THE OPEN DOOR - Clover Sitesstorage.cloversites.com/.../documents/OpenDoorJun2012.pdf · private...
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THE OPEN DOOR
The Briarcliff Congregational Church 30 South State Road, PO Box 290, Briarcliff Manor, New York 10510
914-941-4368 www.briarcliffchurch.org
“Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.” Revelation 3:8
Volume 64 Number 9 June 2012
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Choir Recognition Sunday 2
Moderator’s Report 2
Benevolence News 2
Buildings & Grounds 3
Women’s Society News 4
Celebrations 5
Prayers 6
BCC Talent Show! 6
June Calendar 7
Dear Good People of Briarcliff Church,
It is hard to believe that I have been with you for almost two months already! The time is
flying by. I am hoping that Pastor Bonnie is not feeling the time passing as quickly as I am!
There is a reason that this publication is called “The Open Door”. Not only have you made
me feel welcome and a part of the BCC community, but you have shown how it is possible
for a church to come together and worship in amazing ways. From my first Sunday when the
Youth talked about being the proof of Jesus’ presence among us, to last Sunday when the Lay
Leaders of our church brought the presence of God’s Spirit so palpably into our open doors,
worship and all the time in-between have been filled with doing God’s work to ensure that
the doors remain open.
The work of each of the Boards and Committees has had a singular focus – keeping BCC’s
doors open and welcoming. Not just through financial stewardship, but through ensuring
that the church continues to prosper spiritually. The inclusion of our Open and Affirming
Statement in our bulletin sends a strong signal that our doors are open and welcoming of
everyone. Our busy Sunday School, including the children learning what it means to go
beyond our doors to help others who are in need, raised almost one thousand dollars for the
Heifer Project, and were able to tell us about what it means to support this during the
Children’s Message. So, not only were they having fun with making the crafts that they sold,
they understood the importance of what they were contributing to!
I hope that you will make a special effort to join us on Sunday, June 17. We will give thanks
for our fathers, and we will be doing a hymn sing (be thinking about what favorite hymn you
would like us to sing…we will be including “special requests”), honoring our Senior Choir
for their hard work and glorious voices, and we will be enjoying some ice cream and time
together! So, before you go off to your Father’s Day brunch or get ready for the family
barbeque, or just plan to take some time to remember your father, or someone who was like a
father to you, come and join us for the sweet Spirit that will fill our church and the sweets
that will touch your sweet tooth afterwards in Beebe Hall!
Even though summer is before us and there is no Sunday School and the choir is on break,
BCC’s doors will continue to be open and God’s Spirit will continue to dwell with us. So,
come on by and spend some time in reflection and sharing of God’s Word and God’s love for
us. I wish you each a blessed and restful Summer…and remember that even Jesus took time
to rest!
Shalom,
Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs, Sabbatical Pastor
SAVE THESE DATES
JUNE
4 Annual Meeting
10 Church School Sunday
14 Women’s Society Lunch
17 Choir Recognition
Sunday
Contact Us At:
jacobs@
briarcliffchurch.org
AND
church-office
@briarcliffchurch.org
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JUNE 17TH IS CHOIR
RECOGNITION SUNDAY.
WE WILL CELEBRATE FIMI
AND THE CHOIR WITH A HYMN SING
DURING WORSHIP FOLLOWED
BY AN OLD FASHIONED ICE
CREAM SOCIAL! THIS WILL BE
A GRAND TIME FOR ALL! BE THERE!
Yes, Virginia, there is Church in Summer.
It’s a sure bet that the Almighty does not take a
summer vacation, and neither does BCC! Our
summer Sunday services (which continue to
start at 10 a.m.) are often shorter and more
informal than those during the rest of the year,
but they are no less fulfilling. Pastor Martha
will be preaching all summer, and Fimi
frequently surprises us with special music and
guest artists. And there is really nothing quite
as pleasant as spending a few minutes on the
Church lawn after worship with lemonade,
cookies and good friends. We hope you will
take an hour from your busy summer schedule
to join us.
The Board of Deacons
MODERATOR’S REPORT
Well, Rummage is over and we’re swinging into
the closing months of the program year. June is
always a busy month but let me encourage you
to include attendance at our Annual Meeting at
8 p.m. on Monday, June 4 on your schedule.
