PARISH NEWS
July and August 2021 Ministers of the Month
We have two incredible ministers of the month this summer! Both Rachel DeTeso-Mathis and Jean Jones have spent TREMENDOUS amounts of time working in our Rev. Richard Rieger Memorial Harvest Garden raising fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs for our Produce Pantry every Friday. Jean (pictured with husband Pete and grandson Tyler) leads our group of gardeners while Rachel DeTeso-Mathis (pictured with son Jesse) is our resident "queen of the tomatoes" and donated a larger number of her plants to the cause!!! In addition, both Jean and Rachel serve in a wide variety of other capacities at Messiah! Rachel is on our Congregation Council, our Worship & Music Ministry Team and in our Choir while Jean assists with our Adult Faith Formation Committee, our Creation Care Committee and more! Thank you so much Jean and Rachel and congratulations on being our July and August 2021 Ministers of the Month!
Worship Assistants Needed!
After a nearly sixteen month long break from weekly in-person worship, we are now slowly starting to rebuild up our volunteer base! We are looking for ushers and greeters starting July 11th, and then based on how well that goes we are hoping to throw lectors into the mix beginning August. Because of how long of a break we have had and honoring that all may not be ready to come back in-person, we will be making a completely new worship assistant list. If you are interested in being included in our rotations, please email Rianne at office@messiahschenectady.org. It is also helpful for scheduling purposes to note if there are any weeks you know you won't be available so you won't be included in those weeks. We are so excited for reopening and can't wait to see you again!
Flower Help Needed
With the return of in-person worship, we are looking for someone who would be interested in picking up flowers at Price Chopper every Saturday beginning July 17th. If you may be interested, please call Judy Becker at 518.374.5104 to see what this task entails. Thanks!
Save the Date for Upcoming Community Service Opportunities
In addition to staffing a SiCM Summer Lunch site at the Trinity Community Center this summer, your Community Service Committee is working on providing at least a monthly service opportunity throughout the rest of 2021 for our members. Please mark your calendars!!!
Summer 2021 Pastor's Letter
Thursday, July 1st, 2021
Commemoration of Catherine Winkworth & John Mason Neale, hymn translators
Dear siblings in Christ,
Just yesterday two of our local elected leaders joined us for the permanent raising of a new pride flag in front of our Worship Center, an action YOU voted for early this June (many thanks to Steve Friebel for putting the bracket up btw). During our time together, one of our elected leaders almost broke down in tears... he explained how a family member used to attend a church that persecuted LGBTQIA folks and how harmful that experience was for his entire family. It meant SO much that a church would put up a sign of welcome, affirmation and celebration for all God's children in our local community. After the flag raising, we got to talking about how it's in fact in our difference, in the scars (as Saint Thomas the Apostle whom we commemorate this Saturday found), in those rougher edges that we're bound together in true unity!
It a similar vein, just this past Monday I had the blessed opportunity to sit down around a table and help curate a conversation between local law enforcement leaders and local activists for the first time in real life since March 2020. MY GOODNESS, it was SO much easier to find common ground, build trust and begin to find unity amidst our differences while gathered with everyone in real life around a common table. Indeed, I think more progress was made in making our city safe in that one meeting alone than in perhaps the whole of 2020 on Zoom!
Finally, I've heard from so many of you how helpful it was a couple weeks back to hear from Rev. Dr. Roger Willer and Bishop John Macholz about the power of our ELCA Social Statements to guide our deliberations and build common ground on the many social issues of contemporary life that so divide us, all while informing our baptismal calling "to strive for peace and justice in all the earth." A recording of that conversation is permanently available on our Facebook Page and YouTube channel. I just heard back from Roger as well that he'd like to do more similar videos with us on the specific social statements. I'm hoping we'll be able to do one a month beginning in September and I was happy to hear our first convo will likely be featured on the main website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America!!!
This all goes to say there's something about tables, dear friends, and especially tables where all are welcome. Divides can be bridged. Reconciliation, justice and healing can occur. New friendships can be formed and old friendships can be renewed. Common ground can be claimed. And that's why, especially as we return for in person worship and prepare to make our Worship Center and our Community Center in different ways the sort of community tables that are fully accessible for all, my goodness, we are engaged in good and holy work. Thank you, dear friends, for all you do and have a blessed summer!
in hope,
Pastor Dustin
Lead at Messiah!
