COMMUNITY CHURCH OF DOUGLASTON

“ANCHOR”

Rev. Dr. Linden DeBie Rev. Adrienne Flipse Hausch

Senior Minister Minister of Congregational Care

January 2013

Dearly Beloved in the Lord Jesus Christ,

What strikes me most about the Church over the last two hundred years is the amount of

change that has transpired. It’s as if time has sped up. Of course, this is the case as much for

the world as for the Church. Science and technology have transformed us and launched us

into that not so fictional, “Brave New World” and they have done it at breakneck speed.

Justifiably perhaps, science and technology typically get the praise or blame depending on

the newest development. With the speed of change and in our embrace of that New World,

it’s a small miracle that any of our ancient rituals and traditions remain intact and that the

Church still preaches the Good News of a Jewish peasant, born Son of God, crucified and

risen—the salvation of the world, past and future!

This is part five in our six part series on the Church. Having looked at the Reformation, we turn

next to the modern era, once again respectful of the vast number of developments beyond

our scope. This section will ground us in our immediate past—and will go a long way in

making us aware of our present situation. It might even provide some explanation of why we

think about the Church the way we do. Two world wars, for example, must adjust any

thinking about our place in the world and the Church’s role in defining that place.

Indeed, for all our progress as a species we have made a mess of things over and over

again. And it’s clear that to a great extent the errors of the past keep us from an overly

Promethean attitude toward our accomplishments, inventiveness and future prospects. That

checkered past has also made many reluctant to jettison our ancient faith or the

foundational traditions that guide us. For all our advances we remain at the mercy of our

own evil, and those committed to a Christian viewpoint recognize that God alone can lead

us safely into the future.

Of course that very idea, that God controls our destiny, was shaken at its roots soon after the

Reformation. While we were busy fighting among ourselves, a new generation began to

distrust old dogmas. As the Church was torn apart, essentially into Catholic and Protestant

branches (in the West), we warred with one another in so devastating a manner that our

witness to the ones Christ died for was severely compromised. Meanwhile, a radical

reinvestigation of the claims of faith was underway by people no longer intimidated by

threats of damnation or even years in the Tower of London. So in our fragmentation and in

the world’s new hunger for truth and freedom, the Church found itself no longer the political

force it once was. Indeed, the modern era required the Church to invest in some serious self-

"Hope is like an anchor for our lives,

an anchor safe and sure" - Heb. 6:19

examination in terms of its theology,

witness and mission, although it showed

every sign of reluctance to do so.

With the breakup of the Church, a number

of new denominations emerged which

often showed great genius in theology,

polity and mission—but absolute

intolerance when it came to opposing

views. Nevertheless, as peace slowly re-

emerged after years of both religious and

political warfare, the questions being

raised about freedom and truth had only

intensified, along with doubts about the

Church’s direction, history, and even its

authenticity. Many of these came as a

result of the period known as the

Enlightenment.

The Enlightenment ushered in the modern

era by finishing the work of the

Renaissance that brought an end to the so

called Dark Ages. Here superstition had its

last stand as critical and scientific thinking

replaced what many believed was

outright superstition. But in that remarkable

movement there also developed new

ideas of what really happened around

Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. Reason

challenged tradition with a critical,

scientific examination of the past, our

Scriptures and our theological

presuppositions. That led many to either

question orthodoxy or to abandon it

altogether. It is common to speak of that

trend as skepticism. However, it was just as

likely that threats to faith would be met by

innovative new theologies, and so

wherever significant new agreement

emerged there seemed to follow a new

sect. At first these sects could be severely

persecuted. But with the founding of this

country the door was opened wide for the

vast array of free religious expression.

The advantage was that religion in the

United States, for the most part, ceased to

be the source of persecution both of

people and their ideas. Not right off the

bat, but it did happen. The Baptist and

Jews had a hard time of it for quite awhile.

