Musings From The Pastor - Find An RCA Church

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REV. VICKY L. EASTLANDPastor of Congregational LifeRev.Vicky@verizon.net2 BROOKVILLE ROADBROOKVILLE, NY Where our doors are always open!January 2016Musings from the pastorI acknowledge that some of you may think that Iemphasize the multifaith aspect of our campus more thanI do the Christian church, but let me explain to you whythat is the case. Churches are dying at an alarming rate;they have become insular and irrelevant because theyhave been failing to acknowledge or address the fact thatwe have become a global society. Here on Long Island weare neighbors to one of the most diverse areas in not onlythe country but the entire world. Did you know that morelanguages are spoken in Queens than anywhere else onLately I’ve been asking myself these questions:the globe? With diversity comes diverse needs, and How is unity possible in a world so torn with hate, Brookville Church is doing the right thing by addressingthe religious diversity around us and the needs it presents.violence and war? Why are we so afraid of those who are different More and more people are meeting and falling in lovewith people of other faith backgrounds, which leads tofrom us?interfaith families who have a unique set of spiritual Why do we allow fear to dictate our actions instead needs.of learning from the mistakes of the past?As you continue to get to know more and more of the Does humanity never really progress when it comes interfaith families that are on our campus, you will seeto how we treat one another?that our unique context is meeting their needs. Here, theyThese questions grieve my heart and only cause me to have both a Rabbi and a Pastor. Here, they have both arenew my conviction—that to work for peace and church and a synagogue. Where else can they find that?reconciliation among religions is the only right thing to We are meeting needs that no one else is meeting. Notdo. Jesus’ prayer for all believers in the Gospel of John only does that make me proud of how open the membersshows his deep conviction as well, a conviction that all of Brookville Church are, but it should make you proudshould be one; that instead of arguing over theology or too. We are attracting more and more young interfaithother insignificant things, we should be working toward couples who are having interfaith weddings here with ourunity. We are given the difficult challenge of standing clergy and wanting things like multifaith babyup for a message of inclusion that may not be the dedications. These couples are not just Jewish andpopular opinion. That is why I am so proud that at this Christian; they are Jewish and Muslim, they are Muslimyear’s Multifaith Thanksgiving Celebration, just days and Christian.after the terrorist attacks in Paris, we came together and At our multifaith thanksgiving event, the highlight for meread our Holy Scriptures side by side and celebrated the was seeing two young interfaith couples who are bothsymbols of our faith, with the Christian cross, the new parents meet for the first time and develop aMuslim prayer rug and the Jewish ark all together as a friendship.sign of our peace and unity.(Continued on p. 2B)Jesus Prays for All Believers“My prayer is not for them alone.I pray also for those who willbelieve in me through theirmessage, that all of them may beone, so that they may bebrought to complete unity. Thenthe world will know that you sentme and have loved them even asyou have loved me. John 17:20-23

Brookville Church News2BMusings from the pastor Continued from p. 1BJanuary BirthdaysLiz Emmanuel Mauro - 3rdMarcia Stadler - 9thEvan Schombs 14thSharon Emmanuel - 16thDaniel Kolin - 16thMarjorie Toran - 17thLucas Lardouy - 24thDid you know the big Amazon.comhas a charitable heart? Yes, it does.Amazon will donate 0.5% of youreligible purchases toBrookville Church.Here’s how it works: To shop atamazon.com, go to smile.Amazon.com. If youhave an Amazon account, all your informationwill be there (thanks to cookies). If not, you cansimply log in as you normally would. In thesearch box in the lower right, type BrookvilleChurch. From the list that appears, pick ourBrookville, NY location. SELECT. At the top ofthe Amazon page now you will see: Supporting:Brookville Church. Shop as normal, and 0.5%of your eligible purchases will be sent toBrookville Church at the end of every quarter.It’s that simple! Do a good deed and supportour church.Thank you!I watched from a distance as these couples laughed and talkedlong after everyone else had gone home. For couples like theseto find each other, as well as a place that accepted theirinterfaith marriages, is the reason I emphasize the multifaithcampus so much. A Christian single or couple could goanywhere on the island to find a church, but there is only oneplace that interfaith couples can go to find belonging andacceptance and that place is right here.For as long as I have been in ministry, churches have gaugedtheir success on how many people are sitting in the pews onSunday mornings. Maybe that isn’t the way to measure thegrowth of churches any longer. Maybe weekly Sundaymorning worship is no longer what meets the needs of peoplein their busy lives. Maybe we need to look for a differentmeasuring stick. Maybe it is the diversity of the people whoare on our campus that we should be looking at instead. Wedon’t have the official title of Membership for the BrookvilleMultifaith Campus, but maybe we should. The two couples Imentioned earlier both feel that our multifaith campus is wheretheir membership lies, not in just one of the threecongregations that are here. They are committed to coming toshared multifaith events. That is where they find fellowshipand where they develop new friendships with those whounderstand the challenges of raising a family in an interfaithhome.I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: there is no road mapfor where we are going. We are blazing our own trail. So, myencouragement to us is that we stay the course, believe that wecan work toward a more peaceful world and continue what weare becoming known for—a place where our doors and heartsare always open!excerpts from annual pastor’s reportNov. 22, 2015 Rev. VickyThe first of January rolls aroundLike clockwork it appearsI find its timing most profoundAs it brings us each new year Happy New Year by Stanley Cooper

