Contact Us

Mt. Sinai Congregational Church

United Church of Christ

233 North Country Road Mt. Sinai, NY 11766 Phone: 631-473-1582

Fax: 631-474-0556

Jennifer Piccolo, Church Administrator mscc1@optonline.net

Caroline Lavopa,

Christian Education Director clavopa@optonline.net

Michael Bussewitz-Quarm,

Interim Music Director

Find Us Online

Email mscc1@optonline.net

Website

www.msucc.org

Please visit our website if you would like to be added to our

email list.

Our Sunday Services are:

8:30 am Meditative Worship Service includes Communion on a

weekly basis.

10:00 am Traditional Sunday Worship. We celebrate

Communion the first Sunday of each month during our

Traditional Sunday Worship Service. Sunday School and

Youth Group are held during our 10:00 am worship hour.

Fellowship is held after the 10:00 am service in Voorhees Hall.

Welcome Sundays are the last Sunday of the month.

Since the fall of 2007, our service on the last Sunday of the month has been designed to intentionally include persons of differing

abilities from local group homes. This service grew out of the desire to have a safe place for everyone to worship together.

The Old Man’s News A Newsletter from Mt. Sinai Congregational Church, UCC

June 2018

Old Man’s NewsOld Man’s NewsOld Man’s NewsOld Man’s News

Published by the Mt. Sinai Congregational United Church of Christ formerly known as The Congregational Church in the Community of Old Man's, Miller’s

Place & Rocky Point, established 1789. If you would like something in the church’s monthly newsletter, the deadline is the 15th of every month. Please, keep in mind that your submission may be edited for content and for space.

Email mscc1@optonline.net for all

Message from the Moderator

There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place, and I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord;

there are sweet expressions on each face, and I know they feel the presence of the Lord.

Sweet Holy Spirit, sweet heavenly Dove,

stay right here with us, filling us with your love:

And for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise.

Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived

when we shall leave this place.

(Hymn #293, NCH) Just this week, three events brought the words of this hymn home to me. Two of these events have happened, and one is in the proposal/planning stages. Others are still in the very early brainstorming stage, but keep your eyes and ears open—great things are happening at Mt. Sinai Congregational Church! On Saturday, May 19th, I attended a retreat at our church that had been lovingly and carefully planned by an action team operating under our Congregational Nurture Ministry Board, led by Diane Corson. You can read her description of it in this newsletter, along with her expression of gratitude to the team that planned it. If you see any of these folks, even if you did not attend the retreat, please take a moment to thank them for their faithful work on the event. All who attended took in and owned in their hearts the verbs that formed the theme of the retreat: Reflect, Renew, Refresh, Rejoice. Please read Diane’s comments and make a personal commitment to find the time to attend any future events such as this. You, too, will feel the Spirit in this place! Then, on Sunday, May 20th, our congregation celebrated Pentecost with an intergenerational worship service in Voorhees Hall. Pentecost, the birth of the Christian church, and spring, the re-birth of the natural world, united organically—literally, organically—as we transplanted mini-gardens of tomato, bean, and squash seedlings into pots that could be placed outside the church kitchen where the youth gather for their programs. Miss Caroline had gathered all the materials we needed at each table for the faithful task of planting a garden. In her children’s message Miss Stacey showed the children how faith helps our gardens and our spirits grow. We heard the story of Pentecost from the Book of Acts, the choir sang, and we lit candles as we joined in singing “This Little Light of Mine.” Surely, the Spirit was in this place! Finally, the event that’s still in the planning stages was proposed to Tom Lyon, our Wider Church Action Team coordinator, by the Turkish Center of Long Island. They asked Tom if he thought our congregation would like to host a program that would present the basic principles of Islam, followed after sundown by an Iftar meal, to break the daily fast of Ramadan. The Turkish Center, though not a religious or government organization, seeks to provide information about Islam to increase people’s understanding of their faith. Our church Council has given its wholehearted support to this program, which is tentatively scheduled for June 13th. The Center will provide the presentation and the meal. I encourage everyone to mark your calendars and attend this exceptional opportunity for our church to join in ecumenical community. So, yes, the Spirit is certainly moving among the people at Mt. Sinai Church! Why don’t you invite a friend or neighbor to join us? Blessings, Sue

