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Witness
- December 2009
By Tom Pellaton
Dearly Beloved in Christ,
 The New Year for Christians begins a full month before the secular New Year
celebrated January 1. It begins with the first Sunday in Advent when we begin
our expectant waiting for God's great in-breaking into a fallen world to save it,
in the Incarnation, the birth of the baby Jesus in Bethlehem, when God becomes
one of us. The New Year is a time therefore of great hope for change, change
that will renew, reconcile, bring hope and joy to a world often sadly devoid of all
those things. This yearning for change lies at the heart of the Christmas
experience. But in spite of the fact that we have evidence all around us for the
need of God’s gracious gift of change, we resist it. Christmas is not a celebration
of newness but nostalgia for things of the past. We hold on to old ways of being
and living even when they no longer function or serve the needs of the present
much less the challenges of the future. The Advent scriptures tell us however, to
give up fear, the enemy of faith. God is in control, not the powers of evil that
seek to enslave us, and keep us living in the past. The new will be different but
better. That is the message given us over and over. How we embrace then this
good news is very important. There will be changes taking place in the New
Year at the Ascension. (See articles in the rest of this edition of the Witness). If
they are of God then they will endure. If not, God forgives and we try again to
perceive His will for us and move forward. So be of good cheer. God is with us,
Emmanuel! Have faith, give up your fears and welcome the baby Jesus into your
hearts. Remember that He is the embodiment of this hope for change, rescue,
salvation and new life in becoming more and more like the God who created us,
who loves us and who sustains us in all our life. Merry Christmas! and Happy
New Year!
Thank you and bless you all,
Tom+
The Liturgical forms we use are not just about style or language. There are profound theological differences between Rite I and Rite II, mostly centered in the Eucharistic prayers. Rite I has a profound and moving emphasis on the Cross and penitential piety. Rite II centers in its four prayers much more on Easter resurrection and reconciliation. Rite I works very well during Lent and Advent when we are asked especially to consider our inner motivations for doing things and look at our fallen lives. It does not work well in Epiphany tide (post Christmas) or Easter Tide. There is such a vast disconnect between the spirituality of Rite I and the scripture reading for these times. Therefore, I have decided that in the Sunday's following Christmas and the Sunday’s following Easter, to include Easter as well, we will be using Rite II at the principle Eucharistic Rite. The 8 o'clock service will remain a Rite I service. I realize this may not be to everyone's liking, but I hope you will take this opportunity to listen to the differences and to hear the words not as mere ritual but as memory of God's saving activity in creation in a way that is real and meaningful. I ask you to try and go beyond style and enter into the world that anamnesis, memory that becomes real, is calling us to, and be moved to the joy that a saved and reconciled people are being offered. The ritual will not be changed but the theological emphasis will be. Come then and rejoice in the salvation and love that is offered us by the Risen Christ.
- the Youth Group went to Boston the
weekend of Dec 5-6? A great time
was had by all. Thank you Kristin,
Kim and all involved. See article in
this issue.
- 10 families were helped in this year's"Adopt a Family" program sponsored by Episcopal Social Services? Thank you to all who contributed gifts for these families in need!
- In addition to the adult delegates to this year's Diocesan Convention,Lorraine Buell and Nathan Allen, Ascension sent two youth delegates? They were Will Riley and Sarah
Hughes. Thank you for both participating in this yearly convention!
- The Youth group (or much of it) attended the beautiful service of Evensong at the Cathedral, November 22, for the seating of the new Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Laurence
Provenzano? It was a memorable afternoon!
- The Friday evening Bible Study has embarked on a study of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians? The group meets each month at the Rectory and begins at 7.30. A supper follows the study. All are welcome!
