Avery Presents Friday, June 2 On Friday, June 2 at 7pm (sanctuary), Leonid Polishchuk will play a classical violin recital accompanied by Sofya Maryanova on the piano. They will be performing works by Bach, Tartini, Mozart, Chopin, Kreisler, Sarasate and Bloch. Please join us for what promises to be a wonderful evening of music! Reception to follow. Admission: Free

Summer Lunches The need is great! Over 75% of children in the Schenectady City School District qualify for free or assisted lunches each school day. However, in the summer these lunches are not available. First Reformed Church will again help the children of Yates Village to have nutritious lunches during the summer. We will be responsible for the weekdays from August 7 to September 1. Watch for a sign-up sheet.

Sunday, June 4

Pentecost

So much is happening June 4! It’s Pentecost, so wear RED to

worship.

Annual Meeting and Picnic Immediately following worship June 4, there will be a meeting of the congregation. At this meeting, we will

receive annual reports

elect officers

elect the nominating committee

Right after the meeting, we will go to the front lawn for our Spring Picnic.

Ushers & Greeters Breakfast There is an Ushers and Greeters breakfast meeting on June 4 at 9am in the Dirck Romeyn room. We are looking for help with both jobs each Sunday. If interested, please attend. For further info please contact the church office.

New Edition! The fourth edition of The Beverwyck Anthology, First Reformed’s literary magazine, is printed and bound and awaiting your perusal. Complimentary copies are in the Archives Room /Bookstore and on the table in the back of the sanctuary.

Catskill Hike, June 17 The Fellowship Committee is sponsoring a Catskill hike led by Bill Clock on Saturday, June 17, to the Kaaterskill Falls, the highest waterfalls in New York State. Plan to meet in the church parking lot at 9am and pack a lunch; the 4 – 5 mile excursion will be a “moderate up-slope” with spectacular views. Please RSVP to James Gonda at jgonda12309@gmail.com or 607-765-5349.

Midmonth Contemplative Worship

At 7pm on Wednesday, June 14 in the quiet and beauty of our sanctuary illumined by the fading light through our stained glass, come attend to the love of God for all creation via guitar-accompanied songs, guided meditation on Scripture, communion, prayers, and Christ's peace.

First Things

A Newsletter of the First Reformed Church, Schenectady, New York June 2017

Music &

Worship Drop In for Sunday Anthem For singers who cannot make it to regular Thursday night Chancel Choir rehearsals, you are welcomed and encouraged to join in with us on Sunday morning for anthems which may be familiar to you. We start at 9am in the Sanctuary. Here are the titles: June 4: Spirit of the Living God (O’Brien) June 11: Laud to the Trinity (Young)

Farewell to Judy Moore

Judy Moore’s departure as FRC’s handbell choir director will certainly be felt by both musicians and worshippers. Under her leadership the Klokken Tower Ringers added variety and beauty to our worship services. Whether teaming up with the Chancel Choir or presenting works for bells alone, Judy always sought to find pieces that worked well with the liturgy and were meaningful in a worship context. Judy began working at FRC in 2000 and took a few years off to care for her husband. What I wrote, at the time of her first departure (2004), still holds true: “In addition to her many musical talents Judy had a gift for the pastoral aspects of her ministry, demonstrating awareness and concern for group members. Judy’s excellent musicianship instilled a sense of confidence in her ringers resulting in many beautiful and challenging arrangements offered during our Sunday services.” Thank you, Judy, for your dedicated service to our church’s music program. You will be missed.

Julie Panke, Director of Music

FRC Composting for Creation

You may have already seen one of the new green bins around church and heard about our long awaited initiative of composting with the local start-up headed by the irrepressibly enthusiastic Union College graduate, Sonia Sandoval, called Food Scraps 360. But in case you haven't here's a bit of a primer in Q and A format (with a nod of gratitude to the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future): What is compost? Compost is a dark, crumbly, earth-smelling material produced by the natural decomposition of leaves, grass clippings, and many other organic materials. It is much like the organic matter existing on top of and in all soil and can be made by just about anyone. What ecologically happens when we compost? It reduces the amount of material going to landfills. Municipal waste is composed of 13% yard wastes, 12% food wastes, and 34% paper, most of which can be composted. Disposing of yard wastes in landfills is expensive and damaging to the web of life. When organic debris decays in landfills, it releases a lot of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is 23 times more heat trapping than carbon dioxide. Also, burning organic materials uses up fossil fuels and releases other harmful pollutants. Further, composting saves money. It is a valuable soil amendment that improves soil structure, aeration, and water-holding capacity. Many gardeners who use compost never buy

