TABLE OF CONTENTS
From Our Executive Director:
SCHOOL'S BACK - AND SO ARE DRUGS, GANGS & HATE CRIMES
We often think of childhood and youth as carefree, but anyone who knows a living, breathing adolescent knows that it is not always easy being a kid. School can be wonderful: I fondly remember playing basketball and soccer - even if I wasn't very good, - friends, school dances, class plays, debate, and even a few teachers. But the doctrine of sin tells us that we should not expect that anyplace in this world is free of injustice and evil, and school is where teens may experience bullying, sexual harassment, and racism.
Recently the LICC's Board grappled with the question of how we can help communities that think youth violence occurs only somewhere far away. Several noted that even though their community may be in denial, the local high school seems to be the locus of drugs, bullying, and gangs. And there is considerable evidence that bullying often leads to suicide. What can congregations do to help folks tackle problems kids face when the school bell rings? Here are a few ideas from our Board members:
Congregations can host meetings of Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, Alateens, and similar groups that help kids deal with addiction and with the substance abuse of their parents. Providing space for recovery groups helps adults take teen alcohol abuse seriously. One youth minister, the Rev. Tom Hunter, astutely satirized the attitude of many Long Island parents in the 1970's with a song that said, "Oh Lord, thank you, Lord, he's only drunk tonight." Welcoming 12-step programs into your building bears witness to the community that you know alcoholism, compulsive gambling, and other such behaviors are crippling addictions - and you want to help restore addicts to sanity.
Congregations can host meetings of groups such as Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays to help kids struggling with their sexuality know that your house of worship is more compassionate than judgmental. Many churches fight so ferociously over homosexuality that it is hard to break the silence surrounding any child of the congregation who is not straight. Welcoming PFLAG into your basement tells the whole community that you are willing to talk about the issues that families face.
We can talk about problems such as racism by reminding our flocks of the prejudice their forefathers and foremothers endured. Recently at St. Ignatius the Martyr in Long Beach, for example, Msgr. Donald Beckmann recalled the suspicion and discrimination that Irish Americans suffered before pointing out that it is just as wrong to condemn all Muslims as agents of a foreign power or an alien religion. And it is worth noting that Catholics established colonies in Florida and New Mexico long before my Puritan ancestors landed in Massachusetts - and that Muslims were among the first settlers in what is now the United States, settling along the Peedee River in the Carolinas a century before the English built Jamestown.
We can teach kids healthy ways to stand up for themselves. Teens are most likely to succumb to peer pressure, depression, self-loathing, and other woes if they feel vulnerable and helpless. When I arrived at my first parish in Hawaii, I was not sure initially about a karate class renting our building each week. I came to see that they were teaching confidence and self-control not aggression and domination. In my second parish, I studied Tai Chi with a teacher from the church.
We can invite organizations such as the Long Island Multi-Faith Forum into our congregations and schools. When teens trash their lives by committing hate crimes, they almost invariably come from communities that have never had Multi-Faith Festivals in their schools. If your school district is afraid to let Bahais, Christians, and Buddhists tell students how they practice their beliefs in their daily lives, invite the Forum to do a program in your congregation. Then see if schools might be receptive to a program for teachers or the PTA.
We can remind ourselves and our communities that God still has work to do on us. When it comes to bias, as Pogo put it, "We have met the enemy - and he is us."
Shalom/Salaam/Shanti/Pax,
Tom
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DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT:
Sara C. Weiss, Director of Development
Special thanks to the WE CARE Advisory Board of the Nassau County Bar Association for its gift of $12,000 to help support our Freeport Emergency Food Center. Special thanks also to the Long Island Council on Alcohol & Drug Dependence for joining with us in the BUDDY MENTOR program that matches volunteer mentors with children whose mothers are incarcerated. We are also grateful to the Town of Southampton's Department of Human Services for $6,000 to help support our Riverhead emergency food and social services programs, to a former board member who gave a $5,000 sponsorship for our November 11th "Share the Harvest: Helping Neighbors in Need" event. We also thank the following individual and institutional donors for their gifts of $500 or more:
| AccessLinx | $500 "Share the Harvest" |
| Anonymous Individual | $777 where most needed |
| Arrow Exterminating Company | $600 emergency food |
| Bellmore Presbyterian Church | $886 where most needed |
| Church World Service CROP Walks | $1,409 emergency family support |
| Community Church of East Williston | $1,160 where most needed |
| Community Church of Syosset (UCC) | $500 where most needed |
| Community Presbyterian Church | $1,216 where most needed |
| Congregational Church of Manhasset | $1,125 where most needed |
| First Presbyterian Church of Northport | $500 where most needed |
| Garden City Community Church | $2,000 emergency food/where most needed |
| Hempstead United Methodist Church | $600 where most needed |
| Ridgewood Savings Bank | $1,500 where most needed |
| United Methodist Women, 1st Amityville | $1,500 where most needed |
We also are grateful to the institutions that gave less than $500. We don't identify individual donors because they have asked to remain anonymous.
