Reservations for the dinner are required by June 6th. Please phone 518-462-5450 or sending a check ($10/person) made out to “CACC” along with the name(s) of those attending. Anyone can attend just the Assembly (which begins around 7:30pm) without cost or reservations.

Highlights of the evening will include the presentation of this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholarships; Hogancamp Seminary Scholarships; and the James and Pearl Campbell Peace and Justice Award. The evening will conclude with a brief Interfaith Prayer Service. Clergy and delegates from member congregations as well as any other interested persons are welcome to attend.

I am enthused about a new venture that Capital Region Theological Center has embarked on during the past year and I want to tell you about it. In addition to providing educational opportunities for pastoral ministers, CRTC has a new program that provides helpful information to congregations. The program is called “Congregational Resourcing” and it deals with a wide range of common concerns: designing church websites, locating materials for religious education, undertaking major repairs and renovation projects, responding to natural disasters, engaging consultants for capital campaigns, mediating conflicts, planning multi-congregation cooperatives, … and more.

This resource is helpful in the same way that a resource librarian assists in identifying resources for the researcher. When you are beginning your search, it is very helpful if someone is able to steer you in the right direction. Now CRTC is able to point congregations in a helpful direction when they are facing new challenges and are not sure what resources are available. If you have questions, CRTC may be helpful in finding the answers. If you have information that could be added to the database, other churches could benefit from that. In either case, check out the website for more information.

–George Brennan

Recently the Albany Common Council passed a new ordinance that requires a permit for certain musical events in public places, including churches. It has been referred to in the press as “The Cabaret Ordinance”. The final text was less restrictive than the original but, it passed before churches could adequately consult with each other and voice their concerns. The basic concern is whether churches should be included in this ordinance at all. Six months from now the Common Council will review the matter again.

I anticipate that many of our CACC member churches will want an opportunity to talk about this issue and I invite you to make your wishes known. There also might be other concerns that the churches should be discussing. In either case, I would be happy to convene a meeting.

In times past we often discussed issues like this at a noontime gathering but, we discontinued that when attendance declined. Please contact the CACC office (518-462-5450) to suggest days and times that work best for you.

– George Brennan

All are welcome to join us as we reflect on the “Seven Last Words of Jesus the Christ”. The service will include Scriptural meditations and Taizé music. A free will offering will be received for the ministries of the Council.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship was established in 1973 to promote the memory of the life and work of Dr. King, and to preserve the legacy of the nonviolent human rights movement as it was expressed in his life and teachings.

It is the hope of the committee that all recipients will explore how problems such as racism, sexism, classism, militarism, ageism, and prejudice in our schools, city, nation, and throughout the world, can be confronted effectively.

The Martin Luther King Scholarship awards are given based on the following criteria:

1. How applicant has implemented and plans to implement the goals of Dr. King as described in his/her essay.
2. Evidence of service to school, faith community, and society.
3. Academic record.
4. Personal goals.
5. Financial need.

Finalists will be expected to take part in an interview with committee members. The interview will be a significant determining factor in awarding the scholarship.

In order to be eligible for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship, you must be:

1. a high school senior or high school graduate preparing for the first year of college;
2. resident of, or attending high school in, or a member of a religious institution in Albany or southern Rensselaer counties;
3. accepted by an accredited college or university.

Further details are available in the application.

The quest for Christian unity usually focuses on worshiping together (Faith and Order) and working together (Life and Works). CACC’s main efforts at worshiping together have been our Ecumenical Witness of Baptism program, Good Friday Service, and our Thanksgiving Service; we also host an annual Interfaith Service in memory of Martin Luther King. In addition, most of our various committee meetings begin with a short devotion. I want to raise a concern that was brought to my attention a few times during the past year: if we want to worship well, we should respect differences without denying differences.

Personally, I have always been impressed by our efforts to worship in a way that invites more people of diverse worship traditions to participate. I also have become aware that some among our membership are more cautious than others in doing that. If we are going to promote unity and also respect differences, what must we keep in mind? I have asked our combined Faith and Learning / Prayer and Worship Commission to talk about this issue and make some suggestions. I am also asking our membership to share your thoughts with the members of this commission. Talking more about this will enable us to learn a lot from one another.

– George Brennan

At the beginning of a new year people often make resolutions, based on what they want to change from the previous year, like eliminating a bad habit or beginning a new venture. It seems to me that it is also appropriate to make changes based on what we want to preserve.