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January 10th, 2010, the Baptism of our Lord has been designated by the Hospitality committee as “Invite a Friend" Sunday. Over 60% of Episcopalians are converts from other denominations. Most first came to the Episcopal Church because they were invited by a friend, who often was not an Episcopalian themselves. We often are not comfortable doing aggressive evangelism, but we do have a wonderful tradition that we need to share. God works God's purpose out in many ways and in many places. Our tradition may not be for everyone, but it is for many. Take a chance, and ask a friend to church on that Sunday and let the Holy Spirit do the rest!
”Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child
and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
The world around us is full of signs. Being an increasingly visual society, we
cannot take these symbols for granted. Show a toddler the “golden arches” and
he will respond “french fries” before he can even read. Therefore, this year we
are revisiting the symbols of our faith. The cross, the shepherd’s staff, the dove
– they immediately focus our attention and help us to recall stories of
redemption, love and peace. For those who took part in creating our Jesse Tree
ornaments, many symbols seemed foreign at first. But, when we looked up their
meaning, we consistently responded, “Oh yes, I remember.” or “Oh, I get it.”
It is time well spent to take a closer look at the signs God has laid before us. We
are taking time each Sunday to give further details about the signs and symbols
we use to define us as Christians. I encourage you to continue the conversation
at home.
After the celebration of Christmas, please be sure to join us at 10:30 on January
3rd for our Epiphany Pageant. Built around the theme of light, this symbolic reenactment
of the Magi’s arrival provides a wonderful opportunity to reflect on
the gifts we bring to the Lord.
As we enter this New Year, let us strip away the layers and find renewed
meaning in the simple yet profound symbols of our faith. Follow the star, find
the manger, see the baby and be filled with hope.
The youth group has returned from its first pilgrimage. “And we loved it so
much we’d do it again,” chaperones Kim Young and Joe Carley were overheard
saying.
Our goal was to experience worship in another parish and spread some love in
Beantown. And successful we were. The group was guided through All Saints
Ashmont by its choirmaster/organist, Fred Backhaus. They were treated to a
demonstration of the church’s grand pipe organ and were encouraged to climb
inside for a firsthand look at the mechanics of the music. Then up to the bell
tower, where we sounded our arrival to the world (or at least the Boston
suburbs!)
Michael Hughes took a break from his collegiate studies and deftly guided us to
Faneuil Hall via the T. There, amidst rain and wind, we carried out our mission
to spread love amongst the Red Sox fans. “Free Hugs” were distributed in
Quincy market. After candlepin bowling and the world’s third best ice cream,
we retired to our hotel for compline and a good night’s rest ;-)
Solemn mass awaited us in the morning. It was a beautiful service with the pure
tones of the men & boys choir. A wonderful time to reflect on the journey we
have taken and to look forward to what God has in store for us down the road.
An organizational class for all those wishing to be confirmed or received into the
Episcopal Church will take place on in the solarium.
If you are an adult or a teenager at least 14 years of age, you are invited to attend this first meeting. If you are a teenager we ask that at least one parent be present as well. We do not have a Confirmation date yet but the new Bishop has
indicated that confirmations will now be held in the parish during his pastoral
visit. For more information, please contact the Rector.
For those workers at the who paid for the , it will be held at the Rectory on beginning at 7PM.
. Updated kitchen and bathroom. Large rooms. Washer/dryer in apartment included. Stairway to the beach on premises. Sauna/exercise room on main floor. Asking price $419,000. Call , 516-889-2808.
Our Circle 6 soup is the perfect meal on a chilly winter day. We have been making a wonderful contribution (about 25 gallons each time we deliver) to the
. Alas with times getting tougher, food pantries and soup kitchens are feeding more and more families each month.
Please join us in our mission. are part of the backbone of our outreach at Ascension. Beans, containers and recipes can be found after the
holidays in the parish hall. Our next batch is due on . If you have any questions on how to get started, please contact a 592-7033
What can one say? The best ever? The most fun ever? The most money raised for the ministry of the Church of the Ascension ()? The most given
to outreach projects ()? The strangest weather (well maybe not)? The best music ()? The best visit from our Bishop? All of this was true. What a wonderful event. Thank you to all who made it possible. Enjoy the pictures and
the memories!
