TABLE OF CONTENTS
From the Executive Director:
“Now, You’re Meddling, Preacher”
As someone who believes firmly in the separation of church and state and thinks that partisan politics have no place in the pulpit, I was taken aback recently when someone objected to a sermon I preached on the book of Jonah. “I don’t come here for politics!” she exclaimed. I certainly did not intend to be the least bit partisan, I replied. In preaching about how God sends a prophet to confront the king of Nineveh, the ancient capital of Iraq, though, and how Jonah wants Nineveh destroyed even after the king and his people have turned away from the evil they were doing, it is hard to avoid dealing with our own misadventures in Iraq. “Well, you should have used another example!” my critic retorted.
Fortunately, most of the congregation appreciated the sermon, so I suspect that my message was clear, that it is for us to forgive those who repent, no matter whether our conflict begins with the invasion of Kuwait or with a comment at the dinner table. Human nature being what it is, which falls under the doctrine of sin, we tend to think the preacher is meddling whenever he or she strikes a nerve close to our own faults and frailties.
The following week I saw the exhibit “Slavery in New York” at the New York Historical Society in Manhattan. This may be the first major museum show to examine the “peculiar institution” in the North, which is a pathetic commentary on how thoroughly Northerners managed to portray this as a strictly Southern sin. I learned how slave labor built New Amsterdam. By 1746 one in five New Yorkers was enslaved, with more slaves there than in any other city except Charleston, South Carolina. I wonder if my great-great grandfather, a Methodist circuit rider, spoke out against human bondage - and if he was criticized for “mixing politics and religion.”
Emancipation was the great moral issue of the 19th century. No preacher with any integrity could duck it. The growing gap between rich and poor is, I believe, the great moral issue of our own time. Some of us are born to uninsured parents, go to rotten schools, and face a lifetime of unmerited disadvantages. Others received a lifetime of unearned privilege but believe they have worked for everything they have: they are “born on third base and think they’ve scored a home run when they cross the plate.” Whether or not we confront this injustice, which God surely loathes, will define us either as people of faith or pious frauds.
It is often hard, however, for parsons to know when they have crossed the line that separates good preaching from inappropriate politicking. As Pope Benedict XVI observed in “God Is Love,” his first encyclical, the church cannot and must not take on partisan political battles in pursuit of a just society and “cannot and must not replace the state” but also “she cannot and must not remain on the sidelines of the fight for justice.” This year, like every election year, clergy and congregations are besieged by those who wish to recruit them for their campaigns. Should you let politicians speak from your pulpit? Only if their opponents are invited, also? When is praise or criticism of an elected official appropriate? When is it partisan meddling? Should your congregation pray for a member who runs for office? Should you allow others to distribute campaign literature in your sanctuary? How can we hold our representatives accountable to “defend the widow, the orphan, and the immigrant laborer” as the Bible requires?
The Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, will address these questions on Saturday, April 1, 2006 at the Long Island Council of Churches’ annual Convocation at 1st Baptist Church in Riverhead. As a United Methodist clergyman, a former Congressman and president of Claremont School of Theology, and now the leader of the nation’s largest ecumenical organization, Bob Edgar is uniquely qualified to help us reflect on “Faith and Politics.” Come and learn!
Shalom/Salaam/Shanti/Pax,
Tom
(“Slavery in New York” has been extended until March 26 at the New York Historical Society, Central Park West at 77th Street, just south of the American Museum of Natural History. Call 212-873-3400 or visit www.nyhistory.org or www.slaveryinnewyork.org for further information.)
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A WORD OR TWO OF THANKS
Sara Weiss, Director of Development
A special thanks to Newsday for its enormously important gift of $48,000 for Family Support. We also thank the following for their generous gifts that we received in January. We are grateful for the blessings these gifts bestow upon the people in need whom we serve:
| Church World Service/CROP WALK | $2,624.55 Emergency Food |
| First Presbyterian Church of Baldwin | $3,700 use where needed most |
| Gloria Dei Lutheran Church | $600 use where needed most |
| Grace United Methodist Church | $500 use where needed most |
| Independence Community Foundation* | $500 use where needed most |
| Long Island Cares | $1,250 Riverhead |
| Long Island Cares | $1,000 Nassau Food Pantry |
| Long Island Cares | $1,250 Riverhead |
| Long Island Fund for Women & Girls | $5,000 Women at the Well |
Long Island Unitarian Universalist
Fund (NY Community Trust) | $3,000 Multi-Faith Forum |
| Old Steeple Community Church (UCC) | $1,100 use where needed most |
| Order of Eastern Star, Stirling Ch. #216 | $1,000 Riverhead |
| United Way of Long Island | $1,491 monthly allocation |
| * We also thank the Garden City branch of Independence Community Bank (located at 998 Franklin Avenue) for helping us with the $500 gift from the Independence Community Foundation. |
Our January newsletter mistakenly thanked the wrong group for a generous gift of $1,100, to be used where most needed. This gift really came from the Long Island Presbyterian Church Women—and we are grateful to them for their support.
