PRELUDE, December 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS




From Our Executive Director:
THE LONGEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR

Around the world, Christians are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Many faiths honor him in some way as a great teacher or prophet, but Christianity makes the bold claim that God became one of us in Christ and that God in human flesh was born in a barn, "because there was no room in the inn."

In recent years, New Testament scholars have discovered that throughout the Greco-Roman Mediterranean world in the early years of the Christian movement, voluntary associations of neighbors, craftsmen, or devotees of a particular deity met regularly to eat, drink, sing, and tell stories. These groups appealed to the poor, who feared that they would die without a decent burial, that they would not be duly mourned and dearly remembered. "Do this in memory of me" was a common command at meals held in honor of the departed. The liturgy of the Eucharist, in which Jesus asks the same of his followers, resonated with the poor as a call to bond together in life and in death.

Christmas is a good time to remember both that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us full of grace and truth" and that Jesus wants us to care for "the least of these, my brothers and sisters." On Dec. 21, the longest night of the year, and the preceding weekend, many houses of worship will hold memorial services for those who died while 'sleeping rough" without a home. Perhaps you might remember them in your own prayers that day. Or gather food and warm clothing for the poor and homeless. Or demand decent housing for all our brothers and sisters.

Shalom/Salaam/Shanti/Pax,
Tom

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DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
Sara C. Weiss, Director of Development

We thank the following for their generous support during the month of October, and for the blessings these gifts bring to our needy clients:

Congregational Church of Manhasset$500 to be used where needed most
Congregational Church of Manhasset
Women’s Club		$500 Emergency Food
First Presbyterian Church of Freeport$500 to be used where needed most
Nassau County Bar Association$5,000 Nassau emergency food
United Way of Long Island$1,491 monthly allocation

We are grateful to our board member, Adrienne Flipse Hausch, Esq., for her gift of $500 to support our Thanksgiving programs and who gave us permission to publish her name. We thank two anonymous donors, each of whom gave $1,100 to fund our share of the cost of a new intern from Nassau County Community College. Within days of receipt of this gift, we were delighted to welcome Pamela Ogboe, our intern for this school year, who is now working at our Hempstead administrative office and helping us with clients. We also thank the many other individuals who gave but asked that we don’t publish their names, and all the institutions that gave less than $500. We are grateful for all of these gifts.

We extend a special thanks both to our board members who wrote letters for our Hunger 2006 campaign, and to their friends, relatives and co-workers who generously responded to those requests by sending contributions for our emergency food programs.

HELP US BRING CHRISTMAS CHEER TO NEEDY FAMILIES

We need gifts for boys and girls ages 3 to 15 and we urgently need baby clothes for infants 0-18 months. We also need coats, hats, gloves, mittens, and food items for the hundreds of Christmas baskets we distribute each Christmas from our Riverhead, Hempstead and Freeport facilities.

We need gift-wrap materials, and volunteers to help us distribute the gifts. Please call Alric Kennedy, Director of Community Resources, at 516-565-0290, ext. 204 to let him know when you are available and tell us the facility at which you will assist. We will be grateful for your help.

TAX FREE DISTRIBUTIONS FROM IRA’S TO CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS

President Bush recently signed H.R. 4, the Pension Protection Act of 2006, into law. One of the most significant changes we thought would interest donors who give to charitable organizations is that individuals who are 70 ½ or older can now make tax-free distributions from their IRA’s for charitable purposes. This opportunity is available only for 2006 and 2007 unless extended by Congress.

Donating your IRA distributions to charity will allow you to direct your required minimum distribution proceeds (or more, up to $100,000) to the Long Island Council of Churches and/or other charitable organizations. This can benefit you because it will reduce your earned income, although you cannot deduct these charitable contributions from your IRA on your income taxes.

