Thank You for the BIGBIG BASKET of SOCKS!Thank you for the socks. DaShawnI like the socks. JoshWow! That’s a big basket! Thank you for the socks. ZahryanThank you for the socks. BrooklynThank you from OmarI like the socks. Thank you. KoiThank you for all of the socks. That was so nice of you. LilianaThank you for the socks. GarretThank you for the socks. Ben (neb!)I’m glad you had pretty girl socks. Thank you. June

SITTING NEXT TO Caroline preK teacher, KathleenDownes at December’s Alternative Gift Fair provided agreat opportunity to learn about the needs of her youngstudents. While many of the needs (scarves, coats, mit-tens) are being met by area organizations and churches,Kathleen mentioned that many students arrive at schoolwith no socks or even oversize adult socks. FHC to therescue with a sock drive that filled a large basket for aJanuary delivery to the school. Several of the sock-shapedthank yous are posted on the bulletin board. Carol Hockett

.

EASTER CHIMESEASTER CHIMESNewsletter of

FFORESTOREST HHOMEOME CCHAPELHAPELUnited Methodist Church222 Forest Home Drive, Ithaca, New York 14850SSPRINGPRING 2012: P2012: PASTORASTOR RREBECCAEBECCA DDOLCHOLCH

EDITOR: Elizabeth Mount PHOTOS: Spear, Wollney, Mount

Newsletter of Forest Home Chapel, Easter 2012, p 2

EASTER CALENDAR 2012MMARCHARCH 11 11 Kitchen Cupboard Sunday13 Kitchen Cupboard staffing (Spear/Herdt)15 Old Testament Study #6, 10:30 am–noon, led bypastors Rebecca Dolch and Carolyn McPherson, fol-lowing lectures by Amy-Jill Levine 1818 Coffee Hour/Open House at the Parsonage22 Old Testament Study #7, 10:30 am–noon2525 Book Discussion of Asphalt Jesus by Eric Elnes, after Fellowship Hour2525 Honoring the Bright Red Bookshelf/Family Reading Partnership 29 Old Testament Study #8, 10:30 am–noon

AAPRILPRIL1 1 Palm Sunday5 Holy Thursday6 Good Friday, St Paul’s, noon-3 88 Easter Sunday88 Kitchen Cupboard Sunday10 Kitchen Cupboard sssssstaffing (Hockett/ Robertshaw)2222 All-Church “Mini-Retreat” in the Fellowship Room, 12:30-2 pm, to hear fromthe Parsonage Visioning Team and discuss futureplans for mission and ministry at FHC. Plan for asimple meal together as we engage in this very impor-tant conversation.28 Bruce Britain leads Historic Tour of FH; time TBA2929 Fifth Sunday Mission: Feinstein Challenge/ Kitchen Cupboard

MMAYAY6 6 Kitchen Cupboard Sunday8 Kitchen Cupboard workday1313 Mother’s Day /Blanket Sunday2727 PentecostTBA Spring Chapel Membership Classes; see Rebecca

Trustees’ Report: Ongoing reBuilding Ideas• handicapped access from the basement to the exterior,possibly where the steps are now;• a new ceiling in the basement to reduce the sound leveldownstairs; also to see if there is space above the ceilingfor additional power upstairs. We need a contractor’sinput on how lowering the ceiling will affect the existinglights, moldings and pipes;• recommendations for a sound system upstairs;• lighting improvements in the office area;• creating accessibility for meter reading and puttingsome lamps on timers so the parsonage will always lookoccupied;• and making additional “riders” for the front sign.

PARSONAGE TASK FORCE: Lee Bailey, Barb Chambers,Sarah George, Sally Grubb, David Robertshaw, JanetSnoyer, Bill Tomek & Rebecca Dolch (see p 7)

TRUSTEES: Barb Chambers, Phil Walker, Bud Dolch &Grace McMenamin

SPIRITUAL LIFE TEAM: Mark Constas, Elizabeth Mount,Wendy Millroy, Matt Pritchard, Susan Spear & Rebecca Dolch (meeting planned end of March)

SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS: Jackie Nock, Debbie Nov-elli, Carol Hockett & Paula Winner

LORD, GOD OF ALL THE WORLD, Master of the Universe, Help me so to pray That by my daily prayers, and by my weekly worship, I may learn my task, the part which I can play To bring the world a little closer to peace and joy.

