June 2014 - First Baptist Church

the Visitor
June, 2014
First Baptist Church
607-273-5800; www.firstbaptistithaca.org; email: [email protected]
An Invitation to Discern:
June 8th — Pentecost
by Alison Coluccio
Contents 1
• An Invitation to Discern:
1
June 8th — Pentecost
• First Baptist Steps Up to the Plate
for Feinstein Challenge
1
• Let’s “Beat Our Feet to the Rhythm
of Heaven’s Street”
2
• First Baptist and the Backpack
Program
2
• The Baptist Student Forum
(1938-42) by Naomi Hollister
3
• Not Much Sleep, but
5
Fabulously Fun Fellowship
• Ducklings Connect with Rose Boys 5
• Bogomil — A Christian Heresy
5
5
• Who We Are at First Baptist
• Crabapple in Bloom
6
• Staff / Elected Leaders /
Ministry Teams
6
Special Events Calendar
“When the day of Pentecost had come,
they were all together in one place. And
suddenly from heaven there came a
sound like the rush of a violent wind,
and it filled the entire house where they
were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire,
appeared among them, and a tongue
rested on each of them. All of them
My Three Sons: Elizabeth Pia-Miller celebrates Mother’s Day
were filled with the Holy Spirit and
surrounded by her three sons Kasieum, Cooper and Cristian.
began to speak in other languages, as
You Are Invited
the Spirit gave them ability.” Acts 2:1-4 We invite everyone to gather with us on
Pentecost morning, June 8th, at the normal
On the Jewish feast of Pentecost,
th
worship time in the Sanctuary, 10 am.
the 50 day after Passover, a time of
Let us explore what has emerged for us
gratitude for the harvest, those who
as a community through our work with
loved Jesus met together. Our walk
the CDRC in a time of worship, prayer,
with the CDRC (Community Dispute
sharing, celebration and welcoming the
Resolution Center) began well before
Spirit’s transformative breath through
Passover, and we have worked and
prayed long in these fields of the Spirit, us all. Please bring food to share for our
brunch meal together and plan to stay a
hoping to foster healing, to learn ways
bit after the meal so we may conclude our
to listen to one another and to discern
gathering together.
what it is that we are called to next. First Baptist Steps Up to the Plate for Feinstein Challenge
Thanks to our great response to the
Feinstein Challenge in March and April,
First Baptist donated almost 600 items to
Ithaca Kitchen Cupboard, at $1 an item
equivalency, along with $1,537.64 in cash.
• Ithaca Festival Parade, May 29th
6:30 at West Jay & Cayuga St.
• First Baptist Spring Clean-up
Saturday, May 31st.
• ACT Annual Meeting: June 3rd,
7 pm; St. Catherine of Siena
Church; Speaker, Josh Swiller
(Hospicare) introducing Personal
Attention to Health (PATH)
• Pentecost, June 8th: Special
Congregational meeting
• July 6th: Annual FBC picnic at
Taughannock Falls Sate Park.
• November 8th: Craft and Talent
Fair for Parable of Talents
Of course, the need for our ongoing food
support does not go away. We particularly
welcome contributions of rice, tuna,
peanut butter, fruit, vegetables, canned
entrees and toiletries.
Debbie Novelli reported at the May 6th
ACT meeting, that a total of $13,600 in
cash and $5,000 in food items had been
donated toward the Feinstein Challenge.
The total was similar to other years where
totals Feinstein donations ranged
between $17,000 and $20,000.
In April, the Kitchen Cupboard served 533
people from 239 households, including 340
adults, 169 children and 24 seniors, typical
numbers for April.
Photo by Tony Lister
Page 1
(Continued on page 6
Let’s “Beat Our Feet to the Rhythm of Heaven’s Street”
in the Ithaca Festival Parade Thursday, May 29th
by Alison Coluccio
Please kept in your thoughts
and prayers:
• Alphea Schneider
• Nancy Sokol
• Frank Mudrak
• Ramona Brown
• Emily Young
• Gladys Diemond
• Naomi Hollister
• Sue Kilgore
• Ossie Heath-Crump
• Steve Hilsdorf
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Spring
Linda Pastan
First Baptist will again be participating
in the Ithaca Festival Parade, Thursday,
May 29th. Urging full FBC participation,
Vice-Moderator Alison Coluccio observes,
“Stepping into the midst of this event is
a precious opportunity for First Baptist to
blow stereotypes out of the water and
show some of our best qualities:
We are joyful,
We are unpretentious,
We are creative,
We are playful, and
We are radically inclusive.”