We believe this is a great opportunity for you, the Long Island Council of Churches, and other charitable organizations you support. Some individuals are sufficiently comfortable financially that they do not need their required minimum distributions, although because it is required, you must take them. If you normally make charitable contributions, please consider making them directly from your IRAs. Here are some limitations that should be considered:

  • The donor must be at least 70 ½ when making the gift.
  • The maximum allowable is $100,000 per taxpayer per year.
  • The law applies to gifts made only in 2006 and 2007, unless extended by Congress.
  • The recipient charity must be an organization described in section 170(b)(1)(A) (other than an organization described in section 509(a)(3) or a donor advised fund as defined in Section 4966(d)(2). Public charities would be qualified, but supporting organizations, donor-advised funds or private foundations are NOT qualified.
  • The law does NOT apply to distributions from employer-sponsored retirement plans, including SIMPLE IRAs and simplified employee pensions (SEPs).
  • When making the tax-free distribution from your IRA to the charity, the distribution must be directly from your IRA to the charity as an alternate payee.
  • You must keep receipts of the charitable contributions from the charity for your tax records.

Please contact your tax advisor and financial representative to discuss this further before executing your contribution.

Memorial/Tribute Gifts

A great way to remember a loved one, whether living or deceased, is to give a memorial or tribute gift in his/her name. In your letter accompanying such a gift, please tell us who the gift is in memory of or in tribute to, and who is giving the gift. We will send a thank you letter to the contributor and to the family of the loved one in accordance with your instructions. Please send your contribution to the LICC: Attention: Sara Weiss. If you have questions, call Sara for further information at 516-565-0290, ext. 207.

Naming and Tribute opportunities are also available for our programs. Please see the September 2006 issue of Prelude for a list of Giving Opportunities, check our website, or call Sara for a list. We also have planned giving opportunities that will sustain these programs in perpetuity.

You can now contribute to the Long Island Council of Churches using your credit card. Please call the Hempstead office at 516-565-0290.

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REMEMBERING POLLY JESSE

Polly Jesse died just before Thanksgiving after a long battle with cancer and after many years of service in our emergency food program. She came to the Long Island Council of Churches in 1989, bringing with her both dedication, unfailing compassion and cheerfulness, and a remarkable ability to know when someone was trying to con her. Jesus urged his disciples to be as innocent as doves and as wise as serpents, and Polly managed to help people in need with both wisdom and discernment. The LICC, Faith Baptist Church, and her friends and neighbors in Hempstead already miss her—and give thanks for her long and good life.

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IDEAS YOU CAN USE:

Preach the Torah—and the Haftorah

Many of us who generally preach on the texts in the ecumenical Revised Common Lectionary find that this calendar of Scripture readings for each week is valuable but has its limitations. One of these is that the lectionary leaves out large chunks of the Bible. It pays too little attention, for example, to the Tanakh (a.k.a., “the Old Testament,” “Hebrew Scriptures,” and “First Testament”).

A good way to correct this neglect and find fresh inspiration for sermons is to take a look at the weekly readings used in synagogues. A luakh or calendar will have these readings, as will the wall calendars given away by any funeral home that serves Jewish families, such as Gutterman’s (516-921-5727). The Rev. Moses Birnbaum, President of the Long Island Board of Rabbis and spiritual leader of the Plainview Jewish Center, recommends the USCJ Luakh, which provides much additional information about Jewish worship.

The Torah and Haftorah readings for December can provide much inspiration for goyim as well as Jews. The Haftorah text for the weekend of Dec. 2 is longer than the attention span of most Christians, but you might read Hosea 14. Verses 1 through 3 can call us to confession (“you have stumbled because of your iniquity”) and verses 4 through 9 assure us that God forgives those who turn away from injustice (“They shall live again beneath his shadow, they shall flourish as a garden. . .” NSRV).

The Revised Common Lectionary for the weekend of Dec. 9-10 includes Malachi 3:1-4 and the prophecy of John the Baptist from Luke 3:1-6, but the Torah and Haftorah “portions” for Dec. 9 embody far more forcefully the cry of prophets against injustice: Genesis 36 tells about the rape of Dinah, bearing witness to an injustice that is still all too common among us, and Obadiah warns that cruelty toward your neighbor leads to destruction.

The RCL for the weekend of Dec. 16-17 includes Luke’s account of the preaching of John the Baptist, with its call to share food with the hungry and to stop gouging the poor, but you might want to tell your congregation about Hanukah also, which begins this weekend. The old story of how children playing with little spinning dreidels helped their people to resist injustice (which can be found in my collection, Sharing the Good News with Children, St. Anthony Messenger Press), makes a great children’s story or sermon illustration for this weekend.

