October 2017 Page 1

Inside This Issue…

Seeking Wisdom 1 Fall Work Day 1 Gnagy Gnews 2 Calendar 3 Caring Ministry 4 Peace and Global Witness 5 Upcoming Events 6 Apartment News 6 Puzzle 7 Christian Education 8-9 Food Pantry Support 10 Presbyterian Women 10

Food Pantry Hours: Tuesday 11AM-12PM and 6:30PM - 7:30PM

Newsletter of the Marcellus First Presbyterian Church Main & North Streets, Marcellus, NY 13108

315-673-2201 October 2017

SEEKING WISDOM We Make the Road By Walking

A Bible Study for Those Seeking to Deepen Their Relationship with God

And Find Out More About Being a Jesus Follower

Saturday, October 14, 2017 - 10:00 - 11:30 AM - Fireside Room Led by Dr. Ginny Smith

On Saturday, October 14, 2017, Seeking Wisdom will continue its spiritual journey as Jesus followers using Brian D. McLaren's book entitled We Make the Road By Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation. This month we're on to chapter 25, "JESUS, VIOLENCE, AND POWER." The Scripture readings for this chapter include: Isaiah 42:1-9; 53:1-12; and Matthew 16:13-17:9. Here is a teaser from this chapter: “In many ways, we’re all like Peter. We speak with great insight one minute and we make complete fools of ourselves the next. We’re clueless about how many of our pious and popular assumptions are actually illusions. We don’t know how little we know, and we have no idea how many of our ideas are wrong. Like Peter, we may use the right words to describe Jesus – Christ, son of the living God. But we still don’t understand his heart, his wisdom, his way. But that’s OK. Peter was still learning, and so are we. After all, life with Jesus is one big field trip that we’re taking together. So, let’s keep walking.”

In looking ahead, the dates for our future gatherings are November 11, “A New Identity”; December 9, “A New Path to Aliveness;” January 13, “Your Secret Life;” February 10, “Why We Worry, Why We Judge;” March 10, “The Choice Is Yours;” April 7, Palm Sunday Peace March; May 12, “The Uprising Begins; and June 9, “The Uprising of Fellowship.” Hope to see you on October 14. PEOPLE OF ALL AGES ARE

ENCOURAGED TO COME.

The Church work day is coming up in October;

more information will be available shortly.

October 2017 Page 2

Gnagy Gnews

At the end of October, we will be celebrating a big anniver-sary: 500 years since the beginning of the Reformation. As Presbyterians, we stand in the Reformed tradition. But seri-ously, how often do we think of that? How many of us know that this significant anniversary is approaching this month? And what do we know, or think we know, about Refor-mation?

During our worship in the park in September, our preacher, Rev. Steven Moore from St. John’s Episcopal Church, posed a question about what one would preach if it was to be their last sermon; what things are most important. He then suggested several themes traditionally associated with the denominations rep-resented in Marcellus. For Presbyterians, he speculated that the sermon would focus on the “sovereignty of God” and “predestination.” But when he turned to me I shook my head no – that is not what I would preach. Those ideas loom large in our Reformed heritage, but I prefer to look at it another way – using the title of Brian Gerrish’s book about Calvin’s theology: “Grace and Gratitude.” Grace: The Reformation was not intended to split into other denominations; it began because people of faith had questions about what they read in scripture and some of the teachings and practices of the church as it existed in that day. One of the most important of these ideas was that our salvation is God’s initiative, not ours. It is not primarily because of what we do but essentially because God loves us and seeks to restore that loving relationship with all God’s children. Some call that “sovereignty of God” – God is all powerful, it is due to God’s action, etc. And that is absolutely true. But that is not the word I like to use. I think it is summarized in the word “grace.” We are loved, and saved, and restored to right relationship with God, through God’s grace, and Christ’s love. Gratitude: We live according to Jesus’ teachings, in response to God’s love, not because we are required to follow certain rules, but because we are grateful for God’s grace. John Calvin writes that we are freed from such a view, freed from following laws by rote, and have instead the freedom for joyful obedience. We follow Jesus, we respond to God’s grace, not because we must but because we may. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to live holy lives and give thanks for God’s grace and love, in all we say and do. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice” – Philippians 4:4. Grace and gratitude! My favorite “saying” of the Reformation is “Reformed and always being reformed, according to the Word of God.” We are called to read and hear God’s Word, with fresh eyes and ears, and to speak and act with fresh words and actions that speak to our own time and place. May we continue to do so not only as we celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, but at all times and in all ways, in our words and in our actions. May we embrace “Grace and gratitude”! Grace and peace, Pastor Pam

