When you become a member of CCHF, and you meet with consistory, the last question you will be asked is, “[will you] seek those things which make for unity, purity, and peace?” The question is also asked when you stand in front of the congregation to make a public profession of faith. Unity. Purity. Peace. This formula of those three words is definitely bigger than CCHF – it’s required in all Reformed Church in America congregations. And it’s bigger than the RCA – as I’ve heard similar language used in other denominations. I’m sure there is wisdom behind each word, and how each word impacts the other. I’m sure, as a formula for Christian behavior in the church, it has been tested and approved by countless generations. But yet I wonder, couldn’t we add the word, “diversity” into that formula? Why don’t we also ask of each other, “Will you seek those things which make for unity, purity, diversity, and peace?”

Case in point, I recently went on Facebook and asked people what they wanted the summer sermon series to be about. I gave two options. The first option was a sermon series on beloved Old Testament characters. The second option was stories about Jesus. Amazingly the vote was unanimous. 100% of people from CCHF (who responded) said they wanted to

hear about Old Testament characters. Case closed? Not so fast. After-all, I am not only a minister at CCHF. I am also a minister at Rochester Reformed Church. And in that case, 100% of those who responded wanted to hear about Jesus. As I saw those results I laughed. I do not know what the difference between the two congregations means; certainly nothing bad. But it does show some kind of diversity. A diversity that makes my life better, not worse.

Another case for diversity. A friend gave me a graduation gift from seminary (which was ten years ago already, if you can imagine). The gift was a small picture she had painted of a three colored rainbow – red, orange, and yellow. As she told it, she had once been driving after a rain. The rainbow that she saw had only three colors: red, orange, and yellow. A reminder, she decided, from the Maker of all unity, purity, and peace, that in the grand sweep of creation she was only one small part. And being only one small part was a gift from God. She did not have to be everything. There was beauty in being only those colors the Creator had created her to be. She could, as we all can, leave it in the Creator’s hands to make sure the fullness of the rainbow would appear; we

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A Word from Our Pastor...

July/Aug 2015

Community Church of High Falls

The High Falls Messenger

"As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."

~ Genesis 8:22

HIGH FALLS FAIR DAY & ANNUAL CHICKEN BBQ

July 11

SHARED MINISTRY SERVICE & PICNIC

August 9

THE CLOVE AND IT’S CHAPEL

Page 6

GRADUATES! See page 4

Shared Ministry News: There will be a Shared Ministry meeting on Saturday, June 27th @ 9 am at CCHF.

We will be going to the Westchester dinner theater On July 19th to see Godspell, a musical based on the Gospel according to St. Matthew and featuring many well-loved songs including, “Day by Day,” “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord,” “All Good Gifts” and more.

Save the Date: A Combined Church Family Service & Picnic is planned for Aug 9th. Be looking for details in your Church bulletin.

Page 2 The High Fa l ls Messenger ~ Community Church of High Fa l ls

Classis Dues: We, as a church, have an obligation to the larger denomination. For the year, 2015, our obligation is $101.36 per active member. If you are able to contribute even a portion of this amount, it would be much appreciated.

only need to play our part.

I have no grand plan on trying to change the “unity, purity, and peace” formulary on church membership. But because it always makes me smile, I don’t want any of us to miss how beautiful diversity can be when it comes from the sincere confession of those who vow to work for unity, purity, and peace. Sometimes when people talk about unity, purity, and peace, what they mean is that we all have to believe exactly the same thing, do exactly the same thing, and eliminate any deviation. But nothing about that makes me smile. Nothing about that seems beautiful. It’s only when diversity is respected and appreciated – when a diverse people seek for unity, purity, and peace, that unity, purity, and peace happens.

Shalom, Pastor Aaron

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Articles regarding Church Life & Church Family Events are welcomed!!

Next due date is: August 23rd

Office Hours: Pastor Aaron will continue to hold Tuesdays at CCHF from 9-11 am open for office hours, but by appointment. He is at Rochester Reformed on Thursdays from 9-11 am. Please call ahead in case an emergency comes up and Pastor is called elsewhere. He is also available by appointment at other times. You may call him at 845-594-

“A Song of Praise,” from A Wee Worship Book. Wild Goose Publications; 1999. p. 14.

