Cross & Comments - December 2011

8/3/2019 Cross & Comments - December 2011

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In this issue:

Six Baptisms the Highlight of

October Service

2

Advent Study Set for Adult

Sunday School Class

2

Northups Bid Farewell 2

Day Care Child and Family Need

Your Help

4

Membership and Faith Formation

Classes Set

5

A ID S D ay P raye r

7 0 1 S a n d C r e e k R o a d , C

o l o n i e , N e w Y o r k 1 2 2 0 5 - 2 4 9 7 — B r u c e K . C o r n w e l l , P a s t o r — T e l e

p h o n e ( 5 1 8 ) 8 6 9 - 5 5 8 9 — w w w . c o

l o n i e r e f o r m e d . o r g

U p c o m i n g E v e n t s

Every December 1 is World AIDS Day, an opportunity for people worldwide to unite inthe fight against HIV, show their support for people living with HIV and tocommemorate people who have died.During the month of December we offer this prayer on behalf of the world-wide fight on behalf of those threatened by HIV.

Celebration of Remembrance Dec 4

A Christmas Carol / Pot Luck Dec 10

Rest & Re-creation in the Spirit Dec 14

Deadline for Poinsettia orders Dec 18

Christmas Eve Services Dec 24

Christmas Worship Dec 25

In the power of the creative Spirit of God,

we come together to light a candle of hope in the hearts

of all the people who are faced with hopeless situations.

We are God's instruments to bring hope.

We pray,

Amen.

The Lord is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.He will not grow tired or weary,

and His understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary,

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youth grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

But those who hope in the Lord

will renew their strength.They will soar on wings like eagles;

They will run and not grow weary,

They will walk and not be faint.

Amen



2

Baptisms are always a

special occasion for

families and their

churches. October 23

was especially joyous as

six individuals were

baptized into the body of

Christ.

Tammy Bonesteel,

Anthony Bonesteel,

Nelson Bonesteel, Ryan

Bonesteel, Ashley

Parker, and ShayleeKallner received

baptism.

As Bruce explained,

baptism is a holy

sacrament, instituted by

Christ, as a sign and seal

of God’s covenant of grace. By choosing

O Holy Night. The First Noel.

Silent Night, Holy Night.

Beautiful music is intrinsic to

Christmas.

But did you know that the

Scriptures that tell the story of Christmas also contain beautiful

songs?

This Advent season, the Adult

Sunday School Class invites you to

explore these songs. Based on the

four-week study The Scriptures

Sing of Christmas, by Ellsworth

Kalas, the class will delve into the

scriptural songs of Christmas

found in the Gospels of Luke and

John:

Mary’s Song (the Magnificat)

The songs of the shepherds and

angels on the night of Christ’s

birthSimeon’s response to his

encounter with the infant Jesus

John’s glorious declaration at the

opening of his gospel

Everyone is welcome to

participate. The group meets

from 9 - 9:45 AM in the back

corner of the sanctuary.

ADVENT STUDY SET FOR ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS

Karen Reynolds

Northups Bid Farewell

For the past several years we had been preparing achange in living accommodations with our yearly trekto FL in the winter. But when it finally happened andso quickly we were no more prepared than anyoneelse. We were just so busy we didn't have time tothink about it.

But when that day finally came it was so bittersweet.We, of course, were excited and nervous about suchdrastic change but we are so saddened by leaving ourCRCC family. As you know, we have not had anyfamily up north for years, so you have been our familand we love you all. Now we will be near family butwill truly miss you all.

We have such wonderful memories of activities andevents in this church. Of course, our first love isprobably choir and we doubt we'll find one as great

anywhere else. Cantatas were so challenging but sorewarding.

The special services in this church have always been "special" and inspiring. We don't know of any otherchurch that has an Agape service. The Christmas Evecandlelight service, the Ash Wednesday service andGood Friday Tenebrae service are such emotionalservices. Again, we have never found anything likethem at any other church. We also find Baptisms,Communion and Godspeed services truly touching.

Of course, Parable Players was another great love of(Continued on pag

Six baptisms the highlightof October worship service

baptism for ourselves or our

children, we make an outward

witness of our faith in Christ as

our only Lord and savior.

We rejoice that all of them have

entered into God’s covenant

community and know that youwill all welcome them and

nurture

them along

their

journey of

faith.



3

DecemberMission of theMonth

"...love your

neighbor as

yourself."