While a number of folks have stepped up in recent months, we're still looking for a variety of new leaders to fill a number of appointed roles including a Social Justice Chair, a Nursery Chair, a Youth Ministry Chair, an Arts & Culture Chair, a Young Adult Chair, a Men's Group President and an Archives Chair. If any of these things sound of interest to you, please contact Pastor Dustin!
Birthday Cake in a Pan Collection Successful!
Many thanks to all who contributed to our Birthday Cake in a Pan Project in support of the City Mission of Schenectady! Over forty kits were collected and will be delivered to the City Mission in the coming days!!!
New RIC Welcome Statement Adopted!
With many thanks to Grace Olochnowicz, Kody Schaffer, Sarah Olochnowicz, Laurie Lynn Lumbra, Barbara Quackenbush, Rachel Mathis and co-chairs Merle Longwood and Kimlee Marquise, we adopted a powerful new welcome statement at last month's Special Meeting of the Congregation that read as follows:
In response to God’s unconditional love for all people, and in our belief that all people are beloved of God and made in the image of God, we therefore welcome and actively invite people of all ages, races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, relationship statuses, socioeconomic statuses, disabilities, and mental and physical conditions into full participation in the body of Christ. We believe that these things make the church diverse, beautiful, and reflective of God, and we therefore affirm the beauty, value, and gifts of each and every person.
We commit to striving continually to become a welcoming, affirming, and celebrating community. We commit to the work of anti-racism, in institutions and internally, interpersonal and structurally. We commit to breaking down dividing walls (Ephesians 2:14) and building a community where each and every person would know they are loved, affirmed, and celebrated by God.
Based on this great work, we've resubmitted for a renewed Reconciling in Christ (RIC designation) with Reconciling Works and permanently raised a Pride flag in front of our worship center in recent weeks. We plan on including more information from Reconciling Works on our website soon and will structure a permanent Welcome Committee in a way that will continue to support our commitment to being a welcoming, affirming and celebrating congregation.
Help Us Build a Common Table by Supporting the Trinity Community Center
Over 170 folks received both doses of life giving COVID19 vaccine. Over 1000 lbs of fresh produce distributed to neighbors in need... in just one week! Members and friends alike expressed themselves and found peace through Zentangle art classes. The largest Twelve Step programs in Rotterdam provide community and support to people in recovery. Countless opportunities to volunteer! We've done all these things and more through our Trinity Community Center in just a short couple of months and we don't even own the building yet (although we will any day now)! In the coming weeks, we'll launch a SiCM Summer Lunch site to help feed kids in need throughout the summer and welcome SafeHaven LGBTQ into our doors... and that's just the beginning... The possibilities with God's help are indeed endless!
That said, especially during this time of transition, all these powerful, life affirming and necessary ministries come with an expense. Did you know just to keep the lights and heat on, keep the parking lot clear of snow, and keep the building insured, it costs about $11,000, even before the cost of programming? If we add up the rough cost of staff time from Pastor Jonathan, Pastor Dustin, Rianne, Sarah, Dave and Nicole (especially with all the extra time spent in building acquisition and program launch in the short term) that number increases to about $25,000 - $30,000 a year!
Space use contributions from outside groups will now begin coming in. A year or two out we will realize significant revenue from the redevelopment of the property surrounding the community center into affordable housing. In the short term however, these expenses have come out of our regular Parish Budget, leading us to a roughly $15,000 budget shortfall going into the summer, which are traditionally leaner months in the life of our congregation. Our Budget & Finance Committee recently met to discuss this issue and made the following suggestions of how you can help:
We have two incredible ministers of the month this summer! Both Rachel DeTeso-Mathis and Jean Jones have spent TREMENDOUS amounts of time working in our Rev. Richard Rieger Memorial Harvest Garden raising fresh fruits, vegetables and herbs for our Produce Pantry every Friday. Jean (pictured with husband Pete and grandson Tyler) leads our group of gardeners while Rachel DeTeso-Mathis (pictured with son Jesse) is our resident "queen of the tomatoes" and donated a larger number of her plants to the cause!!! In addition, both Jean and Rachel serve in a wide variety of other capacities at Messiah! Rachel is on our Congregation Council, our Worship & Music Ministry Team and in our Choir while Jean assists with our Adult Faith Formation Committee, our Creation Care Committee and more! Thank you so much Jean and Rachel and congratulations on being our July and August 2021 Ministers of the Month!