Let us pray.

In you, gracious God,

the widowed find a carer, the orphaned find a parent,

the fearful find a friend.

In you, the wounded find a healer,

the penitent find a pardoner, the burdened find a counsellor.

In you,

the miserly find a beggar, the despondent find a laughter-maker,

the legalists find a rule-breaker.

In you, Jesus Christ, we meet our Maker,

and our match.

And if some need to say, ‘Help me’ and if some need to say, ‘save me’ and if some need to say, ‘hold me’

and if some need to say, ‘forgive me’ then let these be said now

in confidence by us.

(silence)

O Christ,

in whose heart is both welcome and warning, say to us, do to us,

reveal within us the thing that will make us whole.

And we will wait;

And we will praise you. Amen.

(Pastor Aaron used this prayer during Sunday service on June 21)

Page 3 The High Fa l ls Messenger ~ Community Church of High Fa l ls

Your Consistory at Work

We did not meet during the month of June.

Some of the concerns in recent months have been (or, continue to be):

Finances—Dawn is stepping down as Treasurer at the end of the summer. We are reformulating our money handling policies as well as switching to a newer computer, a newer version of QuickBooks and changing the monthly treasurer's report to match our annual reporting format. The Deacons will meet and hash out the upcoming changes.

We officially dedicated/blessed our Lift on May 3rd and it has been getting some use! Please do not hesitate to use it or ask for help. Many, if not all, of our regular attendees know how to use it and can help you.

An official Memorial Book has been placed in the lift entryway on the podium that was donated by Conley & Patricia several years ago.

Three Consistory terms will expire at the end of August….Paul Wikane, Merry Oakley & Tom Schrader.

The upstairs air conditioner is not fully working...we need to decide if we can afford to have it fixed but since we don’t know what’s wrong with it, its fate is still undecided.

We are looking into whether or not we will sponsor another blood drive.

Pastor Aaron plans to do a Bible Study of some sort during the summer but there are no details as of this time.

~ Merry Oakley, VP

Parish Nursing Program: Jim Nerone, RN and Anne Marie Kitchen, RN

Blood Pressure Checks for May and June totaled 24

The next blood pressure check dates will be held on July 26 and August 23, 2015.

CCHF Annual Chicken BBQ

And… HIGH FALLS FAIR DAY!!!

Music

Dunk Tank

Vendors

Food

Children’s Activities

Old Fashioned Pie Eating Contest

Modern Day Scavenger Hunt

“Sunday” Flea Market

Field & Barn Antiques

CCHF Chicken BBQ Will serve by the piece from 11-4 And, our usual dinners from 4-7

The Guild continues to meet on the third Sunday of each month from March through November. A small group is meeting weekly to prepare items to be sold at our bazaar in November. We are happy to get donations of hand knitted items such as hats, scarves, and mittens (last year we sold out all our hand knitted mittens) as well as household items such as place mats, aprons, and kitchen hand towels. Beginning on July 5th, we will begin to serve Lemonade-on-the-Lawn each Sunday after Worship except on Guild meeting Sundays (usually 3rd Sunday of the month). As a public service again this year we will provide Election Day Soup on, of course, Election Day. If you would like to prepare your own soup specialty let Joan Gahn know...it’s a great way to reach out to our community. We, as a Guild, may be few in number but we do like to reach out to our community in a Number of ways. ~ Joan Gahn, Guild Secretary

Women’s Guild

Our Church Family

The Women’s Guild has decided to revisit an old custom...that of putting a rose on the baptismal font whenever a new baby is born into our Church Family. Julie Boice will be our contact person.