Although we publish only the names of institutions that give $500/month or more, we also thank the many institutions and individuals who gave less. Collectively, all of you are essential to us in sustaining our ministry to serve Long Islanders in need.
Most Urgent Need
Our Riverhead office has been inundated with requests for prescriptions and other medical assistance. Although we have been able to help some, we are turning away at least 25 people a month because we don’t have the funds to help. Requests come from people of all ages and walks of life. Often these are people who fell through the cracks. Nearly all are uninsured. We would be grateful if several individuals and/or institutions could give a total of $1,000 so we can help with these live-saving prescriptions. Here are typical examples.
A Senior citizen was diagnosed as diabetic and needed $400 to buy his medication and glucose monitoring equipment. He lives on a small fixed income and is waiting for his Medicaid application to be approved. Like hundreds of thousands of seniors all over the country, he is also a victim of the chaos surrounding Medicare prescription coverage. In either case, the application process is agonizingly slow. We didn’t have the funds to help him.
Another was a young woman with cancer. She had been on Medicaid, had an operation, and was receiving follow-up chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Without warning she was wrongfully declared ineligible and dropped from Medicaid. Being uninsured, she cannot afford to continue her cancer treatments. She is currently fighting her case with the help of a patient advocate, but her case has not been resolved.
MAY WE THANK YOU PUBLICLY?
We would like to ask if individual donors would be willing to allow us to thank them publicly both in our monthly newsletter and in our Annual Reports. We will not list the amounts given, but we would like very much to acknowledge individual donations as well as institutional gifts. Because of space limitations, we publicly list only donors who give $500 or more during the previous month in our monthly newsletter. However, we would like to list every single donor, large or small, in our Annual Report each year, although again, we will list amounts only for institutional donors.
When we first acknowledged individual gifts over five years ago, so many individual donors asked us not to do so, that we decided, ever since, not to print their names anywhere. Now we’re trying again to see if sentiments have changed. Please complete, detach and mail in the following form to indicate your preference. We will soon be compiling a list of donors for all of 2005 for this year’s Annual Report. If you give us permission, we would like to include your name on that list.
| INDIVIDUAL DONOR CONSENT FORM
YES, you may publicly acknowledge any gifts I send to the LICC __________________.
NO, do not publish my name anywhere in your acknowledgements _________________.
NAME: _________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS: _____________________________________________________________
CITY ______________________________________ STATE ______ ZIP _________
TELEPHONE # ________________ E-MAIL:__________________________________
|
You can now contribute to the Long Island Council of Churches using your Visa or MasterCard. Please call the Hempstead office at 516-565-0290 and our staff will assist you.
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NEWSDAY AWARDS LI COUNCIL OF CHURCHES $48,000
At its annual awards ceremony, Newsday Charities awarded a $48,000 grant to the Long Island Council of Churches (LICC) to help support its emergency food and social service programs for individuals and families in crisis in 2006.
“We are enormously grateful for this wonderful gift. Newsday’s support is absolutely crucial in sustaining our ability to help people in need all across Long Island,” said the Rev. Thomas W. Goodhue, LICC Executive Director. “We are also deeply grateful to all the Newsday’s readers who give to the paper’s annual appeal,” Goodhue added. "Their gifts make it possible for Newsday to support our social service programs for needy Long Islanders.”
The LICC serves approximately 24,000 clients a year through its Nassau and Suffolk County facilities. A recent survey of client emergency food and other social service needs revealed that the number one reason people come to the LICC is for food assistance, followed by housing and utilities assistance, and help in finding a job. The majority of clients surveyed have multiple needs that also include medical prescriptions, job training, and Christmas toys for the children. “Undoubtedly, Newsday’s contribution will enable us to help vulnerable Long Islanders meet the ever increasing challenges of living in our region,” said Community Resource Director Alric Kennedy. “These hungry individuals and families, over half of whom are children 18 and younger, often come to us as their last resort,” Kennedy added.
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Easter dawn worship April 16 at Jones Beach
The LICC will have Easter Dawn worship service on Sunday April 16 at 6:00 a.m. at Jones Beach, east of the Wantagh Parkway. Park at the western end of Parking Field #6, where we will set up the blue LICC banner and walk directly toward the shore. There should be a break in the snow fence near the restrooms at the west end of Field 6. Tom Goodhue will tell a children's sermon from his collection of children’s sermons, “Sharing the Good News with Children” (St. Anthony Messenger Press).
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WORTH READING: Praying: The Rituals of Faith, by Lucinda Mosher
Seabury Books, 2006, 200 pages, paperback, $16, ISBN 1-59627-016-0
By now, nearly all Christians understand that we live in a multi-faith world and are increasingly likely to run into folks who practice religions quite different from our own. Where, though, can we find resources for understanding these new neighbors?
Dr. Lucinda Mosher, who has done extensive work with the Episcopal-Muslim Relations Committee for the Diocese of New York, the Long Island Multi-Faith Forum, and other interfaith education projects, is writing “Faith in the Neighborhood,” a series of short, readable guides to the practices of diverse faith communities. Each looks at a universal theme, such as “Health & Healing, Death And Grieving” or “Caring for the Poor and the Stranger” and then explores the ways in which people live what they believe.
