CAPITAL AREA COUNCIL OF CHURCHES
CONNECTION
February 2010
From
the Executive Director @
“Stewardship of Missional Resources”
The devastation of Haiti by earthquake has highlighted once again the value of giving resources to our Church bodies. The ecumenical community was on the ground with aid of substance almost immediately in response to the tragedy. Two things are important to note concerning the Church’s response through such agencies as Church World Service, Lutheran World Relief, and Catholic Relief Services. One is that gifts through the Church fund programs with the lowest overhead of all the helping agencies. More of each dollar goes to direct aid when given through the Church. Also, whatever is given in material aid is supervised carefully from collection to distribution to ensure that the people affected truly do benefit. Our counsel is always to give through the Church community to those in need. Mission is the raison d’être of the Church, and it is what we do best ecumenically!
--John U. Miller
Peace
and Justice Forum-February 9
12:15-1:30pm, First Lutheran Church. (Use the rear entrance at 646 State St.) Bring a bag lunch, beverages provided. This session, part of our “Around the World in 60 Days” series, will make a stop in Africa. The next stop, on March 9, will be in Asia.
Transitions
Farewell to the Rev. Denise Stringer, who has retired from Emmaus UMC in Albany. The Rev. Robert Osgood is serving as interim. Welcome to the Rev. Thomas Hayes, new pastor at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar, and to the Rev. David Preisinger, new part-time pastor at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit in Albany. The office of the NY State Council of Churches has relocated to Pine Grove UMC, 1580 Central Ave., Colonie.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarships
Thanks to the generosity of those who attended the Jan. 15th Interfaith Memorial Service at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, and others, close to $5,000 has been received for the MLK Scholarship Fund. Additional donations are always welcome. Checks made out to the “CACC MLK Fund” may be sent to the CACC office. Scholarship application forms are available at the CACC office and through high school guidance offices. Applicants must live, worship, or attend school in Albany or southern Rensselaer County; be active in their school and faith community; understand and plan to apply the teachings of Dr. King; show evidence of academic potential and financial need; and be accepted at an accredited college/ university. Completed forms, along with all supporting documents, are due at the CACC office by 3/31.
NYS Labor-Religion Coalition 40 Hr.
Fast March 1-3
This annual event
calls on participants to fast for all or part of the 40 hour period (from 8pm
Mon. until Noon on Wed.) and use the time to reflect and act on ways to seek
justice for low wage workers and increase the well being of all, especially the
poor and the vulnerable. This year’s theme is “From False Idols to Moral
Vision”. Visit www.labor-religion.org
for details about the fast and a list of local events.
Church Women United World Day of
Prayer-March 5
Worship theme: “Let
Everything That has Breath Praise the Lord”, written by the women of Cameroon.
11:30am registration @ Westminster Presbyterian Church, parking entrance
@ 85 Chestnut St., Albany, 12210 Bring a bag lunch. All women welcome to attend,
whether or not you are part of a local CWU group.
Christian-Jewish-Muslim Dialogue-March 7
3pm, Hubbard
Interfaith Sanctuary at the College of St. Rose, 959 Madison Ave., Albany.
Sponsored by the Interfaith Alliance of NYS, this event brings together
panelists from these three traditions (Dr. Karl Barbir, Ethan Bloch, and Dr.
Rashid S. Naim) to continue a discussion begun last year.
This and That
The Interfaith Story Circle presents “Stories from our Journey” at Pine Grove UMC, 1580 Central Ave., Colonie, 7-9pm on 2/10. Call Gert @374-063…CREDO Capital Region (an ecumenical group for LGBT Christians) meets at 1pm on 2/20 @ St. John’s Lutheran Church, 160 Central Ave., Albany. Please use the Bradford St. door. Program: “So, have you ever SEEN a same sex wedding?” Video and discussion….Westminster Presbyterian Church is hosting an “Ounce of Prevention” Dialogue with Albany County Executive & colleagues to explore current prevention services, identify where needs are, and explore ways to meet those needs. 1:30-4:30pm on 2/25 @ Westminster Presbyterian Church, 85 Chestnut St., Albany. Call 436-8544…The 9th Annual Underground Railroad History Conference will be at Russell Sage College 2/26-28. Call 432-4432 or visit www.ugrworkshop.com …Loudonville Community Church, 374 Loudon Rd., Loudonville, hosts the “Faith That Withstands” Women’s Conference with Evelyn Husband Thompson on Sat., 3/13. Cost: $35 before 3/10, $45 thereafter. Call 426-0751…St. Peter’s Church in Albany has opened an overnight emergency shelter in conjunction with the City Mission. Volunteers needed to assist staff from 8pm-7am. Call Judy @441-7538.