Worship Assistants Needed!
After a nearly sixteen month long break from weekly in-person worship, we are now slowly starting to rebuild up our volunteer base! We are looking for ushers and greeters starting July 11th, and then based on how well that goes we are hoping to throw lectors into the mix beginning August. Because of how long of a break we have had and honoring that all may not be ready to come back in-person, we will be making a completely new worship assistant list. If you are interested in being included in our rotations, please email Rianne at office@messiahschenectady.org. It is also helpful for scheduling purposes to note if there are any weeks you know you won't be available so you won't be included in those weeks. We are so excited for reopening and can't wait to see you again!
Flower Help Needed
With the return of in-person worship, we are looking for someone who would be interested in picking up flowers at Price Chopper every Saturday beginning July 17th. If you may be interested, please call Judy Becker at 518.374.5104 to see what this task entails. Thanks!
Save the Date for Upcoming Community Service Opportunities
In addition to staffing a SiCM Summer Lunch site at the Trinity Community Center this summer, your Community Service Committee is working on providing at least a monthly service opportunity throughout the rest of 2021 for our members. Please mark your calendars!!!
- Sunday, September 12th: God’s Work Our Hands Sunday: Cleaning up and moving into the Trinity Community Center. More information to follow.
- Late October/ Early November TBA: Schenectady Interfaith Community Service Day: A countywide day of service in partnership with Schenectady Clergy Against Hate.
- Saturday, November 20th, 8:30a - done: Concerned For The Hungry Thanksgiving Basket Packing Day Hoping to staff three “fresh” vegetable stations again this year. More to follow.
- Saturday, December 4th from 10:00am - 1:00pm: #HelpPortrait Schenectady Our annual effort to provide studio quality portraits for families and individuals in need right before the holidays.
Summer 2021 Pastor's Letter
Thursday, July 1st, 2021
Commemoration of Catherine Winkworth & John Mason Neale, hymn translators
Dear siblings in Christ,
Just yesterday two of our local elected leaders joined us for the permanent raising of a new pride flag in front of our Worship Center, an action YOU voted for early this June (many thanks to Steve Friebel for putting the bracket up btw). During our time together, one of our elected leaders almost broke down in tears... he explained how a family member used to attend a church that persecuted LGBTQIA folks and how harmful that experience was for his entire family. It meant SO much that a church would put up a sign of welcome, affirmation and celebration for all God's children in our local community. After the flag raising, we got to talking about how it's in fact in our difference, in the scars (as Saint Thomas the Apostle whom we commemorate this Saturday found), in those rougher edges that we're bound together in true unity!
It a similar vein, just this past Monday I had the blessed opportunity to sit down around a table and help curate a conversation between local law enforcement leaders and local activists for the first time in real life since March 2020. MY GOODNESS, it was SO much easier to find common ground, build trust and begin to find unity amidst our differences while gathered with everyone in real life around a common table. Indeed, I think more progress was made in making our city safe in that one meeting alone than in perhaps the whole of 2020 on Zoom!
Finally, I've heard from so many of you how helpful it was a couple weeks back to hear from Rev. Dr. Roger Willer and Bishop John Macholz about the power of our ELCA Social Statements to guide our deliberations and build common ground on the many social issues of contemporary life that so divide us, all while informing our baptismal calling "to strive for peace and justice in all the earth." A recording of that conversation is permanently available on our Facebook Page and YouTube channel. I just heard back from Roger as well that he'd like to do more similar videos with us on the specific social statements. I'm hoping we'll be able to do one a month beginning in September and I was happy to hear our first convo will likely be featured on the main website of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America!!!
This all goes to say there's something about tables, dear friends, and especially tables where all are welcome. Divides can be bridged. Reconciliation, justice and healing can occur. New friendships can be formed and old friendships can be renewed. Common ground can be claimed. And that's why, especially as we return for in person worship and prepare to make our Worship Center and our Community Center in different ways the sort of community tables that are fully accessible for all, my goodness, we are engaged in good and holy work. Thank you, dear friends, for all you do and have a blessed summer!
in hope,
Pastor Dustin
Lead at Messiah!
