Recently Dr. Eugene Purvis, pastor of Shaw Temple AME Zion Church in Amityville, led the LICC's Public Issues Committee's devotions with some reflections on what "devotions" means. Christians often see this as a sort of preliminary exercise before worship begins or before the meeting gets down to business. What this is really supposed to be, he suggested, is "a time in which we put ourselves at God's disposal." Whatever ministry we do, he insists, either as clergy or laity, "we need to put ourselves at God's disposal."
There may be no better way to start the new year than to put ourselves at God's disposal. My wife and I were much taken with the way in which my Asian-American parishioners in Hawaii spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Rather than make a lot of grand resolutions they invariably broke, they focused on down-to-earth matters. They tried to pay by Dec. 31 every bill they owed, answer every letter they had received, get the house neat and tidy, and otherwise be ready to welcome the New Year with a clean slate. Then they spent Jan. 1 visiting family and friends, beginning the year with a renewal of their relationships. By tidying up, they made themselves and their homes available to visitors--and I think they made themselves available to God to tackle something new in the new year.
By the time you read this column it may be too late to straighten our your life before the ball drops at Times Square, but perhaps you can use the first few weeks of January to make your home available to friends and family and to make your life available to God.
Shalom/Salaam/Pax/Shanti,
Tom
A year ago, the LICC and the American Jewish Committee started an interfaith dialogue series on the Middle East conflict. Concerned about the way the renewed Intifada was increasing tensions between Jews and Christians in America, and the misunderstanding between the two faith communities, pastors and rabbis have been meeting regularly to discuss how the conflict has affected their communities both here and in the Middle East. Thus far we have heard and responded to presentations by two AJC members, the LICC Executive Director, and a local Muslim. On Thursday, January 17, Dr. Elias Mallon, a Franciscan who is now Dean of Auburn Theological Seminary, will talk about Christians in the Middle East and a local Arab-American Christian will respond. Pastors and rabbis are invited to this dialogue which will be at the Community Church of Syosset (36 Church Street) from 1:30 to 3:00.
The Long Island Multi-Faith Forum, a group founded by the LICC and Auburn Theological Seminary which brings together 12 world religions present in our region, will hold its Multi-Faith Festival this year on February 6 and 7 at Hauppauge High School. The Forum has wanted to reach a larger and younger audience than in previous years, and Hauppauge High invited the Forum to bring the Festival to their 1100 students and 100 teachers during Human Rights Week. The Forum has already sent its Building Bridges panels to local churches, synagogues, Unitarian Universalist fellowships, Baha'i assemblies, community groups. To request such a presentation, call the LICC at 516-565-0290.
The Long Island Council of Churches has issued an urgent appeal for food donations. The numbers of hungry people coming to us for help has grown steadily in recent years, and this fall we have been swamped. We are now serving twice as many people in Hempstead as we did last year--and that was our biggest year ever. We distributed 300 Thanksgiving baskets in Hempstead this November and another 99 in Riverhead and fed 560 people at our Migrant Farm Worker dinner. For four days at a time, our Riverhead center has had no food at all to give away."
There are several causes of the current crisis: The cost of housing remains extremely high in our area, many people are without health insurance, and many have lost jobs recently. We see more and more Long Islanders who must decide each month whether to pay the rent or buy groceries, to fill their child's prescription or pay their utility bills. In addition, food donations fell off dramatically this fall, as individuals and groups--including the LICC--collected food and supplies for the rescue workers at Ground Zero. Many local food pantries and soup kitchens had the same experience. All of them need help now in order to help others. Recently a member of Temple Israel in Riverhead came forward when our shelves were bare: he spent his bar mitzvah money to buy food to tide us over until more donations were received, and that was really a mitzvah--a good deed.
The Council also is responding to the needs of immigrant workers, many of whom are not returning home to Latin America this winter as they usually have in years past. With heightened security, even those who are here legally fear they may not get back into the U.S. As a result, many migrant laborers are suddenly looking for warm clothing, blankets, food, and winter jobs.
Tax-deductible donations of non-perishable food are welcome at the LICC's pantries located at 404 Peninsula Blvd. in Hempstead and 235 Sweezy Avenue in Riverhead, both of which operate Monday through Friday, and they can suggest places to donate perishable food. In addition, sleeping bags and blankets are needed at the Riverhead office.
PWG
In recent months nearly all of us have found ourselves displaying flags, praying for our nation fervently, and singing "God Bless America." But does our flag belong in our sanctuary? The Rev. Erik Rasmussen recently explained his choice:
"The rationale for `flagless' sanctuaries is rooted in our understanding of who we are as the People of God over against who we are as the people of this nation. To be the Body of Christ in the world is a calling to see the world through different eyes, through the eyes of Christ. Those who enter a church sanctuary are reminded that, in that space, along with our temporal state citizenship, we are first and foremost the citizens of Christ's Kingdom on earth. This global and eternal vision, this call to be ambassadors of the Word of Christ, does not deny our national identity but it does remind us that we have a higher calling and purpose." - from The Lamplighter, First United Methodist Church, Amityville
People sometimes ask why a Council of Churches is involved in interfaith work. The Rev. Joyce L. Manson recently offered these thoughts:
"Why is interfaith relations an area for the Church Council and its related denominations to take more seriously in the present and future? . . .
"We live in a significantly religiously pluralistic metropolitan area. . .
"We need to know who we are in the world of religious pluralism as well as in relation to the world of secularism....We could benefit from inquiring into the reasons many have left the faith of their parents.
"We need to know, understand and appreciate your neighbors to freshly discern who we are as Christians. . . .
"The global world in the 21st century desperately needs the positive identities and gifts of religious followers to overcome the ignorance, stereotyping and religious perceptions fueling two-thirds of the worlds wars . . ."
The Source, Church Council of Greater Seattle
The LICC encourages congregations to observe a Sunday in January as LICC Sunday. You might pray for the ministry of the Council, share information about our activities, and take an offering for the LICC. Descriptions of our work and special offering envelopes are available for the asking if you call 516-565-0290. Sunday, January 20, during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan. 18-25) would be a good time to observe LICC Sunday.
The Healing Light Center is looking for worship space to rent in or near Freeport. Call the Rev. Ina Martin at 516-546-7345 or email spiritualwork @aol.com.
The lack of decent medical coverage is one of the more common problems faced by people in our region--and across our nation. Child Health Plus and Family Health Plus provide state-underwritten, low-fee health insurance. "Facilitated enrollment" makes it easier to wade through the application process for these programs. To make an appointment for application assistance, call the Health & Welfare Council of Long Island at 516-483-1110, ext. 11 or the Nassau/Suffolk Hospital Council at 516-733-7-079 or call (toll-free) 1-877-543-7669.