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Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church Rochester, New York
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Highlights from the October 2005 edition's:
Special Congregational Meeting This Sunday, October 9, there will be a Special Congregational Meeting after fellowship. The meeting will begin at 1pm. The only agenda item is the future location of Open Arms MCC. We have outgrown our present location and must move. There will be open and frank discussion on our future. We must decide as a congregation whether to find a commercial space to lease or whether to buy a church. Each of the choices has advantages and disadvantages. Your input and vote is needed. Only members may vote but all are welcome. Members must be present in order to vote. Proxy voting is not allowed by our by-laws.
Deacon's Corner:
Yo God...
Deacon Debbie
Pastor's Reflection: Since Deacon Debbie wrote her “Yo God” before I wrote my reflection, and since her writing inspired me as it always does, I think I’ll start from there. We live in a culture, no, in a world, where the things outside ourselves pull us first one way and then another. Unfortunately, we begin teaching our children as infants to expect massive external stimulation by parking them in front of the TV. By the time they are eight years old, they have learned to say “I’m bored.” The concept of sitting quietly under a tree is a foreign concept because nothing is going on to stimulate them. I suppose you might say we live in a world of hyper-stimulation. We learned somewhere along the way to look outside ourselves for just about everything. The result is that our emotions see-saw. We get blown around by every wind that comes along in our lives. Deb got it right in “Yo God”. Turning to God is the way out of the constant whirlwind that unsettles us. When we look at the life of Jesus, we see him several times going off to be alone for prayer and meditation and rest. He knew that our steadiness and balance doesn’t come from outside ourselves but rather from the deep well of spirituality that we must nurture within ourselves. Nurturing that deep well of spirituality takes attention and work and quiet time and frequent prayer. It also requires the understanding that things outside ourselves must not have the power to lift us way up or cast us way down. And therein lays the problem. That is completely not the way of this world. Spiritual balance does not come by accident, it is a learned behavior. Buddhists speak of “practice” meaning the discipline of meditation and chanting that center their lives. Christian life also requires practice. A few of my friends are upset that I am not upset by the development of my cancer. Quite frankly, five years ago, when I had surgery and learned the pathology report results, I did not expect to be alive five years later. I had to examine myself strongly and put into perspective what was happening in my body. I had to examine my soul and my beliefs and my attitudes. Did I really believe what I had been teaching and preaching for years and years: that my life is in God’s hands and therefore I had nothing to fear? I found that I did and do believe that. Do you remember the scripture from Sunday? “Has anyone, by fussing in front of a mirror, ever gotten taller by as much as an inch?” That passage goes on to say: “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” That’s what Jesus came to teach us. I cannot add one inch to my height by worrying. I cannot add one minute to my life by worrying. I can trust that God is there for me right now and can trust that God will be there for me in whatever comes my way. In other words, Jesus, by his life and teaching, taught us that we are loved, that we are not alone, and that we don’t need to be raised up and cast down by the things that happen in the world around us. It doesn’t mean that we stop being human. It doesn’t mean that we are always peaceful. It doesn’t mean that we forget the old, bad, things we have learned about ourselves and about how the world works. It does, however, mean that we learn the tools of faith, that we learn that God is always there, that we understand that we don’t have to stay upset. We can learn to center ourselves once again, to find God within, and to come to a place of peace and balance. The world we live in is not a place of balance and peace. Our faith has to provide that for us. Jesus said over and over again “look around you. Is this what you want for yourselves? It doesn’t have to be like this! Turn within yourself, turn to God. Take yourselves out of the rat race. Know peace.” We need church for a very good reason: we are a community of individuals trying to learn what Jesus was teaching, trying to change our lives for the better, for the spiritual. When we are in the company of others who support us and assist us and teach us by example, we are reminded that it is possible to change, it is possible to become like Jesus. It doesn’t happen by accident, only by intention and hard work. We need each other. Love, Rev. Jim
Upcoming Events: Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, began for our Muslim brothers and sisters on Tuesday. Rosh Hashanah also began on Tuesday for our Jewish sisters and brothers. If you have a Jewish friend, the traditional greeting is “la shanah tovah” 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. Collection for Thanksgiving baskets will begin on Sunday October 9. Bring canned vegetables to church this Sunday. We will collect them during the service. We need 60 cans of vegetables commonly used for Thanksgiving Dinner. These baskets will be distributed through AIDS Rochester. We are filling 20 baskets.
Oct 9 - VEGETABLE's for
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!. 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. Gene V. is singing in the special choir. The Artsy-Fartsy Film Group next outing on October 22, a matinee. More details soon! All are welcome to attend.