October 2017 Page 3

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1—Communion

10:00 am Worship

10:30 am Church School

2

10:30 am Finance

and Stewardship

Meeting

7 pm Mission

Interpretation

Meeting.

3

4 5

7:30 pm Choir

Rehearsal

6

7

9 am Zumba

8

10:00 am Worship

10:30 am Church School

11:15 am Samaritan

Center Sandwiches

9

7 pm Board of

Deacons Meeting

10

11

8 pm AA Meeting

12

7:30 pm Choir

Rehearsal

13

14

9 am Zumba

10-11:30 am

Seeking Wisdom

15 -Food Pantry Sunday

Wear Orange

10:00 am Worship

10:30 am Church School

16

7pm Fellowship

and Outreach

Meeting

17

18

11:30 am PW

Luncheon

8 pm AA Meeting

19

7:30 pm Choir

Rehearsal

20

21

9 am Zumba

22

10:00 am Worship

10:30 am Church School

23

7 pm Session

Meeting

24

10:00 am

Finance and

Stewardship

Meeting

25

8 pm AA Meeting

26

7:30 pm Choir

Rehearsal

27

28

9 am Zumba

29 -Reformation Sunday

10:00 am Worship

10:30 am Church School

30

31– Halloween

October 2016

October 2017 Page 4

Communion To Shut-Ins

The Deacons coor-dinate the offering of the Sacrament of Holy Communion to the homebound on Sundays that we celebrate the Sacrament in worship.

The next opportunity for them to deliver Communion will be on October 1. If you are homebound and would like to receive Commun-ion, please call the Church Office, 673-2201, or Deb Swankey, Moderator of the Deacons, at 673-1403.

CONNECTIONS

Connections is published the first of each month by the Marcellus First Presbyterian Church. Deadline for materials is the 23rd of the month preceding the month of publication. Submit materials and address changes to Church Office.

Marcellus First Presbyterian Church

PO Box 147, 1 East Main St. Marcellus, NY 13108 Phone: 315-673-2201

e-mail: office@marcelluspc.com website:

www.marcelluspresbyterian.com Worship: 10:00 AM Church School 10:30 AM

Views expressed are those of the authors and not official positions of the Session, unless noted.

Food Pantry Hours Tuesdays

11 am - 12 noon & 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm

Caring Ministry

IN OUR PRAYERS…

...Harriet Stalker …Carol Stalker ...Tom Brown ...Shirley Marble ...Gwenn Rice ...Lynn Rice ...Jean Reichard ...Hank Bartholomew and family ...Jan Linderman ...Vicky Clark ...Tobey Casler ...Roger Hakes ...Mike Caster ...Betty Olley ...June Gnagy ...Victims of Natural Disasters ...Our Armed forces worldwide ...Our friends & loved ones in need

The Deacons

Happy Birthday... Erwin Rice 10/05 Andy Caster 10/06 Kate Ellen Dean 10/06 Abby Ray 10/06 Sandy Manciocchi 10/08 Donna Costa 10/08 Carol LaPointe-Knickerbocker 10/10 Peg Flitcroft 10/11 Jean Reichard 10/13 Roberta Severson 10/18 Howard Viele 10/19 Sue Wegman 10/26 Jerry Wickett 10/28 Bill Manciocchi 10/31

Worship Attendance

September 3 41 September 10 95/33 (Worship in the Park) September 17 81 September 24 60

Happy Anniversary...

Brian and Allison Ray 10/14

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS

ENDS

NOVEMBER 5th

The church office is open Monday thru Thursday, 8:30 am thru 1:30 pm. The office is closed on Fridays.

