June 2015
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Everyone has a story to tell. Storytelling is the way that cultures were passed on from generation to generation. Stories were told long before anything was ever written down. The people of the Bible were an oral culture. We are entering into a year of storytelling through a grant that we have received from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship funded by the Lilly Foundation. This grant will allow us to explore storytelling in our worship and in our lives.
Tom Boomershine, the author of Story Journey, An invitation to the Gospel as Storytelling, says, “Familiar church activities frequently are concerned with telling and not with listening. When the Good News is considered a package of information to be hurled like a ball at the hearer, we perceive the listener's responsibility as simply to catch it. But the Good News is dynamic, moving, shaping; a living word, it must be intertwined and meshed with our stories--our triumphs, our disappointments, our loves and hates, our doubts and hopes--in order to be active in our lives.
The role of Biblical storytelling has changed radically in the eighteen centuries since the end of the New Testament era (approximately 100 A.D.). The stories of the Bible are rarely told now. The primary mode of experience of Biblical narratives in our time is silent reading of a printed text. As a result, Biblical narratives are primarily studied as documents rather than heard as stories. Boomershine says, “Other Biblical forms for remembering the acts of God have continued: liturgy, hymns, and preaching. But the telling of Biblical stories has virtually ceased.”
We plan to experience the Biblical stories as the people of the Bible first experienced them. We will begin our year in June with the Sunday School class leading the worship. In July, Sheena will be our storyteller. We have some amazing storytellers lined up to come to our church and we hope that the Bible will come alive for you in new and unexpected ways. Storytelling Sunday will be the second Sunday of each month, which also happens to be Something Beautiful Sunday. The exception to this will be in October when our featured storyteller, Cindy Maybeck, will be here on October 18 instead of October 11.
An important part of our storytelling will be processing our experiences afterward. We ask that you plan to join us for lunch after each of our storytelling worship services during our grant year so that we can continue our discussions around storytelling. We promise you good food and conversation and a year of experiencing the Gospel that will feed your soul. Join us on this journey.
Yours in Christ,
Bonnie
ATTENTION ART STUDENTS !
We will be offering, free of charge, a 6 session class aimed at developing a student's skills in handling watercolors. We will explore in depth techniques needed to obtain the best results from this beautiful and exciting medium. Classes will be held at the church on Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 beginning July 1 and running through August 5. Sign up sheet and material list will be available soon.
June Bible Study
The noon Bible Study Group will continue to meet Mondays until June 15th and the evening Bible Study Group meets on Tuesday evenings 16th. Our summer intern Sheena Crosby will be leading the Bible Study on the book of Romans.
June, July & August Knitters and Quilters
The knitters and quilters continue to knit at church but on nice days you may find us returning to Cecie and Dave Evans’ deck. Check with Libby or Cecie as the Evanses will be away some Thursdays.
June 5& 620th Annual Quilt Show
This annual fundraiser is almost here and will take place Friday evening June 5th from 4 – 8 p.m. and Saturday, June 6th from 10:00 to 4:00 p.m. Baked items are needed for the Baked Good Sale. The women are preparing sandwiches, salads, desserts and beverages for their lunch combo. Raffle tickets for the “Butterfly Garden” quilt are available to purchase or sell – see Debbie Hall. A list of needed helpers is available at church. Contact Nancy Frank with questions or if you can help. Tell your family and friends and be sure to come see the church transformed with the beauty of quilts made by area quilters.
June 17Presbyterian Women
The Presbyterian Women will meet at 7:00 on Wednesday, June 17th to discuss the Networking dinner in the fall and the Bacalauriate Service on June 26 at our church. . All women of the church are welcome to join us. At our meeting we each find and read a Bible verse beginning with a letter of the alphabet. This month’s letter is “U”.
June 20GolfTournament
A golf tournament will start at 8:00 am on Saturday, June 20th at Holland Meadows Golf Course with registration beginning at 7:30 am. See article for details or call Art Dahl (661-5800).
June20 & 21Sunday School Festivities
June 21st will be the last day of Sunday School. The children will be participating in the service and will also be drawing the winning raffle ticket for the basket they have made. The proceeds will go to help support the students they are sponsoring in Kenya through His Hands for Kenya.. On Saturday evening at 6:00 pm the children will be spending time at church baking for a bake sale on Sunday also. If you would like to help contact Kelly (661-5758) or Elaine (762-8755).
June 28Outdoor Worship & Church Picnic
The annual church picnic will be held on Sunday, June 28 at the home of Chris and Art Dahl, 183 Priddle Point Rd. The outdoor service will begin at 10:30 a.m. and a pot-luck picnic will follow. Everyone is asked to bring a chair, if possible, table service and a dish to pass. Come by boat, car or walk but please do come and enjoy the day by the lake. There will be conversation, games, boat rides and swimming. In case of rain we will worship at the church at 10:30 a.m. followed by a picnic in Fellowship Hall. Call Chris and Art (661-5800) with questions or for directions which will also be available on the welcoming table at church.