Ace Creative Artist Team at Work
An ace team of creative artists, fearlessly led by the intrepid Marlene Sack and
Emily Nedrow (Sandy MacArthur’s older
daughter), will be creating props for the
parade’s Rhythm and Rhyme theme.
Just as we lose hope she
ambles in, a late guest
dragging her hem
of wildflowers,
her torn veil of mist,
of light rain,
blowing her dandelion
breath in our ears;
and we forgive her, turning
from chilly winter ways,
we throw off our faithful
sweaters and open our arms.
We will be “Beating our Feet to the
Rhythm of Heaven’s Street” - which
means noise! Let’s beat drums, clap
hands and sticks together. All while
wearing enormous cardboard “shoes”
or carrying large musical notes with
heavenly words on them:
Heroes in Disguise. © Norton, 1991.
This fall we hope to form a group of
15 to 20 people to pack meals for the
Backpack Program run by the Food
Bank of the Southern Tier in the Ithaca
City School District. This is a one-off
opportunity on a date to be announced,
probably a third Wednesday of the
month between 4:30 and 6pm. We will
meet at Boynton Middle School to do
this under the supervision of the Food
Bank coordinator and learn more about
this program in the process.
Altar Table Offering from Barbara Fry
LOVE, JOY, JUSTICE,
SHARING, INCLUSION
Let’s Beat Our Feet: In true original First Baptist
fashion, our David Caughey composed First Baptist’s
theme song for the Ithaca Festival Parade.
Come March for First Baptist
Join our group at the corner of W. Jay
and Cayuga Streets at 6:30 pm, Thursday,
May 29th to gather our cardboard feet
(shown above) and signs. Let’s be there
together and let’s have fun! For more
info, email: [email protected]
First Baptist and the Backpack Program by Amanda Ufford
We have a core of 4 or 5 volunteers
already and will be looking for
more people to give hands-on support. Some may also come from sister
congregations serving Ithaca Kitchen
Cupboard and we hear this is a nice
community-building activity. It is
deliberately held late in the work day so
that business people can participate and
Page 2
might be a neat activity for high school
students wanting to do a community
service project. Watch the noticeboard
in the Community Room for further
details and let me know if you are
interested in joining in. Amanda Ufford [email protected] The Trustees invite you to
the Social Event of the Season:
(as Andrea Mooney used to call it)
“Spring Cleanup at First Baptist”
May 31st at 9 am. We need Your help!
Forgot the time for your meeting
& want to check the Church Calendar?
Look online at:
www.firstbaptistithaca.org
The Baptist Student Forum (1938 - 1942)
He Asks So Little and
Gives So Much
Helen Steiner Rice
What must I do to ensure
peace of mind? Is the answer
I’m seeking too hard to find?
How can I know what God
wants me to be? How can I tell
what’s expected of me? Where
can I go for guidance and aid
To help me correct the errors
I’ve made?
The answer is found in doing
three things, And great is the
gladness that doing them
brings.
“Do justice”—
“Love kindness”—
“Walk humbly with God”—
For with these three things as
your rule and your rod,
All things worth having are
yours to achieve, If you follow
God’s words and have faith to
believe.
(Submitted by Naiomi Hollister)
Forgettable? Never;
Influential? Amazingly so;
Helpful? Always;
Fun? The Most.
This was the place to be Sunday night
for the young people of Ithaca.
What? Worship, food and fellowship;
Who? All young people;
Where?In the basement of the First
Baptist Church where the dining
room and kitchen were located;
When? Every Sunday evening from 6-9
pm when Cornell was in session;
Why? To become acquainted and to
worship together.
Our advisors were the Reverend Dr. John
D.W. Fetter, the First Baptist student
pastor and his wife, Mrs. Bess Fetter.
