PRELUDE, July/August 2008

TABLE OF CONTENTS




From Our Executive Director:
HOW TO TALK ABOUT HARD TOPICS - WITHOUT ALIENATING OTHERS NEEDLESSLY

Most of us are a bit nervous about discussing divisive issues because they are, well, divisive. One Catholic priest I know said, "I hate preaching about abortion, because if I say what my denomination teaches, half the parish will attack me for not being sufficiently pastoral toward those who have faced difficult situations, and if I show any sympathy for those who have had an abortion, the other half will condemn me for not upholding our doctrine." What do you say when your friend tells a racist joke? What do you do when an in-law says something during Thanksgiving dinner that makes your blood boil? How can you discuss a hot-button topic such as affordable housing without needlessly alienating your friends, neighbors, or parishioners?

Listen before speaking.
Few of us listen very long to any salesman, preacher or community organizer who wants our attention without giving it. Try to know and understand your audience, though it is best to remember, as Margaret Melkonian says, "You never know who is in the room." If you are a pastor, priest, or rabbi, call on your flock at home or at work (more about calling-at-work later) before plunging into controversial issues. Ask a lot of questions. Listen long and hard to those with whom you disagree. Bill Coffin often said at Riverside Church, "You should always try to listen to your opponents carefully enough that you can state their position to their satisfaction."

Let people know you have heard them.
All of us are more open to discussion if someone says, "I hear what you are saying, but I see things differently." One of my favorite former parishioners did this brilliantly in her hair salon, patiently listening to a customer rail against group homes in their community and then noting, "I see your point but I guess I see it differently: I have an aunt who really needs a place like that." Preachers are likely to find a more receptive audience if they begin their sermon with "I know this is a divisive issue but one of you asked me. . ." or "We have many different opinions among ourselves on this issue, but this is what I am hearing from you."

Confess your own sin and screw-ups, ambivalence and confusion.
Try to never condemn something without first locating it in your own life. If you cannot identify with the sinner, admit this: "I must admit that I really do not know what it is like to be tempted over and over again to . . . but I know some people who struggle with this their whole lives." Be willing to acknowledge the messy feelings that you have. A parishioner once asked "but if someone murdered Karen, wouldn't you want to see to see him executed?" "No," I replied honestly, "I'd want to kill him with my own hands. I don't think it would give me any satisfaction at all to see a needle jabbed in his arm ten years later." It never hurts, either, to admit that you are uncomfortable addressing a divisive issue.

Use humor, particularly if you and your people are the brunt of the joke.
You can make many points more effectively with a funny story than you can with a shrill argument. In Hawaii, ethnic humor is common but people mostly tell jokes about their own group. Do you know how the Grand Canyon was created? A Scotsman was passing through the dessert and dropped a nickel in a ditch.

Address concerns directly, speaking to their enlightened self-interest.
There is not much point in urging people not to feel what they feel but much to be gained by addressing real needs. When people express objections to affordable housing or immigration, for example, I sometimes ask, "Don't you want someone to help you when you are sick or elderly?" and then describe the shortage of nurses and home health aides that looms before us.

Keep your eyes on the prize.
It is easier to hear a summons to do better than it is to accept a condemnation of what you are doing now, so preach grace more than judgment and hold out hope, Focus on the goal we seek rather than the evil we deplore. Many Christian denominations, for example, have task forces that have addressed domestic violence, but the Islamic Center of Long Island has achieved far more by forming a Committee on Domestic Harmony. Most denominations have commissions that attack racism, but the Baha'is achieve far more through "race unity" committees and picnics "for racial harmony." They often quote their founder, Baha'u'llah:
"The earth is one country, and mankind its citizens."
"He who is your Lord, the All-Merciful, cherisheth in His heart the desire of beholding the entire human race as one soul and one body."

What have you found that works? What helps you to tackle tough topics? What helps you to stay open minded yourself?

Shalom/Salaam/Shanti/Pax,
Tom

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A WORD OR TWO OF THANKS
Sara C. Weiss, Director of Development

Special thanks this month to an individual donor who gave two contributions totaling $5,000, one for emergency food and social services, and the other where most needed. Special thanks, also, to the following for their support during the month of May 2008 (we prepare our copy a month before publication), and for the blessings these gifts bring to our needy clients:

Congregational Church of Manhasset$500 Where most needed
Congregational Church of Patchogue$600 Emergency Food
First Presbyterian Church of Northport$1,000 Riverhead Emergency Food, MICAH
Hempstead United Methodist Church$1,100 Where most needed
Northport High Students for 60,000$1,500 Emergency Food
Presbytery of Long Island$1,096 MICAH
TD Banknorth Charitable Foundation/Commerce Bank$10,000 Predatory Lending Prevention
Washington Mutual Bank$2,000 Predatory Lending Prevention

We thank the many other individuals and institutions that also gave. We are grateful for all gifts, including the food collected by so many congregations for our emergency food pantries. Food donations are particularly important during the summer, when contributions usually decline and when many children who receive free or reduced-cost meals at school are home. With this issue of the Prelude, we are beginning to periodically list these non-monetary donations, which are also much needed and greatly appreciated. If you have given in-kind gifts but don't see your name on this list, please let us know so we can publish it in the next issue. Here are some of the Nassau in-kind contributors for the first five months of this year - our overworked Suffolk staff has not had time to prepare a similar list for contributions received in Riverhead but we hope to print this in our next issue.