Praying: The Rituals of Faith takes a very broad approach to prayer, examining the ways in which Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, Baha’is, and Zoroastrians talk to God, listen to God, and worship together. She also describes the practices of lesser-known and often-misunderstood Native American, Chinese, Shinto, and Afro-Caribbean religions that one also encounters in America.
One of the best things about this book is that Mosher writes clearly but avoids over-simplification. She shows us the diversity that exists within each faith community: some Jews say they have a personal relationship with a God who is near them, while others worship a Creator who is transcendent and distant; some Zoroastrians believe they have guardian spirits, but most Zorastrians in North America reject this notion.
People often see the complexity within their own tradition but not that within others. Mosher helps us to keep our own divisions and differences as Christians in mind when we think about other faiths. She makes a good comparison, for example, between Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant varieties of Christianity and the three major theological schools within Hinduism.
Mosher offers excellent suggestions as to how public schools, local governments, and community clergy associations can deal effectively with our growing religious diversity. This is a book that can help Americans understand one another better and live together as neighbors.
ALSO WORTH READING: Christians and a Land Called Holy
By Charles P. Lutz and Robert O. Smith, Fortress Press, 2006, 176 pages, paperback, $15, ISBN 0-8006-3784-4
This book focuses on the plight of Christians in Israel and Palestine, but it also makes a real contribution to interfaith understanding. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is both a great human tragedy in itself and also a source of constant friction between Jews, Christians, and Muslims in America. And, as Lutz and Smith point out, it increasingly divides Christians as well.
Lutz and Smith begin with a brief description of the various Christian denominations found in the Holy Land. Then they tell how this small Christian community is disappearing as its besieged members leave in search of a less hostile environment: there are now twice as many Palestinians living abroad as there are in the land of Jesus. As their numbers dwindle in Israel and the West Bank, their community is less able to act as a force for peace and Muslims find it harder to defend themselves from Islamist extremism—as can be seen in the recent electoral victory of Hamas.
This book tackles some of the most contentious issues in this conflict—do Christians have any right to criticize Israelis or Muslims in light of the Holocaust and the Crusades, when is criticism of Israel anti-Semitic, does the Israeli occupation oppress Palestinian Christians, whose land is this, is “Christian Zionism” Biblical, are Christian Zionists really friends of Jews and Israel, does the United States have a double standard with regards to Israeli nuclear weapons, and is media coverage of the region biased? The authors pull few punches, and something in their book will offend nearly every reader - which in this case may indicate that the writers are on target.
--TWG--
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FROM THE MULTI-FAITH FORUM:
HOW MY JEWISH FAITH HELPS KEEP ME SANE
Sara C. Weiss, who has raised money for the Long Island Multi Faith Forum as the LICC Director of Development, offers her perspective in the LIMFF’s series on “How does your faith help keep you sane in a crazy world?”:
When I become overwhelmed, discouraged, or afraid, I retreat to my synagogue and then to solitary Torah study, away from the buzz and confusion of the outside world.
One of my favorite passages, the one with which I celebrated my adult bat mitzvah over a decade ago, is the passage (Jews call it a “Parashah”) about Joshua, Caleb and the Israelite scouts who forayed into the Promised Land (Numbers 13-14). Though the scouts saw exactly what Joshua and Caleb saw, they brought back reports of fearful giants, frightening the assembled listeners who soon were crying out, “Let us return to Egypt or we may die in this Wilderness!”
Joshua and Caleb protested – Not so: “The land we traversed and scouted is an exceedingly good land . . . a land that flows with milk and honey.” And they had huge clusters of grapes to prove it.
As the loud cries of despair continued, Joshua and Caleb added, “Have no fear of the people of the country for they are our prey: their protection has departed from them, but the Lord is with us.”
Whenever I read this, I realize that my feelings of being overwhelmed – and therefore discouraged and afraid – derive from my mistaken assumption that I must “do it all myself.” I can’t. And I’m not supposed to.
When I remember that it’s by His power and might, not mine, then anything is possible even if I can’t foresee or prepare for it. That restores my balance and perspective, then harmony and order return to my universe.
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IDEAS YOU CAN USE: The Question Box
Many congregations have a suggestion box that seldom receives any suggestions. At 1st Presbyterian Church in Southold, the Rev. Peter Kelley recently moved their suggestion box to the Christian Education building and placed it where children could reach it. He then rechristened it the Question Box and promised to answer questions from kids in the church newsletter. Elsewhere in this issue of The Prelude, and just in time for Lent and Easter sermons, is his answer to a profound question: “Why did Jesus have to die?”
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WORTH QUOTING
Evangelicals & Global Warming
“As evangelical Christians, we believe we’re called to be stewards of God’s creation, and after considerable study, reflection, and prayer, we are now convinced it’s time for our country to help solve the problem of global warming. We are compelled by our deep commitment to Jesus Christ and our study of God’s Word. Working together and with God’s help, we are convinced that global warming can and must be solved.”