Looking ahead ….…
March 21: Albany CROP Recruiters Rally, 4:30-6pm, First Lutheran Ch.
April 2: CACC Ecumenical Good Friday Worship, Noon, location TBA April 7: The King Lecture at Siena College featuring Charles J. Ogletree
7pm in the Alumni Recreation Center. Call 782-6105.
CACC Annual Meeting Report
Over 90 people gathered at the Delmar Presbyterian Church on February 1 for the CACC Annual Meeting and Winter Assembly. Following a presentation about Community Caregivers and a delicious dinner served by the host church, elections of officers and directors were held, a budget of $99,750 was adopted for 2010, and the Joyce Steinkraus Giles Pastoral Service Award was presented to the Rev. Robert Zittel, pastor of the Community United Methodist Church in Slingerlands. Grateful farewells were said to retiring Board members Joyce Bascom, Mary Shearill-Jones, and Friar Greg Spuhler.
Elected to office were: the Rev. Paul Rees-Rohrbacher, President; Deb Riitano, Vice President; Nancy Scholes, Secretary; and William Hedberg, Treasurer; Chair of the Faith & Learning Commission, Fr. Stan Bilinski; Development Committee Chair, Stephen Winters; Chair of the Martin Luther King Committee, Nell Stokes-Holmes; Personnel Committee Chair, Konrad Raup; Chair of the Prayer & Worship Commission, the Rev. Peggy Funderburke; and Board members-at-large, Juanita Edwards, Shawn Morris, and the Rev. Mary Robinson White. Gradia Melrose Gbarbea and Julie Mader were reelected to the Board and Ray Sullivan and Stephen Winters were reelected to the Nominating Committee.
Journey United Church of Christ, Slingerlands, was received as a new member congregation, and the Capital Region Theological Center was received as an affiliate member.
Copies of the 2010 Annual Report are available at the Council office.
Mailing list update: You can read the monthly newsletter on line instead of getting a copy in the mail. Let us know you want to do that by sending your e-mail address to CapAreaCC@aol.com. Ask us to send you a copy as an attachment or tell us you will read it at our web site: www.CapAreaCC.org.
Church World Service News
Hundreds of people from many denominations will gather for Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington, DC, March 19-22. This year’s theme is “A Place to Call Home: Immigrants, Refugees, and Displaced Peoples”. Visit www.advocacydays.org for information or to register.
Did you know that from something as simple as a blanket, amazing things can happen? Visit www.churchworldservice.org and click on the link to “Blankets +”. There you can find out how to hold a special “Blanket Sunday” and get involved with the life-saving work of CWS around the world.
The CWS Kit program is another way to extend your congregation’s caring reach to refugees, displaced people, and victims of natural disasters. Thousands of Hygiene Kits and Baby Care Kits were sent to Haiti after the recent earthquake. There is an urgent need now to build up the supply of kits again. Call the Upstate CWS office @ 1-888-297-2767 for information about how to assemble and ship kits. Boxes of completed kits may be dropped off at Union Presbyterian Church, 1068 Park Ave., Schenectady, from 8am-Noon, Tues.-Fri., April 13-23. Call Debbie @374-4464 to arrange for drop off. After that date, kits must be mailed/shipped to the warehouse.
Finally, for a hands-on opportunity to receive and repackage those kits as they arrive at the warehouse in Maryland, consider participating in the next CWS sponsored “Many Hands in Service” bus trip to the New Windsor Service Center, May 10-14. This trip combines education and service. Cost: $375 for round-trip bus transportation, lodging, and meals. Space is limited, so call Amy at the Upstate CWS office (1-888-297-2767) for details. A deposit of $175 must accompany your registration form, which is due March 1. Balance of $200 due by April 1. (We have forms at the CACC office.)