Pastors often urge their flocks to remember “the Reason for the Season.” You may find it easier to understand the importance of this season if you read the Scripture texts that were treasured by a certain Jewish kid who was born in a barn.

‘TIS THE SEASON FOR QUESTIONS

A rabbi I know occasionally plays “Stump the Rebbe” with his confirmation classes, letting them pose any question they wish. I have found that this exercise is also a good way to preach occasionally. Most churches experience a "low Sunday" after Christmas, another after Easter, and a few more during the summer. With fewer people in worship, many preachers have difficulty revving themselves up for one more sermon. You can generate interest - and boost attendance - by substituting “Questions and Answers” for the usual fare. This year January 1 might be an ideal time to give this a try.

Holidays often raise questions in the minds of both newcomers and longtime members. For a Q & A sermon, you might encourage members of the congregation to submit in advance queries about God, the Bible, your beliefs, the reason for the season, the meaning of life, or nearly anything else. You might put half-sheets of paper in the Sunday bulletin and/or a blank space for questions in the congregation's bulletin. Questions might be mailed in advance to the church office or faxed or e-mailed or telephoned. If children will be present in worship on the Sunday you choose, as is often the case on “low Sundays” when there is no Sunday School, you can ask their teachers to gather questions from their classes.

If time permits and the preacher is brave, take impromptu inquiries from the floor. The first time yours truly ever did this, I must admit, at Bay Shore United Methodist Church, it felt a little bit like a high wire act without a net. It was definitely exciting, though, and some great issues were broached that I might never have addressed in the course of preaching on the lectionary’s calendar of Scripture readings. Folks turned out in astonishing numbers, though they might have shown up to watch a dancing elephant, too. We all seemed to learn something from the experience—and agreed that the Word had been authentically proclaimed, albeit in an atypical format.

Winging it on the fly is exhilarating; of course, because there is a chance that we will make fools out of ourselves. But those of us who are parsons take this chance every time we step up to the pulpit, and as St. Paul told the young church in Corinth, Christians may be called to look foolish to be faithful to Christ. I found my parishioners remarkably kind in hearing my ad libbed responses. They were not disturbed when I answered, “I don’t know—what do you think?” or “I never thought about that—what a good question!” They thought this candor was refreshing.

The Gospels record that Jesus often taught by asking or answering questions, and he even welcomed children in his ongoing Socratic dialogues. When clerics engage our curiosity head-on and are willing to admit that they do not know everything, it communicates powerfully that "we believe in thinking" and that we can be honest about our musings, our doubts, and our confusion. As an ad campaign for the Episcopal Church proclaimed a few years ago, “Jesus came to take away your sin, not your mind.”

--twg--

HAVE FUN AND LEARN--PLAY "WHAT'S MY FAITH?"

The Huntington Interfaith Clergy Association recently put its knowledge to the test with a presentation of “What’s My Faith?” by the Long Island Multi-Faith Forum.

In this game show format developed by LIMFF Board member Raj Singh for the Parliament of World Religions in South Africa, mystery guests arrive dressed identically. Audience members ask questions that the mystery guests can answer "yes" or "no" or "I don't know" or "that doesn't apply to us". After 15 minutes, the audience tries to guess the faith of each mystery guest.

The guests then identify themselves and show the LIMFF’s video “Faiths of Long Island.” To request a presentation of “What’s My Faith?” or the LIMFF’s “Building Bridges” panel discussion in your church, synagogue, school, etc. please call Bernice Suplee at 631-665-7033 or jbsuplee@aol.com.

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WORTH QUOTING

Dharma Master Cheng Yen on Stewardship

“In raising donations, the most important is not the funds, but the inspiring of love.”

--Dharma Master Cheng Yen, Tsu Chi USA (a Buddhist charity)
November 2006

Why We Need Sabbath Time

“The Sabbath rest means, not a time of inactivity, but a time of reconciliation, a time of fulfillment. It is a special moment when the created walk with the Creator, when the tired and worn find peace in the Sustainers, and when the despairing sinner finds comfort in the Redeemer.”

