TABLE OF CONTENTS
From Our Executive Director:
WHO SINNED?
A funny thing happened this summer at the steering committee of AIDS Interfaith Long Island, an organization the LICC helped launch a decade ago: we started talking theology—and had our most rousing discussion in years.
What prompted AILI’s theological symposium was our watching the documentary film A Closer Walk and hearing several AIDS activists who suggested that people of the cloth should never use words like sin or blame in dealing with this epidemic.
While I certainly agreed with them that we need to bear in mind how deeply wounded people with AIDS have been by preachers who heap guilt on the heads of the already guilty, it seems to me that sin is at the core of this disease.
AIDS first emerged in the 1970s in Africa and the Caribbean. This is how many scientists believe this pandemic started and has spread: People in Africa ate monkeys infected with an immunity-destroying virus. They did this because their nations had been crushed by colonialism, the slave trade, dictators, and staggering international debt. As a result, they were starving and desperate. The virus mutated into a human immunity-destroying strain. Then it was communicated among humans first by heterosexual sex (as it still is in most of the world) and then by homosexual sex (particularly in the U.S.). A few people were infected by blood transfusions and organ transplants before the disease was well understood, but today it is transmitted primarily by intravenous drug use and unprotected sex. It flourishes in lands where middle-aged people think they are immune, where addicts wait months for treatment, where men sexually exploit the young, and where poor girls are sold into prostitution.
All of these, in my book, are manifestations of evil. I don’t mean that those who hunted “bush meat” are evil or that those who spread the virus to others unknowingly are evil, but that the impoverishment of much of humanity and the exploitation of others are evil. Jewish thought, someone shared at the AILI meeting, thinks of sin as “missing the mark,” and everything from third world oppression to promiscuous sex surely is “missing the mark.” Christian theologian Paul Tillich defined sin as alienation from God, other people, and our true selves. Nearly every aspect of this pandemic also reflects a state of alienation and brokenness.
Yours truly tries to never condemn sin without both confessing that I am a sinner and proclaiming my trust in grace, God’s freely given acceptance of us with all our faults and failings. I suspect that for many of us, grace comes before repentance: we only turn away from sin when we believe we will be forgiven; it is not guilt, but rather grace that allows us to change direction.
According to the Gospel of John, Jesus once ran into a blind man and his disciples immediately asked, “Who sinned, Rabbi? Was it this man’s wrongdoing or that of his parents that caused this man to be blind?” Jesus replies, “Neither this fellow nor his parents did anything wrong,” heals his blindness, and then asks whether the rest of us are spiritually blind (John 9: 1-41). Who sinned? All of us. And if we fail to see sin in our own brokenness, in economic injustice, in sexual exploitation, and in our nation’s failed drug policies, then we are blind, also.
The Good News is that God both forgives us and can heal our spiritual blindness. As the late William Sloan Coffin put it, “God loves you the way you are — but God knows you can do better.”
Shalom/Salaam/Shanti/Pax,
Tom
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A WORD OR TWO OF THANKS
Sara C. Weiss, Director of Development
SPECIAL THANKS goes to the Suffolk Health Improvement Partnership (SHIP), an affiliate of the North Shore LIJ Health System, for a $20,000 grant that enables us to pay for prescriptions and eyeglasses for uninsured and underinsured clients who live on the East End. SHIP is a coalition of government agencies, health care providers, community-based organizations and human service entities committed to increasing access to health care services for underserved communities across Suffolk County.
And CVS has just sent us a grant that we can use for prescription assistance in Nassau.
We thank the following for their generous support during the months of June and July, and for the blessings these gifts bring to our needy clients.
| Anonymous | $1,000 Multi-Faith Forum |
| Anonymous | $10,000 unrestricted/use where most needed |
| Baiting Hollow Congregational Church | $500 unrestricted |
| Community Church of East Williston | $1,375 emergency food & general operating |
| Congregational Church of Manhasset | $500 unrestricted |
| CVS | $3,000 for prescription assistance |
| First Parish Church, UCC, Jamesport | $1,006 unrestricted |
| First Presbyterian Church of Baldwin | $2,000 emergency food |
| First Presbyterian Church of Southold | $500 unrestricted |
| Garden City Community Church | $2,000 emergency food & general operating |
| Grace United Methodist Church | $1,000 unrestricted |
| Mt. Sinai Congregational Church | $500 emergency food |
| Ridgewood Savings Bank | $2,000 computer equipment/software |
| Roslyn Presbyterian Church | $1,000 social service programs |
| United Church of Rockville Centre | $500 unrestricted |
| United Way of Long Island | $2,982 monthly allocation (2 months) |
We thank Adrienne Flipse Hausch, Esq., Marian Hubbard, and the many other individuals who gave but asked that we don’t publish their names. We also thank the institutions that gave less than $500, for whose gifts we are also grateful.
Giving Opportunities
There are many ways, and many purposes, for which you can support the work of the Long Island Council of Churches. Here is a list of giving opportunities by program.
