Post on 04-Oct-2020
COMMUNITY CHURCH OF DOUGLASTON
“ANCHOR”
Rev. Dr. Linden DeBie Rev. Adrienne Flipse Hausch
Senior Minister Minister of Congregational Care
January 2013
Dearly Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ,
What strikes me most about the Church over the last two hundred years is the amount of
change that has transpired. It’s as if time has sped up. Of course, this is the case as much for
the world as for the Church. Science and technology have transformed us and launched us
into that not so fictional, “Brave New World” and they have done it at breakneck speed.
Justifiably perhaps, science and technology typically get the praise or blame depending on
the newest development. With the speed of change and in our embrace of that New World,
it’s a small miracle that any of our ancient rituals and traditions remain intact and that the
Church still preaches the Good News of a Jewish peasant, born Son of God, crucified and
risen—the salvation of the world, past and future!
This is part five in our six part series on the Church. Having looked at the Reformation, we turn
next to the modern era, once again respectful of the vast number of developments beyond
our scope. This section will ground us in our immediate past—and will go a long way in
making us aware of our present situation. It might even provide some explanation of why we
think about the Church the way we do. Two world wars, for example, must adjust any
thinking about our place in the world and the Church’s role in defining that place.
Indeed, for all our progress as a species we have made a mess of things over and over
again. And it’s clear that to a great extent the errors of the past keep us from an overly
Promethean attitude toward our accomplishments, inventiveness and future prospects. That
checkered past has also made many reluctant to jettison our ancient faith or the
foundational traditions that guide us. For all our advances we remain at the mercy of our
own evil, and those committed to a Christian viewpoint recognize that God alone can lead
us safely into the future.
Of course that very idea, that God controls our destiny, was shaken at its roots soon after the
Reformation. While we were busy fighting among ourselves, a new generation began to
distrust old dogmas. As the Church was torn apart, essentially into Catholic and Protestant
branches (in the West), we warred with one another in so devastating a manner that our
witness to the ones Christ died for was severely compromised. Meanwhile, a radical
reinvestigation of the claims of faith was underway by people no longer intimidated by
threats of damnation or even years in the Tower of London. So in our fragmentation and in
the world’s new hunger for truth and freedom, the Church found itself no longer the political
force it once was. Indeed, the modern era required the Church to invest in some serious self-
"Hope is like an anchor for our lives,
an anchor safe and sure" - Heb. 6:19
examination in terms of its theology,
witness and mission, although it showed
every sign of reluctance to do so.
With the breakup of the Church, a number
of new denominations emerged which
often showed great genius in theology,
polity and mission—but absolute
intolerance when it came to opposing
views. Nevertheless, as peace slowly re-
emerged after years of both religious and
political warfare, the questions being
raised about freedom and truth had only
intensified, along with doubts about the
Church’s direction, history, and even its
authenticity. Many of these came as a
result of the period known as the
Enlightenment.
The Enlightenment ushered in the modern
era by finishing the work of the
Renaissance that brought an end to the so
called Dark Ages. Here superstition had its
last stand as critical and scientific thinking
replaced what many believed was
outright superstition. But in that remarkable
movement there also developed new
ideas of what really happened around
Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. Reason
challenged tradition with a critical,
scientific examination of the past, our
Scriptures and our theological
presuppositions. That led many to either
question orthodoxy or to abandon it
altogether. It is common to speak of that
trend as skepticism. However, it was just as
likely that threats to faith would be met by
innovative new theologies, and so
wherever significant new agreement
emerged there seemed to follow a new
sect. At first these sects could be severely
persecuted. But with the founding of this
country the door was opened wide for the
vast array of free religious expression.
The advantage was that religion in the
United States, for the most part, ceased to
be the source of persecution both of
people and their ideas. Not right off the
bat, but it did happen. The Baptist and
Jews had a hard time of it for quite awhile.