--Larry Evans, Ministry (Seventh-Day Adventist) September 2006

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MORE ON PAYDAY LENDERS

Last month’s issue of The Prelude included information about the risks of borrowing money for short periods of time from “payday lenders.” Payday lenders have sprung up around military bases across the nation, and these predators have been increasingly aggressive in preying on military families, who often face financial hardships when troops are sent into harms’ way in Iraq or elsewhere. And a whole new class of unscrupulous insurance agents have sprung up to peddle dubious policies to unsuspecting soldiers. Congress recently passed the Enzi-Clinton Military Anti-Fraud Bill to protect military personnel from deceitful lending. Sponsored by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) the newly signed law prohibits unscrupulous payday lenders or insurance agents from using deceitful practices to sell financial products to our men and women in uniform.

Would your congregation, agency, or community group like some help in sorting out personal finances? The Long Island Council of Churches offers seminars on how to manage your money well - and not get ripped off. Our presentations usually run an hour to 90 minutes, and we will tailor it to the needs of your audience, such as a shorter program for a college class, campus ministry group, or youth group and their parents. The LICC will arrange speakers, educational materials, and other freebies. Thanks to grants from Astoria Federal Savings, Bank of America, Bank of New York, Citibank, the Greenpoint Bank Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, Washington Mutual, and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, we can provide this program without charge. All you need to supply is the location and refreshments.

Each presentation is shaped around the needs of the audience and we are prepared to address a wide variety of topics. Here are some we have dealt with recently that might be of interest to students and their parents:

  • How to shop for a good loan
  • How to get a good deal on checking and savings accounts and other financial services
  • How to manage credit cards and other forms of credit
  • How to “repair” a bad credit history
  • How to reduce expenses on things you think are essential.
  • How to convert a loan you already have into a better deal.
  • How to talk with your kids (or your parents) about how they manage their money.

We have speakers who can handle a variety of languages. On Wednesday, Oct. 18, for example, we will have a seminar at 1st Presbyterian Church and the North Fork Spanish Apostolate in Southold from 7 to 9 p.m. with simultaneous presentations in Spanish and English. Come if you can! If you would like to have such a seminar, call 516-565-0290, ext. 206, fax 516-565-0291, or e-mail licchemp@aol.com.

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TV WORTH WATCHING ON WLIW: “Tim Janis” & “Holiday Table”

Christians claim that the Incarnation was something completely new in human history, but we usually observe Christmas in the same old way each year. This December, however, public television offers programs that are fresh and original.

“Tim Janis: the American Carol” (premiering Sunday, Dec. 24, at 10 p.m. on WLIW/21—check your local listings) does a particularly good job of grafting new material onto something familiar. Each segment begins with James Earl Jones telling the story behind a much-loved American Christmas song and leading into new compositions by Tim Janis. Janis is well known for promoting “music with a mission.” He produced “Music of Hope” for the American Cancer Society, for example, with Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, and Ray Charles, and raised money for AIDS programs in Africa by leading the first U.S. tour of the all-HIV-positive Sinikithemba Choir from South Africa.

James Earl Jones tells us how Edmund Sears wrote one of America’s first carols, “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear,” and then we hear three new American carols by Janis, including the wonderful praise song “Worthy of All Praise.” The story of “We Three Kings” leads into “Star of Wonder,” “Offering,” and “God’s Great Gift.” We hear how a Philadelphia pastor journeyed 5000 miles to the Church of the Nativity in Manger Square before writing “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and then listen to more recent music: “Open the Eyes of My Heart” and “O Holy Night.”

Janis tries to put a little diversity into this program, explaining how the Fisk Jubilee Singers first performed “Go Tell It on a Mountain.” It’s too bad he didn’t mention that a Unitarian pastor wrote “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”. Now this would be fresh food for thought: people of other faiths celebrate the birth of Jesus, too, and pray for a time “when peace shall over all the earth its ancient splendors fling.”