SOCIAL SERVICES/COMMUNITY RESOURCES
- Advocacy for the Poor
- Chaplaincy Services in the Jails
- Emergency Food Centers
- Emergency Housing Assistance
- Families in Crisis Support
- Information & Referral Services
- Medical Assistance
- Migrant Workers Thanksgiving Dinner
- Prescription & Eyeglasses Assistance
- Transportation Assistance
- “Women at the Well” (Spiritual Support program for women inmates)
CORE OPERATIONS
- Administrative support
- Equipment
- Information Technology
- Technical Support
RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE
- Long Island Multi-Faith Forum
SPECIAL PROGRAMS
- Annual Meeting
- Annual Convocation
- Predatory Lending Prevention & Financial Literacy Educational Seminars
PUBLICATIONS
- Directory of Long Island Churches and Synagogues
- Monthly Newsletter, Prelude
Naming and Tribute opportunities are available for any of the above-listed programs, and we have planned giving opportunities that will sustain these programs in perpetuity. Please call Sara C. Weiss, Director of Development, at 516-565-0290, ext. 207 (Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays), for more information, or to arrange a donation and/or planned gift to the Long Island Council of Churches.
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More about Our Emergency Food Centers
Alric Kennedy, Director of Community Resources
We operate two emergency food centers at this time, along with two satellite locations. We operate one emergency food center at 407 Osborne Ave in Riverhead, and the other at 405 North Main Street in Freeport. Recently, we started providing food to Planned Parenthood at 450 Fulton Ave, in Hempstead. At this location, food is available to the expectant mothers and their other children.
Additionally, in an effort to assist clients who work during the days, our satellite location at 60 Peninsula provides assistance from 5-7 pm Mondays thru Fridays. At this location we have available baby food and pampers. This location is also accessible to the handicapped and individuals who use a wheelchair.
In Suffolk County we have assisted an average of 203 families and, an average of 488 individuals with food since January to date. With regard to Nassau, on an average we have fed 201 families and an average of 544 individuals per month since January.
Many thanks to all who donate food and money to help us feed our neighbors in need, particularly Community Presbyterian Church in Malverne, Garden City Congregational Church, Bethany Congregational Church in East Rockaway, and Bethpage United Methodist Church.
--Alric Kennedy, Director of Community Resources
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WHY SOME OF OUR CLIENTS ARE HUNGRY & WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT
In a recent issue of this newsletter, our Development Director noted that many of the people who come to us for emergency food and other assistance are single mothers who are not receiving child support from the fathers of their children. This prompted one of our Board members who happens to be an attorney, the Rev. Adrienne Flipse Hausch, to share the following information about how to get support payments for children. Every agency and every congregation, she suggests, should know how to help parents who are struggling with this problem. Adrienne writes:
In the State of New York, and now most other states, guidelines have been established for child support based on the ability to pay of the non-custodial parent with provision for extraordinary payments when the child(ren) has particular needs. In New York the Statute is called the Child Support Standards Act (CSSA). This law provides that the payer parent must pay a proportional share of child support up to the first $80,000 of combined parental income. SO if one parent makes $60,000 and the other parent makes nothing, the non-custodial parent with the money will pay 100% of the support. IF the parent with the job also has the children, the impoverished noncustodial parent still pays $25 per month. All income is subject to consideration including unemployment, disability, Social Security - everything except income from child support for another child.
The amount paid depends on the number of children - 17% for one; 25% for two; 29% for three; 31% for three; 35% for four or more. The only amounts deducted from income are FICA and local (NYC and Yonkers) income taxes. We do not have those taxes in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
If a parent without income has custody of the child, that parent can go to Family Court and file a petition without an attorney. The petition is heard by a support magistrate. In addition to the percentage above, the payer parent is also responsible for medical insurance, unreimbursed medical costs and childcare to permit the custodial parent to work. Unless the child is emancipated (self supporting or living on his own) a parent must support a child until the child is 21 years of age.
Years ago, parents often failed to pay fair support. That, in theory, ended with CSSA. Even with orders, however, many supporting parents fail to pay. To assure payment, payments are automatically made by deduction of them from the wages of the payor with the employer paying directly to the Support Collection Unit (SCU). If self employed, the payer pays to SCU. If the recipient parent so chooses, that parent can waive collection of support through SCU and instead receive support directly from the payor. If the payor falls behind - whether through SCU or directly, a violation petition must be filed. If the payor is found to be in arrears a judgment will be issued. In addition to all other remedies available for the payment of a judgment, federal income tax refunds can be attached and given to the creditor parent or custodian.
By law, no person is entitled to an attorney in support cases. Family Court is set up to accommodate pro se (self represented) individuals. Petitions are filed in "intake" with the assistance of personnel from the probation department. Indigent litigants are entitled to the appointment of counsel in custody and visitation cases but not child support. These appointed attorneys are provided via Legal Aid or Article 18B of the Executive Law, which maintains a panel of attorneys for both civil and criminal litigants. Nassau Suffolk Law Services also runs a Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP), which tries to find an attorney for anyone who meets federal poverty guidelines when the law does not otherwise provide free counsel.