IN-KIND DONATIONS - NASSAU EMERGENCY FOOD CENTER - 2008

  • Bellmore Presbyterian Church
  • Bethany Congregational Church, East Rockaway
  • Bethpage United Methodist Church
  • Brookside School, Baldwin
  • Christ Church, Manhasset
  • Christ Episcopal Church, Manhasset
  • Christ's First Presbyterian Church, Hempstead
  • Christ Lutheran Church, Freeport
  • Church of the Ascension, Rockville Centre
  • Community Church of East Williston
  • Community Church of Syosset
  • Community Presbyterian Church of Malverne
  • Community Presbyterian Church of Massapequa
  • First Presbyterian Church of Baldwin
  • First Presbyterian Church of Freeport
  • First Presbyterian Church of Oceanside
  • Freeport Healing Light Center
  • Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, New Hyde Park
  • Grace United Methodist Church, Valley Stream
  • Hempstead United Methodist Church
  • Merrick United Methodist Church
  • Oceanside Presbyterian Church
  • Roslyn Presbyterian Church
  • Sacred Heart Church, Merrick
  • Sea Cliff United Methodist Church
  • St. Boniface Church, Elmont
  • St. John's Evangelical Lutheran, Merrick
  • Trinity Episcopal Church, Roslyn
  • United Methodist Church, Port Washington
  • United Methodist Church, Uniondale
  • Wantagh Memorial Congregational Church
  • Westbury Meeting, Religious Society of Friends
  • Word of Life Church

Most Urgent Need

Our most urgent need this summer is for unrestricted funds to cover essential program expenses other funders do not. Our chaplaincy program is a typical example. Although our Nassau County Department of Social Services (DSS) contracts pays a major portion of our chaplaincy expenses, we must pay an additional $4,000 annually to cover the program's expenses despite cutting back the chaplains' hours to keep down costs. Of the total $47,054 Chaplaincy Program expenses in 2007, our DSS contract paid $40,900, congregations collectively contributed $1,300, individuals gave a total of $301, and agencies gave a total of $500, leaving a $4,053 shortfall which we must pay out of already inadequate unrestricted funds. This is true for several other programs such as the Multi-Faith Forum which had an $8,603 shortfall last year.

Here's another example: Over 25 years ago Nassau DSS asked us to set up the emergency food and community resources (social services) programs to feed the clients they send us. We've had a continuous contract to do so ever since. Although the number of clients we now serve is four times what it was when the contract began, DSS has not raised the amount of the contract by even a penny. The County's contract now covers only 61% of our expenses. We either have to raise the rest or pay the balance from our already scarce unrestricted funds. Some of the 39% shortfall is covered by gifts from congregations, individuals, and foundations, but even with their gifts, we were still left with a shortfall of $14,327 last year. We have to make up the balance from unrestricted funds or our clients won't get fed, won't get help with prescriptions, transportation, food, and all the other needs with which we assist them.

We urgently need more unrestricted gifts to cover program shortfalls and to sustain our ministry to serve individuals and families in crisis throughout Long Island. It would be enormously helpful if donors could designate their funds "where most needed" so we can use them to cover insufficiently funded programs whose success depends on meeting their expenses.

RIVERHEAD STAFF MATCHING GIFT APPEAL

In the past few years, the number of people served by our Riverhead office has doubled but our staff has shrunk from three to two. A third staff person's position was funded by a grant. When the grant maker moved out of state, the funding stopped and we had to lay her off.

We do not have the capacity to serve the dramatically increased workload in Riverhead with only two people. We urgently need a third full-time staff person who will give us the capacity to care for the clients who come for help, often 40 to 55 families in a single day.

We just received a gift of $20,000 to help fund the new Riverhead staff position. We need matching gifts totaling $15,000 to pay for the remaining costs.

To fully fund a 3rd full-time permanent position and give our two current staff a modest raise in gratitude for their hard work, we will require a total of $35,000 per year to pay for salary, payroll taxes, health benefits and other insurance plus an annual cost-of-living increase for the next three years.

The 3rd staff person will enable us to keep the Riverhead office open when food deliveries are received. Currently we must close the office while Carolyn and Olga unload the truck, stack food on the shelves, and prepare grocery bags of food to give to the clients. A 3rd staff person also will enable us to keep the office open when another staff person is out sick or on vacation. And a 3rd staff person will allow us to pick up donations during hours when we serve clients.

Please send your gifts to the Long Island Council of Churches, 1644 Denton Green, Hempstead, NY 11550, Attn: Sara Weiss, and write "Riverhead 3rd staff person" in the memo. We thank you in advance.

Memorial/Tribute Gifts

A great way to remember a loved one, either 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 whom the gift remembers and who is giving the gift. We will send a thank you letter to the contributor and notification to the honoree or the family of the loved one in accordance with your instructions. Please send your contribution to the LICC, attention Sara Weiss. If you have any questions, call Sara for further information at 516-565-0290, ext. 207. Naming and Tribute opportunities are also available for our programs. Call Sara for a list. We also have planned giving opportunities that will sustain these programs in perpetuity.

"Why General Operating Support is Critical"
By Sara C. Weiss

(The following is paraphrased from an article on General Operating Support in the May/June 2008 issue of Advancing Philanthropy: Ideas & Strategies from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, pp. 25-29):

Myth: "We shouldn't support operating costs. Donations are more effective if used for programs."
Reality: "Like all businesses, nonprofits need working capital, competent staff and resources to succeed. If they under-invest in salaries and other core operating and infrastructure costs, they will be less effective."

According to Kathleen Enright, executive director of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations in Washington, D.C., foundations and, by extension, other donors, need to abandon the long-held belief that "overhead" is a negative that somehow detracts from programs. It's important to recognize, instead, that "overhead" is essential for sustaining programs and building capacity. Who would patronize a business that doesn't have an accounting program, does not provide staff training and doesn't have up to date information technology? "To the extent that overhead ratios are indicative of effectiveness, they provide wrongheaded incentives to nonprofits," Enright adds.

Strong nonprofits, like great businesses, invest in infrastructure, pay their staff decently, upgrade their technology and use external resources, such as consultants, that they need in order to develop effective strategies - all these are "overhead," Enright explains. She is convinced that a lack of investment in core operations will precipitate a crisis. She warns foundations that failure to fund operating costs undermines the effectiveness of the nonprofits they support and diminishes their ability to achieve meaningful results, adding that ". . . by refusing to pay overhead [= unrestricted] costs, donors are hobbling the organization's ability to succeed."