Brookville Church NewsI3BEpiphany Sunday, January 3rdat 10:00 a.m. Worship CelebrationThis festival has been celebrated since the 4th century and the word means “appearance” or“manifestation.” As Christians we regard the Magi’s visit as a symbol that Jesus was born not onlyfor one group of people, but that Jesus is the “light of the world” (John 8:12).We will celebrate Epiphany on January 3rd by sharing in the Sacrament of Holy Communion, andby the ordination of Marjorie Toran as Elder and the installation of Elders Hal Davidson, MarciaStadler and Branch Worsham, and Deacons Valerie Ritacco and Pat Tucker.Learning About Brookville ChurchHave you ever been interested in learningmore about Brookville Church and thedenomination we are affiliated with—theReformed Church in America? In this newyear, Rev. Vicky will be offering a class onthese topics. If you are interested in attendingto learn about membership at BrookvilleChurch and what this Protestantdenomination is all about, then speak withRev. Vicky. Also, watch your email andfuture newsletters for more information.News 12 Emergency ClosingSystems for Brookville ChurchWe have recently registered Brookville Churchwith News 12 Emergency Closing Systems sothat we may more quickly inform ourcongregation of cancellations.To use this service, simply go tohttp://longisland.news12.comand click on the red !Closings/Delays barat the top of the page to see ourclosing status information.This information is also available on Optimumchannel 612, but only subscribers canaccess this channel.Please Note: Our outgoing phonemessage at Brookville Church will alsohave cancellation information.Rev. Justin Meyers is the Director of Educationat the Al Amana Centre inthe Middle East. Thecentre’s mission is toseek deep understandingand peace betweenMuslims and Christians.This work is significantto our church because ofour relationship with theMuslim ReformMovement Organizationwww.mrmo.org whichhas met on our campusfor over a decade. OurPartnership with MRMOin working toward peace,friendship and unityacross religions is linkedwith a global effort that is like-minded. Remember to pray for our Partner in Peaceand Education, Rev. Justin Meyers, his wifeStephanie and their sons, Gavin and Collin asthey promote peace among religions in theMiddle East.

Brookville Church News4BMusic News!The first Sunday of Advent: Our choir sung thebeautiful music for our worship celebration. Thesevolunteers come every Sunday the choir sings. I thankyou from the bottom of my heart for your dedication tothe Brookville Church: Nan Coffey, Jessie Surig,Rachel Worsham (our newest member) LisaDenison, B.J. Worsham and Nancy Worsham.The second Sunday of Advent: We were blessedto have Musica Schmusica sing for us! Thank youFran Kaufmann, Pam Tobel, Nan Coffey, MarkKaufmann, Michael Flanagan, and John Coffey forbringing your amazing talents to our service!The third Sunday of Advent: The youthperformed the play “In A Galilee Far, Far Away.” Wehad so much fun watching our talented kids! Fromthe set (yes! Carol really did wrap fellowship hall inaluminum foil!), to the costumes (robots, astronauts,shepherds and hippies—even Abraham Lincoln!), tothe wonderful acting and dancing, the kids fromBrookville Church and the Interfaith Communityhad the audience completely entertained. We are soblessed to haveso much talent!Thank you to TheA M A Z I N Gactors: JacobApat, JosephApat, GabeCirker, LeahCirker, Maddy Cirker, Daniel Mankes, CharlieMankes, Alaina Pinto, Cara Schombs, EvanSchombs, Hailey Schombs, Ian Schombs (assistantDirector) Jasper Weinberger, Sam Weinberger, Branch (J.J.)Worsham and Rachel Worsham.Thank you to the parents who helped in every way tomake this play happen, and who hosted the greatestparty afterwards!