Any person who has legal custody of a child is entitled to support from the parents of that child. Sometimes grandparents have custody. In that case, the custodial grandparent would be entitled to support from both parents. If the custodial parent is on public assistance, the Department of Social Services (DSS) will petition the court for support from the non-supporting parent. Any award will be used to reduce the amount of public assistance received by the custodial parent.
CSSA has been in effect since 1989, therefore there should no longer be any order in effect that does not conform to the law. Even if a custodial parent agreed to less than CSSA, CSSA applies and controls and the contract made between the parents can be changed by the court.
Anyone who has care and custody of a child and has the means to pay an attorney should see an attorney to determine if he or she is receiving all that he or she is entitled to receive. Anyone without means should consult the intake office at family court.
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Worth Quoting
On Cooperative Ministry
“We are called to live in a community of faith. A congregation does not thrive and do its best work unless it is related to a community of congregations.”
--the Rev. Lorraine DeArmitt, Southold United Methodist Church
Evangelicals & the First Amendment
“Folks tend to forget that during our founding, it wasn’t the atheists or the civil libertarians who were the most effective champions of the First Amendment. It was the persecuted minorities, it was Baptists like John Leland, who didn’t want the established churches to impose their views on folks who were getting happy out in the fields and teaching the Scripture to slaves. It was the forbearers of the evangelicals….”
--Senator Barak Obama, Call to Renewal, Pentecost 2006
What To Give Disaster Victims
“We should always give other people things that we’d like to have ourselves.”
--Master Cheng Yen, Tsu Chi Quarterly Spring 2006
Immigrants
“. . . our Bible would have few interesting characters at all if we excluded the immigrants. . . . Paul himself was a migrant worker for God, spreading the gospel tirelessly in one land and then another without the sanction of governments, but clearly with the blessing of God.”
--the Rev. Lillian Daniel, United Church News June/July 2006
Our Church - Or God’s?
“In the United States. . . the church is widely understood to be a voluntary society of those who choose to join it - which means that we can shape it any way we please. But behind the ecumenical movement is the conviction that the church is God’s and God’s church is one.”
--Diane Kessler & Michael Kinnamon,
Councils of Churches and the Ecumenical Vision (WCC Publications)
Evangelism
“Our task in evangelism is not to take Christ to people but to recognize Christ in people.”
--George C. L. Cummings, Dean, American Baptist Seminary of the West
National Workshop on Christian Unity, May 8, 2006
Ecumenism
“We never know the shape of things to come, and this is especially true in turbulent times like ours. What we do know is that the Spirit is with us in our efforts, the Spirit of truth and of charity. The Spirit lives within the entire community, the one Spirit which calls us to be one.”
--Bishop Patrick McGrath, opening worship at the Cathedral of St. Joseph,
National Workshop on Christian Unity, San Jose, May 8, 2006
Creation & Creationism
“We spend a lot of time trying to get textbooks to say certain things about creation while ignoring Creation.”
--Richard Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary
National Workshop on Christian Unity, May 9, 2006
Copy Machine Ethics
“Without copyright laws, those of us who create intellectual property for a living would have not protection against theft of our creative work. Having a copy machine in the church is a great temptation and we daresay that few are those in the Lord’s vineyard who have not succumbed. That’s why we recommend that a sign stating, “Thou shalt not steal!” in very large orange-colored letters be affixed to every church copy machine.”
--“Sy & Harold,” Zion’s Herald May/June 2006
[Note: All the excerpts above are short enough to be reprinted without permission of the author, as long as due credit is given, under the “fair use” provisions of copyright law. Generally speaking, quoting more than 100 words from an article or more than 300 from a book or more than two lines of a poem or song requires the permission of the author and/or copyright holder. The LICC gives blanket permission to reprint material from our newsletter, unless you see an indication that it is “used with permission”—in which case you must ask the copyright holder or risk incurring the Wrath of God. Authors naturally appreciate it if you send them a copy of the publication in which you quote their work.]
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IDEAS YOU CAN USE
Home Communion
Many Protestant congregations pride themselves in celebrating “open communion” in which all are invited to share the sacrament, and some are beginning to learn from Catholicism that the Church may need “Eucharistic Ministers” to include shut-ins in the Lord’s Supper. Daniel Benedict, writing in the July/August 2006 issue of the United Methodist clergy magazine Circuit Rider, urges Methodists to
“End unintended excommunication by employing members in extending the Table. Involuntarily absent church members are excommunicated unless they, too, share the Table. When laity and clergy bring Word, bread, and cup to them they, too, share the meal with the church and the Body of Christ is more fully discerned.”
For World Communion Sunday
“Let us be a church rooted in faith: Christ and Christ alone at the center, his hope for a church united our goal. Amen!
Let us be a church that really struggles to be one, and that is serious about seeking unity. Amen!
Let us be a Church unafraid to dialogue, unafraid to discuss even difficult issues but always with honesty and respect. Amen!
Let us be a Church unafraid to dream of being one, a Church that is willing to take risks to bring about the unity for which Christ prayed. Amen!”
----from the opening worship at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph,
National Workshop on Christian Unity, San Jose, May 8, 2006
“Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to their needs. Silent prayer.