In last month's Prelude, we wrote about the urgent need for a third full-time person at our Riverhead office. While the number of people our heroic two-woman Riverhead staff serves has doubled in the last few years, we lost a third person because her position was funded by a grant. When the grant ended, we had to lay her off. A full-time permanent position would cost approximately $35,000 per year for salary, payroll taxes, health benefits and other insurance plus an annual cost of living increase for the next few years. Because grants and other restricted gifts are not permanent, the position can only be supported with general operating funds.

We just received a $100,000 grant for MICAH, an anti-poverty advocacy program for which the LICC now has sole responsibility. The grant will pay for a new Advocacy Director, his/her assistant, and related program expenses for one year. We are absolutely thrilled and delighted to receive this important grant. It will support a pioneering Long Island initiative that will attack the root causes of hunger, poverty, lack of affordable housing and health insurance that bring people to us for help.

But why, our Riverhead staff asks, can't the LICC afford to hire a desperately needed third person for the Riverhead office when we can afford to hire an Advocacy Director and assistant?

That's a fair and legitimate question. The answer is: Because the MICAH grant is restricted, we can only use it for MICAH programming. The desperate need for additional Riverhead staff remains unfunded.

A for-profit business that could not fund its operating costs would soon be bankrupt. For us, failure to fund operating costs pulls our organization out of alignment and ultimately diminishes our ability to fulfill our mission to serve Long Islanders in need. Restricted funding leaves us vulnerable and unable to deploy resources where they are most needed and effective. By contrast, unrestricted funding permits us to meet the needs where they exist, respond rapidly to those needs, and build our capacity to serve individuals and families in crisis. Although we are eternally grateful for every gift, unrestricted donations give us the capacity to fulfill our mission to serve Long Islanders in need.

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LICC Hires New Advocacy Director

Thanks to a generous grant from the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, the LICC has just hired LIMFF volunteer Neelofer Chaudry as its new Advocacy Director, with responsibility for coordinating the Mobilized Interfaith Coalition Against Hunger. And we owe Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Rockville Centre a huge debt of gratitude for providing most of the staffing for MICAH during the campaign’s first year.

Neelofer has a degree in government from Smith College and a master’s degree from Long Island University in criminal justice, has studied at the Woodhull Institute for Ethical Leadership and the Karamah Human Rights Program, and has done internships with Congressman George Hochbrueckner in DC, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Massachusetts Attorney General, and the Suffolk County District Attorney. She has worked for Nassau-Suffolk Law Services, the Suffolk County Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and SUNY Stony Brook’s Interfaith Center.

With several strong candidates for this position, the choice was not at all easy. What the search committee immediately saw in Ms. Chaudry, though, was someone who

  • sees empathy as a core value in advocacy,
  • is committed to public policy advocacy as her life’s calling,
  • takes a collaborative approach to advocacy,
  • has great interpersonal skills,
  • has extensive interfaith experience in doing advocacy with extremely difficult issues, and
  • has the ability to expand MICAH beyond its current membership, making everyone on the Island welcome in this important work.

Neelofer begins work on August 1, and will be based in Central Islip, though she will be spending much time on the road meeting folks and inviting houses of worship to join MICAH. Her office is Room 207 in Touro Law Center’s wonderful new Public Advocacy Center (225 Eastview Drive, in Central Islip), near Citibank Park (where the Ducks play) and the Central Islip court complex, east of Carleton Avenue. We are grateful to the Presbytery of Long Island for underwriting the first year’s rent for this office and to Touro for their hospitality toward not-for-profit organizations such as the LICC.

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SAVE THIS NEW DATE: 2008 LICC CONVOCATION Sept. 27

The LICC’s Annual Convocation has been rescheduled for Saturday, Sept. 27, from 9:00 to 12:30 at First Baptist Church in Riverhead. Please note the change of date to avoid an Island wide gathering of Presbyterians that we discovered was happening the previous Saturday.

The theme this year is “What Can Congregations Do to Lift People Out of Poverty?” The suggested donation for the event is $10, which you can charge to your VISA or MasterCard if you call 516-565-0290 with the relevant information.

The Convocation will include Bible study of the prophetic imagination, a description of who are our working poor neighbors, the agendas of the Mobilized Interfaith Coalition Against Hunger and the Long Island Organizing Network (launched at a previous LICC Convocation), and a presentation by Family Promise, an innovative interfaith congregation-based project that shelters homeless families and helps them become self-supporting.

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IDEAS YOU CAN USE: Celebrating Labor Day/Sunday/Sabbath

The MICAH interfaith anti-poverty campaign will focus in September on Long Island’s need for good jobs. Labor Day is an opportunity to celebrate the importance of honest labor and lift up the plight of the working poor. Here are some ideas for observing Labor Sabbath/Sunday

Put the tools of your trade on the altar
In Bay Shore, my last parish, I encouraged my flock to lay something they used in their calling on the communion table on Labor Sunday, to remind us of the gifts they use in service to the community every day. I encouraged those who were retired to either bring the tools of their former trade or something they use now in their volunteer labor. The thanks we offered together for the work they do, and the chance to visibly bring their daily life to the altar, was clearly moving to many members—and prompted some good laughs about the odd tools they chose not to lug into the sanctuary.

Sing hymns about workers
such as Lesbia Scott’s “I Sing a Song of the Saints of God,” Samuel Longfellow’s "Bless Thou the Gifts,” or Charles Wesley’s “Forth in Thy Name,” the last of which makes a great closing hymn.

Use an Affirmation of Faith that Affirms Workers
such as the Social Creed of the United Methodist Church.