Brookville Church News5BMusic News - continuedThe fourth Sunday of Advent: The adult choir performed the wonderful cantata, “One Silent Night.” It was soexciting to hear 17 choir members sing songs spanning a broad spectrum of music, from ballad to contemporaryrhythmic. This year’s cantata was especially historic because we had 2 talented musicians who joined with Carolto form a piano, bass and percussion trio. It was also historic because for the first time a member of theInterfaith Community (IFC) joined our choir. We had such a good time preparing and performing this cantata.Thank you: Sopranos: Mary Apat, Diane Beardslee, Lisa Denison, Fran Kaufmann, Antonia Petrash, NancyWorsham. Altos: Nan Coffey, Catherine Procacini, Jessie Surig, Pam Tobel, Joan Vivian, Rachel Worsham.Tenors: Hal Davidson, Michael Flanagan, B.J. Worsham. Basses: John Coffey, Mark Kaufmann. Bass Guitar:Dean Mihaltses. Percussion: Roy WeinbergerAnd thank you to all who hosted a beautiful coffee hour afterward!Happy New Year Everyone!I’m looking forward tosharing another year of musicwith you!Minister of Music,Carol GogliaCgoglia@aol.comWilliam Hunt participating in AdventThank you Janîce Leottiand Rigo Melera!The amount of work you both do tohelp me get through these huge eventsis staggering. You are both workingbehind the scenes, but you are stars tome! Thank you!Carol Goglia, Minister of Music

ReflectionsReflections“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. It comes to us atmidnight very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives and it puts itselfin our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.” JOHN WAYNE’S TOMBSTONE About a year ago my wife, Nancy, told me about the shelf of large print books in the Library. It was a revelation to seeso many interesting books that I could read without glasses. I happened to find a Western book written by LouisL’Amour or Zane Grey, and noted there were several more in the series to read later. I was hooked, and kept going backfor something that seemed part of my past. These men wrote before I was born and I felt they had a sense of authenticityhaving lived closer to the times they wrote about.Last October we were on vacation in the Shenandoah Valley and the recreation center where we stayed had a smallexchange bookshelf. Someone had dropped off their collection of about thirty Western paperbacks written by the twoauthors and five or six others. I took them all and felt set for a long spell. On our way home Nancy insisted we drivestraight east to Bethany Beach, Delaware where we knew the Episcopal Church had an annual book sale withridiculously low prices. They fill a room the size of our Fellowship Hall with tables covered with books; I mean coveredcompletely so that only the spine with the book’s name shows. We have been there before and usually fill two or threeboxes of books. On that trip, for the first time, I concentrated on the paperback section and found some more Westerns.Later I realized I had never read Westerns when I was a boy, nor did I read them after college when I had more time forcasual reading. So why was I so connected to them? A-hah! Another surprise occurred. One morning as I exercised infront of the television set, I got tired of the repetitious news and surfed the channels. I found channel 355, a number wayabove the common popular programming, and it was showing a Western movie, just like ones I remembered.Western B movies were the Friday night entertainment, and my brother, Bud, and I grew up on them. It was a treat to gowith our Dad three miles to the next small town where the tickets and popcorn were less expensive and the moviesshorter. We would drive past the local theatre because it usually would show a double feature with an A movie, highlyrated, after a shorter B movie. The Western B’s were never shown there.Actors and actresses in the Westerns had as many fans as any of the other films, but they did not get paid as much norhave the elaborate and expensive sets and film locations. Names like Gene Autry, Dale Evans and Roy Rodgers, andtheir horses, Champion and Trigger, were famous even after the B Westerns were no longer produced. John Wayne’sfirst movie was The Big Trail in 1930. His last was The Shootist in 1976. The stars hung around for years after the lastproduction—and now I know where they went—the cable channels.Gene Autry was one of my favorite stars because in the fifties he also had a Sunday evening radio show with more goodsinging and stories. In those days, called the Golden Age of Radio, radio was the only entertainment that came into thehome. During special occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, there would be a Special Holiday Program—a twohour vaudeville show for the ears and everyone who could sing or make jokes would be a guest for one song or skit.In the early days of television the Rose Bowl Parade always had the Western movie stars riding their horses in theparade. It is easy to understand how the western stars eventually rode off into the sunset and were never heard from orseen again—except in reruns on cable TV.The B Westerns spawned the series of television westerns such as Gunsmoke, Tales of Wells Fargo and Death ValleyDays. The latter show was hosted by Ronald Reagan and he starred in eight programs. Following the trend the EuroWesterns were produced in Italy, Spain and England for consumption mostly in Europe. They were often B grademovies in bad taste, too raw and amoral for the American market.What has become apparent to me is that I have lived through this span of time encompassing serial novels, paperbackbooks, radio programs, television shows, B Westerns and A Westerns. My life was enriched by my father taking me towhat he liked to see and giving me the same taste for something that has lasted all of my life.Branch WorshamBEAT NAVY!END WORD: Cowboy wisdomWords that soak into your ears are whispered not yelled.Prairie coal—dried cow manure, used to build fires.Between hay and grass—neither man nor boy, half grown.NO LADY LIKES TO DANCE OR DINE ACCOMPANIED BY A PORCUPINE