Volunteers Planned Food and Program
A group of six to nine volunteers
each week prepared a simple meal
and planned the program. We had
devotions, shared discussions, and
occasionally had a speaker. Working
in the kitchen together was certainly
a good way to become acquainted. I
was only 17 years old when I moved
to Ithaca and started attending First
Baptist Church. I knew no one so was
delighted to belong to this group. I
met my husband there and I know of
other couples who met there and were
married — Myra Fincher’ parents Myron
and Evelyn, Rob and Barb Fellows,
George and Vicky Manning, Bob and
Winnie Fowler, and Ed and me.
When Cornell had a break, we would
not have the usual Sunday night supper,
by Naomi Hollister
but instead would
meet at the
Fetter’s home.
We would relax
by the fireplace
and have lively
or stimulating
conversations,
play games in an
adjoining room, or
join the boisterous
Naomi Hollister
games at ping
pong in the basement. Mrs. Fetter
usually served popcorn, apples, and/or
cake with a beverage.
Taughannock Picnics
Occasionally, in the fall or spring, we
had a picnic at Taughannock State Park
on a Saturday afternoon instead of our
usual Sunday supper. Many times we
had a rousing softball game, walked
back in the gorge to see the Falls, or just
enjoyed watching the boat traffic on
Cayuga Lake. The ballgame showed Rev.
Fetter’s love of sports and his amazing
athletic ability which was often better
than the youths’. Later we had our
worship service on the lake shore.
Rev. Fetter (or “Jack” as he was
affectionately called) was the Student
Pastor at our church. In addition to
the students on the hill, he counseled
the young people of Ithaca in our
church downtown. He took a personal
interest in everyone and made them
feel welcome. The youth who had just
graduated from high school might be
adjusting to their first job or maybe
trying to find work so he met them at
Continued on next page.
Communion Table: The stunning
arrangement by Andrea Staffeld of pussy
willows, daffodils and forsythia created a
beautiful backdrop to the communion table
at the May 4th service. The chalice and
pitcher used for the intinction communion
service was a gift to First Baptist from potter
Mark Klammer. The worship committee
recently moved to the more frequent use
of intinction as a more personal, intimate
way to receive the bread and juice during
communion. The small cups will continue to
be used three times a year, at the beginning
of Lent, Advent and Pentecost.
Photo by Susan Eymann
Page 3
Psalm 27
The Lord is my light and my
salvation— whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my
life — of whom shall I be afraid?
When the wicked advance against
me to devour me, it is my enemies
and my foes will stumble and fall.
Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear; though war
break out against me, even then I
will be confident.
One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek: that I may
dwell in the house of the Lord all
the days of my life, to gaze on the
beauty of the Lord and to seek
him in his temple.
For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his
dwelling; he will hide me in the
shelter of his sacred tent and set
me high upon a rock. Then my
head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround
me; at his sacred tent I will
sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to
the Lord. Hear my voice when I
call, Lord; be merciful to me and
answer me.
My heart says of you, “Seek his
face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.
Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in
anger; you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
God my Savior.
Though my father and mother
forsake me, the Lord will receive
me. Teach me your way, Lord;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire
of my foes, for false witnesses rise
up against me, spouting malicious
accusations.
Second Sunday Mother’s Day Brunch: Again, the Fellowship Hall was filled to capacity as First Baptist members
and friends enjoyed good flood and fellowship at the second Sunday brunch.
Photo by Tony Lister
The Baptist Student Forum continued from page 3
church. He had an office on campus at
Cornell so it was convenient. He helped
the homesick freshman who were
overwhelmed by the enormous amount
of homework, or the international
students feeling lonely, trying to study in
English and adjusting to a new life-style.
Endearing Qualities of Advisor
Jack had two endearing qualities that
attracted the youth. He had a marvelous
sense of humor. Also, he was vigorous
and athletic so was a challenge in games
of softball and ping pong. He and Bess
had children of their own so they could
easily relate to this age group.
Mrs. Fetter (known as Bess) was a great
help to her husband. Being caring and
understanding, she made the youth feel
welcome and, frequently, she and Jack
would have them for lunch or dinner.