Teach me the Jewish tradition That I may see in the wisdom of the past A guide to the future. May I walk the path of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, my fathers, Of Moses and Isaiah, of Akiba and Ben Zakka,

That I may ever be a blessing To my father and my mother, My sisters and my brothers, To all mankind.Teach me to make peace, O Eternal Source of Peace. Amen

From When a Jew Prays, p 62, by Rossel, Borowitz & Cham-over; Behrman House, 1973. Carolyn read this PatriarchalPrayer during the 4th Old Testament Study group.

Newsletter of Forest Home Chapel, Easter 2012, p 3

CHRISTIAN LOVE OF GOD INCLUDES:1: Walking fully in the path of Jesus, without denying the legitimacy of other pathsGod may provide humanity.

2: Listening for God's Word which comes through daily prayer and meditation,through studying the ancient testimonies which we call Scripture, and through at-tending to God's present activity in the world.

3: Celebrating the God whose Spirit pervades and whose glory is reflected in all ofGod's Creation, including the earth and its ecosystems, the sacred and secular, theChristian and non-Christian, the human and non-human.

Story from Asphalt JesusIn his book Asphalt Jesus (which we will discuss on March 25) Eric Elnes and crewwalk 2500 miles across the country, espousing these affirmations. One of the beliefsthey encounter is that God sends people to hell for eternity if they don’t believe inJesus. In this paradigm, the purpose of Christianity is to convert people to Christian-ity and save them from eternal hell. This is a sincere, core belief and the perspectiveof many, many Christians.

As a progressive Christian, Eric explains why he walked across America speakingto those who held these views, and wondering “could we be mistaken in our faiththat God loves all people beyond their wildest imagination, for eternity? Yes. And ifso, we will be guilty of extending too much love to others on God’s behalf…. Per-sonally, I would rather be found guilty of giving away too much of God’s love, thangiving away too little.” (p 39)

CHRISTIAN LOVE OF NEIGHBOR INCLUDES:4: Expressing our love in worship that is as sincere, vibrant, and artful as it is scrip-tural.

5: Engaging people authentically, as Jesus did, treating all as creations made inGod's very image, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, physical ormental ability, nationality, or economic class.

cont on p 4

Matthew 11:28-29 John 8:12John 10:16Mark 9:40

2 Timothy 3:16-171 Corinthians 13:12

Genesis 1:31aPsalm 96:1,11-12Acts 17:23

Genesis 2:7Exodus 31:2-5lRevelation 18:22

Genesis 1:27Psalm 8:3-51 Corinthians 12:3-7

Reflections about the Christian JourneyA SERIES OF 3 SERMONS by Pastor Rebecca Dolch

As we continue to discern the next step of our purpose and ministry at Forest Home Chapel, we look to claim aspiritual/theological context for our new life together. For this journey, I began by examining three categories of the teachings ofJesus as expanded in the Phoenix Affirmations. These Affirmations speak to us as people who are joyfully and unapologeticallyChristian, as we pledge ourselves completely to the three distinct faces of Love: Loving God, Neighbor, and Self. The Phoenix Affirmations were published in 2006 and written by the Rev. Eric Elnes and a group of laypersons, clergy, the-ologians and Bible scholars from the United Church of Christ (UCC) and other progressive Christian circles, including UnitedMethodists. The Affirmations are not a creed or doctrine, but statements which affirm the broader, more inclusive expression ofChristianity which we embrace here at the Chapel. Christianity is a major world religion, but there are so many perspectives and interpretations of how the Christian pathworks. In our own culture, the media have given the fundamentalist voice the key perspective in the political scene. What I havediscerned from our 6 months together here at the Chapel is that our perspective is not fundamentalist. So what is it? I cannotspeak for everybody here, but the Phoenix Affirmations ring true both with me and for those of you who relate to the perspectivecalled Progressive Christianity. Accompanied by the relevent scriptures, the key feature of each of these Affirmations – written inPhoenix Arizona – is Love. How does Love show up in the divine human relationship? RD

Newsletter of Forest Home Chapel, Easter 2012, p 4

6: Standing, as Jesus does, with the outcast and oppressed, the denigrated and afflicted,seeking peace and justice with or without the support of others.