The disadvantage, in terms of the spread
of the Gospel, was the difficulty in
articulating a coherent message that
would make our longstanding belief in the
“one Holy Catholic Church” a reality. In
fact, our message to the masses was a
mixed and often conflicting one. Still, at
least in America, religion was strong early
on and generally considered essential for
holding us together as a people. Religion
remained, to a great extent, part of our
cultural fabric such that Church
attendance, and at least the semblance
of adherence to faith, brought social
respectability. Even while radical visionaries
could and did write without fear of
persecution, for the most part, people
relied on religion to provide stability to a
nation bent on economic success and
security. This revolutionary freedom, for
example, allowed Unitarians to reject the
idea of the Trinity and to place great
confidence in the ability of mankind to do
good and succeed morally, without being
outlawed and in many cases applauded.
Indeed, Harvard University became a
bastion of this progressive style of religion.
It was in this unprecedented new era of
freedom that faith and doubt co-existed,
and denominations proliferated along with
every imaginable aberration of truth and
falsity. All of it to a great extent
encouraged by a legitimate desire to be
sure about what our senses told us.
Uncertainty about the claims of religion
were not just the fruit of growing skepticism,
but the result of a burgeoning fascination
with science and with being certain:
certain about the past; certain about
knowing and how we know; certain about
moral decision making. With the flourishing
of skepticism and the rationalism of the
period directly following the
Enlightenment, disaffection with the
Church grew. Often it was made worse by
the Church’s imperious behavior among
other un-Christ like behavior. Rather than
embrace the light, often the Church
preferred the darkness. As time went on
individuals were lost to faith, then families,
then communities and finally entire
countries. It persists today, and many of us
are heartbroken that so many will never
know the love of Jesus nor benefit by his
moral compass. Yet though it grieves us, it
should not be cause for resignation. Such
trends are not without exception.
The great historian of Western thought, J.
D. Morell, observed in his massive volume
on the nineteenth century, skepticism is its
own worst enemy, destroying everything in
its path and eventually itself—for
everything it must reject is based on the
acceptance of the very assumptions
which it ultimately rejects. Morell wrote in
1847 that this situation was the plague of
modern Europe, especially France. Even as
England was experiencing a small
resurgence in faith, France was lost to the
Church. Said Morell:
Mankind requires faith in moral
obligation, faith in God, faith in
immortality; and this faith cannot
be shaken without at the same time
endangering the very framework of
human society. . . There have been
in the history of the world eras of
intense faith, as well as eras of
general unbelief upon these matters;
and it is the latter which we now
note down as being characterized
by the skepticism of ignorance.
Current systems of belief as was the
case at the Reformation, will
sometimes, from various causes, be
shaken to their very centre, and then
the community at large,
sympathizing in the work of
destruction, are apt to go onwards
with it, until they have left no temple
of faith at all, in which they may
worship. The next generation,
accordingly, will grow up
uneducated in any belief; and, as
the consequence of this, there will
ensue a skepticism, not arising from
any designed rejection of the
spiritual faith of humanity, but from
actual ignorance of what there is
to believe in [My emphasis]. Such, to
a great extent, is the present state of
France . . .
I fear we are there to a great extent in our
own country today. Our children do not
lack faith for any reasonable critique of
religion but from simple ignorance of what
it is to have faith. In the wake of our great
rationalistic era we have not only whittled
down what we can believe in, but
expelled any confidence in the legacy of
our most illustrious teachers and prophets
of the past. Still, we are not France by any
means and the situations are not identical.
Our history in America is less that of overt
skepticism as one of the open market of
religious ideas. Here every conceivable
religious fad might be deemed worthy of
consideration—and of course no
responsible leader would want to quash
the free exchange of ideas. But in our
contemporary society ideas themselves
have became the engine of culture such
that the merit of the idea might be
construed in its novelty if not in its
commercial success. Likewise, we often
judge ideas unworthy because their shelf
life has expired. Even the progressive
thoughts of the Boston intelligentsia of the
early nineteenth century were considered
old and out of date by their children who
ran headlong into transcendentalism.
