According to Ephesians 1:10, "When the time is right, God will do as planned and Christ will gather together everything in heaven and on earth."
I wonder why this verse is quoted so seldom in the ecumenical movement. Christians who work for the healing of divisions in the Body of Christ are forever quoting the Gospel According to John, where Jesus prays that all who follow him may become one, but you hardly ever hear this pithy bit of Biblical prophecy. Could it be that it disturbs us in some way?
Most Christians are pretty comfortable with the idea of uniting with people who are pretty much like them. I suspect that councils of churches have disappeared in many other parts of the country precisely because we are so comfortable with Presbyterians and United Methodists and Lutherans sharing a Thanksgiving service that these feeble attempts at Christian unity have become boring.
The real challenge for the fractured body of Christ is to bridge divisions of race, class, ethnicity, and theology - and this is the ecumenical work that is really exciting. For a predominantly white United Methodist church and a predominantly black African Methodist Episcopal church to share fellowship regularly, or for a Hispanic Presbyterian Church and a Korean church to worship together regularly, is probably far more important than half a dozen Anglo congregations coming together to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday.
I also suspect that we do not talk much about Ephesians' vision of unity because it does not seem to be limited to the followers of Jesus: "Christ will gather together everything in heaven and on earth." Uniting the Church sounds good to nearly all Christians; the idea of uniting with non-Christians is profoundly disturbing.
Notice that Ephesians does not suggest that we will all think alike or that our beliefs are all the same. Many folks insist that we all worship the same God and believe basically the same things. I'm sure that these are well-intentioned sentiments but they also are ill-informed opinions. There are similarities between Jains and Jews and between Methodists and Muslims, but we don't share the same beliefs. The revelation of God in Jesus is not the same as the teaching of the Buddha or Krishna: Muslims, Bahais, and Unitarian Universalists may honor Jesus but not the way most Christians do.
Ephesians is not saying that our differences will vanish; it is saying something far more profound:
"When the time is right, God will do as planned and Christ will gather together everything in heaven and on earth."
This is what the theologian Matthew Fox has called "the Cosmic Christ" - the one who unites everyone and everything and makes all things new. The Long Island Council of Churches is living, as we all are, in an in-between time, when this gathering has been promised but not yet achieved. In the meantime, I believe, we are called to treat one another with respect, to seek to understand each other without denying our differences, and to be open to the leading of God, who longs to make us all one.
Shalom/Salaam/Shanti/Pax,
Tom
Special thanks to The Presbytery of Long Island for its gift of $6,000 for our emergency food pantries, and to Astoria Federal Savings for its gift of $2,500. We also thank the following for their gifts of $500 or more:
We also thank the numerous faith-based institutions, agencies, businesses, and others who gave less but whose gifts are just as important. And we thank the individuals who gave but asked that we do not publish their names. Thank you all for being a blessing to the hundreds of people we help each month. We are able to do this because you cared enough to give.
For those who did not receive the electronic version of last month's newsletter, we want to thank those who gave who would normally have been listed in the hard copy of the September issue but didn't make it because a virus ate the copy. Special thanks go to Ridgewood Savings Bank for its $5,000 gift for our Fall Convocation and for our core operations, to Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church for its $5,000 gift to our Emergency Food Center, and to Garden City Community Church's gift of $2,000 for the same. We also thank the following for their gifts of $500 or more:
The Long Island Council of Churches has a small endowment fund that we need to build to ensure the LICC's future. We encourage our readers to consider contributing to the endowment fund and/or to include a charitable donation to the endowment fund in your Will. The fund will also provide you with an opportunity to contribute an enduring legacy that expresses your generosity and concern for Long Island's least fortunate citizens. Policies governing the endowment fund are described as follows:
Establishment of Fund: There is hereby established the Robert L. Pierce Endowment Fund for the Long Island Council of Churches (hereinafter referred to as "LICC") in order to encourage all interested parties to support the work of the LICC through gifts and bequests. The purpose of said Fund shall be to establish a perpetual Fund that obtains and distributes income according to guidelines set forth later in this document except as specified by the donor, or upon special action of the Board of Governors relative to unrestricted funds.
Investment Policy: While a significant portion of the Fund will be invested in "fixed income" programs, a modest "risk factor" will be accepted in some cases to enhance opportunities for the Fund's growth.