7: Preserving religious freedom and the Church's ability to speak prophetically to govern-ment by resisting the commingling of Church and State.

8: Walking humbly with God, acknowledging our own shortcomings while honestlyseeking to understand and call forth the best in others, including those who consider ustheir enemies.

CHRISTIAN LOVE OF OURSELVES INCLUDES: 9: Basing our lives on the faith that, in Christ, all things are made new, and that we andall people, are loved beyond our wildest imagination — for eternity.

10: Claiming the sacredness of both our minds and our hearts, recognizing that faith andscience, doubt and belief serve the pursuit of truth.

11: Caring for our bodies, and insisting on taking time to enjoy the benefits of prayer,reflection, worship and recreation in addition to work.

12: Acting on the faith that we are born with a meaning and purpose; a vocation andministry that serves to strengthen and extend God's realm of love.

Words from Rebecca I am grateful for the thoughtful work of Eric Elnes and the others who wrote these Affirmations.For many Christians they are very challenging, even contrary to their interpretations of the gospel.I believe that the work of a congregation is founded in the theological principles it believes – eitherconsciously or unconsciously – which is why we spent three Sundays going through the Affirma-tions and overtly stating some of our core beliefs. This is important as we design our future min-istries together. I am convinced the following are true:

• The Church is a vehicle for encountering God together; for learning the path of Christand living it to the best of our abilities.• The Path of Christ is about engaging our minds as well as our hearts in understandinghow the world works and how we are called to live in it together. • The scriptures must be interpreted using tools that engage scholarly understandings ofancient language, history, literature, archeology and culture as well as theology. • Christianity is not meant to be a vehicle for political posturing and manipulation, basedon narrow interpretations of Biblical texts that were written to address social norms over2,000 years ago. • The spirit of Christianity is not about an exclusive ticket to heaven stamped with“Christians only.” • The path of Christianity honors science. • It is about taking care of our health, our souls and the health of our planet.• It is about helping those who have needs, and are entangled in the webs of poverty andoppression. • It supports covenant relationships between people of all orientations. • Clearly a huge role in a church is to care for the people who are here. One of the beautiesof a small congregation is that we can respond to each other’s needs. Equally important isdiscerning how we extend our care and concern and resources into the world.

The Path of Christ is a big stretch. It costs money, time, ego and comfort. But here is the thing: ithelps all of us live from our highest, deepest, most authentic, most connected place. And that is thegood news of the Gospel!

Micah 6:8Luke 12:48

Luke 20:251 Peter 2:17

Luke 18;9-14; 6:27-29Galatians 5:22-23John 15:18-19

Psalm 22:27-29 Psalm 23:4-6; 139:7-12John 3:16-17Romans 14:7-11 Philippians 1:20-26

Proverbs 1:20-221 Corinthians 3:18-19 1 Corinthians 14:15

Exodus 5:4-81 Corinthians 6:191 Thessalonians 5:16-19

Jeremiah 1:5Luke 5:15-16Romans 12:4-81 Corinthians 12:4-31

Newsletter of Forest Home Chapel, Spring 2009, p 5

Mission NewsTHE ANNUAL FEINSTEIN MILLION DOLLAR CHALLENGE is underway atthe Ithaca Kitchen Cupboard. Any food items or dollars contributed during themonths of March and April will increase the Cupboard’s share of the million dol-lars. Please check the KC cards on the hallway table or the Chapel website for sug-gestions of needed items. Note: since food items are counted as $1 each, it pays tosearch out good values under $1 to stretch your donation even farther (ie, look forcanned vegetables or soups at 2 or 3 for $1). Upcoming Kitchen Cupboard Sun-days are scheduled for March 11, April 8 (Easter) and May 8.

Many of our customers appreciated the offer of the Caroline Food Pantry Cook-book. We gave out the first 50 (which we bought at $3 apiece, from the CarolinePantry authors) and we were well into the second 50 as of early December, 2011.They can be purchased by the general public for $5 from Pat Brhel. If you see a pileof the cookbooks when you are at the Cupboard, be sure to offer them (FREE!) toour clients.The Kitchen Cupboard had some wonderful financial contributors this Fall andwe are very grateful for all of this support at a time when we are steadily usingour savings to keep the Cupboard well-stocked. Our records show:• The ACT Thanksgiving Service at the First Presbyterian Church collection ofover $500; • Customers of the Ithaca Alternative Gift Fair who gave over $2,000; • Kendal’s Thanksgiving collection (split between the Cupboard and Loaves andFishes) gave us almost $10,000. • The Ithaca CROP Walk raised close to $12,000, of which almost a quarter will bereturned to the Cupboard (as a project of ACT, the sponsor of the Ithaca CROPWalk). Chapel members gave $930 which was 10% of the total.