The disadvantage, in terms of the spread

of the Gospel, was the difficulty in

articulating a coherent message that

would make our longstanding belief in the

“one Holy Catholic Church” a reality. In

fact, our message to the masses was a

mixed and often conflicting one. Still, at

least in America, religion was strong early

on and generally considered essential for

holding us together as a people. Religion

remained, to a great extent, part of our

cultural fabric such that Church

attendance, and at least the semblance

of adherence to faith, brought social

respectability. Even while radical visionaries

could and did write without fear of

persecution, for the most part, people

relied on religion to provide stability to a

nation bent on economic success and

security. This revolutionary freedom, for

example, allowed Unitarians to reject the

idea of the Trinity and to place great

confidence in the ability of mankind to do

good and succeed morally, without being

outlawed and in many cases applauded.

Indeed, Harvard University became a

bastion of this progressive style of religion.

It was in this unprecedented new era of

freedom that faith and doubt co-existed,

and denominations proliferated along with

every imaginable aberration of truth and

falsity. All of it to a great extent

encouraged by a legitimate desire to be

sure about what our senses told us.

Uncertainty about the claims of religion

were not just the fruit of growing skepticism,

but the result of a burgeoning fascination

with science and with being certain:

certain about the past; certain about

knowing and how we know; certain about

moral decision making. With the flourishing

of skepticism and the rationalism of the

period directly following the

Enlightenment, disaffection with the

Church grew. Often it was made worse by

the Church’s imperious behavior among

other un-Christ like behavior. Rather than

embrace the light, often the Church

preferred the darkness. As time went on

individuals were lost to faith, then families,

then communities and finally entire

countries. It persists today, and many of us

are heartbroken that so many will never

know the love of Jesus nor benefit by his

moral compass. Yet though it grieves us, it

should not be cause for resignation. Such

trends are not without exception.

The great historian of Western thought, J.

D. Morell, observed in his massive volume

on the nineteenth century, skepticism is its

own worst enemy, destroying everything in

its path and eventually itself—for

everything it must reject is based on the

acceptance of the very assumptions

which it ultimately rejects. Morell wrote in

1847 that this situation was the plague of

modern Europe, especially France. Even as

England was experiencing a small

resurgence in faith, France was lost to the

Church. Said Morell:

Mankind requires faith in moral

obligation, faith in God, faith in

immortality; and this faith cannot

be shaken without at the same time

endangering the very framework of

human society. . . There have been

in the history of the world eras of

intense faith, as well as eras of

general unbelief upon these matters;

and it is the latter which we now

note down as being characterized

by the skepticism of ignorance.

Current systems of belief as was the

case at the Reformation, will

sometimes, from various causes, be

shaken to their very centre, and then

the community at large,

sympathizing in the work of

destruction, are apt to go onwards

with it, until they have left no temple

of faith at all, in which they may

worship. The next generation,

accordingly, will grow up

uneducated in any belief; and, as

the consequence of this, there will

ensue a skepticism, not arising from

any designed rejection of the

spiritual faith of humanity, but from

actual ignorance of what there is

to believe in [My emphasis]. Such, to

a great extent, is the present state of

France . . .

I fear we are there to a great extent in our

own country today. Our children do not

lack faith for any reasonable critique of

religion but from simple ignorance of what

it is to have faith. In the wake of our great

rationalistic era we have not only whittled

down what we can believe in, but

expelled any confidence in the legacy of

our most illustrious teachers and prophets

of the past. Still, we are not France by any

means and the situations are not identical.

Our history in America is less that of overt

skepticism as one of the open market of

religious ideas. Here every conceivable

religious fad might be deemed worthy of

consideration—and of course no

responsible leader would want to quash

the free exchange of ideas. But in our

contemporary society ideas themselves

have became the engine of culture such

that the merit of the idea might be

construed in its novelty if not in its

commercial success. Likewise, we often

judge ideas unworthy because their shelf

life has expired. Even the progressive

thoughts of the Boston intelligentsia of the

early nineteenth century were considered

old and out of date by their children who

ran headlong into transcendentalism.

