October 2009

THE EPISTLE Volume 14 Issue 9 GENESEE VALLEY FALL ASSEMBLY Genesee Valley Fall Assembly, will take place on Sunday October 25 at Parma United Church of Christ. The theme is “In Celebration” and will celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Parma Church along with the celebrations of Rev. Geoffrey Black as our Conference Minister and the Rev. David Felton as our regional Conference Minister. Geoffrey is now the President of the United Church of Christ and David retires from his position on October 31. The day begins with an informal lunch at 1. The meeting begins at 2 and concludes at 5. Glenn and Lorrie are our delegates, but visitors are always encouraged to attend. See the pastor for more information.

OCTOBER 22, 2009 Brianna attends Johanna Perrin Middle School in Fairport. She has been swimming for FAST (Fairport Area Swim Team) since 2003. She is active in Girl Scouts and is in her 9th year of scouts. She plays the flute. Brianna is on student council and yearbook club. Her hobby is drawing. Sarah and Brianna will be participating in the Junior High church school class, periodic “breakfasts with the pastor,” service opportunities, and helping with a major class project. They are also co-presidents of our Junior Youth Fellowship. Please keep our confirmands in your prayers throughout the year.

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2009-2010 CONFIRMATION CLASS We have two confirmation class students this year – Sarah Hoover and Brianna Sherry, both 8th graders. Sarah attends Bay Trail Middle School in Penfield, where she participates in orchestra, chorus, girls select choir and Science Oympiad. She also enjoys checking out You Tube, dancing at Fitzsimmons Dance Factory and acting in every musical she can find.

pledge card in late October.

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PASTORAL PERSPECITVE Even though it is still October, the weather we’ve been experiencing has been more like November and the leaves haven’t turned to their normal fall colors. It’s hard to believe that October is almost over. It seems just like yesterday that we gathered together for our annual “Welcome Back Sunday” picnic. Now we are looking forward to Thanksgiving. We celebrated our 185th anniversary on September 27, even though the actual date is not until December 19. We were delighted to have the choir from the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Spencerport with us to celebrate the occasion. Of course we were doubly delighted because our own Heather Barmore directs that choir. Our choir will join their choir on November 8 to return the favor. It seems that this fall, it has been a bit slower getting back to worship for some folks. It’s important that we make worship a priority, as it is the center of our life together. Whatever we do in education, mission and fellowship comes from our common worship of God. Unless we are nourished by this time together in the presence of the Holy One, our other work suffers. During the next month or so, we will celebrate some special occasions in our worship service. Reformation Sunday happens on October 25. This is one of those celebrations that may seem outdated, as we strive to celebrate what brings Christians together rather than what keeps them apart. Some may say it comes from another era. Frankly, some times, in the past, it has been an occasion for “bashing” our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters. Yet, it need not be that at all. Rather, this day gives us an opportunity to look at the contributions of the reformers to the whole church. What happened in Europe in the 16th century had consequences for the whole church, and for that matter, for the whole world. All Saints Day is November 1. This year the day falls on a Sunday and that gives us an opportunity to truly celebrate the “communion of saints” of

which we are a part. As Christians today, we stand on the shoulders of all those who have gone before us in the faith and are now part of the church triumphant. On this day we will not only remember them, but all those near and dear to us who have been part of our lives and are now with God. If you would like us to remember a loved one, please call Cathy and let he know, including the person’s name and date of death. You can also e-mail this information to her at [email protected]. Once again we will celebrate Heritage Sunday on November 15. We will worship in the style of our Congregational forebears. This will be especially appropriate in this anniversary year. Our beadle will be a part of our service and the music will reflect the period. Finally, the church year ends on November 22 in the celebration of Christ the King. This occasion reminds us of the lordship of Jesus Christ over the whole created order. concluding the old church year and looks forward to the new one, which will begin on the first Sunday of Advent, November 29. On that Sunday we begin once more our journey together as the Body of Christ. I hope that you will make a special effort to be in worship during these coming weeks. Faithfully yours

John ALL SAINTS DAY REMEMBRANCES As part of our worship service on All Saints Day, November 1, we will remember church members who have died since last All Saints Day, as well as loved ones who have died over the past years. If you have a name to be remembered, please call the church office and let Cathy know. You can also e-mail their name and date of death to: [email protected].

