct substances united in a vital
union so as to constitute the man, in the
present state of existence, one
individual person. It assumes that the
seat of this personality is the soul. The
soul is the self, the Ego… It assumes that
the soul continues its conscious
existence, and its power of acting and
after
its
So, the soul is the personality, the
individuality of each of us, the self.
Joan Hoffman
Spring 2013
Registration still open!
Wed., April 3 – Fri., June 28
*NEW* First Time
Community Church of Douglaston
Enrollees Receive 5% off Tuition Cost
Our elementary school aged after school
programming
begins at 2:30 PM and ends at 6:00 PM.
This spring, the students will put on a production of
Peter Pan, build a garden, practice sports, travel
the solar system, and explore classic fairy tales.
We are based on the STE@M model (science,
technology, engineering, the arts, and
mathematics) of education.
Email Jacqueline Montgomery,
Director of the Kids & Teens College
[email protected]
QCC Campus main office number: 718-281-5632
Leave a message: ASA office 718-279-0279
The Elders’ Corner
Your Spiritual Journey (Continued)
(With excerpts from “Surrender to Love” by
David G. Benner)
Love,
surrender, and
spirituality are
the
building
blocks of that
life adventure
many call “the
journey.”
Today, let‟s talk
about love. No
… let‟s talk
about His love.
Take
a
moment for a
simple exercise
that will tell you
a lot about the nature of your spiritual
journey.
Imagine God thinking about YOU.
What do you assume God feels
when you come to mind?
For many people, the first thing they
assume God feels is disappointment.
Others assume God feels anger. In both
cases, these people feel it is their sin that
first catches God‟s attention.
Regardless of what you have come to
believe about God based on your life
experience, the truth is when God thinks of
you, love swells in His heart and a smile
comes to His face. God bursts with love for
humans. He is far from being emotionally
uninvolved with His creation. The Christian
God chooses to be known as Love, and
that love pervades every aspect of God‟s
relationship with us.
Remember Jesus‟ parable of the prodigal
son? Most people focus on the actions of
either the younger or older son.
Unfortunately,
the
subheads in our English
Bibles title this parable
incorrectly. The story is
about the character of
the
father,
not
the
misdeeds of the son. The focus is of the
prodigality of the father - a man
extravagantly lavish with his love.
Do not the characters of both the son‟s
remind us a bit of ourselves? Don‟t we
strive to earn the Father‟s love? In the story,
both sons fall into the same trap, and both
have to learn the same lesson. The Father‟s
love reflects the Father‟s character, not the
children‟s behavior. Our behavior, whether
responsible or irresponsible, is beside the
point. Responsible behavior (works) does
not increase the Father‟s love, nor does
irresponsible behavior (sin) decrease it.
Oh, how we need to understand and
believe this. Our Christ following (the
journey) would be quite different if we did.
Special “Journey” Worship Service on
June 2, 2013
The date is set. Reverend Doctor Linden
DeBie and the Elders will conduct a special
Sunday worship service focused on the
spiritual journey. We‟ll describe the many
facets of a spiritual surrender and the “life‟s
walk with Christ.” The elders will also share
heart-felt and revealing details of their own
transforming journeys. We strongly urge you
to attend this engaging and introspective
experience.
In His Service,
Ed Palafox
UNIVERSAL PRE-KINDERGARTEN (UPK)
ONGOING 2013-2014 REGISTRATION
AT CCD
Universal Pre-Kindergarten is a free halfday session, Monday- Friday, offered in
two sessions:
8:30 am -11:00 am or 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm,
which follows the NYC Common Core
Curriculum.
Registration is ongoing, on a first come,
first served basis.
Please call the UPK Office at
(718)-767-1961 for registration information.
PASTOR ADRIENNE’S BENCH
Food items
especially
needed
are
canned
goods:
soups,
tuna, Chef Boyardee; hearty fare.
Long Island Council of Churches (LICC)
desperately needs these foods for those
who depend on donations
and our good will.