Cake Disaster
One Saturday morning disaster struck!
Bess had just finished frosting four large
two-layer cakes for the Sunday night gettogether in their home. She then noticed
a glass with a chip of glass missing on
the kitchen counter. She couldn’t take
the chance of anyone being cut, so,
regretfully, she had to throw the cakes
away.
Jack and Bess were excellent role models,
an inspiration to all and had much
influence in our lives. We would always
remember the Sunday night supper
with them. We had meaningful worship,
made lasting friendships, embraced new
and different ideas and thought, and
have happy memories of the good times
and the Christian Fellowship. I am now
94 years old, but I can truly say I’ve never
been part of such a caring, fun-loving,
and friendly group.
I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and
take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27, on the left, inspired David Caughey to compose the song that the New Ceation Singers, from left to right
Marlene Sack, Shella Chace and David Caughey sang in early May for Special Music during the service.
Page 4
“From Our Youth”
Not Much Rest but Fabulously Fun Fellowship by Mark Lawrence
Mark your calendars for the
Parable of Talents Craft and Talent
event on November 8th when the
Noah’s Ark quilt raffle will take
place.
Contact Marlene Sack or Judy
Kennison for more information.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~
Whoever believes in the
good in people, draws
forth the good in people
Jean Paul
Twelve FBC youth and friends gathered
on Friday May 16 for our first Teens and
Jr. Youth Sleepover. Renee Rose coordinated a full evening of broom hockey, a
fabulous dinner, movies, and late-night
conversations. Breakfast came early for
all, but the youth were happy and anxious to begin planning their next
adventures. Many thanks to Renee and
her intrepid support crew: Jill Ewing,
Mark Lawrence, Sarah Schneider, and
Gina Smithson.
Ducklings Connect with Rose Boys
After the sleepover, we had a pleasant
surprise in Sunday’s service – Rich said that
nine abandoned baby ducklings imprinted
on Owen and Emerson in DeWitt Park.
They followed the boys around the park
for a while. After consultation with
experts, Rich and Renee initially decided
to help raise them.
Meg Gillard provided an update on the
following Thursday and said that the
mother to the ducklings was found and
babies were reunited with their true
mother.
Ducklings receive nurturing and warmth at First Baptist.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~
Photos by Mark Lawrence
Bogomil — A Christian Heresy
by Dick Fielding
What does the Lord
require of you?
To do justice,
Love mercy and
Walk humbly
with our God
Micah 6:8
Great food, fun and fellowship were the memories formed
at the first Teens and Jr. Youth Sleepover May 16th.
The Bogomil faith, a dualist Christian
heresy, originated in the Balkans in
930 CE. Its founder, Bogomil, a village
priest, taught that God created two
sons: the good Jesus and the evil Satan.
The religion’s only valid prayer was the
Lord’s Prayer. True believers avoided
meat, alcohol, marriage and procreation.
Bogomil didn’t believe in a hierarchy of
priests. Consequently, Bogomil men and
women confessed their sins to each other
and absolved one another.
The Bogomil religion survived for several
centuries and spread, ultimately reaching
as far as Italy and France. It disappeared
and organized Bogomil ended when
Turkey overran the Balkans in the 15th
century.
Source: Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics,
by Chas S. Clifton.
Page 5
Who We Are at First Baptist
~~~~~~~~~
First Baptist Church, a member of the
Association of Welcoming & Affirming
Baptists, is a community centered
in Christ, bound by grace, and
called to model God’s vision
of inclusive love.
Our ministry begins at First Baptist as
we move beyond all barriers of race,
gender, sexual orientation, background
and creed to be a community
of faithful worship. God’s ministry
continues through the lives of
each person who carries his or her
faith back into the world.
Visitor Submissions
As our Baptist tradition calls
all of us to be ministers of the
church, each of you is invited to
be a contributor to our Visitor.
Please send announcements,
news articles, features, pictures
or other items of interest to:
[email protected]
by the 20th of each month.