This is when we elect our boards and
committees for the coming year and it’s an
opportunity to look back at the past year and
anticipate the opportunities and challenges of
2012 – 2013. This year we will also discuss a
recommendation on how to manage the
situation when a board/committee member is
not participating in the work of the group. In
addition, there is always time for questions and
comments on other topics of concern.
I sometimes wonder if we really appreciate how
fortunate we are to belong to a Church which
encourages us to run our own affairs and to
question and even disagree, (politely, of course.)
It takes time and commitment but it’s one of the
strengths of our Congregational tradition. Keep
the tradition alive – come to the Annual
Meeting.
MIDNIGHT RUN UPDATE
Wonderful news! BCC had a record number of
participants at the May Midnight Run and
everyone reported a very positive experience.
Returning volunteers Brian Braden and Rosalie
Matsuoka joined our newcomers Mike
Cerniglia, Kris Kane and their 7 year old
daughter Kali, and Anna Papayanis. They
helped make the sandwiches, loaded them into
cars and then several of them drove into New
York City to distribute the food and clothing to
those who desperately need them. BCC also
provided bags of men's clothing "rescued" from
the Rummage Sale, toiletries collected in the
Benevolence bin and the bread needed for over
200 sandwiches. Thank you to all who helped
and we hope others will consider joining in this
satisfying and rewarding outreach in the future.
Stay tuned for upcoming dates!
BENEVOLENCE CORNER
In our final article, Benevolence wishes to
highlight Phelps Hospice. Our support of this
compassionate organization ties in with the
Bereavement Workshops offered as part of the
BCC Lenten Series.
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Phelps Hospice was founded in 1983 by Dr. Bruce
Heckman. Its goal is to provide quality,
compassionate palliative care for terminally ill
patients and their families, to meet the unique
physical, emotional and spiritual needs of each
patient and family, and to provide patients with
the opportunity to have control over their lives
and remain at home surrounded by their loved
ones. Phelps Hospice uses an interdisciplinary
team approach to make sure that all the physical
and emotional needs of their patients and
families are met. There are nurses, social
workers, home health aides, hospital chaplain,
dietician, bereavement counselor, medical
director and multiple volunteers who are
committed to each family and all coordinate
their efforts to make sure that the difficult final
days are managed with respect and compassion.
The challenge of facing the myriad issues
associated with terminal illness is lessened by
the expertise and care provided by each of these
team members. Phelps Hospice services are
covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most
private insurance plans. A hospice nurse is on
call 24/7 and other hospice staff members also
act as consultants, guides and compassionate
listeners. Therapeutic programs may be
developed for the comfort of the patient, such as
massage, art, music, reflexology and even pet
therapy. Bereavement support is also offered to
families as they cope with the loss of their loved
one.
Certainly, dealing with end-of-life issues is one
of the most difficult and painful experiences for
any family to face. Knowing that you are not
alone and have knowledgeable and
compassionate shoulders to help share the
burden is the greatest gift that Phelps Hospice
provides. If you wish to know more about Phelps
Hospice and its services or are interested in being
a volunteer, please contact Phelps Memorial
Hospital - Hospice Office @ (914) 366-3325.
Benevolence Corner Feedback Wanted
Did you find these monthly highlights
interesting? Helpful? Boring? We hoped that
each article on a featured organization would
enhance your understanding of our Benevolence
outreach and the groups we have chosen to
support. Please let us know if you enjoyed the
Benevolence Corner or if you would prefer a
different approach. Thanks and have a great
summer!
The Benevolence Committee:
Martha Yergeau, Chair
Maria Fluturas, Kathleen Pedowitz,
Nancy Panagacos, Stephanie Prentiss
Bruce Wilson, Penny Wolf
BUILDINGS & GROUNDS REPORT
At the top of my report for this month is
remembering the happiness I felt having so
many volunteers (sixteen) come to help for the
church cleanup on April 21 - not the best of
mornings but certainly better than
later in the day. We raked and
weeded, moved mulch, trimmed the
boxwood in the columbarium and rhodies under
the office, and dug dandelions. Several trips
were made to pick up mulch which makes such
a improvement in looks, and happiness for the
plantings! Inside work included painting
window trim in the upstairs Sunday School
rooms and cleaning in the Parish House kitchen.
THANK YOU ALL!
Another great moment came when I
saw the beautiful Stewartia tree in
place, in front of the Parish House.