LINCOLN’S LEGACY AT VA The VHA History Office and the National Cemetery Administration History Program have created a special traveling exhibition entitled

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“Lincoln’s Legacy at VA,” as part of this historic commemoration. The exhibit highlights legislation and programs signed into law by Lincoln during the Civil War that are now administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs and continue to benefit America’s Veterans. The exhibit has received official endorsement from the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and will be displayed at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center in the Building 5 Auditorium, November 9 through 13, 2009 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The “Lincoln’s Legacy at VA,” exhibition provides opportunity to learn about Abraham Lincoln and what he can still teach us about what it means to be an American. For further details about this year-long national celebration,visit: http:// www.lincolnbicentennial.gov/. WHAT IS COMING UP FOR ADULT EDUCATION Sunday Mornings Oct. 25 – “The Ten Commandments” On this day, Dr. Tim Dwyer, associate professor of Bible and Ministry at Northeastern Seminary, will conclude his series of classes on the topic of “The 10 Commandments.” These classes will be held during Christian Education time in the Snow Room.

study class held in the Snow Room. We’ll begin the fall by studying and discussing the upcoming Sunday’s scheduled Bible readings. Following the Bible study, participants are invited to a brief communion service in the sanctuary. Wednesday Evenings Nov. 4, 11 & 18 -- Christian Music Through the Ages If you missed these Sunday morning classes last fall, here’s your chance to see what you missed! For centuries, Christians have used music to worship God. Learn how this tradition evolved in this 3-week class. With a focus on music in the Congregational tradition, the class will explore how music has evolved from the Old Testament to the praise music of today. We will discuss controversies about the role of music in worship, the use of instruments and the role of the congregation. Participants will hear examples of different musical styles ranging from Gregorian chant to Bach to traditional hymns, and will learn how closely music is tied with the history of the church. Led by Jim Franzen, these classes will be held in the Snow Room from 7 - 9 p.m. Bring a friend!

FAMILY NEWS Nov. 1 & 8 – God & Science Steve Hoover and Jim Franzen will lead a discussion on the relationship between religion and science in today's world. Wednesday Mornings Bible Study Need a mid-week pick-me-up? Every Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. – noon, there will be a Bible

ADVENT DINNER December 6, 2009 The Advent dinner sponsored by the Board of Deacons will be held on December 6th, at 6:00 PM. It will be a pot-luck dinner, please bring your food hot and ready to serve. Also bring your table service. Pizza will be provided for the children. Dessert and beverages for all will

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be provided by the Deacons. Sign up sheets will be posted in Fellowship Hall on November 1, 2009. There will not be a play this year but we will have a mystery guest. Beverly Gray

LOVING OUR NEIGHBOR IS OUR THEME Besides the rotation topics being taught in Sunday school the students will be introduced to the “Loving Our Neighbors” program. Its purpose is to guide the children to grow in compassion and lead them to love and respect others in and out of the classroom. Our vision is to help raise compassionate, mission minded children who follow one of Jesus’ greatest commandments: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31). Jesus teaches that we see all people as neighbors.

October 23: Family Movie Night Don’t miss our first family movie night of the year! Bring the kids (in PJs, if desired), some sleeping bags to sprawl out on, and come enjoy a family movie in Upper Fellowship Hall at 7 p.m. Sign up on the Elementary Kids bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. November Sundays: Learning About Life in Bible Times & the Mary and Martha Story During the month of November, our elementary students will be learning the story of Mary and Martha. Like Martha, they’ll learn how critical it is to spend time focusing on the important things first. They will also learn about what life was like for people in Bible times. Books & Blankets Mission Project During church school classes in November, the children will also be working on a “books & blankets” project to benefit the kindergarteners at School 33. They will be making special packages of a cozy fleece lap blanket and a few picture books. Please help by sending in new or gently used books and fleece remnants (at least baby blanket size). Junior & Senior High Happenings Junior High Church School To Travel Through the Old Testament During the month of November, our Junior High class will continue working its way through the major stories of the Old Testament. Join us for some great discussion!

To begin with we introduced a kindness chart using the vocabulary of compassion to promote optimal behavior in the classroom and within the church. It is addressed each week in Sunday school. We also had a scavenger hunt in which the children went to various areas in the church and learned about what some members do to keep the church running smoothly each Sunday and followed up by writing thank you notes to them. During the next rotation the kids will be making fleece blankets to give away in order to practice loving our neighbors. We will continue to promote this theme throughout the church school year.

Preschool & Elementary School Happenings

Senior High Church School Students to Learn What It Means to Be A Disciple What is a disciple of Jesus? What did it mean back in Bible times, and what does it mean today? This fall, our senior high students will discuss these questions and more, as they watch a DVD journey of six modern-day followers of Christ who are making a big difference in the world. Senior High Sunday Night Bible Study Continues Senior High students are invited to join Mrs. Hamill on Sunday nights from 7 – 8:30 p.m. for a Bible study on the Book of James. Through this study, we’ll see that faith without actions is dead! These sessions will be held in the Senior High classroom. Call Mrs. Hamill at

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746-9275 prior to each session to let her know that you’re coming. JYF Halloween Party on October 30 JYFers! Don’t miss our famously fun annual Halloween Party on October 30! It will be held from 7 – 9:30 p.m. in Upper Fellowship Hall. Bring a friend and join us…..if you dare! Sign up in Fellowship Hall. SYF Halloween Event on October 30 Save this date for an exciting, scary and oh, so fun haunted hayride and movie/bonfire at the Hoover’s house. More details to come.