commercially-produced fertilizer again. Compost suppresses some soil-borne diseases. Some microbes in compost may out-compete pathogens for food and habitat while others may attack or repel plant pathogens. So, why should faith communities compost? To care for creation, of course!

When we stop trashing and start composting food scraps, commercially compostable plates and tableware, napkins, soiled paper, leaves, grass clippings, and other organic matter to create compost rather than sending these things to the dump, we help nurture our soil, grow healthier foods and plants, and show our love for God and God's world.

When switch to composting we move a step closer to leaving a more livable planet for our children, grandchildren, and other creatures that share this planet with us by using our compost instead of synthetic fertilizers which are often made from fossil fuels.

When we compost we promotes social justice—the things we throw away usually end up in landfills or incinerators, next to which people often live. These facilities are frequently built in places where the disenfranchised among us dwell—the poor and people of color. Composting to reduce our own contribution to this waste stream helps reduce the burden of living near landfills and incinerators that release pollution and toxins into the air and water for those who are often the most vulnerable among us

When we compost we are engaging in another practice that better cares for creation, a central priority of our congregation, and in so doing more fully live into our covenant commitment "to serve the world we touch."

Groups

Tuesday Ladies Tuesday ladies group will not meet until 3rd Tuesday in September. The meeting September 19 will be at Inge-Lise Pangburn's home. Please let Inge-Lise know if you plan to come phone 399-1027.

Short-Short Writing Group The FRC Short-Short Writing Critique Group meets on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 7pm. Short-Shorts include fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, essays, and travel pieces told in 1,000 words or less. The group’s mission is to help one another improve as writers.

Adult ukulele group (to be

named!) Meets Wednesday evenings from 7 - 8:15pm. No experience is needed and we have a few ukuleles that can be borrowed temporarily. Call the church office 377-2201 or contact Jamie Ipsen 399-6848.

Johnson Library The Johnson Library will continue to add new book to its shelves. Look for announcements in Sunday Bulletins. The Johnson Library also subscribes to four periodicals: The Christian Century, The Presbyterian Outlook, Biblical Archaeology, and Archaeology. They can be found on the periodical shelves on either side of the Heritage Room. Feel free to borrow them. There is no need to sign them out and you can return them whenever you have finished reading them. Please return your borrowed books to a designed box that can be found next to the bookcase containing the library’s books. Books will continue to be lent out for approximately one month.

Group V Group V will not be meeting again until October. Contact Maria Todd if you have questions 372-9522. Horizons Bible Study The Horizons spring Bible study has concluded for the summer. It will resume in the fall with a nine-week Bible study entitled “Cloud of Witnesses: The Community of Christ in Hebrews.” We will continue to meet at 10am on Tuesdays, from September 19, using a study guide that costs $10. To order a study guide, contact Peg Miller. Anyone interested is welcome.

Archives & Historical Concerns: Please stop by the Heritage Room/Faith Bookshop to see the first exhibit in our new display cases, Bible Images of Eastertide. The display uses bibles in our collection dating back to 1885.

Sunday Refreshments

Many thanks to all of you who so kindly baked, cut-up, unwrapped and in all ways helped provide sustenance and refreshments during post service. Now we need your help this summer. Please consider picking a Sunday in June, July or August to bring in treats of your choice for all to enjoy. It will be much appreciated. Due to construction, post service refreshments will remain in the Dirck Romeyn room. Contact Gay Doolittle (Overdoo@msn.com or 399-0499) or with your choice of Sunday.