Complete schedule of food collections for the Thanksgiving Baskets
Oct 9 - VEGETABLE's for
Oct 16 - Jello & cans of Fruit
Oct
23 - Beverages (2 liter bottles)
Oct 30 - Stuffing (boxes or bags)
Nov 6 - Dessert Mixes
Nov 13 - Potatoes
Nov 20 - Frozen
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Christian radio in Rochester If you are a fan of Christian radio, you have found that many of the local stations present material that is judgmental and condemnatory. You have probably learned to either change the station or tune out when such messages of intolerance are being preached. Paul and I stumbled on a new station, new to the Rochester area, called K-Love (www.klove.com) which is at 104.9 on the FM dial. Lots of really good praise music and balanced reporting of news. This station has been a breath of fresh air for us. While not specifically gay-friendly, it is also not judgmental. If you hear a song that you think would be good for as one of our praise songs, please let Paul know.
Action Item's:
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Until next time, let us pray for one another (oremus pro invicem)
A Death in the Family Karen W.'s father, Richard, died today, October 12 at noon at the age of 92. He was a talented artist and a very fine man. I had the honor of being with Karen and her father as he took his last breath while a young man was singing Amazing Grace. Details of calling hours and funeral will be sent out as soon as I know them.
Deacon's Corner:
Yo God, Deacon Debbie
Pastor's Reflection: What a week this has been. After a very long Special Congregational Meeting, the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of buying an existing property. There was open and frank discussion and questions on every aspect of the question. We celebrated the fact that we have come to this place in our church history. The vote contained also the commitment to a capital campaign. The balance of the cost will be a mortgage held by a small group of members for ten years at 5% interest. If more people are interested in taking part in this group holding the mortgage for a reasonable return on your investment, please let me know. A group of people will be meeting after worship on Sunday, October 16 to brainstorm fund raising activities. If you are interested, please join this meeting. On another matter: I learned that my CT scans were negative and that my bone scan was also negative. This was encouraging. There is cancer somewhere but too small to be detected. Because of the initial aggressiveness of the tumor and because of rapidly rising PSA, I will begin hormone therapy, also known as medical castration, on Monday, October 17, my 62nd birthday. I’ve needed and appreciated your prayers and count on your continued prayers for me that the hormones will control the cancer for a LONG time. The women of the congregation have assured me that they will not be sympathetic when I have hot flashes. When I was adopted years ago as an honorary lesbian, I had NO idea how far this adoption would go.
I’ve often been known to say “life is good” - and it is. How sweet it is to wake up each day, even the dreary ones. How God’s majesty is revealed in all of creation: the trees losing their leaves, the beautiful fall flowers, the geese forming up flocks to head south for the winter. There is a smell of fall in the air that is different from any other season and it’s a terrific smell. Friendship is good and comforting. Worship is uplifting and enjoyable. We laugh and love together. We will have a year of hard work together making real our dream of a church home of our own, welcoming a class of deacons into service, embracing a class of new members soon, joining together for a mid-week Pick-Me-Up service starting the first Wednesday of November. Blessing after blessing after blessing like rain falling down on us. Let us lift our faces to this rain of God’s grace. Let us open our hearts and prepare our hands to work. It doesn’t get any better than this - or does it? Thanksgiving food baskets Last week’s collection was canned vegetables. We collected enough vegetables to meet our goal. This week’s collection is canned fruit and boxes of Jell-O. Let’s make our goal on this one too. Deacon Debbie will preach this Sunday, October 16. It’s always a treat to hear her wit and wisdom. Clergy candidate, Lu Johnson, will preach on October 30. For both services, the Deacons-In-Training will participate in various roles. Collection for Thanksgiving baskets will began on Sunday October 9. Bring canned fruit and boxes of Jello to church this Sunday. We will collect them during the service. These baskets will be distributed through AIDS Rochester. We are filling 20 baskets. Love, Rev. Jim
Upcoming Events: Next Deacon training class will be on Tuesday, October 11 from 6 to 9pm. The DIT classes are open for anyone to attend. The clothing ministry, coordinated by Deacon Debbie, will began again on Thursday October 13 at 6:30. See Deacon Debbie for details. 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. It will go till 7 or till whenever.. The signup sheet is posted in the fellowship hall. Bring your BEST cooking!. A dish to pass. Deacon Debbie will preach this Sunday, October 16. It’s always a treat to hear her wit and wisdom, the Deacons-In-Training will participate in various roles. After worship on October 16, there will be a meeting of those who wish to brainstorm and plan fund raising activities for the Capital Campaign for our new church building.
Oct 16 - Jello & cans of Fruit
The Artsy-Fartsy Film Group next outing on October 22, a matinee. More details soon! All are welcome to attend. 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. Gene V. is singing in the special choir. Clergy candidate, Lu J., will preach on October 30, the Deacons-In-Training will participate in various roles..
