Good News Letter, March 2020

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I am writing this letter while still on vacation in Guatemala. I want to share with you where I have met Jesus this year. The first week in Guatemala I attended a meeting of the Presbyteries in the United States that have partnerships with Presbyteries or churches in Guatemala. Two members of our Mam partnership came. I met Jesus in a young man named Josue who was representing the youth of the Mam. He was so grateful to be there and he loves God. He is an apprentice to become an electrician and he has many hopes for his life and for his country. He told us about the projects that they would like our Albany Presbytery partnership to sponsor. He said that the youth are concerned about a particular village in their presbytery that is far from any city. It is a very poor village and they do not have a school. The youth would like us to sponsor a teacher to travel to the village so that the children can have some education They would also like us to sponsor a project for another village that is also very poor and that has many handicapped children and no money to provide the adaptive equipment that they need (wheelchairs, crutches, etc.) The youth are thinking like Jesus and asking us to think like Jesus also.

I met Jesus in Victorina in the park where I sat in Antigua. Victorina lives about five hours from Antigua. She works hard everyday near her home and makes about 5 quetzales a day ($1.91). She cannot afford food for her family. Every weekend, she takes a bus to Antigua and sells balls in the park Friday night and all day and night Saturday and Sunday and then takes the bus back for work on Monday morning. She brings her baby and her four year old son with her. She works 7 days a week. She told me how grateful she is to God for tall of the love and the blessings that God has shown her.

I met Jesus in my Spanish teacher, Andrea. Andrea is twenty eight years old and has an eleven year old daughter and a two year old son. She is six months pregnant. She had to have Cesarean sections with her children. The nearest public hospital, which is all that they can afford, is a one and one half hour drive for her. The nearest other hospital is twenty minutes but they cannot do that. Her husband was an alcoholic and abusive when they married and for ten years. Her mother, who is very religious, talked to him and he quit drinking and their relationship has totally changed for the good. She attributes this to God and is totally grateful.

These three people are but a small example of where I met Jesus in my time in Guatemala. Where did you meet Jesus while I was gone?

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Bonnie

Mondays and Tuesdays Lenten Bible Study

Our Lenten Bible study will be The Case for Easter by Lee Strobel. Lee is a journalist who considered himself a non-believer and he set out to prove that the resurrection was not real. During his investigation, he found overwhelming evidence that indeed, the resurrection is real and he is now a converted Christian. Join us for this interesting BIble study. Mondays at noon (bring your lunch if you desire) or Tuesdays at 5:00 pm.

Thursdays in March Knitting and Quilting

The knitters and quilters continue to meet at noon on Thursdays. Bring your lunch or come after lunch and enjoy conversation and fellowship while working on your own project or we can teach you to knit hats and mittens for the mitten tree.

February 26 Ash Wednesday

A service of prayer and reflection will be held on Ash Wednesday at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary.

February 28 Friday’s Table

Friday, February 28th at 3:30 pm is the next serving day for Friday’s Table at Holy Spirit Community Center, 161 South Main Street, Gloversville. Please let Mary DiSanto-Rose know if you can come by email:mdisanto@skidmore.edu or phone 518-224-2080.

March 3 and 17 Food Pantry

The Food Pantry will be open from 12:30 to 3:00 on March 3rd and 17th . Sunday, March 15th is Food Sunday, so bring your canned goods, cereal, peanut butter and jelly, to church that Sunday or any other time.

March 17 Presbytery Meeting

Albany Presbytery will be meeting at our church during the day on Tuesday, March 17. We will be serving them coffee in the morning and lunch at noontime. If you would like to help speak to Pastor Bonnie or Sue Cichy.

March 18 PW Meeting

On Wednesday, March 18th the women of the church will meet at 4:00 for planning and fellowship. We will be discussing coming events including the Rummage Sale, Mother-Daughter Dinner, Quilt Show and others. Come and get involved. Bring a Bible verse that begins with the letter “C”.

March 19 Alzheimer’s Support Group

At 10:30 am the Alzheimer Support Group will meet in Fellowship Hall. This group meets to discuss and support those with memory problems and their caregivers. Speakers are often there from the community and anyone having an interest is invited to attend.

March 19 Parkinson Advocacy Group

At 2:00 pm in Fellowship Hall the Parkinson Group will meet. It is a time for those with Parkinson’s disease and other neurological diseases and their caregivers to gather and discuss common problems and hear speakers talk on ways to handle the problems that go along with these diseases.

March 23 Continuing Our Legacy

Join us on March 23, at the Broadalbin Presbyteran Church,Main Street, Broadalbin, NY at 6:00 p.m. Dinner will be included at no cost to you. We will participate with the Broadalbin Presbyterian Church to explore Endowments. Session and the Finance committee will be attending as well as others. Since there is a dinner involved, we do need to know how many people will be attending. It is open to all who are interested. Please let Pastor Bonnie know if you are interested in attending or leave a voicemail on the church phone.