Matthew 22:

During Advent, wewill again besponsoring our

Christmas Angels Mission for familiesin need.

This year we are providing gifts for twofamilies.

To participate, just select an angel from theangel tree at the back of the sanctuary andwrite your name and the number of theselected angel on the sheet provided.

Please purchase the gift specified, wrap it,and return it to church by Sunday,December 18.

It is very important that you attachedthe selected angel to the gift so theitem’s recipient can be identified.

Gift cards can be given to Doris Neese.

Your assistance in this project is greatlyappreciated.

Celebration of

RemembranceSunday, December 4

7:00 PM

As we unpack our Christmas decoratio

each year, we also unpack manymemories. Ornaments on the Christmtree were given by grandparents.Cookies are made using your mother’srecipe. Foods are eaten over the holidthat are never eaten at any other timeexcept as a family together on Christmmorn.

But missing from each of our tables issomeone we loved, someone whomolded us into the persons we are,

someone who shaped our holidays.

This service celebrates those lives. In season that becomes all too hectic, thisa moment of quiet to remember, tothank, and to share those who havepassed from our sight but not our livesAll are welcome to attend this beautifuworship service.

Please feel free to bring a picture, atoken, or a story to tell.

ours. We have such fond memories of traveling to other churches and performing orproviding an entire service. And, of course, who could forget "Weep, Jeremiah!"What an incredible experience.

Shirley's Shawls & the Quilt Ministries have also been shared with us and we alwaysfelt certain that our healing was hastened by the prayers in those shawls. What awonderful ministry that touches so many.

One of our first tasks in FL will be to find a church that will hold the meaning thatthis church holds for us. The problem is that CRCC has set a very high standard so it

may be difficult to find one that comes anywhere near those standards.We would like to thank you all for being a part of our church family all these years,for your support and friendship over the years and your good wishes as we headedfor a new adventure. We will miss you all and encourage you to keep in touch withus through email ([email protected] or [email protected]) Also our homeat 5033 Ruby Flats Dr., Wimauma, FL 33598 will always be open to friends fromCRCC. Be sure and book your reservation early!

We hope to see you all in the summers when we'll need to retreat from the heatperhaps. If anyone knows of an economical summer rental let us know. You knowLaurie may need and deserve a vacation by then and the congregation may be readyfor a coffee hour consisting of sticky buns and deviled eggs.

Seriously, we wish you all a very joyous holiday season, and we will miss thosespecial services but they will be in our thoughts as all of you will also.

God bless and keep you all until we meet again.

Warren & Audrey Northup

(Continued from page 2)



4

DAY CARE CHILD AND FAMILY

NEED YOUR HELP

Carol Grasso, Day Care Director

The Colonie Community Day Care

Center is a mission of this church

and part of our church community.

Our Church and Day Care family

has been saddened by the news that

Kashius Mostransky, one of our

recent students, has been

diagnosed with leukemia.

Kashius, September, and their

parents Marc and Meegan, have

been a part of our Day Care family

for years. Marc and Meegan have

put together our slide show for

several years, and Marc and his

crew of middle school students

have come to Clean-up Day to help

us keep our playground clean and

safe for our children.

The Day Care Center will be

collecting donations for the

Mostransky family to help defray

the cost of medical bills.

Collection bins will be set out until

the Day Care Christmas program

on December 13.

Please look for the collection bins

and offer what you can to help the

Mostransky family as they face the

many hardships of this disease and

its treatment.

Thank you for your prayers and

your generosity.

Interfaith Story Circle: a focus on gift

Jesus used stories to teach. We can use them toshare our faith and enrich the lives of others.

In October, Community Reformed hosted theInterfaith Story Circle of the Tri-Cities to do justthat.

After three stories by Bruce introducing the themGift Wrappings, many of the dozens of guests spokepersonal stories of gifts given and received.Through tales of love, sacrifice, sharing andhumor, those present came to a deeperunderstanding and appreciation for the gifts wehave shared with others.

Interfaith Story Circle meets at various locationsaround the capital district to share stories of faith.

Thank you to AnneSnyder for connecting uto the Story Circle.

Leadership Retreat

On the first crisp weekend of November, the

leadership of Community Reformed Church,

gathered at Camp Fowler for a time of study,

and prayer.

Friday evening was devoted to an intensive Bible

study of Roman 8: 22-27 using Listening to the

Groans - a Spirituality for Ministry and Mission by Trevor Hudson with Stephen

Bryant. This book challenges Christ-followers to be vulnerable enough to

listen to the groans of creation, to be still enough to hear the groans withinthemselves, and to find hope and strength for the journey by relying on the

Holy Spirit.