It was during this period, here and abroad,
that once again there was a longing for a
unifying religion. But of course, it could not
ever again be conceived in terms of the
Holy Roman Empire. For awhile that thirst
was assuaged by revivalism. More
practically and certainly more lasting in
terms of social impact, were the vast
network of intra-denominational
cooperatives, again mostly of evangelical
origin but not always. These cooperative
ventures were in the areas of prison reform,
educational reform, help for the poor,
women’s issues—indeed, a whole gambit
of social crises facing the new nation. It set
people of faith apart that they took these
issues very seriously, no matter their
denomination. In many cases a truce
came about through these efforts. Oh,
they still argued about theology, but thank
God burning at the stake was banned and
there was even an emerging sense that we
shared more than we admitted. Through
these efforts and others like them, a
dialogue was forged even if it was often
fettered by dogmatism.
We tend to focus on our differences, but it
is truly amazing how much history we share
and continue to share. Of course, there is
great disagreement about some very
serious questions. Still I would contend that
the similarities are greater. But what is
revolutionary for our modern era is that a
man or woman might simply opt-out of
religion, or sit comfortably (or
uncomfortably) on the periphery. That is
utterly new to civilization and frankly no
one knows what this might mean for the
future. It has created a vast ocean of folks
with only the slightest idea or interest in
religion. The sad response of some of the
most successful denominations or their
independent cousins; is to approach this
new generation as if they were consumers.
The result in the most recent decades is to
further dilute the teaching of the Apostolic
Church. We have literally created a
warehouse of worship practice and
questionable teaching designed for those
on the fringes so that they can feel most
comfortable and accepting of what they
hear. This turn of events is not entirely
surprising in a country that prides itself on its
entrepreneurial spirit; that the selling or
marketing of religion would make sense to
the ambitious religious corporation. And
without any fear of retribution, indeed with
plenty of rewards for numerical success,
religion is designer-made these days and
you can pick your brand.
It’s tempting to get on the band wagon
and too many of our church leaders who
formerly were guided by confession or
conscience are now guided by numerical
success or in the cases of the truly weird,
by pure hubris. Still there are many,
outstanding church leaders and laity who
are convinced that the core of Christian
teaching is neither made up, nor irrational,
nor infinitely divisible, and it’s certainly not
to be treated as a commodity. Here
among the great denominations of the
past and present, serious dialogue drives
the earnest recognition that God still
speaks through the Holy Spirit, if only we
would listen; if only we would share the
Good News as much in our deeds as in our
words; if we would only leave off
desperately trying to sell the Good News
rather than live it. In that dialogue
continuity with the past is not only evident,
but it drives the conversation. Here lives the
conviction that the reality of heaven and
its intersection with earth is real; that
religion is not first of all a matter of personal
conscience—but a matter of God’s
invasion of our world in spirit and truth.
And finally, here is affirmed the insistence
that the Church is not simply the company
of the like-minded, but a “Holy Other”
brought into this world by Christ. It is the
real, visible and objective community of
God’s people—redeemed by God, led by
God and disciplined by God. In these we
may find a new starting point of dialogue
between Christians that might bode well
for the future of the Church.
Pastor Linden
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 Alcohol
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 Pre-Kindergarten
(UPK); this fall CCD partnered with
Queensborough Community College to
offer the After School Academy (ASA),
which provides a program after school for
students K-5.
2012 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS
The Community Church of Douglaston
Family received Christmas cards, photos
and greetings from:
Joe Caufield & Say the Wonder Dog!
Samir El-Sawaf (Kidz Theatre)
Maryellen Hennegan
Lidi Family
The Latella Family
Terry & Andrew (Occhipinti)
Dennis, Kimberly, Kyria & Alexander
(Pidherny)
Sarmiento Family: Alvaro & Barbara,
Nina, Camila & Lea
Philippe and Sarah Savary
Maggie (Margaret M. Seder)
Maia (Witowski O’Donnell)
These messages are displayed on the
bulletin board and will be available
through January.
All the Blessings
of the Season
“JESUS TAUGHT US that if we share, if
we combine our resources with trust in
God, there is enough — the
abundance mentality. This perception
that there is enough connects directly
to our willingness to share
compassionately. It flows naturally
from being detached from our
possessions; when we want less, we
have enough.”