Chanukah Service and CelebrationOn December 4th, The New Synagogue of Long Island celebrated Chanukah. It was a wonderful celebration withcandles, songs, and a Chanukah play. Our children, under the direction of Cantor Irene Failenbogen and BillMcBride, sang several beautiful songs about Chanukah. and performed a play about Eight Candles written by Bill.Eight Candles – eight candles representing a Miracle.In Kabbalistic teachings, the number seven symbolizes perfection—perfection that is achievable via natural means—while eight symbolizes that which is beyond nature and its (inherently limited) perfection.Some examples: G-d created the world and its natural order in seven days; there are seven colors of the rainbowand seven musical notes. When something has seven parts, it symbolizes that it has reached its state of completion.Eight, on the other hand, is symbolic of an entity that is one step above the natural order, higher than nature and itslimitations. That's why Chanukah is eight days long—the greatly outnumbered Maccabees' resolve to battle theGreeks wasn't logical or natural. They drew on reservoirs of faith and courage that are not part of normal humannature. They therefore merited a miracle higher than nature—a miracle that lasted eight days—and tocommemorate this, on Chanukah we light an eight-branched menorah called a Chanukiah.On the first night of Chanukah we say a special blessing called the Shehecheyanu:Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, shehecheyanu v'kiy'manu v’higianu laz'man hazeh.We praise You, Eternal One, Sovereign God of the universe, for giving us life, for sustaining us, and for enablingus to reach this season.As the letters on the four sides of the dreidel—Nun, Gimmel, Hey, and Shin—announce: Nes gadol haya sham, “Agreat miracle happened there.”Eight Candles—eight candles representing a Miracle.At our Chanukah celebration in the sanctuary, the Chanukiah and its eight candles shining brightly, stood next tothe decorated Christmas tree. Neither cast a shadow on the other as they stood together, side by side, each in itsown splendor, enhancing the beauty and the joy of the other.The Brookville Multifaith Campus is indeed Home to all of God’s Children.How miraculous is that!Rabbi Stuart Paris, HaKohen

Brookville Multifaith Campus News2MNATIONAL DAY OF SERVICE OPPORTUNITYJanuary 18, 2016Across the nation, on January 18th, millions will honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with aNational Day of Service. The youth of Brookville Church and the Interfaith Communitywill be among them. Starting the day before from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. the youth will gatherin fellowship hall to make homemade Empanadas. The next day they will sacrifice theirday of sleeping in by arriving at the church around 6:30 a.m. to pack bags of hats,scarves, mittens and toiletries as well as reheat the Empanadas made the day before.They will then load into cars and distribute the hot comfort food along with care packages to day laborers in ourarea. Each bag will contain a message of hope, both in English and in Spanish, providing contact numbers to TheWorkplace Project and Unity Housecleaners who assist those who are victims of harassment, threats, wage theft orinjuries on the job. What a wonderful feeling to know that our young people will spread love to those who are oftenneglected and even abused!Last year, over 20 youth came together to reach beyond their circlesto minister to total strangers who needed their love.Join us this year, and help those in need!For more information or to sign up your youth, please contactRev. Vicky at: rev.vicky@verizon.net or call the church office: (516) 626-0414.The Spirit of Stayi

Musings from the pastor Continued from p. 1B. Brookville Church News 3B News 12 Emergency Closing Systems for Brookville Church We have recently registered Brookville Church with News 12 Emergency Closing Systems so that we may more quickly inform our congregation of cancellations. .

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