It was during this period, here and abroad,

that once again there was a longing for a

unifying religion. But of course, it could not

ever again be conceived in terms of the

Holy Roman Empire. For awhile that thirst

was assuaged by revivalism. More

practically and certainly more lasting in

terms of social impact, were the vast

network of intra-denominational

cooperatives, again mostly of evangelical

origin but not always. These cooperative

ventures were in the areas of prison reform,

educational reform, help for the poor,

women’s issues—indeed, a whole gambit

of social crises facing the new nation. It set

people of faith apart that they took these

issues very seriously, no matter their

denomination. In many cases a truce

came about through these efforts. Oh,

they still argued about theology, but thank

God burning at the stake was banned and

there was even an emerging sense that we

shared more than we admitted. Through

these efforts and others like them, a

dialogue was forged even if it was often

fettered by dogmatism.

We tend to focus on our differences, but it

is truly amazing how much history we share

and continue to share. Of course, there is

great disagreement about some very

serious questions. Still I would contend that

the similarities are greater. But what is

revolutionary for our modern era is that a

man or woman might simply opt-out of

religion, or sit comfortably (or

uncomfortably) on the periphery. That is

utterly new to civilization and frankly no

one knows what this might mean for the

future. It has created a vast ocean of folks

with only the slightest idea or interest in

religion. The sad response of some of the

most successful denominations or their

independent cousins; is to approach this

new generation as if they were consumers.

The result in the most recent decades is to

further dilute the teaching of the Apostolic

Church. We have literally created a

warehouse of worship practice and

questionable teaching designed for those

on the fringes so that they can feel most

comfortable and accepting of what they

hear. This turn of events is not entirely

surprising in a country that prides itself on its

entrepreneurial spirit; that the selling or

marketing of religion would make sense to

the ambitious religious corporation. And

without any fear of retribution, indeed with

plenty of rewards for numerical success,

religion is designer-made these days and

you can pick your brand.

It’s tempting to get on the band wagon

and too many of our church leaders who

formerly were guided by confession or

conscience are now guided by numerical

success or in the cases of the truly weird,

by pure hubris. Still there are many,

outstanding church leaders and laity who

are convinced that the core of Christian

teaching is neither made up, nor irrational,

nor infinitely divisible, and it’s certainly not

to be treated as a commodity. Here

among the great denominations of the

past and present, serious dialogue drives

the earnest recognition that God still

speaks through the Holy Spirit, if only we

would listen; if only we would share the

Good News as much in our deeds as in our

words; if we would only leave off

desperately trying to sell the Good News

rather than live it. In that dialogue

continuity with the past is not only evident,

but it drives the conversation. Here lives the

conviction that the reality of heaven and

its intersection with earth is real; that

religion is not first of all a matter of personal

conscience—but a matter of God’s

invasion of our world in spirit and truth.

And finally, here is affirmed the insistence

that the Church is not simply the company

of the like-minded, but a “Holy Other”

brought into this world by Christ. It is the

real, visible and objective community of

God’s people—redeemed by God, led by

God and disciplined by God. In these we

may find a new starting point of dialogue

between Christians that might bode well

for the future of the Church.

Pastor Linden

CCD: MORE THAN A CHURCH

COMMUNITY FOCUS & OUTREACH

Located in the

heart of Douglaston

Village, CCD’s

facilities are used by

many local groups

such as Alcohol

Anonymous, the

Douglaston Garden

Club, the Douglaston Civic Association,

and the Tuesday Morning Music Club.

Hearts in the Community, which offers short

term financial and other assistance to

those in need in our community as well as

providing holiday dinners to local families

each year, and the Blanton-Peale

Counseling Center, which offers

professional counseling services to the

community, both call CCD home. In

addition to hosting NYC's Department of

Education's Universal Pre-Kindergarten

(UPK); this fall CCD partnered with

Queensborough Community College to

offer the After School Academy (ASA),

which provides a program after school for

students K-5.

2012 CHRISTMAS GREETINGS

The Community Church of Douglaston

Family received Christmas cards, photos

and greetings from:

Joe Caufield & Say the Wonder Dog!

Samir El-Sawaf (Kidz Theatre)

Maryellen Hennegan

Lidi Family

The Latella Family

Terry & Andrew (Occhipinti)

Dennis, Kimberly, Kyria & Alexander

(Pidherny)

Sarmiento Family: Alvaro & Barbara,

Nina, Camila & Lea

Philippe and Sarah Savary

Maggie (Margaret M. Seder)

Maia (Witowski O’Donnell)

These messages are displayed on the

bulletin board and will be available

through January.