THANKS and thanks again to the hardworking KC volunteers from the Chapel in2011: Lorna Herdt, Carol Hockett, Ed Oyer, Susan Spear, Margaret Robertshawand Gail Walker. Volunteers are always welcome.

The FIFTH SUNDAY FOR MISSION collection on April 29 will be dedicated to the KC in view ofthe Feinstein Challenge. A collection for mission(recipients vary throughout the year) takes placeevery time a fifth Sunday occurs in a month.Any money in the collection plate which is notdesignated will otherwise go toward the selectedmission that Sunday.

We will celebrate MOTHERS’ DAY (May 13)with a special monetary collection for BLANKETSUNDAY through Church World Service. Youcan honor your mother or other favorite nurtur-ing person with the donation of money for ablanket. CWS purchases sturdy wool blankets for$5 which are distributed throughout the world inmany disaster or refugee situations (seewww.churchworldservice.org).

Please speak to Debbie Novelli – 539-6628 or<cnocwlli@baka.com> – to volunteer at the Cupboardor send a card to your honoree/s:

Joan Barber has volunteered with the Cupboard since it opened in 1969, of-ficially as treasurer but also doing much of the ordering, buying, stocking,and organizing over the years. Many people help with these tasks now, asJoan spends time refurbishing her home after last year’s tornado.

Debbie played the kindly shepherd with Owen and Sarah George during our wildlypopular Christmas Pageant, 2011.

Newsletter of Forest Home Chapel, February 2008, p 6

#7/8 in the Series: “How We Met” Wendy Millroy & Mark Constas

I CAME TO CORNELL in 1986 from Cape Town, South Africa to begingraduate studies in Mathematics Education. I was assigned a deskin an unappealing, cramped room with three other PhD studentswhere I was greeted with a dead plant hanging from a macraméholder in the corner and a bundle of men’s neckties on a nail in thewall. An old toaster oven stood on a battered filing cabinet and anhibachi was outside on the fire escape!

I soon met Mark Constas,owner of the oven, hi-bachi, ties and plant,who was also a hard-working grad stu-dent with a greatsmile who occu-pied a corner desk.He also spentquite a bit of timemaking food inthe toaster oven

and grilling hislunch through the open window!

Little did I know then that 25 years later, we wouldbe back living in Ithaca after many home moves, with three daugh-ters, and a grill which we love to use on our front porch. We were married in December 1989 in Massachusetts, in theGreek Orthodox Church which Mark had attended with his familyfor many years. The service was beautiful and quite different fromthe Anglican wedding services with which I had grown up. A fewweeks later, we had another, less formal wedding celebration withmy family and friends in Cape Town. We were so fortunate to havethem to help us celebrate – and I was able to wear my weddingdress twice! During the next seventeen years we moved many times, livingin Greeley, Colorado; Cape Town; Hong Kong; and Warrenton, Vir-ginia where Mark worked first as an academic, then for the federalgovernment. We finally came, full circle, back to Ithaca as an aca-demic, where Mark is now in the Dept of Applied Economics andManagement. During that time, I homeschooled our daughters forsix years and tutored many young math students. For the pastthree years I have done program evaluation work at Cornell. Two of our daughters have gone off to college – Alexandra is ajunior at Hampshire College, majoring in theater; and Katharine isa freshman at Mt Holyoke, where she is exploring her loves of sci-ence, Spanish and Chinese. Our youngest daughter, Christina, is asophomore at Ithaca High School where her favorite activities aresoccer and skiing! We are very happy to have found our new church home at For-est Home Chapel and thank everyone for the warm welcome wehave received here. Wendy Millroy