Most Urgent Need
This month's most urgent need, always a chronic one, is for prescription assistance. Children diagnosed with bipolar, ADHC, and other child mental disorders, require expensive prescriptions that their parents cannot afford. Without their medications, these children can become very ill and may constitute a danger either to themselves or others. Many of their parents have lost their jobs and are unemployed so they have no insurance to cover their children or even to pay the co-pay. It takes four weeks to enroll a child in Child Health Plus, but they need their medications right away. Each prescription costs anywhere from $60 to $110. A gift of $600 would enable us to help between five and ten children.
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WORTH QUOTING
Our Secularized World
"Even in the deserts of the secularized world, the human soul thirsts for God."
--Pope Benedict XVI, The Long Island Catholic, June 30, 2010
Freedom
"I have done nothing to earn the freedom I enjoy. I simply lucked out. And so did you."
--the Rev. Jennifer L. Brower, Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock, The Quest July 7, 2010
Privilege & Prejudice
"Whites have the better part of everything, and it is difficult for us not to feel, somewhere secretly, that we are better."
--Nadine Gordimer, Telling Times: Writing and Living, 1954-2008
What Are You Doing for Others?
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others? Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve."
--the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., quoted by the Corporation for National & Community Service (serve.gov/MLK Day)
What Karl Marx Meant by "Religion is the opium of the masses"
"When Marx said that, back in the 1840s, his use of the word opium wasn't simply metaphorical. Back then real opium was the only painkiller available, for toothaches or cancer of the throat, or whatever. He himself used it. As a sincere friend of the downtrodden, he was saying he was glad they had something which could ease their pain at least a little bit, which was religion."
--Kurt Vonnegut, Armageddon in Retrospect (2008)
Dealing with Religious Differences
"I think we want all the religions to be basically the same because we don't want religious violence. . . . But the only way we can have lasting religious cooperation is to see religions how they are rather than how we hope them to be. For me, that means seeing the good and evil that they do."
--Stephen Prothero, Boston University, author of God Is Not One (HarperOne), United Methodist Reporter July 2, 2010
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WORTH SEEING: "Eat Pray Love" - a Secular's Spritual Quest
Some film critics have not been kind to the new Julia Roberts movie "Eat Pray Love," but it is one that people of faith should see and reflect upon. Perhaps the problem is that Roberts portrays well a character who initially you may not find all that likeable. Elizabeth Gilbert is a self-absorbed travel writer and control freak who ditches her adoring husband, later leaves a thoroughly decent boyfriend, and then sets off on a year-long quest to Italy, India, and Indonesia. Gilbert is so thoroughly secularized that she has never prayed. She calls out to God in desperation, "I'm in trouble," and begins a process of transformation, but does not know any way to grow spiritually without spending four months in an ashram.
It will probably aggravate many clerics that she has to go half way around the world to learn lessons they were teaching all along - you must forgive yourself for your failings, as God already has, and that you can only find happiness if you can love others - but that is the way things are in these days in which we live: Christians and Jews often dabble in another faith before they embrace the spirituality of their own tradition. As T. S. Eliot said, "And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." The challenge we all face is how to welcome these seekers home.