Summer Reading Some suggestions from the 2017 Award Winners from Christianity Today Making Sense of God: An Invitation to the

Skeptical by Timothy Keller (Viking) Taking Pascal’s Wager: Faith, Evidence

and the Abundant Life by Michael Rota (IVP Academic)

Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels by Richard Hays (Baylor University Press)

Crossing the Waters: Following Jesus through the Storms, the Fish, the Doubt, and the Seas by Leslie Leyland Fields (NavPress)

Saving the Saved: How Jesus Saves Us from Try-Harder Christianity into Performance-Free Love by Bryan Loritts (Zondervan)

The Next Worship: Glorifying God in a Diverse World by Sandra Maria Van Opstal (InterVarsity Press)

75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know: The Fascinating Stories behind Great Works of Art, Literature, Music, and Film by Terry Glaspey (Baker)

Modern Art and the Life of a Culture: The Religious Impulses of Modernism by Jonathan Anderson and William Dyrness (IVP Academic)

The Confessions of X by Suzanne M. Wolfe (Thomas Nelson)

The Promise of Jesse Woods by Chris Fabry (Tyndale)

Kierkegaard: A Single Life by Stephen Backhouse (Zondervan)

Getting Religion: Faith, Culture, and Politics from the Age of Eisenhower to the Era of Obama by Kenneth Woodward (Convergent)

The Justice Calling: Where Passion Meets Perseverance by Bethany Hanke Hoang and Kristen Deede Johnson (Brazos)

Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis by Stephan Bauman, Matthew Soerens, and Issam Smeir (Moody)

The Listening Life: Embracing Attentiveness in a World of Distraction by Adam McHugh (IVP)

Ruined: A Memoir by Ruth Everhart (Tyndale)

Youth

Church School and Children’s Music All Children’s Sunday school and Music Classes have moved to the Walton House, upstairs from the church office. For everyone's safety, parents must sign out their child upon pickup. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Shannon Kerwin or Jamie Ipsen 399-6848. Learn to play the Ukulele: Each Sunday: 9am-9:55am Church School: K-8, after the Children’s Message Childrens Music: Kirk Ringers, Singers & Orff: 11:15am – 12pm

Congratulations Graduates!

We warmly congratulate our high school and college graduates for their achievement, and wish them the best of luck in their future plans!

High School Graduates and their planned school:

Jacob Ettkin (Vassar College)

Alex Mancuso

Samantha Erickson (University of Buffalo)

Sarah Kowaleski (Fordham University)

Hunter Scribner (University of Buffalo)

College Graduates:

Deborah Troost (Bryant & Stratton)

Jeromy Bork, Western Seminary

Samuel Rose, University of Buffalo If there are folks we have missed, please let us know in the church office.

Camp Fowler Registration is Open! Now is the time to sign kids and youth up for Summer Camp at Fowler. For more information and registration go to campfowler.org. Also, contact the church office at 377-2201 if your child plans on going.

Chords of Love

(The new name for children's ukulele) We will be teaching and performing at the Kid's Arts

Festival on Jay Street June 3 from 12-4pm. Hope you can stop by!

Summer Struggle? The warmer and longer

days of the year can be a blessing, yet each can also be a burden when you are experiencing crisis whether from a recent or impending loss of a loved one, meaningful work, or have hard decisions to make. Trained and trustworthy Stephen Ministers are available to help you deal with life's difficulties. Each is a caring member of our congregation, trained to meet with you regularly as long as needed in order to extend Christ’s compassionate care to you through the duration of your particular difficulty. Contact Daniel Carlson or another of our Stephen Leaders, Vernetta Theuner, Joanne Arnold, Lisa Etkin or Maria Todd, to inquire about having a Stephen Minister assigned to you. If you know someone else who may benefit from having this kind of care, join us in the ministry of referral, and ask him or her if you could speak to one of our Stephen Leaders on their behalf about having a Stephen Minister join them during whatever struggle they are facing.

Support & Care HELP! If you are able to occasionally provide a meal for members who are recuperating or who are homebound, please let us know. Contact: Kim Burgoyne at 399-1337 or Vickie McGowan-Horan at 852-0113.

