The Long Island Council of Churches usually mails The Prelude to every Protestant congregation on Long Island, to every blood drive coordinator, every Church World Service contact person, and to every Catholic priest, rabbi, or other person who asks to receive it. We're mailing this one to every church and synagogue we have located in Nassau & Suffolk for several reasons:
So please take a minute to check your mailing label and let us know if it is correct:
If you have any updates or corrections for us, please mail them to the LICC at 1644 Denton Green, Hempstead, NY 11550, or call us at 516-565-0290, or email us at licc@netzero.com.
If you don't usually receive this newsletter but would like to get it, just ask. If you would like to receive The Prelude on-line, let us know where to send it.
One of the children's stories I have written tells how people in Hawaii decided after years of rescuing shipwrecked sailors that they needed a lighthouse on Makupuu Peninsula to keep storm- tossed boats from running aground. I often felt as a pastor, and we often feel at the LICC, that we are constantly trying to save those whose lives are already pretty well wrecked. We spend an enormous amount of time trying to help those who are paying too much to cash checks, or are drowning in debt, or are at risk of losing their home to a finance company. Every day we aid clients who really need affordable housing and health care more than they need the temporary assistance we can offer with their rent or utilities. Every month we see families who have been victimized by con artists, who got a really bad home improvement loan, for example, instead of the reverse-equity mortgage they needed and who are now at risk of becoming homeless. Worst of all these predatory lenders are targeting the most vulnerable among us: recent immigrants, the elderly, and the poor. The Bible tells us to share our wealth with the "foreigners, orphans, and widows" (Deuteronomy 26:12) but the loan sharks try to fleece them of what little they have.
Your congregation has a real stake in preventing this injustice: those who are exploited often turn to clergy for money, or they are unable to pay the pledge they have made to the church, or you may lose them as members when they may even be forced to relocate outside your community. Some of those who come to the LICC seeking help are themselves pastors--and many more clergy ought to get help.
We want to do something about this and we want to help you do something. The LICC, in conjunction with the Long Island Housing Partnership and various banks who are trying to do the right thing, is developing a series of workshops on how parishioners can avoid predatory "sub- prime" lenders, repair a credit rating, manage credit cards, and such. We have already started holding meetings with clergy and church leaders in Riverhead, Wyandanch, Rooselvelt, Hempstead, and other communities to let them know what we are planning and to hear what their congregations need to know: foreclosure prevention? How to get a reverse-equity mortgage? How to get a good home improvement loan? how to get help if you have already been victimized?
If you are interested in arranging a presentation, call Tom Goodhue at 516-565-0290.
Some of you may have already met our new Social Services Director, Anne Vaughan, in her previous capacity as our interim office manager/bookkeeper, a difficult assignment in which she helped the LICC staff preserve what remains of its sanity during the first half of this year. Anne brings with her a degree in organizational management and a wealth of management experience in business, healthcare, ecclesiastical, and human services organizations. She put this administrative background, her computer skills, and her sense of humor to good use as she helped us cope with Margaret McManus's extended illness. She also brings to the LICC compassion for our clients, spiritual centeredness, and a real sense of being called by God to work with the poor. It is great having her with us!
We were blessed to have Harold Snedeker serve as our interim Social Services Director. After nine months on staff he has gladly returned to his role as a volunteer Board member. Many thanks, Harold!
Daniel Russell has joined the LICC Board of Governors after completing Long Island United Way's extensive "Project Blueprint" training. A former teacher in Hempstead and counselor with the Economic Opportunity Commission in Freeport, Dan now directs the Job Development Center of the Nassau County Commission on Human Rights and is an active member of Faith Baptist Church in Hempstead. Welcome aboard, Dan!
Nassau County's ongoing fiscal crisis has led to substantially reduced County funding to human services, agencies created to help seniors, youth, children, the sick, the hungry, and the homeless. Human service agencies do work which is not being done by the County, delivering help to those in need at a cost to the taxpayers far less than what it would take for the County to provide this assistance itself. The LICC, for example, has been asked by Nassau County to provide chaplains to the Nassau County Correctional Center, to operate a large five-day-a-week Emergency Food Center, and to provide other assistance at our social service office. The contract the County provided never has reimbursed us for the full cost of these services--we have always had to rely on donations of food, money, and volunteer labor to provide them-- but the slashing of funding during the past two years has meant we have to raise even more money to keep doing what the County--and our clients--need us to do. The County keeps sending us more and more people needing assistance, but not the means to help them. Many not-for-profit organizations have been forced to cut back their staff and their programs--which means that many who need help are not getting it. Every week we see more and more clients who have been to one agency after another without finding anyone who can help them. Community agencies want to continue to do the County's important work, but they cannot continue without adequate funding.
The Fight for Families Coalition, an association of 110 not-for-profit human service agencies, a coalition to which the LICC belongs, is urging Nassau residents to ask County leaders to restore full funding for human services. Please call Legislator Judy Jacobs, the Democratic Majority leader at 516-571-6216 and Legislator Peter Schmidt, the Republican Minority Leader, at 516- 571-6212 and let them know how you feel.