Many thanks to Barbara Brewster who gave this
special tree in loving memory of her daughter,
Susan Brewster Eisenmann. It replaces the
Brewster red maple which she also gave to the
church many years ago. And if that were not
enough of a gift, thanks to Keith Austin, we
were also the recipient of courtesy pickup of the
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tree from Prospero’s Nursery AND planting - all
by Tom Williamson of Tom Williamson
Landscaping! Many garden centers would have
charged us the cost of the tree for delivery and
planting. We certainly are grateful for the gifts
of both Tom and Barbara. It will be fun to watch
this tree through the seasons, big white flowers,
beautiful fall color and as it matures it has very
interesting peeling bark which gives it great
winter interest. Nearby, we had the lawn
reseeded - more string for awhile.
Rummage week seemed to fly by; this year
Yasna brought along her cousin to help in all of
the setting up, emptying baskets and extra
cleaning and supplies. We are proud that we
recycled over a dozen bags of unusable clothing
and shoes - taken to the pickup near Stop and
Shop, and not going into the dumpster. Good
Will became Ill Will when they led us on and in
the end never returned for the final load which
was schlepped from stage to kitchen to back
step, covered with tarps and finally little by little
into our dumpster. Behind the scenes of
rummage week is another week of work for
Buildings and Grounds! Many thanks to our
tenant, The Garden House School, who
graciously worked with us and took the lead in
moving of their rooms and all the toys that
youngsters use; a big job for all.
Another joy came when the Women’s Society
voted to pay for the replacement of the
carpeting in the Vicario Flower Room. How nice
it will be to have scrubbable vinyl flooring!
DAVE GASPARIK has been busy building
bulletin boards for the Parish House. He also
rebuilt and installed the doors for the Career
Closet space, and worked on the church sound
system with MIKE AIELLO to enable the
Sunday service to be heard downstairs in the
nursery.
DAVE PECOR has begun working
outside on the cleaning, scraping,
sanding and painting of the trim around the
exterior and stained glass windows. He said we
will be seeing his ladders and scaffolding in use
for two to three weeks; we are hoping for sunny
weather for this big job, made possible in part
by the Christmas offering.
And so we celebrate ten years of working on the
grounds of BCC and eight years as chairmen of
Buildings and Grounds. It all started because
John looked at the area around the parking lot
our first Sunday and thought it would be a great
place for some ferns! We have learned SO much
in this job, especially about the workings of our
buildings. And it has been invigorating to work
with some wonderful craftsman in taking care of
these buildings, and getting to know the people
using the buildings. God is good! And so is our
committee: Keith Austin, Stu Bush, the Daves:
Dykstra, Gasparik, Pecor, and Mark & Sherri
Gausepohl.
Carol and John Mickel
BCC WOMEN’S SOCIETY NEWS
Everybody always wants to know how we did
with the annual rummage sale and I’m pleased
to report we did very well indeed. We helped
people clean out their closets and basements.
We contributed to the green movement by
“recycling” a ton of stuff to new homes. We
made new friends not only within the church,
but also in the wider community who flocked to
our church in search of bargains. Spirits were
high and good fellowship abounded. Yes, it was
a success. Oh, you wanted to know about the
money? On the 100th anniversary of the
rummage sale, a new record in BCC Women’s
Society fund raising was set—after deducting
for expenses, a bit over $25,000 was made. Forty
per cent of this will go to the Trustees for the
general budget and the rest will be used for
Women’s Society benevolence, projects and
expenses. The recent renovation of the Eastman
Room is an example of one of our projects.
Thanks go to Penny Wolf and her co-chairs
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Carol Mickel and Helen Buerger for their
amazing work in coordinating the rummage
sale. We want to thank Mel Corbett too for his
skill in composing rummage anthems and for
his space planning abilities. Our thanks go out
too to all the good people—members of the
church and friends of the church – who
contributed so much work and time to this
effort.
Having recovered from rummage, thirteen
ladies went on a field trip to the Cathedral of St.
John the Divine in New York City and enjoyed a
leisurely lunch at LeMonde afterwards. On June
14, we’ll gather for our annual June luncheon,
this year at the home of Janet Davis, 74 Furnace
Woods Rd, Cortlandt Manor, NY. The luncheon
begins at 11:30. Please call Carol Mickel (944-
9160) to talk about what you would like to
contribute to the table. Also, if you need a ride,
contact Janet Moulton (769-1102) who is
arranging car pools. Everyone is welcome. This
is always a very pleasant afternoon.