June 29Session Meeting
The Session will meet at 6:00 pm on Monday, June 29th. Speak to Janis Frisch or Rev. Bonnie if you have anything that needs to come up before them.
July 1Attention Art Students!
We will be offering, free of charge, a 6 session class aimed at developing a student's skills in handling watercolors. We will explore in depth techniques needed to obtain the best results from this beautiful and exciting medium. Classes will be held at the church on Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 beginning July 1 and running through August 5. Sign up sheet and material list will be available soon. Dick Foster will be leading the class.
July 5Summer Worship
Beginning on July 5th and continuing through Labor Day our worship will begin at 9:00 a.m. with an old-fashioned hymn sing. The service will begin at 9:15 a.m. and will be over at 10:00 a.m. On Sunday, September 13th we will return to our fall schedule and begin at 10:30 a.m.
July 13-17 Vacation Bible School
From 9:00 to noon, Monday – Friday, July 13 – 17, our church will come alive with eager children at Vacation Bible School. Come join the excitement and learn how the Kingdom Rocks and bring your friends or tell your neighborhood children (pre-school to 6th grade). There are also opportunities to help with crafts, singing, story telling, cookie making and snack preparation. More details are later in the newsletter.
July 25 Annual Chicken Barbecue
The annual Chicken Barbecue will be held ot the church on Saturday, July 25th from 4 pm to 7 pm or when the food runs out. Tell your neighbors and friends! More details below.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL NOTES
Vacation Bible School will be held from July 13 to July 17, 2015. We will begin at 9 am until 12pm at Mayfield Presbyterian Church. This year’s theme is Everest: Conquering Challenges with God’s Mighty Power. There will be singing, dancing, Bible expeditions mountain top treats and more! Kids from throughout the surrounding communities are welcome, so make sure your kids invite their friends! Advertisement will go out to the local school, so we expect a wonderful turnout.
Volunteers are needed in the following capacities:
1. Crew leaders to help us navigate the terrain. The Crew leaders need to be available every day, and they will be in charge of one of the groups of children.
2. Storytellers will be portraying different characters in the daily dramas.
3. Craft leaders, who will lead the different craft stations.
4. Some musically talented or enthusiastic people to help lead the daily celebrations at the beginning and end of the day.
Help of all types would be appreciated; even if you can’t help during the week, we need help with preparation, planning, decoration, snack preparation, and cleanup. If you can only help a day or two, that’s ok too. A sign-up sheet is located in Fellowship Hall. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. A VBS meeting will be held soon. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask Sheena. I thank you for your support in making VBS a mountain top experience.
SESSION NOTES
The FifthSunday Mission Offering for May went to the scholarship Fund. This year’s recipients,Meegan Fraiser will be awarded her scholarship in church on June 21st.
The Session has voted to change the date of the craft show to October 7 and to combine it with the Blessing of the Animals.
MISSION NOTES
FRIDAY’S TABLE
Eight amazing volunteers served 68 diners at Friday’s Table at Holy Spirit Community Center in Gloversville on Fri. May 8th. We can definitely use more help between 3:30 and 6:30 on Friday July 24th the next time we are scheduled to serve. Please let Mary DiSanto-Rose know if you can help at 518-224-2080. Thanks!
FOOD PANTRY
We are planning a meeting of the Food Pantry on June 8th at 7 pm. Anyone interested is welcome! We will be explaining the Regional Food Bank who will be helping us a great deal in getting food and teaching us better ways to be able to help others in the community by serving their needs, being able to give out much more food and more variety. At this point we still plan on being open the same hours and same days as we have been open but these are things we need to discuss. The food will be coming from the Latham branch of the Regional Food Bank and we will need to make pick ups for food on every other Friday in Amsterdam. There will be a much larger selection and we may be carrying frozen items and bread. We have been getting eggs from Paul Bloom and that will remain the same.Those who have been involved in our Food Pantry and those who wouold like to become involved are asked to come to this meeting. If you have any ideas and are not able to attend the meeting call Rev. Bonnie, Crystal Hinkle (661-6314) or Ginny Mei (725-2970). Thank you Ginny Mei
BUILDING & GROUNDS NOTES
The Building and Grounds Committee will meet at 7:00 pm on Monday, June 1. Their main topic will be the Labyrinth that is to be built behind the parking lot. Anyone who is interested in helping on this project is welcome to come to the meeting.