Distribution of Funds: The distribution of the funds shall be at the sole discretion of the Board of Governors, limited by the intention to preserve principal as far as feasible and to honor the distribution of restricted funds according to the donor's wishes. A priority shall be to invest in socially responsible situations.
Administration: A "Committee for the Administration of the Robert L. Pierce Endowment Fund" shall be established to administer all aspects of the Fund's activities. The Committee shall have the power to recommend actions and policies to the Board of Governors who alone shall have the power to act.
Acceptance: Gifts will be accepted at the discretion of the Board of Governors, with a reference for stocks, cash, securities, bonds, mutual funds, annuities, life insurance, etc. Gifts of personal property (gems, art, collectibles), real estate, businesses, etc., shall be considered on an individual basis. All gifts shall normally, but not necessarily, be converted to cash as soon as possible.
Disbursement: Funds shall be disbursed by action of the Board of Governors in accordance with the perceived needs of the LICC at the time. Funds may be used to support operating expenses as well as programs.
Accounting: The Committee for the Administration of the Robert L. Pierce Endowment Fund shall be responsible for seeing that all aspects of the Fund's activity shall be accounted for by the standard methods of accounting currently in use.
The family was delighted when the Town of Islip called to say that they had been awarded a home for first-time buyers. As the Community Development Agency was getting them ready to move in, however, the family was stunned to learn that their mortgage application had been rejected, and they ultimately lost out on a rare opportunity to purchase an affordable home. The parents had stable employment and had even gotten raises since first applying for a mortgage. Why were they rejected? They had given their son a credit card and he had racked up $30,000 in debt.
Many of the people who come to the Long Island Council of Churches for help are already in deep financial trouble because they have been taken out loans that are impossible for them to repay. Often they began bad financial habits at a tender age. The LICC recently launched a new program to provide financial education to prevent these tragedies. We now are offering to do presentations to youth and young adult groups about financial literacy, basic banking, and being good stewards of our monetary resources.
As with the seminars we are doing for adults, each presentation for teenagers will be tailored to the needs of the host congregation and its community. The LICC will arrange speakers, publicity, and educational materials. Thanks to the generous support of the Greenpoint Foundation, Astoria Federal Savings & Loan, Citibank, and the Dime Savings Bank/Washington Mutual, there is no charge for these programs. For further information, or to request a presentation, call Tom Goodhue, the Executive Director of the Long Island Council of Churches, at 516-565-0290, ext. 206 or email tomgoodhue@optonline.net.
Do you share worship space with a congregation that worships in another language? If so, why not come together for bilingual worship on special occasions? In Smithtown, for example, Nanume Korean and 1st Presbyterian Church will share a joint service on Sunday, Oct. 5, in celebration of World Communion/Peacemaking Sunday. As the pastor of 1st Pres (and LICC Board member) Jimmy Hulsey explains, "We believe that our faith in Jesus Christ affirms both our separate identities and our life together."
In Cutchogue, for example, the Presbyterian Church has shared its sanctuary with North Fork Reform Synagogue for six years.
In East Rockway, Bethany Congregational Church (UCC) shares worship space with Healing Waters Ministries, which belongs to a Pentecostal Italian American denomination.
Book clubs are all the rage these days. Have you tried hosting a discussion of some book with a religious theme and broadly ecumenical or interfaith appeal? United Church of Rockville Centre, for example, has a group discussing Anita Diamant's best-selling novel about Biblical women, "The Red Tent", on Thursday evenings, October 9 to November 13, from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. (For info, contact the Rev. Bob Gunn at 516-766-2975 or ucofrc@verizon.net.
A number of churches run regular columns in their newsletters telling a bit about the history of the congregation. 1st Congregational Church of Riverhead offers something unique, however: church historian Pat Tormey regularly writes about the history of other congregations in their area. In telling about the founding of St. John the Baptist Ukranian Catholic Church she gave this helpful summary of this non-Roman branch of the Catholic Church:
"The Mass of the Ukranian Church (one of sixteen Eastern Catholic Rites) differs from the Roman-Latin Rite in that it is richer in ceremonial and symbolic ritual. The liturgical language of the Ukranian Catholic Church is Old Slavonic, with some parts in English. Although Ukranian Catholics are under the Papal authority of Rome, they have a hierarchy with a Metropolitan in Philadelphia. Because of the connection with Rome, they celebrate Christmas and Easter according to the Julian calendar."