March 30 Session Meeting

The next Session Meeting will be held on Monday, March 2nd and Monday,, March 30th at 6:30. Please let Rev. Bonnie or Janis Frisch know if you have something to bring up to the meeting.

LOOKING AHEAD

April 5 Palm Sunday

The traditional Palm Sunday parade of palms will take place and our One Great Hour of Sharing offering will be received on Palm Sunday. Contribution envelopes are in the pew racks.

April 9 Maundy Thursday

The Maundy Thursday service will begin at 6:00 pm on April 18 with a light meal

April 10 Good Friday

The Good Friday service will be held on Friday, April 19 at 7:00 pm. Our choir will sing and everyone is encouraged to come to this special service at the Broadalbin Presbyterian Church.

April 12 Easter Sunday

The Easter Sunrise Service will be held at our church at 6:30 am. The service will be followed by a breakfast.

Our traditional celebration of Easter will take place at 10:30 a.m. There will be no Sunday School classes, but children are encouraged to attend church with their parents on this special day.

April 24-25 Rummage Sale

PW will have their annual Rummage Sale on Friday, April 24 from 7:00 am – noon and Saturday, April 25 from 8:00 am – noon. Please do not leave rummage at the church until after April 12.

May 3 CROP Hunger Walk

Our 9th Annual CROP Hunger Walk is scheduled for May 3th. Mark your calendar and get your walking shoes ready!!

ANNUAL MEETING REPORT

Copies of the annual report are available if you would like one and were not able to attend the meeting. Call the church office or contact a Session member. The budget was passed and Rev. Bonnie’s terms of call were approved.

Many thanks to Casey Warner and Colleen Ulrich for serving on the Session for the last six years and to Gary DiSanto-Rose who has agreed to serve a second term. Jane Brower and Nancy Frank were nominated and elected to serve on the Session for three year terms.

The new picture church directory was given out and it is a wonderful accomplishment. If you did not get a copy speak to Mary Lou Bryan (518-725-2041). One decision that was made was to change the hour of summer worship from 9:00 to 9:30am. There is no chairman for the July Barbecue or the Craft Show which will not hppen without a chairman. It was also announced that this will be the last year for the Quilt Show.

SESSION NOTES

Scholarship applications for the 2020 Niles Family Scholarship are available. Two $500.00 scholarships will be given to a graduating senior who has been accepted at a 2 or 4 year college or a trade school or an adult learner going to the same. The person must be active in a faith community as well as participate in activities in the community. They must have two references from a teacher, community leader or clergy. Forms are available in the church office or from Janis Frisch, Vicki Kucel or Rev. Bonnie and must be submitted by April 15.

Continuing Our Legacy - Consider for a moment how blessed we have been by faith lessons and resources gifted from those who came before us. They lovingly shared their Christian faith. So today you and I are the beneficiaries and now caretakers of all that has been entrusted to us. Following the path of those who came before us, now is our turn to prepare this wonderful church for tomorrow. Now is the opportunity to tell our stories and plan for those next to have the tools and resources to thrive. How can you and I be a part of that blessing here?

Join us for the conversation led by The Rev. Ellie Johns-Kelley, Ministry Relations Officer, Presbyterian Foundation on how to be a blessing here.

We will discuss:

• How to discern your own legacy

• How to share that message with the church and those you love, and

• How to make a planned gift to continue your ministry here.

We look forward to exploring how you and I can continue to be Christ’s hands in the world through Mayfield Central Presbyterian Church – even after our lifetimes.

Join us on March 23, at the Broadalbin Presbyteran Church,Main Street, Broadalbin, NY at 6:00 p.m. Dinner will be included at no cost to you. We will participate with the Broadalbin Presbyterian Church to explore Endowments. Session and the Finance committee will be attending as well as others. Since there is a dinner involved, we do need to know how many people will be attending. It is open to all who are interested. Please let Pastor Bonnie know if you are interested in attending or leave a voicemail on the church phone.

WORSHIP COMMITTEE NOTES

As we enter the Lenten/Easter season this year there are beautiful things happening in our sanctuary. Pastor Bonnie’s creative juices have been flowing overtime, so the Worship committee will be doing our best to fulfill some of the lovely ideas she has for enhancing our worship experience during this Holy Season. Come and enjoy!

Mary Seaman

This year our Lenten theme for worship is called “Journey of Stones.” Join us each week as we use stones to walk our Lenten journey to the cross with Jesus. We will also fill the cross with our prayers and petitions using purple paper each Sunday.