All the Blessings

of the Season

“JESUS TAUGHT US that if we share, if

we combine our resources with trust in

God, there is enough — the

abundance mentality. This perception

that there is enough connects directly

to our willingness to share

compassionately. It flows naturally

from being detached from our

possessions; when we want less, we

have enough.”

The Jesus Priorities: 8 Essential Habits by

Christopher Maricle. Copyright & copy

2007 by Christopher Maricle. All rights

reserved. Used by permission of Upper

Room Books. Submitted by Linda Mulé

Please return your

2013 PLEDGE CARD.

Or you may pick up one in the

Church Office inside the door.

box.

ORGANIST SEARCH COMMITTEE

NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU!

The members of the organist search

committee would like to hear your views

on music at CCD.

Ruth Guideri, Harrison Lu, Linda Mulé, Sue

Stiles and Rett Zabriskie will be at Coffee

Hour Sundays through January 27 - please

talk to any one of them and give them

your input on how the ministry of music at

CCD should continue. Whether it's to say

that you love things the way they are, or

that we should go in a different direction,

or anything else, please share that with a

committee member. If you would prefer to

write a note, please send it to

Linda.Mule@gmail.com or leave it in the

church office.

The more congregants they hear from, the

better the committee members will be

able to accomplish their purpose of

selecting the person who will help us praise

the Lord with beautiful music when we

worship.

FAS CORNER

What do Costco and The Community

Church of Douglaston have in common?

They both support FASSN (The Fetal Alcohol

Syndrome Support Network

of NYC and Long Island, Inc.)

If you shop at Costco, you might

want to pick up the January

issue of their free monthly

magazine called the Costco Connection

and read an article submitted by FASSN.

How did this come about?

While shopping at the Westbury Costco,

someone saw a hand-made sign above

the beer section that read, “Do not drink

alcohol when pregnant.” When I was told

about this sign, I emailed the national

editor of the Costco Connection to thank

him and to make a FAS pitch. A month

later the editor called and asked me to

write a 400 word article for their magazine,

which is read by 8.4 million people in the

United States.

And that’s how Costco, FASSN, and The

Community Church of Douglaston are

working together to raise awareness about

this very preventable syndrome.

The Lord certainly works in mysterious

ways…

Submitted by Susan Rose

COFFEE HOUR ON SUNDAY

Please consider signing up to host

a coffee hour during a Sunday

following worship service.

Sign-up sheet is in the hallway

opposite the Library.

REPORT FROM THE PROPERTY COMMITTEE

The Property Committee has

addressed a number of maintenance

issues in recent weeks:

Parking Lot Flood Light. One of the large

quartz halogen spotlights on the roof that

lights the parking lot at night failed and has

been repaired.

Roof and Ceiling Repair. The sanctuary

roof has been repaired. This should solve

the leak that has caused paint damage in

the ceiling and to the organ. Next step is

to contract for the repairing and repainting

of the ceiling in the affected area.

Wheelchair Ramp Repair. A contract has

been entered to repair and refinish the

wheelchair ramp at the front of the

church. This project depends on several

consecutive days of good weather and

may have to be deferred until Spring.

Restroom Upgrade. We plan to replace all

ten toilets on the first and second floor

bathrooms with comfort height toilets with

elongated bowls. This project will involve

changing the way the stall doors open so

they will open out rather than into the stall.

Comfort height toilets are significantly taller

than the existing toilets and will make it

easier for older and disabled persons to lift

themselves off the toilet. These changes

will be made in the first quarter of this year.

Main Entrance Upgrade and Repair. We

have contracted to repair, re-hang, and

repaint the inner and outer doors to the

entrance to the sanctuary. This work will

be done in the next month.

The Property Committee consists of

Adrienne Hausch, Ed LaGrassa, Tom Lloyd,

Nicholas Restivo, and Marilyn Stone.

