December 2014 - St. George`s church

The angelus
A Newsletter of St. George’s Church, Newburgh
December 2014
Hark!
In this issue:
And mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
12/6 Newburgh Symphonic Chorale Concert at St. George’s, 4pm (p. 5)
12/8-12/12 Margaret Steidle Out of the Office
12/10 Sr. Girls Friendly Society Holiday Luncheon
12/13 Altar Guild Advent and Christmas Preparations, 10am
12/14 Eucharistic Practices Class, 7pm (see below)
12/20 Christmastide Pageant Rehearsal, 9:30am (p. 4)
12/24 Christmas Eve Worship, 7pm (p. 6)
12/25 Christmas Day Worship, 10am
12/27 Christmastide Pageant Rehearsal, 9:30am
12/28 Christmastide Pageant Rehearsal, 11:30am
12/28 Christmastide Pageant, 4pm
Birthdays
2
Altar Guild
2
Food Pantry
2
Episcobuild
3
Ministry of the
Month
3
Pageant
4
Renewal Works
4
Chorale Concert
5
Cemetery
6
Music Notes
6
From the Priest -in-Charge
Indaba
7
Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Monthly
Numbers
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We are now entering into the Advent season, a holy time of preparation and selfexamination that we set apart for reflecting on where we’ve been, where we’re headed,
who we are, and what we aim to be. The time between the holidays of Thanksgiving
and Christmas is so filled with familiar traditions, we may lose sight of the fact that this
is a time not only to honor the past, but also to reflect on the present and to contemplate
making adjustments for the future.
“What’s
THAT
about?!”
This month, we are once again offering a single-session class called “Eucharistic
Practices” that provides us all with a tool, a space, to touch base with our own worship
lives. And, in the spirit of Advent, we’ll engage with the breadth of worship behaviors
of our Christian tradition and Anglican heritage, we’ll reflect on what is meaningful for
our own worship as individuals, and we’ll be free to try out adjustments so that our
worship with our bodies, voices, eyes, and minds expresses what we feel in our souls.
The atmosphere of this class is respectful yet relaxed, and is designed to welcome and
affirm the breadth of learning styles present in every congregation: the ponderers and
the movers, the introverts and the extraverts, the feelers and the perceivers, the creative
minds and the number-crunchers, and all the combinations our diversity encompasses.
I hope that you will include this uplifting and powerful class, to be held in the church
on Sunday, December 14th at 7pm, in your own plans of Advent preparation.
Yours in Christ,
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Upcoming Birthdays
12/06 Matthew Montoya
12/09 Robert Hess
NEWS
12/10 Peg Trimble
12/15 Gail Ahearn
12/17 Kristina Cousins
12/17 Sarah Cousins
12/18 Deborah Dresser
12/23 Susan Jurkovic
12/24 Joseph Jurkovic
12/27 Elsie Kavanagh
12/27 Frances Miller
12/27 Craig Zahn
12/29 Lana Scott
12/31 Barbara Orner
St. George’s
Altar Guild
S
t. George’s Altar Guild is now collecting sponsorships for the flowers and candles used in our
worship services. Please follow the instructions on
the designated form, distributed along with this
newsletter, to make your selections. Extra copies of
the reservation form are also available near the entrance to the church. Completed forms may be
dropped off or mailed to the parish office.
T
he definition of the word “thanks” is: “grateful feelings or thoughts,” or “show appreciation.”
What an appropriate time for the food pantry to be
“mission of the month.” As I look at the clients that come
on Wednesdays and Fridays I occasionally hear someone
say, “God bless you.” This means a lot to the volunteers.
This past week we received an abundance of
food from the women
of Alpha Kappa Sorority. Thanks to Sue
Preece for going to
Downstate to pick the
food up. We also received warm clothing
from Heritage Middle
School, which continues to adopt St.
George’s as their pantry. Thanks to parishioners who also brought
clothes. A special thanks to Barbara Shelley for making
the great poster of the food pantry that is displayed in the
John Brown Room. I also want to thank Barbara for being
Vestry Liaison for Mission Works. I want to thank the
parishioners for their donations to Loaves and Fishes. I
also want to thank those people who, through social media, have donated bags of food. I want to thank Deacon
Vonnie for her concerns for the pantry clients that we
feed them nourishing food. I want to thank Father Dustin
for helping pack bags when Occupations does not come.