Tell a Story about Those Who Upheld Workers’ Rights
Two such tales, one about early Methodist leaders who founded British unions and the other about the Methodist preacher and Hawaiian labor activist Nick Dizon can be found in Sharing the Good News with Children (St. Anthony Messenger Press), one of my collections of children’s sermons.

Call on Your Flock at Work
One of the things yours truly has enjoyed most in my calling as a parson always has been pastoral calling, particularly the sort that happens not in the hospital or funeral home but where people live and work. With each passing year, though, it seems to get harder to find folks at home—or at least eager to have you drop by the house that they have not had time to clean. Sometimes it seems that even the shut-ins aren’t home. In my last two parishes I started visiting my flock at work. “I would like eventually to see where you live,” I told them, “but I would also like to see where you work or volunteer or go to school.”

Sometimes these were quick visits and a cup of coffee with parishioners who got only short breaks on the job—which gave me a whole new perspective on their harried lives. Often, we managed to have lunch together—and I invariably learned things about them that I never could in the fellowship hall or their living room. One shy, self-effacing woman whom I thought was a receptionist turned out to be her corporation’s vice president for finance! And many, many times I was proudly toured around the whole office or plant and introduced to countless co-workers by parishioners who were deeply moved that I took the train to mid-town or drove to Hauppauge to visit them. Visiting parishioners at work this summer will enrich your observance of Labor Day—and just might renew your ministry.

Offer Prayers for All Who Labor
The Rev. Jeff Wells, pastor of Community United Methodist Church in Massapequa found this prayer by Walter Rauschenbusch in his book Prayers of the Social Awakening (1909) on the website of Calvary Baptist Church in Towson, Maryland (http://www.calvarybaptist-towson.org/Prayerworkingman.htm):
“O God, thou mightiest worker of the universe, source of all strength and author of all unity, we pray thee for . . . the industrial workers of the nation. As their work binds them together in common toil and danger, may their hearts be knit together in a strong sense of their common interests and destiny. Help them to realize that the injury of one is the concern of all, and that the welfare of all must be the aim of every one. If any of them is tempted to sell the birthright of his class for a mess of pottage for himself, give him a wider outlook and a nobler sympathy with his fellows. Teach them to keep step in a steady onward march, and in their own way to fulfill the law of Christ by bearing the common burdens.

“Grant the organizations of labor quiet patience and prudence in all disputes, and fairness to see the other side. Save them from malice and bitterness. Save them from the headlong folly which ruins a fair cause, and give them wisdom resolutely to put aside the two-edged sword of violence that turns on those who seize it. Raise up for them still more leaders of able mind and a large heart, and give them grace to follow the wiser counsel. . . .

“Grant all classes of our nation a larger comprehension for the aspirations of labor . . . that we may cheer them in their struggles and understand them even in their sins. And may the upward climb of Labor, its defeats and its victories, in the farther reaches bless all classes of our nation, and build up for the republic of the future a great body of workers, strong of limb, clear of mind, fair in temper, glad to labor, conscious of their worth, and striving together for the final brotherhood of all.”

More resources for Labor Sabbath/Sunday/Day worship can be found at

--twg--

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WORTH WATCHING: “Heart Of Darfur”

The 7th season of the public television series Wide Angle begins Tuesday, July 1, at 9:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) with “Heart of Darfur,” an eyewitness account of the largest humanitarian crisis in the world. At a time of mounting fears of renewed violence, this documentary gives Western viewers a rare look at the ravaged region, from daily life in a Sudanese refugee camp to a peace-keeping mission that patrols hostile areas. Additional information is available at: www.thirteen.org/pressroom/search.php?keywords=Wide+Angle+2008+Season&.

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WORTH READING: The Power of Forgiveness by Ken Briggs

The Power of Forgiveness, by Kenneth Briggs, based on a film by Martin Doblmeier. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008.

Ken Briggs has had a distinguished career as a journalist, including stints as Newsday’s first religion writer and eleven years as religion editor at The New York Times. His new book, The Power of Forgiveness, is based on Martin Doblmeier’s film, which aired recently on PBS, but it is much more than a companion volume to the documentary: Briggs has given us a serious work in its own right about the theology, psychology, and practice of forgiveness.

Doblmeier, who has produced more than 25 award-winning films on religion and spirituality, including Bernardin and Bonhoeffer, focused on recent, ground-breaking research that has documented not only that forgiveness is good for our mental and physical health, but also that it may transform us spiritually. The film also includes powerful reflections and personal stories from people who have had to wrestle with forgiveness in their own lives, such as Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel, Riverside Church pastor James Forbes, and death row chaplain Helen Prejean.

Briggs wants us to know from the outset that showing mercy is a sign of strength, not weakness, so he opens his book with the story of how some Amish had the strength to do something most of us would find inconceivable. When a crazed gunman shot ten of their daughters, they supported one another in their grief - and then went together to his family to speak words of forgiveness.

Throughout this book, Briggs draws parallels between the teachings of different faiths, but also points out where a tradition is unique. Judaism, for example, offers clear, practical, reasonable guidance both to those seeking forgiveness and to those asked to grant it. Christianity teaches not only that God wants to forgive us but also that God became one of us to get the message across.

Forgiving another does not mean relinquishing your legal right to seek justice, Briggs points out, but it does mean giving up your right to take revenge. Those who have done evil may need to be stopped from doing it again and forced to make restitution to those whom they have harmed.

Forgiveness is at least as important for the one granting it as it is for the one seeking it. “Research has compiled growing evidence that persons who bottle up their rage and remain unforgiving endanger their health.” This is true, he notes, even when those who have been wronged have the greatest reason to seek vengeance, such as the survivors of incest. The trick seems to be to seek to understand the behavior of those who have done us wrong without justifying what they have done.