BREATHE

AND THE WELL runs dry. It’s one of the

most common experiences in the spiritual

life. A practice that we have cherished, a

habit that has deepened us and drawn

us closer to God, a discipline that we

perhaps have engaged in for years no

longer seems to work. …

Pondering the questions that lie at the

bottom of a dry well offers a journey of its

own. What I know is this: to find the

answers, we have to pay attention to the

dryness. This is a desert place. As

uncomfortable as it may be, there is no

substitute for these desert places in the

spiritual life. They offer a wisdom that we

cannot get any other way.

BLESSING

When the well goes dry, listen.

Sit by it, your ear pressed to its rim.

Hear the empty and the hollow of it.

Let be. Let be.

When finally you hear your breath

echo back to you,

let this sound be your first prayer.

Where there is breath,

there is water somewhere.

Breathe.

- Jan L. Richardson

In the Sanctuary of Women: A

Companion for Reflection & Prayer.

Copyright © 2010 by Jan L. Richardson.

All rights reserved. Used by permission of

Upper Room Books.

Submitted by Linda Mulé

IMMEDIATE PRAYERS

SHALINI TIMOTHY, FRANK, JP, SALVATORE,

FAMILY OF MARCIA TU ON THE PASSING

OF HER MOTHER, PHIL BUNTON.

CONTINUED PRAYERS

TOM LLOYD, SUSAN ROSE TRUSSUX, MAIA

O’DONNELL, DEAN BROWNWORTH, BILL

ROSE, JAMES ROACH, SALLY.

The Elders’ Corner

The New Year - The New You.

Many of us start the New Year with self-

inflicted challenges (resolutions) to improve

some aspect of our lives. The goal is to

affect positive change. As we all know, it’s

easier said than done.

Change, or perhaps more specifically

transformation, is part of our faith as well;

but that process is very different from our

earthly efforts. We don’t do it alone. We

have God’s grace and the Holy Spirit to

empower us and lead us to success. The

Apostle Paul shows us how:

Romans 12:2 (New Living Translation)

Don’t copy the behavior and

customs of this world, but let

God transform you into a new

person by changing the way

you think. Then you will know

what God wants you to do,

and you will know how good

and pleasing and perfect his

will really is.

So, in addition to your resolutions about

diet and exercise, be transformed by the

renewing of your mind. No, it’s not easy. It

takes focus, discipline, desire and faith. Re-

align your mind to God and His Word. You

can affect change. You can experience

that life of victory that He intended for you.

The New Consistory

The Consistory Nominating Committee,

chaired by Elder Nick Restivo, is preparing

to present to the Congregation the 2013

slate of new Consistory nominees. If it is

God’s will, the committee hopes to add to

the current count of three elders and four

deacons. Nominees have already been

vetted and notified. Please pray for these

candidates that each may thoughtfully

consider the potential call before them

and their role in God’s work.

* * *

From your Elders, Happy New Year to our

entire church family!

In His Service,

Ed Palafox

Congratulations

Bill and Joan Rose

on the occasion of their

65th Wedding Anniversary

January 10th

(They met in 1st grade)

UPDATED CHRISTMAS FLOWER DONORS

Your Flower Committee wishes to express their grateful appreciation to the following

people whose generosity made it possible to decorate our Church for the Joyous Christmas

Season.

In loving remembrance of.... From...

In honor and memory of Claire, Sue, Ursula and Meena The Barnes Family

In loving memory of Ursula M. Dadras The Dadras Family

In loving memory of my parents and my husband Betsy Ehrler

In memory of my Mother & Father Marguerite Espada

In memory of my beloved father, Donald F. Iannuzzi. Peace

and comfort for others mourning the loss of loved ones. Kimberly Iannuzzi

In memory of our dear friend, Sue Bottomley Abbey and Claire

Goldstein

In memory of my father, Reno C. King, Jr. Margaret L. King

In loving memory of family, friends, neighbors and co-workers

who died this year. Jean Koerber

In remembrance of wonderful Christmas’ when our family was

all here together. Amen. Marylyn MacKay

In memory of George and Thomas Olson Christina and George

Miller

In loving memory of Diana and Phil Mulé The Mulé/Wolf Family

In memory of loved ones Alice B. Ritter

In loving memory of Claire Savary The Savary Family

In memory of our Angels – Claire, Sue, Pat and Ursula Cindy and Cliff

In Memory of my Parents, William & Elsie Ferares and

my Brother, William M. Ferares Kathy Zidel

Greetings …

Joyous Noel The DeBie Family

Wishing ALL a very Merry Christmas The Fiechter Family

To the Sunday School Students, Parents and Angels The Pidherny Family

in the Wings – He came for you and me!