NOTE: There will be NO church school classes on Sunday, November 29.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Momma, Around the World, Charlies Crafts, Joining Hearts & Hands, Soaps by Julia, For Claudias Sayke, Pine Crane Studios, Afrikambas Curios and more. These vendors will feature Native American, Fair trade goods from Asia, Russia, Europe, Africa, South America and more, Organical children’s products, soaps and assorted food products, Coffee, Soups, Recycled gifts and more. The unique gifts offered at this bazaar will be appreciated both by the recipient and the creator. This show will also offer a convenient Electronics Recycling drop-off for individuals wishing to recycle handheld electronics responsibly. $1 will be taken off door admission to encourage this recycling. We Need Your Help! Sign up sheets are located on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. Individuals will be needed to help pack up the church before and reset the church after the show. We will also need individuals to help during the show with the kitchen service (food provided ready-to-serve from ABVI-Goodwill catering). We will also need helpers to direct parking, help at the bake sale, and more. Coordinators are needed for all areas of the show. Coordinators may also sign up on the bulletin board. *Special Need* Someone to help tape-off the spaces for vendor booths. *Special Need* Someone to sleep overnight at the church on Thursday and Friday from 8pm – 8am to ensure the safety of the vendors’ items.

MY BROTHER’S KEEPER A Socially- and EnvironmentallyConscious Gift Bazaar November 20 and 21st is approaching and the planning for the “My Brother’s Keeper Gift Bazaar” is shifting into high gear. This is the first year for this unique Gift Bazaar featuring only vendors who are Eco-Friendly, Socially-Purposed, Fair Trade, and/or Local Artisans. Vendors currently scheduled to participate include Kingdom Ventures, One World Goods, Healthy Sisters Soup and Bean Works, Women’s Coffee Connection, White Eagle Drums, Dounya-Kele, Organic

Baked Goods: Past Church Antique Show Bake Shops during our have raised more than $1,000 for our Church. Since this is the first year for the MBK show, we do not expect to equal the Antique Show’s sales, but we sure would like to try! The bakeshop is only possible through the generous (and delicious) donations of baked goods for sale by our church members. Cakes, Pies are especially necessary since they may be served both at dining room meals and sold as whole pies in the bake shop. Cookies, brownies and quick breads also sell well. Please give care to the appearance of your food packaging, as eye-appeal is very

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important to any sale. Baked goods can be dropped off at the church on Thursday, Nov. 19 in the afternoon, All day Friday, Nov. 20, and in the morning on Saturday, Nov. 21st. Spread the Word! Word of mouth is still one of the best ways to let other’s know about an event. Please feel free to distribute the flyers and handouts to others. Flyers and Handouts will be made available at the church or upon request. If you have questions, please contact Crista Deniz ([email protected], 388-5952), Sondra Franzan ([email protected], 223-8074),or Bonney Bennet ([email protected], 3831763)

HILLSIDE CHRISTMAS TREE Beginning November 29th through December 13th, the Hillside Christmas Tree will be located in Fellowship Hall. Please remember to take an ornament and in exchange provide a holiday gift to one of Hillside’s troubled youth or family members. Hopefully, everyone will take an ornament (handmade by Janis Harper), give a gift and help provide a bit of Christmas cheer. Gifts must be returned by Sunday, December 13th.

Salem Soup Kitchen for their meal ministries as well as approx. 5 bags of baking potatoes. Excess paper products were donated back to our church to be used for the Community Dinners. Warm Regards, Crista Deniz

ROCHESTER CITY SCHOOL #33 Items needed for the health office at School 33 include chapstick, unscented lotions, toothpaste & toothbrushes. Please place items in the box in Fellowship Hall. I also want to thank everyone again, especially Kelly Weidman and Karen Hamill for their coordination of the clothing drive for School 33 that was September 20, 2009. Everything has been distributed. I get many grateful acknowledgments from teachers, school nurses, administrators, but mostly the children and families. Rebecca Ledwin Additionally, our Sunday School classes are collecting books appropriate for kindergarteners. These books can also be palced in the box in Fellowship Hall. Questions? Contact Karen Hamill.