Kristen Rupert & John Foote

KRISTEN AND I MET in the spring of1971 during our freshman year at Cornell. Asan engineering student in the 70’s, I saw veryfew women on the Engineering Quad; also, mydorm was men-only. So my social life was lessthan active. A friend of mine took pity. He of-fered to arrange a double date and, best of all,to bring a date for me. We agreed to meet infront of the flagpole at the bottom of Libe Slopeand that’s when I met Kristen. One small prob-lem: she was my friend’s date, not mine. Thefour of us enjoyed ourselves, but…. As our Cornell undergrad and alumni years

continued, we were part of the same big crowdof friends, with paths crossing only every fewyears. The opportunity never presented itselffor me to ask Kristen out. In fact it took 25years before I worked up the courage. In 1996we re-connected and in 1999 we were marriedon a beautiful November afternoon in an oldBaptist church near Friendship, Maine. As we like to say, getting married was the

best thing we’ve ever done. However, we arequick to add that buying our home in ForestHome, next to the Chapel, was our secondmost inspired decision. We love being part ofthis special community. Kristen and John live – once a month – in the beautifullyrenovated yellowish house on the neighborhood’s busiestcorner. In the interim weeks, Kristen is the Executive Di-rector of the AIM International Business Council, a pro-gram of Associated Industries of Massachusetts, and amember of the Advisory Council of the Cornell Planta-tions. John is a Senior Fellow of the Taubman Center forState and Local Government at the Harvard KennedySchool, a Visiting Lecturer in the Dept of City and Re-gional Planning at Cornell, and a member of the Admin.Board of theCornell Lab ofOrnithology.John, a formerBig Red cheer-leader, adds – incase no one hasnoticed – “weboth bleed car-nelian!”

John Foote

WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH OUR PARSONAGE?

This question was given to the Parsonage Visioning Task Force, convened by Rebecca Dolch last fall when Mary Lou Kish an-nounced that she would be moving to Maryland on March 1, via the “Gentle-Ride Van.” Mary Lou lived in the neighboring par-sonage for 22 years while her husband, the Rev. Steve Kish was pastor of the chapel. He died 17 years ago. Since no other pastorneeded the parsonage in the ensuing years, Mary Lou and her family stayed on and played an important role in maintaining thehouse, watching over the church, getting the mail for the church every day, and performing many other tasks. We are so gratefulfor all she has done.

Our Task Force has already met four times: December 11, January 2, January 20, and February 26. Team members – BillTomek, Sally Grubb, Lee Bailey, Sarah George, Janet Snoyer, Barb Chambers, David Robertshaw, and Rebecca Dolch –began with identifying tasks and asking questions, including the following:

TASKS• Careful research of details, gathering of information and ideas, led by the Task Force• Information and feedback from the Church Council and the Trustees• Presentation of information and ideas to the congregation• Gathering of more ideas and questions from the congregation• Communicating our research and visions in worship, newsletter, and website

1 We seek your input and that of our extended com-munity at any time during this process. Please JOIN

US ON MARCH 18 for a tour and coffee hour in theparsonage after church.

The Task Force has developed two information sheets to be handed out on the 18th. One will detail operat-ing costs, a list of what must be done if the building isused as anything other than a residence, and ideasabout managing the parsonage if we decide to rent itout. Note: we are not yet considering selling thehouse or tearing it down for a multitude of reasons.A second sheet will detail possible Rental and/or Pro-gram Options that have been discussed.

2 You are also invited to join us after the service onApril 22, 11:30-2pm, for an All–Church Visioning Re-treat. After a simple lunch, we will move through a se-ries of exercises to help us integrate the values and highlights of our past with the hopes and values for our future. Ourgoal for this retreat is to clarify our purpose and guiding principles for this era of our life as a congregation.

3 Based on accumulated comments, the Task Force will work toward concensusabout the future of the parsonage, prepare a proposal for the Church Council, lead an all-church information/input meeting, and make plans for the coming year.

Please continue to pray for our progress. The future of the parsonage has already been a motivational force for coming together anddiscerning what God is calling us to be and do as a community of faith at Forest Home Chapel. Thanks to everyone for your greatwork thus far!

Blessings, Rebecca Dolch, Pastor

Q How do you “know” whenyou are being guided?A A sense of both excitement andmanageability, vision and practi-cality all need to be present.

Newsletter of Forest Home Chapel, Advent 2011, p 7

CHAPEL HISTORY: from “The Beginning”

FOREST HOME WAS ONE OF THE FIRST commercial areas in TompkinsCounty, due chiefly to an ample supply of water power generated byFall Creek which ran fulling, grist, furniture, woolen, cider and powdermills, many other small industries, and a telescope-gun factory whichwas the forerunner of the Ithaca Gun Company.