This critic is no fan of cooking shows, but the public television series “The Holiday Table” does its bit to remind us of the “reason for the season.” Christmas may celebrate the birth of a Savior who was born in a barn, yet it has become for all too many Christians an occasion of extravagant consumption. The episode called “Giving at the Holiday Table” suggests that you throw a dinner party where guests contribute to a good cause rather than exchange gifts, and “Gifts from the Kitchen” encourages homemade gifts for family and friends. These programs will air at widely varied times throughout December on different public television stations, so remember to check your local listings.

“The Holiday Table” also celebrates America’s religious and cultural pluralism. In the Chanukah episode (check your local listings), Joan Nathan tells how a legendary miracle led to traditional foods such as potato pancakes. The Kwanza program (which premieres Monday, December 18 at 10:30 p.m. on WLIW/21) has some great recipes and also explains the rich traditions behind this recently created holiday.

The series also does us a great service by devoting a separate episode to “Christmas Dinner Greek Style” (Thursday, Dec. 21, at 2:30 p.m. on WLIW/21). Orthodox Christians have been in America for two and half centuries but still encounter appalling ignorance of their customs from most Protestants and Catholics. For most Orthodox, for example, the birth of Jesus is celebrated at Epiphany, not Christmas. As one Greek priest told me, “I’d just like my son to get through school one year without being accused by his teacher of lying when he says he has to miss school tomorrow because it is Good Friday.” This program covers some wonderful, healthy food from “The New Greek Cuisine” by Jim Batsakis—and reminds us that we do not all celebrate the Incarnation in the same way, or even on the same day.

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ALSO WORTH WATCHING ON WLIW/21: “Picturing Mary”

A journey from ancient times to the present surveys art inspired by the Virgin Mary, visiting museums, chapels and cathedrals in eight countries to view rare and sacred masterpieces in their original locations. For nearly two millennia, Mary has inspired some of the finest achievements in painting, architecture, poetry and music. From tiny keepsakes to giant mosaics, artists including Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Caravaggio portrayed Mary as the sublime embodiment of womanhood, endowing her with all of humanity’s virtues, joys and sorrows. Drawing on various faiths and traditions, the special demonstrates, through local life and culture, how these images are as relevant to the faithful now as they were hundreds of years ago. Narrated by Jane Seymour with readings by actor James Keach. Premieres Thursday, December 21, at 8 p.m. on WLIW/21 and repeats Saturday, December 23, at 3 p.m.

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DID YOU KNOW?

National UCC Leader To Speak in Centerport:
The Congregational Church of Huntington is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, and the Rev. John Thomas, national President of their denomination, the United Church of Christ, will preach there on Sunday, December 3, at 10 a.m. He also will be speaking at the Suffolk Association meeting of the UCC on Saturday, Dec. 2 at CCH, which is located at 30 Washington Drive in Centerport.

You May Not Be Claiming Your Earned Income Tax Credit:
Individuals earning less than $12,120 in 2006 and families earning up to $38,348 may be able to file for the Earned Income Tax Credit, a refund that can be as much as $535 for individuals and up to $5,896 for families. Those who are not required to file an income tax return because they make so little money—the people entitled to the largest amount of money back under the EITC--often fail to collect this refund. Further information is available at www.irs.gov. Help filing for the EITC is available at many Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites, which can also file your tax return on-line to speed up your refund.

Souper Bowl of Caring:
Last winter more than 11,000 congregations from 50 denominations took part in the Souper Bowl of Caring. They asked each worshiper for $1 to feed the hungry on Super Bowl Sunday, raising more than $3 million dollars for soup kitchens and emergency food pantries, plus substantial donations of canned goods. In doing this, they also encouraged people to remember our neighbors in need even after the Christmas-Hanukkah-New Year’s Eve season has passed. Will your congregation take part in Souper Bowl this year? If so, please consider collecting food and money for the LICC’s pantries. Information on the Souper Bowl of Caring is available at 1-800-358-SOUP or www.souperbowl.org.

