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Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church Rochester, New York
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Highlights from the September 2005 edition's:
Deacon's Corner:
Yo God, When will I stop seeking perfection? As human's we are not capable of perfection. I have and will make mistakes... I have hit many a false note in this song of life... I have muddied many places in this picture of life... But You have not given up on me. You have showed me that even with my imperfections, I can be used to do Your work here on earth. Thank you for Your never ending love, Amen-
Pastor's Reflection:
A Generous Family of God A week ago Sunday, Sharon H. announced that her brother was coming to Rochester and then driving his van to Baton Rouge and would be taking as much with him for hurricane relief as could fit in the van. On Tuesday, the 6th, 23 people gathered in the evening at Open Arms MCC to pack “care packages” of needed supplies. The van was bulging at the seams as he left for Louisiana. Later in the week, Michelle W. emailed that a professor at RIT was going to be sending clothing and underwear to Texas where a large African-American Church Congregation was hosting many refugee families from the stricken areas. We encouraged people to bring such items to church on Sunday. There was really A LOT of clothes to send. And on Sunday, we took an offering specifically for hurricane relief and were able to send $1500 to our denomination’s relief fund. Doesn’t it warm your heart to know that our church doesn’t stand by idly feeling vaguely sorry for people in need? Not Open Arms! We also have a few people willing to open their homes to people who have lost everything. God is good – all the time.
You know, sisters and brothers, life is hard work. Sometimes it seems that nothing goes the easy way. And yet, in spite of all the evidence around us that life is fragile, we insist on making plans as though we are in charge of the universe. Early astronomers were convinced that the sun revolved around the earth. When it was suggested that it is the earth that revolves around the sun, people were branded heretics. But, isn’t it the case that we act as if the entire universe revolves around us and our wants and “needs”? If it rains on a day we have an outside activity planned, we are offended. If traffic is heavy during rush hour, we are somehow convinced that it is just to inconvenience us.
Generation after generation, we persist in this kind of behavior and bad thinking. We claim faith and spirituality but continue to act as if we, not God, is at the center. When things are tough, we ask, “Why is God doing this to me?” while never thinking to ask why thousands of people die in other parts of the world in floods or famine or warfare or genocide.
I think Jesus would not be pleased to see what we’ve made of the church. When he came, religion was very strictly structured and there were privileged priestly types and the people who obeyed them without question and paid the fees demanded of them and followed myriad religious practices to insure ritual purity. Jesus taught people how close God is to each of us. He taught us how to approach God directly without lots of layers of practice between us and God. He tried to teach us what is really important. It worked for a VERY short time and since then we’ve spent a few thousand layers building up all those layers again. Jesus summarized the whole law into two simple commandments: Love God and Love your neighbor. He expanded what was meant by “neighbor” to mean the whole world. And we’ve made lists of things to do and not do and to believe and not believe that we impose on people to confuse their simple faith.
Remember the man born blind who was healed by Jesus and then was abused by the priests and leaders of the temples with questions about Jesus? His answer was, “Look, I’m just a simple man. All I know is that I was born blind and then I could see. It seems to me that if Jesus could do that, he must be of God.” So the church leaders beat him up and threw him out.
Katrina shows us a valuable lesson: you can plan all you want. You can build all you want. You can collect all you want. But it’s all transitory and can be washed away in the blink of an eye. We revolve around God. When we stay close to God and keep God close to us, we find ourselves cared for. We find sisters and brothers striving to be Christ’s hands and feet and heart who are ready to enfold us and care for us and provide for us. And those close to God provide for ALL in need because in God there is no stranger, no second-class citizen, no outcast, no black or white, no slave or free, no male or female.
Jesus came to teach us to simplify. We’ve made it complicated. Let’s make a deal to call ourselves and each other back to simplicity in our God.
Rev. Jim
Upcoming Events:
The clothing ministry, coordinated by Deacon Debbie, will begin again on September 8 at 6:30. See Deacon Debbie for details. There is a Board meeting at church on Friday, Sept. 9 at 6pm On October 15, an Oktoberfest potluck picnic will be held at David E.’s home in Batavia from 2-7pm. If you would like to help coordinate this event, please contact David. The Artsy-Fartsy Film Group will meet on September 17, at 1pm at the Little Theater to see the film The Constant Gardener. The film starts at 1:20.
Next Deacon training class will be on Sunday, September 24 from 1 to 4. The DIT classes are open for anyone to attend. The Annual Blessing of Pets will be on Sunday, October 2 during worship. We ask that each pet have a handler. If you have multiple pets please as a friend or fellow church member to assist you. Our new denominational Moderator, Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, will be installed at the National Cathedral on October 29 at 2pm. Rev. Jim and Deacon Debbie will serve communion at that service and Paul is serving as their acolyte. Gene is singing in the installation choir. Renee is going for the sheer joy of it.