ANY AND ALL STAPLES OF LIFE: Toiletries
(hotel size to gigantic), feminine hygiene
products, linens, towels, INFANT stuff--24
months and younger, all sizes of diapers
(especially disposable ones).
Donations of all seasonally appropriate
clothing, gently used and clean.
Please leave items on the inside bench by
the back Church door.
Pastor Adrienne may be reached @
[email protected] or 516-741-2000
MEMORIAL DAY INTERFAITH SERVICE
REMEMBER THEIR SACRIFCE
Monday, May 27, 10:00 am
Please join other members of the
community at the
Community Church of Little Neck
46-16 Little Neck Parkway
Little Neck
The VFW hosts this memorial service each
year; rotating it to a different religious
organization in the community.
For further information: 516-466-2819
PRAYER LIST
IMMEDIATE PRAYERS
ROBBIE STONE, STEVE DOMINICK,
THE FAMILY OF DICK HALL,
CHRISTOPHER ROACH, THE FAMILY
OF REUVEN ARISTIGUETA, THE
FAMILY OF TONY TIERNO,
MARGUERITE ESPADA, DR. ALY DADRAS, ROLF
STANG.
CONTINUED PRAYERS
WALTER GRILL, ROD O‟CONNELL, SUSAN ROSE
TRUSSUX, MAIA O‟DONNELL, DEAN BROWNWORTH,
BILL ROSE, JAMES ROACH, SALLY.
2013 SPRING GALLERY SHOWING
Get the Blues
Erika’s Jewelry & Gift Show
The palette this season is new hues of
blue. Accessorize with bold cuffs,
stackable rings/bracelets and linked
necklaces. Experience the latest in
high fashion, classic and timeless
jewelry designs.
It‟s time to celebrate the season of
weddings, graduations, anniversaries,
and Mother‟s Day. Please visit this
special gift-buying opportunity in the
Jean Kennedy Parlor Gallery.
May 3
May 4
May 5
Fri
3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Sat 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sun 11:30 am – 6:00 pm
May 10 Fri 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm
May 11 Sat 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
May 12 Sun 11:30 am – 2:00 pm
Mother’s Day
As always, a portion of the proceeds
will be donated to the Community
Church of Douglaston.
THE NEW CHURCH SIGN
I am pleased to announce it‟s a “GO” to
replace the original old sign on our front
lawn. For many reasons this is long
overdue. The new sign will incorporate a
sophisticated electronic display, but the
overall structure will have a physical
appearance tastefully consistent with our
period
architecture.
The
display
capabilities of the new sign will allow
programming of different messages and
will empower us to more effectively
communicate with our Congregation and
our community. We owe this exciting new
CCD initiative to the hard work of the Sign
Committee: Victor Dadras, Ed Palafox,
Margaret King, Ed LaGrassa and Michel
Fiechter.
You may ask, “How are we paying for this
project?” We have a great start. Thanks to
the generosity of one of our members, we
have a memorial gift which will serve as a
significant down payment. Regardless, we
cannot afford to compromise our current
operating budget, and the balance to be
raised is approximately $ 15,000.00.
We need your help. This is an exciting
enhancement to our facilities, and I hope
you will support this initiative. Please make
a donation (note “New Sign” on your
check), or make a pledge by calling the
church office (718-229-2169) and speaking
to Madeline or by returning the form
below.
After worship over the next few Sundays,
you will be able to see photo renderings of
the new sign, check the production
schedule, and make a donation in the
parlor. There will be a display regarding the
future sign and a form to fill out to make
your donation. Sign committee members
(see names above) will also be available
to answer any questions.
Thank you in advance for your support of
our ministry at CCD.
Reverend Doctor Linden DeBie
- - - - - - - - - -- - - -- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -
Yes, I would like to contribute
to the signage.
Name _______________________________
Phone _______________________________
Pledge _______________________________
DEACON’S REPORT
The Deacons took the April meeting to step
back and reassess the benevolence efforts
of CCD, both domestic and international.
Internationally we are still committed to
such causes as Heifer International and the
“goat program” of the Reformed Church‟s
Church World Services (RCWS). These
programs provide families and villages with
young animals that can produce milk,
cheese and off spring. Chickens produce
eggs. Sheep provide wool. The food
products can be sold or bartered as can
the off spring of the animals themselves.
