Seasons

Dear friends,

Today I am looking out my office window at a most beautiful fall day! I hope you've had some opportunities to enjoy the sunshine and the changing of the leaves. Each fall, with the changing of the season, I find myself reflecting on the seasons in life and the many changes and transitions we all go through. Each of us, individually, may find ourselves in a particular season of our lives. As a church, I think that we, like the earth, go through cyclical transitions. We are nearing the end of the liturgical year, preparing for Advent, a season of waiting. My first Sunday with you all, I shared that a friend once said to me that "sometimes God gives us just enough light to see the next step." As the days get shorter and the nights continue to grow longer, perhaps this is worth remembering. We are in a time of change, and sometimes we have just enough light to see the next step. And then the next, and then the next. And the more people and participation we have, the more light there will be. So I hope you will continue to come and share your light with us, so that we can all continue to move forward, together, through this season of change.

This Sunday, we'll have a guest preacher, Wayne Gustafson. And after worship, please plan to stay for an all-church meeting; read below for an invitation from the Church Council.

Blessings,
Manda

Invitation to an All-Church Meeting

You’re invited to stay after church on Sunday to hear from several church leaders.  Your Church Council would like to give you a brief update about our work.  You will hear about the progress of the Interim Search Committee, and also about a workshop, “Talkin’ Transformation, which was attended by nine people in the church.  Throughout the meeting, you will have a chance to participate, adding your questions and comments to the conversation.  The meeting will take one hour.


Texts For This Week:
Prophets           Jer. 31:7-9
Gospels            Mark 10:46-52

Spirit Day

If you look at my Facebook profile today, you'll see that my picture is purple. Today is Spirit Day, when people are encouraged to wear purple to take a stand against bullying and show their support for LGBTQ youth. This movement was started by a Canadian high school student named Brittany McMillan, who wanted to respond to the high-profile suicides of LGBTQ youth in 2010. Brittany initially wanted to show support in her own high school, and then she began working with GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) to broaden the effort.

You can watch Brittany talk about Spirit Day here: http://youtu.be/H9NeKoHN0R8

As Brittany says, "You should never back down from what you believe in, and you should always speak up when you can. Ultimately, I want Spirit Day to make just one person feel a little bit better about his or herself, to feel safe enough in their own skin to be proud of who they are. Maybe even save a life."

And that's one of the reasons our church is Open & Affirming - so that young people - and all people - will know that there is a place where they are safe and loved, "no matter who they are or where they are on life's journey."

Today and every day, I hope you take every opportunity you can to tell others that they are loved - and to know that you are also loved and cherished. Looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday and sharing brunch with you after worship (bring a dish to share or just come as you are!).

Blessings,
Manda


Texts For This Week:  

Epistles   -   Hebrews 5:1-10

Gospels  -   Mark 10:35-45

Love The One You're With

I want to share with you some excerpts from an article by Mary Sellon and Dan Smith, of the Alban Institute. Click here to read the whole article (it's worth reading!). Consider the questions they raise and how we might love one another more authentically.

Looking forward to worshiping with you on Sunday, and I hope you can stay for the AfterWord, where Marcy Schaeffer will share one way we can love our Burmese neighbors.

Blessings,
Manda

Texts For This Week:  
Epistles  -  Hebrews 4:12-16
Gospels  -  Mark 10:17-31 
___

Our charge is to love. An old song by Stephen Stills featured the recurring line, “Love the one you're with.” Though the songwriter intended a different meaning, the line provides a fitting admonition for members of faith communities. “Love your neighbor” directs us to love whomever we are with, whether we like them or not.

The question from the Gospel of Luke in the Christian scriptures, “Who is my neighbor?” expresses a natural desire. Let me find someone I can naturally love and I will claim that person as my neighbor. The truth is that God gives us each person we encounter as a neighbor. Our neighbor is the person begging money outside the grocery store, the telemarketer who calls at dinner, and the person at the committee meeting who drives us crazy...