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Deacon's Corner:
Yo God; The sunlight is getting shorter and the moonlight longer. The trees are starting to turn...apple season has started. Yellow school buses stop at every corner...and nights are cooler. That damn squirrel keeps hiding nuts on my window ledge. Summer is rolling over into Fall...another season passes.
Time...it is so very precious...when I was a kid days lasted forever. Now, there is this feeling of time running out...that there is an end ahead. God, perhaps days lasted forever in my youth because I lived in the moment. God, let me enjoy this moment of Fall without thinking of the Winter. God, let me take pleasure in the color of Fall without thinking of the snow to come. God, remind me to delight in this minute...in Your love...in the many blessings of life. Yo God...thank you for the changing seasons and the passing of time.
Pastor's Reflection:
Special Congregational Meeting
The Board of Directors has called a Special Congregational Meeting for Sunday, October 9 at 1pm. All members are urged to be present for this important meeting about our future. We are required by our by-laws to have an Annual Congregational Meeting which we do each year at the beginning of December. Special congregational meetings may be called by a vote of the majority of the Board of Directors or by a petition signed by 25% of registered members.
Gratitude How grateful I am when I consider the generosity of this congregation of Open Arms MCC! As money came in after the Katrina collection, and then we rounded it up to the next hundred from the DUO fund, we were able to send $1800 to the denomination for Katrina relief. That was in addition to the shipment of toiletries and necessities we sent with Sharon’s brother and the clothing we sent through Michelle at RIT. And that was in addition to the $2100 we sent at the beginning of the year for Tsunami relief. Think how remarkable it is that in only 2 collections, we raised $3900 for the relief of people in great need.
Activism Opportunity
The students at John Marshall High School in Rochester have been prevented from forming a GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) club at the school, which is their legal right to do and is protected by the Federal "Equal Access Act" of 1984. The details of the discrimination can be found at this link
http://ckyler.blog-city.com/read/1478722.htm
These students are under a great deal of pressure to give up on their cause. They have formed an activist group called GSAclubsNOW to advocate for their rights.
The Equal Access Act can be viewed at
http://ckyler.blog-city.com/read/1478952.htm
They need the help of progressive faith communities in the Rochester area. For that reason I am asking everyone who receives this e-mail to go to this link and sign a
People of Faith Petition in support of LGBT students a John Marshall High School
@ http://www.gopetition.com.au/online/7175.html We had 56 people in church on Sunday. For weeks, we have had in the mid-40’s. We’ve reached our target number to know we need more space for worship. Two years ago, we weren’t thinking we’d need more space. We were worried about whether we could ever get out of debt. We were worrying about whether we could exist as a congregation. Worry is such a waste of time and such a way to doubt God’s abundance! We have no debt now and we have run out of space and we don’t worry about whether we will exist. Instead we wonder how big we’ll grow, what new ministries we’ll be able to establish, how we can let others in our community know what a good thing we have going. We want to share it. So lately, I have thought a lot about space. The Board and I realized that the whole process of search is a major venture. That’s why we called a special congregational meeting. In our denominational structure, these kinds of major decisions are not made by the pastor or Board. They are made by the members in Congregational Meeting. But I also reflect on church and what church is. Church isn’t worship space or meeting space. Church is community. I’m not sure we knew when we began our renewal two years ago in meetings with our Regional Elder, Rev. Elder Arlene Ackerman, what God had in store for us. Actually I’m sure we didn’t know that our Vision Statement which was forged in those meetings: Empowering people – Embracing the Journey – Touching the World would shape us as a church, as a community. Our Elder told us that a Vision statement is our goal, the place we wanted to go, who we wanted to be. So, we are the community of Open Arms MCC, a warm and loving place of safety and reassurance of God’s love, a warm and loving place of safety and reassurance of the love of our sisters and brothers, a place where newcomers know that God loves them. They know this because we love them. In one of the letters of John, we read “how can you say you love God if you do not love your neighbor” and also, “the one who abides in love abides in God and God in that person.” So, who are we? We are a group of seekers after God who yearn to share what we have learned with anyone who will listen. And let me reflect about our growth. We haven’t grown by design or plan. We’ve grown by learning how to be community. When visitors have come, they have quickly learned that there is a place for them with us so they come back. And then they bring friends. And that’s how we grow. And as we grow, we think of all the people we know who need to know there’s a place for them – and all the people we don’t know yet. That’s how it happened and the result is we need more space for worship, for meetings, for socials, for teaching. We need to consider our future together. Your voice is needed. God is good to us – all the time – and God expects us to do all we can to spread the word, the Word. Rev. Jim
Upcoming Events:
The clothing ministry, coordinated by Deacon Debbie, will began again on September 8 at 6:30. See Deacon Debbie for details.
Sunday, October 2, Annual Blessing of Pets during Sunday worship (each pet needs a handler please) There is a Board meeting at church on Friday, Oct. 14 at 6pm-9pm On October 15, an Oktoberfest potluck picnic will be held at David E.’s home in Batavia from 2-?pm. If you would like to help coordinate this event, please contact David. The Artsy-Fartsy Film Group outing will also start on September 17. More details soon!