The Jesus Priorities: 8 Essential Habits by
Christopher Maricle. Copyright & copy
2007 by Christopher Maricle. All rights
reserved. Used by permission of Upper
Room Books. Submitted by Linda Mulé
Please return your
2013 PLEDGE CARD.
Or you may pick up one in the
Church Office inside the door.
box.
ORGANIST SEARCH COMMITTEE
NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU!
The members of the organist search
committee would like to hear your views
on music at CCD.
Ruth Guideri, Harrison Lu, Linda Mulé, Sue
Stiles and Rett Zabriskie will be at Coffee
Hour Sundays through January 27 - please
talk to any one of them and give them
your input on how the ministry of music at
CCD should continue. Whether it's to say
that you love things the way they are, or
that we should go in a different direction,
or anything else, please share that with a
committee member. If you would prefer to
write a note, please send it to
Linda.Mule@gmail.com or leave it in the
church office.
The more congregants they hear from, the
better the committee members will be
able to accomplish their purpose of
selecting the person who will help us praise
the Lord with beautiful music when we
worship.
FAS CORNER
What do Costco and The Community
Church of Douglaston have in common?
They both support FASSN (The Fetal Alcohol
Syndrome Support Network
of NYC and Long Island, Inc.)
If you shop at Costco, you might
want to pick up the January
issue of their free monthly
magazine called the Costco Connection
and read an article submitted by FASSN.
How did this come about?
While shopping at the Westbury Costco,
someone saw a hand-made sign above
the beer section that read, “Do not drink
alcohol when pregnant.” When I was told
about this sign, I emailed the national
editor of the Costco Connection to thank
him and to make a FAS pitch. A month
later the editor called and asked me to
write a 400 word article for their magazine,
which is read by 8.4 million people in the
United States.
And that’s how Costco, FASSN, and The
Community Church of Douglaston are
working together to raise awareness about
this very preventable syndrome.
The Lord certainly works in mysterious
ways…
Submitted by Susan Rose
COFFEE HOUR ON SUNDAY
Please consider signing up to host
a coffee hour during a Sunday
following worship service.
Sign-up sheet is in the hallway
opposite the Library.
REPORT FROM THE PROPERTY COMMITTEE
The Property Committee has
addressed a number of maintenance
issues in recent weeks:
Parking Lot Flood Light. One of the large
quartz halogen spotlights on the roof that
lights the parking lot at night failed and has
been repaired.
Roof and Ceiling Repair. The sanctuary
roof has been repaired. This should solve
the leak that has caused paint damage in
the ceiling and to the organ. Next step is
to contract for the repairing and repainting
of the ceiling in the affected area.
Wheelchair Ramp Repair. A contract has
been entered to repair and refinish the
wheelchair ramp at the front of the
church. This project depends on several
consecutive days of good weather and
may have to be deferred until Spring.
Restroom Upgrade. We plan to replace all
ten toilets on the first and second floor
bathrooms with comfort height toilets with
elongated bowls. This project will involve
changing the way the stall doors open so
they will open out rather than into the stall.
Comfort height toilets are significantly taller
than the existing toilets and will make it
easier for older and disabled persons to lift
themselves off the toilet. These changes
will be made in the first quarter of this year.
Main Entrance Upgrade and Repair. We
have contracted to repair, re-hang, and
repaint the inner and outer doors to the
entrance to the sanctuary. This work will
be done in the next month.
The Property Committee consists of
Adrienne Hausch, Ed LaGrassa, Tom Lloyd,
Nicholas Restivo, and Marilyn Stone.
BREATHE
AND THE WELL runs dry. It’s one of the
most common experiences in the spiritual
life. A practice that we have cherished, a
habit that has deepened us and drawn
us closer to God, a discipline that we
perhaps have engaged in for years no
longer seems to work. …
Pondering the questions that lie at the
bottom of a dry well offers a journey of its
own. What I know is this: to find the
answers, we have to pay attention to the
dryness. This is a desert place. As
uncomfortable as it may be, there is no
substitute for these desert places in the
spiritual life. They offer a wisdom that we
cannot get any other way.