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WORTH READING: "Imperfect Birds" by Anne Lamott
This reviewer is a big fan of Anne Lamott, author of both nonfiction such as the hilarious Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year and three books on faith: Traveling Mercies, Plan B, and Grace (Eventually), and also terrific novels such as Crooked Little Heart and Blue Shoe. Nonetheless, I had a hard time getting into Imperfect Birds (Riverhead Books, 2010), the latest installment in her saga of Rosie Ferguson, her parents, and their assorted friends. Perhaps I didn't want to admit how close this tale of Left Coast suburbia is to the place where I live. Or perhaps the antics of smart, high-achieving, substance-abusing teens seems way too much like Long Island for this to be a fun read. But it is worth staying with this story. When LaMott reaches the inevitable crisis in 17-year-old Rosie's life, it is simultaneously riveting, inspiring, and touching.
Lamott pays homage to the Presbyterian Church that was instrumental in saving both her soul and her life. Never heavy-handed in her piety, she has a particularly deft touch in this novel in exploring the role a good-enough community of faith can play in a troubled family. If nothing else, Imperfect Birds should give you sympathy for those trying to raise healthy kids in an unhealthy society. Lamott shows us how hard it is to be the responsible adult in a perpetually-adolescent culture, and how much courage it takes parents who indulged in illegal substances to confront the dangerous behavior of their offspring.
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IDEAS YOU CAN USE
A Prayer Walk through Your Community
Riverhead United Methodist Church and their pastor, the Rev. Gordon Bienvenue, have invited clergy and members of other congregations to join them to stroll the streets of Riverhead on Sunday, Sept. 19. They will pause occasionally for brief prayer and as they walk they will distribute bags with Bibles, invitations to worship, and other small gift items. Want to join them? Want to try something such as this in your neighborhood?
Starting Worship Gracefully
Congregations often struggle to balance the needs of worshipers who want to socialize before the service with those who seek peace and quiet. At the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset the order of worship often begins something like this:
A printed note in the bulletin reminds people to silence their electronic devices.
Worshipers chat freely with one another until someone sounds a large bell as the "call to gathering"
The worship leader welcomes members and visitors, makes announcements, and urges people to greet their neighbors
The bell is sounded again as a "call to centering"
The musician plays a prelude and worship formally begins
A New Idea for Hymn-Sings
Many churches have periodic hymn-sings in which worshipers call out their favorite hymns and then the musician and congregation sings a verse or two. This summer at St. David's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Massapequa Park, Pastor David Meyers, encouraged his flock to enter into this activity prayerfully, and to feel free to request songs that are not in the hymnal:
"Bring your favorite sung prayers, the hymns that draw your heart to God in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, and we'll sing them. We may have to sing them next week if your hymn 'stumps the band' (the pastors and musicians of St. David's). What's more, they don't have to be in our red or blue hymnal (many of the great hymns aren't). But if you can get the titles to me in writing, by email, or by dropping them with one of us pastors in the church services, we'll find the words and music, and we'll sing them."
Walk the Confirmands in Circles
This spring the Rev. Flora Harford, Associate Pastor of St. David's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Massapequa Park, used a labyrinth in two sessions of her confirmation class, adding her own twists to the turns of this medieval pattern of walking meditation:
"Amid the darkness and glow of candles, hands reached down to choose a stone at the first prayer station. Placing all their cares and worries into that stone, participants were asked to release it into a pool of water symbolizing cleansing baptism. Walking in circles and circuits on the Labyrinth path brought participants to the second prayer station where they wrote down their hurts and those whom they have hurt. Then, like opening up a suitcase tossing excess articles out, they were able to discard what they had written in a trash basket labeled 'forgiveness.'
"As the pilgrims entered the center of the Labyrinth, they were able to sit amid a trinity of candles, smell God's love in perfumed incense, and meditate on Psalm 16. On their outward journey, confirmands later expressed having a sense of peace. Burdens lightened, they were able to focus on others in their lives, lighting a votive candle in prayer for someone as they wended their way out."
Good Ways To Encourage Blood Donors
At Parkway Community Church, Cindy Philbin recently did three important things in the church newsletter after their latest blood drive:
- She thanked everyone who donated blood or tried to do so. (Yours truly has several times found that being rejected due to slightly lowered hemoglobin counts was a wake-up call that I was working too hard, not eating right, etc.)
- She praised a first-time donor who overcame a fear of needles to give the gift of life to a stranger.
- She let the congregation know that they would have another opportunity to donate in October.