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World AIDS Day Commemorations

  • EOC of Nassau is having a WORLD AIDS DAY Observance on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 (1:00 – 4:00 pm), with Dr. Sharon Denise Allison-Ottey, author of best selling novel; ALL I EVER DID WAS LOVE A MAN. Pre-registration is required; first come, first served. The event will be held at the Economic Opportunity Commission of Nassau County, 134 Jackson Street, Hempstead NY 11550. Contact Rev. Anita Shiver-Kennedy (516) 292-710 ext, 268 or Mrs. LaVonne Erskine (ext. 315) for additional information.


  • Nassau Med Center (Hempstead Turnpike and Carman's Ave. in East Meadow) will have a candle lighting memorial service on Dec. 1 at 2:00 with music by the Westbury High School Gospel Choir.


  • The Consumer Advocacy Group, United Way of Long Island, Nassau-Suffolk HIV Health Services Planning Council, Nassau-Suffolk HIV Care Network, and Family Residences and Essential Enterprises invite one and all to "Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise!" on December 1 from 6:30 to 11:00 pm at FREE (191 Bethpage-Sweet Hollow Road in Old Bethpage). Registration REQUIRED! CALL Ellen at United Way of Long Island 631-940-3717 by NOV. 27th.


  • There will be a multi-faith World AIDS Day service on Friday, December 1st at 8:00 am at the Unitarian Universalist Meetinghouse, 977 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, Bridgehampton.
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NEEDED/OFFERED

Offered:

Free Breast Cancer Screening in Hempstead:
The Nassau Health Care Corporation is offering breast cancer screening at our Hempstead office in December in conjunction with Christ’s First Presbyterian Church. There is no charge for these examinations, but it is necessary to make an appointment. Please call Alric Kennedy, our Director of Community Resources, at 516-565-0290, ext. 204 to make an appointment or get further information.

Winter Clothing:
We have lots of warm winter clothing to give away at our Riverhead office (407 Osborne Ave., 631-727-2210).

Free Choir Robes:
The Congregational Church of Farmingville has choir robes to give away to a church that needs them. Call Peg Evanson at 631-981-2343 for further information.

Resources for World AIDS Day:
The General Board of Church and Society of the United Methodist Church offers resources for education and worship at www.umc-gbcs.org.
The General Board of Global Ministries, which oversees The United Methodist Global AIDS Fund, also offers resources for the observance at new.gbgm-umc.org/resources/annual/worldaidsday.

Parsonage:
Parsonage available for reasonable rent. Five bedroom home in Hicksville available immediately for ordained clergy or those working for a not-for-profit agency. Contact Rev. John Jurik, 516-931-0710.

Needed:

Christmas Gifts for Children:
The LICC is seeking nursery and layette items, dolls, trucks, games, tea sets, building blocks, books, Bibles, coloring books & crayons, computer games, radios, cd players, board games, clothing for older children, hats, gloves and sweaters.
Checks should be sent to the Long Island Council of Churches Administrative Office (1644 Denton Green, Hempstead, NY 11550). Food donations should be send to the Emergency Food Center in Freeport (450 N. Main St., Freeport/516-868-4989) or Riverhead (407 Osborne Avenue/531-727-2210).

Support for Newsday’s Help-A-Family Campaign:
Each year Newsday Charities runs the Help-A-Family Campaign, encouraging its readers to make the holidays a little brighter for local families in need. The McCormick Foundation donates 50 cents to the campaign for every dollar that is given locally. You can even make contributions on-line by visiting their Website, newsday.com/helpafamily. The LICC, which receives a generous grant each year from this campaign, urges you to support this campaign.
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SAVE A LIFE! GIVE BLOOD! DECEMBER BLOOD DRIVES

Blood donations are usually slow over the holidays, which makes it all the more important for those who can give to do so in December and January. Here are some drives that are being run by Long Island Blood Services this month:
Event DateSiteAddressStart/End TimeChairperson/Phone
12/1/06Our Savior Lutheran Church140 Mark Tree Road
Centereach		3:30 PM
9:00 PM		William & Margaret Kletecka
(631) 585-6672
12/4/06New Life Community Church380 Lakeland Ave.
Sayville		4:00 PM
9:30 PM		Mike Paxson
(631) 868-0648
12/8/06First Baptist Church482 North Ocean Ave.
Patchogue		3:00 PM
8:30 PM		Elizabeth Porcelli
(631) 730-7751
12/9/06Bethel Gospel Tabernacle Church110-36 Guy Brewer Blvd.
Jamaica		9:30 AM
3:00 PM		Sandra Thompson
(718) 340-7091
12/10/06Full Gospel Church4101 Austin Blvd.
Island Park		9:30 AM
3:00 PM		Mike Catanzaro
(516) 897-1239
12/17/06Swami Narayan Hindu Temple43-38 Bowne Street
Flushing		11:00 AM
4:30 PM		Sneh Thakkar
(516) 931-2744