As our year draws to an end, I am pleased to
announce that Penny Wolf will be the new
President of the Women’s Society. We know that
she will do a wonderful job, bringing her special
touch of spirituality and good humor to our
gatherings. Enjoy your summer and we’ll see
you again at our September meeting.
CONGRATULATIONS
GRADS!
Melissa Moulton is graduating from Skidmore
College. She has been accepted to and will be
attending New York University School of Nursing
in the September, 2012.
Emily Prentiss will be graduating from Ossining
High School in June will be attending the
University of Rochester in the fall.
Tyler Ferguson has been courted to play football
for Western New England University in
Springfield, Mass next year.
John Ruffing will graduate from Winston
Preparatory School and attend Thames Academy
at Mitchell College in new London, CT.
CELEBRATIONS
The human will, that force unseen,
The offspring of a deathless soul,
Can hew a way to any goal,
Though walls of granite intervene.
James Allen (1864-1912)
Happy June birthdays to our friends:
Myrtle Nichols June 6
Louisa Myers June 15
Bill Sharman June 16
Elly Robinson June 17
RUMMAGE 2013 !!
Mark your calendars:
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Rummage 2012 was
a record breaking success,
earning $27,000!
We are already tweaking Rummage 2013 and
WE NEED YOUR HELP.
We had record-breaking donations, shoppers and
revenues this year. Now, we need record
breaking workers during the week and on
Sale Day!
We work hard, have a tremendous amount of
fun, get to know each other better
and find true treasures (along with some bizarre
trash). Mark your calendars NOW and
COME, BE A PART OF IT.
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During May we have been praying for:
Those who are ill:
Shirley Johnson
Troy Bernardette Ragsdale
Barbara
Anne
Floranne Moulton
Larrie Rockmacher
Robert Baxter
Diane Greenwald
Esther Struck
Christopher Rocco
Bob Kelly
Maida Basil
Dianne Scarcella
Valerie Nelson
Densi Matroney
Solomon Robert
Bill Benzenberg
Everett Waterman
Those recovering from surgery:
Keith Williams
Mary Alenstein
Nancy Gardiner
Fred Colby
Jennifer Lasorsa
Carol Mickel
Those who grieve:
The family of John Glascott, Jr.
The family of Lou Hahn
The family of Jane Franck
Those serving in the military:
Matt Warren
Gerrit Dykstra
Those who are in need:
Gloria Johnson
Our Mother Earth
And for Rev’d Dr. Bonnie Rosborough,
as she travels abroad during her
sabbatical leave.
SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, September 28th
7 p.m.
Beebe Hall
“Get Your Acts Together!”
BCC Talent Show
Traditional, Creative, Original
Singing, Dancing, Instruments,
Spoons, Washboards, Skits,
Comedy, Mime, Storytelling, etc.
If you’re interested in performing,
please contact Fimi at church or
via email at
If you can help with this event,
please call Jane Ozer
at 914-762-7502
Lucky 13! Happy Thirteenth Anniversary to Patrick
Martin and Rachel Hansen on June 5!
BRIARCLIFF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH TEL: 914-941-4368 FAX: 914-941-1513 EMAIL: [email protected]
JUNE 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
2
Keith Orlando
Piano recital,
7 pm
3 WORSHIP
10 am
Trinity Sunday
4
Annual
Meeting, 8 pm
5
6
Rev’d Jacobs in
office, 1 – 7 pm
Deacons,
7:30 pm
7 .
Senior Choir
rehearsal, 8 pm
8
9
10 WORSHIP
10 am
Church School
Sunday
11
12
Benevolence,
8 pm
13
14
Rev’d Jacobs in
office, 9-11 am
Women’s Soc
Luncheon, 11:30 am,
home of Janet Davis
Senior Choir
rehearsal, 8 pm
15
16
17 WORSHIP
10 am
Choir
Recognition
Sunday –
Hymn Sing &
Ice Cream Social
18
19 Rev’d Jacobs in
office, 3-7:30 pm
Trustees,
7:45 pm
20
21
22
23
24 WORSHIP
10 am
25
26
27 Rev’d Jacobs in
office, 10 - 4
28
29
30
Childcare is available during worship. Sunday School meets simultaneously.
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