With the introduction of steam power in the 1830s and electricalpower in the 1840s, waterpower was no longer necessary, and area busi-nesses began to either fail or move on. A residence boom just prior toWWI brought in several Cornell families, and by 1965, there were over 70 homes and one office building here. Today,the area is home to Greek Revival houses from the mill era interspersed with a variety of Victorian and later styles.

A small Sunday School was launched by Cornell students in 1884, leading to the founding of the Forest HomeChristian Association in 1890. Intermittant evening worship services were held in the old one-room school house,using an organ, a few old chairs, a wood burning stove and a teacher’s desk, though apparently, worshippers werelocked out twice by a disaproving school trustee! A new school, now the headquarters of the Cornell Plantations, wasbuilt in 1918, but by then a new Chapel had also been built.

For, encouraged by the pastor of the Ithaca Presbyte-rian Church, the community had begun designing itsown building in 1914. The Chapel affiliated with theMethodist Church, and while this has been rewarding inmany ways, Chapel congregations were unique and ecu-menical from the very first. Pastor Alfred Coman wrotein 1965 that “though Methodists, Presbyterians andFriends had most to do with the founding, there was aunique and precious blend of faiths and denominations,and absence of credal statements and dogmatism. Bap-tists, Congregationalists, Christian Scientists, Episco-palians, Hebrews, Lutherans, Roman Catholics andUnitarians have had a notable part in Forest HomeChapel.” Since then, there have been others includingMennonites.

The first subscription lists read “The First Methodist Episcopal Church of Forest Home has purchased the Mid-daugh property for $3600 and an adjacent lot for $700. The Board of Home Missions and Church Extension hasgranted a donation of $500 for this building fund.” One hundred and ten families pledged $3500. The building wasbuilt in 15 months, costing just over $6000, and the mortgage was paid in only 15 years. The Chapel is incorporated,and its Trustees hold memorial funds in trust.

Dedicated on December 5, 1915, the Chapel celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 1965, prompting publication of thebooklet which is the major source for these notes. Trustees at that time were names which were familiar to many of usin 1996: Richard Cotton, John Swan, John Hertel, Ward Miller, A.W. Gibson, and Art Masterman. An original photo-graph in the booklet showed the Chapel looking very similar to the way it did in 1996. We now look forward to 100years!! Note: read more Chapel history with the imminent launching of our new 2012 website.

1915-1965: Background and Development of Forest Home Chapel was prepared by the Committee for the Fiftieth Anniver-sary, December 5, 1965, relying heavily on memories and a little book of local history by Albert Force. Text was excerpted and usedin a small handbook prepared by Elizabeth Mount for the arrival in 1996 of Pastor Roger Smith.

Settlers first came to this area in 1794.The community grew slowly, and by 1827there were still only 4 homes. Knownoriginally as Free or Flea Hollow, the com-munity became Forest Home when a postoffice, established here in the late 1800s,needed “a more acceptable name.”

work party, 1931

Newsletter of Forest Home Chapel, Advent 2011, p 8

Newsletter of Forest Home Chapel, Advent 2011, p 9

Hosting the Forest Home Chapel Fellowship Hour is such an entertaining way to help!

BRING YOUR CHOICE OF FRUIT/CHEESE/CRACKERS/SWEETS, enough to feed 30-35 people during Fel-lowship Hour. Try to include some healthy choices as well as your favorite sweets. Keep things man-ageable, affordable, and enjoyable for you. Note: coffee will already be prepared and turned onbefore the service. A more comprehensive version of these tips will be posted in the kitchen.