Fall Retreat at Camp Fowler Exciting plans are underway for our Creation Celebration and Preservation retreat in the Adirondacks October 20-22. Immersive, interactive and inspirational worship, outings, meals, activities, and conversations are on the schedule. This time away is open to singles, couples, and families of all ages and stages who wish to grow in awareness, affection and appreciative stewardship of God's beloved world, our common home. Save the dates now and stay tuned for the opportunity to sign up. See Rev. Carlson or Bill Clock with any questions.

Entered into Eternal Rest Clarence Countermine – 1/11/17 Service will be 10am on June 3 at Cobblestone Reformed Church.

Ernestine Stevenson – 4/30/2017 Service will be held on June 25 at

First Presbyterian Church in Vero Beach FL.

Senior Moments What an exciting time this is for our congregation. Construction! Staff changes! Mission opportunities! New Officers! It is a testament to the growing faith of so many people that we have heard so little grumbling about all the changes that are upon us. If you have not had a chance to read the annual report, please give it a shot. It is an inspiring compilation of tremendous committee work through the year and is impressive in what we have accomplished. We will thank them at the annual meeting, but I want to be sure to include here thanks to the elders and deacons who have spent four years of meetings, committee work and prayer for our little band of followers of Jesus. Their energy and wisdom has created a warm environment that continues to nurture all sorts of people. Good job! (Mt 25:23) I hope your summer plans include a time to take a deep breath and enjoy the lush creation God has given us here.

Bill Levering June Preacher Readers Sunday Vespers at 5pm

4 Bill Levering Barbara Walton Pentecost, Communion Nat Phipps, Pete Toigo,

Tom D'Andrea

11 Daniel Carlson Marilyn Leach Trinity Sunday, Choir Recognition Mike Lamkin

18 Bill Levering Nancy Wainwright Second Sunday after Pentecost,

Installation of Officers, (Father’s Day)

Peg & Bill Delaney, Tom D'andrea

25 Bill Levering Liz Mastrianni Third Sunday after Pentecost Dave Gleason

Mission

Roots and Wisdom Covenanter Chris Li

Dear members of the FRC,

I would just like to say thank you for your ongoing support of Roots & Wisdom. This year, we had more people sign up for Harvest Share than ever before. In fact, the program has been maxed out! In anticipation of a busy year, we are hard at work in the garden. Fields are prepared, and plants are in the ground. Interviews for our summer program have been conducted, and we are looking forward to a wonderful season of gardening with our youth participants.

More updates are to come. Have a wonderful month!

Home Furnishings Needs Furniture: small dressers and kitchen table sets, love seats, living room chairs Furnishings: can openers, shower curtains & liners, Full/Queen blanket, bed pillows,large sauce pans, toasters, small coffee makers. To donate, call Jamie Doriguzzi, Program Director at 346-2444 or email us at homefurninc@aol.com to arrange for pick-up or warehouse drop-off of useful items. Please, everything must be in immediately useful condition and basic to setting up a household from scratch. Find us at our upcoming sales! June 3, 10am-3pm on the lawn at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church Corner of Glen Avenue/South Reynolds Street, Scotia and part of Scotia’s Village-Wide Garage Sale. June 17, 10am-3pm Upper Union St Strawberry Festival. In front of Gayne Optical Shop with help us and help others!

Bridging the Urban-Rural Divide Conference July 18 - 20, 2017 in Johnstown, NY.

Across the country, there is a divide of perspectives and worldviews amongst members in our rural, suburban and urban congregations. There is convincing evidence, however, that the divide in many ways has is only superficial. The shallowness of the conversation and labels can obscure common concerns and interests as communities of faith seek to attend to the real-life struggles of their parishioners and collectively work towards building a more just society. Join the New York State Council of Churches at Fulton-Montgomery Community College in Johnstown, New York this summer as they bring people across the country to bridge the divide amongst diverse communities and ministry contexts and do justice in our communities and world.

LGBT Pride Month

For many years, the month of June has been designated Pride Month for the LGBTQ community. The month of June was chosen to commemorate the historic Stonewall Riots that occurred in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City in 1969, when police targeted the LGBTQ community in a series of raids. Today, many cities and towns around the world commemorate the hard-fought battles of our LGBTQ siblings. Our church, as a welcoming and affirming congregation participates in the annual Capital Region Pride March, held on Sunday, June 11. ALL are welcome to join the Justice Action Council. If you want to join us, please let Jeanne Shoulder know by e-mailing her at: jmshoulder@hotmail.com. The parade starts at noon, so come on down immediately following church.