Merry Christmas to All Vida Vambutas

Health and Happiness to all. Zawadzki Family

Donors….

Ruth Guideri

The Latella Family

The Lloyds

Marilyn Stone

Thank you to the Christmas Flower Committee for decorating the church: Ed

Battestin, Victor Dadras, Jean Koerber, John Latella, Walter Mugdan, Marilyn

Stone, Cindy Strauss and Caroline Warshaw.

LIBRARY LINES

Messages from our Bookmarks:

“A caring church in the

heart of the community

with God’s community in

its heart.”

“God grant me the Serenity to accept

things I cannot change… the Courage to

change the things I can… and the Wisdom

to know the difference.”

“Remembrance is the sweetest flower that

in a garden grows.”

“In the end there are three things that last-

faith, hope and love. And the greatest of

these is love.”

1 Corinthians 13:13

“Make yourself familiar with the angels,

and behold then frequently in spirit, for

without being seen, they are present with

you.” St Francis de Sales

“Eternal God, In whom mercy is endless

and the treasury of compassion

inexhaustible, look kindly upon us, that in

difficult moments we might not despair nor

become despondent, but with great

confidence submit ourselves to your holy

will which is love and mercy itself.”

Tiekirkko (The Way Church) Minä seison

ovella ja kolkutan. Jos joku kuulee minun

ääneni ja avaa oven, minä tulen hänan

luokseen, ja me aterioimme yhdessä, minä

ja hän.”(Finnish)

Ilm 3:20 (Revelations 3:20)

Joan Hoffman, Librarian

WANTED FOR

PASTOR ADRIENNE’S BENCH

ANY AND ALL STAPLES OF LIFE

Especially needed now:

warm gloves, hats, scarves, boots

and blankets

Other Items needed are:

Toiletries (hotel size to gigantic),

feminine hygiene products,

linens, towels,

INFANT stuff--24 months and younger,

all sizes of diapers

(especially disposable ones)

Donate your leftover diapers

Formula--but not expired

Items are desperately needed by

Long Island Council of Churches for

those who depend on donations and our

good will.

You can leave household items, small

appliances and home furnishings.

Please make special arrangements for

larger items.

Next time you are at the store, buy one

for yourself and buy another for

someone in need!

Please leave items on the inside bench

by the back Church door.

Pastor Adrienne may be reached @

ahausch@optonline.net or 516-741-2000

BOX SUPPER AUCTION

Come one come all to the box supper auction on Saturday January 26! Enjoy

great food. Bid on cool “stuff” and help raise money for the church—all at the

same time! Here is how it works:

BRING A MEAL. Everyone who comes brings enough dinner for everyone in their

party. If you are 4, bring dinner for 4. If you do not cook or have cooking facilities,

special arrangements can be made. Your dinner goes on the auction block and is

bid on by other guests. Every meal should be accompanied by a 3x5 card with the “menu”

written upon it. Prizes will be awarded for the prettiest box supper, the most original design,

the most unusual menu and the supper achieving the highest per person bid.

BRING A BOTTLE. Bring a bottle of wine to be bid upon.

BID ON A MEAL. If you are a party of two—bid on dinner for two, unless you

have a huge appetite and bid on dinner for 4—but that’s another story (but

we are prepared for it—we will have extra meals from local restaurants to

be bid on by extra hungry people and those unable to contribute a meal)

BID ON A BOTTLE. Beverages will be served. But if you would like to accompany that

fancy picnic basket with a bottle of wine, we will auction off your donations and

others we have waiting in the wings.

ENJOY

PARTICIPATE IN THE AUCTION. We will have a select number of items for your bidding

pleasure for our dinner time entertainment. We already have donations of Lenox, estate

jewelry, gift cards for area restaurants and other “cool stuff”. We hope you cannot resist. Our

auctioneer is our own Pastor Adrienne wearing yet another hat! We hear the show is worth

the trip in itself!