For every congregation of the Church - that we may end the sin of our division which makes a mockery of the Cross of Jesus before the world. Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer
For every congregation of the Church - that the Spirit of the Lord may remove from between us the walls of separation which do not reach to heaven. Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer
For every congregation of the Church - that we may reach out to meet one another and rejoice to find that we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer. . .”
--from the Festival Eucharist Celebrating Lutheran-Episcopal Unity,
National Workshop on Christian Unity, May 9, 2006
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KNOW A STUDENT? HOW ARE THEY DOING FINANCIALLY?
The Long Island Council of Churches began offering personal finance seminars several years ago. These are designed to help borrowers avoid being ripped off and to encourage people to be good stewards of their financial resources. While we were initially concerned about predatory lenders who were particularly preying on older homeowners and Hispanic first-time homebuyers, it is now clear to us that we also need to help youth and young adults to become more savvy about money: to avoid predatory lending in the future, it’s good to not screw up their finances now.
Do you know college students (or their parents) who need to learn how to manage credit cards, debit cards, car loans, student loans and such? The LICC would be glad to help teens and their parents to learn more about how to manage money and debt.
Rich Murphy from Wells Fargo Mortgage Company, who has been an active participant in the LICC seminars, observes:
“It is my belief that, in general, we have failed to teach the basics to our children. Education today does not seem to give the youth of today the instruction they need to handle basic functions such as proper and effective use of credit cards (and the consequences of misuse), how to apply for basic loans (car, tuition, etc.) and most importantly, how to save money. Americans today seem incapable of saving money. We spend recklessly. This is evident at all levels, among people of all religions, all ethnic backgrounds, all levels of education—and our biggest, most visible example is our government.
“I've been shouting for years that we need to return to the basics: re-instituting student savings accounts at the elementary school level, and teaching budgeting and financial awareness in the middle schools & high schools. There have been a number of finance seminars held at the college level that have had enormous attendance. That should be telling us something: that they are starved for guidance & support.”
Our presentations usually run an hour to 90 minutes, and we will tailor it to the needs of your audience, such as a shorter program for a college class, campus ministry group, or youth group and their parents. We have speakers who can handle a variety of languages have done bi-lingual seminars and parallel programs in English and Spanish. The LICC will arrange speakers, educational materials, and other freebies. Thanks to grants from Astoria Federal Savings, Bank of America, Bank of New York, Citibank, the Greenpoint Bank Foundation, JPMorgan Chase, Washington Mutual, and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, we can provide this program without charge. All you need to supply is the location and refreshments.
Each presentation is shaped around the needs of the audience and we are prepared to address a wide variety of topics. Here are some we have dealt with recently that might be of interest to students and their parents:
- How to shop for a good loan
- How to get a good deal on checking and savings accounts and other financial services
- How to manage credit cards and other forms of credit
- How to “repair” a bad credit history
- How to reduce expenses on things you think are essential.
- How to convert a loan you already have into a better deal.
- How to talk with your kids (or your parents) about how they manage their money.
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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WANT TO STAMP OUT HUNGER? DO A CROP WALK!
Ponder the potential of the human foot . . .
It can jog, race and run in place.
It can dance, prance and leap in space.
It can kick, drive and stop on a dime.
AND in its finest hour
It can help stop hunger . . .
ONE STEP AT A TIME.
CROP Walks are community-based fund raising events, which raise money for local hunger-fighting agencies as well as the international relief and development efforts of Church World Service. Last year $15,001 was distributed to Long Island local hunger agencies. For more information about how your feet can help the human family around the world by organizing a Church World Service CROP Walk for Hunger in your community, call toll free 1-888-297-2767.
The Western Nassau CROP Walk, which benefits the LICC’s Emergency Food Center in Freeport, will be Sunday, October 22, at Baldwin Park, beginning at 1:30 p.m. The park is located at the south end of Grand Avenue. Many thanks to the Walk organizer, Don Neugebauer from Community Presbyterian Church in Malverne. Would you like to walk on the 22nd or to organize others from your congregation to walk? If so, contact Don at 516-593-1368. If you cannot walk yourself, could you sponsor a walker? To sponsor LICC Executive Director Tom Goodhue, call 516-565-0290 and let him know how much you will pledge.
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9/11 Memorial Services
Some ecumenical/interfaith memorial services for 9/11:
- Sunday, Sept. 10, at 2 p.m. the Town of Oyster Bay will hold its 9/11 anniversary service at Tobay Beach, where the Rev. Pamela Spence Bakker will represent the LICC.
- Monday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 the Interfaith Prayer Group of Woodbury - Syosset is sponsoring a time of quiet prayer at the Woodbury United Methodist Church (577 Woodbury Road, 1/6 of a mile south of Jericho Turnpike). It will begin with an opening prayer, then quiet music for people to pray in their own way. People can stay or leave when they are ready. At 8:20 a closing prayer will be offered aloud.