--Leith Anderson, Timothy George, Jack Hayford, David Neff, Richard Stearns, Thomas Yung-Hsin Wang, Rick Warren, and other leaders of the Evangelical Climate Initiative
Their complete statement can be found at www.christiansandclimate.org.
God and the Poor
“God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives. God is in the cries heard under the rubble of war. God is in the debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and God is with us if we are with them. 'If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, and if you give yourself to the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness and your gloom will become like midday and the Lord will continually guide you and satisfy your desire in scorched places.' It's not a coincidence that in the scriptures, poverty is mentioned more than 2,100 times…. the only time Christ is judgmental is on the subject of the poor. 'As you have done it unto the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me' (Matthew 25:40).”
--Bono, National Prayer Breakfast, quoted in Sojourners, Feb. 3, 2006
The Mohammed Cartoon Controversy
“Mohammed was a peaceful man. People should defend him in the way he lived his life and wanted to be remembered: peaceful, gentle with wisdom and kindness and integrity, but most of all very Merciful to all humanity.”
--Sanaa Nadim, Muslim Chaplain at Stony Brook University
The Cross as Jewelry
“Jesus did not ask us to wear the cross; Jesus asked us to bear the cross.”
--the Rev. Herman Washington, Shiloh Baptist Church, Rockville Centre
1st Baptist Church of Riverhead’s Martin Luther King Breakfast 1/16/06
Sacred Places
“When I visited Israel some years ago we had a Palestinian guide who answered wisely when people would press him to explain how he could be sure that this was the exact spot where Jesus drove the pigs into the sea or the very location where Lazarus was raised from the dead. . . . ‘this is where we remember the event. That is why this is a holy place.'”
--Scott Campbell, Zion’s Herald January/February 2006
Gandhi’s Version of the 7 Deadly Sins
“Politics without principle • Wealth without work • Commerce without morality • Pleasure without conscience • Education without character • Science without humanity • Worship without sacrifice”
--quoted in Sojourners January 19, 2006
Why did Jesus have to die?
“God showed how much God loves us by becoming human, just like us, for Jesus was fully human. Jesus was also fully divine, which means that he was also God even while he was in perfect human form. Being fully human and yet still fully God, Jesus could do one thing we cannot do, that is, love and forgive all the time, every time, every minute. The world does not really know what to do with people who can do that, in fact some people feel threatened by it. The people who felt uncomfortable around Jesus and threatened by him wanted to make him go away.
“The Bible also says that God sent Jesus so that the punishment humans deserved could be paid by Jesus for us. (Read Romans 5:6-11) Jesus’ death and resurrection clears the debt we owe God for our sins, and for all that keeps us separate from God.
“The Bible also says that Jesus willingly gave himself up for us. (Read John 10:17-18) Being the Son of God, Jesus had a lot of power to use whenever he wanted, but he made important choices. Even when faced with his enemies and the violence of death, Jesus chose to meet everyone with peace and nonviolent resistance. This is how Love conquers all.”
--the Rev. Peter Kelley, 1st Presbyterian Church of Southold
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WHAT SHOULD GUEST PREACHERS & ORGANISTS BE PAID?
People often call the Long Island Council of Churches for help finding a guest preacher or organist. It is wonderful that so many congregations are happy to reach across denominational divisions, but they also often need help determining what is “the going rate.” We recently asked Long Island churches what they pay - and what they think should be paid.
Some denominations have clear guidelines:
- Episcopal parishes are supposed to pay substitute priests $150 per service plus travel expenses; organists get about the same.
- Lutheran churches (ELCA) are supposed to pay $150 to $200 per Sunday, depending on the number of worship services performed, plus travel expenses; organists seem to receive about $150.
- The Presbyteries of Long Island and New York suggest at least $100 to $150 for a single service (depending on the size of the flock) and $175 for two services; organists receive about $125 for a Sunday worship service and $150 for a wedding or funeral.
- In other denominations, there are no guidelines but a rough consensus as to which honoraria are insulting and which are generous: Reformed churches, for example, generally pay preachers $150 to $300 and organists $125.
If you are a church that has been paying less than $125 for a preacher or organist, you may have a hard time finding someone—or getting someone good to come back. You may think of yourself as a little congregation that cannot afford much, but it will take a decent professional just as long to lead worship as it does for a larger flock. And if you cannot pay the going rate for Presbyterians, you may be wasting your time calling a Presbyterian. What can you do if you fear that you cannot afford more?
- Take a hard look at how your attendance may be affected by mediocre music or poor preaching. It is penny wise and pound foolish to settle for whomever you can get cheap if folks skip worship when your pastor or organist is away, since the offering usually rises and falls with the number of bodies in the pews.
- If you have only $600 to fill six weekends a year, it might be better to pay $150 and do something creative twice a year. Invite a certified lay speaker from a neighboring congregation who may welcome an opportunity to preach more often. Instead of a guest preacher, invite your organist or choir director to lead a “sermon in song” reflecting on favorite music. Have a talented, aspiring young pianist play once or twice a year for free instead of a substitute organist.