MUSIC NOTES

The celebrations of the past few days become dark and more contemplative as we approach the Lenten seson. For the church services the hymns and anthems are in a minor key and are generally soft, sorrowful and sad. This is true for the anthems which the choir will sing during these 40 days beginning march 1 with communion Sunday.

The musical Palm Sunday concert will probably not be held this year. Ginny Mei and I are running out of energy to put it all together, but if someone is willing to step forward and organize the gathering, Ginny and I are more than willing to share any information needed. Last year we sang at Foothills Methodist Chruch with Luke Horst directing and Malcolm Kogut playing the organ. Prior to that, it was held at our church for several years.

Thanks to all musicians who helped with our closing anthem/postlude on February 23rd. We had fun putting it together and for several weeks, we finished our choir rehearsal by singing it with a CD. Participants (besides the choir) were Gary and Mary DiSanto-Rose, Gary Butler, Cece D’amore, Damien Roth and Alex Hitrick.

The choir endeavors to add special music to our weekly worship service. Newcomers are always welcome to join us on Tuesday evenings t 6:30 pm or Sunday morning at 9:30 for rehearsals. Come join the fun.

CHURCH SCHOOL NOTES

The Church School children will be learning about Lent and Easter as well as learning ‘scripture songs” that they plan to perform at the end of the year. They will be doing a fund raising project this spring to raise money for Victor’s school or the students in Kenya that they have been supporting.

The new junior high/high school class is going strong each week with five to eight kids involved regularly. They spend much of the time just talking about some of the situations they face in their everyday life and what they should be doing about them. It is always good for teenagers to have a place and someone to talk to about “things.”

DID YOU KNOW?

…that Souper Bowl Sunday collected $329.00 this year for our food pantry. Great soup was enjoyed by all. This is the 18th year that we have participated in Souper Bowl Sunday along with churches across the nation to help to stop hunger.

…that special bulletins for the Lenten Season through Father’s Day are available to purchase as a memorial or in honor of someone. See the sign-up sheet in Fellowship Hall or speak to Nancy Frank (518-661-5328).

…that Jane Brower got the “baby” in the king cake on Mardi Gras Sunday. It was in the last piece of cake!

OUTREACH NOTES

FRIDAY’S TABLE

We would love to have you join us on Fri. February 28th at 3:30 pm or whenever you can at Holy Spirit Community Center, 161 South Main Street, Gloversville. We serve at 5:30 pm and we are all cleaned up by about 6:30 pm, amazing! We have a great time preparing the meals. We usually serve roast pork, carrots, and roasted potatoes! The bread, salad fixings, and desserts are all donated by Price Chopper and Hannaford.

Please let Mary DiSanto-Rose know if you can come by email: mdisanto@skidmore.edu or phone 518-224-2080. All are welcome and we range in age from 9 to 85 years young!

FOOD PANTRY

Please check the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall to see if there are openings on the first and third Tuesdays for food distribution helpers. Speak to Kate Ludewig if you have questions about the Food Pantry while Crystal is away this month. We could use peanut butter, jam/jelly, soup and all kinds of condiments. March 15th is our 3rd Sunday Food Sunday!

MOONCATCHER PROJECT

We are hoping to start making “mooncatchers” again soon.We meet for a few hours once a month to make kits for girls in Africa or Guatemala who have no access to feminine hygene products. There are all sorts of jobs to making these besides sewing, like cutting, turning, pressing. Watch for more details as to when.

ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING

One Great Hour of Sharing is a Christian effort to empower, provide water, supply food, and give relief from disasters. Water projects: We currently have projects in over 20 countries. Hunger Relief: See how we are feeding the hungry all over the world. Presbyterian Disaster Relief: Not just immediate responses, but long-term commitment. Empowerment: Helping men and women provide for their families.

Our One Great Hour of Sharing Offering will be taken on Palm Sunday. The Presbyterian Hunger Program receives 36 percent of undesignated One Great Hour of Sharing gifts, while the Self-Development of People and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance each receive 32 percent. The children will have fish to collect monies and there will be pew envelopes for folks to make donations. Please prayerfully consider making a donation to One Great Hour of Sharing.

OPERATION CHRISTMAS CHILD

The Southern Adirondacks collected 10,562 shoebox gifts in 2019 and the Northeast Region of which we are a part collected 396,223. Worldwide 10,569,144 shoeboxes were collected.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Happy Birthday to these members and friends;

Beth Croft March 2

Shirley Hitrick March 5

Rich Ruberti March 6

Dick Foster March 10

Ted Rorick March 13

Emmit Frisch March 16, 2004

Sierra Brower March 18, 2003

Gloria Robinson March 20

Karen Rulison March 23