Saturday morning was a time of listening. For 3 hours, the leadership

remained in silent prayer. This was a powerful time of reflection, discovery,

and experiencing the profound presence of the Holy Spirit.

Participants in this retreat were: Bruce and Sandy Cornwell - retreat

facilitators, Kevin and Tina Bottini, Shawn Turner, Donna Davidson, Lisa

McGee, Sarah Huiest, Laurie Bonesteel, Maggie George, Doris Neese, Vicki

Lane, Kathy Jubert, Sue Bredice, LouAnn Connelly, and Karen Reynolds.



5

MEMBERSHIP AND FAITH FORMATION CLASSES SET

Community Reformed welcomes anyone who wants to have a personal relationshipwith Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. But we also believe that our faith, thoughpersonal, is not meant to be lived in isolation.

For this reason, Community Reformed offers those in our church family theopportunity to join the church as members.

Membership means committing to a spiritual family that can encourage and challengeour faith as well as share our burdens. Church membership provides avenues for usin

our spiritual gifts for God’swork. And membershipaffords participation in the lifeand work of a congregation.

The membership process atCommunity Reformed ispersonalized through theoffering of a variety of coursesgeared to meet individualneeds.

Releasing One’s Gifts(November 27 andDecember 18) uses aSpiritual Gifts discernmentprocess to explore one’s lifedirection, purpose andmeaning. This course is foreveryone who wants toaffiliate with this church.

The Reformed Church inAmerica (December 4 and

11) provides an overview of

Reformed Church history,government and theology. Itis recommended for those whoare professing their faith forthe first time or who arecoming from other faithtraditions.

Basic Christian Beliefs(January 22, 29 andFebruary 5, 12, 19, 26)

invites attendees into a life of faith, into discipleship, andinto the “communion of saints.” Guided by DavidGregory’s novel, Dinner with aPerfect Stranger, this course isfor those who are professingtheir Christian faith for thefirst time, or who have notparticipated in a Christianchurch for a considerabletime.

Being a Member of aWorshipping Community(January 8 and 15).Designed for those who areprofessing their Christian faithfor the first time, or thosewho are coming from otherfaith traditions, this courseorients participants to the basics of the spiritual life anddisciplines – both corporate

and individual.

If you are interested inparticipating in any of theselearning opportunities, pleasecontact Bruce or notify KarenReynolds.

CAPITAL REGION

THEOLOGICAL CENTER’S

UPCOMIING COURSES

The Second Five Minutes:

Introduction to Preaching, a

Lay Theological Education Program

Rev. Dr. Bill Levering January 14, 2012

First Reformed Church,

Schenectady

Registration by December 29.

$275; $250 to audit

GIFT CERTIFICATES AVAILABL

COLONIE COMMUNITY DAY CARE CENTER RECEIVES PRAISE,

GENEROUS GIFT

Recently, the Colonie Community Day Care, a mission of this church, received a lettof praise and a generous financial donation from the family of two young men whoattended as little children.

Scott and Liz Emerson wrote:

The Lord has blessed us with three happy and healthy boys. Our two oldest boys wer

fortunate enough to be able to spend time with you, and we can never thank you enoufor the start that you gave our children.

Richie graduated in 2010 from American University in Washington, D.C. and receivetwo Bachelor’s Degrees; one in History, and the other in International Relations withminor in Mandarin Chinese. He is currently living and working in Washington, D.C.

Eric is currently an 11th grander at Shaker High School, and is starting his own collegesearch. He is not 100% sure what career path he wants to embark on, but he isconsidering History and/or Law at the top of his list.

Due to the fact that we moved to Latham, our youngest son, Carter, did not attendCCDC. He is presently a 2nd grader in North Colonie.

(Continued on pa



6

Words cannot express how grateful we are for all that you did for Richie and Eric. It is our belief that much of the success that they are currently experiencing in their lives had, at itsgenesis, your wonderful program.

There was no magic wand that you waved, there was no one special thing that you did for ourkids that we can point to; no, it was much more than that. Yes, they were our children. Butwhen they came to CCDC, they were also your children. You taught them, you cared for

them, you played with them, you tried to get them to take a nap in the sanctuary, you fedthem, you planned grand celebrations for them (as long as the parents didn’t get too close tothe stage), and most importantly, you loved them. You loved them like they were your own,and we love you for that.