October 2017 Page 5

Peace and Global Witness

“First they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak out for me.”

By pastor Martin Niemöller

If you listen to the news, this seems to be a particularly violent year. The violence in Charlottesville captured our attention for a number of weeks. That particular news af-fected me in a personal way because my son, daughter-in-law and baby grandchildren all live in Charlottesville. I have walked the streets shown on the news and sat drinking coffee in cafes along the mall. The area is as familiar to me as most of us would find Ar-mory Square. Community leaders have worked hard to clean-up that part of Char-lottesville so that it is a gathering place for young people and safe for families. So how did it erupt in violence? Why did hate mongers choose Charlottesville to spread their message of intolerance? How did neighbor turn against neighbor? Could that level of vi-olence happen in Syracuse or even Marcellus? I don't have the answers to these ques-tions but I know that peacemaking is hard work. We can't always assume that it will happen someplace else or that it is somebody else's problem.

During the month of October we will be celebrating Peacemaking in our church. A gift to the Peace & Global Witness Offering enables the church to promote the Peace of Christ by addressing systems of injustice around the world. On a national level, it provides di-rect support to those working to heal the divisions in violent parts of the world like South Sudan. It means speaking up for the vulnerable around the world through a seat at the United Nations table. And it means creating educational materials to help congre-gations deal with issues as diverse as disagreements between members to bullying to gun violence. Locally we will be using the Peace & Global Witness Offering to help mi-grant farmworkers in our neighboring communities. Please consider giving generously to this offering.

“Peace at all times in all ways.” – 2 Thessalonians 3:16 Sue Wegman

October 2017 Page 6

Upcoming Events

Our church apartment will become available for rental in the near future. Please help spread the word:

Apartment for Rent: Second floor, 2 bedroom apartment with eat-in kitchen, living room, plenty of closet & storage space and cable ready. Recent updates made to the bathroom and flooring. The apartment has 2 entrances and 2 staircases. No pets allowed. Monthly rent is $800 with a $300 security deposit required upon lease signing. Heat, elec-tricity, mowing, shoveling, and plowing is included with rent.

Contact the Marcellus Presbyterian Church office: 315-673-2201

Responding to Racism The Presbytery of Genesee Valley is hosting an Introduction to Systemic Racism work-shop on Saturday, October 21 from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Conducted by Crossroads An-ti-Racism Organizing and Training, the workshop will be held at Gates Presbyterian Church, 1049 Wegman Road, Rochester, NY; and thanks to funding from the Synod, there is no charge to attend! Participants will explore racism as a systemic, institutional prob-lem of power that goes beyond personal prejudice, develop skill to help facilitate and con-verse in a productive manner about race, and learn about strategic methodology to organ-ize and dismantle institutional racism. Register by Monday, October 9 at https://pbygenval.org/crossroads-workshop/. Contact R.E. Rebecca Wind (315-481-6395, rebeccawindpottery@gmail.com) or R.E. Linda Russell (315-252-5795, lsruss@aol.com) with questions or to sign up for C-S Presbytery’s transportation service.

New Members and Visitors Welcome! Every week, our bulletin and our service begin with words of wel-come. We will be having a New Member gathering in October for anyone who has found this genuine welcome here and would like to join our church of wel-coming, faithful Christians. Please contact Pastor Pam (Church: (315)673-2201; cell: 315-956-3829; E-mail: p.gnagy@marcelluspc.com). We welcome you when you visit and would also love to welcome you as members!

Apartment News

October 2017 Page 7

October 2017 Page 8

Gifts for our Neighbors in Uganda We kicked off the first week of Sunday School with a wonderful mission project that connected our young people with Joan, our young friend at Chil-dren of the Father’s House in Uganda. The kids brought in small items includ-ing arts and craft supplies, hair accessories, friendship bracelets, stickers, stuffed animals and bookmarks to be given to Joan by the CFH director on her upcoming trip to Uganda. We collected enough items that we were able to assemble a package for Joan AND small gift envelopes for 18 of Joan’s house-mates, all age 10 and under. Each child will receive a small packet of goodies and a handwritten note from MFPC. Joan will get some of the same items, along with a sweet doll and a very special photo album that our kids put to-gether with pictures and information about themselves. We want her to be able to see the faces of the young people on the other side of the world who care about her. This project served as a powerful way for our youth to demonstrate how one can be helpful, kind and neighborly despite great physical distance. Joan will also be receiving a video message from our church that was recorded during service on September 17th, and a short video from the youth group record-ed that same day. We are hopeful that we will be able to schedule a live video chat with Joan during the first half of October when the CFH Director is there and can facilitate a meeting. We will keep you posted!