Go, thou, and do likewise! And remember that the LICC would be glad to help you publicize your local drive.
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DID YOU KNOW?
9/11 Memorial Service at Westbury Mosque
The Islamic Center of Long Island and local Muslims are holding a memorial service on 9/11 and dedicating a new Peace Garden in memory of the victims of terrorism. It will be at 1pm on Sept 11 at ICLI , 835 Brush Hollow Road. And did you know that many Muslims were among those killed by Al Qaeda on 9/11?
The First Iftar in the White House
Do you know which President hosted the first iftar, a meal breaking the sunrise-to-sunset fast during Ramadan? Americans sometimes think of Islam as a faith that has arrived here only recently, but the answer, according to American University research fellow Frankie Martin, is not Barak Obama but rather Thomas Jefferson. Martin, one of the authors of the new book "Journey into America: The Challenge of Islam," published in June by the Brookings Institute Press, notes that Founding Father John Adams called Mohammed one of the world's great truth-seekers, alongside Confucius and Socrates.
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WAYS TO SAVE ON TAXES
If you are one of the many people searching for a job right now, you may be able to deduct some of your expenses - including writing résumés and attending career fairs - on your tax return. For more information about job search expenses, read IRS Publication 529, Miscellaneous Deductions at IRS.gov or calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676). The Making Work Pay Tax Credit provides a refund of up to $400 for working individuals and up to $800 for married taxpayers filing joint returns. The credit is based on earned income and is taken on your 2010 tax return when you file your taxes in 2011.
Saving Energy Can Save You Tax Dollars
Not only can you save money by investing in energy-efficient products, you can also benefit from the tax incentives still offered by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. If you're looking at doing any home improvements, such as replacing exterior windows or replacing an old furnace or air conditioning unit, these credits may help you lower the taxes you owe. With the Non-Business Energy Property Credit, you can claim 30 percent of the cost of all qualifying improvements. The maximum credit is $1,500 for 2009 and 2010 combined. For the Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit, you can claim 30 percent of the cost of qualifying energy property. The costs of qualifying items may help you reduce your tax bill and provide energy savings as well. Not all Energy Star products qualify for the tax incentive. For information on energy-efficient products, visit the Energy star website.
Day Camp Expenses Qualify for the Child and Dependent Care Credit
Regardless of whether you paid for after-class child care during the school year or a week of day camp during summer break, you may be able to apply the costs to the Child and Dependent Care tax credit and use it to cut your tax bill at filing time. The Child and Dependent Care tax credit can help make employment possible when child care is essential. For more information, check out IRS Publication 503, Child and Dependent Care Expenses at IRS.gov or call 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676).
Tax Breaks for Students & Parents
If you're a student or if you have students in your household, you may qualify for the American Opportunity Credit. It is worth up to $2,500 toward tuition and expenses, and a portion of the credit may be refundable. For more info, visit IRS.gov and type in the key word "ARRA."
You Can Still Collect the Homebuyers Tax Credit
It's not too late to collect the First-time Homebuyer Credit if you complete your home purchase by Sept. 30, 2010. If you entered into a contract to buy a home before the end of April, and you qualified for the First-time Homebuyer Credit, you now have until Sept. 30, 2010 to close the deal. The original deadline of June 30 was extended by 90 days to ensure homebuyers had sufficient time to complete their closing. To learn more about the First-time Homebuyer Credit, or any of the others mentioned above, visit http://www.IRS.gov
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A NO-RISK WAY TO RAISE FUNDS FOR YOUR CONGREGATION - AND US
The Long Island Council of Churches invites your congregation to join in a fundraising campaign selling Global Faith Bands titled, "Faith Raising + Fund Raising = Stewardship." This project will raise funds for your congregation, the LICC's ministry to our neighbors in need, and other charities that work with children. Each congregation accomplishes this by selling "Love God" Global Faith Bands. The Love God Global Faith Bands give you a unique opportunity to participate in a nationwide movement with many other churches that also "Love God," to share your faith, build stronger relationships with old and new members, and draw others outside your church to "Love God."