BLESSING
When the well goes dry, listen.
Sit by it, your ear pressed to its rim.
Hear the empty and the hollow of it.
Let be. Let be.
When finally you hear your breath
echo back to you,
let this sound be your first prayer.
Where there is breath,
there is water somewhere.
Breathe.
- Jan L. Richardson
In the Sanctuary of Women: A
Companion for Reflection & Prayer.
Copyright © 2010 by Jan L. Richardson.
All rights reserved. Used by permission of
Upper Room Books.
Submitted by Linda Mulé
IMMEDIATE PRAYERS
SHALINI TIMOTHY, FRANK, JP, SALVATORE,
FAMILY OF MARCIA TU ON THE PASSING
OF HER MOTHER, PHIL BUNTON.
CONTINUED PRAYERS
TOM LLOYD, SUSAN ROSE TRUSSUX, MAIA
O’DONNELL, DEAN BROWNWORTH, BILL
ROSE, JAMES ROACH, SALLY.
The Elders’ Corner
The New Year - The New You.
Many of us start the New Year with self-
inflicted challenges (resolutions) to improve
some aspect of our lives. The goal is to
affect positive change. As we all know, it’s
easier said than done.
Change, or perhaps more specifically
transformation, is part of our faith as well;
but that process is very different from our
earthly efforts. We don’t do it alone. We
have God’s grace and the Holy Spirit to
empower us and lead us to success. The
Apostle Paul shows us how:
Romans 12:2 (New Living Translation)
Don’t copy the behavior and
customs of this world, but let
God transform you into a new
person by changing the way
you think. Then you will know
what God wants you to do,
and you will know how good
and pleasing and perfect his
will really is.
So, in addition to your resolutions about
diet and exercise, be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. No, it’s not easy. It
takes focus, discipline, desire and faith. Re-
align your mind to God and His Word. You
can affect change. You can experience
that life of victory that He intended for you.
The New Consistory
The Consistory Nominating Committee,
chaired by Elder Nick Restivo, is preparing
to present to the Congregation the 2013
slate of new Consistory nominees. If it is
God’s will, the committee hopes to add to
the current count of three elders and four
deacons. Nominees have already been
vetted and notified. Please pray for these
candidates that each may thoughtfully
consider the potential call before them
and their role in God’s work.
* * *
From your Elders, Happy New Year to our
entire church family!
In His Service,
Ed Palafox
Congratulations
Bill and Joan Rose
on the occasion of their
65th Wedding Anniversary
January 10th
(They met in 1st grade)
UPDATED CHRISTMAS FLOWER DONORS
Your Flower Committee wishes to express their grateful appreciation to the following
people whose generosity made it possible to decorate our Church for the Joyous Christmas
Season.
In loving remembrance of.... From...
In honor and memory of Claire, Sue, Ursula and Meena The Barnes Family
In loving memory of Ursula M. Dadras The Dadras Family
In loving memory of my parents and my husband Betsy Ehrler
In memory of my Mother & Father Marguerite Espada
In memory of my beloved father, Donald F. Iannuzzi. Peace
and comfort for others mourning the loss of loved ones. Kimberly Iannuzzi
In memory of our dear friend, Sue Bottomley Abbey and Claire
Goldstein
In memory of my father, Reno C. King, Jr. Margaret L. King
In loving memory of family, friends, neighbors and co-workers
who died this year. Jean Koerber
In remembrance of wonderful Christmas’ when our family was
all here together. Amen. Marylyn MacKay
In memory of George and Thomas Olson Christina and George
Miller
In loving memory of Diana and Phil Mulé The Mulé/Wolf Family
In memory of loved ones Alice B. Ritter
In loving memory of Claire Savary The Savary Family
In memory of our Angels – Claire, Sue, Pat and Ursula Cindy and Cliff
In Memory of my Parents, William & Elsie Ferares and
my Brother, William M. Ferares Kathy Zidel
Greetings …
Joyous Noel The DeBie Family
Wishing ALL a very Merry Christmas The Fiechter Family
To the Sunday School Students, Parents and Angels The Pidherny Family
in the Wings – He came for you and me!