Mostly I want to thank him for being our priest. I must
also thank all our volunteers for coming week after week
to administer to the needy, or pack bags or pick up bread.
I am most thankful for my wife, family, friends and parishioners of St. George’s. I am thankful for living in a
warm home and to have food on the table. I am thankful
for being able to celebrate Thanksgiving with those I
love.
Mostly I want to thank God.
Al Nucifore
Food Pantry Chair
PS: We will be doing a sock drive this winter. If you are
interested, please drop donations in the marked basket at
the church or see Leslie Hoffman or me.
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ST. GEORGE’S
MINISTRY OF
THE MONTH:
W
hat an amazing morning we recently spent
together having breakfast at Anthony’s Pier
9! This was the annual Building Houses, Building
Hope fundraiser for Habitat for Humanity. Multiyear pledges are made at the event to sustain Newburgh’s homeownership program.
The Episcopalians joined several hundred business
men, volunteers, architects, builders, faith groups,
electricians, retirees, etc. The Episcobuild group
included: The Rev. Elizabeth McWhorter, Deacon
Vonnie Hubbard, Jim Diana, Alan Nucifore, Linda
Nucifore, Margaret Sipple, and Barbara Laddick.
The Rev Deborah Dresser was a main speaker. The
energy and enthusiasm was incredible. One hour
later, $250,000 was raised for Building Houses,
Building Hope.
The Seventh Annual
Twelfth Night is Coming!
T
th
he Seventh Annual 12 Night will be held at St.
Mary’s Episcopal Church, located just inside
the gates at Tuxedo Park. The concert will be held
at 3 o’clock Sunday, January 11th and will be about
one hour long. Choirs and musicians from EpiscoBuild parishes will perform. There will be hymns to
sing and a Habitat partner to greet. All will be followed by a hearty reception. If you are from St.
George’s, see Christopher King and he will tell you
what and when you are going to sing. Mark your
calendars now to join the EpiscoBuild parishes as
they sing and play for Habitat Twelfth Night, it is a
wonderful way to end a joy-filled Christmas season.
What: 12th Night Concert
Where: St. Mary’s Church at Tuxedo Park
When: 3 o’clock, January 11, 2015
Barbara Laddick
Throughout the month of December, we will be celebrating
and giving thanks for the Special Collections here at St.
George’s, especially the American Friends of the Episcopal
Diocese of Jerusalem.
C
ome share in the St. Nicholas festivities at St.
George’s Church and celebrate
the life and ministries of The
American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem!
Sunday December 7, 2014
Join us for Worship and Sunday
School to hear the St. Nicholas
Story. A free-will collection
(non-pledge) during both Services will be sent to the American Friends of the Diocese of
Jerusalem. If you have not
picked up your “Flat St. Nicholas” template by Dec. 7th, make
sure you do, as there will be only 1 week left to decorate and
take a photo.
Sunday December 14, 2014
Stay for the Ministry of the
Month Special Fellowship Reception (following the 10am
service) and enjoy the display of
decorated “Flat St. Nicholas”
figures and photos.
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“Renewal Works”
at St. George’s
A Pageant for Christmastide
T
T
here is nothing quite like the Christmas story.
Angels are alighting on unsuspecting families
changing the course of their lives and our lives too, as
a matter of fact. Then, there are angels singing glad
tidings over the fields where shepherds tend their
flocks in the darkness of night. Wise men look for the
star in the heavens that will lead them to a manger in
Bethlehem. And, there is the child, the Christ, with
Mary his mother and Joseph. Ah, we love to tell the
story.
St. George’s will be enacting the holy story on December 28th, midway through the Christmas season.
Father Dustin and Glenn Macken will be taking major
roles in the pageant while some of our teens will be
filling speaking roles. There are lots of openings for
angels and shepherds and a few sheep as well. Voices
of Hope and members of the Newburgh Symphonic
Chorale will be singing. Perhaps, a soloist from our
congregation will offer a sacred song to grace the
evening.
The performance is Sunday, December 28th at 4 pm.
Rehearsals are as follows:
Saturday, December 20th at 9:30 am
Saturday, December 27th at 9:30 am
Sunday, December 28th, following the 10am liturgy
The cast is gathering. If you haven’t already done so,
please let Margaret Sipple or Mother Dresser know if
you or your child or youth is able to be in the pageant
or help out behind the scenes. It promises to be fun
and beautiful and a lovely way to grace the season.