- On Monday evening, September 11th at 7:30 PM, Gloria Dei Evangelical Lutheran Church in New Hyde Park will host a Community Candlelight Vigil for Prayer and Remembrance of the 5th Anniversary of the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The entire community is welcome to attend. Worship will be led by Pastor Eric Olsen of Gloria Dei, along with other clergy from New Hyde Park and surrounding communities. Gloria Dei is located at 600 New Hyde Park Road in New Hyde Park, between Jericho Turnpike and Hillside Avenue. Call 516-354-6956 for information.
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GOOD TV ON WLIW/21 in Observance of the JEWISH HIGH HOLY DAYS
ROSH HASHANAH (September 22-23) and YOM KIPPUR (October 1-2)
WLIW/21 will broadcast:
- “THE NEW BEGINNING: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE JEWISH HIGH HOLY DAYS”
Sunday, September 17, at 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday, September 19 at 10:30 p.m.
This special outlines the ancient origin, evolution, symbols and traditions of the Jewish High Holy Days. The documentary illustrates with prayer, song, art, literature, custom and ritual, the splendor and majesty of The Days of Awe; unfolds the rich tapestry of the moral and ethical fiber woven into The Ten Days of Repentance; and traces the cultural ethnic threads that flow into the modern practice of fall's Jewish holidays.
- “KINGDOM OF DAVID: THE SAGA OF THE ISRAELITES”
Sunday, September 17 and 24 at 9 p. m. This two-part series draws from historical, religious and archeological sources to tell the epic story of the Jews, chronicling the creation of the world's most profoundly monotheistic religion. "By The River of Babylon/The Book and the Sword" (9/17) begins by introducing the early and profoundly influential figures of Judaism. Using stories from the past to explain present disastrous situations, the Judeans write a book that becomes the earliest edition of the most influential work in history: the Bible. In the years that follow, the study of the Bible becomes an essential part of Jewish life and prepares the Jews to face a mortal threat to their survival as Judah the Maccabee leads the Jews in an epic fight to defend their religious freedom against the Greeks. "The End of Days/The Gifts of the Jews" (9/24) surveys the clash of cultures between Rome and the Jews - one of the most brutal conflicts in history. Different factions of Judaism, such as the Zealots and the Essenes, clash over the interpretation of the true will of God as revealed in the Bible. Out of the ashes rise two new religions: rabbinical Judaism and Christianity.
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NEEDED/OFFERED
NEEDED:
- Volunteer Mentors:
- Consider being part of a unique and dynamic mentoring program for at-risk youth sponsored by Suffolk County. A Mentor:
- Is a caring adult willing to make a personal commitment to be involved with a young person six to eight hours per month for one year. . . .
- Serves as a role model and helps a teen make positive choices about his/her personal relationships, education, and role in the community. . . .
- Is a friend, coach, guide, who helps their mentee see the importance and relevance of his/her education to career and life goals.
No experience necessary. Ongoing support and training is provided.
Contact Carol McNally at (631) 853-5609, email carol.mcnally@suffolkcountyny.gov or Michael McCarthy at (631) 331-8620, email mmcc1@optonline.net
- Congregations to Shelter the Homeless:
- A number of congregations in Western Nassau are exploring the formation of a Family Promise group to provide shelter for homeless families. On the East End, an ecumenical/interfaith partnership called Maureen’s Haven has sheltered the homeless in local sanctuaries—an effort the LICC has promoted since its inception, when the Rev. Charles Stroebel spoke about his work at our Annual Convocation in Riverhead. Similar interfaith efforts are underway in Glen Cove and Huntington.
Tom Cioffi, a long-time volunteer with Family Promise and the Interfaith Hospitality Network program, will be in Nassau County in October and will be meeting with congregations to discuss this national not-for-profit organization that started 20 years ago in northern New Jersey and is now in 39 states, and to discuss forming a Family Promise group. For further information, contact Tom Cioffi at 770-985-7353 or Rabbi Robert Widom at Temple Emmanuel in Great Neck (516-482-5701 or mal150@earthlink.net).
OFFERED:
- Baby Grand Piano:
- Christ Episcopal Church in Bellport has a 56" wide baby grand piano in fairly good condition (but needs some work) that they would be happy to donate to someone who can use it. If interested parties can take delivery Sept. 4-8, they we will arrange delivery. Anyone interested can contact Nancy Sackson at 631-286-1561.
- Help Enrolling Kids in Child Health Plus:
- The Health and Welfare Council (HWC) has been designated as a lead agency on Long Island in New York State's Children and Families Health Insurance Facilitated Enrollment Program since 1999. The program is designed to remove the barriers that prevent families from enrolling in Family or Child Health Plus and Medicaid. The program provides eligible Long Islanders with health insurance by bringing services to them, in their communities, where they feel comfortable and safe. HWC’s bi-lingual enrollers provide free eligibility screening, assistance to families in determining which health plan is right for them, and help completing the application. The enrollers can also submit the application for the families, eliminating the need for an interview at the Department of Social Security. Working families, who have never participated in public benefit programs are sometimes reluctant to ask for help, as are immigrant families fearful of reprisal. HWC’s compassionate, bi-lingual and experienced staff works diligently to address the needs of these two very different populations. The Health and Welfare Council is looking to expand its reach into communities of need by adding new sites for enrollment.