Love God Global Faith Bands in a variety of colors will be shipped to you on consignment: you don't pay them a cent unless you sell them. Get as many members as you can to sell 10 bands each at $10 a band. You have 30 days to sell your Love God Global Faith Bands. If you sell 1,000, you keep $3,000 for your church, send $2,000 to the LICC to support its ministry, and send the remaining $5,000 balance to Global Faith Bands, which will donate $2000 to children's charities. IT'S THAT SIMPLE!
The Rev. Dr. Jerome Taylor, LICC Board Member and Past President, completed several successful campaigns at his church and raised a total of $15,000. Here is his personal testimony.
"Ordering and selling our Love God Global Faith Bands has truly been a blessing for our church. It is a fantastic opportunity for us to share our faith (Faith Raising) and raise money (Fund Raising) for our church improvement fund. Our Love God Global Faith Bands helped our members build stronger relationships with new and old members alike, and aided their ability to share and inspire testimony from others about their Love of God.
"It was simple and easy. We sold our first order of 1,000 Love God Global Faith Bands and earned $5,000 for our ministry in less than 30 days. We re-order two more times, sold a total of 3,000 during the three campaigns, and earned a total of $15,000 for our ministry in only two and one-half months. We did it and so should YOU…."
To begin your partnership with the LICC, please call Rev. Dr. Jerome Taylor, Senior Pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, at 516-705-5654, or e-mail him at: lovegodthemovement@me.com He will help you register and give you the training and support to begin your own ministry of drawing others to Love God while supporting the LICC's ministry to your neighbors in need and building your own church's financial capacity.
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NEEDED/OFFERED
Needed:
- Items for Our Auction
- The LICC will have its first ever major fundraising event this Fall. "Share the Harvest: Helping Neighbors in Need," will take place on Thursday, November 11 (Veterans Day), from 6:30PM to 10:30PM at Giorgio's, 100 Fox Hill Drive in Baiting Hollow. The event will raise money to support our food pantry and social services on the East End while honoring Riverhead Building Supply (our Corporate Honoree) and Carolyn Gumbs (our Community Honoree), our Riverhead Manager who has served the Council for 31 years. A silent auction will be part of this event. Donations for this auction are needed, and are tax-deductible. If you have an item to donate, please contact Alan Stevens at alan_ste@msn.com or 631-560-8354 for further information. The Web site for this event is now up. Please visit www.liccdinner.com for more information.
Offered:
- Fall Sermon Starters
- MICAH, the Mobilized Interfaith Coalition Against Hunger, which was launched three years ago in conjunction with Catholic Charities, the Islamic Center of Long Island, Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger and other partners, is distributing sermon starters for the fall, "Lectionary Possibilities for Working with Themes of M.I.C.A.H." written by the LICC's Board President, the Rev. A. Erik Rassmussen. To make sure that you get on the list to receive this material, please email MICAH chairperson, Cris Notaro, at crisnotaro@aol.com.
- Free Geriatric Care Ministry Program
- Research conducted by the School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University found that seniors often seek help with age-related issues from their religious and spiritual leaders. With that in mind, the School of Social Welfare at Stony Brook University is offering the Geriatric Care Ministry Program on October 4th at the Long Island State Veterans Home at Stony Brook University to help religious and spiritual leaders better serve their congregations and communities. There is no fee for this program, but seating is limited. I recommend early registration to ensure a seat. Please contact Mamie Gladden at (631) 444-3142 or Mgladden@notes.cc.sunysb.edu, to register or obtain additional information.
- Film about Islam
- Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world and in America. Every 10th child in the New York School system is Muslim. Abraham's Children tells the stories of some of these children through their own voices. As this diverse group of Muslim children from the greater New York area talks about their everyday lives, they shed a positive light on Islam. The film follows six families from the Bronx, Yonkers and Long Island. These children face the same issues that all youngsters face growing up in this culture, plus the additional burden of being first generation children of immigrants, compounded by the fact that the 9/11 terrorists were also Muslim.
The Interfaith Alliance would be glad to bring this film to churches, synagogues, mosques, and other venues across Long Island. The film is 77 minutes in length. Visit http://www.abrahamschildrendoc.com/trailer/ to view a trailer of this documentary. If you are interested in hosting a viewing of this documentary, please contact Rich Tibbets at (718) 343-6823 or richard.tibbets@verizon.net.