Board of Congregational Nurture

We are happy to share that on Saturday, May 19th fifty- five people participated in a day long church retreat. The day started with an interactive, get to know you exercise led by Tom Lyon. In keeping with the theme of Reflect-Renew-Refresh-Rejoice participants were able to meditate and reflect on God’s love and care for us using a beautiful meditation and visualization written and read by Debbie Quigley. The Rev. Ian Rottenberg inspired us with his words on the meaning of the words reflect, renew, refresh and rejoice and offered sugges-tions on how to practice these concepts in our daily lives to live more fully, peacefully and intentionally. There was lively discussion in small groups following his talk. During the lunch period, wonderful food was shared and there was an opportunity for personal reflection time using a labyrinth. Participants were then able to create a collage that reflected their personal faith journey and share what they wanted with a spiritual partner. New connections were made through this process with the hope that there will be ongoing opportunities for the spiritual partners to continue to support each other and enhance fellowship among our church community. The retreat concluded with a lovely litany and we rejoiced by singing selected hymns. I would like to thank the following people for helping in the planning and carrying out this amazing retreat: Anne Hulsberg, Karen Knust, Dennis Laderwager, Tom Lyon, Dennis and Diane Murphy, Patrice Perreca, Ellen Rackow and Nancy West. Special thanks to Debbie Quigley for writing and presenting the meditation, Jeff Keister, Sue Hoff for assisting us with the music, and Jennifer Piccolo for help in getting information about the retreat disseminated. Diane Corson, Board of Congregational Nurture

Coffee Talk - Everyone is invited to join us for coffee and conversation at George’s Kitchen in Sound Beach on a bi-weekly basis. This is an informal "group" and we’ll talk about a lot of different things depending on where the conversation leads us. For more information please call the church office at 631-473-1582. Time: 9:00 am Location: Georges Kitchen in Sound Beach Dates: June 14th and June 28th Lunch Bunch– Lunch Bunch will be meeting on June 13th The Women's Lunch Bunch meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 12:00 pm. Please call Marian Andersen at 631-744-9696 if you plan on attending. We meet at different local restaurants each month. This is a buy-your-own event where you are welcome to order whatever you like. There is a lot of great conversa-tion and getting to know new people or touching base with those you have known for years. Come and join us.

Youth Group

Did you know, that Youth Group now meets on Sunday Morning’s @ 10am? Join us in the Sanctuary for the first 15 minutes of service then dismiss to your respective class (room 9); outside courtyard will be used weather permit-ting.

June 3, Communion Sunday – Youth Group to stay in service

June 10, How to Beat a Bully Without Throwing a Punch

June 17, “I Ate My Chicken” and Other Confessions

June 24, Be Still, My Soul

Stay tuned for special announcement regarding Summer Activities. With love and thanks, Ms. Caroline

Is yours a friendly face?

Do you like meeting new people?

Are you comfortable introducing yourself to a new face in church - without feeling

anxious that you should recognize them?

If this sounds like you, please contact Diane Murphy (631-473-5783; diane513@optonline.net). The Membership Team needs your help in greeting new faces in our midst. This requires NO MEETINGS. Just a chat with Diane and a little “cheat sheet” will get you on your way.

Social Justice - Food Action Team

Island Heart Food Pantry – Serving our Community

Adults Children Over 60 Total Families

April 2018 660 656 191 1507 306

The Red Barn is Open!

Please visit the Red Barn this summer and see all the hard work the Red Barn volunteers have done to clean out and reorganize the Barn. Hopefully you will also

find a treasure you just can’t go home without!

When donating items to our Barn, please remember that we do not accept electronics,

clothes or baby items. Please do not leave items outside the barn or outside the church.