Margaret Sipple—534-2864
[email protected]
he Bishops and the Congregational Development
Commission of the Diocese of New York have
been working over the last two years on a congregational development strategy for the Diocese. They have
researched the best that is happening in dioceses of the
Episcopal Church and elsewhere, including Canada and
the UK. They have found that the context in which
many of us do ministry has changed drastically over the
years. What the church does: acts of justice and mercy,
teaching, preaching, pastoring, all continue, but how,
and with whom, has changed. That means that we are
all challenged to discern new roads forward in parish
ministry, and we need to take time to consider where
we are and who we are, as spiritual people and communities.
St. George’s has been selected to be one of 9 churches to participate in the pilot program of this diocesan-wide spiritual renewal process. Among the nearly 200 parishes of the diocese, St. George’s has been
chosen because of the work we are already doing, and
because of the faith the Bishops and Commission have
in us to benefit abundantly from this opportunity.
The program we will be using is The Renewal W orks
Inventory Instrument, developed by Forward Movement
publications. You can find more information about the
program and its objectives at the Renewal Works website: http://renewalworks.org/
The program will begin in January and continue for six
months. Though all members of the parish will be invited to participate in the assessment tools, a team of 9
parishioners will work with Fr. Dustin and the Renewal
Works staff to guide St. George’s through the process,
interpret the results of our spiritual self-exploration,
and make plan to embark towards an even more solid
future.
Our Renewal Works team is now forming, so please
speak with Fr. Dustin or Margaret Sipple if you are interested in participating in the leadership team.
Mother Dresser—568-5995
[email protected]
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St. George’s Cemetery
Matters
Musical Notes
T
hanks to all the saints who came out for our All
Saints' Day program at St. George's Cemetery on
a chilly, partly drizzly November late afternoon. In
the number were Matthew Colon, Barbara Laddick,
Tauno Kaukolin, Michael Kolb and Wendy and Deke
Spierling. Thanks also to Mary McTamaney who
was with us in spirit, even though she was prevented
from being there in person by an unfortunate accident.
Mary's knowledge of Newburgh and its people was a
major source for the tour material. We covered much
ground, both literally and figuratively.
Thanks to Bill Rose and his dedicated crew for the
special time and attention they gave to manicuring the
lawns with the tour and prayer service in
mind. Thanks also to Tauno Kaukolin for his many
hours of manual labor seeing to details at the
gravesites to be visited and to cemetery staff photographer, Wendy Spierling, for her time spent before,
during and after the All Saints' Day program to document the event. Thanks to Father Dustin for the beautiful prayer service he conducted at the entrance monument. It was a rich experience for us all standing in
the circle commemorating the faithful departed.
Another meaningful circle is a part of our cemetery
committee traditions: an evergreen wreath, which is
turned from an Advent wreath into a Christmas wreath
by switching out the blue of Advent to the red of
Christmas is hung at the cemetery. Blue is the liturgical color for Advent and that word, "blue", can also
describe the feelings of folks who are mourning the
loss of the dearly loved. We pray for comfort for all
who are experiencing sadness in this season. Cemeteries can be a place of comfort in all seasons. Peace
and openness to prayer are very much a part of the
nature of a cemetery. We may be mindful of death,
but we are also mindful of continuing life as we see
the tombs and remember especially the empty tomb of
Jesus.
May God bless you all and all who you love,
Catherine Costello
Cemetery Committee Chair
ST. GEORGE’S CHOIR INVITES
ADDITIONAL SINGERS FOR CHRISTMAS
S
t. George’s Choir would be happy to welcome
some additional singers of all ages for the Advent and Christmas seasons. Normally rehearsals are
Thursdays 7:30-8:45 p.m., but rehearsals at other
times, especially for young people, can be arranged.
The religious message of this great season is communicated best by all the wonderful carols of all ages,
and singers come even closer to the music than listeners. Anyone is free to visit rehearsals at any time
with no obligation to join the choir. If you have
comments or questions, please contact Chris King
([email protected] , 508-559-4868 cell).
SPECIAL MUSIC
CHRISTMAS EVE AT 6:30 p.m.
A
s in previous years, St. George’s Choir will offer special music on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, at
6:30 p.m. preceding the 7 p.m. service. Choir carols,
solos by various members, and organ music will be
included. Additional singers for this event are welcome.