- Occasionally invite a speaker or musician who offers their services gratis in exchange for a chance to promote their favorite mission project and receive a “special offering.” If the offering comes to only $17, they will never return, but even poor struggling little congregations often rise to the occasion with an outpouring of generosity.
- Think about how you can support a cause near and dear to the heart of an underpaid guest preacher. I know I appreciate it when a congregation collects food for our food pantry, puts something in their church newsletter about the work of the LICC before I get there, encourages people to sign up for The Prelude, seeks volunteers for LICC projects while I’m there, and plugs one of my books. See if you can do likewise for other parsons.
--TWG--
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Guest preachers
- Our Executive Director, the Rev. Tom Goodhue, has some dates available this summer and fall for guest preaching and speaking engagements. You can reach him at tomgoodhue@optonline.net or 516-565-0290, ext. 206.
- Alric Kennedy, our Director of Community Resources, also does guest speaking and preaching. You can reach him at 516-565-0290, ext. 204, or alrickennedy@optonline.net.
- Our chaplain Nancy Schaffer, ordained in the United Church of Christ, is available for guest preaching and would be glad to speak to church groups at other times about our Women at the Well project that helps women avoid incarceration. She can be reached at 631-586-9667.
- The Rev. Dick Ploth, a member of the LICC Board and the Presbytery of Long Island, is available for guest-preaching, supply-preaching, and interim pastorates. You can reach him at 631-734-2587 or lyndik@optonline.net.
- Kolya Braun-Greiner, a graduate of Union Theological Seminary, is available as a guest-preacher. She is a former executive staff of Women's Division (headquarters of United Methodist Women) with a focus on issues of women and children in poverty, farm workers, and child labor. Currently a nonviolence trainer with the Fellowship of Reconciliation's program "Creating a Culture of Peace," she can be reached at braun.greiner@netzero.net or 516-379-2568.
- The Rev. Kathryn Hinds, Executive Minister of Long Island United Campus Ministry, is available for guest preaching and would be happy to speak with church groups about campus ministry. She can be reached at kazybh@aol.com.
- Sue Terry is a graduate of New Brunswick Seminary and is a licensed preacher in the United Church of Christ (and can celebrate communion in Suffolk County). She can be reached at gterrys@aol.com or 631-751-1170.
- Jesse Glick and Kathy Burton from Church World Service, our partners in disaster response, would be glad to preach or speak about the work of CWS. Call 888-297-2767 or email jglick@churchworldservice.org.
- Tom Lyons, a member of Mt. Sinai Congregational Church (UCC) and the LICC’s Public Issues Committee who is active in the Heifer Project, would be happy to speak or preach in local churches. He can be reached a 631-928-4317 or lyonheifer@aol.com.
- The Rev. Randall Broger, a member of the Presbytery of Long Island who trained in interim ministry at Princeton Seminary, is available for guest preaching, supply preaching, and interim pastorates. You can reach him at randallb1@usa.net or 631-589-2923.
- The Rev. Elsa Callender, a United Church of Christ clergywoman, is available for guest and supply preaching. You can reach her at 917-836-8524.
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"FAITH & POLITICS” - LICC CONVOCATION APRIL 1 (NO FOOLING!)
The Rev. Dr. Robert W. Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches, will speak on Saturday, April 1, 2006 at the Long Island Council of Churches’ annual Convocation at 1st Baptist Church in Riverhead. His theme will be “Faith & Politics,” a timely topic for people of faith in an election year!
Faith communities face many challenges in discerning how to practice their beliefs in public life. Should preachers address partisan politics? Should those running for office be invited to speak in sanctuaries? How can we prevent our values and beliefs from being hijacked by someone’s political agenda? How can we hold politicians accountable once they are elected? As a United Methodist clergyman, a former Congressman and president of Claremont School of Theology, and now the leader of the nation’s largest ecumenical organization, Bob Edgar is uniquely qualified to help us reflect on these issues.
The Convocation will be from 9 a.m. to noon at the First Baptist Church of Riverhead, which is located at 1018 Northville Turnpike, a little north of Old Country Road. All are welcome! A donation of $10 is requested for this event. You are invited to bring “Gift of the Heart” disaster response kits for Church World Service, the NCC’s partner in relief and development efforts across the country and around the world. Directions for assembling these kits can be found at www.churchworldservice.org or requested from 1-800-CWS-CROP. You also are encouraged to bring non-perishable food for the LICC’s emergency food pantry in Riverhead and/or perishable food for the Open Arms Soup Kitchen in Riverhead.
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ASH WEDNESDAY BREAD FOR THE WORLD DINNERS MARCH 1
All are invited to begin Lent by identifying with the hungry at ecumenical soup and bread suppers on Ash Wednesday, March 1, 5:30-7:00 at St. James Church in Setauket (Rte. 25A & Ridgeway Ave.) and 7:00-7:45 at the United Methodist Church in Smithtown (230 Middle Country). A free-will offering will be received to support the hunger-advocacy of Bread for the World.