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ADVERTISING IN THE PRELUDE

Each month, 2700 copies of our newsletter The Prelude are mailed to both the clergy leaders and lay leaders of 1350 faith organizations. Filled with timely articles, news briefs, updates and notices affecting Long Island’s communities and churches and the wider world, The Prelude is a must read for all who would “work together to improve living on Long Island and promote interfaith understanding and cooperation.”

The LICC accepts paid advertising...both sponsorship ads, display ads and simple listings (classifieds). Advertising in The Prelude is a great way to reach clergy, lay leaders, and volunteers in Long Island’s congregations. To receive a “media kit” with advertising rates, copy requirements, and copy deadlines, please call 516-565-0290 or email licchemp@aol.com. Congregations that join the LICC and groups that join the Friends of the LICC receive a free classified ad in thanks for paying their annual dues!

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ADS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Job Opening for Chinese-Speaking Pastor

The Community Church of Great Neck is seeking a minister for their Chinese congregation. They would like the candidate to be ordained with a M. Div degree and at least three years of ministerial leadership experience. With a membership of 150, the Community Church is extremely active and might be considered Evangelical in religious disposition. For further information, please contact the Rev. Dan Fritz at the Community Church of Great Neck, 2 Stoner Ave., Great Neck, N. Y. 11021 or 516-482-0672.



Dec. 16 Christmas Concert in East Islip

Saturday, Dec. 16, 7 p.m. Jesus Alive Christmas Concert at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on Main Street in East Islip. Servants of the Shepherd will perform “Behold the Child.” Admission is free. A free-will offering will be received to feed the hungry. Please bring canned food, too, for local emergency food pantries.



Parish Resource Center Programs

Need Help through the Holiday Season? The current DivorceCare group will continue to meet during the Holiday season. This is an open group. If you are interested in joining the current group which meets on Monday evenings or would like any information about upcoming groups and fees, please call us at 821-2255.

DivorceCare groups meet weekly for 13 weeks to help you face the challenge of divorce and separation and move toward rebuilding your life. If you would like information about upcoming group and fees, please call us at 821-2255. This support group is held at the Parish Resource Center, 89 Hallock Landing Rd., Rocky Point

Healing Prayer Study Group: The Parish Resource Center will be forming another six week study group on Healing Prayer. If you would like to learn about Healing Prayer and experience it yourself, please contact us. Topics will include what is Healing Prayer and beginning to pray using prayer exercises and how to start a Healing Ministry in your local church. If you would like information about upcoming group and fees, please call us at 821-2255

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ARE WE SENDING YOU THIS NEWSLETTER BY MISTAKE?

You are receiving this newsletter from the Long Island Council of Churches because we think you want it, but mistakes do happen, something that falls somewhere under the doctrine of sin. If you no longer want to receive our newsletter via email, never did in the first place, would like to get it at another address, or would like our longer monthly newsletter but not the weekly updates, please let us know at licchemp@aol.com. Our apologies if we have been unintentionally bombarding you with unwanted mail! And if you are having trouble reading this message, which seems to happen with some Internet Service Providers, please let me know and we will try to send it to you in another format or at another email address.

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The Long Island Council of Churches is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. The Long Island Council of Churches unites diverse Christians to work together in ministry with the poor and to promote interfaith understanding. All donations are tax-deductible and much appreciated.

The Rev. Thomas W. Goodhue
Executive Director
Long Island Council of Churches
1644 Denton Green
Hempstead, NY 11550
voice: 516-565-0290, ext. 206
fax: 516-565-0291
email:licchemp@aol.com
Web: www.ncccusa.org/ecmin/licc

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