Our Christmas Day Mass at 10am will welcome
Voices of Hope’s own Alice Shane to the piano to
accompany our joy- and carol-filled celebration of
the Feast of the Nativity of Christ.
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Registration Deadline: December 15, 2014
T
he deadline for St. George’s to assemble a team for the 2015 Indaba program is quickly approaching. We are
seeking a four-person team to take part during the weekends of January 24-25, May 2-3, and September 26
-27. At the moment, we are two people short of a team. Please read the following to familiarize yourself with the
program, and see Fr. Dustin with questions or to join our team.
What is Indaba?
Indaba is a Zulu word which means gathering for purposeful discussion. It is both a process and a method of engaging one another in which we listen and learn about the opportunities and challenges that face us in our various
communities of faith. At the Lambeth Conference of 2008, bishops from throughout the Anglican Communion
participated in Indaba conversations with one another as an alternative to their more familiar parliamentary style
of meeting. The format was so successful in deepening understanding among the bishops that, with leadership
from the Anglican Communion Office, several groupings of three dioceses from around the globe were brought
together in Continuing Indaba conversations. The Diocese of New York was fortunate to be linked with the Diocese of Derby (England) and the Diocese of Mumbai (India) in a series of conversations that took place in 2011
and 2012. Teams of eight from each diocese visited with one another in each place to experience firsthand what
it means to be an Anglican Christian in very different contexts. When the New York team hosted their friends
from England and India here, one of the biggest epiphanies was how varied our contexts are within the Diocese
of New York and how much there is that we need to learn about one another. That is the work to which you are
being invited now.
What does the 2015 Indaba involve?
Each congregation of the Diocese of New York is invited to appoint a team of four persons to participate in the
New York Indaba. Your congregation will be linked with two others from around the diocese to form groupings
of three. The format for the 2015 Indaba essentially will be the same as the first NY Indaba, with teams of four,
fixed weekends, and facilitators.
What does hosting involve?
Your team will be asked to introduce your partners to your congregation and community on the Saturday that you
host. On Saturday evening, the host team may invite family members to join you for dinner, and then visiting
team members will be housed in homes for the night, preferably the homes of host team members. On Sunday
morning, visiting team members will join your congregation for worship and fellowship. Early Sunday afternoon, perhaps over lunch, the teams will wrap up each visit with reflections about the experience of the weekend.
What is the benefit of Indaba?
All of us in the Diocese of New York are joined together in a common mission to share the Good News of Jesus
Christ. That mission is carried out in urban, suburban and rural contexts, among a wide range of people with
unique talents and interests. The Indaba will help us to deepen our appreciation and understanding of the amazing collection of people and resources that God has brought together in this diocese. With that greater understanding, we will be better equipped to join together in God’s mission.
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a look at the numbers:
H
ere, below, is your monthly update from our church records about Sunday worship attendance and offerings. Note that November has 5 Sundays this year, so the final Sunday will appear in next edition of our
newsletter. Consecration Sunday, with its single worship time, has fallen on the third Sunday of November
for the last two years, so there is only one service to record on that day.
THIS YEAR (2014)
8am Attendance
10am Attendance
Pledge & Plate Offerings
LAST YEAR (2013)
8am Attendance
9:45am Attendance
Pledge & Plate Offerings
1-Nov
2-Nov
3-Nov
4-Nov
14
46
13
57
68
15
51
$1,659
$2,528
2,470
$1,664
18
44
11
57
73
9
59
$2,599
$2,158
$1,790
$1,716
Belong at St. George’s Church
Sunday Worship
Wednesday Worship
8:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite I (Spoken)
12:10 p.m.
10:00 a.m.
Holy Eucharist Rite II (with Music)
Holy Eucharist
St. George’s Chapel
Sunday School: 9:45a.m. (All Ages)
Contact Us
St. George’s Church
105 Grand Street
Newburgh, NY 12550
Office hours:
Tues.-Fri. 9-12
phone: 845.561.5355
fax: 845.561.2443
[email protected]
www.stgeorgesch.org
The Angelus
The Angelus is the monthly newsletter of St. George’s Church, Newburgh, New York. Submissions of
articles, parish announcements, and photographs are welcomed. Please email your submissions by the 24th of
the month to: [email protected].
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