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WEEKLY TAIZÉ PRAYER SERVICES IN AQUEBOGUE
A growing number of churches are experimenting with Taizé worship services, mostly once a month. 1st Parish Church on Sound Avenue in Aquebogue will be offering Taizé prayer services beginning March 8 at 7:30 p.m. and continuing every Wednesday evening through Lent. They also will continue to use a Taizé chant as part of their Sunday morning worship every week.
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WORLD DAY OF PRAYER March 3
Westhampton Presbyterian Church is hosting the World Day of Prayer service for the Westhampton Church Women United on Friday, March 3, at noon at 83 Meetinghouse Road in Westhampton Beach. This program will include South African dance and drumming by Susan Bailey and reflection on the Scriptures by the Rev. Ann McAnnelly. There will be coffee and dessert after the service and you are invited to bring a bag lunch, too.
The World Day of Prayer Service on the East End will be held on Friday, March 3 at 7:00 p.m. at St. Michael’s Lutheran Church in Amagansett. Refreshments will be served after the service. All are welcome!
East Moriches United Methodist Church (370 Montauk Highway) is hosting a Church Women United gathering at 7:30 p.m.
The theme for all these worship services this year is the AIDS pandemic in Africa. All are welcome at all these gatherings!
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Multi-Faith Parenting Program on June 3
The Long Island Multi-Faith Forum will present an Interfaith Dialogue on Multi-Faith Parenting, an issue which is challenging for many families and controversial in some faith communities. The program will be Saturday, June 3, from 2:00 to 4:00 at the Hicksville United Methodist Church (130 West Old Country Road, between Routes 106 and 107, just west of Jerusalem Ave. Speakers will include several interfaith couples who will share their experiences and several young adults who grew up in multi-faith homes. All are invited to this dialogue!
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BEWARE TAX REFUND LOANS!
Tax refund anticipation loans are short-term, high-cost loans that are being made by many unscrupulous lenders to those who are waiting to receive tax refunds. Taxpayers generally pay $100 to $250 in fees to borrow a modest amount of money for a very short period of time: If you pay $215 to borrow $2,000 for only a few weeks, you may be paying an annual interest rate of 628%. Tax preparers often partner with out-of-state banks to evade New York’s usury laws so that they can get away with charging interest rates of 70% to 700%. Like now-notorious payday loans, these refund anticipation loans are overwhelmingly aimed at low and moderate-income taxpayers, most of whom could get their full refunds quickly, in 7 to 10 days, from several hundred free tax preparation sites throughout New York State.
The LICC offers seminars to help people avoid being exploited by loan sharks, check-cashing places, and deceptive lenders. We want to help local congregations confront exploitation and encourage parishioners to be good stewards of their financial resources. Would you like us to do an educational program for your congregation, senior center, or community organization? Or you might focus on a particular segment of your congregation—such as your youth group or seniors fellowship. Our presentations usually run an hour to 90 minutes, and we will tailor it to the needs of your audience. We will arrange speakers, educational materials, and other freebies. Thanks to grants from Astoria Federal Savings, Bank of America, Bank of New York, Citibank, Dime Savings Bank (Washington Mutual), Greenpoint Bank Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, we can provide this program without charge. All you need to supply is the location and refreshments. 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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DID YOU KNOW?
- Women at the Well, the LICC’s program to help female offenders stay out of jail, recently started a new 12-week support group with 11 women who are seeking to turn their lives around. Please keep these women and our chaplains who lead the program, the Rev. Lillian Frier Webb and the Rev. Nancy Schaffer, in your prayers. Women at the Well has already achieved remarkable results, including an extremely low rate of re-arrest for those who have completed this program. For more information on how to support this project, contact Sara Weiss at 516-565-0290 or saraweiss@optonline.net.
- The Islamic Center of Long Island recently gave our Executive Director their Chairman’s Award in recognition of his leadership of the Long Island Multi-Faith Forum and his efforts to help Muslims and non-Muslims to understand one another.
- Temple B’Nai Sholom in Rockville Centre is offering a free 4-session series on “Judaism & Islam: Similarities & Differences” on Feb. 26, March 5 & 12, and April 2, beginning each Sunday evening at 8:10 p.m. The sessions will be led by Rabbi Dov Schwartz and Muslim guests. All are invited. For further information, call 516-764-4628.
- There have been so many natural disasters over the past 15 months that there is now a two-year backlog of orders worldwide for new tents.
- Since 2000, American workers have had to pay 93% more on out-of-pocket medical expenses, according to Hewitt Associates of Lincolnshire, Illinois. If the U.S. had single-payer health care coverage, we would save an estimated $161 billion a year on paperwork, according to James G. Kahn of the University of California at San Francisco (figures cited in Harper’s February 2006).
- According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. pays more for health care than any other nation on earth—a whopping 15% of our Gross Domestic Product—but ranks 37th in the quality of health care we receive, due largely to how many Americans are uninsured or underinsured.