EAT SOME MORE. If you wish to contribute a dessert, the more the merrier. But the auction

committee will have sweets for the sweet to top off the night.

RESERVATIONS A MUST. So when is this party? SATURDAY, JANUARY 26.

The auction for dinner will begin at 6:15 promptly so everyone must be there by 6:00 sharp so

that others can check out your meal and decide on what they want and be ready to bid.

But as you can imagine, we need to know in advance how many are coming and if they will

be bringing a meal. If we need to provide a meal for you to “auction”, we will have it there.

The cost for the meal is $25 per person. Please complete the reservation form below and

mail or bring it to the church office or give it to Pastor Adrienne after Sunday worship.

NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

CONTACT TELEPHONE:______________________NUMBER ATTENDING:__________________

I WILL BE BRINGING: WINE______DESSERT_________

I WILL NEED___________DINNERES AT $25 each for a total of__________________. My check to

the Community Church of Douglaston is enclosed. Reservation Deadline: TUESDAY, JAN 22.

PASTOR ADRIENNE’S BACK PAGE - CONTINUE

I need to change my heroes: Claire Savary, Peter Schmitt and Bob Hope are not here to

guide me anymore. But I will never accept that being mediocre or unproductive or

dangerous to others is the “new normal.” I will never accept that eating chocolate chip

cookies makes me a politically incorrect weirdo. I will never accept that relying on God and

my Savior is not the best way to live.

We live in the freest nation in the world. Yet every day I see people trying to take away my

freedoms. Yes, I am a lawyer and I remember Oliver Wendell Holmes telling us that my

freedom to strike out ends at the tip of your nose.

But please don’t tell me how large a soda I can buy. I also know I can’t yell fire in a crowded

room. But don’t tell me I can’t pray on the subway because someone else doesn’t believe in

the power of prayer.

The most important resolution of all? Stand up and be heard. Make yourself proud of who

you are. And remember that first great commandment: That we love God with all our

heart—and the second? That we love one another. Have a Blessed 2013. Pastor Adrienne

ANGEL TREE GIFTS

These thank you letters were received from the various organizations that the Community

Church of Douglaston so generously gave to during Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Hearts in the Community has identified two families which need

automobiles. If you wish to donate a car to Hearts in the Community

please see Pastor Adrienne, Linda Mulé, Cindy Strauss, Kimberly

Pidherny, Jean Koerber, or Cindi Socci or contact Pastor Adrienne @

ahausch@optonline.net.

.

COMMUNITY CHURCH OF DOUGLASTON

39-50 Douglaston Parkway

Douglaston, New York 11363

(718)229-2169

www.communitychurchofdouglaston.org

Change Service Requested

PASTOR ADRIENNE’S BACK PAGE

Happy New Year. But why is January 1 the first day of a new year? In the Chinese calendar,

this year, it is February 8th and 9th. The Hebrew New Year is generally in September. Why do

we celebrate on January 1? Well, we all know that we adhere to the “Gregorian calendar”

named after Pope Gregory who was always mucking around in such things. As it turns out,

somewhere around 1582 Gregory decided that the gold standard of calendars—the Julian

calendar—resulted in too many days lost over the years so Easter was getting earlier and

earlier. So, he recalculated the length of a day and voila! The gyrations were amazing with

even the Eastern Christians not wanting to accept anything from that Roman Catholic pope

(Greece and Russia adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1928!!).

Yet every culture accepts that the first day of the year is a time to celebrate. A time to

remember. A time to dream. A time to make resolutions. My favorite resolution was from

Hagar the Horrible: he resolved to never make another resolution. It is true that most of the

resolutions we make set us up for failure: stop smoking; lose 25 pounds; save 10% of your

salary every week; clean out the junk drawer (by the time you get to be my age is at least 5).

My only resolution is to be better than I was in 2012. I think I can keep this one—the 2012 bar

really wasn’t very high, I am afraid. I want to live each day to the fullest—meaning I have

added naps. I want people I love to know it—which means opening my mouth more (no

jokes please!). I want to lend my talents to making this world a better place—I’ll start with

Nassau and Queens; big enough! Continues 3 pages back

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