Our new denominational Moderator, Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, will be installed at the National Cathedral on October 29 at 2pm. Rev. Jim and Deacon Debbie will serve communion at that service.
Next Deacon training class will be on Sunday, September 25 from 1 to 4. The DIT classes are open for anyone to attend.
Other Events:
Up-coming
3rd Sunday Presentations at Dignity-Integrity/Rochester
October 9—“Why
are Liberal Christians so Quiet & Conservative Christians so Vocal?”
November 13—“Seventy
Times Seven: Offering and Receiving Forgiveness”
December 11—“Mary
Magdalene & Women in the Church”
30th Anniversary Celebrations
Sunday,
October 2—Episcopal
Eucharist with Bishop Jack McKelvey
Saturday,
October 8—Dinner
Dance
5th Sunday Collaboration
Sunday,
October 30—Joint
Evensong and Potluck Supper
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Until next time, let us pray for one another (oremus pro invicem)
Deacon's Corner:
Yo God, Deacon Debbie
Pastor's Reflection: The weeks fly by and I’m never quite prepared for it to be time to write another reflection. I turned to Paul to see if he had an idea for me and he suggested “feeling trapped.” As soon as he said it, I got it! I told him that I would, indeed write on “feeling trapped.” Lately, I’ve been feeling trapped by my mortality. Of course, it’s because after taking the summer off from doctors, it’s time to once again be monitored regularly for the progression of cancer. I had blood drawn on Monday and will see the doctor and get results on Thursday. Doesn’t God know I need time to accomplish my goals? Of course God knows. I’ll have as much time as is allotted to me in the Book of Life. Psalm 139, which speaks of God’s knowledge and love of us, says in one verse “All the days ordained for me were written in God’s book before one of them came to be.” Even if we or those who love us think that God was stingy! Apart from health and the pressure of those concerns, l feel trapped by all that needs to be done all the time. There never seems to be time to just BE. There never seems to be time to spend with Paul or to walk in the woods or to play with the dog. But, I’m not trapped, not at all. I have made choices in my life. I live according to those choices. A lot of the time, it’s not fun. It often seems meaningless to get up at the same time and go to bed at the same time and to have things to do every minute of every day. It seems like an endless round. I forget that the choices give meaning to my life. I forget that the activities are many but are not meaningless. They make a difference. I forget that I greet each day with gladness. I forget a lot of things. I forget to count my many many many blessings. I forget that I work with people I really like and serve a church whose members bring me joy. I forget that I can choose to make different choices. I’m not trapped at all. I just look at the small picture instead of the big one. Do you have those times of wondering what it all means? Do you feel discouraged and alone and lonely and angry and tired and fed up? Do you, as I, forget how many blessings you have? Do you forget, as I do, that you are not trapped at all, that you have the opportunity to change your outlook or even your choices? Do you forget, as I do, that Jesus taught us to be radically free? I realize that I most feel trapped when I forget that I am not the center of the universe. When I think that things need to flow TO me or revolve around me. When I remember, as my teacher, Anthony DeMello, taught that I don’t need to be loved, I need to be loving. That I need to be free from all the junk in my head, from all the bad thinking, from old hurts, from the expectation that life is always going to be pleasing to me right here, right now. If Jesus came to set me free, how can I choose to be trapped or, if recognizing it, to stay trapped? How can I refuse to find the absolute joy of life right now in THIS moment? Why do I do that to myself? Why do you? Love, Rev. Jim
Upcoming Events:
Sunday, October 2, Annual Blessing of Pets during Sunday worship (each pet needs a handler please)
The clothing ministry, coordinated by Deacon Debbie, will began again on Thursday October 6 at 6:30. See Deacon Debbie for details. There will be a special congregational meeting on Sunday, October, 9 after service. It is very important that all members attend this meeting. Only members can vote but ALL are invited to attend. Sunday, Oct. 9, begins the of collection of food for Thanksgiving Baskets which will be distributed through AIDS Rochester. Lists will be in the bulletin this week and in next week’s e-link. Next Deacon training class will be on Tuesday, October 11 from 6 to 9pm. The DIT classes are open for anyone to attend. There is a Board meeting at church on Friday, Oct. 14 at 6pm-9pm On October 15, an Oktoberfest potluck picnic will be held at David E.’s home in Batavia from 2-7pm. The signup sheet is posted in the fellowship hall. Bring your BEST cooking!. The Artsy-Fartsy Film Group outing started on September 17. More details soon!
Our new denominational Moderator, Rev. Elder Nancy Wilson, will be installed at the National Cathedral on October 29 at 2pm. Rev. Jim and Deacon Debbie will serve communion at that service.
Action Item's:
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Until next time, let us pray for one another (oremus pro invicem)
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This page Last updated on: September, 2005 By: Martha K. |