Page 4 The High Fa l ls Messenger ~ Community Church of High Fa l ls

Sanctuary Flowers If you have questions or if you wish to

volunteer for 2015, please contact: Judy Giordano @ 845-687-9657 NEED someone for September

Birthdays & Anniversaries

7/1 Ella Schoonmaker 7/2 Olivia Weig 7/3 Charlotte Riedel 7/3 Meaghan Greene 7/8 Robin Sandbach 7/8 Amanda Weig 7/9 Katelyn Pellicane 7/11 Stanley Letus 7/13 Elisabeth (Betty) Decker 7/15 Kaitlynn Gratis 7/16 Christopher Schoonmaker 7/16 Oscar Hernandez 7/19 William Breitenstein 7/20 Elizabeth Hoornbeck 7/24 Anne Marie Kitchen 7/27 Linda Pellicane 7/28 Chloe Lynn Del Valle 7/31 Bethany Pellicane 8/5 Desirae Baumann 8/6 Darlene Breitenstein 8/13 Rev Stickley

8/15 Marthabelle DePuy 8/16 Henry Schimmrich 8/22 Gay Van Demark 8/23 Virginia McCardell 8/28 Jane Williams 8/30 Mary Cole 8/31 Paul Wikane

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ 7/1 Merry & Quentin Oakley 7/4 Jane & Gary van Laer 7/25 Stanley & Sharon Letus 8/3 Carol & Charlie Kolodziejski 8/10 Lee & Dan Paashaus 8/23 Ron & Kristin Bogart 8/25 Carmella & Mike Burlarley 8/26 July & Paul Giordano

ELVES NEEDED!! We have ideas, we have materials, what we need now are some elves to help us create wondrous and clever crafts for our annual Holiday Bazaar! We meet in the Fellowship Hall on Wednesday mornings from 10 am—12 noon. Some elect to work on prayer shawls but others have been busy creating for our upcoming bazaar in November. Please feel free to join us!

Sunday School & Youth Group

Sunday School will resume in September. The Youth Group has summer activities planned. For more information, you may contact Pastor

KUDOS TO OUR GRADUATES…

Samantha Schrader—graduating from SUNY New Paltz with a psychology degree

Meaghan Greene—graduating from Kingston High School

Eric Letus—graduating from Rondout High School

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (NIV—Jeremiah 29:11

Please note: We have quite a few Prayer Shawls on hand...if you know of someone who would benefit from one of these, just speak to Joan Gahn or to any other member of the Shawl Ministry.

Page 5 The High Fa l ls Messenger ~ Community Church of High Fa l ls

Missions & Ministries

Remember the winter of 2014? One big snowstorm after another. Along about February, some mid-winter entertainment was provided by New York City mayor Bill de Blasio and Today Show weatherman, Al Roker. They were engaged in a very public feud over whether the city schools should be closed after an especially large Nor’easter. Unlike our neck of the woods, New York City schools are very rarely closed for weather reasons. This large storm would prove to be no exception. Al blustered “This is crazy! It’s dangerous and a great inconvenience to parents. Just close the schools!” The mayor’s response included a reason that has stuck with me to this day. He said that one concern they consider before closing the schools is that some children will not get a good meal that day.

Schools, are of course, closed for the summer months. The kids get a breather from homework and exams, but those that come from families struggling to make ends meet, will be missing the meals that were provided in school. What happens during those months is that

thousands of programs and agencies across the U.S. pick up the slack. They jump in and provide meals to school aged children until school re-opens in the fall.

Our Mission’s Corner is currently dedicated to that cause. We are collecting food for Rondout Valley Food Pantry’s Summer Feeding Program. The Food Pantry provides approximately 5,000 meals to schoolchildren over the summer months. Some specific needs are cereal, juice and jelly (they already have lots of peanut butter). Think healthy!

The annual Baby Bottle Campaign for the Pregnancy Support Center has just concluded. Many of you took baby bottles home and filled them up with coins and cash. The Pregnancy Support Center and the Mission’s committee thanks YOU!! ~ Dan Boice, Missions Chair

Rondout Valley Food Pantry While I was vacationing in May, Darlene Breitenstein offered to take over the two weeks of delivering the food from our church to the Food Pantry. Thank you Darlene.

Our Mission for most of the summer will be The Food Pantry's Summer Breakfast-Lunch Program for school children that had been receiving the free breakfasts and lunches during the school year. (See Dan’s report above)

Thinking ahead to when the children start back to school in September...keep in mind that there are some who are not be able to purchase school supplies. The Food Pantry will also accept donations of these items. There are usually sales on these kinds of items around mid-July/August so that would be a good time to make these donations.

Also in the future will be the Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets where donations would, again, be appreciated; one or two items, money, or fill a basket.