JUSTICE ACTION COMMITTEE QUESTIONNAIRE

1. How have you personally participated in Justice Activities in the past year? Please check all that apply __Book Study/Discussion Group __Meeting/ Forum/ Lecture

/Speaker/Movie/Stories __Writing/Calling Representative/

Letters to Editor/Social Media __March/Rally __Charitable Donation

(food, clothing, money) __Volunteering

(e.g. schools, soup kitchens) __Ecumenical Events

2. Which Causes do you think are most important for JAC to focus on?

Please rank 1 highest 6 least important;

x not involved __Education __Environment __Immigration __LGBTQ __ Mentally Challenged __Poverty/Food Insecurity __Prison/Justice __Racial Equality __Religious Understanding __Other (please identify) ___________

4. Which future Activities are you likely to participate in? __Book Study/Discussion Group __Meeting/ Forum/ Lecture/ Speaker/

Movie/ Stories Writing/ Calling Representative/ Letters to Editor/ Social Media

__March/Rally __Charitable Donation

(food, clothing, money) __Volunteering

(e.g. schools, soup kitchens) __Ecumenical Events

Would you like to receive periodic emails for events/activities related to the causes that interest you?

__Yes or __No

Name _____________________ Email___________________________

Daniel and the Bike to Church crowd.

Causeway for folks to get to columbarium

during construction.

Deconstruction for new meeting space.

Dr. Levering

at SCCC Comencement.

New parking during the week.

Brody James Ochal

born May 28

Asbestos removal has begun.

New Members

Sean Kent

Tom & Barbara Mancuso

Jazz Vespers in sanctuary for a bit.

First Reformed Church

8 North Church Street

Schenectady, NY 12305

(518) 377-2201

1stReformed@gmail.com

www.1streReformed.com

June Birthdays

June 2017

1 Joseph Gallagher 2 Diane Robbins Christopher Welch 3 Claire Hughes Anna Rowe 5 Margaret Daniels 6 John VanOort 7 Mary Matz Delbert Pierce 12 Cathy Allen 13 Daniel Ipsen 14 Jeffrey Cox Cynthia Gallagher Lyn Gordon Janet Schadler J. Roger Young 15 Bryce Colby Jani Pittman 16 Nancy Ellen Swann Avery Tunningley 17 Bryan Colby 18 Tani Breitenbach Clarence Linder

19 Isha Amzad Alicia Assini Fred Daniels 21 Katrina Colby Chris Fernandes 22 Norm Kuchar Christine Lund Constance Young 23 Lisa Ettkin Declan Karl Lucas Karl Joseph Lovell 25 Ann Walraven 26 Eugene Zeltmann 27 Alden Doolittle Adam Mason 28 Betty Kleiber 29 Barbara Wood 30 June Vandercar

Every Sunday Eastertide Explorations, 9am Choir Rehearsal, 9am Ukelele Practice, 9am Worship, 10am Church School, 10:15am Refreshments, 11am Kirk Ringers/Singers, 11:15am Forum, 11:15am Vespers, 5pm Weekly Monday: Men’s News Group, 9am Tuesday: Morning Prayer, 10am Wednesday: Kerygma, 9:30am Adult Ukulele, 7pm Thursday: Bible Bunch, 7:30am Chancel Choir, 7:30pm

Monthly Meetings Support & Care, 1st Tues., 11:30am Writers Group, 1st & 3rd Tues., 7pm Standing Committees, 2nd Tues., 6:30pm

Consistory, 2nd Tues., 7:30pm Archives, 2nd Wed., 1pm Stephen Ministry, 3rd Thurs., 7pm Avery Presents, 1st Fri., 7pm Upcoming Events 2: Avery Presents 4: Pentecost 4: Ushers & Greeters Breakfast 4: Annual Meeting 4: Picnic 13: Consistory & Committees 14: Archives 14: Midmonth Worship 15: Stephen Ministry 18: Father’s Day 18: Installation of Officers

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Address Service Requested