Recognizing our own capacity for evil is just as difficult, and just as important. Briggs quotes Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1957 sermon, “Loving Your Enemies,” in which King contends, “He who is devoid of the power to forgive is devoid of the power to love. . . . there is some good in the worst of us, and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.” Forgiveness is impossible, Briggs adds, “when the wise and the good forget they do wrong.”

Finally, Briggs tackles “repairing our divided houses.” How different would America be today, he asks, “if a massive effort to mend the outrages of slavery had been set in motion soon after the Civil War?” This tikkun olam, mending of our broken world, is precisely what South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission attempted, with some success, in the wake of apartheid. The Commission “rendered some lies about the past impossible to repeat” and created serendipitous moments of “grace beyond reason.” On a smaller scale, ecumenical reconciliation between Protestants and Catholics is happening now in Northern Ireland a decade after the Good Friday accords.

Hopefully this book, like Doblmeier’s film will lead us all to ask if we are willing to forgive and to ask forgiveness, as individuals and as a society.

Want to learn more?

  • The Fetzer Institute’s Campaign for Love and Forgiveness offers free online resources at www.loveandforgive.org. These resources, designed to work with The Power of Forgiveness book and film, make it easy to inspire local organizations, discussion groups, or special venues in your community such as conversation cafés, civic groups, or classes to collaborate in building a conversation on love and forgiveness.
  • At www.journeyfilms.com, the producers of the film provide online materials that encourage individuals, families and communities of all kinds to use The POWER of FORGIVENESS film as a focus for reflection and discussion. Included are simple tips for conversation leaders, links to specially commissioned articles with discussion questions to help promote fuller engagement with the issues raised in the film, and a PDF-formatted mini-poster to promote your conversations
  • At www.fortresspress.com/forgiveness individuals and groups reading The Power of Forgiveness book by Kenneth Briggs will find a study guide with discussion questions and topics for reflection that will assist the reader in understanding forgiveness and allowing it into their everyday lives.


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WORTH QUOTING

Who Are the Orthodox Christians?

"The Orthodox Church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is catholic, but not Roman. It isn't non-denominational. It is pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved defended and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the Day of Pentecost more than 2,000 years ago."

--The Mission Statement of the Orthodox Church in America

Loving God and Loving Your Country

“If we believe that Americans have a particular and unique destiny as a Christian nation, we run the risk of viewing national policies as part of God’s plan. We have erred in the past and we will err again. What serves us as a country is appreciation of our greatness and an appreciation for the greatness of other nations—just as loved by their citizens as ours is by us. What redeems us is putting God above all other claims on our lives.”

--the Rev. Louise Stowe-Johns, The Lamplighter June 2008, 1st United Methodist Church, Amityville

Stereotypes

“The counselor at my children’s school was asking questions because he wanted to fill out a profile. When my wife said, ‘Well, my husband works at Adelphi,’ he said, ‘Is he a janitor there?’ She said, ‘No, he’s a professor there.’ So the counselor said, ‘A professor? Are you sure/?’ . . . .last semester a student who had been taking my class came up to me and said, ‘Professor, it is astonishing to see someone so smart that speaks another language.’”

--Prof. Dennis Hidalgo, interviewed by Prof. Maggie Gray in the Immigrant Oral History Project for her course “Race & Politics” at Adelphi University in Garden City, Spring 2008

Race, Gender, and the Woman at the Well

“If we’re going to be serious about the future of our church around the sin of racism, some tables will have to be overturned. Jesus deliberately and unabashedly modeled for His disciples both gender and racial inclusiveness by going into Samaria and speaking with the woman. Are we willing to go through Samaria?”

--Bishop Violet L. Fisher, speaking at the General Conference of the United Methodist Church, April 30, 2008

The Younger Generation

“Your generation has been exceptional in its devotion to service in tutoring and mentoring, at soup kitchens and homeless shelters, in environmental programs and community organizing. You combine the idealism of the sixties with the practical concerns of the generations of the 1980s and the 1990s. . . . You want to do good, but you want the good you do to last. You're willing to take risks, but you are not foolhardy. You have doubts about politics, but you're willing to give politics a chance. You have no illusions, but you do have hopes.”

--E. J. Dionne, 2008 commencement address at Wake Forest University



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DID YOU KNOW?

  • More LI Church Photos Posted on the Web: Students from Hofstra and the Long Island Studies Center have now posted nearly all of Bob Harrison’s “Places of Worship" photos - a whopping 1500 or them - on the web. To see them: Visit www.lilrc.org, click on “virtual library,” then click on "Long Island Memories," and then enter "church" in the search box.

  • Over the past year, the number of people receiving aid from food banks in the U.S. has gone up 20%, but the federal government gave 9% less food to these emergency food pantries. (Harper’s June 2008)

  • The U.S. is one of only four nations that does not guarantee women any paid maternity leave, and the average annual income in the other three is $1,226. (Harper’s June 2008)

  • Only one out of every five Muslims in the world is Arab, according to Columbia University’s School of International & Public Affairs’ SIPA News (May 2008).

  • Episcopal Response to AIDS, the only faith-based AIDS Walk Team, at the May 18 10K AIDS Walk in Manhattan, had an outdoor Eucharist with a commissioning and blessing of walkers, raised $40,000 this year to address the spiritual dimensions of this pandemic. They will be emphasizing outreach to immigrant communities, since 1/4 of all new HIV diagnoses in NYC are among the foreign-born – as are 1/4 of those with full-blown AIDS before they are diagnosed in some emergency room. Immigrants often will trust their local congregation for prevention, testing and support when they are afraid to engage with any agency receiving government funding, so ERA provides financial support to these small, grass-roots ministries largely staffed by parish volunteers. For more information, please contact Judith Mason at 516-242-3022 or jawmason@aol.com.

  • The Rev. Led Baxter, pastor of Old Steeple Church in Aquebogue, was recently honored by the United Church of Christ for his sermon on faith and science “From Temptation to Adaptation in Our Evolving Congregation.” You can read it on-line at www.oldsteeplechurch.com.