July/August Visitor: by June 20
September Visitor: by August 20
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First Baptist Staff
Pastor: Rich Rose
Secretary: Shella Chace
Christian Education
Coordinator, interim: Renee Rose
Choir Director, interim:
Dr. Baruch Whitehead
Organist: Christopher Morgan Loy
Custodian: David Hopkins
Elected Leaders
Moderator: Tim Dean
Vice-moderator: Alison Coluccio
Membership Clerk: Tina Hilsdorf
Recording Clerk: Shella Chace
Treasurer: David Caughey
Assistant Treasurer: Marlene Sack
Financial Secretary: Julie Costie
Board of Trustees
Steve Hilsdorf: chair; Bill Fry, Mark
Lawrence, Bronwyn Evans, Steve Farrell,
John Harty, Tim Dean, Alison Coluccio,
Tony Cotraccia, David Caughey, ex
officio
Delegates
Rochester Genesee Region:
Ossie Heath-Crump
Kitchen Cupboard:
Amanda Ufford, Sue Hemsath
ACT: Susan Eymann
Protestant Ministry at Cornell:
Sarah Schneider
Pastoral Relations
Josie Zanfordino: chair; Steve Farrell,
Rich Barron, Jan Butler, Susan Eymann
Nominating Committee
Debbie Allen, Susan Eymann
Personnel
Anne Farrell, Dave Putnam,
Tim Hembrooke
Ministry Teams
Close-up pf crabapple sprig.
Photo by Bill Abeles
Crabapple in Bloom: The crabapple tree that graces the corner of the church
was in full bloom May 11th.
Photo by Susan Eymann
Worship Ministry
Finance & Endowment
Barbara Fry: chair; Andrea Mooney, Bill
David Caughey, Marlene Sack,
Abeles, Debbie Allen, Bill Staffeld, Josie
Lynette Rayle, Curt Ufford
Zanfordino, Edie Reagan, Michael Clark
Hospitality Ministry
Education
Anne Farrell: chair; Shella Chace,
Meg Gillard, Renee Rose, Carol
Meg Gillard, Alice Grow, Tina Hilsdorf,
Flemming, Janet Cotraccia, Leslie
Barbara Noyes
Schultz, Michelle Williams, Laurel Hester,
Sarah Schneider, Mark Lawrence, Sarah Circle of Care
Zipfel, Jason Wilson, Lou Carlucci, John Sue Hemsath, Louise Mudrak,
Amanda Ufford, Lou Carlucci,
Harty, Michael Clark, Joseph Rayle,
Elizabeth Pia-Miller
Debbie Allen
Flower Committee
Christian Concern Ministry
Steve Farrell: chair; Bill Phelan: co-chair; Barbara Fry, Marianna Morse,
Tina Hilsdorf, Andrea Staffeld
Sandy McCarthy, secretary; Louise
Mudrak, Baruch Whitehead, Lynne
Library
Glase, Susan Eymann, Tony Lister, Ange, Sarah Murray
Jameson & Izzy Romero-Hall, Amanda
Parable of Talents
Ufford, Beth & Matt Wolfer, Dana
Shella Chace, Marlene Sack,
Murray-Cooper
Janet Cotraccia
Creation Care
Facility Planning
Louise Mudrak: chair; Linda Nicholson, Tim Dean, Dan Lamb,
Anne Farrell, Barbara Noyes, Lynne
Louise Mudrak, Mark Lawrence
Glase, Tony Lister
Page 6
Myra’s Ministry
Myra Fincher
Interior Decoration
Barb Fry, Julie Dean, Tina Hilsdorf,
Bill Abeles, Anne Farrell, Andrea
Staffeld, Susan Eymann
Library Refurbishing Team
Anne Farrell: chair; Julie Dean, Barbara
Fry, Andrea Staffeld, Linda Caughey
Kitchen
Liz Wilkinson, Mary Rollins
YardWorks Incarnation Team
Louise Mudrak, Nancy Menning, Tony
Lister
Visitor — June Issue
Editor, publisher: Susan Eymann
Proof readers: Alison Coluccio, Judy
Kennison, Tony Lister, Sarah Schneider
Contributors (articles): Alison Coluccio,
Amanda Ufford, Naomi Hollister, Mark
Lawrence, Dick Fielding; (photos): Bill
Abeles, Tony Lister, Susan Eymann