All items should be donated to the Barn during operating hours on Saturdays during the

season. Thank you

The Finance Committee

Sale of House Next-Door Completed

The sale of the house next door was finally completed on May 15 after being on the market for two years. A congregational vote in 1990 approved the purchase of the property. A congregational vote in 2016 approved selling a portion of the property which included the white house and detached garage. The portion retained by the church includes the Red Barn and lower parking lots. The splitting of the property was achieved after a multi-year process of seeking and obtaining a property line modification. The sale price was $330,000. The net proceeds of the sale in the amount of $309,533 have been deposited in a money market account. The congregational vote approving the sale of the property included an addendum requiring discussion of the use of the proceeds of the property sale at a future congregational meeting. The buyers and our lovely new neighbors are Richard and Margaret Larom. Richard, better known as Peter, is a retired Episcopalian minster from Clinton, Connecticut. The Larom’s love gardening and were very attracted to the large garden behind the garage where you will see them diligently working. They look forward to being introduced to our congregation in the near future. The sale of this property and the Rocky Point property last year were accomplished under the guidance and

care of the Property Management Committee: Terry Burke, Sue Hoff, Dennis Murphy, Bob Schultz and Bruce

Texeira.

The Buildings and Grounds Action Team

VOORHEES HALL - One Saturday in April after B&G members put back the chairs in Voorhees Hall after the floor had been refinished, we sat and looked up at the ceiling and then down at the floor. There has been a noise issue evident after Voorhees Hall was redone in the past. There was also the concern for preventing scratches by the chairs on the newly restored floor. We admired the decorative ceiling tiles, lighting, and fans, and realized that to replace the ceiling would be an enormous disruptive task with no guarantee that the noise level would be lessened. None of us are noise specialists so an Acoustical Engineer was brought in at no cost for evaluation. He suggested a solution - Ceiling Clouds. He has placed these in other churches. These Clouds are panels that will hang about an inch down from the ceiling. Nothing will be disturbed and we are able to do this because of donations from an anonymous donor and contributions from other Members. Thank you. Then, we looked again at the floor. Although foot pads were suggested and provided for the chairs we presently have, they failed. We will be getting new chairs with attached feet protectors. The closet in Voorhees Hall is being cleaned for storage of the chairs in racks that will be provided for them. PARSONAGE AND PARKING LOT - B&G will concentrate on work to be done on the Parsonage and the Parking Lot. Little by little we move forward. A side note, the dumpster has been moved behind the Red Barn to make it easier for those who volunteer to maintain the Red Barn. If anyone has questions, please feel free to speak to any Member of B&G. This is an amazing group to work with and I Thank You All. Ever Hopeful, Barbara DeBree, Lead, Building and Grounds Action Team

There is a possibility that any events on the calendar may change throughout the month. Any changes or updates can be found in the

bulletin, on the website, or announced during worship services.

Weekly Meetings (Unless otherwise noted) Mondays 7:30pm Friendly Circle (Conference Room)

Wednesdays 5:30pm Yoga (Big Room), 7:15pm - Interfaith Meditation Group (meets in the Sanctuary) Thursdays 5:00 pm - Girl Scouts (Big Room), Fridays 9:30am - Yoga (Big Room)

June 1 - June 9

Sunday 8:30am – Worship Service 10:00am – Communion Worship Service and Sunday School and Youth Group Monday 7:00pm - Course in Miracles (Big Room) Wednesday 7:30am - Men’s Breakfast (George’s Kitchen) 7:00pm - Social Justice (Conference Room)

June 10 - June 16

Sunday 8:30am – Worship Service 10:00am – Worship Service and Sunday School and Youth Group Monday 6:30pm - Caring Ministry (Voorhees Hall) Wednesday 10:00am - Suffolk Association Church in Ministry meeting (Conference Room) 12:00pm - Lunch Bunch 7:30pm - IFTAR Dinner (Sanctuary with Dinner to follow in Voorhees Hall) Thursday 9:00am – Coffee Talk (George’s Kitchen) Saturday 6:00pm - Private Party (Voorhees Hall) June 17 - June 23

Sunday 8:30am – Worship Service 9:00am - Congregational Nurture Meeting (Conference Room) 10:00am – Baccalaureate Sunday Worship Service and Sunday School and Youth Group Monday 7:00pm - Course in Miracles (Big Room) Wednesday 7:30am - Men’s Breakfast (George’s Kitchen) Saturday 4:30pm - Wedding

June 24 - June 30

Sunday 8:30am – Worship Service 10:00am – Welcome Worship Service and Sunday School and Youth Group Wednesday 7:00pm - Council Meeting (Conference Room) Thursday 9:00am - Coffee Talk (George’s Kitchen) Saturday 7:00pm - Songwriters Showcase