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NEEDED/OFFERED
Needed:
- Girl Scout Cookies:
- Many people buy Girl Scouts cookies more out of a desire to support this worthy organization than out of any need eat the cookies themselves. This year the Girl Scouts are encouraging folks to donate cookies they purchase to a homeless shelter or emergency food pantry. The LICC would be glad to accept such gifts, and we suspect that the Interfaith Nutrition Network, Maureen’s Haven, and the Coalition Against Domestic Violence would be happy to take them, too.
- Non-Perishable Food:
- The LICC’s Riverhead Food Pantry (407 Osborne Ave. at Lincoln) needs donations of beans, canned vegetables, canned fruit, soup, and canned meat (tuna, stew, hash, etc.) and any gifts of non-perishable food are always welcome.
- Personal Care Items:
- St. John Lutheran Church in Bellmore recently asked if donations of paper goods were welcome at our emergency food pantries, in addition to non-perishable food. The answer is, “Yes!” Do you have children who have outgrown diapers, infant formula, or baby food? Someone else can put them to good use! Here are some other items that can be a real help to those we serve:
- Toothpaste
- Dish Detergent
- Bathroom tissue
- Sanitary napkins
- Deodorant/lotion
- Soap
- Paper towels
- Kleenex
- Drivers & Other Volunteers:
- The LICC needs drivers to haul food donations to our Riverhead and North Freeport emergency food pantries. We need someone, for example, to pick up food once a month from Community Reformed Church in Manhasset. If you can schlep food as needed and when you happen to be available, please contact Alric Kennedy or Yolanda Murray at 516-565-0290 or Carolyn Gumbs or Olga Torres at 631-727-2210.
- We also need volunteers in our Freeport emergency food pantry to take apart metal room dividers and to repair a metal door. If you can help, please call Alric Kennedy at 516-565-0290 or call Barbara Harrison at 516-868-4989.
Offered:
- Speaker on Next Generation housing:
- Lisa Strahs-Lorenc from the Long Island Works Coalition would be glad to speak about Next Generation housing to congregations, PTAs, clubs, and civic groups anywhere in Nassau or Suffolk. You can reach her at 631-843-4018 or lisa@liworks.org. Information on her organization can be found at www.liworks.org.
- New films in the LICC Lending Library at the Presbytery in Commack:
- Bonhoeffer, the recent PBS program by Martin Doblmeier. Doblmeier has a rare talent for probing the major religious events of our time and has produced excellent documentaries about Vatican II, Cardinal Bernadin, the Taizé Community, and many other topics. In this film he tells how Dietrich Bonhoeffer challenged his church to stand with Jews and others who were being persecuted by the Nazis, how he joined the German resistance movement, how he plotted to kill Hitler, and ultimately paid for his courage with his life at age 39. The Nazis executed him during the final weeks of World War II, but his brief life continues to have an enormous impact on Christian theology and ethics. Doblemeier pays particular attention to his formative years at Union Theological Seminary in New York and the way in which the faith and fervent worship he experienced at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem profoundly influenced Bonhoeffer’s spiritual journey, showing him both the consequences of the racism and the possibility that the church might be God’s agent for social change.
- Help Creating Intergeneration Ministries:
- Last month’s column by our Executive Director mentioned intergenerational care for both frail elderly and tiny tots that Paul Arfin helped Bellport United Methodist Church create a few years ago. He would be happy to work with other congregations who want to explore similar ministries. You can reach him at paularf@optonline.net.
- The Catechism of Creation:
- The Episcopal Church has released a Bible-based, 24-page curriculum on Genesis, creation, and evolution. It is an excellent resource for all who are seeking to understand science and faith. You can download it for free from www.episcopalchurch.org/19021_58393_ENG_HTM.htm, where you will also find links to many other resources.
- A Good Resource for Interfaith Understanding:
- Three Faiths, One God — the recent PBS program on Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, from Auteur Productions, 800-361-1550.
- Learn & Serve Bus Tour:
- Church World Service is organizing a bus trip to New Windsor, Maryland, May 8-11 for those who would like to volunteer assembling disaster relief supplies (or work at the SERRV shop), see the operations of CWS, and have a chance to shop at their SERVV shop. The cost will be $300 for transportation, most meals, lodging, a tour of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, and a CWS t-shirt. To sign up, please contact the LICC, (516-565-0290, ext. 206 or licchemp@aol.com) or Grace MacMillan (516-785-3951 or rvmacm@aol.com).