Six Essential Questions and Choices
We find six choices crucial for every relational interaction. These choices provide the groundwork for the relationship to be a loving relationship. These six choices make it possible for us to relate in loving ways and move toward fulfilling and life-giving relationships:

1. What do I want my relationship with this person to be like?
2. What attitudes and values do I want to honor as I’m with this person?
3. What must I let go of in order to turn towards this person?
4. What is the goodness in this person that I will see and trust?
5. How will I acknowledge to the person the holy goodness that I see in her or him?
6. What will I dare to ask of this person?

Discipline yourself to answer these questions as you prepare to be with people. These choices can enhance already good relationships and improve difficult ones. Practice making these choices with a variety of people. Over time, this process will become habit, done with unconscious competency. These six practices will strengthen all of your relationships and increasingly connect you in deep ways with others.

Excerpted from Practicing Right Relationship: Skills for Deepening Purpose, Finding Fulfillment, and Increasing Effectiveness in Your Congregation, copyright © 2005 by the Alban Institute. All rights reserved.

World Communion Sunday

This Sunday is World Communion Sunday, an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to "coming back to the table" - for it is God who sets the table and invites us to come, and it is God who has the power to heal wounds and build community. It is a powerful meal in which we, the Body of Christ, become bread for the world.

In addition to inviting you to join us this Sunday, I also want to share with you an opportunity to learn about how you can be involved in a meaningful ministry to world neighbors who are becoming Ithaca neighbors. Read below for more information from Marcy Schaeffer, and plan to join us on the 14th after worship to learn more.

Blessings and peace,
Manda

Texts For This Week:
Epistles - 2 Timothy 1:3-12
Gospels - Luke 14:1-14 

Note: The texts in bold type will be read in the worship service and the one with an asterisk will be used as the focus for the proclamation of the word.


Dear Church Friends,

I’m asking you to join me in doing something so meaningful. Just a small amount of
time on your part could have tremendous impact.

It’s about a family that has been waiting for 10 years in a refugee camp in Thailand and
with financial support from the United States is moving to Ithaca. I will join 40 or so
sponsor families who are helping 122 Burmese refugees. Although I will be the primary
contact for this family, I cannot do it alone, and do it well. So, I’m asking for your help.

The parents of this family fled religious (they are Christian) persecution in Burma (Myanmar) where many Christians have been injured or killed.  They fled to refugee camp in Thailand.  The parents met, married and had children at the camp. Two of the father's siblings died from illness at the camp.  The 3 children are spaced about 3 years apart with the youngest a 5 month old.

As political refugees these Burmese immigrants are provided with relocation funds for housing, food and in a year can apply for a green card and in 5 years can take a test to apply for citizenship.  The father of this family has a sister and her family (the Htoo family) have been here for over a year so they will be able to help with translation, logistics and welcome support.  The sister's family Ae Say, Aung Htoo, Will Mu Htoo (fifth grade at Belle Sherman) and Roe May Htoo (third grade at Belle Sherman) participated at the FMSC at the church Sept 7th.  Aungh Htoo thanked me for bringing them to help.  The Htoo family have their own sponsor who some of you may know, Graham O (a beloved midwife)  and her husband Ken "Otto".

There is already support for immigrants in Ithaca (Burmese and others).  The adults go to English classes Mon-Fri at the First Presbyterian Church for the first year and many continue longer. An Ithaca College professor,  Dr. Cathrene Connery has helped coordinate her education students, community refugee sponsors, school support staff and community leaders supporting the Burmese community.

The Afterword on Oct 14th will include information about opportunities, an invitation to join the Lotsa Helping Hands website for this family and may include a video from one of the high school Burmese immigrants about what they transitioned through.  If anyone has specific questions or comments beforehand please feel free to email me so I can be as prepared as possible. 

Thank you, Marcy Schaeffer

Mjcsch@gmail.com