Merry Christmas to All Vida Vambutas
Health and Happiness to all. Zawadzki Family
Donors….
Ruth Guideri
The Latella Family
The Lloyds
Marilyn Stone
Thank you to the Christmas Flower Committee for decorating the church: Ed
Battestin, Victor Dadras, Jean Koerber, John Latella, Walter Mugdan, Marilyn
Stone, Cindy Strauss and Caroline Warshaw.
LIBRARY LINES
Messages from our Bookmarks:
“A caring church in the
heart of the community
with God’s community in
its heart.”
“God grant me the Serenity to accept
things I cannot change… the Courage to
change the things I can… and the Wisdom
to know the difference.”
“Remembrance is the sweetest flower that
in a garden grows.”
“In the end there are three things that last-
faith, hope and love. And the greatest of
these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13
“Make yourself familiar with the angels,
and behold then frequently in spirit, for
without being seen, they are present with
you.” St Francis de Sales
“Eternal God, In whom mercy is endless
and the treasury of compassion
inexhaustible, look kindly upon us, that in
difficult moments we might not despair nor
become despondent, but with great
confidence submit ourselves to your holy
will which is love and mercy itself.”
Tiekirkko (The Way Church) Minä seison
ovella ja kolkutan. Jos joku kuulee minun
ääneni ja avaa oven, minä tulen hänan
luokseen, ja me aterioimme yhdessä, minä
ja hän.”(Finnish)
Ilm 3:20 (Revelations 3:20)
Joan Hoffman, Librarian
WANTED FOR
PASTOR ADRIENNE’S BENCH
ANY AND ALL STAPLES OF LIFE
Especially needed now:
warm gloves, hats, scarves, boots
and blankets
Other Items needed are:
Toiletries (hotel size to gigantic),
feminine hygiene products,
linens, towels,
INFANT stuff--24 months and younger,
all sizes of diapers
(especially disposable ones)
Donate your leftover diapers
Formula--but not expired
Items are desperately needed by
Long Island Council of Churches for
those who depend on donations and our
good will.
You can leave household items, small
appliances and home furnishings.
Please make special arrangements for
larger items.
Next time you are at the store, buy one
for yourself and buy another for
someone in need!
Please leave items on the inside bench
by the back Church door.
Pastor Adrienne may be reached @
ahausch@optonline.net or 516-741-2000
BOX SUPPER AUCTION
Come one come all to the box supper auction on Saturday January 26! Enjoy
great food. Bid on cool “stuff” and help raise money for the church—all at the
same time! Here is how it works:
BRING A MEAL. Everyone who comes brings enough dinner for everyone in their
party. If you are 4, bring dinner for 4. If you do not cook or have cooking facilities,
special arrangements can be made. Your dinner goes on the auction block and is
bid on by other guests. Every meal should be accompanied by a 3x5 card with the “menu”
written upon it. Prizes will be awarded for the prettiest box supper, the most original design,
the most unusual menu and the supper achieving the highest per person bid.
BRING A BOTTLE. Bring a bottle of wine to be bid upon.
BID ON A MEAL. If you are a party of two—bid on dinner for two, unless you
have a huge appetite and bid on dinner for 4—but that’s another story (but
we are prepared for it—we will have extra meals from local restaurants to
be bid on by extra hungry people and those unable to contribute a meal)
BID ON A BOTTLE. Beverages will be served. But if you would like to accompany that
fancy picnic basket with a bottle of wine, we will auction off your donations and
others we have waiting in the wings.
ENJOY
PARTICIPATE IN THE AUCTION. We will have a select number of items for your bidding
pleasure for our dinner time entertainment. We already have donations of Lenox, estate
jewelry, gift cards for area restaurants and other “cool stuff”. We hope you cannot resist. Our
auctioneer is our own Pastor Adrienne wearing yet another hat! We hear the show is worth
the trip in itself!
EAT SOME MORE. If you wish to contribute a dessert, the more the merrier. But the auction
committee will have sweets for the sweet to top off the night.