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HAVE YOU CLAIMED YOUR ECONOMIC STIMULUS PAYMENT?

The deadline to file ESP returns is October 15, 2008. If the original plan is not changed, the last ESP payments will be issued on December 31. The IRS really wants everyone who is eligible to get their payments, especially those who are not required to file income tax returns but received $3,000 or more of Social Security, Railroad Retirement or Veteran's benefits during 2007. They need to file Form 1040A so they can claim their $300 payment, or $600 payment on a joint return if both spouses meet the criteria. In New York State, 67 percent of the 1.3 million potential retiree/disabled veteran filers are accounted for, leaving about 440 thousand potential recipients remaining.



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NEEDED/OFFERED

Offered:

Folding Tables:
Our Savior Lutheran Church in Patchogue has four sturdy wooden folding tables about 8 feet long available for the taking. Call 631-475-5725 if you are interested.

Free Health Screening:
On July 12 Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow is offering free breast and cervical cancer screenings for women over 40, and a free take-home test for colorectal cancer for women 50 and over and their partners. For details, visit www.numc.edu/htms/pressreleasedetail.asp?ID=365.

Lymphoma Support Group:
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and North Shore University Hospital are offering a FREE Patient support group for patients with lymphoma. These meetings are facilitated by an oncology nurse and social worker. The group will meet on Thursday, July 16, 2008 from 7:30 – 8:30 p.m. at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. For more information and to register, call Karen DeMairo at 631-752-8500.

Personal Finance Seminars:
As the economy slumps, the credit crisis that began with the meltdown of subprime mortgages is now spreading to credit cards, home equity loans, and student loans. More and more people are going to need help managing money and credit—and many people who handle their congregation’s finances will need help, too.

The LICC offers free seminars on how to get a good deal on a loan, how to manage credit and other personal finance topics. We will have seminars for example, at

  • Amityville Full Gospel Tabernacle (30 Brefni Street in North Amityville, just south of the Southern State Parkway) for Saturday, July 26, at 10 a.m. All are invited!
  • Central Synagogue of Nassau (430 De Mott Avenue in Rockville Centre, 516-766-4300) on Thursday, August 7, at 7:30 p.m. This seminar will focus on
    • how people can finance energy conservation improvements in their house of worship,
    • how congregations can utilize their space well (as opposed to paying to maintain a barn of a building on a huge piece of property, neither of which are used more than a few hours a week),
    • socially responsible investing (a.k.a. ethical investing).

The LICC would be glad to help congregations manage their resources, too. Our panelists can cover topics such as how to get good deals on checking and savings, where you can safely invest church funds, how to decide what to do with underutilized buildings, planned giving campaigns, and how to finance energy conservation measures and other capital improvements. The presentations usually run an hour to 90 minutes, but we can tailor it to the needs of your audience. We have speakers who can handle a variety of languages, too. The LICC will arrange speakers, educational materials, and other freebies. There is no charge for this program, thanks to grants from Astoria Federal Savings, Bank of America, Bank of New York, Citibank, Washington Mutual, Greenpoint Bank Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, Ridgewood Savings Bank, TD Banknorth Commerce, and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. To request help call 516-565-0290, ext. 206, fax 516-565-0291, or e-mail licchemp@aol.com.

New DVDs in the LICC Lending Library at the Presbytery Center in Commack:
“Visions of Israel” (reviewed in June Prelude, available at www.liccny.org)
“The Jewish People: A Story of Survival”—the recent PBS special

Free, Confidential Counseling for Soldiers & Their Families:
The Soldiers Project offers counseling to veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and their family members free of charge. Volunteer psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers see veterans and their husbands, wives, fiancées, parents, siblings, and children in their private offices. 40 experienced and well-trained volunteer therapists in New York and New Jersey are willing to see patients without any fees, red tape, or arbitrary limit on the number of sessions provided. Because they are not affiliated with the military and do not work with insurance companies, the people served have complete confidentiality. Clergy on Long Island are urged to contact Dr. Bennett Roth at 212-242-3784 if they know of anyone who could benefit from these services.

Community Service Workers:
The Education & Assistance Corporation (EAC) and the Office of the Nassau County District Attorney are developing a safe and viable community service program for non-violent offenders sixteen and older. This program will offer an alternative to incarceration and enable individuals to make reparation for their low-level offenses through community service. Through supervised work activities, community service volunteers will provide communities with human resources that can improve the quality of life in public environments while developing new skills. This experience will also help participants gain a better understanding of how their behavior has impacted the community. All volunteers will undergo careful screening in order to assign an appropriate placement. After carefully matching clients to suitable worksites, the Community Service staff will closely monitor the volunteers so they successfully complete their hours. In addition to placement matching, the program will also provide linkage to human services for individuals in need. If your organization is interested in serving as a community service worksite, please contact Rhonda Wainwright-Jones at 516-486-8944.

Needed:

Calculators:
As school begins in September, many families are told that they must buy pocket calculators for their children, which is a financial hardship in some cases. Many of us have calculators sitting around the home or office that we never use. The LICC would be happy to find a good home for any that you wish to give. Donations of calculators—or food—may be dropped off in Riverhead office at 407 Osborne Avenue @ Lincoln, opposite the Polish Town Civic Association (631-727-2210), in Hempstead at Christ’s 1st Presbyterian Church on the village green at Nichol’s Court (516-565-0290), in Freeport at 450 North Main Street (516-868-4989).

Choir Robes:
The Advantage After School Program, which SNAP runs at Wyandanch High School, has begun a choir which has rapidly grown in popularity. They have no choir robes and wonder if any congregation might have some gently used robes to donate. Potential donors can contact Helena Krall at 631-447-0698 or hkrall@snapinc.org.