I know we ask a lot from our church people, but there is a lot of poverty in the Rondout district and I especially feel for the children and elderly people. I still feel that if everyone coming on Sunday mornings brings one item to put in our We Care, We Share baskets, multiply that

with 40-50 people? WOW! Our usual donations run about 10 to 40 items, but sometimes nothing.

"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be

measured to you." ~ John 6:38

~ Lorna Schimmrich, Food Pantry Representative

**************************************************

The following is from a letter written in thanks to Lorna and to our Church from Rod Basten, RVFP Corresponding Secretary To you, Lorna, we appreciate your dedicated involvement on the RVFP board. To your church congregation, we value having the participation of generous folks like you who recognize the need to help people in our community who are less fortunate than ourselves. I, personally, have been aware of your consistent and faithful generosity to the pantry for a long time. You make true the well-known quote, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” The Rondout Valley Food Pantry is proud to have the Community Church of High Falls as a stakeholder

Page 6 The High Fa l ls Messenger ~ Community Church of High Fa l ls

In previous newsletter articles it was mentioned that our church was first known as the Reformed Church of The Clove. So just what is “The Clove”? Is it a spice, a type of hitch knot or something more sinister? Clove, as the Dutch define it, comes from the word “Kloof”, meaning notch or ravine.

The Clove is loosely defined as an area that is about two miles south of High Falls partly in Marbletown and partly contained in the town of Rochester and running on either side of Mohonk Road, Cedar Hill Road, Cherry Hill Road, Old Clove Road, the Clove Road (Route 6) and Clove Valley Road eventually running into the town of Gardner. The Coxing Kill stream runs through the center of the Clove. In the 18th and 19th century, Route 6 was known as “The Clove Road”, “The Trapps Road” or “the highway road to Alligerville”. This installment will talk about a section of The Clove known locally as The Clove Corner neighborhood.

The Clove Corner, which is roughly defined as running from

Chapel Farm (the red barns) on Mohonk Road, down the Clove Road (Route 6) to where it meets Cedar Hill Road. The family names of the early settlers to this area were Brodhead, Schoonmaker, Roosa, DuBois, Stokes, Hess, Osterhout/Osterhoudt, Yaple/Yeaple, Lawrence, Wood and Sheeley.

Much of this land was given to George and Wessel Brodhead by King George II in 1740 and was known as the “Brodhead Patent”. It is worth noting that Marbletown received it’s original land patent in 1703 from England. Col. Henry Beekman, Capt. Thomas Garton and Capt. Charles Brodhead granted this patent in trust for the inhabitants of The Clove.

Long before The Clove Corner neighborhood became a thriving community with it’s residents making their living by working at the Mohonk Mountain House, on the D&H Canal or maintaining small homestead farms, two early settlers came to the area to build their homes. These two homes are surprisingly still standing, with one being known as the Adam Yaple cabin (1771) and located

on the western side of Mohonk Mountain, on the Mountain House property. The other old home is known as the Brodhead House, down the mountain from the Clove Chapel and at the corner of Old Clove Road and Clove Road, and is privately owned and occupied. It is thought the first section, 14’ by 25’, was built in 1690.

The Clove became a bustling community with some families owning large farms, while many worked at Mohonk or at the D&H Canal and supplemented their income in the winter by making hoops for wooden barrels. On the section of Clove Road, between Mohonk and Cedar Hill Road, many small industries began.

Located here was a cider mill, a blacksmith’s shop, a wagon making shop, the flatlands known as The Buff where the Smiley Brothers would grow potatoes in the loamy soil. Also here was a gravel bank that supplied the materials for the Mohonk Mountain House carriage roads, the “Little Red Schoolhouse”, The Clove

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A History Lesson…a series by Gary Kitchen A Brief History of The Clove and it’s Chapel

North Marbletown Mission Thrift Shop

We are OPEN Saturdays 9am -2pm (but will be closed on the 4th of July). Starting Wednesday July 8th thru August 5th we will be open to the public from 3:00pm to 6:30pm

Donations may be dropped off on Saturday, Wednesday or placed in the bin outside.

Our survey says:

...that we are reaching out to people from Sullivan County, Woodstock, Highland, Wappinger Falls, and West Shokan as well as areas that are closer to us.