Would you like to help in enrolling kids in this program? All you need to supply is a private space (desk/table) to meet with clients and access to a copier – HWC can supply the paper. They are particularly eager to reach families in these communities:
- Suffolk
- Riverhead
- Patchogue
- Coram/Farmingville
- Brentwood
- Wyandanch
- Bayshore/Bellport
- Huntington/Huntington Station
- Nassau
- Port Washington/Great Neck
- Glen Cove
- Long Beach
- Freeport
- Elmont
- Hempstead
- Plainview/Levittown/Wantaugh
- Roosevelt
- Uniondale
- Valley Stream
- New Cassel/Westbury
If you would like to invite an enroller into your congregation or agency, please call Amy R. Carroll, Director of Community Programs, Health & Welfare Council of Long Island, 516-505-4422 or email ACarroll@hwcli.com.
- Religion and Politics: A Guide for Houses of Worship:
- This resource from the Interfaith Alliance helps religious leaders during the campaign season understand:
- The importance of encouraging their members/congregants to vote.
- Why they should not tell members/congregants how to vote.
- How a partnership between religion and government can and should preserve the autonomy of houses of worship and ensure that religious institutions are not held hostage to the priorities and interests of federal, state, or local governments.
- How religion’s potential as a powerful healing force in politics can be severely compromised when America’s shared values are replaced by values that advance only sectarian interests.
Copies of this free booklet can be requested from TIA (asclater@interfaithalliance.org) or downloaded from www.interfaithalliance.org.
- New Videos in the LICC Lending Library at the Presbytery Center in Commack:
- "A Closer Walk" surveys the AIDS pandemic across four continents and examines how both medical professionals and faith communities are responding to it.
- “Class of 2006” from the PBS series Wide Angle examines the first class of 50 women who graduated from an imam academy in Morocco in May—and their first, ground-breaking weeks as new spiritual leaders within Islam.
- “The Tailenders” from the PBS series P.O.V. is the first in-depth examination of Global Recordings Network, a dedicated and extremely creative grassroots evangelism organization that translates Bible stories into languages that are rapidly being swept into oblivion by globalization. GRN has created an archive of more than 5,500 spoken languages and dialects—the largest collection in the world—and has ingeniously brought cheap recordings into remote corners of the globe. Director Adele Horne, who was raised in an evangelical Christian family, has enormous respect for GRN but also probes the discomfort of GRN missionaries who arrive in poverty-stricken communities with nothing more than recorded parables and may undermine existing Christian communities by an over-emphasis on individualism. Her documentary raises good questions about the tensions between religious marketing and embodying the Good News.
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LOCAL ECUMENICAL & INTERFAITH GROUPS
Perhaps you are the new rabbi in town and would like to meet other clerics or to take part in the interfaith Thanksgiving service. Maybe you want local congregations to address some important community issue. Here are some contact people for ecumenical and interfaith groups. Please note that many of these groups choose new leaders in the fall. We will put an updated roster in our new directory of churches and synagogues on Long Island.
| Amityville Ecumenical Ministries | David Anglin 631-264-0763 |
| Babylon Interfaith Clergy Cluster | Joanne Bond 631-661-7245 |
| Baldwin-Freeport-Roosevelt CWU | Ruth Dan 516-705-6019 |
| Baldwin Clergy Fellowship | Ed Barnett 516-223-1951 |
| Baldwin Interfaith Conference | Tom Ryley 516-623-1896 |
| Bay Shore-Brightwaters Clergy Assn. | Ronnie Kehati 631-665-5755 |
| Bay Shore Interfaith Council (lay) | Stu Napier 631-968-0667 |
| Bellmore-Merrick Interfaith Clergy | Rev. Perry Kirschbaum, 379-3858 |
| Bellport-Brookhaven-E. Patchogue | Erik Rasmussen 631-286-0525 |
| Bridgehampton Community of Faith | Rose Ann Vita 631-537-1187 |
| Central Islip Ministerial Alliance | Roderick Pearson 631-234-2731 |