A growing number of congregations - Presbyterian churches in Bellmore, Brentwood, and Southold, Holy Trinity Lutheran in Ronkokoma, and St. Mary's in East Islip, for example - offer worship services inspired by the Taize Community in France, a group committed to building Christian unity. With simple chants, silent prayer, reflection rather than preaching, and varied ways of honoring the Cross, the Taize pattern is strikingly different from most Sunday worship - and often pulls in a crowd. Other churches have found similar appeal in the ecumenical services of Scotland's Iona Community.
Southampton UMC and East Moriches United Methodist Churches have periodic Taizé-style healing services. Diane Zeluff explains, "We sing a few Taizé songs. There are lots of alternate ways to approach the cross. Soft Taizé music plays in the background. Lots of candles illuminate the cross. The rest of the lighting is very soft. We have healing teams for laying on of hands. You can just visit the cross or a healing team or both."
Diane Zeluff would be happy to lead a service at your church; you can contact her at bzdz13@aol.com or 631-728-9324. You can visit Taizé worship on the First Friday of each month at Our Lady of Grace in West Babylon and at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Centerport, on the 2nd Friday at Holy Cross in Nesconsett, or on the 3rd Friday at St. Martin of Tours in Amityville and at Miraculous Medal in Wyandanch (most of these are at 7:30 p.m.)
The Rev. Noel Koestline of Bayport United Methodist church and the Rev. Constance Pak of Sea Cliff UMC recently returned from Taizé and would be glad to share resources for planning Taizé services. Mt. Sinai Congregational Church (UCC) has Taizé worship at least once a year, with Franciscans from Little Portion Friary often leading the service.
Many congregations invite their communities to watch films and then discuss them - the Hamptons Synagogue in Westhampton Beach even bought a local theatre for their film series. The Rev. Mark Greiner of 1st Presbyterian Church in Baldwin recommends Michael Moore's critically-acclaimed documentary "Bowling for Columbine," which is now available on video. You can download a teacher's and a student's discussion guide at bowlingforcolumbine.com. In one scene, two of the boys shot at Columbine High School return to the K-Mart where the bullets were purchased and literally show their wounds, a way that Pastor Greiner said "reminds me of Jesus showing his wounds after the resurrection." K-Mart took the bold (and surprising!) move of deciding to stop selling ammunition. For further information about the issues raised in this film, you can visit Bowlingforcolumbine.com.
"After a few songs, the music stops and a prayer is recited in five languages, one after another, scripture is read in French and a Psalm is sung in Latin and then a truly special time of silence, up to twenty minutes of silence for the listening for the voice of God within each of us. At first the silence was very strange and in a way threatening, but as the week progressed I looked forward to that holy quiet place in worship. I began to long for the silence and the encounter with the Divine Presence. I hope this fall to bring a taste of Taize to our little sanctuary."
Wally Scofield, 1st Congregational Church of RiverheadWorth
Ms. Lawson will provide a history and overview of domestic violence and offer recommendations for addressing important issues when assisting congregants.
Local Long Island resources will be available on site during this session. Clergy, outreach representatives and helping professionals are invited to attend.
Thursday, October 16, 2003, 9:30AM-12:00PM
CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH - Corner of Burr and Larkfield Roads, East Northport
Directions: LIE to 51N (Deer Park Road). Make right onto Jericho Turnpike. Make left onto Larkfield Rd. Right onto Burr Rd. Left into Church lot.)
$10.00 for advance registration ($15.00 at the door, if available)
Cost includes lecture, lunch, networking, materials)
RSVP by Thursday, October, 2nd
Founded in 2001, the Communities of Faith is a task force of faith communities and domestic violence agencies that have come together to understand and address religious and ethnic concerns regarding domestic violence. The Communities of Faith is comprised of these organizations: LI Council of Churches; Council On Women, Presbytery of L I; Presbytery of LI; American Jewish Committee/LI; Catholic Charities - Diocese of Rockville Centre; Metropolitan NY Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; VIBS, Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk; FEGS LI; NCCADV, Nassau County Coalition Against Domestic Violence; SCCADV, Suffolk County Coalition Against Domestic Violence; The Retreat, Inc.; Lutheran Disaster Response of NY.