...people find out about us from Facebook, family, friends and our sign on Rt 209.

Join us on Facebook (North Marbletown Mission Thrift Shop) and get firsthand information on our sales.

If you have any question or would like to help in anyway you may join Facebook, email me: yardsalemama2001@aol.com, or call me (Martha) 845-687-7043

Note: We are still looking for long sturdy racks

~ Martha Lischinsky, NM Mission Chair

Chapel and the Broadhead and Stokes Family graveyards. The Clove Community became a microcosm within the larger area of Rochester and Marbletown.

The Clove School House, which is now a private residence and not the original building where classes were held, is located on Clove Road, just about ¼ of a mile after the turn is made from Chapel Farm. Church services were held in the Clove School House in the early 1870s. Sunday School was started there in the summer of 1875 with 100 adults and children in attendance. The crowded conditions helped the Clove Community in deciding to build a chapel. Guests of Mohonk donated the money for the building and Mr. Fetus Stokes donated the land.

This lot was part of the Stokes families “old homestead farm” and was transferred by deed in 1876 to Levi C. Roosa and Simon Lawrence; a “plot of land [for] a suitable building for Church or Sunday School purposes of a

protestant denomination…” The Alligerville and Reformed Church of The Clove congregations, in cooperation with friends of the Mohonk Mountain House and the Alligerville Methodist Episcopal Church, built the chapel in 1876. Visitor and guests of the Mohonk Mountain House kept the chapel supplied with Bibles, books, and furnishings while the congregations supplied the ministers.

Regular Sunday services were discontinued in the 1960s and it has been inactive since 1965, even though a number of weddings and baptisms are celebrated yearly. Clove Chapel has been incorporated and is known as the Clove Free Chapel.

Finally, there are two interesting notes about the Clove area. First, Daniel Smiley added to the history of this area by telling the story that “George Washington was given a partnership in the lot, (The Clove region), as a token of his (Mr. Stokes) appreciation for his leadership and valor during the war.”

Second, there is an old house

(the John Sheeley House) at the corner of the Old Clove Road and Cherry Hill Road. A member of the Schoonmaker family purportedly built this stone home in 1732, later to be owned by Garrett A. Van Wagener, used as a public tavern in the late 1790s and early 1800s. During the D&H Canal days, the home was owned by John Sheeley and used as a stopping place for the men on the boats. The location of our original log cabin church (1807) was supposedly built on land purchased from Mr. Van Wagener for 10 cents.

Today the Clove area is known locally as a shortcut for going from New Paltz to southwestern part of the Town of Rochester. Only the Clove Chapel (1876), the Broadhead family house (1690), the Yaple Cabin (1771) the Clove School House (1840s) and a few other family homes (1800s) have survived. The area is still rich with history and plays an important part of the Reformed Church of the Clove’s generous nature of giving where help is needed.

(Continued from page 6)

Page 7 The High Fa l ls Messenger ~ Community Church of High Fa l ls

On the Way Home From Clove Chapel

July 5: Lemonade on the Lawn

July 11: High Falls Fair Day

Annual Chicken BBQ

July 12: Lemonade on the Lawn

July 13: Consistory

July 19: Godspell—Dinner Theater Trip

July 26: Lemonade on the Lawn

Aug 2: Lemonade on the Lawn

Aug 9: Shared Ministry Service & Picnic

Aug 10: Consistory

Aug 16: Guild Meeting

Aug 23: Newsletter Deadline

Lemonade on the Lawn

Aug 30: Lemonade on the Lawn

NOTE: There will NOT be a 4th Sunday Coffee Hour in July or in August

Vacation Bible School will run from Aug 24th—28th...no details are available at this time...be looking for information in the Sunday bulletins or you may contact Pastor Aaron @ aaronjamess@gmail.com or 845-594-2214

Dates to Remember

The High Falls Messenger

Community Church of High Falls

PO Box 68

High Falls, NY 12440

info@communitychurchofhighfalls.com

http://churches.rca.org/highfalls/ www.facebook.com/communitychurchofhighfalls

Pastor Aaron Schulte

aaronjamess@gmail.com 845-594-2214

PLEASE NOTE;

New Phone # for the NM Mission

845-687-532-7828