Annual Apple Pie Sale The young people at MFPC will be apple picking at Navarino Or-chard on October 1. They will return to church to prepare pies for their annual pie sale immediately thereafter. Pies will be frozen after being prepared and will be available for pick up on October 8th in Shinaman Hall right after service. We will gladly store them in the downstairs kitchen freezer in the church if you are unable to pick up your pie on the 8th. Pies are $15 each and payment is requested upon pick up. All funds raised will go toward supporting the youth program and activities throughout the year. We thank you in advance for your support of this

Christian Education

October 2017 Page 9

Christian Education

Digging Into Sunday School Youth group and Sunday school classes are un-derway and off to a great start this fall. Many volun-teers stepped up to work in the nursery and the elemen-tary class; THANK YOU! The CE committee is very pleased to welcome Erin Stasik and Ginny Smith to our Sunday School teaching volunteer cohort. They are joining Geneva Hayden, Jamie Johnston and Sandy Man-ciocchi in the teaching rotation and will be teaching the elementary class (grades K-4). We are implementing a brand new curriculum from Group Publishing called “Dig In.” This program is very flexible and its on-line access makes lesson planning easy and customizable. We are excited to see how well it works for our young-sters and the teachers. The youth group, grades 4-12, is back together and looking forward to a fun year dig-

Harvest Dinner Volunteers All youth are asked to plan to be available to volunteer for the Harvest Dinner at church on November 11th. This even is al-ways a busy one and every set of helping hands makes a huge difference. Unless you have a conflict that you can not reschedule, please make every effort to be there to help make this year’s Har-vest Dinner a successful one! Thank you!

Halloween Fun It is always fun to come up with a fun social activity for the kids during Halloween time and, this year, we were fortunate enough to secure parking passes for the Enchanted Beaver Lake event at the Beaver Lake Nature Center on Friday, October 27th. This event sells out very quickly every year and will be a lot of fun for kids of all ages from MFPC. Attendees get to walk the carved jack ’o’ lantern-lit trails of Beaver Lake at night. It is really beautiful! We have parking passes for three vehicles and hope to bring all of the kids as a large group. The Rays can drive one or two cars, but we would like to have one or two parent volunteers to drive the other vehicle(s) with some kids. We also hope to get together as a large group at a nearby eatery for some dinner before the night hike. Details will be forthcoming, but let Allison Ray know if you’d be willing to drive!

October 2017 Page 10

MARCELLUS FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH P.O. Box 147 Marcellus, NY 13108 Address Service Requested

Please use P.O. Box 147 when corresponding with the Church

Presbyterian Women

P.W. will meet on October

11th at 11:30 am in the Fireside

Room. Bring your lunch. A bever-

age will be provided.

We will be viewing the

DVD entitled “Faith and For-

giveness.” It is a truly moving

piece delving into the power of

faith and forgiveness as it per-

tains to the Plain People of Lan-

caster County, PA.

Jackie Davis

Wear Orange on October 15th Did you know that in the 11 counties in central and northern New York served by The Food Bank of Central New York:

We have chosen October 15th as Hunger Action Sunday to support the Food Bank of Cen-tral New York. We encourage everyone to donate $1 and Wear Orange to help raise awareness about the issues surrounding hunger. We plan to take a picture of everyone in orange to show our support of the work the Food Bank does to help our local food pantry and our neighbors in need.

• 1 in 8 people are food insecure – meaning they do not know where their next meal will come from.

• 30% of emergency food recipients are children under the age of 18. • 42% of emergency food recipients have had to make the decision between

purchasing food or paying for housing and utilities.