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Open Arms Metropolitan Community Church Rochester, New York
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Highlights from the December 2006 edition's: December 6, 2006 ================================================================================= Lights of Love We will light the Sanctuary Christmas Tree during worship on Sunday. The tree will be strung with lights to represent all those whom we are remembering or honoring in our Lights Of Love campaign. Worship will be followed by a light luncheon. Flyers can be found in the entrance foyer of the Church and can be returned by mail or dropped in the offering basket. If you have not yet submitted names for the Lights of Love, please do so as soon as possible. ==================================================================================== Social Justice Soup & a Movie - Saturday December 9, 4pm “Freedom to Marry” Free food, a movie and a chance to share your thoughts – does it get any better? Did you know that Metropolitan Community Church started the “Freedom to Marry” action? Come see how it has evolved. Bring your opinions pro and con about the meaning and impact of “marriage” for the LGBT community. Contact Sherri & Donna or Anne & Bess for details. ==================================================================================== Deacon's Corner:
Yo God, Deacon Debbie ============================================================================ Pastor's Reflection: The Lights of Love on Sunday will be the fourth service of remembrance I've been involved with in the last few weeks. This is the time of year that gets so busy and crazy that if we don't intentionally stop for reflection, we will pass through the whole season as if we were in a trance. It is good for us to stop. It is good for us to remember. It is good for us to seek, if even for a short time, awareness of the importance in the world around us. Our lives are filled with people who have been of great significance to us, either in the past or in the present. How often to we stop to review our lives with a spirit of gratitude for those who have touched us, influenced us, guided us, loved us? Lights of Love is a chance to do that. I hope you will be present for the service on Sunday and I hope that you will participate in this remembrance. I want to tell you a story of one such person in my life. Her name was Helen and she was 82 and she was dying. She had been one of the first nurses air-lifted into the Pacific theater in World War II. She was VERY Catholic. It was somewhat of a surprise to me to have a request to go see her since her priest came every week to bring communion. I asked her why I was there. She said that her priest never talked to her; he only read from the book of rituals and then left after giving her communion. But, I soon found out that while Helen and her husband and daughters would talk, we were not really allowed to deal with the issues of her dying. At then end of each of my visits, Helen gathered the whole family for prayer during which I was allowed to pray about dying and family issues and the really important things. I became very fond of her and impressed with her strong character. One Sunday, after I had been visiting weekly for about 3 months, I received a call to come to Helen's deathbed. When I arrived, she was still awake and surrounded by all her family, her three daughters, their husbands and children. As I entered the room, she smiled and said, "Now everyone's here." She died within minutes. I was profoundly moved by my involvement with Helen and later visited her husband, Carl, often. Carl died a few weeks ago, almost 13 years after Helen. I saw two of Helen and Carl's daughters at a remembrance service recently. We have all aged in those 13 years. They greeted me as though they were my own sisters and had hugs and kisses for me. They insisted on having a picture taken with me to send to their third sister in Texas and reminisced about my pony tail (which I cut off when I met Paul because he said he didn't like long hair.). As we talked about Helen and Carl, I found precious memories of their impact on my life and of the honor I had to walk their journey with them. We spoke of Helen as if it had been last week and not thirteen years ago. The power of remembrance is great. Just as Helen was a gift to me and my life, a gift that is new and shiny even after so long, so are there people in your life, past or present, who can continue to gift you if you take the time to think of them. Come on Sunday to our Lights of Love, and give yourself that gift. Rev. Jim ================================================================ Announcements: The Gay History Fair Committee is looking for volunteers to work on this January 27 event – sign up in the fellowship hall or speak to Bess or Anne. There is a sign-up sheet in the Fellowship Hall to participate in helping needy families for Christmas. Artsy-Fartsy is scheduled for December 16. Details to follow. On Sunday, December 24, we will have regular Sunday worship at 11. Our Christmas Service will be Sunday, December 24 at 8pm. There will not be communion at the evening service. There will be lessons and carols and a sermon. Choir practice is on Tuesdays at 7. David E will host a Christmas potluck at his home on Christmas Day. Arrive after one for dinner at 2. Bring your best festive recipe! ============================================================ Prayer requests: Jim C is having cataract surgery this week. Rev. Kaye Fox is having cancer surgery this week. Donna T.'s cousin, Rob, has just had emergency gall bladder surgery. He broke his leg five weeks ago. Sherri M. is struggling with a long bout of bronchitis For those who suffer loneliness and depression during the holidays For our troops who are far from home and family For peace and wisdom among world leaders For Rob S.'s family as they grieve the death of Rob's brother =========================================================
Until next time oremus pro invicem (let us
pray for one another) Mary B is recoving well from breast cancer surgery. For those who
suffer loneliness and depression during the holidays. December 20, 2006 ============================================================== Christmas Services Sunday, December 24, 11am Sunday Worship Sunday, December 24, 8pm, Service of Lessons and Carols (no communion) ============================================================== Pastor's Reflection: The days are getting shorter. There are less hours of light. Tomorrow is the shortest day of the year, Winter Solstice. The ancients believed that the sun was being swallowed by a great cosmic snake and on Winter Solstice used to go out in the dark and beat pots and pans and other noise-makers to scare the snake away and rescue the sun. They knew it worked because the very next day, there were minutes more of light and as days went by hours more light. That was before the age of science there was no division between religion and science and magic. All three ways of seeing the universe operated at the same time. We may be much more sophisticated in our time but we are still at Winter Solstice and still at the time of year where light is being swallowed and days are being shortened. We just happen to know that it's about the earth's annual journey around the sun. But the world is in darkness no matter how you explain it. Not just physical darkness. The world and its inhabitants dwell in great spiritual darkness. Violence and bloodshed and greed and excess and loneliness and depression and unbelief plague humankind -- just as always in our history. We are a people desperately in need of light, desperately in need of God-light. It's no mistake that we celebrate Christmas at Solstice. Christianity has, throughout its history, taken over the important festivals of local people. In Rome, the Saturnalia was the Solstice feast. Although we celebrate the birth of Jesus at this time, we don't, in fact, know his birthday. It was useful to decide that we'd celebrate it on Solstice. The Jews celebrate Hanukkah. The Hindus celebrate Sankranti and other peoples have festivals at winter solstice. It is a time of light and hope when we most need light and hope. So, we wait and anticipate the birth of Jesus, light of our world. We know what our practices of spending and buying and decorating are. But, do you know what the darkness is in your heart and soul? Are you aware of your need for God-light into that darkness? What significance does the Light of God in Jesus have for you? What are you waiting for? Rev. Jim ======================================================= You probably noticed that I didn't write an e-link last week. I have no excuse, I just didn't. I got home late on Tuesday and had to leave early on Wednesday and had no words in me. However, Deacon Debbie did write a "Yo God" so this week we have the treat of getting TWO of her inspirational writings. Deacon's Corner (last week's): Yo God, AND - this week's: Yo God.... Deacon Debbie ================================================================== Christmas Day David E will host a Christmas potluck at his home on Christmas Day. Arrive after one for dinner at 2. Bring your best festive recipe! Please let David know if you are coming.