CHICKEN BBQ FUNRAISER Thank you to everyone who helped with the Chicken BBQ in September! This fundraiser netting a modest $360 profit, but has provided our church with a large BBQ pit in the Church yard to enable future fundraisers. We have also gained great experience from the sale and will be able to repeat it more easily in the future. Additional complicating factors to this year’s sale included another Church Chicken BBQ going on elsewhere in the Village the same day and the rain that started falling towards the end of the sale. In total we prepared 300 Chicken Dinners for sale. 220 dinners sold on Saturday, and another 65 sold at ½ price during coffee hour on Sunday. The remaining dinners were donated to the

BOARD & COMMITTEE NEWS

Missions Corner Focus on The Salem Nutrition Center Each month we plan on focusing on one charity our church supports. This month the focus is on The Salem Nutrition Center. A quote from the 1984 Salem Church Council Minutes - “Perhaps one of the most significant happenings at Salem this year was the beginning of The Salem Nutrition Center. When the Council was first approached about the idea of sponsoring a soup kitchen one day a

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week, there were many concerns: the cost, the security problems, the volunteers and so on. An investigation committee was formed and considered all the potential concerns and rewards. After their report was presented, Council voted to give the idea a trial. This trial period is now concluded and Council has voted to extend the program another six months. I feel safe in saying, the rewards have far outweighed the problems. Volunteers have been plentiful, the costs have been minimal and we are helping to feed Rochester’s hungry.”

Morning Circle will meet on November 10th at 10 AM in Fellowship Hall. Rev. Cedarleaf will lead our discussion of the book, Amish Grace, by Donald B. Krayvill, Steven M. Nolt and David L. Weaver-Zercher. Anone who would like to participate in the discussion is welcome to join us.

Twenty five years later The Salem Nutrition Center celebrated its Silver Anniversary. John and Jean Cedarleaf led a contingent of our church members to a celebration dinner a few weeks ago at the Green Lantern Inn. At that time, it also paid tribute to Rev. Sue Forsyth who has served as Director of The Center for the past 10 years. Tribute was also paid to all volunteers including a special thank you to those serving for all 25 years. Our own Marge Meyer is a member of that 25 year group. During its 25 year history, The Center has served over 300,000 meals to the needy in downtown Rochester. It operates a hot meal program on Mondays and a soup and sandwich meal on Tuesdays. All members of its board contribute their time on a volunteer basis. All food is served with the help of volunteers from area churches including our own. The Salem Nutrition Center accepts donations from local churches, local restaurants, bakeries, and supermarkets. Food Link is also a major source of discounted food supplies. This past year our church sent in extra volunteers to renovate the Salem Church’s gymnasium which serves as the cafeteria for the soup kitchen. Rev. Kay Merrifield now serves as the new director and looks forward to working with our church volunteers as well as those of all the area churches. Congratulations Salem Nutrition Center on your anniversary!

CHURCH WOMEN’S UNITED Community Day 2009 “Piecing Earth Together” A program of worship and challenge to action toward protecting our local and global environments with guest speaker Ms. Cheryl Frank of Color Brighton Green On Friday, November 6, 2009 – 9:30am to 1:00pm. Brown bag lunch. Please bring a can of soup to share in a “Shower of Soup” for the Community Food Cupboard. Place: Christ the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church , 1000 Winton Road North, Rochester 14609. Cost: $3 registration at door. Open to all women and men. Call: 342-2790 for details. Please join us.

EVENING CIRCLE Our next meeting will be November 9 at 7pm. Our speaker will be Toni Thompson, who will discuss the history of our church. Please bring an item for the food shelf, if you are able, as they are always appreciated. See you then. MORNING CIRCLE

REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS: Martha Bowman, St. John’s Home Barbara Cobb, Fairport Baptist Home

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Welcome to Jacqueline Grace Reilly, daughter of Gregory and Amy Reilly, Indianapolis, IN. She was born on September 25, 2009 and she is the granddaughter of Debbie Cutter.

Our sympathy is extended to Sue and Dan Bickel and their family on the death of Sue’s stepfather, John M. Schwartz . A memorial service was held for him at our church on October 3, 2009. Pastor Cedarleaf officiated. Our condolences are extended to the Strong Family on the recent death of Reed Wilbur, son-in-law of Frank and Barbara, and brother-in-law of Doug and Jenny Strong. He passed away on October 7, 2009. A service for him was held in Massachusetts on October 10, 2009.

NOVEMBER 12, 2009

Scripture Readings for November November 1: All Saints Day Isaiah 25:6-9 Psalm 24 Revelation 21:1-6a John 11:32-44

November 8 REMINDER When you are buying something for a church function, please remember to pick up a taxexempt certificate (located in the acylic holder near the mailboxes.) The church will not reimburse you, if you pay sales tax.

NEXT EPISTLE DEADLINE 3 PM,

I Kings 17:8-16 Psalm 146 Hebrews 9:24-28 Mark 12:38-44

November 15: Heritage/Thanksgiving Sunday Matthew 6:25-33

9 November 22: Christ the King Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14 Psalm 93 Revelation 1:4b-8 John 18:33-37

November 29: First Sunday of Advent Jeremiah 33:14-16 Psalm 25:1-10 I Thessalonians 3:9-13 Luke 21:25-36

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