- Free Spiritual Care Training
- Are you looking for an avenue to volunteer your time with others? Come learn more about sharing your gift of time and presence as a Spiritual Care Companion with those that are hospitalized or living in a nursing home or homebound.
Catholic Health Services of Long Island is offering free six-week training for volunteers of all faiths that will cover basic pastoral care skills and information to become a caring, attentive, listening presence. Topics include - communication skills, concerns of the sick and homebound, spiritual companioning, grief, death & dying, ethical issues and more.
- Information Session: Saturday September 18, 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. at Catholic Health Services, 245 Old Country Road, Melville
Trainings: Saturdays, October 2, 16, 30, 2010 from 9:30am-3:00pm,
- or Information Session: Wednesday September 22, 1:00-3:00pm at St. Charles Hospital, 200 Belle Terre Road, Port Jefferson Station
Trainings: Wednesdays, October 6, 13, 20, 27 and November 3, 10, 2010 from 1:00-4:00pm
For further information, please call Carol Cella at 631-465-6307 or Trish Luvin 631-465-6306.
- Help Getting Benefits
- New York State has set up myBenefits.ny.gov, a Web site where you can find out if you are eligible for such programs as:
- SNAP (food stamps)
- school meals
- Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Care Credit and other tax credits
- Home Energy Assistance Program
- Temporary Assistance
- Healthy NY insurance, Family Health Plus, Child Health Plus, Medicaid, or Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage.
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REMEMBER 9/11 - DONATE BLOOD
It was inspiring how many folks rolled up their sleeves at hospitals, churches, synagogues, and mosques after the 9/11 attacks. We need to keep encouraging these acts of kindness. These newly added drives, on Sept. 8 and Sept. 11, are a wonderful opportunity to honor how Americans did something good in the midst of our shock and grief. If your house of worship is having a blood drive not listed below, send us the info and we'll add it to our weekly update. Please note two blood drives in italics below, that we just heard about:
| 9/4/10 | Evangel Church of God, 12 West John Street, Lindenhurst | 8:45 AM - 2:45 PM |
| 7/11/10 | Allen AME Cathedral, 110-31 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica | 7:45 AM - 3:45 PM |
| 9/5/10 | Hyo Shin Bible Church, 42-15 166th Street, Flushing | 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM |
| 9/8/10 | Seaford Knights of Columbus, 80 Hicksvlle Road
516-694-2016 | 3:30-8:00 PM |
| 9/11/10 | Bethany Presbyterian, 425 Maplewood Rd. Huntington Station
631-423-6359 http://www.bethanypresbyterianchurch.com | 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM |
| 9/21/10 | First Presbyterian Church, 60 E. Main Street, Oyster Bay | 2:45-8:45 PM |
| 9/27/10 | First Presbyterian Church, 79 East Main Street, Babylon | 3:00-9:00 PM |
| 9/28/10 | Church on the Sound, 335 Oxhead Rd., Stony Brook | 2:45-8:45 PM |
| 9/28/10 | Christ Lutheran Church, 3384 Island Road, Wantagh | 2:15-8:15 PM |
| 9/29/10 | St. Mark Episcopal Church, 754 Main St., Islip | 2:45-8:45 PM |
| 9/28/10 | St. Paul Greek Orthodox, 110 Cathedral Ave., Hempstead | 3:15-9:15 PM |
You can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org to verify the date and time of the blood drive.
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RELAX, REFRESH & RENEW
Relax, Refresh & Renew
LICC Retreat At Camp De Wolfe
Tuesday, September 14, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
(Coffee and registration at 9:30)
For people of all faiths who are clergy, work in soup kitchens & emergency food pantries, or who work on behalf of the poor. Our retreat leaders will be Pat Intermaggio, who is a social worker, a deacon in the United Methodist Church, and a gifted retreat leader, and the Rev. Bob Liebold, pastor of Bayville United Methodist Church.
RSVP to the LI Council of Churches at 516-565-0290 or licchempstead@optonline.net.
Suggested donation $20.00
Camp De Wolfe
408 North Side Road
Wading River, NY 11792
(631) 929-4325
For maps and further information about Camp De Wolfe, please visit http://www.campdewolfe.org/contact.html.