| Conference of Clergy (LI Clergy Council) | Frank White 516-623-7513 |
| Deer Park Interfaith Clergy | Bob Rainis 631-667-4188 |
| East Hampton Clericus | Darwin LaDavis Price 631-329-0990 |
| East Meadow Clergy Fellowship | Ronald Androphy 516-483-4205 |
| E. Northport-Northport Ecu. Council | Betty Lockwood 631-261-7715 |
| East Rockaway-Lynbrook Clergy | Mark Lukens 516-599-5768 |
| Farmingdale Clergy Association | John Quince 516-293-0073 |
| Five Towns Interfaith Clergy | Paula Winnig 516-569-0267 |
| Floral Park Ecumenical Committee | Al Martin 516-775-9669 |
| Floral Park Church Women United | Chong Ye Sikes 516-354-0059 |
| Franklin Square Clergy Assn. | Tom Groenewold 516-352-0146 |
| Garden City Clergy Association | Wanda Hughes 516-354-1848 |
| (Glen Cove) North Shore Clergy | Betsy Simpson 516-671-0258 |
| Glenwood/Sea Cliff Clergy Group | Paul Johnson 516-676-4540 |
| Great Neck Clergy Association | Renni Altman 516-487-0900 |
| Greater Hamptons Interfaith Council | Reggie Barnett 631-288-3628 |
| Greenport Ecumenical Ministries | Thomas Murray 631-477-0048 |
| Hempstead Clergy Association | Phil Elliott 516-485-1499 |
| Hicksville Clergy Group | Hank Lay 516-938-1233 |
| Huntington Clergy Association | Peter Sanborn 631-427-9220 |
| Islip Clergy Association | Steve Moss 631-563-1660 |
| Long Beach Interfaith Clergy Assn. | Bennett Hermann 516-431-4060 |
| Long Island Clergy Council | Frank White 516-623-7513 |
| Long Island Hispanic Pastoral Assn. | Carlos Luis Vargas 516-546-2020 |
| Long Island Labor Religion Coalition | Candice Wetherell 631-589-3576 |
| Long Island Multi-Faith Forum | Arvind Vora 631-269-1167 |
| Long Island Organizing Network | Charles Coverdale 631-727-3446 |
| Manhasset Clergy Assn. | Jimmy Only 516-627-4911 |
| Massapequas Interfaith Clergy | Sara Louise Krantz 516-798-1122 |
| Mattituck-Cutchogue Clergy Assn. | George Summers 631-298-4918 |
| Medford-Patchogue Clergy | Dennis Evensen 631-289-5786 |
| Moriches Church Women United | Sylvia Prill 631-878-5676 |
| North Amityville Ministerial Assn. | Medford Brown 631-842-3283 |
| Oceanside Interfaith Council | Janet Porcher 516-766-3778 |
| 110 Corridor Pastors & Ministry Leaders | Roy Kirton 631-789-2688 ext. 122 |
| Oyster Bay-E. Norwich Interreligious | Jeff Prey 516-922-5477 |
| Port Washington Church Women | Hazel Nolan 516-767-0177 |
| Riverhead Clergy Council | Mary Bell-Cooper 631-722-4469 |
| Rockville Centre Clergy | Jeff Laustsen 516-766-2815 |
| Sayville Clergy Association | John Rowlan 631-589-0042 |
| Smithtown Multi-Faith Council | Jimmy Hulsey 631-265-5151 |
| Southold Clergy | Peter Kelly 631-765-2597 |
| Southold Women in Faith Together | Ellen Witko 631-722-2556 |
| Suffolk Black Clergy Assn. | Roderick Pearson 631-234-2731 |
| Three Village Clergy Association | Steve Karol 631-751-8518 |
| Unified Council of Churches | R. K. Davenport 516-833-7473 |
| Valley Stream Religious Council | Anthony Cuseo 516-285-3976 |
| Wantagh Clergy Council | Jeffrey Gale 516-221-2320 |
| Wantagh-Levittown Church Women | Nancy Rosiello 516-735-1920 |
| Westhampton Church Women United | Linni Diehl 631-653-8750
Jeanne Lewin 631-288-1680 |
| Westhampton Clergy | Larry Dunlap 631-288-1158 |
| Woodbury-Syosset Interfaith Clergy | Bill Parker 516-921-0755 |
| Wyandanch Christian Clergy Assn. | Sherman Roberts 631-491-0669 |
If you have additions or corrections for this list, please call 516-565-0290 ext. 206, fax 516-565-0291, or e-mail licchemp@aol.com. Call, too, if you would you like our Executive Director or Community Resources Director to speak to your group - or if you want help starting or expanding a group in your area.
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BLOOD DONATIONS URGENTLY NEEDED
Long Island Blood Services September Community Blood Drives
Blood donations always slow down over the summer, making September drives all the more important. The following congregations are holding blood drives in September. Please donate blood if you can or consider sponsoring a blood drive yourself. The only source of blood is from volunteer donors such as you. Call Long Island Blood Services at 800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org for more information about how you can help.