Over half a million Long Islanders lack any health insurance. In return for various subsidies, hospitals in New York State are by law to provide some free for those in need and to publicize their free care policy. You can help those who turn to your congregation for assistance simply by knowing that medical centers have an obligation to aid the uninsured. In a recent, widely- reported survey of seven Long Island hospitals, researchers asking about free care frequently were treated rudely--particularly those from ethnic minority groups--and were told in every institution that no free care was available.
At least three have begun to reform, however. Nassau University Medical Center has convened a community advisory committee, issued new brochures on financial aid, and has posted signs in the hospital about the availability of free care. Long Beach Memorial and North Shore University Medical Center are retraining their entire staff about free care. Congratulations to these hospitals.
Since 1936 Presbyterians have observed the first Sunday in October as World Communion Sunday, an idea which has gradually caught on with many other denominations. Here are some ways you might observe it this year:
No matter whether you want to welcome new residents to your church or sell them a new home, you need to know something about your new neighbors. Nassau & Suffok counties are becoming ever more ethnically and religiously diverse, offering both new challenges and new opportunities to all of us who live here. Should you serve pork to Muslim clients? Do your Bahai students really need to miss school on the Bahaullah's birthday? Is it offensive to shake hands with a Sikh of the opposite sex? Do Jain home buyers probably care if the backyard has a built-in barbecue?
The Long Island Multi-Faith Forum is now booking presentations by its "Building Bridges" teams for the coming year. The teams have already done well-received presentations in dozens of churches, synagogues, schools, civic associations, and workplaces across the Island. Some groups, such as the Bahai fellowship of Bay Shore, have had a whole series of speakers, so that all dozen faith communities were represented. This might be a great resource for
Each program typically begins with a brief audio-visual survey of the dozen world religions who make up the Forum. Then local representatives of several faith communities tell how they practice their beliefs in their daily lives and answer questions from the audience. There is no charge for this program, but donations are needed so that it can continue. Thanks to the talents of Victoria Ceruti at Spectral Resolutions in Eastport, the Multi-Faith Forum now has fliers and posters for Building Bridges which you can use to promote the presentation to your group. To request a presentation, call the LICC Hempstead office (516-565-0290) and be ready to answer:
Years ago our Executive Director wrote for the Boy Scouts' magazine about some French Scouts who saved Jewish refugees during the Shoah. His last collection of children's sermons (Sharing the Good News with Children, St. Anthony Messenger) has a more complete account of this incident and the 5,000 villagers of Le Chambon who rescued 5,000 strangers while their nation was busy shipping their neighbors off to concentration camps. Pierre Sauvage, one of the children hidden in the French mountains, made a wonderful film about these Huguenot villagers, called Weapons of the Spirit. It is now available in a 35-minute version which would make an excellent resource for either adult or youth classes. Rudy Appel, a Long Islander who was sheltered in Le Chambon as a teenager, often introduces the video and speaks about his experiences. Sauvage and Appel have started The Chambon Foundation and a museum in Le Chambon to celebrate the courage of these people of the mountains. To buy a copy of the video, call 323-650-1774, ext. 2. To arrange for Rudy Appel to show the film to your group and speak about Le Chambon, call 516-364-2784.
The recent PBS programs "Moyers: Earth in the Balance," "The Roman Empire in the First Century," "Secrets of the Dead: Tomb of Christ," and "America's Changing Religious Landscape" (taken from "Religion & Ethics Newsweekly") are all available with viewing guides in our Hempstead office and would make excellent resources for personal viewing or for group study by teenagers or adults.
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. You also might invite a speaker from the Council or a Building Bridges panel to speak at your church that Sunday. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan. 18-25, would be a good time to observe LICC Sunday. Let us know what you need!
If you have visited the LICC's Web site (www.ncccusa.org/ecmin/licc) you may have already discovered the many links the National Council of Churches offers to other ecumenical and interfaith organizations. You might also want to check out the American Bible Society's site (www.forministry.com) and Eculist (www.homestead.com/eculist). Both the NCCC and ABS sites will host your church's Web pages for free. Eculist provides information about various state councils of churches.
Habitat for Humanity of Suffolk is honoring the memory of Roger Metcalf, who labored tirelessly and cheerfully to build homes in partnership with people in need of decent affordable housing, on Monday, October 1, at the Middle Island Country Club. This year's honoree is the Paul Tonna, the Presiding Officer of the Suffolk County Legislature, someone who has also done much for affordable housing. For more info, call Habitat Suffolk at 631-924-4968, fax 631-924-6474, or email rebekah@hfhsuffolk.org.
The Long Island Multi-Faith Forum recently had a highly successful Interfaith Dialogue on Interfaith Marriage. Here is a follow-up opportunity which might be of interest to an interfaith couples you know. The Rev. Donna Schaper, a former of Riverhead Congregational Church and a former LICC Board member, and her husband Dr. Warren Goldstein are leading a Conference for Interfaith Couples Oct. 26-28 at the Bal Harbor Inn (a church-run facility) in Miami. Schaper and Goldstein are a Jewish/Christian couple, but other interfaith combinations are welcome, as are children. The cost is $500 per couple, which includes lodging and meals. To register or get further information, email RevDonnaS@aol.com. The Conference is limited to 20 couples, but if you find that this one is already full, ask about the possibility of signing up for a retreat next spring in the Poconos.
to the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, who have united their two denominations into the Mennonite Church USA. Mennonites emphasize personal piety, living simply, and working for peace. Someday, in God's own time, we will all be one!