WORSHIP NOTES
The Worship Committee will be working closely with Pastor Bonnie through much of the coming year on events related to the Vital Worship Grant we have received from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship. The “storytelling” theme will include stories from scripture, from our congregational history and from our congregation during and after worship. Centered around our “Something Beautiful” Sundays – the second Sunday each month – we will have guest speakers during worship followed by either brunch (summer Sundays) or lunch (September 2015 through June 2016). Everyone will be encouraged to be part of this year-long project.
MUSIC NOTES
Our pianist, Alex Hitrick, is currently working on ways to liven up the music with what he has to offer. On Pentacost, he performed 9 songs during the sermon, 6 of which he had composed himself. Playing at our church will help him get to where he wants to be. As of now, his plans are to go to a music college and major in either music producing, songwriting or recording. He writes music outside of church as well for the band that he is in, Hitrick & Brooks. The two other members, Ben Hitrick and Connor Brooks, made an appearance on Pentacost, singing the prelude and postlude. Alex hopes to bring them back soon due to the overwhelming positive comments about them.
GOLF TOURNAMENT NOTES
Our annual golf tournament is on Saturday, June 20th (rain date of June 27) at the Holland Meadows Golf Course on Route 29. Registration starts at 7:30 am, with coffee and donuts and a shotgun start at 8 am. Teams of four will be start at different holes at the same time. Anyone wanting a cart please call ahead to the golf course ( 883-3318) to reserve your cart ahead of time. The cost for each golfer is $50 for 18 holes of golf, a home made luncheon, prizes and lots of fun. If you wish to purchase a new sign to put on the tees the cost will be $50 per sign and you would need to call Art Dahl (661-5800) so he can have that sign made up for you. Anyone who has had signs made up in the past can renew their sign for acost of $25 and moneys can be given to Art Dahl or put in the offering plate with a notation of the purpose. Donations are welcome. We have sign up sheets if you are so inclined, we can always use more help, and any ideas you may have are welcome. Elaine Putman will be taking registration and fees before the start or you can pay before at church, and Mary Lou Bryan has graciously agreed to coordinate the luncheoin.
CHICKEN BARBECUE NOTES
Help me pleeeez! The BBQ is scheduled for Saturday, 7/26 from 4 to 7 at the church and I need your help! You will be contacted for your help in making home-made pies. Sign up sheets will be posted very soon for all of the other jobs to be done to make this years' BBQ a success! Thank you for all the support last year in caring on after Mary Lou !! Lori Kucel
DID YOU KNOW?
…that during the past few years we have received several gifts of stock from members and friends. This can be an easy way to make a tax-deductible contribution, without selling the stock and paying capital gains income taxes. For more information speak to Art Dahl (661-5800).
…that the re were 92 walkers at the CROPWalk and $7,444.00 was raised!
…that Shirley Plantz joined our church on May 3. Welcome!
SHEENA’S NOTES
Pentecost is the longest season on the liturgical calendar. That means that we get to have Pentecost all summer! I cannot express enough how being here at Mayfield Presbyterian Church has been nothing but a loving experience with welcoming people. However, when I said I was going to stay on the lake, my brother said, “Can you say Jason Voorhees?” If Mr. Voorhees is up here, I would like to do a home visit with him.
The Reverend Bonnie Orth is uber cool! I am blessed because I get a pastor, parents, and this internship helps me complete my requirements for seminary. What more can a girl ask for? More shoes- just kidding!
Sacred and scared are comprised of the same letters. Many things can make me scared such as learning a sleepy town with no organic teashops, but you all have let me into your sacred spaces. I love the cross outside. It is the first thing I noticed. It speaks to a church that has been through the fire, but has come out as pure gold. Each person has trusted me with your story, your worship experience, and your pastor. I appreciate that, and I am grateful for your openness. Together we will navigate the dog days of summer.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
Dorothy Magee June 9
Darla Perham June 12
Crystal Hinkle June 14
Paul Haschytz June 14
Daniel Frye June 17
Katrina Ruberti June 23
Ian Warner June 24, 1996
Kevin Brown June 27
Jaret Warner June 28, 2002
Cecie Evans June 28
Trevor Hatcher June 30, 2000
Betsy Saltsman July 1
Matthew DiSanto-Rose July 6, 1994
Libby VanNostrand July 7
Joanne Brooks July 7
Sean Brown July 8, 2008
Elaine Putman July 15
Judy Wemple July 15
Ginny Mei July 16
Abby Brown July 28, 2005
Jay Orth July 29
Sharon Brower August 8
Alan Olson August 11
Beth Potter August 19
Leslie Lanzi August 21
Betty Hughes August 23
Rachel Brown August 24
Ginny Hall August 25
Mary Lou Bryan August 27
Art Dahl August 29