========================================================= Holiday Party December 30 Gates Memorial Park 4:30-9:30pm We need the following items. If you can help, please contact Patrick F Punch bowl filled with
punch & fruited ice floats (2 fillings) Beverages: we need soft
drinks (2-liter bottles, 6 each: Pepsi, diet-pepsi, coca-cola, ginger ale) ==================================================================== New Year's Day Hike Ray G is organizing a New Year's Day Hike. He says " The New Year's Day Hike Hike at Mendon Ponds is a go! We will meet at theAvenue Pub Parking lot on Monroe Ave. We will meet at 930 A.M. and leave from there about 9:45. Pack a lunch, some water and warm, layered clothing. I will have my backpacking stove to heat water for soup, coffee, tea or Hot Chocolate. It will be a grand time. Please RSVP to Me Fondly in Christ, Ray and Lonnie. Up-Coming Events: Weekend get away in Cabin at Allegany State Park. Let me know if your interested and I will plan and fill you in as the weeks pass. We are thinking sometime in February. Let me Know. Ray =============================================================== Prayer requests: Please keep Rev. Kaye Fox in your prayers as she prepares for the next phase of cancer treatment. and Mary B as she continues radiation therapy For all those dealing with cancer and those who support them For our troops during the holidays and their families who will celebrate the holidays without them For those who will travel for the holidays For those who suffer loneliness and depression at this time of year That the message of Christ's peace will reach the hearts of world leaders =======================================================
Until next
time oremus pro invicem (let us pray for one another) ######################################################### December 27, 2006 ================================================================= Our Holiday Party is on December 30 at 4:30 at Gates Memorial Park Gates Memorial Park is off of Spencerport Road in Gates. The road leading to it is Karl Fuchs Drive which is between Howard Road and Long Pond Road just east of Dunn Towers (senior living high rise). From 390N, take the Lyell Exit and turn left on Lyell (which becomes Spencerport Rd at Howard). Karl Fuchs Drive is on the right not far after Howard. If you get to Long Pond, you went too far. Please contact Patrick Fisher to see what supplies/food we still need . DJ Chuck Argento will be joining us for dancing. We hope to see you there. =============================================================== Deacon's Corner: Yo God.... Deacon Debbie ========================================================= Pastor's Reflection: We spent weeks leading up to Christmas hearing the ads, seeing the decorations (some of which were up before Thanksgiving), being harangued by merchants. And now it's over. We had the rare occurrence of Christmas Eve falling on a Sunday. We had two services with combined attendance of 112. That's really low. I had so hoped that at the evening service we would break our record attendance. We fell far short with only 55 there. I was taken by surprise, I must admit. A lot is made of Christmas and Easter Christians, those who only come on those big feast days. I was disappointed and surprised. And I rejoiced in those who were at both services, or even one! There was so much joy and good cheer. There was such vigorous singing of our carols. There was peace on the faces bathed in soft candle light as we reflected on the coming of Jesus, God-light, creative spark, into the world. There were several children who delighted in the candles. There was the sound of a toddler whining, a sweet sound in a congregation where we rarely hear it. It was a wonderful service. As I've told you before, Pastors worry about numbers. As I looked fondly at each face present at the two services, I also looked fondly, in my mind's eye, at the faces of those who were absent. As I commended all to the grace of God and the blessings of God, I sent up a silent prayer to commend those of you I haven't seen in a while. I pray for your return to your community of faith. I pray for such a spirit of joy for you that missing a Sunday with your faith family will be inconceivable. I pray that you will find a Sunday without church lacking in something important. As for me, when you are not present, I feel a sense of incompleteness. I understand a parent who can look around a table and rejoice in those present while feeling sad about those missing. We are all pieces of the puzzle of church. We are all panels in a beautiful quilt. Each piece, each panel makes a very significant difference. Love, Rev. Jim =========================================================== Prayer Requests: For those who are lonely or distressed or in need during this holiday season For those dealing with cancer and those who support them For our troops serving in harm's way and their families who worry about them For those who travel For wisdom for New Year's Eve revelers For the leadership of our church and our denomination For world leaders that they find a way to put ego aside For Rev. Jim whose PSA is again on the rise, and for Paul ============================================================= Upcoming Events: New Year's Day Hike Ray G is organizing a New Year's Day Hike. He says "The
New Year's Day Hike Hike at Mendon Ponds is a go! Gay History Fair - January 27. Talk to Anne or Bess about volunteering or promoting or helping in any way. ==============================================================
Until next time oremus pro invicem (let us
pray for one another)
Until next time, let us pray for one another (oremus pro invicem)
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> This page Last updated on: April, 2007 By: Martha K. |