While a number of folks have stepped up in recent months, we're still looking for a variety of new leaders to fill a number of appointed roles including a Social Justice Chair, a Nursery Chair, a Youth Ministry Chair, an Arts & Culture Chair, a Young Adult Chair, a Men's Group President and an Archives Chair. If any of these things sound of interest to you, please contact Pastor Dustin!
Birthday Cake in a Pan Collection Successful!
Many thanks to all who contributed to our Birthday Cake in a Pan Project in support of the City Mission of Schenectady! Over forty kits were collected and will be delivered to the City Mission in the coming days!!!
New RIC Welcome Statement Adopted!
With many thanks to Grace Olochnowicz, Kody Schaffer, Sarah Olochnowicz, Laurie Lynn Lumbra, Barbara Quackenbush, Rachel Mathis and co-chairs Merle Longwood and Kimlee Marquise, we adopted a powerful new welcome statement at last month's Special Meeting of the Congregation that read as follows:
In response to God’s unconditional love for all people, and in our belief that all people are beloved of God and made in the image of God, we therefore welcome and actively invite people of all ages, races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions, relationship statuses, socioeconomic statuses, disabilities, and mental and physical conditions into full participation in the body of Christ. We believe that these things make the church diverse, beautiful, and reflective of God, and we therefore affirm the beauty, value, and gifts of each and every person.
We commit to striving continually to become a welcoming, affirming, and celebrating community. We commit to the work of anti-racism, in institutions and internally, interpersonal and structurally. We commit to breaking down dividing walls (Ephesians 2:14) and building a community where each and every person would know they are loved, affirmed, and celebrated by God.
Based on this great work, we've resubmitted for a renewed Reconciling in Christ (RIC designation) with Reconciling Works and permanently raised a Pride flag in front of our worship center in recent weeks. We plan on including more information from Reconciling Works on our website soon and will structure a permanent Welcome Committee in a way that will continue to support our commitment to being a welcoming, affirming and celebrating congregation.
Help Us Build a Common Table by Supporting the Trinity Community Center
Over 170 folks received both doses of life giving COVID19 vaccine. Over 1000 lbs of fresh produce distributed to neighbors in need... in just one week! Members and friends alike expressed themselves and found peace through Zentangle art classes. The largest Twelve Step programs in Rotterdam provide community and support to people in recovery. Countless opportunities to volunteer! We've done all these things and more through our Trinity Community Center in just a short couple of months and we don't even own the building yet (although we will any day now)! In the coming weeks, we'll launch a SiCM Summer Lunch site to help feed kids in need throughout the summer and welcome SafeHaven LGBTQ into our doors... and that's just the beginning... The possibilities with God's help are indeed endless!
That said, especially during this time of transition, all these powerful, life affirming and necessary ministries come with an expense. Did you know just to keep the lights and heat on, keep the parking lot clear of snow, and keep the building insured, it costs about $11,000, even before the cost of programming? If we add up the rough cost of staff time from Pastor Jonathan, Pastor Dustin, Rianne, Sarah, Dave and Nicole (especially with all the extra time spent in building acquisition and program launch in the short term) that number increases to about $25,000 - $30,000 a year!
Space use contributions from outside groups will now begin coming in. A year or two out we will realize significant revenue from the redevelopment of the property surrounding the community center into affordable housing. In the short term however, these expenses have come out of our regular Parish Budget, leading us to a roughly $15,000 budget shortfall going into the summer, which are traditionally leaner months in the life of our congregation. Our Budget & Finance Committee recently met to discuss this issue and made the following suggestions of how you can help:
- If you're already up to date on your household's pledge to our Annual Fund, thank you!!!! We'll be launching a public fundraising effort within the next month and we encourage you to invite friends, family and neighbors to contribute to a cause you care about!
- If you're not up to date on your household's pledge to our Annual Fund, thank you for all you have done! We understand if your circumstances may have changed, but if possible, please try to catch up!
- If you've never considered making a pledge to our Annual Fund in support of our life changing ministries, please consider doing so! Simply reach out to Financial Secretary Penny Incitti today at pennyincitti@gmail.com! All pledges are kept confidentially between the Senior Pastor, Financial Secretary and President.