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NEW YORK LABOR-RELIGION COALITION 40-HOUR FAST
| Join us…Annual 40-Hour FAST | Únase a nosotros ... Ayuno anual de 40 horas |
| …A time of prayer and reflection, sacrifice and action for change | ... oración, reflexión, sacrificio y acción por el cambio. |
| Begins Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 8 p.m. | Comienza el miércoles 15 de marzo de 2006, a las 8 PM |
| Concludes Friday, March 17 at noon | Termina el viernes 17 de marzo, al mediodía |
| We invite you to fast for 40 hours because… | Te invitamos a ayunar por 40 horas, porque… |
| America has broken its promise, that in this country, all would have access to the necessities of life. Instead we see a string of deliberate policy decisions favoring the rich and powerful, and keeping the poor outside the American dream. | Los Estados Unidos no han cumplido su promesa de que en este país todos tendrían acceso a las necesidades vitales. Al contrario, vemos una serie de decisiones políticas premeditadas a favor de los ricos y poderosos, que impiden que los pobres alcancen el “sueño americano”. |
| AMERICA’S BROKEN PROMISE | LA PROMESA INCUMPLIDA DE LOS EE.UU. |
| Contact the NYS Labor-Religion Coalition (www.labor-religion.org) for additional ideas and materials. | Comunícate con la Coalición Religioso-Laboral del estado de Nueva York (www.labor-religion.org) para obtener ideas y materiales adicionales. |
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HEALTH CARE RESOURCES: STOP SMOKING SUPPORT GROUPS
One of the best ways that congregations can help improve the health of their parishioners and their communities—and ultimately reduce medical costs for us all — is to offer support groups and other programs that help people fight addiction. Nicotine is one of the hardest addictions to kick. In a rational society, employers and government would provide free stop-smoking clinics for everyone who wanted them, but as the doctrine of sin teaches, we do not live in an altogether rational world. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church, which has a long history of promoting healthy living, recommends the Breathe Free Plan to Stop Smoking (800-548-8700) and the Quit Now! Program (www.quit-now.info.) The following churches provide support groups or other programs to help people quit smoking:
The Rev. Laurie Cline
St. John Lutheran
2150 Centre Ave., Bellmore
516-785-4331
Sr. Mary Anna Euring, O.P
Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center
1000 Montauk Highway, W. Islip
631-376-4103
Louise M Sandberg
Mary and Elizabeth Center
60 Anchor Ave, Oceanside
516-594-4943
And the Rev. Thomas Lawrence, the interim pastor at Christ’s First Presbyterian Church, does hypnotherapy to help people quit at locations in Brooklyn and Staten Island. He offers a free consultation. Call 718-852-2281 for an appointment.
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Give the gift of life:
LONG ISLAND BLOOD SERVICES BLOOD DRIVES IN MARCH
- 3/1/06 St. Hugh of Lincoln, 1450 New York Ave., Huntington Station, 3 p.m.
- 3/5/06 St. Barnabas the Apostle Church, 2320 Bedford Ave., Bellmore, 8:15 a.m.
- 3/5/06 Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs, 209-15 Horace Harding Blvd., Bayside, 12:30-4:30 PM
- 3/6/06 Trinity Episcopal Church, 130 Main St., Northport, 4:00-8:00 PM
- 3/9/06 St. Patrick’s Church, 9 N. Clinton Ave., Bay Shore, 2:30 p.m.
- 3/9/06 St. James’ Church, 429 Route 25A, Setauket, beginning at 3:00, call John Dahl, 631-474-1937
- 3/9/06 St. Patrick’s Church, 280 E. Main St., Smithtown, 4:00
- 3/12/06 St. Mary’s Church, Bryant Ave., Roslyn, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
- 3/14/06 Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox Church, 108 Warner Avenue, Roslyn Heights, 3:00-8:30 PM
- 3/18/06 St. Therese of Lisieux Church, 67 S. Essex St., 1:00 p.m.
- 3/19/06 Mary Immaculate Church, 4 Bell St., Bellmore, 9 a.m., 631-286-9659 or 631-874-2757
- 3/19/06 St. Anthony’s Church, 110 Anchor Ave., Oceanside, 8:30 a.m.
- 3/21/06 First Presbyterian Church, Levittown, 474 Wantagh Ave. (south of Hempstead Turnpike). 3:00-8:30 PM, Call 516-731-3808 to sign up or to get info.
- 3/24/06 St. John the Evangelist, 25 Ocean Ave., Center Moriches, 3:30
- 3/25/06 Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Prospect & Mill Dam Roads, 7:15 a.m.
- 3/26/06 Christ Lutheran Church, 189 Burr Rd., E. Northport, 8:30-2:00 PM
- 3/26/06 St. Peter the Apostle, Greenlawn Ave. & Rockaway St., Islip Terrace, beginning at 8:00 a.m.
- 3/26/06 Notre Dame Church, 45 Mayfair Rd., New Hyde Park, 8:30 a.m.
- 3/27/06 Garden City Community Church, 245 Stewart Ave. 3:00-8:30 PM
- 3/28/06 Grace Methodist Church School, 21 S. Franklin Ave., Valley Stream, 3:00-8:30 PM, Call the Church office at 516-825-1182 or Bob DiSalvo at 516-318-9106 to sign up or get info.
- 3/29/06 St. James Lutheran Church, Woodlawn & 2nd Avenue, Saint James, 3:00-8:30 PM
- 3/31/06 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church, 800 Portion Rd., Lake Ronkonkoma, 3:00 to 8:30 p.m., call 631-737-4416 to sign up or to get info.
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT, PLEASE CALL 1-800-933-BLOOD (2566)
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The Long Island Council of Churches is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit. All gifts are deeply appreciated and are tax-deductible.
Tom 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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