Complete schedule of food collections for the Thanksgiving Baskets
Oct 16 - Jello & cans of Fruit
Oct
23 - Beverages (2 liter bottles)
Oct 30 - Stuffing (boxes or bags)
Nov 6 - Dessert Mixes
Nov 13 - Potatoes
Nov 20 - Frozen
*****
Action Item's:
No entries this week
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Board of Directors At Annual Congregational Meeting on December 4, we will vote for two board positions. The terms of Bess W. and Deb M. are finished. Deb will not stand for re-election. Bess will stand for re-election. If you think God is calling you to serve on the Board of Directors, please tell Rev. Jim as soon as possible. Lay Delegate Each congregation, depending on size, has at least one Lay Delegate to attend Regional and General Conferences and to vote on denominational matters. John W. has been Lay Delegate for 10 years. He is not standing for re-election. Deb M. is running for this position. If you think you are called for this position, please let Rev. Jim know.
Deacon's Corner:
Yo God:
Amen- Deacon Debbie
Pastor's Reflection: I just read Deacon Debbie’s “Yo God” and I have to say that I’m in a different place. How grateful I am to be charged up this morning. Lately, I’ve had boundless energy and feel good. I fly out of bed in the morning, and now that I have a new birthday-present coffee maker, I can smell coffee before I get up. How grateful I am to have always had the energy to juggle a lot of things at the same time. That’s one of the best things about having community, especially a community of shared faith: we are in different places and able to support each other and balance each other. On Sunday, I got a day off. Instead of preaching, I got to wear jeans and sit in the congregation for worship. I felt so proud that our church is in a place of empowerment. We have so many talented people, willing to pitch in to make things work together for the glory of our God. There was good energy at worship, and lots of it. Deacon Debbie might have been tired on Tuesday when she wrote her “Yo God” but she sure wasn’t tired as she preached on Sunday! And Gene when he consecrated, and Renee when she delivered an awesome benediction. And after worship, a group met to start talking about fund-raising for the capital campaign and so on and so on and so on. We are in a place of movement towards greater life. The excitement and willingness is palpable. And 40 of us had been at David’s the day before for our Oktoberfest. What a great time we had laughing and socializing and, of course, eating. Oh, did I mention eating? There was a LOT of cabbage and Sue, once again, outdid herself baking elegant cakes. We are in this place because for over two years, we have been trying hard to hear God’s voice, first as individuals and then as community. And God’s voice has been loud. We have received too many blessings to count. We have found a worship style that suits us and lifts us up. We are attracting new members who are excited to be part of us and who hit the ground running, ready to pitch in. We have had innumerable examples of the power of prayer. We can’t even ask, “Does it get any better than this?” because it does. It gets better and better and better. And that’s the story of Open Arms today. We are in exactly the right place to raise an amount of money that a few years ago would have been inconceivable! The Board will be meeting early next week with Paul S. who will be advising us on the capital campaign. Soon, we’ll be rolling out the individual appeals. Soon we’ll also be talking about our stewardship. It’s a lot to deal with BUT God has given us more than we can count. God has blessed us beyond our wildest imaginings. We read in scripture “Much will be expected from those to whom much has been given.” There’s no time for doubt or hesitation. There’s only time to say “yes, Lord, yes, Lord, yes, yes, Lord.” And, like just about everything else during this period of personal and communal growth, the “yes, Lord” comes with love and laughter and a feeling of peace beyond this world’s understanding. Thanksgiving food baskets Last week’s collection was canned fruits and boxes of Jello. We have collected our goal both weeks. This week’s collection is canned Beverages (2liter bottles) and Canned Cranberries. Let’s make our goal on this one too. Clergy candidate, Lu Johnson, will preach on October 30. For both services, the Deacons-In-Training will participate in various roles. Collection for Thanksgiving baskets began on Sunday October 9. Bring canned fruit and boxes of Jello to church this Sunday. We will collect them during the service. These baskets will be distributed through AIDS Rochester. We are filling 20 baskets. Christmas Wreath Sale: if you haven’t done so, please pick up a wreath sales sheet so you can participate in the fund raiser. Love, Rev. Jim
Upcoming Events: The Artsy-Fartsy Film Group next outing on October 22, a matinee. The group will meet again at the Little. ALL are welcome to attend. We will meet at the front of the theatre at 1:30 and will be seeing a matinee of the movie Everything Is Illuminated. The film starts at 1:50. The film tells the story of a young Jewish boy who tries to find the woman who saved his grandfather during the Nazi invasion. With only a picture to go on, he journeys with a guide and learns about love, family secrets, and friendship. All are welcome to attend. Interested in helping out with Special Events? There will be a meeting of after service on Sunday, October 23. Again ALL are welcome. Next Deacon training class will be on Sunday, October 23 from 1 to 4pm. The DIT classes are open for anyone to attend. We will work on consecrating and preaching. 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. Gene V. is singing in the special choir. Clergy candidate, Lu J., will preach on October 30, the Deacons-In-Training will participate in various roles.. There will be six weeks or so of mid-week worship/study beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 9. The clothing ministry, coordinated by Deacon Debbie, will began again on Thursday November 10th at 6:30. See Deacon Debbie for details.