Chairs and Couches:
Our Riverhead office could use a few comfortable chairs or a small couch for people who are waiting for assistance. If you have any to donate, please call Carolyn Gumbs or Olga Torres at 631-727-2210.

Summer Food Donations:
Recently at 1st United Methodist Church in Amityville, a member of the congregation offered thanks to God for the National Letter Carriers food drive and reminded everyone that kids are out of school for the summer. Please contribute to your local emergency food pantry, he said, so that children who normally receive lunch and/or breakfast at school will have something to eat this summer.

Van Needed:
Family Promise of Nassau County, an interfaith network that will provide shelter and social services for homeless families is in need of a donation of a 15 passenger van or small bus. If you have or know of a vehicle that's available for donation, please contact Rev. Dan Olson, New Hyde Park Baptist Church, 516-352-9672 or Jones Wong, 516-546-8416 office or 516-384-7024 cell.

Clothing Donations:
Does your congregation end up being periodically deluged with donations of used clothing and such? Last month’s Prelude suggested that one way to deal with this is to set up a collection box for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in your parking lot. (For box placement on Long Island, call 1-800-884-7837).

Big Brothers and Big Sisters would also be glad to receive donations of all sorts of clothing, linens, and household goods. You can find a list of their drop-off sites at www.bbbsli.org. If you have enough for them to pick up, please call 631-234-0000, ext. 108.



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NEWS FROM THE LONG ISLAND INTERFAITH ENVIRONMENT NETWORK

LIIEN’s forum in April attracted 110 people and was covered on two local news channels. It featured representatives of LIPA and National Grid who explained about their efficiency and incentive programs, the Solar Center, Rev. Fletcher Harper of Greenfaith from New Jersey, as well as a dozen exhibitors of efficiency products and services. 200 people now have participated in LIIEN or expressed interest in our group’s activities! Since that event, 28 places of worship have requested energy audits from LIPA or National Grid, and several are completed (in addition to about 50 from last year). To request an audit from LIPA, contact Walter Hoefer (516-719-9840) who handles non-profits, including places of worship. To request an audit from National Grid, call 1-800- 843-3636.

One LIIEN member asks for info from those who have already undertaken efficiency upgrades: “Our Board of Trustees (of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Huntington) has approved our implementing the recommendations contained in our recent LIPA Energy Audit Report and I am seeking advice, suggestions and comments from other congregations and LIIEN members and friends who have gone this route. The Report provided three major recommendations:

  1. We retrofit our fluorescent fixtures with the ability to handle T8 bulbs rather than the T12 bulbs we presently have, including upgrading all ballasts, and using reflectors.
  2. Change Exit Sign Units to LED technology
  3. Install ceiling fans in the Main Hall.
Please contact me at the below email address if your congregation has engaged or is considering such action, if you have any experience or expertise in this matter or if you know of other organizations that have done so.” Contact: David P. Sibek, davidpsibek@yahoo.com.

Sacred Heart Church in North Merrick is constructing a new church and following the guidelines of the U.S. Green Building Council, in the hopes of obtaining LEED certification if funding permits. If so, it would be the first Catholic Church on Long Island to achieve this status. We congratulate them on their efforts and wish them the best!

Our LIIEN website (www.neighborhood-network.org/energy/worship.htm) offers useful tips. As does the New York Interfaith Environment’s website (NYIPL.org) and Greenfaith’s website (greenfaith.org). Membership in NYIPL is free and entitles you to participate in group discounts on efficient appliances through their “Shop IPL” program.

--Beth Defreni, Neighborhood Network



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JULY & AUGUST BLOOD DRIVES

Long Island faces a blood shortage nearly every summer, making this an important time to donate if you can. Here are some opportunities to donate:

7/15/08 - Holy Cross Parish, 95 Old Nichols Road, Nesconset, 3 to 8 p.m.

8/17/08 - Church of the Nazarene, 124 Garfield Place, East Rockaway, 9:00-2:30

8/10/08 - North Shore United Methodist Church, 260 Route 25A, Wading River, 9:00-1:00

8/13/08 - Grace Gospel Church, 214 Falcon Ave., Patchogue, 3:30-7:30 PM

8/23/08 - Dix Hills Evangelical Church, 28 Foxhurst Road, Dix Hills, 10:00-2:00

8/24/08 - Cross of Christ Church, 576 Deer Park Ave., Babylon, 8:00-1:30

8/25/08 - Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Main St., Northport, 4:00-8:00 PM

8/26/08 - Lambs Chapel, 25-6 Frowein Road, Center Moriches, 3:30-9:00 PM

You can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org to verify the date and time of the blood drive.



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ARE YOU READY FOR A HURRICANE?

The State Emergency Management Office Director urges all New Yorkers to:

  • Develop or review a household disaster plan. Know how to contact all family members at all times. Identify an out-of-town friend or family member to be the “emergency family contact.” Then make certain all family members have that number. Designate a family emergency meeting point, some familiar location where the family can meet in the event the home is inaccessible.

  • Prepare an emergency phone list of people and organizations that may need to be called., including schools, doctors, child/senior care providers, and insurance agents.

  • Ensure that enough non-perishable food and water supplies are on hand. Make sure battery-operated radios and flashlights are available and have an ample supply of batteries. Have a first aid kit available and an ample supply of medicines on hand for those who require it.

  • Know the hurricane / storm risks in their areas, and learn the storm surge history.

  • Learn their community’s warning signals and evacuation plans.