RESERVATIONS A MUST. So when is this party? SATURDAY, JANUARY 26.
The auction for dinner will begin at 6:15 promptly so everyone must be there by 6:00 sharp so
that others can check out your meal and decide on what they want and be ready to bid.
But as you can imagine, we need to know in advance how many are coming and if they will
be bringing a meal. If we need to provide a meal for you to “auction”, we will have it there.
The cost for the meal is $25 per person. Please complete the reservation form below and
mail or bring it to the church office or give it to Pastor Adrienne after Sunday worship.
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________
CONTACT TELEPHONE:______________________NUMBER ATTENDING:__________________
I WILL BE BRINGING: WINE______DESSERT_________
I WILL NEED___________DINNERES AT $25 each for a total of__________________. My check to
the Community Church of Douglaston is enclosed. Reservation Deadline: TUESDAY, JAN 22.
PASTOR ADRIENNE’S BACK PAGE - CONTINUE
I need to change my heroes: Claire Savary, Peter Schmitt and Bob Hope are not here to
guide me anymore. But I will never accept that being mediocre or unproductive or
dangerous to others is the “new normal.” I will never accept that eating chocolate chip
cookies makes me a politically incorrect weirdo. I will never accept that relying on God and
my Savior is not the best way to live.
We live in the freest nation in the world. Yet every day I see people trying to take away my
freedoms. Yes, I am a lawyer and I remember Oliver Wendell Holmes telling us that my
freedom to strike out ends at the tip of your nose.
But please don’t tell me how large a soda I can buy. I also know I can’t yell fire in a crowded
room. But don’t tell me I can’t pray on the subway because someone else doesn’t believe in
the power of prayer.
The most important resolution of all? Stand up and be heard. Make yourself proud of who
you are. And remember that first great commandment: That we love God with all our
heart—and the second? That we love one another. Have a Blessed 2013. Pastor Adrienne
ANGEL TREE GIFTS
These thank you letters were received from the various organizations that the Community
Church of Douglaston so generously gave to during Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Hearts in the Community has identified two families which need
automobiles. If you wish to donate a car to Hearts in the Community
please see Pastor Adrienne, Linda Mulé, Cindy Strauss, Kimberly
Pidherny, Jean Koerber, or Cindi Socci or contact Pastor Adrienne @
ahausch@optonline.net.
.
COMMUNITY CHURCH OF DOUGLASTON
39-50 Douglaston Parkway
Douglaston, New York 11363
(718)229-2169
www.communitychurchofdouglaston.org
Change Service Requested
PASTOR ADRIENNE’S BACK PAGE
Happy New Year. But why is January 1 the first day of a new year? In the Chinese calendar,
this year, it is February 8th and 9th. The Hebrew New Year is generally in September. Why do
we celebrate on January 1? Well, we all know that we adhere to the “Gregorian calendar”
named after Pope Gregory who was always mucking around in such things. As it turns out,
somewhere around 1582 Gregory decided that the gold standard of calendars—the Julian
calendar—resulted in too many days lost over the years so Easter was getting earlier and
earlier. So, he recalculated the length of a day and voila! The gyrations were amazing with
even the Eastern Christians not wanting to accept anything from that Roman Catholic pope
(Greece and Russia adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1928!!).
Yet every culture accepts that the first day of the year is a time to celebrate. A time to
remember. A time to dream. A time to make resolutions. My favorite resolution was from
Hagar the Horrible: he resolved to never make another resolution. It is true that most of the
resolutions we make set us up for failure: stop smoking; lose 25 pounds; save 10% of your
salary every week; clean out the junk drawer (by the time you get to be my age is at least 5).
My only resolution is to be better than I was in 2012. I think I can keep this one—the 2012 bar
really wasn’t very high, I am afraid. I want to live each day to the fullest—meaning I have
added naps. I want people I love to know it—which means opening my mouth more (no
jokes please!). I want to lend my talents to making this world a better place—I’ll start with
Nassau and Queens; big enough! Continues 3 pages back
Non-Profit Org
US Postage
PAID
Flushing, NY
Permit No. 407