- 9/9/06 - Church on the Hill, 167-07 35th Avenue, Flushing 9:30 AM - 3:00 PM
- 9/10/06 - Glen Cove Christian Church, 74 Walnut Rd., Glen Cove 9:30 AM - 1:30 PM
- 9/16/06 - Grace Cathedral, 886 Jerusalem Ave., Uniondale 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM
- 9/18/06 - First Presbyterian Church-Oyster Bay, 60 E. Main Street, Oyster Bay 3:00 PM - 8:30 PM
- 9/19/06 - Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Paul, 110 Cathedral Avenue, Hempstead 3:30 PM - 9:00 PM
- 9/19/06 - Garden City Community Church, 245 Stewart Ave., Garden City 3:00 PM - 8:30 PM
- 9/19/06 - Church on the Sound, 335 Oxhead Rd., Stony Brook 3:30 PM - 9:00 PM
- 9/21/06 - Wantagh Baptist-The Church at Farmingdale, 25 Hempstead Turnpike, Farmingdale 3:30 PM - 9:00 PM
- 9/22/06 - First Baptist Church-Patchogue, 482 North Ocean Ave., Patchogue 3:00 PM - 8:30 PM
- 9/22/06 - St. Mark Episcopal Church, 754 Main St., Islip 3:00 PM - 8:30 PM
- 9/23/06 - Grace Church, 450 Edgewood Ave., Smithtown 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM
- 9/23/06 - Wading River Congregational Church, 2057 North Country Road, Wading River 8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
- 9/25/06 - First Presbyterian Church- Church House, 79 E. Main St., Babylon 3:30 PM - 9:00 PM
- 9/27/06 - Grace Methodist Church School, 21 S. Franklin Avenue, Valley Stream 3:00 PM - 8:30 PM
FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO SCHEDULE A CONVENIENT APPOINTMENT PLEASE CALL 1-800-933-BLOOD (2566)
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ADS AND ANOUNCEMENTS
Three day workshop: Creating a Culture of Peace
Nonviolence Training for Personal and Social Change
Peace is possible
You may believe there is a need to replace violence with peace in your community, across our country and around the world.
Did you know that you have the power?
“Creating a Culture of Peace” is a program which uses an interfaith and intergenerational approach to help people just like you achieve nonviolence in their communities.
CCP is a program of FOR—Fellowship of Reconciliation—which works with schools, civic organizations, veterans, congregations, and many others seeking personal and social change through the practice of active nonviolence.
Southold United Methodist Church
September 22, 23, and 24
9-9 Friday and Saturday and Sunday afternoon
$75
For more information and to register please contact Bill Moore at (631) 765-4663 or wdmoore1@optonline.net or visit www.forusa.org.
Parish Resource Center
89 Hallock Landing Road, Rocky Point, NY 11778
Tel: (631) 821-2255 ♦ Fax (631) 821-7073 ♦ e-mail: info@prcli.org
September Workshops
Call for more information on group and workshop series rates!
Evangelism - A Starting Place
Saturday, September 9, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Leader: Rev. Robert "Bob" Fritch
Lutheran Church of Our Savior, 231 Jayne Avenue, Patchogue
$5 per Subscriber ♦ $35 per Non-Subscribers
Just as with anything, the hardest thing about Evangelism is “starting.” We know we should, but we don’t know where to begin; and most evangelism programs seem overwhelming, especially to struggling churches in transitional neighborhoods. This workshop will give you the basic tools to begin evangelism right at your own front door, basic tools for outreach to cultural groups other than your own, and basic tools for beginning outreach almost anywhere. This is NOT just another evangelism workshop!
Year Round Stewardship
Saturday September 23, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Leader: Rev. John McKenzie
Parish Resource Center, 89 Hallock Landing Rd., Rocky Point
$5 per Subscriber ♦ $35 per Non-Subscribers
Stewardship is frequently a priority for the leaders of our subscribing congregations. Pastors and lay leaders alike are eager to discuss ways to encourage healthy stewardship of time, talent and treasure, not just during the annual pledge drive or budget process, but year round. We hope that you will be able to join us for this forum led by Pastor John McKenzie on ways to re-vitalize Stewardship in your congregation.
“Godbearing”
Saturday, September 23
Full day 9:00am - 3:00pm ♦ Morning session 9:00am - 12:00pm
Our Lady of Mt Carmel, 495 New North Ocean Ave., Patchogue
$10 per Subscriber ♦ $35 per Non-Subscribers
Registration begins at 8:30. Bring lunch.
Youth Pastor Rev. Glenn Adone will be leading this workshop which will help renew and re-ignite youth ministers. The morning session will introduce “Soul Tending” and offer ideas about making the shift from programming for our youth to pastoring our youth. In the afternoon session, Rev. Glen will present his own experiences with Youth group clustering, his work in establishing the Methodist Youth Network, and ideas about the role of technology in making clustering work.
Hospitality and the Church
Saturday, September 30, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Leader: Ms. Karla McKenzie
Mt Sinai Congregational Church, 233 North Country Rd, Mt. Sinai
$5 per Subscriber ♦ $35 per Non-Subscribers
This workshop is open to all congregational leaders, but of particular interest to those serving as Ushers, Greeters, Evangelism Committee Members or Fellowship Committee Members. The workshop will address the challenges congregations face as they welcome visitors and new members into their community. The participants will look at the obvious, and the not so obvious ways in which congregations make a first (and lasting) impression. Discussion will include what hospitality should look like, small group exercises, the Biblical foundation of hospitality and an analysis of your congregation’s S. W. O. T. (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.)
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The Long Island Council of Churches is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. The Long Island Council of Churches unites diverse Christians to work together in ministry with the poor and to promote interfaith understanding. All donations are tax-deductible and much appreciated.
The Rev. Thomas W. Goodhue
Executive Director
Long Island Council of Churches
1644 Denton Green
Hempstead, NY 11550
voice: 516-565-0290, ext. 206
fax: 516-565-0291
email:licchemp@aol.com
Web: www.ncccusa.org/ecmin/licc
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