1 Feel free to decorate your tables with linens and silk flowers available downstairs; or bring your own.2 Put out cups and saucers, spoons. tea choices, sugar and sweetener, creamer and or half/half, plus plates and bowls as needed, silver and utensils, napkins and drink cups on the long tables. Use china or disposable dishes as desired. All these things, except for the half/half, are available in cupboards and drawers.3 Put out non-refrigerated food before worship service (hint: cover with a cloth napkin). 4 Many hosts leave the worship service during the last hymn, for last minute preparations.5. Other members of the congregation often pitch in with the washing up, but you’re responsible for making sure the job gets finished. 6. Take good care of recycling/trash (see notes on cans). Then take a last look around and leave the fellowship room as clean and neat as you found it. Thanks for hosting! Sue Cotton & family at

her birthday coffee hour

SMALL JOBS for StartersOVER THE YEARS and with the passage of many ministers, the con-stant at Forest Home Chapel has been the congregation – keeping thebudget, the structure, the music and the spirit alive with no staff andminimal committee meetings. It’s the kind of blessing that doesn’t getinto annual reports and is known only to a small but loyal community. There continue to be ongoing Small Jobs that need doing, are easyand help us ALL feel part of the Chapel’s ongoing health. For starters:

– be here on Sundays– sign up to read scripture– or to bring your choice of fruit/cheese/crackers or sweets tofeed 30-35 at coffee hour; coffee will have been prepared (seebelow)– pass a collection plate – it’s quick and NO signup required!– slip some “gently used” children’s books into the Bright Redcrate in the hall– take the books to the Family Reading Partnership office inDanby once every three or four months– be part of our next book discussion of Asphalt Jesus by EricElnes, March 25, after Fellowship Hour– help in the garden (it’s therapeutic!): deadhead plants, pullweeds, shift stones, from April to October – contribute financially– WATCH FOR OUR NEW, Up-to Date, Comprehensive and Ex-tremely Useful Website: www.foresthomechapelumc.org

Did you know the Chapel has a special T&Lbookshelf? It’s downstairs by the outside Exitwhere you can borrow any of the LenderBooks you’d like to read. All you need is toleave any of your own book/s that are goodenough to share. Do it now or when you re-turn the ones you’ve just read, to ensure thereare always good books on the shelf. Here aresome highly recommended titles alreadythere:

• The House on Dream Street by Diana Sachs• The Help by Katherine Stockett• Beyond Belief by Elaine Pagels• The Spirit Catches You and You All Fall Down by Anne Fadiman• Piano Lessons by Noah Adams• The Heart of a Woman by Maya Angelou

Just below this shelf are photo albums of pastChapel events featuring many of us in our“Younger” Years!

Take & LeaveLENDINGLENDINGBOOKSHELFBOOKSHELF

Newsletter of Forest Home Chapel, Advemt 2011, p 10

Contact <geospear@citlink.net> to change your entry in this mailing list.If you’d rather receive your newsletter digitally, please submit your email address.

Forest Home Chapel222 Forest Home Dr

Ithaca, New York14850

Watch for the Imminent Launching of our All-New & Improved Website!

www.foresthomechapelumc.org

AFRICA UNIVERSITY, ZIMBABWE, celebrated 20years in February, growing from 40 studentsto its present 1634 (half of whom are wo-men) which represent 23 African countries.“Often referred to as ‘the ultimate empower-ment story,’ AU is the result of the vision,tenacity and commitment of the UnitedMethodist Church. The gifts that have builtit have come from individuals plus local

churches, districts, and Annual Conferences.” We are proud to havemet our 3 year goal of raising $1000 toward building the $1 millionscholarship endowment fund. UMC has set high standards, mandating AU to train its students tobe leaders in their home communities; passing on their knowledge tothe next generation through church, government, business and civil so-cieties; serving as pastors in rural, urban and conflict-affected commu-nities; serving as lecturers and administrators of schools, seminariesand universities; offering hands-on help that enhances the quality oflife and empowerment of the disadvantaged; and working to preventthe spread of disease and improve the delivery of health services. Susan Spear writes that “while at the Upper New York 2011 Annual Con-ference this spring, I had the most wonderful opportunity to hear the AU Choirperform several times. As I sat rapt, less than 10 feet from the musically jubi-lant performers, I could see passion and joy for their message reflected in theirfaces. I realized I was seeing the future leaders of African nations, and it gaveme great hope for the future of Africa.”

INDEX1 Socks 2 Calendar the Patriarchʼs Prayer Trustees Report3,4 Phoenix Affirmations5 Missions Report6 #7/8, “How We Met” 7 What Shall We Do about the Parsonage?8 Chapel History: from “The Beginning”9 Chapel Opportunities Lending Bookshelf Small Jobs “for Starters” Guide to Fellowship Hour10 Africa University

F.R.O.G.

Fully Reliant on God