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Reaffirming
our Faith
The
New Year is upon us. Let us celebrate this new beginning by recommitting
ourselves to the Lord's will and by reaffirming our faith.
Lord,
We
pray that You give us the strength to do all that You command from this day
forth. And if we should fail, we pray that You will lift us up to bask in Your
Goodness and point us to Your Cross, so that we may never despair or descend
into hopelessness.
Amen.
New Contacts
For many years Church of the Holy Communion has depended upon Lorraine Sandow's many skills to keep the church running smoothly. She has functioned as treasurer, Altar Guild directress, office administrator, newsletter editor, flower arranger, and in many other untitled positions. She has chosen to step down from these positions by the end of this year. We thank her for her commitment and loyalty to CHC all these many years. New people will be called upon to fill these various positions within the church.. Change can bring a certain degree of uncertainty and frustration, but there is no doubt that our church can easily adjust to change if we keep in mind that We offer acceptance, comfort, and strength as we journey together with Christ. Our new treasurer will be Maureen (Bootsie) Bigaj.
Barbara Biddlecom will be the new directress of the Altar Guild. Babette Fuller will be producing the newsletter with help from Laura Steinke. The many other jobs will be fIlled as the need becomes known and people offer their services.
Parishioner Survey
During October a survey was handed out at the end of the services.
The intent of this survey was to increase our knowledge of our fellow parishioners, thus allowing us to grow as a church community. I am pleased that thirty (30)surveys were returned. Never having done a survey before, I must admit several of my questions were redundant. So I have compiled the information and will share it with you over the next several newsletters. I hope this infonnation about the strengths, talents, and hopes of our fellow parishioners will lead to sharing relationships.
Below are some of the many hobbies and interest that are enjoyed by our fellow parishioners.
Outdoors: The Van Wies' eqjoy camping as do Bob and Laura S. Ted F.
Lois C., and Mike V. like to garden.
Tom F. takes pleasure in traveling and watching birds. Bootsie delights in being in the woods and hunting. Justin D.
enjoys the feel of wind in his face while on his motorcycle.
Arts & Theater: John R. attends local theater productions and concerts as do Lois C. and Bob and Laura S. Barbara R. likes to "clown around" during special clown masses. Guinevere S. and John R. engage in some aspect of photography while Dan C. likes to draw.
Cheryl F. likes to do scrap booking. John R. and Adrienne D. take pleasure in dancing.
Language Arts: Many parishioners enjoy reading, most especially Bootsie, Lois c., Lorraine S., Justin D., Debbie I.,
Bob and Laura S., Martha B., Donna D., Rosanne F., Babs F. and Father Glen.
Guinevere S. and Dan C. prefer composition. Margaret S. takes pleasure in learning a second language. Matt A., Bob S., Bootsie, and Dan C. use computers in various ways with great skill. Father Glen prefers to communicate long distance using his short wave radio.
Needlework: Knitting and/or crocheting are enjoyed by Lorraine S., Margaret S., Susan c., Debbie I., Barbara R., and Babs F. Lorraine S., Babs F., and Susan C., also engage in sewing as does Donna D. Lois C. takes special pleasure in needlepoint while Pat N. specializes in rug making and embroidery. Babs F.
likes to spin her own wool.
Baking & Cooking: While we all know from experience that we have many good cooks in our parish, Debbie I., Rosanne F., and Peg F. take special pleasure in being in the kitchen.
Other: John R. is skilled ill woodworking and Jim B. specializes in scroll saw work while Father Glen's expertise is working with metal. Matt A.and Mike V. like "building and fixing" things. James C. enjoys working on cars and driving his Benz. Susan C., Lois C., and John R. share as interest in genealogy. Pat N., Justin D., and Lois C.
take an interest in learning about Christianity and world history. We also have parishioners who serve as docents in various ways: Lorraine S., Margaret S., and Lois C. Casey C. has a special way with children and enjoys Sunday school and babysitting.
Thank You's To:
Matt Abbate for arranging for the Woodlawn Fire Company to
provide their fire truck to. place the Christmas tree tights in place, and to
remove the broken cross from the steeple.
Also, to Matt for riding in the bucket to place the lights
on the tree.
To Fr. Glen for his assistance in placing the lights.
To Bootsie Bigaj for taking pictures of the tree lighting
preparations.
To Peg Flading for 'overseeing' the plans for the Tree
Lighting Ceremony and the refreshments to follow.
To all who sign up to "ring the bell" for the
Salvation Army Kettle drive. Don't forget, that a generous portion of the money
collected stays in the area, with funds shared by Operation Good Neighbor. We
not only help the work of the Salvation Army, to the needy of Western New York,
but we help our neighbors in the LakeShore area, who depend on OGN for a great
part of their food.
The Finance Committee for their efforts in preparing a
budget for 2008.
Babs Futter, for offering to take .care of the outdoor sign.
Also to Margaret Santi who has helped in the past, and will continue to help
when needed.
Thanks to all who continue to give generously to OGN at the
'2nd collection on the 3rd Sunday' of the month.