The Hippo-rollers are devices that permit
families to obtain a day‟s supply of fresh
water in a single, comfortable trip to the
area‟s water source. No more jugs carried
one by one on the heads of, mostly,
women with just a fraction of what is
needed for the day. Hippo rollers look a lot
like those rolling drums that flatten lawns.
Filled with water, they save lives. Our focus
internationally is
hunger and all sorts
of education—from
health needs to
reading and writing.
Hipporoller being
filled with water.
On the domestic scene we are focused on
crisis intervention and very local needs.
Floods, tornados, hurricanes and other
natural disasters have resulted in special
collections and donations of money, food,
clothing and other basic needs. Locally we
support Star of the Sea, the Long Island
Council of Churches, the Christmas Gift
Tree and such quality of life agencies as
APEC.
One of our goals for the coming year is to
get our children more involved in mission
programs where they can both know how
fortunate they are and how helpful they
can be to others. Such projects could
include donating time at soup kitchens,
visiting the elderly or singing at a local
nursing home. We think it is important for
our children to be involved in and aware
of the needs of our fellow human beings
both here and around this wonderful
world.
Stewardship is a large part of what makes
our charitable giving possible. We will be
urging everyone to add to that
benevolence donation each year. We will
also be looking for ways to increase the
funds we collect. In this way, we can make
a real difference.
If you would like to know more about what
the Deacons are doing, contact one of us:
Michel Fiechter, Ed Muccini, Annette
Mohammed, and our pastoral advisor,
pastor Adrienne Hausch or, yours truly,
Caroline Warshaw.
CONTINUE FROM BACK PAGE
No patience? Just do no harm. Hate the
sin? Love the sinner. Let he who is without
sin, cast the first stone. Ouch. THAT one is a
killer. Still we must have standards and
principles and our own definition of right
and wrong. We must act from our beliefs
but we cannot be arrogant enough to
believe that we can never be wrong. I
remember a while back a reporter asking
me how I could support some position
when in 1972 I had taken the opposite
view. I just stared at him in disbelief. Then I
said: “I guess I was smarter in 1972.” That
was the end of the interview. I actually
hope I am smarter today but I am never
quite sure.
--Pastor Adrienne
COMMUNITY CHURCH OF DOUGLASTON
39-50 Douglaston Parkway
Douglaston, New York 11363
(718)229-2169
www.communitychurchofdouglaston.org
Non-Profit Org
US Postage
PAID
Flushing, NY
Permit No. 407
Change Service Requested
PASTOR ADRIENNE’S PAGE
I think the expression is “patience is its own reward.” If that‟s the case, the guy who said it is
nuts. Although I am beginning to realize, that even if you are not a mongoose or a cobra,
there is substantial benefit from being patient. I am not a patient person by nature. I
remember the day I met Tom Lloyd. He wasn‟t very patient either. We learned together. We
learned that people process things differently and see situations differently from the way we
did. We learned that even we looked at things differently. We worked on finding common
ground. We worked on understanding we could agree to disagree. Our theologies were
different. Our interpretation and application of scripture were different too.
But one thing we agreed upon was that no matter who you are, the first sentence of the
Hippocratic Oath applies to us all: Do no harm. Now we could spend a long time debating
that one. Tom and I did. We each had a definition of right and wrong. We were actually
excited when our definitions converged! Yet I know that he is comforting the people of
Boston for the absolutely senseless killings there on April 15. And isn‟t it the nicest people who
are always the victims? The testimonials to those killed started me weeping again.
And wouldn‟t it be ironic if this random selection maimed the Iranians and Iraqis and
Afghanis these people claimed they were avenging? When we set ourselves up as judge jury
and executioner, we are going down a very slippery slope. That is why patience really works.
That is why relying on the wise counsel of others before we say or do anything with
irreversible consequences is so important. In losing Tom, I lost one of those people. Thank you
God for giving me so many others.
Continues on Prior Page