Maybe you are a new parson in town and would like to meet other clerics or to take part in the local ecumenical/interfaith Thanksgiving service. Perhaps you want local congregations to address an important community issue. Or you would like to invite clerics of a neighboring town to meet with your association. Whom do you call? Here are contact people for ecumenical and interfaith groups:
Amityville Ecumenical Ministries - Randolph Geminder - 631-264-0004
Babylon Clergy Cluster
Baldwin-Freeport Church Women - Helene Rappelman - 516-223-3565 - or Bobbie Angelello - 516-623-6898
Baldwin Clergy - Kim Wilson - 516-223-3400
Baldwin Laity - Tom Ryley - 516-623-1896
Bay Shore Interfaith Clergy Assn. - Will Feinberg - 631-968-0067
Bay Shore Interfaith Council - Doris Mercier - 631-669-5838
Bellmore Clergy Association - Peter Dooley - 516-785-0054
Black Clergy Council of Nassau County - Clinton Boone - 516-483-3088
Bridgehampton Community of Faith - Rose Ann Vita - 631-537-1187
Deer Park Clergy Association - Glenn Duffy - 631-242-7530
East Hampton Clericus - Donald Desmond - 631-324-0134
East Meadow Clergy Fellowship - Ronald Androphy - 516-483-4205
E.Northport-Northport Ecumenical Council - Betty Lockwood - 631-261-7715
East Rockaway-Lynbrook Clergy - Stuart Geller - 516-593-4004
Farmingdale Clergy Association - Eldon Simpson - 516-694-3424
Fellowship of Christian Assemblies - Gary Zelingo - 631-265-2485
Floral Park Ecumenical Planning Committee - Al Martin - 516-775-9669
Floral Park Church Women United - Adde Werthmuller - 516-775-8291
Garden City Clergy Association - Jack McGowan - 516-352-5904
(Glen Cove) North Shore Clergy Assn. - Jim Phegley - 516-676-2055
Great Neck Clergy Association - Marim Charry - 516-482-7800
Greater Hamptons Interfaith Council - Reggie Barnett - 631-288-3628
Hempstead Clergy Association - Phil Elliott - 516-485-1499
Huntington Clergy Association - Peter Sanborn - 631-427-9220
Islip Clergy Association - William Munz - 631-581-1710
Long Island Multi-Faith Forum - Arvind Vora - 631-269-1167
Long Island Labor-Religion Coalition - Ryland Gaines - 631-435-1658
Massapequas Interfaith Clergy Council - Charles Ayres - 516-799-7989
Mattituck-Cutchogue Clergy Assn. - George Summers - 631-298-4918
Merrick Clergy Association - Tom Philipp - 516-378-7761
Moriches Church Women United - Sylvia Prill - 631-878-5676
North Amityville Ministerial Assn. - Malcolm Nelson - 516-377-6060
North Shore (Wading River) Clericus - Peter Vibert - 631-929-8849
Oceanside Interfaith Council - Yri Goren - 516-766-6809
Oyster Bay-East Norwich Interreligious - Ken Nelson - 516-624-4938
Patchogue Clergy Association - Bruce Rudolf - 631-758-2240
Plainview-Old Bethpage Clergy - Scott Paradise - 516-349-1966
Port Washington Church Women United - Hazel Nolan - 516-767-0177
Port Washington Clergy Council - Kurt Von Roeschlaub - 516-767-0363
Riverhead Clergy Council - John Mirecki - 631-727-2114
Route 110 Corridor Clergy - Stanley De Veaux - 631-462-1836
Sag Harbor Clergy Association - Dick Ploth - 631-725-0894
Sayville Clergy Association - John Rowlan - 631-589-0042
Shalom Interfaith (Port Jefferson) - Molly Blythe-Teichert - 631-473-0147
Smithtown Clergy Association - Tim Riss - 631-265-7711
Southampton Clergy Association - Jack King - 631-283-0951
Southold Clergy - Peter Kelly - 631-765-2597
Southold Women in Faith Together - Ellen Witko - 631-722-2556
Valley Stream Clergy Association - Barbara Myers - 516-825-9393
Wantagh Clergy Council - Martin Nale - 516-221-3286
Wantagh Church Women United - Grace MacMillan - 516-785-3951
Westhampton Church Women United - Greta Hedberg - 631-288-3138
Willistons, Clergy of the - Alan Beagley - 516-248-2521
Woodbury-Syosset Interfaith Clergy - Stephen Sirbu - 516-921-2252
Wyandanch Christian Clergy Assn. - Sherman Roberts - 631-491-0669
Has your local ecumenical/interfaith group recently chosen a new coordinator? If you have additions or corrections for this list, please call 516-565-0290 or e-mail us at licc@netzero.com. Call, too, if you would you like our Executive Director to speak with your group or would like help in starting or expanding a local group.