You, the folks at CCDC are special, very special people, and we thank you. Whether it is 10years later, 15 years later, or 20 years later, the spiritual gifts that you shared with our familyand with our children will never be forgotten.

Please accept the enclosed check as our way of saying thank you. Thank you for the work youhave done in the past, are currently doing now, and for all of the work that you will do forchildren in the future.

Thank you and God Bless.

(Continued from page 5)The Funnies

Two boys were walking homfrom Sunday school after

hearing a strong preaching othe devil.

One said to the other, 'Whado you think about all this

Satan stuff?'

The other boy replied, 'Welyou know how Santa Clausturned out.It's probably just yourDad.'



7

Christmas Poinsettia Orders Availablethrough December 18th.

Each Christmas Eve, our sanctuary is adornedby poinsettias placed out in honor or memoryof the important people in our lives.

You can order your poinsettias now through December 18, at acost of $11 per plant.

Order forms are available on the informationtables at the rear of the sanctuary.

Checks should be made payable to CRCC.

HELP WANTED

Jennifer Stein

We are in need of more people to host

coffee hour each Sunday. Many of thesame people have been filling this need.New volunteers are needed.

Now that we have one service, it is moremanageable to have three volunteers eachweek.

Can you help set up? Clean up? Providerefreshments or paper products?

Please sign up on the lists at the information tables at the rear of thesanctuary. Specific directions are available near the lists.

Thank you for all who support this important ministry.

Every year, our Sunday school children participate in

Operation Christmas Child. They fill shoeboxes with

Christmas gifts for children in need throughout the

world. Last year we sent 15 shoeboxes - which was

great! This year, the Sunday school donated

enough items to fill 28 shoeboxes!!!

When the children receive their gifts, they are also given

Gospel storybooks and participate in a 12 lesson Bible

study. Children who have never heard of Jesus are able t

experience His love through the generosity of others and

by hearing the Good Word first hand.

A huge “Thank you” to the Book Group, Women’s Bible

Study Group, Saturday Morning Women’s Group,

Sunday school teachers, and individual members of our

congregation for covering the cost of shipping. “Thank

you,” also, to all of the Sunday school families and

teachers for VERY generously filling the shoeboxes with

gifts, love, and prayer.

Sarah Huiest

Caring for Creation: Honoring God’s creation

through Environmental Stewardship

December: It’s a Wrap!

Tons of wrapping paper is used and discarded each year forChristmas. And it cannot be recycled. How can we serve God’s

creation better this year and still make those presents look special?Make the wrapping part of the gift!

Containers make great no-wrapping-needed packaging: A bucketor watering can is easy to fill with gardening supplies, and amixing bowl or stockpot makes the perfect package for yourfavorite cook. And don’t forget soft wrapping paper alternativesthat are also great gifts, like scarves, organic cotton baby blankets,and beach towels or organic cotton bath towels. It’ll give them alittle hint as to what's inside, but your creative wrapping will getyears of use.

For more ideas, go to www.gaiam.com



8

701 Sand Creek Rd

Colonie, NY 12205-2497

Bruce K. Cornwell, Pastor

Community

Reformed

Church of

Colonie

Editor: Lou Ann Connelly

Layout Designer: Shawn Turner

Articles are due by the 15th of the month and may be submitted to

[email protected] or given to Lou Ann Connelly.

A special thank you to Bob Becker for his years of service in preparing this newsletter.

www.coloniereformed.org

701 Sand Creek Rd

Albany, NY 12205-2432

Carol Grasso, Director

Tel: (518) 869-0131

E-mail: [email protected]

Colonie

Community

Day Care

Center

Tel: (518) 869-5589

E-mail:

[email protected]

Bible Verse for December

In each issue of Cross and Comments we offer you a Bible

verse to contemplate, study and memorize. It is our hope that

this will be one more way you can connect with God‘s word.

John 1:1—5In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and

the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through

him all things were made; without him nothing was made that

has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all

mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness

has not overcome it.

Happy December Birthday to…

Barb Berberich Timmy Liklas-Bossard Kevin Bottini Donna Sanders Harmony Bredice BJ Todd Richard Burt Aubrey Cleveland Reg Denegar Marissa Ebli Joanne Frangella Maggie George Richard Hoogkamp

If you would like to have

family birthdays published,

please contact Lou Ann

Connelly.

Cross & Comments - December 2011

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