In the 3 months since we started the collection instead of
the donation of' boxes & cans', we have contributed $182.00, which
tra.l1s1ates to over $2500 in purchase power at the Food Bank. OGN continues to
be our principal outreach project and we can feel proud of our contribution 10
the needy of our area.
The Coal Box:
Coal Fund donations year to date S 326.49 (this covered one months payment for the Gas bill- our 'Budget Plan' payment is @ $325.00 per month.) THANK YOU!!!
Operation Good Neighbor donations to date S 270.20 (which means about $4000 at the food bank!!) OGN Thanks you!
From the Altar Guild:
By now I'm sure that most everyone has seen the carving of
the gold crosses in the marble top of the Attar.
Thanks to Tom Koch of Stone Art Memorial Company on Ridge
Road in Lackawanna. He generously gave the time, manpower and truck to
transport the top to the workshop, cut the crosses, gild them, and transport
the top. back to CHC at no cost to the church!! That was truly a Christian
deed.
Barbara Biddlecom
Church Library:
Have you checked out our 'lending library' lately?
There are many interesting books, both fiction and non-fiction, and there are childrens books and those meant for the adults.
You will also find a number of videos, -some are for the children, and others are family oriented.
We urge you to check out the assortment, and borrow any that you might enjoy.
Episcopal Church Women:
The Episcopal Church Woman held their monthly meeting Sunday, December 9, 2007 after the 10 0' clock service. After much serious thought and discussion, a motion was made, seconded, and carried to disband ECW as a formal group. Attendance has been failing and it has become difficult to function with so few attendees. All present agreed that we would be open to informal gatherings for fellowship, and would still work for the betterment of CHC but simply through a different venue.
BOOK REPORTS
The Case for Faith by Lee Strobel (Zondervan Pub., 2000)
ISBN 0-310-23469-7
Lee Strobel holds a law degree from Yale, was an award
winning legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, and was an atheist.
He is now a teaching Pastor and an author of numerous books
concerning Christianity. Many people want to believe in Christ but are faced
with intellectual and emotional barriers that stand in their path. In this book
he investigates and nullifies the toughest objections people have towards
Christianity, such as 1.) Since evil and suffering exist, a loving God cannot;
2.) Since miracles contradict science, they cannot be true;
3.) God isn't worthy of worship if he kills innocent children; 4.) I still have
doubts, so I can't be a Christian; etc. This book is a "faith
builder" for the intellectual, the doubter, and the inquisitive. (2 copies
available)
The Gifts of the Jews by Thomas Cahill (Nan A. Talese,
·1998) ISBN 0-385-48248-5
How did a tribe of desert nomads change the way everyone
thinks and feels? In this second book in his "Hinges of History"
"- series, Cahill gives us the road map that begins with God telling
Abraham to "Go forth" and thus open up the path Western civilization
has since been traveling. In ancient societies time " '" was
perceived as an endless cycle of births and deaths. Time was like a never
altering, ceaseless spinning wheel. Jewish monotheism lead to a new way of
understanding and experiencing the world. Time now contained an unknown future
which man could affectively shape to some degree. Their own God, the Jewish God
of Justice and Love is the underlying support system for our present day
values. Words such as surprise, adventure, progress, individual, faith, hope,
freedom and future state the gifts Western civilization received" through
historical development from the Jews. The
Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey (Zondervan Pub., 1995) ISBN031038570
"Who do you say that I am?" Yancey, editor in chief for Christianity
Today magazine puts aside his preconception of Jesus (a culturally
"tamed" Jesus we tend to keep in our religious boxes") as he
rediscovers the Jesus described in the Gospels. His Jesus is a complex
character who gives answers that lead to more questions, and who disturbs
a..l1d exhilarates at the same time. His Jesus is "brilliant, creative,
challenging, fearless, unpredictable, and ultimately satisfying". Yancey's
portrait of the central figure in history will rock some of your comfortable
concepts and force you to ask yourself some hard questions, but will also
strengthen your faith. "No one who meets Jesus ever stays the same.
Humphrey Hits the Jackpot by Graham Oakley (Hodder
Children's Books, 1998) ISBN 0-340-67079-7 Sampson, the mouse loving cat,
Humphrey, and all the other church mice are busy picking blackberries in the
churchyard when they find a lost lottery ticket. Humphrey creates quite a stir
when he presents the winning ticket and claims the prize money as his own. The
detailed illustrations are delightful and will provide a child with much to
discover. This is a perfect book for parents to share with their younger
children.
Babette Fuller
Pew Cushions:
St. Paul's Cathedral recently received all new pew cushions, and generously decided to share the old cushions with other churches in the diocese. We were able to receive sufficient cushions for all the pews in our Nave. As soon as they have been 'altered' to fit our pews, they will be installed and we know you will enjoy the comfort of the lovely red velvet padding on those hard brown seats.
Did you ever wonder why the portion of the church building ....
containing the pews is called the Nave??
It is called the Nave because oftentimes in sacred art the church is depicted as a ship moving heavenward, and the pews are like ancient galleys with the members of the congregation "pulling together" in service. Are we all pulling hard enough
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