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ADVERTISING IN THE PRELUDE
Each month we mail about 3000 copies of our newsletter The Prelude to the clergy leaders and lay leaders of 1400 faith organizations. We also email this newsletter to 3000 religious leaders and post it on our Web site (www.liccny.org), which receives nearly 2000 visitors each month. Filled with timely articles, news briefs, updates and notices affecting Long Island's communities and churches and the wider world, The Prelude is a must read for all who would "work together to improve Long Island and promote interfaith understanding and cooperation." The LICC accepts paid sponsorship ads, display ads and simple listings (classifieds). Advertising in The Prelude is a great way to reach clergy, lay leaders, and volunteers in Long Island's congregations. To receive a "media kit" with advertising rates, copy requirements, and copy deadlines, please call 516-565-0290 or email tomgoodhue@optonline.net. Congregations that join the LICC and groups that join the Friends of the LICC receive a free classified ad in thanks for paying their annual dues.
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ADS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
CHURCH SPACE FOR RENT
Unity Church of Healing Light on Pulaski Rd (at Park Ave) in Huntington Station has space to share Mon-Fri or Sunday afternoons. The 1500 sq ft sanctuary seats 140 in theater style facing a raised platform. Ample parking on site. Contact Bob Perkins at 631-423-9469 or RCP3RD@gmail.com.
CHURCH SPACE TO SHARE IN MASSAPEQUA
The Presbyterian Community Church in Massapequa, conveniently located near the Southern State Parkway, Route 135 and Sunrise Highway, has space to share with another congregation:
- Sanctuary, two levels, seats 225, generally available except Sunday before noon
- Fellowship hall/auditorium/gymnasium with kitchen
- Club room
- Parking lot and street parking for 60 cars (on weekends, additional parking is available)
- Several classrooms
This is a large building that can be used for worship, meetings and other gatherings. Please call Pete LaMassa at 516-316-6571 for more information.
FAITH, FOOD & FELLOWSHIP FESTIVAL on Sept. 11 in East Meadow
Holy Trinity Orthodox Church of East Meadow will host its second annual Faith, Food & Fellowship Festival on Sat., Sept. 11 (rain or shine), from 10 AM to 5 PM. The festival will feature Slavic and Greek food, children's activities, church tours, vendors, flea market, and a raffle. A 9/11 memorial service will be held at 1 PM. Holy Trinity is located at 369 Green Avenue, East Meadow. For more information, please call 16-483-3649 or visit www.htocem.org.
JESUS ALIVE PRESENTS:
"DID YOU TALK TO HIM TODAY?"
Sunday, October 10th
Theatre opens at 6:30 PM
Curtain: 7:30 PM
Patchogue Theater, 71 E. Main Street, Patchogue, NY 11772
(631) 207-1313
Tickets are $27.00 each and make checks payable to Patchogue Theatre
(please include phone number on the check) and mail to Patchogue Theater,
PO Box 2400, Patchogue, NY 11772
All monies go to feed the hungry on Long Island
JOB OPENINGS
Young Adult Ministry Leader Sought
Community United Methodist Church in Massapequa is seeking someone to build vibrant young adult ministry. They are looking for an entrepreneurial pioneer who will be excited about building a new ministry from the ground up. The initial responsibilities will include leading a Sunday evening worship service and organizing some social and spiritual growth opportunities among the young adults. The position will require 8 to 10 hours per week to start with the hope of increasing the hours. The ideal candidate will possess
- Experience leading worship
- Experience working in a church setting with young adults
- Experience with Christian education or spiritual formation/covenant groups
- The ability to play piano well enough to lead hymn/song singing at a minimum.
For further information, or to apply, please call (917) 604-5227.
Director of Music / Choir Director Sought
Sayville Congregational United Church of Christ, is seeking a Director of Music/Choir Director (not organist). Yearly salary $10,500; one Sunday service, and holidays. Small but capable choir rehearses Wednesdays at 7:30, and before church on Sunday. Rehearsal keyboard skills are helpful. Extensive choral library. Please send letter and resume to 131 Middle Road, Sayville NY 11782 or SayvilleUCC@Verizon.net; attention: Music Search Committee.
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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:tomgoodhue@optonline.net
Web: www.liccny.org
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