Please send checks to: Communities of Faith***OCTOBER IS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AWARENESS MONTH***
P.O. Box 20533, Huntington Station, NY 11746
For further info contact Fran 631 427 6526 or Chris 631 499 1680
This new PBS chronicles five monks from Shaolin Temple in China who are teaching martial arts - and Buddhism - in the United States. One opens a Buddhist temple and kungfu school in Flushing, while another marries an American woman and raises a family in Brooklyn. Two monks teach self-defense to police in Texas and coach young athletes who hope to compete in the 2008 Olympics; one little girl figures this will be her ticket to a film career. A fifth monk, teaching wushu to police in Budapest, believes he has found the perfect place to teach Buddhism to Americans: Las Vegas.
A doctor who dines at Hooters gives us a glimpse into the spiritual hunger among our fellow citizens that draws some down strange paths. Recovering from a disabling injury, he found a visit to Shaolin Temple, founded 1500 years ago by a wandering monk from India, "a cleansing, healing experience." Now he longs to bring wushu (kungfu) to Las Vegas as a philosophy rather than a martial art. Ironically, the Chinese government has tried to turn Chan (Chinese Zen) Buddhism into a tourist attraction.
Buddhism is more a spiritual discipline than a theology, so its followers may be affiliated with any other religion: a Catholic priest in Manhasset is also a Zen master or roshi. People do not really "convert" to Buddhism, but "Shaolin Ulysses" nonetheless offers insight into conversion. We meet Jamel Brown, an African American raised as a Muslim who has become a Shaolin disciple in Queens. A hip-hop dancer who toured with Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson, Brown was drawn to kungfu by martial arts moves, seeing the dance-like quality of this discipline. Through pop culture and aesthetic appeal, he was drawn to wushu. Christians would do well to present our message in a way at least as enticing as a Bruce Lee movie.
"Shaolin Ulysses: Kungfu Monks in America," airs Tuesday, Oct. 28, at 10 pm. on WNET/13 in the series "Independent Lens."
Our Fall Convocation "Faith Into Action: Congregation-based Organizing for Advocacy," will take place Saturday, September 27, at the First Baptist Church of Riverhead (1018 Northville Turnpike). It begins at 9:00 AM and ends at 3:00 PM. Registration is at 8:30 AM. The Convocation will train attendees to organize their communities for affordable housing, economic development, and other critical social issues.
Do you ever get frustrated with the way your church talks about problems in your community but never figures out what to do about them? This training will provide participants with the knowledge and organizing skills they need to "get out of the pews" and go into the public arena with the power to improve the well being of the powerless and impoverished in their own communities and throughout the region.
LICC President Jerome Taylor is the featured preacher. The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Tony Aguilar, Assistant to the Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Metro New York Synod, with trainers in faith-based organizing from the Gamaliel Foundation. Thanks to funding by Astoria Federal Savings, Catholic Charities, Commerce Bank, Hamptons State Bank, HSBC, Ridgewood Savings Bank, Riverhead Building Supply, Suffolk County National Bank, we only need to charge $12 for this event, which includes the cost of lunch.
With the present global and political situation, precipitated by the events of September 11, 2001, many of us are still carrying emotional burdens.
Catholic Charities, one of the largest providers of social services on Long Island, in collaboration with Molloy College, has developed a course to help clergy, parish social ministry coordinators, and other pastoral care providers to develop confidence and a better understanding of how to respond. Basic concepts and/or building upon basic concepts will be presented to increase your ability to make use of emotional understanding and the resources of your faith and compassion. Additionally, we aim to develop a community who will become a resource for each other, along with the resources that are available to you throughout the diocese.
The course consists of eight sessions held one Tuesday morning a month: October 7, November 4, December 2, January 13, February 3, March 2, April 13, and May 4; from 9:00 a.m. - noon. The tuition for this non-credit course is $250. Please call 516-678-5000 ext. 6206 for further information and a registration form.
October is Pastoral Care Month, and this is a good time to offer prayers of thanksgiving for chaplains, campus ministers, and pastoral counselors, who labor on the front-lines of ecumenical cooperation and interfaith understanding. The LICC urges you to remember these folks in worship sometime this month and in your own personal prayers at least once. Perhaps you would like to pray for them by name. Here are chaplains known to us:
If you have updates or additions, please call 516-565-0290, fax 516-565-0291, mail corrections to LICC, 1644 Denton Green, Hempstead 11550, or e-mail licchemp@aol.com.