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May 25, 2025 Great Job! There are a lot of “high fives” we should be giving one another these days at our church. Take today, for example. We had a wonderful Chicken Bar-B-Q where we sold all 150 dinners! Congratulations to the dozen workers who all chipped in to make it run so smoothly. And an extra tall high five to Chairwoman Kim Watson who coordinated it all. Kim will announce Sunday at our worship service how much the event raised for missions. And speaking of missions, more high fives for our CROP Walkers. Judy Kimes reports we exceeded our target goal by raising a total of $2,275 - our highest amount so far. Thanks to the walkers and all who supported them by contributing to the cause. More kudos to Judy Kimes and her recipe book committee. They have collected 172 recipes which will be in a special anniversary edition. It’s currently being edited for publishing and will be sold during our fall anniversary celebration. Many high fives also to Paul Watson and Jeff Mudge for being our go-to guys for maintaining our property and buildings. Jeff has done a number of fix-it jobs over at the parsonage and Paul has been caring for the Mead Cemetery. He is also arranging a power wash this month for the exterior of our sanctuary building. We want it looking its best for our anniversary celebrations. One more: Our treasurer Lisa Allendorph reported we have a positive balance so far this year totaling just over $5,700. I give high fives to all of you who support our church with your tithes and offerings. I have to note, however, that being the good church treasurer that Lisa is, she did put an asterisk by that balance figure. It means she has some large expenditures she must make this month which will most likely shrink that positive figure quite a bit. Consistory encourages you to keep up your support through the coming summer weeks so we can continue to stay ahead of our expenses. Sunday, you’ll have another reason to give each other high fives. After the service you very likely will be celebrating that your Pastor has at last preached his last sermon on the book of Jonah. I’ll be looking at its strange ending and the amazing thing it says about our God. Once again, great job everyone! Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** **** May 9, 2025 There’s more . . . . If you are an alum of Sunday School, you no doubt learned about Jonah, which is the focus of my current sermon series. I’m sure back then you heard the story of Jonah’s repentance in the belly of the big fish (it was probably called a “whale’). A smaller number of you might have heard about how Jonah then went on to Nineveh and preached successfully there, bringing the whole nation to repentance. But that’s where most people would say the story ends. Yet there’s much more that happens after all of that, and it’s quite startling. There’s one more final chapter in the book and it begins with Jonah having a “hissy fit” over the fact that his preaching was so successful. (Seriously, Jonah?) It begins with the statement, “But what God did was so terrible to Jonah, that he burned with anger.” Jonah couldn’t accept the idea that such terrible enemies as the Assyrians could possibly be forgiven and accepted by God. This Sunday I will be unpacking Jonah’s fit of rage. I wonder why was Jonah so angry? What was the root of his rage? As always, who Jonah was is exactly what we all are. Jonah is like a mirror into which we see a true image of ourselves. What do we see? Sunday is also Mother’s Day! Our service will conclude with prayers and celebrations of our mothers and a coffee hour in honor of our moms. One last thing: Thanks to our walkers who braved nasty weather and participated in this year’s CROP Walk. I know contributions are still coming in and we are getting closer to our goal! Special thanks to all of you who contributed to this worthy cause. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave Z********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********* May 3, 2025 He’s back! Yes, I’m back after a nice trip to the Cape to open our cottage. But that’s not who I am talking about here. It’s Jonah who is back. He will once again be the focus of my sermon. This time I’ll talk about what he is most famous for - getting swallowed up by that “big fish.” I think that’s where Jonah found grace, and I’m wondering what that means for us and our need for grace. Then we will celebrate that grace at the table of our Lord. Sunday is also when some of us from Unionville will walk in the annual CROP Walk. This is a long standing tradition which raises funds to support the global mission of Church World Service. CWS is a faith-based organization which strives to transform communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster. 25% of the funds we raise in the Albany CROP Walk will support hunger fighting efforts here in the Capital District. Our walkers will gladly accept your contribution tomorrow at church, or you can make your donation through our church by clicking here. I thank you in advance for your generous support of this worthy cause. Pastor Dave April 18, 2025 "We’re in the darkness . . . but light is coming!” It’s Good Friday, and yes, it’s a dark day (spiritually, not meteorologically). At last night’s wonderful Tenebrae service with our Hilltown neighbors, we extinguished 7 candles, each recalling how some specific darkness of human sin enveloped Christ’s light. And here we are today, remembering our Savior’s death on the cross, the moment when it appeared that the darkness won, and the light of God’s love would forever be extinguished. But Easter is coming! As the great preacher Tony Campolo once put it, “It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming.” Easter proclaims that as horrible as that Friday was, we can call it “good” because through it God defeated the darkness of our sin with the light of his love. “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”(John 1:5) We’ll gather in that light this Easter Sunday, starting at 9:00 am for our breakfast. Then we will celebrate Jesus’ victory at our 10:30 service. It’s certain that in these dark times, we need to lift and celebrate our hope in God’s victory more than ever. Keep looking to the light, dear friends, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** **** April 11, 2025 Hosannah! You might not think that a sermon focused on Jonah would have anything to do with Palm Sunday. There certainly are no palms or hosannas in that story. But in Jonah there is a lesson about love - the same love Jesus exhibited by entering Jerusalem to embrace the destiny awaiting for him on the cross. Jesus even compared what he would do in his sacrifice to what Jonah did. He said both he and Jonah were “signs” from God. (Luke 11:30). So that’s what I am going to try to “unpack” this Palm Sunday. Don’t worry. We’ll still have palms to wave and hosannas to sing. Hey, it’s Palm Sunday, after all! Grace and peace, Pastor Dave __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ ____ March 29, 2025 “Like riding a bike” One of the fun things Sue and I did while vacationing in Florida was to go canoeing on the beautiful Estero river. It’s a lovely “jungle like” river and as we paddled through it we felt like we were on a journey through the Everglades. It was quite a miracle getting us both in and out of the canoe — we got a lot of help — but once we were in it we could marvel at the beauty that enveloped us. It had been decades since I last paddled a canoe and I was more than a little daunted by my getting back into one. Would I still remember how to navigate my way through that river, or would the rental people have to come rescue us? Well, I was most pleased to find out that my canoeing days all came back to me in an instant. I remembered the special strokes and maneuvers needed to keep us heading straight to where we wanted to go. And no, my worst fear never happened — we didn’t capsize! (Thank you, Lord!) “It’s just like riding a bike,” I said to Sue. "You never forget how to do it." I hope that will be true for me this Sunday. After a three week absence from the pulpit, I’ll be more than a little rusty at leading worship and preaching a sermon. Will it be “just like riding a bike?” Will it come back to me? I hope so! It will help that I’ll be preaching from Jonah, my favorite book in the Old Testament. We all know Jonah’s story on a “Sunday School” level — how he was swallowed by a “big fish” (in Sunday School we were probably told incorrectly that it was a whale) and how he was saved by God. But there is so much more to this little book. In fact I am planning to use Jonah as our focus for the rest of Lent. I hope you can join me as we journey with him to Nineveh, a place where he didn’t want to be. He tried to run from it, but God’s undeniable plan prevailed. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ***** March 4, 2025 What’s happening this week: Tomorrow, Wednesday, the Women’s Guild will meet at 1:00 p.m. at the church. Also on Wednesday we will celebrate communion and distribute ashes to mark the beginning of Lent. The service begins at 5:30 p.m. and will be followed by a pot-luck dinner. Then don’t forget: We advance our clocks this Sunday for Daylight Savings Time to begin. God bless, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** February 28, 2025 Consistory News The Consistory met this week. Here are some of the items that were on their agenda: Ash Wednesday is upon us! We will gather March 5 with our Hilltown brothers and sisters at the Onesquethaw Reformed Church for worship and fellowship. NOTE THE DIFFERENT ARRANGEMENTS THIS YEAR: We will gather for worship at 5:30 pm. The service will be followed with a POT-LUCK SUPPER. We raised $860 for the disaster recovery efforts in the Carolinas and California. Consistory voted to “round up” that figure to $1,000, giving $500 for each site. Our contribution is going to Samaritan’s Purse. We will celebrate communion this Sunday - March 2nd.The Anniversary Committee is busy preparing for our 200th year celebrations: There will be a Chicken Bar-B-Q May 23. A Flea Market & Ice Cream Social is planned for August 9.The weekend of October 18 is the big celebration. We'll have a morning Service and pot-luck lunch on Saturday - public invited. Pastor Chris Vande Bunte will be the keynote speaker. Then we will have a worship celebration service on Sunday, followed by a catered lunch. The committee is preparing a special commemorative cookbook. Judy Kimes will be sending an email with instructions .We noted an invitation from Onesquethaw to join them at their Lenten Breakfast April 5. Treasurer Lisa Allendorph reports our income is behind a sizable amount this month, thanks to the two snow cancellations we had of our services. Consistory urges you to “make up” your offerings for those missed Sundays. Last month’s “bottom line” showed a deficit of just under $700. Pick-up day for the Food Pantry is March 16th.The Corletts will be vacationing in Florida in much of March. We’ve arranged some excellent preachers to fill the pulpit while they’re away: Rusty Riley (March 9), Nancy Landrigan (March 16) and Belinda (March 23). The Women’s Guild is scheduled to meet March 5. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******* February 21, 2025 Together Again! I can’t believe it! It looks like Sunday’s weather will actually be nice enough for us to come to church again. Hallelujah! I have missed our Sunday get-togethers. It’s been disorienting to me to miss worship two weeks in a row. I kept asking myself, “What day of the week is this?” I’ll be glad to be “anchored” again in the Sabbath. If you join me this Sunday, you’ll hear a sermon about how to survive “bad days.” I don’t mean just those little annoyances like when the weather cancels our worship services. No, I want to address those dark spells when we are overwhelmed by a crisis or tragedy and we might begin to feel that “life is not so good.” In the Bible, what better person is there to turn to for insight about surviving “bad days” than Job. From the Book entitled by his name, I’ll be looking to Job 1: 8-12 to guide us. We will also have our Annual Meeting (at last!) We still are planning a lunch after church, followed by a celebration of what God did for us in 2024. Another reminder: We are still collecting for this month’s offering for the Food Pantry. See below for suggestions. It will be great to be together again. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** * January 25, 2025 Love is hard work! There is a common notion that love “just happens” to us. We often hear the expression, “I have fallen in love,” as if it is something you catch, like the common cold. But Christian love as it is described in the Bible is not something that happens to us; it is something done by us. And it’s not always easy. The painting above is one of my favorite paintings of Vincent Van Gogh. It’s his interpretation of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. Remember, that parable was Jesus’ answer to the question, “Who is this neighbor I am supposed to love?” His story is a description of what love looks like. Look how the painting depicts the struggle the Samaritan has to get that wounded man up on his donkey. As Jesus tells the story, the Samaritan gave his all to help the wounded and beaten man and in so many ways, it was a “heavy load” for the Samaritan to bear. I will be using this famous parable of Jesus to explore just how difficult it can be to do the hard work of loving our neighbor. * * * * * * * * * Consistory met this week. Here are some of the highlights of that meeting: Consistory chose its officers. Jef Mudge is our new Vice President of Consistory (“Senior Elder”). Belinda Phillips is the recording secretary. We have already hired Lisa Allendorph as our book keeper.Consistory very graciously renewed my contract as your part-time pastor for another year.They did the hard work of drafting the budget for 2025. It increased by about $1,400 over last year’s budget.Lisa shared the summary of the 2024 expenditures. Last year we had an income of $111,440. Our expenses were $106,207. That means we ended the year with a positive balance of $5,233. Praise the Lord! We will share more details about our finances at our annual meeting on February 9.Consistory is making a DISASTER RELIEF APPEAL for the victims of the recent natural disasters in the Carolinas and Southern California. We will be collecting your offerings to this appeal now until our annual meeting, when we will prayerfully dedicate them to the ongoing relief that is so needed in those places.We will participate with our Hilltown neighbor churches in the Ash Wednesday service on March 5. It will be at the Onesquethaw Church. A planning meeting for that service will be held there at 10 a.m. on February 8.The next Anniversary Committee Meeting will be at 1:30 on January 28. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** **** January 18, 2025 Endings and Beginnings This is a significant moment for our nation. This Monday one administration in Washington D.C. comes to an end and another takes the helm. All at once it’s at the same time an end and a beginning. Isn’t that true in all of life? We live through constant cycles of ending things - until at last we come to that final ending, death itself. But with endings there are usually new and different beginnings. It’s as the Apostle Paul put it, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.” (1 Corinthians 13: 11) Kind of like when we graduate -- it's when we end our “childhood” as a student and begin our journey into “adulthood.” Endings and beginnings - that’s what I’ll be pondering with you this Sunday. I’m particularly interested in the endings we have experienced in our church over the past few years and what new beginnings might God have in mind for us as we move into a new year and beyond. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave *****(********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** * January 10, 2025 This Sunday is a Feast Day! Unless you have a Christian calendar, you probably aren’t expecting anything special for this coming Sunday. You might not have known that it is a special “Feast Day” — those marked days on the calendar which celebrate significant events in the life of Jesus. Last Monday was the Feast Day of Epiphany. This Sunday is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, commemorating the moment when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. It is indeed a significant day for our understanding of Jesus; it’s recorded in all three of the synoptic Gospels. I’ll be looking at Matthew’s account. I can understand John’s objection to Jesus’ request that he be baptized. “I need to be baptized by you,” John says, “but you come to me?” He wonders why the perfect Jesus is coming to him to experience the “baptism of repentance.” Jesus’ answer was, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” “To fulfill all righteousness?” So what on earth does that mean? That’s what I’ll try to answer this Sunday, because it is a key to understanding our relationship with God through the baptism we have received. Now since it is a “Feast Day,” I think we should have a “feast” after church. And that’s exactly what we’ll have . . . Well, not a “feast” really, but a light lunch served to all the volunteer workers who will stay after the service to “un-decorate” our sanctuary. Yes, it’s that sad time when we take down and put away all our beautiful Christmas decorations. But it still can be a fun time if we all stay and help. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** *** January 3, 2025 Twelve Drummers Drumming? This Sunday will be the “twelfth day of Christmas,” which marks the end of the Christmas season. It is sometimes called “Twelfth Night” and is celebrated in a variety of ways throughout Europe, with special pastries and drinks as part of its tradition. The song, The Twelve Days of Christmas, claims we receive “twelve drummers drumming” on that day. I’m pretty sure Judy and the choir haven’t arranged to have those drummers at our service this Sunday. I hope not, because in my opinion, all that drumming would be a bit too noisy in our little sanctuary. What we will do is focus on the next day - Epiphany. Specifically we will look at the part of the Epiphany story that is usually overlooked because it is so dark and unsettling. It’s found in Matthew 2: 13-18. It’s about Herod’s order to murder all the infant boys in Bethlehem. As grim as that event was, it tells us volumes about what the birth of Jesus means for us. It also has a tie to communion, which we will celebrate Sunday. I look forward to worshiping with you. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** **** December 20, 2024 The Fourth Sunday of Advent (Already!?) We will be lighting the fourth candle on our Advent Wreath this Sunday. It’s the last Sunday before Christmas, which in my mind makes it a special day. It will be even more special because we will be installing our three new members to consistory. So that inspired Sue and me to host a coffee hour after the service. (Besides, I figure we should be making good use of her special Christmas decorations in Fellowship Hall.) My sermon for the day will focus on Matthew’s take on the Christmas story. There are no filled inns or stables with mangers in his Gospel. He never mentions angels, or shepherds either. Yes there are wise men - but technically, that’s not a Christmas story; that’s about Epiphany. No, his spin on Christmas begins with a long list of names. It’s Jesus’ genealogy, and if you were to say it’s the most boring Christmas story of all time, I wouldn’t argue with you. On the surface it does indeed seem “boring.” But hey, this is the Gospel, so it has to be there for a reason. And when you stop to analyze it, you quickly realize that it’s loaded with “messages” about the true meaning of Christmas. I hope to reveal some of those messages this Sunday. * * * * * * * * * * * Consistory News The consistory met this week. Here are some of the items they discussed and/or passed: We are set to welcome our three new consistory members. This Sunday we will ordain and install Judy Palmatier as elder and Carolyn Greer as deacon. We also will install Jeff Mudge as elder.We were introduced to our new Treasurer, Lisa Allendorph. She will officially begin January 1st.We are ready for our Christmas Eve candlelight service. It will be at 7:00 p.m.Your response to the holiday appeals for the Food Pantry and the Salvation Army Toy Drive was very generous. Consistory is most grateful to you all!We set the date for our Annual Congregational Meeting. It will be February 9, following our worship service. Lunch will be served. And yes, we’ll all be home in plenty of time for the Super Bowl that day!We wound up with a whopping deficit this past month due to the expensive work required to repair the septic system of the parsonage (It cost $13,150). We were able to absorb that cost and still meet all other financial obligations by using our back-up savings.Being somewhat depleted as we are financially, we discussed how we can fulfill the $11,000 pledge we made for our benevolences. Consistory decided it was much too important not to pay those pledges to the various causes we support, so they decided to meet this obligation by dipping again into our savings. How much of a “dip” that will be depends on our year end giving. I pray you have a love-filled Christmas, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** * December 13, 2024 Christmas fast approaches! When I was just a little guy, the days leading up to Christmas seemed endless. Time moved so slowly as my family and I checked off each day on the Advent calendar. Would Christmas ever come? Now in my “senior years” the opposite is true. December wizzes by at breakneck speed. There is so much to do and it’s already the third Sunday in Advent? Are you kidding? How am I ever going to get it all done? Yes, ready or not, here comes the third weekend before Christmas. It will start Saturday with the Advent Breakfast hosted by our Women’s Guild. (It’s not just for the ladies; we men are invited too.) I look forward to welcoming friends from other area churches who will join us. The fellowship begins at 9:30. Then Sunday we will light the third candle on the Advent wreath, and I will continue my reflections on why it’s so important to understand the Christmas gift of God’s light. With the birth of Jesus, God’s light shines in our darkness, but how can that light can become ours? How can we allow it to transform our lives? Oh, and there’s another “December thing” we do each year. It's not really about Christmas, but it's still important. Every December we have a brief congregational meeting to elect our new consistory members. We will do that right after the service this Sunday. Our nominees are: Carolyn Greer for Deacon and Jeff Mudge and Judy Palmatier for Elder. Meanwhile, Christmas fast approaches. I pray our hearts will be ready to receive its joyous message of Peace, Hope and Love. Grace to you, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** December 6, 2024 All things point to Christmas! We have the candle of hope lit on the Advent wreath and this Sunday we will ignite the peace candle. Lights are aglow on the houses and in the yards of our neighborhoods. Yes, it’s starting to feel like Christmas. Even the weather has cooperated by covering us with snow - a Christmas requirement for us in the northeast. As the song goes, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.” But not in our sanctuary. Not yet, but we’ll fix that this Sunday after our service when we will bring out the decorations, hang the greens and trim the trees. And we will even feed our helpers with a pizza lunch. If you’re not yet feeling the Christmas spirit, you certainly will when we’ve completed our work that day. Speaking of the Christmas spirit, another way to feel it is to bring an unwrapped toy for the Salvation Army effort to benefit children in our area who otherwise might not have a present to open Christmas morning. Also: The need is great at the Food Pantry. Take note below of what they are requesting this month. There’s nothing quite like giving to others to get you into that Christmas mood. Sunday we will celebrate communion. My meditation will focus on how important light is to understanding the true meaning of Christmas. As John put it, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1: 5) What exactly is the light that come to us at Christmas? And why was it necessary for God to shine it? Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ****** November 27, 2024 The Holidays Are Upon Us! Last night’s wonderful Thanksgiving service with our Hilltown brothers and sisters was the official start of the holiday season. Here are our plans for what lies ahead: Now until December 15: The collection of new unwrapped toys for the Salvation Army. The collection box is in the Fellowship Hall. November 28: HAPPY THANKSGIVING! December 1: The first Sunday of Advent. Noreen Fargione will be preaching. December 8: Communion Service followed by “The Hanging of the Greens” decorating party - including pizza for the helpers. December 15 and 22: Advent Worship Services. We’ll be “looking deeper” into the meaning of Christmas. December 10 and 17: Tuesday Bible Study - 12:30 p.m. December 14: The Guild’s annual Advent Breakfast and devotional service, starting at 9:30 a.m. Men are invited too! December 19: Consistory Meeting Christmas Eve: 7:00 p.m. Candlelight Service And of course, December 25: MERRY CHRISTMAS! I pray you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and a blessed Christmas, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ** November 22, 2024 An Introduction . . . I am pleased to introduce to you our next Treasurer! She is Lisa Allendorph from Delmar, NY. Lisa has taken on a special role in our Lord’s Church, as she has become the Bookkeeper and Treasurer for several area churches, including the First Reformed Church of Bethlehem, The Delmar Presbyterian Church and New Scotland Presbyterian Church. We already knew Lisa through her service as Treasurer of the Classis of Albany. She is a busy lady! But she has agreed to set aside time to serve us in this capacity. She and our current Treasurer, Joanie de Paz, will be working together to enable Lisa to be ready to start up at the beginning of next year. This is not a “volunteer” job. We are providing her with a monthly “salary” of $300 to do the many tasks a Treasurer must do for a church these days. As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I am particularly thankful to our God for providing us with Lisa and the financial skills she brings to us. Even more, I am so grateful for the wonderful job Joanie has done for us. As I listened to Joanie interview Lisa for this job, I was “blown away” by all the tasks our Treasurer must do for us (so many reports to compile; so many forms to fill out!). And Joanie did it all so competently. I know we are all deeply grateful to her for the service she has given us. ********** **** Speaking of Thanksgiving, I hope you can join our brothers and sisters of our neighboring Hilltown Churches for the Thanksgiving worship service this Tuesday. It will be at the Clarksville Community Church at 7:00 p.m. I am particularly happy that Pastors Greg and Becky Town and members of their congregations (Knox and Thompson Lake) will be joining us. A special offering will be taken to support area food pantries. This Sunday I will be reflecting on a beautiful moment in Jesus’ life that is recorded exclusively in Luke’s Gospel. It is when a "woman of ill repute" crashed a party Jesus was attending and began to “anoint him” with her tears and expensive perfume (much to the horror of the religious authorities who witnessed it). You can read this moving account by clicking here. I understand that this coming holiday week might be the most heavily traveled holiday that we have ever seen in this country. If you are among those travelers, I pray you have a safe journey. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******* November 15, 2024 CONSISTORY NEWS Here are some of the plans consistory finalized at this week’s meeting (in rough chronological order): •Food Pantry pick-up day is this Sunday the 17th. While we have collected all the turkey gravy they asked for, the pantry can always use regular donations - especially non-food staples. •We will participate in the Hilltown Thanksgiving service on Tuesday, November 26. It will be at the Community Church in Clarksville - 7:00 p.m. •From November 21 to December 15 we will be collecting donations of new unwrapped toys for the Salvation Army. A collection box will be in Fellowship Hall. •There will be a sign-up sheet for people wishing to donate Poinsettias for the sanctuary. •We will celebrate communion December 8. After that service we will decorate the sanctuary for Christmas. Pizza will be served for our workers. •The Guild will have its regular meeting on December 4 - and will host its annual Advent Breakfast, 9:30 a.m. on Saturday December 14. The Guild wants all to know that everybody - including us men - are invited. •We will have our traditional Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 7:00 p.m. this year. Other Items were considered at their meeting: •We have booked another Bar-B-Q for May 23rd. It will be a part of our Anniversary celebration next year. We are considering adding strawberry shortcake to the menu, recognizing the old Strawberry Festivals we used to have. The guild is so grateful for its successful Election Day Sale. They raised over $2,100 for their hard work! •The process of receiving nominations for consistory is under way. Nomination forms are in the church. •We are currently interviewing a candidate to be our Treasurer when Joanie ends her service at the end of this year. She is not a member of our church and thus will be a paid employee. She is the current treasurer of the Classis of Albany and serves as treasurer for other churches in the area. •Work on the septic system of the parsonage is underway. •Our Treasurer reported that we continue to hold a positive balance for the year - though we anticipate much of that surplus will be used to pay for the parsonage septic work. ********** ********** *** This Sunday I will be looking at what I call the sequel to the Parable of the Prodigal Son. I know that typically (with a few exceptions) sequels in Hollywood aren’t as good as the original. But in this case I think Part 2 of the story is very important for our understanding of our faith. You can find part 2 - the sequel - here. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** *** November 8, 2024 Way to go! Congratulations to all the volunteers who planned and put together this year’s Election Day Craft and Bake sale. Dozens of pies, cookies, brownies and other goodies (and even 40 quarts of soup!) were all prepared and beautifully displayed. And it was all gone by mid-afternoon - a complete sell-out! Along with the beautiful crafts, the sale raised a whopping $2,000. A big thank you to all of you who chipped in to make it a such a wonderful day. And praise be to God for enabling us to pull it all off! This Monday is Veterans Day. It’s the day when we honor all who served our country in our Armed Forces. It was first known as Armistice Day and was established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, in honor of the signing of the Armistice to end World War I. The signing took place at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, giving significance to the day and time. President Eisenhower changed the name of the celebration to Veterans Day in 1954 at the end of the Korean War to honor all Veterans. In the spirit of Veterans Day, I’d like to reflect this Sunday on a key ideal in our country. It’s what all veterans have served to protect and defend - our freedom. What does it mean to be free in our land? And what does the Bible say about it? What does it mean for us Christians to “be free in Christ?” I hope you can be with us this Sunday. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ** November 2, 2024 Wow! What a Sermon! A friend of mine passed along to me a sermon that instantly “hooked” me for three reasons. First it referred to “Cape Cod and the Islands” - Sue’s and my happy place. Second, since I am a history buff, I was delighted how it shared a little known bit of history about Martha’s Vineyard, one of those islands off the coast of Cape Cod. And third, it was a powerful proclamation of how that history can connect to God’s Word and how we live it today. The author of that sermon is Chaplain Nadia Bolz-Weber. It was originally preached in a women’s prison. Her title is “Oh good, now we know who the REAL problem is,” based on the text, Mark 7: 31-37. I feel the sermon is too good not to pass along to you. That’s what I will do at tomorrow’s service. I’m borrowing heavily from it. Here’s a “tease” from it: Did you know that Martha’s Vineyard was bi-lingual for most of the 18th and 19th Century? Long before it was a vacation spot, the locals there spoke both English and a second language. It wasn’t Spanish, nor was it French - but a language you’d never guess. I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. MEANWHILE . . . Tomorrow we also celebrate communion. Not only is this Tuesday a big day for our country, it’s also a big day for our church. That day we will have our traditional election day Bake and Craft Sale. Preparation (i.e., pie making) will be happening in our church kitchen Monday morning starting 9:00 a.m. It would be great if you could stop by and lend a hand. Because of election day, we will not have Bible Study this Tuesday. Oh, and enjoy the extra hour of sleep we all get because we turn our clocks back an hour tonight. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** * October 26, 2024 URC HAPPENINGS . . . This morning we had a planning meeting for the Hilltown churches’ Thanksgiving Service. I’m happy to say that we are growing! Pastors Becky and Greg Town from the Knox and Berne Reformed Churches will be joining us for this special service of praise and thanksgiving. Pastor Becky will even be singing a solo anthem. Our own Judy Kimes will be directing a combined choir. Starting next week, rehearsals will be Thursdays at 1:00 pm at Clarksville or 3:00 pm at Unionville. The service will be held at the Clarksville Community Church on Tuesday evening, November 26, at 7:00 pm. A special offering will be taken to support three area food pantries (including a new one that is forming in Berne). MORE NEWS: We received word from our Treasurer Joanie de Paz that she will be resigning, effective the end of this year. It saddens me to accept her resignation. She has done such a wonderful job! But because of the care she will be giving for her aging mom, it’s just too much for her to keep up with the duties of being a treasurer. That means we are looking for someone who can take her place. Our treasurer uses Quickbooks to keep track of our finances and pay our bills. If this is something you can volunteer to do, then please give me or any consistory member a call. Joanie says she is more than willing to help train a new recruit. If we can’t find a replacement from “in house,” then we’ll have to hire a non-member to do it. TOMORROW’S SERVICE: My thoughts for tomorrow’s sermon will be based on the Votum that begins every Reformed worship service. The Votum proclaims, “OUR HELP IS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD WHO MADE HEAVEN AND EARTH.” It’s an echo of Psalm 121. I’ll also be using an incident recorded in Acts 3: 1-10 to reflect with you on just how it is that we can receive help from our God as we face the challenges of life. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ***** October 18, 2024 Consistory News The consistory met this week. Here are some of the fall and holiday plans they reviewed: It’s that time to submit your nominations for elders and deacons to serve on consistory from 2025 to 2027. “Ballots” will soon be available at church. We will next celebrate communion on November 3rd. (By the way — That’s the day Daylight Savings Time ends.) Our next Planning Meeting for our 200th Anniversary celebration will be October 23 at noon. Congratulations to the Women’s Guild! Their Chicken Bar-B-Q was a great success, raising just under $700. It was a “sellout,” and the meal itself had rave reviews. The holiday season will soon be upon us! Our congregation will be represented at the Hilltown Planning Meeting for our Thanksgiving worship service. The committee will meet at 10:00 a.m. on October 26, at the Clarksville Community Church. The worship service itself will be November 26th.Election Day is November 5th. The Guild will hold its traditional craft and bake sale that day. The day before, volunteers will gather at 9:00 a.m. in our church kitchen to peel apples and prepare pies for the sale. “Many hands make light work.” The Guild’s next meeting will be November 6th.The next Food Pantry Pickup Day will be November 15. Looking ahead to the Christmas season, we will decorate our sanctuary with the “Hanging of the Greens” after church on the 8th of December. We will also celebrate communion that day. The Guild’s Advent Breakfast will be on December 14th at 9:30 am. Our Treasurer, Joanie de Paz, reported on the finances for last August and September. All bills were paid and the combined totals for both months left us with a positive balance of just over $1,100. ********** ******* I look forward to worshiping with you this Sunday. I will be looking at an amazing affirmation made by Paul in his letter to the Christians in Rome. He says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him . . .” (Romans 8: 28) Really? All things? I must admit that it’s really hard to see any good at all in some things. But it’s in the Bible, so it must be true. This Sunday I’ll try to explain how it really is true. Yes, all things. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******* October 4, 2024 Give Thanks to the Lord! Yes, I am thanking God this morning as I look forward to a great day. It looks like beautiful fall weather is forecast for our cook-out! Now my only prayer is that we have no auto accidents in our front yard as we serve well over 100 chicken dinners to our “customers.” If God answers that prayer as I hope, then I’m sure the event will be a glorious success and many will be blessed by the causes the Women’s Guild will support with the funds they raise by it. Thanks to all of you who are working so hard to make it all happen. When the Bar-B-Q is finished, there will still be one more item on our church docket. We’ve been praying for Debbie Mudge and her family as they grieve the death of their father, Clifford Scoons. The funeral service will be this evening. There will be a time for visiting the family from 4:00 to 7:00 pm and the service will follow at 7:00. It will all be at the Applebee Funeral Home. And yes, I’m thanking God for this time as well as our planned cook-out. It’s such a blessing to have a church family in our times of sorrow as God’s love is made real in our loving support for one another. And even more, I am thankful to God for the hope of an eternity with God that is the heart of what we will be celebrating this evening. This Sunday we will celebrate communion presumably with Christians all around the world on “World Communion Sunday.” I’m going to take that opportunity to discuss with you just what exactly we are doing when we break bread and share the cup together. What does it mean to do it all “in remembrance of him?” May God bless our gatherings these next few days. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********* September 26, 2024 Wait! Stop! Before you read further, please go get a piece of paper or notepad and a pencil . . . * * * * Good. Now I ask you to think of at least three people you can ask to purchase a dinner at our Chicken Cookout. (See flyer below.) * * * * Great. Now write those names down, along with their contact info. * * * Now go and ASK THEM! * * * * Congratulations! You now have helped make our Cookout a great success. Thank you! * * * * I send prayers for Sunday’s Worship. Belinda, Jeff and the choir will be leading the service. I’ll next see some of you at our Bible Study October 1st and of course, the Cook Out on October 4th. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******* September 20, 2024 Job One Usually when we go to our cottage on the Cape there’s a “honey do” list of projects that need to be done. Like a screen to repair or trim that needs painting. There’s always something. But this time our trip to the Cape had only one “job.” It was to get Sue back on her feet and walking again. I am glad to report that “Job One” was successfully accomplished. She’s walking, still gingerly, but she can get about without a walker or even a cane. And yesterday she passed a milestone. She drove her car for the first time since the surgery! Thank you Lord! And thanks to you, our church family. Your prayerful support was amazing: Meals prepared, flowers sent and get-well cards and notes filled our mail box. It’s such a blessing to be a part of our “Little Church that Cares.” So now it’s back to the work of our church. There’s worship, of course. This Sunday I’ll be wrestling with the idea that God’s grace is not only amazing; it’s also unfair. That’s the idea that hits me when I read the text for Sunday. It’s Jesus’ parable about the workers in the Vineyard. And I see by the banners and signs in front of our church that there’s a “Cookout” coming up. (See below.) Pre-vacation, my thought was, “Oh that’s a long way off . . .” Now that I’m home, it’s, “Holy Cow! That’s coming soon!” So, in the short time we have left before October 4th is upon us, please be sure to ask friends, neighbors and family to buy a ticket to the dinner! I’m looking forward to being with you again this Sunday. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** August 30, 2024 Something Different We are going to break out of our usual mold this Sunday and worship in a different way with a different group of people. We have accepted the invitation from Pastors Becky and Greg Town of the Knox and Thompson’s Lake Reformed Churches to worship with them at Thacher Park. The 10:00 am service will be followed by a picnic fellowship. WE ARE CAR POOLING FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO JOIN US. We’ll meet at 9:15 am to figure out who’s going with whom and load up our lawn chairs and pot-luck items, etc. I post here a notice from Pastor Greg: Hello everyone! We can't wait for Sunday morning worship at Thacher Park on Sunday, 10am, at Glen Doone Overlook. We’re hoping for great weather, and we'll have a good turnout from several congregations! Remember to bring a lawn chair... and, if you want, a dish to pass for our picnic. I'll be bringing my smoked pulled pork and buns for everyone. Water and lemonade will be provided, but feel free to bring your own beverages. We'll also bring plates, plastic-ware, and such, but you can bring your own place setting if you like. If you haven't been to the Glen Doone area before, there is ample parking, as well as a newer bathroom building. Nearly everything is decently handicap accessible. If anyone needs to park closer to our meeting areas, there are driveways to get closer and park. There are plenty of picnic tables under the pavilion, but no seating over on the patio. Half of the patio should be shaded in the morning, but not all of it and the sun will move on us, so a hat may help. We will be worshiping down on the patio by the overlook, then we'll move to the picnic pavilion for our meal and fellowship. If the forecast turns, we'll move worship to the picnic pavilion. Parking will cost $6 per vehicle for the day (which is a good way to support our local state park). Your parking pass will get you access to all of the park that day, so you may wish to go to a few other places in the park to enjoy the beauty. Or you could park your car and take a hike. Hope to see you there!! Peace - Pastor Greg I echo Pastor Greg and say, "I hope to see you Sunday!" Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ ________ August 24, 2024 Thank You! Sue and I thank you for your prayerful support through her hip replacement surgery. We’re thanking God for a successful operation. Now comes the hard part. It’s clear to us that she’ll have a difficult recovery. She is still living with a lot of pain and weakness in her hip. Movement is extremely difficult. Your continued prayers are most appreciated. Meanwhile there are a lot of things on our church calendar: Worship tomorrow. I still have some more thoughts on the Golden Rule, so I’ll share Part 3 of “Living By the Gold Standard.”A planning meeting for our anniversary is this Tuesday at noon.Consistory meets Thursday at 1:00 p.m.And next Sunday, September 1st we worship at Thacher Park, 10:00 a.m. - hosted by Knox and Thompson Lakes. It will be good to gather as a church family tomorrow and worship our awesome God. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** *** August 16, 2024 Special Gatherings We have two special events coming up for the end of our summer: First, our prayer chain members were asked today for their prayers to focus on the family of Pat Burnett. Pat’s long battle with failing health ended today and she now rests in the nearer presence of our Lord. Here is what we’ve planned for our “gathering” on Wednesday, August 21 to honor Pat’s life and celebrate our hope in the resurrection of our Lord: It will begin with a calling hour at 10 a.m. to greet the family. It will be in our sanctuary.The funeral service itself will be at 11:00 am.A graveside committal service will take place after the service. It will be in the Onesquethaw Cemetery.Then it’s back to church for a lunch reception. Food for a light lunch at the reception will be provided by Pat’s family. The set-up, serving and clean-up will be done by the Women’s Guild. If you can assist with those tasks, please contact Kim Watson or Bonnie Banahan. I pray that God will bless our efforts to make it a wonderful day of remembrances of Pat and a celebration of our hope in God’s love and grace. The second gathering will be with our neighbor hilltown congregations at Thacher Park on September 1st. The day will begin with a 10:00 am outdoor worship service. Music will be led by Delmar Reformed Church’s Director of Music, Brian Axford and his wife Lauren (They’re really good!). Fellowship and a picnic will follow. Knox and Thompson's Lake Reformed Churches invited the churches of our classis to join them for this gathering and our consistory accepted their gracious offer. This event will be at the Glen Done Pavilion. We are asked to bring a lawn chair and, if you wish, your favorite dish to share for the picnic. Pastor Greg will provide his home-smoked pulled pork sandwiches. Water and lemonade will be provided. It will be good for us to car-pool, for there will be a $6.00 parking fee per vehicle assessed by the park authority. Let's all offer a prayer up to God for the creation of a beautiful day. (Though this event will be “rain or shine.”) Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** * August 10, 2024 Thank You! Have you ever felt that those two little words, “Thank you,” are not enough to convey the profound gratitude you have for something you were given? That’s exactly what I have felt this week. “Thank you” doesn’t begin to convey how grateful I am for the reception you put on to celebrate the 50th anniversary of my ordination. I will always keep that day as one of the most treasured moments in my ministry. Where to begin: Not one, but two stoles beautifully crafted by Bonnie Banahan. The great “spread” of goodies prepared by many helpers. The giant cake with its message of congratulations. Seeing old friends from Claverack and Delmar. And the many cards and notes of love and appreciation. What one word would I use to describe that day? Let’s see . . . . how about, “Colossal.” Or, “Awesome,” “Amazing,” “Stupendous,” “Wonderful,” “Unbelievable,” or just plain “Great!” And my response? Profound Gratitude. You all are the best. Tomorrow I have to get my head back out of the clouds a return to reality. That means a sermon. I’ll be talking about living on the gold standard. It won’t be about economics. Rather, I’ll be talking about one of the ways Jesus summed up all the laws of God and all the messages of all the prophets. You can find it here. We often describe it as “golden.” Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** *** August 2, 2024 So Long Ago Exactly 50 years ago, on a hot steamy August 4th in the year of our Lord 1974, I was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament in my spiritual home, the Federated Church of Chagrin Falls, Ohio. I’m sure no one would believe me if I tried to say that I was ordained that day having just graduated from kindergarten. Still, I was pretty young - not quite 26. And as I look back over those 50 years, I realize I didn’t have a clue what God had in store for me - or what it would really be like. It’s been quite a journey! Along the way, I encountered so many blessings, so many challenges, so many wonderful people, so many “difficult” people, so many sorrows, and so many joys. The Pastoral Ministry is a remarkable calling. This Sunday I will take this opportunity to share with you what I feel is the most important lesson I have learned over my career. It’s a lesson that took a while for me to learn and once I did, it changed the tone and focus of my ministry. In my opinion, it’s a lesson we must all remember as followers of Jesus. I also look forward to the reception the Women’s Guild is providing Sunday afternoon, 1 to 3 pm. It’s wonderful that they are giving people from the churches I have served an opportunity to stop by and offer good wishes. Sunday we will also celebrate communion. I look forward to gathering at our Lord’s Table with you again. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** July 13, 2024 So Many Blessings In the wake of my “cardiac experience” I am feeling profound gratitude for the many blessings I received because of it. No, I’d rather not experience that “storm” again, but I am thankful for the “silver linings” that were in its clouds. First, I am thankful for your prayerful care and concern. It was wonderful that through it all, I could lie back and rest in your supportive prayers and encouragement. Thank you. Second, I am glad they didn’t find some more serious problems. It took them quite a while to diagnose my problem. They knew I was having some sort of heart abnormality, but they couldn’t find what was causing it (one doctor called me her “mystery patient.”). But as they kept looking, all they could find was a very healthy heart for an old guy like me. Thank you, Lord. Third, once they did find the problem (it’s “Atrial Flutter”), they could “fix” it. I underwent an electrical procedure called “cardioversion.” It’s like when you press the “reset” button on your electronic device. I am indeed reset, and all is working well. I have a free bill of health to carry on as normal. Praise God for modern medicine! Fourth, “carrying on as normal” means I can be with you tomorrow for worship. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! I’ll be preaching on — guess what? — “Surviving the Storms of Life.” I’ll be talking about the two guys in Jesus’ parable who experienced a storm. One survived quite nicely; the other didn’t. What was the difference? With deep gratitude, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** * HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY! I hope you are enjoying this day when we commemorate the idea that ignited our nation - that all of us are created equal and free. This Sunday we will keep the 4th of July spirit going as we focus on "what it takes to be a good Christian citizen of this great land of ours." I hope you will be able to make worship a part of this "July 4th weekend" - whether with us here at Unionville, or wherever it is that your holiday travels have taken you. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******* June 28, 2024 If Aristotle was correct, we’ll be on a quest for wisdom this Sunday. I’ll be sharing Part 2 of the sermon on “The Foundational Sin.” — the sin that is the impetus to all other sin. I made a case that it is idolatry, having something other than God as the core value of our lives. Idolatry is not about bowing to statues. It’s about dedicating our lives to persons, things, or causes that become for us our ultimate reason for being. It’s allowing something other than God to be in that number one place in our souls. It’s breaking the very first commandment, “Have no other gods before me.” (There’s good reason it's the first of the 10 commands from God.) I also said it is very hard to identify such idols in our lives. So many of them seem quite honorable: Being a success, devotion to family, joining a worthy cause, staying fit mentally or physically, loving our country - there are countless wonderful things that can enter that place within us where nothing else matters. When that cause - good as it may be - enters the place in our hearts where only God belongs, anything goes. We find ourselves willing to do anything - sacrifice anything - in order to satisfy that ambition. False Gods can turn us into moral pariahs. In the spirit of Aristotle, how can we truly “know ourselves?” Might we be serving a false God in our lives? How can we know if we are? Has something quite admirable moved beyond it bounds into where only God belongs? I’ll be trying to answer those questions with practical tips for your spiritual self-assessment. We’ll be following the advice of Lamentations 3: 40 where is says, “Let us examine our ways, and return to the Lord!” Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** June 22, 2024 “The Foundational Sin” That will be the focus of my sermon tomorrow at our worship service. What do you think it is? I’m talking about the one sin on which all other sins are built. The one sin that if committed, opens the floodgates for all other sin. Is it one the the “seven deadlies?” (Those are pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth.) Or is it “the original sin” of Adam and Eve? Perhaps it’s found in breaking one of the ten commandments. Come to worship tomorrow with your nomination and compare it with the one foundational sin that I’ll suggest. Oh, and yes, it will be great to be back with you again after our week away - even though we’ve been greeted with this muggy hot and stormy weather. We were spoiled on the Cape by the gentle sea breezes that kept us in the cool 70’s all week. (Oops, now you’re probably mad at me for gloating; I hope you’ll forgive me and come to worship anyway.) Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** * June 14, 2024 We Welcome a Guest! This Sunday we are pleased to welcome the Rev. Perry Jones to our pulpit. Perry is the Executive Director the the Capital City Rescue Mission. The Mission’s ministry has been a mainstay in the Albany area, advocating for and serving the poor and homeless for many decades. On their website (you can see it by clicking here) they post their mission statement: “Capital City Rescue Mission is dedicated to proclaiming the gospel to the homeless and needy of the Capital Region, providing for the whole person – body, mind and spirit – to help them return to society maturing as productive citizens.” Don’t worry - We won’t forget Father’s Day! In fact, Perry’s sermon title is, “The Courageous Faith of a Faithful Father.” Following the service we will have a special coffee hour in honor of Father’s Day. During that fellowship time there will be an offering plate where you can donate a gift to support the Rescue Mission’s ministry. In the same spirit of helping those in need, I remind you that the Food Pantry pick-up day for this month is this Sunday as well. I’m sorry not be be with you this special day, but I’ll certainly be connected with you in my thoughts and prayers. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** * June 7, 2024 At its meeting this week the consistory considered the following items: The Rev. Perry Jones will be preaching at our service on June 16. He is the Executive Director of the Capital City Rescue Mission. There will be a free will offering for the Mission during the coffee hour following the service. The Anniversary Committee will meet on June 12th at 4:00 pm. So begins our planning for our 200th Anniversary celebrations next year. If you’d like to serve on this committee, please come! Mark your calendar! The Women’s Guild is planning a fund raising dinner for October 4th. They are currently negotiating with Barbecue Delights, a company from Schoharie. We accepted the invitation from Knox and Thomson’s Lake Reformed Churches to join them for a Worship Service and Picnic on September 1st at 10:00 a.m. at the Glen Doone Pavilion at Thacher Park. We are hoping this will be a big gathering for all of the “Hilltown Churches!” The pick-up day for the Food Pantry is June 16th.Many thanks to Paul Watson for keeping the Mead Cemetery mowed and trimmed. Our Treasurer reported that April ended with a positive $3,000 balance. These “surplus” monthly balances are very important because we will have some major expenses later this year. One, as always, is our benevolent giving to missions; the other is the anticipated expenses for the repair of the parsonage’s septic system. The cost for those repairs will be approximately $17,000. We are negotiating that figure with Vadney’s Plumbing and our neighbor Dan Lynch, who lives behind the parsonage and has offered his labor and equipment to work for free on the leach field. The consistory will have a special capital improvement offering to help defray this cost. Our next meeting will be July 11. __________ _________ This Sunday’s sermon will focus on a very important part of our relationship with God: TRUST. How deep is your trust in God? What does the proverb mean when it exhorts us to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding?” (Proverbs 3: 5) All this week while I have been thinking about this sermon, I’ve suffered from an “earworm.” That’s a rather unpleasant sounding term for when a song gets stuck in your head and you keep humming it over and over to your self. What was the song embedded in me this week? The hymn “Trust and Obey.” We will sing it this Sunday and I hope it gets “stuck” in your heads too! Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** May 31, 2024 Watch out! That was a warning from Jesus: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.” (Matthew 7:15) All sorts of people can say all sorts of things about God and what God wants. What they say can sound good and may seem harmless, but before you know it their messages damage the truth about God and sow deceit and discord in God’s church. How can we separate the gentle sheep from the ferocious wolves? Who is proclaiming God’s truth these days and who are the false prophets filling us with distortions that lead us down harmful paths? Last Sunday I talked about specific ways we can “tune in” to God and let God speak to us. This Sunday I want to take us to the next step. Once we are tuned in and begin to “hear” God, how can we “test” what we are hearing to be sure it is a genuine message from God? How can we discern God’s voice amidst all the noise and chatter claiming to come from God these days? It’s also the first Sunday of the month, so we’ll celebrate communion. Wow, it’s June already. Time is flying . . . Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******* May 25, 2024 We remember . . . At Cape Cod, where we spent the past couple of weeks, everybody looks to Memorial Day weekend as the start-up of the summer season. It’s the weekend when the Cape starts to get busy again. People return to open their cottages after a long winter shut-down. It’s the weekend when stores and restaurants re-open for the tourists and when you begin to pay parking fees at the beaches. With Memorial Day weekend, we say, “Summer has arrived.” Of course Memorial Day is much more than that. It’s not just about outdoor gatherings and family barbecues. It is intended to provide a unifying national moment when we all remember those who died defending our freedoms. It’s a sobering reminder that the liberties we enjoy and can often take for granted come to us at a dear price. So at this Sunday’s service we will conclude with a prayerful moment in which we recall those who have died in service to our country defending our freedoms. In our closing prayer I will invite you to call out the names of those you knew personally or knew about who gave that ultimate sacrifice. My sermon will pick up the theme of my last one, which was so long ago you probably don’t remember it! To refresh your memory, I used the image of the burning bush in which God spoke to Moses as a metaphor for how God might be speaking to us today. What are the “burning bushes” around us now, calling us to serve God’s Kingdom? Tomorrow I will be thinking with you about how we can “tune in” to what God might be saying to us these days and I will also look at what prohibits us from listening when God speaks. I’ll be using Jesus’ parable about the four soils to guide us. You can find it here in Luke 8: 4-8 and 11-15. It’ll be great to worship with you again! Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******* May 6, 2024 hank You! Thanks first to our six walkers who represented our Congregation at yesterday's CROP Walk. They braved hurricane conditions (well, not quite) and walked over 2 1/2 miles, raising even more that we had raised last year! So another big "Thank You" to all of you who contributed to the cause. Well done everybody! You will note in the photo above that our walkers were rewarded. Thanks to our partner walkers from Delmar Reformed, we each received a free ice cream from Stewarts. As Judy said, It's proof "that it's never too wet and clamy for ice cream!" This Sunday is Mothers Day. Unfortunately Sue and I will be away, but Belinda will certainly lead a wonderful service that day. It is also the pick up day for the Food Pantry. God Bless! Pastor Dave >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> May 3, 2024 Consistory News At this week’s consistory meeting the following items were reviewed: •First, the CROP WALK which will take place this Sunday: We will be joining the Delmar Reformed Church’s walk along the bike trail. It will start at the church at 12:30 p.m. You can make an online contribution to support our 6 walkers by clicking here. I’m praying that we will surpass the “award winning” amount we raised last year! Funds raised by the walk support hunger programs locally and around the world. •The Women’s Guild BarBQ had to be canceled. They are exploring a Lasagna Dinner as a possible alternative fund raiser. Tentative date: October 4. •Judy Kimes will attend the Albany Synod Annual Meeting as a delegate from Albany Classis. That meeting will be May 6th. •Consistory has formed an Anniversary Committee for the celebration of our 200th year. We named six people to serve on it and will announce who they are once we have confirmed their willingness to serve. We’d welcome anyone who would offer to join the effort. •Our treasurer noted that March was a great month, ending with a positive balance of $3,400. •We have taken care of a number of little issues at the parsonage, but the much larger project of needed repair to its septic system is on the docket for this summer. We are researching what requirements are needed and seeking bids for the work to be done. (It’s going to be a big bill!) We are celebrating communion this Sunday. I hope to see you then! Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> We’re back! That is not spoken in the tone of that proverbial warning, “We’re b-a-ack.” No, it’s a joyful, “Yay! We’re back!!! We had a wonderful time at the U. S. Virgin Islands where we stayed at St. Thomas and visited St. John’s. In fact, we were having so much fun in that island paradise that we added a couple of days to our planned stay! Now it’s back to reality, as in 31 degrees this morning and a sermon to finish for Sunday, not to mention a staggering list of “to-do’s” here at our house and its yard and a consistory meeting this Thursday. But it’s sunny, the spring flowers are beautiful and I’m picking up a new bee hive tomorrow. Yay! We’re back! Life is good. God is good. I look forward to worshiping with you Sunday. Remember the Lenten series on “Questions in the Bible?” This Sunday I’ll be addressing one of those questions I never got to because of a Sunday “snow day.” It’s asked by Jesus to his disciples as many of his followers were beginning to second-guess their decision to follow him. It’s asked here in verse 67 of the 6th chapter of John’s Gospel. I can’t wait to get up-to-date on all that’s happening at our church - especially our CROP Walkers and the pledged support they are receiving. See you Sunday, I hope! Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> April 5, 2024 A good question . . . This Lent we have been exploring questions that are asked in the Bible. This Sunday we’ll deal with another question, but it wasn’t asked in the Bible. It was a question directed to me on Easter morning by a member of our church. She wondered, “What actually happens when we die?” I think that’s a great topic to explore the Sunday after Easter. We just celebrated our Lord’s victory over his death; so what does it actually mean for us and our death? We’ll look to the Bible - especially parts of I Corinthians 15 - for some clues. I say “clues” because the Bible doesn’t get too specific about our experience after death. In fact Paul calls it “a mystery” in the text I’ll be using. But there has been enough of that “mystery” revealed to us that we can stand for the Apostles’ Creed and affirm that “we believe in the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.” We’ll explore just what that means for us and our hope in Jesus Christ. Speaking of the Apostles’ Creed, this Sunday we will celebrate communion, so we’ll be affirming it as we always do when we come to the Lord’s Table. On a very different note, our church is going to receive “special recognition” this Sunday at the the kick-off meeting for this year’s annual CROP Walk. We are going to receive the “Best New Effort Award” for our participation in last year’s walk. Our own Judy Kimes will be attending that meeting and will no doubt take a bow on our behalf. If you would like to join Judy so you too can bask in the acclamation, let her know - the meeting is this Sunday, 3:00 pm at First Reformed Church, Albany. Sue and I will be on a break after this Sunday so the weekly Bible Study will be taking a hiatus for the next three Tuesdays. Our preachers will be Rusty Riley on the 14th and Belinda on the 21st. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** March 29, 2024 Easter Morning Worship In the Sanctuary - 10:30 a.m. Sermon: Piercing Questions: "Do You Love Me?" John 21: 1-17 ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** **** March 22, 2024 Consistory Updates Here are some of the highlights of this week’s consistory Meeting: •We are participating in the Hilltown Maundy Thursday worship service at Jerusalem Reformed (7:00 p.m.). It will be a Tenebrae service and will include communion. •We will begin our celebration of Easter at 9:00 a.m. with breakfast provided by the Women’s Guild. Our worship celebrating the resurrection of our Lord will be at our usual time, 10:30 a.m. •Please let us know your plans for providing Easter Flowers by signing up on the lists by each exit of the church (or let Belinda Phillips know A.S.A.P.). •The next meeting of the Women’s Guild will be April 3rd. • Mark your calendar! The Guild’s next BBQ dinner will be May 31st. •The next Food Pantry pick-up day is April 14. •Consistory hopes we will have walkers in this year’s Annual CROP Walk which raises funds to fight hunger. It will be May 5th. We can walk with the Delmar Reformed Church as we did last year. •Our hot water tank in the church is not working. We hope to have it fixed in time for our Easter Breakfast. (We are also hoping it needs “fixing” and not “replacing!”) •Thanks to Paul Watson’s efforts, our old gas stove has found a new home. The Elsmere American Legion paid us $200 to take it off our hands. •Our Treasurer Joanie de Paz reported that February was “a good month.” Our income outpaced expenses by just over $1,100. Praise God! •Joanie also pointed out that our Denominational Assessment will total $4,451 this year. Assessments are what each congregation gives toward the administrative expenses of our denomination’s higher judicatories (Classis of Albany, the Particular Synod of Albany, and the national General Synod). It now is figured as a percentage of each church’s income. When you do the math for our congregation, our assessment comes to about $123 per each active member. Consistory asks that if you can, please consider giving a reimbursement gift for that expense. While this gift in no way impacts your status as a member (it is NOT a “membership fee!”), it is a great help to the church financially. The Consistory thanks you for considering this. __________ ____ The "Lenten Question” we will focus on for this Palm Sunday will indeed be a "piercing one" since we know what happens after Palm Sunday. We know the joyous "Hosannas!" quickly turn into shouts of "Crucify him!" So our focused question is the one Jesus asked his disciples while many followers were having doubts about him and leaving his movement: “You do not want to leave too, do you?”We’ll be thinking about the role doubts play in our faith. I look forward to gathering with my church family for our Palm Sunday worship together. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********* March 15, 2024 “Down in the dumps” This Lent we are focusing on questions asked in the Bible. We are directing them at ourselves in an effort to do a little “soul searching” to prepare ourselves for the good news of Easter. The Bible is full of such questions. They are often directed either by God to humans or by humans to God. This Sunday will be different. It will be a question a person is asking himself. It’s asked as a part of a conversation the Psalmist is having with himself. He is literally trying to talk himself out of depression. The question he asks is, “Why, My Soul, Are You Downcast?” (Psalm 46:5) Or as Eugene Peterson renders it in his version of the Bible, “Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues?” We will be reflecting on that question and looking at how the Psalmist talks himself out of it. (Does he? You can read the Psalm by clicking here.) “Why are you down in the dumps, dear soul?” It’s a good question to be asking ourselves these days. There’s a lot going on that might get us singing those blues. Let’s see how our faith can prevent us from letting that happen as we worship this Sunday. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ** March 9, 2024 A Season of Introspection Lent is a time for self-examination. It’s when we look inside ourselves and assess our spiritual condition and ask how our journey with God and with one another is going. We do this soul searching to make our hearts ready to embrace more profoundly what comes at the end of Lent - the wonderful Good News of Jesus’ resurrection. That means Lent can be tough on us. It makes us confront some things about ourselves that we’d rather not deal with. We all have some things that need “fixing” but to fix them might mean we’d have to disrupt the status quo of our lives. Let’s face it: that can never be easy. But because something is difficult should never be a reason not to do it. So buckle up, Unionville! Let’s do it! This year we’re "doing Lent” by using questions that are asked in the Bible. Each Sunday we are going to take one of those questions and direct it at ourselves. These questions will make us look within and examine our deepest feelings and values. This Sunday we will be asked what Jesus asked his disciples when they were being thrashed about in a little boat out in the Sea of Galilee: “Why are you afraid?” Next week we’ll ask ourselves the question of Psalm 42: “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” After that, the question Jesus asks his disciples, “You don’t want to leave me too, do you?” And for Easter we’ll hear the resurrected Jesus asking us as he did Peter, “Do you love me?” I once heard a professor at Seminary say, “If Lent is done right, it should feel like a spiritual root canal.” OK. But root canals are good things. They take away rotten stuff and replace it with good stuff, right? And with novocain they’re very doable. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** *** March 1, 2024 Time flies . . . It's March 1st already? My how time flies. It seems the older I get, the faster time passes by. And that means I often run up against deadlines like, “Oh my, it’s Friday? I better get working on that sermon!” Or there's the “gentle reminder” I just got from the Stated Clerk of the Classis, saying she hasn’t received the annual consistory report I am supposed to send her. (When I received that “reminder” this week, I literally said to myself, “Oh that’s not due ’til March . . . Oops!”) I don’t want that “Oops” to happen to us. I’m thinking about our anniversary year coming up in 2025. That sounds like a long time off - but it’s not. Not when time flies by so fast! So I repeat the request I made at our recent Annual Meeting (which by the way happened almost two weeks ago! - See how fast time flies?) That request was for volunteers to serve on a little Anniversary Planning Committee for the celebrations I hope we’ll have through the next year. Let me know if you would like to serve on it. Also, start thinking about what you’d like us to do for the next year - which is coming upon us very quickly. In regards to that sermon that is fast approaching (yes, it’s Friday!), I will be starting a little series for the rest of the Lenten season entitled, “Questions That Don’t Go Away.” I’m referring to those tough questions that literally are asked in the Bible - often by Jesus himself. They challenge us to look deep within our hearts to see ourselves as we really are. This Sunday I’ll be starting with sharing why such probing questions are so important for our spiritual development. My text will be Luke 11: 5-13, where Jesus tells us to keep on asking, seeking, knocking. And yes, it’s Communion Sunday (already). Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********* February 9, 2024 “A Humble Walk With God . . .” That is the third exhortation of the prophet Micah’s famous summary of what God desires for us. The righteous person is asked by God to “do justice” and “love mercy” but to do so in a dynamic way as we move forward along the path of life, accompanied by God. This movement (“walking,” as the prophet puts it) is important, for it implies our faith can never be static. Life takes us on a journey with our God. It involves growth, change, maturity and advancement toward a goal, our eternal destiny. As wonderful as that sounds, I think it begs a big question: “How can we tell God is there, walking with us?” Scripture tells us “no one has ever seen God” (1 John 4:12) so how can we be sure God is there with us along the path of life? That’s what I want to think about with you this Sunday: How can we have “eyes to see” and “ears to hear” this God of ours as he is walking beside us (or is it ahead of us?). Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** February 2, 2024 Hesed - We Love It! The Hebrew word above is “Hesed.” It is a word so rich and deep that it takes several of our English words to capture its meaning. Words like, “Mercy,” “Loving Kindness,” “Steadfast Love,” “Grace,” “Gentleness.” Sounds like the very qualities of the heart of God, does’t it? And according to Micah, God wants us to "love hesed." (Click here to see the many ways Micah's call to "love hesed" is translated.) Of course we love receiving kindness and mercy from others, but loving hesed also means we should relish opportunities to offer it - to pass it on to others. We should give mercy even as we have been given mercy. We’ll be exploring what that all means this Sunday as we come to the table of the Lord to celebrate His perfect hesed poured out for us on the cross. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******* January 27, 2023 What does God desire from us? - Justice! This Sunday we will look at the first of the three things the prophet Micah says God “requires of us.” We are to “do justice.” Justice begins with God. It is an innate part of God’s character. God cannot help being just, any more than he can help being good or loving. It is not something God strives for or works at - it simply is a part of God’s nature. As the Bible puts it, “God’s work is perfect, and all his ways are just.” (Deuteronomy 32:4) Micah points out that justice is something we do as believers; it should be as natural to us as it is to God. So what is it? What does it mean to “do justice?” We’ll delve into the world of doing justice together this Sunday. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******* January 19, 2024 The January Consistory Meeting We welcomed the newest Consistory members (Elder Judy Kimes and Deacons Sharon Matott and Shirley Milbert) to the first regular meeting of Consistory in 2024. Here are some of the items we covered: •The following officers were appointed: Judy Kimes, Vice President of Consistory. Joanie de Paz, Treasurer. Belinda Phillips, Recording Secretary. Bonnie Banahan and Judy Kimes are our delegates to the Classis of Albany. Praise was lifted to God for the good fiscal news our Treasurer shared: We finished the year with a solid positive balance of just over $9,700. •We drafted a budget for 2024. We anticipate expenses this year to be just over $124,000 - that’s $20,000 over the 2023 budget! That is because we included in the budget the repair of the septic system of the parsonage. We will have to do it this spring, and it will be a very costly project! •All of these financial matters will be discussed in more detail at our annual meeting. Consistory has planned to hold that meeting after worship on February 18. Lunch will be served. •We will host the Ash Wednesday Hilltown service. It will be held on February 14 at 7:00pm. •I am pleased to say that the Consistory voted to renew my contract for another year! ********** ** This Sunday I will preach on the passage I hold most dear in my ministry. It was the focus of my Doctoral Thesis and has shaped my faith journey in significant ways over the years. I call it the tripod on which I place the practice of my faith. It is from the prophet Micah and has been called “The Magna Carta” of the Old Testament prophets. (You can read it here.) You have heard me reference it many times. Over the next few Sundays, we’ll delve into it in more detail. I’m looking forward to it! Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** January 12, 2024 Together Again It turns out I wasn’t the only one who had a vacation from church last weekend. We all did, thanks to the storm. God willing, we’ll make up for that this Sunday as we honor our wonderful God in worship. It will be good to be together again. We will expand that time together by staying after the service and doing one of those things no one looks forward to - taking down and putting away the Christmas decorations. Many hands make light and quick work (important for a certain Steelers fan I know who will certainly want to see the game against the Bills). As I send this email, plans are being made for providing a lunch for the workers. Something else this weekend: Tomorrow (10:00 am Saturday at the Jerusalem Reformed Church) there will be a meeting to plan the Hilltown Churches’ Ash Wednesday service. It seems early, but it’s not since Ash Wednesday will be the 14th of February! It feels a bit odd to me to have Ash Wednesday on Valentines Day, but that’s how it unfolds this year. Anyone from Unionville is invited to participate in the planning. Speaking of being “together again,” our Bible Study will meet this week to continue our study of Matthew’s Gospel. By the way, this Sunday’s sermon is a result of one of our previous study times when we looked at the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. It was asked why was it not right for Jesus to miraculously turn stones to bread there in the wilderness, but it was OK to miraculously provide bread later for 5,000 people on a remote hillside. I’ll jump ahead in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 14: 13-21) and explore that question with you. A REMINDER: Kim Watson announced in church the last time we were together that we are having a “Bag Donation Drive.” Bring shopping and grocery bags (both plastic and paper) and place them in the donation box. They will be re-used at the food pantry or re-cycled. ALSO: This Sunday is the pick up deadline for the food pantry. See the requested items below. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** January 4, 2024 SUNDAY’S SNOW It looks like winter might finally catch up to us. And of course it will happen on Sunday. Now the question is how bad will it be. Will it be enough to cancel worship? Our worship leaders will make that decision sometime in the late afternoon or early evening of this Saturday. They’ll make their best judgement call, yea or nay, and Belinda will put the word out that early evening via her email list she uses for the prayer chain and food pantry updates. So watch your email that Saturday night. I hope it will be good news and worship will happen. Meanwhile, I will be keeping you all in my prayers while up in Montreal. Blessings, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ***** January 3, 2024 IN MEMORIAM I pass along the sad news that Richard Vanderbilt passed away on New Year’s Eve. Richard, a member of the Onesquethaw Reformed Church, was a friend of our congregation and often came to our worship services. His last time with us was at the Hilltown Thanksgiving Service. To honor Richard’s life and to celebrate his indelible spirit, calling hours will take place at the Onesquethaw church on this Thursday, January 4th, from 10a.m. to 12p.m. The funeral service will be private at the convenience of the family. ******** On a happier note, Grace and Judy received the following email from Robin Hughes who is in charge of the Onesquethaw Food Pantry: Sandy Swann just informed me we received a $1300 donation for the food pantry from Unionville. Could you please kindly thank your congregation for this very generous and thoughtful donation, as well as for their support throughout the year. Please also let your congregation know we are always happy to welcome new people and they can contact me directly if they know of anyone in need of food pantry assistance in the community. A big “thank you” to both of you for your support all year as well. It is such a blessing and pleasure to spend time with you each month as we serve our community. I will miss you while I am away. I wish you a happy, healthy, blessed, and prosperous new year. Peace and Blessings, Robin ********* A REMINDER: Kim Watson announced in church that we are having a “Bag Donation Drive.” Bring shopping and grocery bags (both plastic and paper) and place them in the donation box. They will be re-used at the food pantry or re-cycled. ********* Sue and I are heading to Montreal for a brief winter vacation. Prayers for a safe, storm-free journey are appreciated. Once again you’ll be blessed to have our own Belinda Philips lead the worship service this Sunday. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** *** December 29, 2023 Welcome 2024 The last Sunday of 2023 happens to be the last day of 2023. So we will be welcoming the New Year together at the Lord’s Table as we celebrate communion. And to make this Sunday extra special we will also install our new consistory members. Shirley Milbert and Sharon Matott will be our new Deacons and Judy Kimes will be our new Elder. Welcome aboard faithful servants! With this full docket for Sunday, there won’t be much time left for a sermon! But I will try to squeeze in a few thoughts on how we form our expectations for the future. Those foregone conclusions about what we think might happen have a tremendous impact on what actually does happen. What are your expectations for 2024? What are you expecting from God? May God bless our New Year’s Eve time together. Grace and Peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ** December 15, 2023 Consistory News There's been a phrase used more and more lately to describe our Unionville Church: We’re calling ourselves, “The little church with a big heart.” I feel our consistory lived up to that description beautifully at its meeting this week. An important focus for that meeting was on the expenditures we will make this year to support the ministries we partner with both locally and around the world. They voted to support local missions for the poor, including the Capital City Rescue Mission, the Albany FOCUS Ministry for the poor, the Onesquethaw Food Pantry, the Salvation Army and the town of New Scotland’s “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” program. We also gave a “thank you” gift to the Onesquethaw Volunteer Fire Company. Then there’s our support for youth oriented ministries like Camp Fowler, Camp Pinnacle and the Helderberg Christian School - as well as all our denomination’s colleges and seminaries. We also support several of the Reformed Church missions, including its Board of Benefits for surviving families of Pastors who have passed away, its Care Network Aid for world disaster relief, the Regional Synod of Albany’s mission, and (close to my heart) we gave a support share for Nicole Opgenorth, RCA’s missionary to CEPAD in Nicaragua. What made me so proud of this decision by the consistory to support these ministries was that it was done as an act of gratitude. They acknowledged that God has blessed us in amazing ways this year and they felt that this was one way to say, “Thank You Lord!” They also know that this is “stepping out in faith” Our always cautious treasurer pointed out that a good portion of these expenditures totaling slightly over $10,000 will probably have to be paid for from our savings account. How big a portion? Well, that depends on how generous our giving will be this last month of the year. Consistory feels God will bless our “big hearted” giving to support others; that’s what God always does. (As Hebrews 13:16 puts it, “Do not forget to be generous and share with others, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God”) I’m confident that if we all contribute a “Christmas offering” over and above our usual monthly giving, God will be pleased and blessings will abound - for God, for us, and for those whom we support. ********** ********** *** Consistory dealt with other matters: •They nominated three new consistory members to be elected this Sunday at a brief meeting following worship. Agreeing to serve are Sharon Matott and Shirley Milbert as deacons and Judy Kimes as elder. We give deep thanks to the “retirees” stepping off of consistory: Judy Palmatier, Dale Matott and Jeff Mudge. Well done, good and faithful servants! •We decided to usher in the new year with a communion service on December 31st (rather than the first Sunday in January). •The Women’s Guild has so much to celebrate! Their bake sale proceeds totaled just over $1,800. Their Advent Breakfast was fantastic - about 40 people attended. The Salvation Army box overflowed with contributed toys. Now it’s time for a Christmas Party - today - Friday. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Pastor Dave This Sunday we light the Candle of Joy. And we'll continue our sermon series: First we Repent, then we Seek, then this Sunday we'll talk about the next step: We Obey. ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******** December 7, 2023 December Dates at Unionville Please note the following dates for the special Advent and Christmas activities we are planning for our church family: This Saturday, December 9: The Women’s Advent Breakfast and Devotional Service. 9:30 am. This Sunday, December 10: Deadline for the Salvation Army Toy Drive. Friday, December 15: The Women’s Guild Christmas Party. 1:00 at Kim Watson’s home. Sunday, Christmas Eve: Two services - 10:30 am and the Candlelight service at 7:00 pm. In addition to those special activities, we will also have our regular meetings: Sundays, December 10, 17 and 24: Advent Worship Services at 10:30 pm. Tuesdays, December 12, 19 and 26: Bible Study - The Gospel of Matthew at 12:30 pm. Sunday, December 17: Food Pantry Pick up day. Thursday, December 14: Consistory meets at 1:00 pm. Thursdays, December 14, 21 and 28: Choir Rehearsals at 3:00 pm. My prayer is that in the midst of all this “busyness” we’ll be blessed with a deeper appreciation of the miraculous gift of God’s Son coming to us for our salvation. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******* December 1, 2023 “Prepare the Way of the Lord!” This Sunday begins our time of preparation for the miracle of Christmas. It’s the first Sunday of Advent. For the next four weeks we’ll join all Christians from around the world to reflect on how we can prepare our hearts and homes to celebrate Christ’s birth at Christmas. Traditionally Advent focuses on “the coming of Christ” from three different perspectives: the actual birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the reception of Christ in our hearts today, and the expectation of his “Second Coming” in the end times. This Sunday we will focus on the second: preparing our hearts for Christ’s renewing presence in our lives today. John the Baptist will help us do that. He is a dominant figure in Advent observances. He is the one who originally called on God’s people to prepare their hearts for the arrival of the promised one. How he prescribed that preparation is summed up in one word: REPENT! I have always felt the call to repent is made in anger, with threats of eternal doom and punishment. I picture an angry prophet pointing his finger directly at me, shouting, “Repent,” and adding, “Or else!” He wants to scare me into changing my bad ways and he’s using fear as the motivator. He’s hoping I’ll respond, “Yikes! I better get my act together.” What if there is another motivation to repent? Maybe it’s not just fear of God’s punishment that can inspire us to change our ways. Repentance might also be about our accepting a loving invitation from God - to come back to God’s embrace. I’ll be unpacking that thought some more this Sunday - and I’ll even try to show how the two different ideas behind repentance can totally change how we understand the Lord’s Supper, which we will celebrate that morning. “But wait! There’s more!” After the service we’ll stay and enjoy another Advent tradition: We’ll “hang the greens” and decorate the sanctuary with our Christmas adornments. Of course we don’t expect you to work on an empty stomach. A pizza lunch will be served. May God bless our “preparations” this Sunday. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ November 17, 2023 Consistory News The highlight of our consistory meeting this week was a visit by representatives from the Congregational Support Team of the Classis of Albany. In our church governance, we are accountable to the Classis which serves as a bishop would in other denominations. From time to time they check in to see if all is going well in our church life. Our answer to them was, “Yes, there is much to celebrate and we are truly blessed.” I confess we did “brag” a bit about the fine things that are happening here. At the same time we were honest about the challenges we face: We have shrunk in size over the past decade and ours is an “aging” congregation. We are all getting older together and we no longer have young families with children in our life together. While we are OK financially, we live “on the edge,” and depend on our parsonage income to balance the books. So our conclusion with our Classis guests was that we should build on what’s right and good at URC right now. (Thanks be to God for His blessings upon us!) Our task now is to get the word out about us. We should broadcast far and wide that we are a special little church with a great big heart. In other words, we should be intentional about reaching out and inviting others to join us! Consistory covered other matters: •We celebrated a wonderful Election Day Bake Sale. The Guild raised over $1,700 for their efforts! Again, praise be to God - and thanks to all who donated to the cause. •We will host the Hilltown Thanksgiving Service this Tuesday at 7:00 pm. I’ll be preaching the sermon. •Advent begins December 3rd. That day we will celebrate communion, and after the service we’ll have a pizza lunch and “hang the greens” together. •This Sunday is the deadline for submitting your nominations for consistory members. The nominees will be elected at a congregational meeting following the service on December 10th. •The Women’s Guild has sent out invitations to the area churches to attend their Advent Breakfast on December 9th. •We have a Salvation Army Toy Drive box located in fellowship hall. It will be there until December 10th. Donations of new and unwrapped toys for any age are most appreciated. If you have any questions see Kim Watson. •Our Treasurer reported that October was a better month for us. Income that month outpaced expenses by a little over $4,300. So far this year we have a positive balance of $3,079. Your support is so appreciated and will be be vital as we finish the year because this is the time we make our contributions to the missions we support. December is an “expensive month.” ======================= Last Sunday I spoke about how “remembering” God’s faithfulness in the past can give us comfort now in these trying times. But what about the future? I’ll talk this Sunday about the hope we have for the future - as daunting and forbidding as it seems to be. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******** November 11, 2023 Congratulations! Way to go Women’s Guild! Your Election Day Bake Sale was a huge success. Tables overflowed with amazing baked goods and crafts. The picture above is only part of the total number of pies made and sold (there were even more chilling in the fridge and out on the table when that photo was taken). At the end of the day all those amazing goodies were completely sold out and over $1,500 was raised. I know “pride goeth before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18), but you deserve to be proud of your accomplishment. As we celebrate the bountiful blessings God has showered on us, let’s not forget the less fortunate around us - especially as we enter the holiday season. Pick up day for the food pantry is tomorrow and while we have already collected the frozen turkeys and cans of gravy they requested, I am sure they’d appreciate any other contribution you might offer. Today is Veterans Day. We salute all who have served our country in our armed forces. This day first began as “Armistice Day” remembering the peace that came after World War 1, signed the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. In 1954 President Eisenhower signed the bill that changed it to Veterans Day. Whatever we call it, the heart of this special day is our remembering the service and sacrifices of our military for our freedoms. Tomorrow I’ll be looking at a moment when ancient Israel was called upon to remember a military victory in their history. It was done by “lifting an Ebenezer” to commemorate that moment. Ebenezer literally means, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” I’ll be sharing some thoughts on how important it is to remember our past and how God has always been there with us though it all. My text will be 1 Samuel 7: 7-14. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** November 4, 2023 Extra Zzz's! Tomorrow is one of my favorite Sundays of the year. It’s the Sunday we get an extra hour of sleep because we set our clocks back to Eastern Standard Time. Ah, the sweet bliss of extra sleep - it has become quite important to me in my “golden years.” Since we all will have had that extra hour of sleep time, I’m sure we will be extra vibrant and alert tomorrow to worship, hear God’s Word and celebrate communion together. My sermon will be a follow-up on the topic of beating back the spirit of hate in our times. Specifically it will be about forgiveness. I will share thoughts I have gleaned from my text (Matthew 18: 21-35) in which Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant. In that story Jesus is telling us why we should be forgiving. I feel his words are extra-important for us in light of these hate-filled unforgiving times in which we live. On another note, I am anticipating a very difficult week ahead for me and ask for your prayerful support. In the next few days my house will be filled with the aroma of wonderful pies baking in the oven. “Why is that so difficult?,” you may ask. Well, those pies aren’t for ME to enjoy. They will be offered to other lucky folk who will purchase them at our bake sale on election day. Do you think those people purchasing those pies would mind if a slice is missing from any of them? I have a feeling I’m not the only one who will be going through such torment. Maybe we should start a support group at URC for those of us who are suffering from the PTSD of the “look but don’t taste” torture we have experienced. Putting the kidding aside, I’m looking forward to a week blessed by God. Enjoy! Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********* October 28, 2023 What’s the antidote? I’ve been overwhelmed by hate this week. There is so much of it out there these days, but this week was especially gruesome. We all watched helplessly as Israel and the Palestinians slipped precariously toward all out war, each proclaiming a deep hatred toward the other and pledging to completely destroy the other. Then back home there was another mass shooting that broke our hearts. And as background noise, there was the political vitriol that has rendered congress useless. What a week! And it makes me wonder, how can we make it all stop? That’s what I bring to the sermon this week: How can we make the hate stop? Is there an antidote for hate? The Bible says there is - or at least it offers a different and better way. Can you guess what it is? My text will be Romans 15: 1-7. AN UPDATE: We held our Hilltown Planning Meeting for the Thanksgiving Service on November 21. And we will be the host church for that gathering! We hope to have a combined choir. Rehearsals for that will begin November 2nd. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******** October 20, 2023 Consistory News: The main item on the consistory’s agenda at their meeting this week was planning the activities and meetings that will happen during the busy time leading up to Christmas. Here is what they (and the Women’s Guild) planned, in chronological order: •November 1: The next Women’s Guild Meeting •November 5: Communion Service (Daylight Savings ends) •November 6: A Pie Baking (apple peeling) meeting at the church kitchen. •November 7: The Bake/Craft Sale at the church for Election Day. We hope you can help with this project by donating baked goods and/or craft items! •November 16: Our next Consistory Meeting •November 21: The Hilltown Churches Thanksgiving Service. (The location will be determined at the planning meeting which will be held at our church TOMORROW MORNING at 10:00 am.) •November 23: HAPPY THANKSGIVING! •December 3: Communion Service (The First Sunday of Advent) - Followed by our traditional Christmas Decorating Party. Pizza will be served. •December 9: The Women’s Guild Advent Breakfast. All neighboring churches are invited. •December 10: A Congregational Meeting following worship to elect our new consistory members. Nominating ballots will be distributed at each service the month before. •December 24: We will have two services that day: Our regular Sunday Morning Service at 10:30 and the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service that evening. Consistory noted other activities at our neighboring Hilltown churches: •November 4: Jerusalem Reformed Church will have a “Soup, Sandwich and Dessert Supper” from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. •Also on November 4: The Onesquethaw Reformed Church will have a Craft Fair from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. Yes, it’s that busy time of year. But through it all, let’s always keep our focus on “the reason for the season” - namely the gift our Heavenly Father gave the world in that baby born of Mary, lying in a manger. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** **** October 14, 2023 “I’m Back In the Saddle Again” You have to be pretty old (and I am) to remember that Gene Autry song. The past couple of days I have been singing it to myself, but with a little different twist. My song is, “I’m back in the pulpit again.” It’s been awhile and it will be great worshiping with my church family again tomorrow morning. I’ll be preaching on a text that reminds me of that line of jokes about “good news and bad news.” It’s a genre of jokes that makes blessings seem like curses and curses seem like blessings. Here’s an example: An art dealer and an artist are having a conversation. The art dealer says, "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, a person came up to me this afternoon to ask about the value of your paintings. When I told him that they all would increase in value after your death, he immediately bought ALL of them.” The artist reacts, "Wow! That’s great! So what’s the bad news?" The art dealer answers, "He was your doctor.” (After a bad joke like that, you might be wishing I had stayed on vacation.) In the text on which I’ll be preaching tomorrow (Luke 6: 17-26), Jesus is once again counter-intuitive. He seems to be giving us some good news and bad news, but like the jokes, the bad news seems good and the good news seems bad. Sound confusing? We’ll try to figure it all out tomorrow. ********* I am happy to say that our Tuesday Study Group is re-convening this week. We will embark on a journey into Matthew’s Gospel. His work was written to persuade Jews that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah for whom they had yearned for centuries. Therefore there are many references to Jewish history, laws, and customs in his Gospel. Matthew is also called “the teaching Gospel” because it contains so many of Jesus’ lessons and proclamations. I'm praying it will be rewarding journey for us as we take it together. The Tuesday class meets at 12:30 pm. Yup - back in the saddle again. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ******* September 29, 2023 Consistory News Here are the highlights of the consistory’s most recent meeting: • The Tuesday Bible Study Class will begin to meet again on October 17th. They will study the Gospel of Matthew. • I will be away the opening days of October. Communion will be celebrated October 1 and led by our head Elder, Jeff Mudge. Elder Belinda Phillips will preach. The following Sunday Preaching Elder “Rusty” Riley will preach. • It’s time to start thinking - and praying! - about who should be nominated to serve on consistory. We have four people retiring this year: Jeff Mudge, Bonnie Banahan, Dale Matott, and Judy Palmatier. Our treasurer, Joanie de Paz, reported that we will have to begin to pay school property taxes for the parsonage since it no longer is “housing” for a pastor. The town says that our current tax bill is $5,473. We will explore any possibility for that figure to be reduced. • She reported that income for July and August lagged behind expenses by about $3,000. The cost for the new boiler and oil tank in the parsonage was the primary reason for that deficit. Plans were discussed for the Women’s Guild Chicken Dinner (which was the next day, and turned out to be a great success). Many thanks to Kim Watson and her crew of volunteer helpers. • Many thanks to Paul Watson who has done remarkable work on the Meade Cemetery. • Another maintenance challenge is coming from the parsonage. It appears that the septic system is showing its age (it’s as old as the building). The leach field and possibly the tank itself might need replacement. • Consistory noted that our denominational assessment is $112.41 per active member. These funds are collected by the higher judicatories (Classis, Albany Synod and the General Synod of the RCA) to cover their expenses. Each year the consistory asks for a reimbursement donation from each member to help defray this expense. These are not “dues” and you are not required to pay them. Your status as a member is not impacted in any way by this appeal. If you do decide to donate to cover this expense, please identify your gift as “Assessment Reimbursement.” Consistory thanks you for considering this. Something else from the meeting: We have a “thanksgiving” time in our consistory meeting during which we ask, “For whom are we grateful?” Our list was long this time and we noted that there are so many in our congregation who take on a responsibility and quietly do what needs to be done. We all are so thankful for all that you do to make our “little church with a big heart” so wonderful. Praise to you all - and praise to God! Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ****** September 20, 2023 Signs of Fall The crisp cool air these past mornings and the first blush of color in the trees are sure signs that Fall is arriving. Churches have another sign. It’s when, after a summer of quiet, their calendars get loaded with a host of activities. Fall is “wake up” time for churches. That’s certainly true for us at Unionville. No more sleepy, lazy days of summer here. We’re off and running “full steam ahead.” Take note of what’s on our calendar the next few days: • Tomorrow, Thursday, we have our Consistory Meeting at 1:00. • Friday is Chicken Barbecue Day! (Have you ordered your dinners yet? Have you signed up to help?) It looks like it will be a beautiful day, and with a little divine protection, we can hope there won’t be an accident in front of our church this year. • Saturday we will join our Hilltown brothers and sisters for a Hymn Sing and Pot-Luck at Jerusalem Reformed Church. Our own Judy Kimes will be playing for the sing-along part. Time: 1 to 3 pm. • Then Sunday we of course will be together for worship. I’ll be preaching on the #1 pursuit of our lives. It’s what we all strive for, but find so hard to achieve. Can you guess what it is? My text will be Luke 12: 12-21 • But wait! There’s more! If you aren’t exhausted from all this activity, you can go hear our own Amy Heebner play in a carillon concert Sunday afternoon in Albany. She says they’ll even have refreshments. The concert will begin at 3:00 pm. I look forward to seeing you at these events. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********* September 2, 2023 Just One Word I am preaching a one-word sermon this Sunday. Don’t get your hopes up. I don’t mean the sermon will only be one word long. I mean I will be preaching about one word. It’s an important word that captures the meaning of the Gospel’s good news. It describes God’s relationship to us and our response to God. Can you guess what that one three letter word is? Hint: You can see that word featured in the text I’ll be preaching from by clicking here. We will also celebrate communion, which affirms that word beautifully. I look forward to breaking bread with you on this last weekend of the summer season. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ** August 12, 2023 Summer Journeys Summer is the time when many of us take little “journeys.” Sometimes they follow a familiar path to that happy place we go to every year. Others are new explorations to spots never before seen. Some can be adventurous; others rather tedious. I hope wherever you have ventured this summer - even if just to stay home and relax - that it has been a good and rewarding “journey” for you. This Sunday I will be talking about a different kind of journey. It’s a trek we all take because it’s a part of our human nature. We can’t help it; God made us that way. We are all born to want to know God and to know the meaning to our lives that only God can reveal. St. Augustine said it beautifully: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” We all are on that journey seeking that peace. As Christians we are followers of Jesus, who calls to us, “Come, follow me.” And off we go on the adventure of faith, a journey seeking and finding God. So Sunday I’ll be talking about how faith isn’t just a package of doctrines we say we believe. It is so much more. It is an adventurous journey full of surprises, u-turns, and challenges. I hope your summer “journey” will include a trip to church this Sunday to worship our awesome God. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** **** August 4, 2023 “Outlook Not So Good?” One of my favorite toys as I was growing up was the “Magic Eight Ball.” It was a big glass #8 Billiard Ball that was filled with water so that “answers” to your questions would float up to appear in its little window. I’d ask it questions like, “Does that girl in my homeroom class like me?” Or, “Will the Cleveland Browns win the Super Bowl this year?” The typical answer I’d get from the Magic Eight Ball to those kinds of hopeful questions was, “Outlook Not So Good.” That seems to capture the current mood that many of us have about the future these days: “Outlook not so good.” There appears to be growing despair about the long list of problems we seem unable to solve. Poling organizations like Gallup and the Pew Research agree that we have a dim view of our future. Both organizations say we fear for the kind of world today’s children will have when they are adults. There’s not much hope or optimism toward the future among us any more. “Outlook not so good.” So what’s the hope we Christians have that we can offer our gloomy world? Forget the Magic Eight Ball, we should ask God, “Can we hope for the future?” That’s what I’ll be asking this Sunday and I’ll be looking to the Book of Revelation for the answer. It’s a good source since it was written to give hope to God’s people as they faced very dark and terrifying times back when the church of Jesus was just starting. And - spoiler alert! - its answer was essentially, “Outlook Very Good!” Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** July 22,2023 Sadness to Report, We have a couple of deaths to report from our church family. First, we were stunned to hear of Charles Milbert’s sudden death from a brain aneurism. Please keep the Milbert family in your prayers - especially Shirley since she not only has to deal with this loss of her beloved husband but is also supporting her grandson Karl as he continues to fight to heal his legs and prevent amputation. She is grateful that her family has been there to help. Still, it’s a heavy load. There are no plans for a funeral service. The family will have a private committal service at a future date. We also have learned that Judy Palmatier’s husband Donald died yesterday at his home under hospice care. Please pray for Judy and their sons Andrew, Christopher and Micheal during this very difficult time. There are no plans yet for a funeral service. Your prayerful support is always appreciated. Meanwhile, Sue and I are still “on vacation” and this weekend we will be in Pearl River celebrating our grandson’s 13th birthday (A teenager - Yikes!). The service this Sunday will be led by our friend and Preaching Elder Rusty Riley. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ***** July 9, 2023 "Hey, You Never Know . . ." The Lotto is beginning to make the news again. The jackpot is growing into the hundreds of millions of dollars. I can’t say “never,” but I will say “rarely” do I buy a lotto ticket - no matter how big the promised winnings. This time? “Hey, you never know.” I’m inclined not to jump in and buy a ticket after reading a recent op ed article by Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, our country’s Surgeon General. In it he recounted what happened to a patient of his who won big money in the lotto. The big winner tells a surprising story. He apparently had worked for years in the food industry with a modest salary and humble lifestyle. Then he won all that money. Overnight, his life changed. He quit his job and moved into a large house in a gated community. Sounds great, right? Well, not really. As he spoke with Dr. Murthy, he sadly declared, “Winning the lottery was one of the worst things that ever happened to me.” As Dr. Murthy puts it, “Wealthy but alone, this once vivacious, social man no longer knew his neighbors and had lost touch with his former co-workers. He soon developed high blood pressure and diabetes.” Even though he could have any material thing he desired, this man suffered from loneliness and many of the “ailments” that stem from it. Dr. Murthy has declared loneliness and isolation as one of the biggest crises we face as a nation in terms of our overall health - both mental and physical - as well as our collective well-being. Dr. Murthy approaches this problem from a medical perspective. As a Pastor, I see it from a spiritual one. In the creation story, one of the first observations God makes after making the human being is, “It’s not good that man is alone.” (Genesis 2: 18) We are not meant to be isolated from one another; we are created to “be together” in community. And guess what? That’s exactly what we Christians offer to the world. We are a connected network of support, encouragement and love. It’s called “fellowship.” Just as the church has declined dramatically in our land and fewer people participate in what it offers, our country suffers from an outbreak of “loneliness and isolation” according to the head Doctor of our country. Do you suppose that’s just a coincidence? Hmm . . . I’ll be reflecting more on all this tomorrow in my sermon. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ***** July 1, 2023 Back to reality. That’s what this weekend feels like for me - “back to reality.” Last week was surreal for me. All those kind things said about me left me in a dream-like state. And it was made even more special (and surreal) when I saw our entire Unionville family among the worshipers that morning. I told Pastor Chris that it was truly one of the top “feel good” moments of my life and I will cherish its memory forever. Thank you for being a part of it. But now, it’s definitely back to reality. I have a sermon to deliver and communion to administer. Actually this Sunday will feel a little more comfortable to me because all those kudos last Sunday, while most appreciated, left me feeling a little “self-conscious. Tomorrow the spotlight will be focused on where it should be - on Jesus, his leadership and what he calls us to be. We’ll have a fellowship time after the service and a happy recognition of Enrique’s graduation last week. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********* June 24, 2023 Worship This Sunday will be at the Delmar Reformed Church 384 Delaware Ave. in Delmar The 10 a.m. service will include a moment in which the Delmar congregation honors Pastor Dave with the title, "Minister Emeritus." We all have been invited to attend. ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** June 16, 2023 News from URC: There are several things to pass along to you from our consistory meeting this week: •Our church has had a long standing agreement with the Mead family to maintain the small family grave yard on the Mead farm. We received a sizable grant from the family decades ago to underwrite the costs of that care. The graveyard is in need of some TLC and we will soon announce clean-up days to cut brush, mow grass, repair a fence and straighten gravestones. Paul Watson has volunteered to coordinate this project. If you think you could volunteer to help, click here. •We will have a special Father's Day Coffee Hour after church this Sunday. •We are about to complete the 40 Days of Prayer program. The Tuesday class will discuss the “Bonus Session” which asks, “Why doesn’t God always answer the first time I pray.” If you can’t join the Tuesday class you can see that video by clicking here. •We will celebrate communion on July 2 and August 6. •Consistory reminds you that we will not have our worship service in our sanctuary on June 25. Instead we will join Delmar Reformed Church which is planning that day to honor me with the title, “Minister Emeritus.” I am overwhelmed by this kindness. •We all are invited to Enrique de Paz’s graduation ceremony which will be June 23rd at 6:30 p.m. at the MVP Arena. We are also invited to a reception party before graduation at 3 p.m. at Track 32 Restaurant on Rt. 32 in Feura Bush. If you plan the come to the reception, please let the de Paz’s know. •The new tenants are moving into the parsonage this week. Many thanks to those who helped spruce it up to welcome them. •There is a lot happening with the parsonage these days: The chimney has been repaired. We are still waiting for bids on replacing the furnace and oil storage tank. We will also seek bids for installing leaf guards on the gutters (and for the church as well). •Our Treasurer reported that for the month of May our expenses outpaced our income, leaving us with a $7,100 deficit balance. However, she noted that for the whole year so far, we have a positive balance of $3,400. Sunday I will be preaching about “the perfect father.” What would make a father “perfect?” And isn’t it wonderful that we all have one? Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** June 10, 2023 News from URC: There are several bits of “news” to pass along . . . •First I hope you can stay after the worship service this Sunday. After we enjoy a soup and sandwich lunch, I’ll share some memories and lots of photos of my mission trip to Nicaragua last March. I hope to convey how blessed I was to have been able to experience such a remarkable journey. And many thanks to the folk that are teaming up to prepare the lunch. • I am inviting you to attend another special moment in my life. The Delmar Reformed Church (DRC - the church I served before retiring) has informed me that they have decided to grant to me the honorary title of “Minister Emeritus.” And this isn’t like sending me a certificate in the mail; they want to do this in a little ceremony during their worship service on June 25th. And all of us from Unionville are invited to join them for this event. Our consistory decided this was special enough to have us all “travel down the hill” and attend the service at DRC that day. So there will be no service at our church on the 25th; we’ll all attend DRC’s (even though that means getting up a half hour earlier; their services begin at 10:00 a.m.) Your presence will make this moment even more special for me. By the way, in case you are not familiar with the term Minister Emeritus, here’s what the title means, according to one web site I found: “Emeritus is an honorary title bestowed upon one who has retired from a position (pastor, professor, or other professional position) as a way of honoring the individual’s service. Emeritus comes from the Latin word emereri, which means to earn one’s discharge by service. Bestowing the title “Minister Emeritus” upon a retiring pastor is a way for the church leadership to honor his service to the church.” Wow. I am honored! • The pick up day for our contributions to the Food Pantry is earlier than usual - it’s this Sunday!! The requested items are: Soup, Bar Soap, Kleenex, and Canned Ravioli. Let’s fill the cart!! •This Tuesday our study group will discuss Session #6 of the 40 Days of Prayer. It’s about praying in the midst of a crisis. If you can’t attend, you can view the video by clicking here. •This far along in our focus on prayer, I’ve come to realize that there is one primary and very important ingredient in prayer. It’s an attitude we have to embrace in order for prayer to be meaningful. I’ll be taking about that prime ingredient in Sunday’s sermon. (Can you guess what it is?) Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** May 19,2023 “Who is this?” Have you ever had a phone call from someone who doesn’t identify himself - or herself - and just starts talking? Apparently the caller assumes you know who it is - or maybe doesn’t want you to know. It leaves you guessing, and that’s kind of awkward, isn’t it? It affects the tone of your conversation. You don't know what to say or how to say it. You're a little more guarded. Is this the Pope or the Pizza Guy? You don't know what words are appropriate. You don't know how to address them properly. You just have to stop the conversation and ask cautiously, “Who is this?” That can be true of another kind of conversation we have. I’m taking about our prayers with God. If you don’t quite know who you are talking to when you pray, then your prayers will be a little awkward. Your understanding of what God is really like shapes your prayers. Your ideas about who is “on the other end of the line” set the tone and expectations you have in your prayer life. You should ask “Who is this?” as you begin your prayers, and God will tell you through his Word. That’s what we will be exploring this Sunday. Who is it that we think we are talking to when we pray? It will be good to join you again for worship after our trip to Ohio. I appreciate your prayers and good wishes as we gathered with family to say good bye to Sue’s special uncle. There’s nothing quite like the soothing love of family in times like that. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** May 12, 2023 Odds & Ends . . . There are a number of things I wish to highlight: • Way to go CROP Walkers! We surpassed our $1,000 goal. Our five walkers raised $1,330 toward the effort to fight hunger. As one coordinator of the walk said, “Your little church did awesome.” Yup. I think our motto should be, “We’re a little church with a big heart. • ”This Sunday is Mother’s Day. I hope it will be a special day for us as we all remember and honor our moms. •Sadly, however, Sue and I can't be with you on Mothers Day. We had a couple of deaths in our family. Sue’s uncle and stepmom both died on the same day last week. We are heading today to Ohio for the funeral of Sue’s uncle. Many thanks to Belinda and Jeff for leading worship on short notice while we are away this weekend. We still don’t know when the service will be for Sue’s stepmom. Your prayerful support is most appreciated. •The Tuesday class is taking the day off this week. The following week (May 23) we will meet to discuss the 4th session of the 40 Days of Prayer Campaign. •We have to change the date for my presentation on my mission trip to Nicaragua. Too many people will be away on June 4th. How’s June 11th? I will confirm the date after running it by consistory. •The pick up day for the Food Pantry is this Sunday. Their special requests are: Baked beans, Juice, Pasta Sides, Soup and Paper Towels. As always, thank you for your generous support of this ministry. The new stoves are installed and ready to go! Just in time for the Classis meeting on May 23rd. Again, many thanks for your prayers and good wishes during this time of sorrow in our family. Grace and peace, Pastor Dav ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** ********** May 5, 2023 CROP WALK UPDATE As of this moment we have five walkers for this Sunday’s CROP Walk! Joining me on this stroll for a great cause will be Amy Heebner, Judy Kimes, Dale Matott and Jeff Mudge. I am glad to report that we already have raised $600 for the CROP Walk - and that’s only what has been recorded for our Group on the Walk’s website (click here to see it - or make an online donation). I know my fellow walkers and I have received additional donations as well. I wonder . . . . could we raise over $1,000??? We will be joining the walkers of the Delmar Reformed Church. They walk on the Rail Trail that is just a block away from the church. We will all walk at our own pace for about an hour and arrange it so that we all finish at the Stewart’s in Delmar for ice cream! (That’s a bribe I couldn’t resist.) Why are we walking? The prolonged war in Ukraine, on top of the pandemic and other natural disasters is causing a global food crisis. Millions are are suffering from famine. The CROP Hunger Walks across our land and the funds we raise will feed the hungry through Church World Service. When we join this movement, donate and raise funds, we will provide life-saving support like emergency food along with the seeds, tools and programs that will help families feed themselves in the future. 25% of the funds we raise will go to local food programs as well. We five walkers all thank you for supporting this important cause to fight hunger “one step at a time.” 40+ DAYS OF PRAYER UPDATE This Tuesday we will begin the third section of the 40 Days of Prayer experience. Monday I will send out an email with the links to the video for that section and the scriptures for the daily prayer exercise through the week. One thing I have observed over my many years as a Pastor, is that most people feel they aren’t very good at praying. Many seem to feel a bit awkward about it - especially if they are asked to lead it publicly. I would say that's universal. Everybody feels they could be better at praying. I’ve never heard anyone say, “You know, I’m a pro at praying - world class.” In fact the Number one “world class” Christian himself - St. Paul - said, “We don’t even know what we should pray for; nor how we should pray.” (Romans 8: 26) So when it comes to praying we all could use some help. We all need to learn more. It’s okay to admit, "I need to get better at this," and that’s what we’re trying to do on this journey into prayer together. This Sunday I will talk about the false expectations we have of prayer. There are so many bad ideas about prayer and what it's supposed to do that it’s no wonder we feel inadequate in doing it. I’ll try to explain “what prayer isn’t.” Ridding ourselves of these false ideas can be the first step in making prayer a more comfortable and pleasing experience. We will celebrate communion this Sunday. The elders have decided to go back to using the little communion glasses. We will also distribute individual pieces of bread in little paper “cups.” It will be nice to celebrate communion a little more like the way we did before the pandemic. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave ********************** ************ ********** ************** ********** ********** ********** ********** April 22, 2023 Let us pray . . . We have just begun our 40+ Day journey into prayer. Our Tuesday group is the center of this focus, but we all will be engaged in reflecting on what prayer is about in our Sunday services. The group will be following Rick Warren’s insights and using the prayer journal that comes with those teachings, but I hope every one of us will commit to taking a deeper journey into your prayer life. Even if you do not attend the Tuesday sessions, I encourage you to commit to spending time each day in intentional prayer. While you are certainly welcome to “jump in” on any Tuesday, you can also purchase the Prayer Journal and use it as a guide and personal log of your growth through the coming weeks. We can also show you how you can view the weekly video sessions we will be using on YouTube. Prayer isn’t so much “something we do” as Christians; it’s more the essence of who we are. Prayer is the key to our growth as Christians. In fact, tomorrow I will look at how and why we grow as Christians, using Paul’s analogy of our being spiritual babies who need to grow up (see Ephesians 4: 11-16). He notes that if we don’t deepen our faith and broaden our understanding of God and God’s ways, we’ll turn into “suckers” (my word, not his). Suckers fall for anything because they don’t know the truth. In his words, they are like infants who are “tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” (That sounds like an apt description of our times, doesn't it?). A hearty prayer life is one of the ways we “grow up” and are able to discern what is true. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave April 7, 2023 It’s Good Friday . . . But Easter Is Coming! After a last evening’s beautiful Tenebrae service of communion with our Hilltown Church friends, we turn our attention to Holy Week’s ending: The crucifixion and resurrection of our Lord. This evening we have more opportunities to worship with Hilltown churches. We are invited to join the Good Friday services at the Onesquethaw and Westerlo Reformed Churches. Both begin at 7:00 p.m. Then at last the long journey through Lent ends with our Easter Celebration of Jesus’ resurrection victory. That morning begins for us with breakfast at 9:00 a.m., followed by our service at 10:30. (A big “Thank You” to our Women’s Guild for preparing that breakfast for us!) It seems to me that we really need Easter this year. With so much bad news breaking out every day in so many shocking and troubling ways - with the mayhem and madness of our sinful world so prevalent and powerful - the Good News of Easter is like a “balm in Gilead.” It’s our only hope, our only comfort. I pray that this Sunday we will hear that Good News, embrace it and be empowered by it to carry on in our service to God’s Kingdom. Let’s invite Easter to shine brightly into our darkness. I have some pretty exciting announcements to make about what will be happening after Easter. But for now I don’t want any distractions from our Easter focus. After all, for us Christians, Easter is the whole reason for our being. (See 1 Corinthians 15 about that.) Next week I’ll fill you in on these new things:
Good things will be happening for us - Starting this Sunday. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave March 31, 2023 Hosanna! We have two invitations from neighboring churches this Palm Sunday weekend. First, the Onesquethaw Reformed Church invites us to join them tomorrow, Saturday, for a Lenten worship service. That will begin at 10:00 a.m. We are also invited to attend a dinner program at the Delmar Reformed Church on Palm Sunday evening. The four of us who traveled to Nicaragua this month will share some pictures and thoughts about our experiences and we will be making some Nicaraguan food to share. It will all start at 5:30 p.m. Of course we begin Holy Week with this Sunday’s Service of Communion and Palms, and we’ll have a fellowship time following the service. I am also looking forward to our Maundy Thursday Tenebrae Service where we will be joined by folk from the Clarksville and Jerusalem churches. Maundy Thursday commemorates the first Last Supper. We also will make it a kind of “reversal” of the Christmas Eve tradition by extinguishing candles. (“Tenebrae” is the latin word for “darkness.”) As we extinguish each candle, we’ll hear the scriptural accounts of how the darkness of human sin tried to dim the Light of the World. Then, out from the darkness comes the glorious light of Easter! After a 9:00 a.m. Easter Morning breakfast planned and provided by the Women’s Guild, we will celebrate our Lord’s resurrection at our regular worship time. A couple of other things to note about Holy Week: The Choir is preparing special music for Maundy Thursday and Easter, so they are having a special rehearsal. It will be Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m. Also the Women’s Guild will have a meeting on that Wednesday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. I’m praying that in all the activity and gatherings this coming week we will be touched by the joyful good news of Easter’s proclamation. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ March 24, 2023 Consistory News Here are the highlights of this week’s meeting of the Consistory: We will host a Tenebrae service of communion and candles on Maundy Thursday with our neighboring Hilltown churches. The 7pm service will include a combined choir. We will also celebrate communion at our Palm Sunday’s service. Consistory approved the print up of laminated liturgies that we can use at communion services. We are invited to attend a dinner program at Delmar Reformed Church on Palm Sunday where those of us who traveled on the mission trip to Nicaragua will share our thoughts and photos of the experience. Nicaraguan dishes will be offered. It all starts at 5:30 pm. The Onesquethaw Reformed Church invites us to a Lenten Service of Worship on Saturday, April 1 at 10:00 am. The Women’s Guild will host an Easter Breakfast at 9:00 am. Our celebration of our Lord’s resurrection will be at 10:30 am. There will be a sign-up sheet for Easter Flowers. Belinda will preach on the April Sundays (16th and 30th.) The Tuesday Study Group has completed its journey through the Heidelberg Catechism and is exploring what to focus on next. We are invited to attend the installation service for The Rev. Elizabeth Moses at the Bethany Reformed Church. It will be April 23rd at 4:00 pm. The pick-up date for the Food Pantry is April 16. Our treasurer, Joanie de Paz reports that February ended with a positive balance. (Being the good Church Treasurer that she is, she pointed out that the positive balance was due primarily to the fact that we had not yet received the bills for oil heat and electricity.) The next Guild meeting will be Wednesday, April 5. They will make plans for the meal we will offer for the Classis meeting we will be hosting on May 23rd. They also are working on crochet projects. Speaking of meals at our church, the Consistory was glad to hear that progress is being made on the installation of our new electric stoves. Deacon Paul Watson has arranged with professional movers to remove the old (heavy!) gas stove on April 12. He is also negotiating with someone who might purchase it. Meanwhile, Deacon Irving Mosher has secured bids from electricians to install wiring for the stoves. (After the meeting we voted on line to accept the bid from Excel Electric of Glenmont and they will be able to install the stoves in April - in plenty of time for the Classis dinner!) This spring we will continue our work on the Mead Cemetery plot. Some grave stones need straightening and other improvements need to be completed. The stained glass window is repaired and re-installed! It took Chapman Stained Glass Company only 32 days to complete the job! They also installed a new plexiglass window to protect it. Our parsonage is on the market. We hope to welcome new tenants soon. Our next meeting will be April 24th. Wow, I guess we covered a lot at that busy meeting! This Sunday I will be talking about the secret identity we Christians all have. It’s tied directly to the “secret” identity Jesus had. My text will be Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22 and Matthew 16: 13-17. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ __________ Saturday 18 March 2023 Back from Nicaragua It was quite a trip! So many wonderful things took place in Nicaragua as I visited with old friends and made many new ones. I just have to share those special moments with you and that’s what I’ll do this Sunday. Instead of a traditionally structured sermon I’ll share some of the highlights of the trip and explain why it was so important to me to go. To make it a sermon, I’ll frame my remarks in the context of 1 John 4: 7-12. After the service we will hold our annual meeting and celebrate the highlights of what was a glorious year. This meeting will be over a brunch prepared by the Women’s guild. Reminder: Tomorrow we will have a planning meeting with the Hilltown Ministries Congregations that will be joining us for the Maundy Thursday service of communion and candles. We’ll meet at our church at 10am Saturday and all our members are welcome to attend. I look forward to worshiping with my church family again. Grace and peace, Pastor Dave SATURDAY 07 May 2022
FRIDAY 22 April 2022 What a Day!
This past Easter Sunday was one of the finest moments I’ve had with URC. After a long hiatus from social gatherings, we had a wonderful Easter breakfast together. Thanks to the preparation of all the volunteers under Bonnie Bahanan’s leadership, everything was delicious and the decorations and favors were splendid.
Then there was the worship service . . . Wow!
The choir was stellar, the singing robust, and the pews were filled! (Someone reported that they counted over 50 worshipers.) We had visitors with us and more than a few of us had family and friends worshiping with them. Through it all, the joy and hope of the resurrection of our Lord was palpable. It was a wonderful day!
Now our life together continues. Here are a few bits and pieces about that:
Many of you have shared that you’ll be praying for our safe travels. That’s much appreciated.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Dave |
Historic Unionville Reformed Church
Pastor: Rev. Dr. David Corlett
Pastor: Rev. Dr. David Corlett
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