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Thank you, thank you, and thank you! To all who participated in our annual
Adopt-A-Family program. In conjunction with Episcopal Family Services, we
were able to share God’s message of hope and love with 10 families who needed
to hear it. There is no substitute for the joy that warms the heart when you
watch 35 huge bags of gifts unloaded into the Garden City Cathedral. Each of
those gifts, carefully selected and wrapped and given anonymously, represents
compassion and hope. The miracle is living in every one of us. Peace be with
you.
by Judy Berglund
The last three months have been busy ones indeed…the generous outreach by
our church members to those in need in our community has continued
undiminished even during this troubling period of recession.
- In October, our wonderfully successful Friendship Fair (the most profitable in
our 36 years of holding this event) made possible a contribution of $12,000
($6,000 each) to the Building Fund of Camp ANCHOR (Answering the Needs
of Citizens with Handicaps through Organized Recreation) – which offers
programs for those with disabilities throughout the year; and Island Harvest,
the largest hunger relief organization on L.I., supplying hundreds of locallybased
nonprofit organizations with critical food support to help stem the
advancing tide of hunger in Long Island communities. Here follow pictures of
one of the venues and a few of the many Fair workers.
- saw a Welcome Reception for New
Members of our church following the 10:30 am service. Some of the recent
additions to our parish family are pictured below.
- On (supervised and organized
by Kristin Ochtera) witnessed an outpouring of hundreds of gifts given by
parishioners to children of the ten needy families we “adopted”. As one
parishioner, seeing the stage piled high with gaily wrapped presents, said “It just
brought tears to my eyes to think of what it would mean to all those kids”.
- And then came and “”. A
smashing success, this was the third year this Ascension Christmas shop opened
for its one-day sales event. The selection of goods ranged from homemade
“natural” dog biscuits to 50 boxes of home baked cookies and numerous cakes;
from handmade wreaths to batches of jams and marmalades cooked up in
parishioners’ kitchens. All these and a host of beautiful and unique Christmas
gifts resulted in net sales of about $4000. As the following photos indicate, this
occasion was a big hit with “children of all ages”.
The Nativity Scene is an integral part of Christmas and we are very fortunate to
have a collector of special Crèches here at Ascension. On , for the second year in a row, Bill Cooper thoughtfully set up a diorama of
Bethlehem at the time of Christ’s birth; this time using a different part of his
collection. Somewhat smaller in scope than last year’s (this one only took 5½
hours to assemble), the scene is filled with crackling fires, running water founts,
an assortment of figurines: shepherds and sheep, Wisemen and camels, Angels
and Archangels and much more…and at the top of the hill, with a star casting a
soft glow down on it, is the Manger.
- It’s Christmastime at Ascension once again…a time for caring and sharing…a
time for preparation and celebration…a time for remembering and rejoicing.
As this year draws to a close and we enter a New Year that will see us begin
our 125th year as a parish in Rockville Centre, it’s good to recall all that has
made this year at Ascension special and be thankful for the blessings
bestowed on us…. A parish which continues to grow, a church school which
flourishes; a magnificent old historic church which houses a wonderfully
generous and nurturing family, a beautiful moving service and soul-stirring
music!May God continue to strengthen and guide us to make wise decisions
and do all such good works as he has prepared for us to walk in!
Mark your Calendars! The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper will be held on
at . .
We are looking for volunteers to help cook, serve, and shop. Please consider
joining us for this fun feast.
Let your browser do the walking and check out … It’s not just books anymore… from automotive to apparel; from toys to tools their site features a vast variety of items. And, remember, if you like to shop online and want to see what Amazon is offering:
Go first to: www.ascensionrvc.org
Then: click on the Amazon.com logo.
If you do it this way, then 10% of all Amazon purchases you make will be donated back to our church by Amazon.
Can’t find something at the store?.… Try Amazon.com.
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