Complete schedule of food collections for the Thanksgiving Baskets
Oct
23 - Beverages (2 liter bottles)
Oct 30 - Stuffing (boxes or bags)
Nov 6 - Dessert Mixes
Nov 13 - Potatoes
Nov 20 - Frozen
*****
Action Item's:
No entries this week
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Deacon's Corner:
Yo God:
Amen- Deacon Debbie
Pastor's Reflection: I’m sitting in my recliner in my church office. I had hoped to get here after work to rest for a bit before special board meeting this evening. But instead, I had to make a hospital call. So, after that call, I’m sitting here between joy and sadness. Sadness because the hospital call was for a sweet 25 year old who is nearing the end of his battle with AIDS. I first met him when I officiated at the wedding of his uncle. Shortly after that his grandmother called me and asked me to talk with him, which I did at the beginning of this year. Today, his mother called me to visit him and his partner at the hospital. I went right up and almost cried when I saw him. He has the marks of Kaposi’s Sarcoma on his face and neck and around his mouth; his skin is orange from liver problems. He has a feeding tube in his nose and IV’s in his arm. His partner was sitting where he’s been sitting for the last month – right beside him. You know, when people have AIDS and are in the hospital, very few touch them. So, it’s easy for them to starve emotionally. I could not help myself from hugging and kissing him. I sat with them for a little while and then came here to write this. With AIDS, a person can be at the brink of death and then come back. I hope that for Chris and Paul. So, thinking about Chris and Paul is my sadness right now. My joy is about the board meeting that is going to happen in a little while. We are meeting to plan out our Capital Campaign that will bring us a new church. Joy that we are in this place of growth and excitement. Joy that God has blessed us so richly with new and vibrant members. Joy that we often are a bit too crowded at worship. Joy that we can’t even begin to dream the richness that God has for us. Earlier today, when I got up, actually, I felt awful physically. My body was dragging and my head was all cloudy. It was strong enough that I went back to bed and went in to work at noon. I felt very sorry for myself and was convinced that either the cancer or the treatment was responsible for my misery. As soon as I left my office to go visit patients, the heaviness and cloudiness started lifting. By the time I had seen Chris and Paul, I was my usual self. My usual positive and joy-filled self. I am so grateful for my life and ministry. I am so grateful for the incredible people whose lives I touch and whose lives touch me. I am grateful for the sadnesses and the joys. It’s all part of who I am. It’s all part of who God is. Thanksgiving food baskets Last week’s collection was Beverages (2liter bottles) and Canned Cranberries.. We have collected our goal so far. This week’s collection is STUFFING !! 2 bags or 1 box per Thanksgiving Basket. Let’s make our goal on this one too. Clergy candidate, Lu Johnson, will preach on October 30. For both services, the Deacons-In-Training will participate in various roles. See our Website: http://www.frontiernet.net/~oamcc for the calendar listings. You can print the calendar if you wish. Collection for Thanksgiving baskets began on Sunday October 9. Bring STUFFING !! 2 bags or 1 box per Thanksgiving Basket. to church this Sunday. We will collect them during the service. These baskets will be distributed through AIDS Rochester. We are filling 20 baskets. Christmas Wreath Sale: if you haven’t done so, please pick up a wreath sales sheet so you can participate in the fund raiser. Love, Rev. Jim
Upcoming Events: 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. Gene V. is singing in the special choir. Clergy candidate, Lu J., will preach on October 30, the Deacons-In-Training will participate in various roles.. Next Deacon training class will be on Tuesday November 08 from 6 to 9pm. The DIT classes are open for anyone to attend. There will be six weeks or so of mid-week worship/study beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 9. The clothing ministry, coordinated by Deacon Debbie, will began again on Thursday November 10th at 6:30. See Deacon Debbie for details. The Artsy-Fartsy Film Group next outing on November 19, a matinee. All are welcome to attend.
Complete schedule of food collections for the Thanksgiving Baskets
Oct 30 - Stuffing (boxes or bags)
Nov 6 - Dessert Mixes
Nov 13 - Potatoes
Nov 20 - Frozen
*****
Action Item's:
No entries this week
....
Until next time, let us pray for one another (oremus pro invicem)
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> This page Last updated on: October, 2005 By: Martha K. |
& Cranberries (canned)
and Gravy
(Jars or Cans) 
Turkeys 
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