  • Make arrangements to relocate pets during a storm



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ADVERTISING IN THE PRELUDE

Each month, about 3000 copies of our newsletter The Prelude are mailed to both the clergy leaders and lay leaders of 1350 faith organizations. We also email this newsletter to 2200 religious leaders. 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 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

CHURCH SPACE TO SHARE IN MASSAPEQUA
The Presbyterian Community Church in Massapequa has space to share with another congregation:

  • The Sanctuary (two levels, seats 225) is generally available except for Sunday mornings before noon
  • Fellowship hall/auditorium/gymnasium with kitchen
  • Club room
  • Parking lot and street can accomodate 60 cars (on weekends, additional parking is available)
  • Several classrooms

This is a large building that can be used for worship, meetings and other gatherings. We are conveniently located near the Southern State Parkway, Route 135 and Sunrise Highway. Please call Pete LaMassa at 516-316-6571 for more information.

JOB OPENINGS:

PART-TIME ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT NEEDED
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 600 New Hyde Park Road, New Hyde Park, NY, is seeking a dependable, courteous individual to work as part-time church Administrative Assistant. Flexible hours Monday through Friday. Approximately 15 - 20 hours per week, flexible hours. Starting salary commensurate with experience. For additional details please contact Donald O'Neil, Council President, at 212-870-1175 or by e-mail at Gloriadei.NHP@verizon.net.

PART-TIME ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT NEEDED
at the Congregational Church of Patchogue, 9AM through 1PM Monday through Friday. Fax resume to 631-207-9470 or e-mail to dwolter@congrepatchogue.org.

PART-TIME ORGANIST & ADULT CHOIR DIRECTOR NEEDED
at the Congregational Church of Patchogue. Both are responsible for a weekly choir rehearsal, and 10 AM Sunday service. The choir is advanced, with fine reading skills. There is tremendous freedom in musical decisions. Compensation is competitive, based on experience and education. Interested candidates should fax a résumé to 631-207-9470. Questions can be directed to the Rev. Dwight Wolter at 631-475-1235.

CHRISTIAN EDUCATION DIRECTOR NEEDED
Brookville Reformed Church is seeking a Christian Educator to coordinate curriculum, train teachers, and teach a small Sunday School in a warm and embracing congregation. Please call the Rev. Allan Ramirez at 516-626-0414.

PERSONAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE INSTALLERS WANTED
UNITED LIFELINE, an outreach of United Adult Ministries that distributes a leading Personal Emergency Response Service is seeking caring, compassionate persons for Field Representatives to demonstrate, install, replace, diagnose, and repair PERS in client’s homes. A clean N.Y.S. Driver’s License and reliable car are required. Payment is: installations $25 per job, repairs $17, removals $17. For further information, please call: 516-364-3401

HOSPICE ADVOCATES WANTED
Interfaith Outreach at the Hospice Care Network is a dynamic program whose goal is to open access earlier for people needing hospice care. Primarily this involves counteracting some misconceptions –“Hospice means giving up hope” or “You call when someone is in their last week of life.” These and other myths prevent families from having the full benefits of hospice care, if they use it at all. Congregations play a vital role in ministering to those who are ill and may be approaching the end of their lives. With help from clergy, we hope to identify from every congregation one or more appropriate volunteers who agree to be trained as volunteer Hospice Advocates. Through the Hospice Advocate – a familiar and trustworthy presence in a faith community - congregants can learn the truth about hospice as soon as a need presents itself. Hospice Care Network will be a 24-hour resource to the designated volunteer(s) to give ongoing support and information. Shouldn’t your faith community be involved? If you are interested or have questions, please contact: Angela Cesa acesa@hospicecarenetwork.org

INTERFAITH OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Hospice Care Network - acesa@hospicecarenetwork.org - 516-224-6420

OUTREACH AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS/RESPONSE COORDINATOR
HWCLI is seeking two (2) individuals to serve as AmeriCorps VISTA members to build the capacity of HOWCALM™, a community service network and communications tool that tracks information about houses of worship to coordinate disaster response and preparedness, on Long Island. This is a full-time position for one year. The VISTA members will work out of the offices of the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management and the Suffolk County Department of Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services in close collaboration with the Health and Welfare Council of Long Island (HWCLI) and New York Disaster Interfaith Services (NYDIS). If you would like more information about this job opportunity, please contact Amy Carroll at (516) 483-1110 ext. 422 or acarroll@hwcli.com.

DIRECTOR, ACCESS HEALTH CARE LONG ISLAND COALITION
HWCLI, through funding from New York State Health Foundation, convened a bi-county workgroup comprised of County agencies, Facilitated Enrollment lead agencies, managed care organizations and community based organizations to increase the number of Long Island individuals enrolled and retained in one of the State’s health insurance programs by identifying issues in the enrollment process and providing solutions to allow for a streamlined and efficient process and positive outcomes. The Director performs a wide variety of administrative and programmatic duties essential to the coordination and facilitation of this project. The Director plans, implements and monitors all aspects of the project in accordance with the project’s work plan and HWCLI’s policies and procedures. If you would like more information about this job opportunity, please contact Loule Gebremedhin at (516) 483-1110 ext. 420 or lgebrem@hwcli.com.

COORDINATOR, NUTRITION OUTREACH AND EDUCATION PROGRAM (NOEP)
Through funding provided by the Nutrition Consortium of New York, HWCLI’s Nutritional Outreach and Education Program (NOEP) has helped approximately 45,000 Long Islanders access nutritional programs, such as Food Stamps, WIC, School Breakfast and Lunch, and the Summer Food Service Program. The fundamental goal of NOEP is to increase the availability and utilization of federal nutrition assistance programs as a means to ensure better nutrition and reduce the incidence of hunger among low-income populations. Strategies include networking with an array of local service providers, which on Long Island is the HWCLI-led Long Island Anti-Hunger Taskforce. The NOEP Coordinator performs a wide variety of administrative and programmatic duties essential to the coordination and facilitation of the Nutrition Outreach and Education Program, which also includes the coordination of the Long Island Anti-Hunger Taskforce. If you would like more information about this job opportunity, please contact Loule Gebremedhin at (516) 483-1110 ext. 420 or lgebrem@hwcli.com.



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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.liccny.org

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