Over the past year I have learned more about our member churches than I had ever known before. I have also been convinced that our personal contacts with each other are essential if we are to be a vibrant Council of Churches in the future. It is up to us to preserve that spirit of dialogue.

I became aware of that when I attended our annual musical event in October. Choirs and individuals shared their gift of music and it was a time for all of us to listen. We were not sharing formal worship or working together on a common service project; we spent time listening to each other. That is the kind of thing that I resolve to do more often during the coming year. My hope is that we as a Council of Churches will preserve that spirit and look for more opportunities to listen to one another in the future.

Many groups have reached out to us in the past year and have asked to be in dialogue with us. I will be inviting them to join us at our Annual Meeting on February 7, 2012. That is our principal gathering of the year. It is a time when we make major decisions and we have the greatest amount of participation. It would be wonderful if all our member churches resolved to attend and invited new people to become part of our efforts to listen to each other and learn from each other.

–George Brennan

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship was established in 1973 to promote the memory of the life and work of Dr. King, and to preserve the legacy of the nonviolent human rights movement as it was expressed in his life and teachings.

It is the hope of the committee that all recipients will explore how problems such as racism, sexism, classism, militarism, ageism, and prejudice in our schools, city, nation, and throughout the world, can be confronted effectively.

The Martin Luther King Scholarship awards are given based on the following criteria:

1. How applicant has implemented and plans to implement the goals of Dr. King as described in his/her essay.
2. Evidence of service to school, faith community, and society.
3. Academic record.
4. Personal goals.
5. Financial need.

Finalists will be expected to take part in an interview with committee members. The interview will be a significant determining factor in awarding the scholarship.

In order to be eligible for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship, you must be:

1. a high school senior or high school graduate preparing for the first year of college;
2. resident of, or attending high school in, or a member of a religious institution in Albany or southern Rensselaer counties;
3. accepted by an accredited college or university.

Further details are available in the application.

The Rev. George Brennan: Executive director of the Capital Area Council of Churches, the first Roman Catholic to head the ecumenical organization in its 70-year history, and pastor at Our Lady of Hope Church in Copake Falls.

Background: Born and raised in Hartford, Conn. Attended Merrimack College in North Andover, Mass., and studied theology at St. Thomas University in Rome, Italy. He was ordained a deacon in Italy and a Roman Catholic priest, in 1975 in Massachusetts. He was involved in retreat ministry in New England. He received a doctorate in pastoral counseling from Andover Newton Theological School. He worked as staff therapist for inpatient clergy in Whitinsville, Mass. He was director of the La Salette Counseling Center and of the La Salette Shrine in Attleboro, Mass. In 2005, he began working with Catholic Charities ministering to the homeless.

You are succeeding the late Rev. John U. Miller, who led the council for a decade. What is his legacy?

Rev. Miller certainly made an impact on a wide range of people, especially the poor. He was very committed to doing something about violence in the city and the society at large. I too am committed to those causes.

The council honored you in 2009 with its Joyce Steinkraus Giles Pastoral Service Award for your work with the homeless. How will this focus be reflected in your new job?

I have come to meet and know so many homeless people who are no longer homeless. I will continue reach out to them.

The CACC has grown to comprise nearly 90 congregations. What’s your plan for getting to know their needs?

I will pay a personal visit to each church and talk with the leaders and find out current needs. I have already begun and hope to visit all within first six months.

Even though the majority of churches are members, not all choose to belong. I will work to constantly invite churches to become members of CACC.

In addition to ecumenical work among Christians, do your goals for the council include interfaith outreach?

We are trying to become welcoming of all faiths. We are indeed involving ourselves in interfaith activities. Saturday evening, we held our the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. memorial service at Blessed Hope Worship Center in Albany.

Your installation on Sunday coincides with the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Tell us about its observance this year.

Locally, there is a gathering scheduled for noon Wednesday at the Pastoral Center on North Main Avenue in Albany sponsored by the Capital Region Ecumenical Society.

What are your emotions as you embark on a new leadership role?

I am excited and feel blessed. For the past five years that I have been in the Capital Region, I have been involved with committees of the Council of Churches. I have appreciated how they emphasize what we have in common. I believe in what the council is all about. We can really do more together than separately.