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May 2015

U p c o m i n g E v e n t s Pillowcase Party May 2

Giffy’s BBQ May 7

Consecration Sunday May 10

Outdoor Worship Begins Ma y 24

I n t h i s I s s u e : Giving and Growing 2

Am I the Future of CRCC? 3

Rev. Cornwell to Begin Sabbatical in 3

Book Group News 4

Faith Days LBGT NYS State Fair Booth 2015

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Giffy’s BBQ 5

Consecration Sunday Sunday, May 10

On Sunday, May 10, we will celebrate our annual Consecration Sunday.

This year‘s theme is Giving and Growing, reminding us of the farmer who sows seeds in confidence that God will bring about the harvest.

As Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8: “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or

under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”

The more seeds sown, the greater the harvest.

As we approach Consecration Sunday, please consider the seeds you sow, in your actions, your worship, and your giving.

For how significant can your faith be if it does not show up in the way you live?

Thank you for generosity of time, talent and treasure.

C a r i n g f o r C r e a t i o n : H o n o r i n g G o d ’ s C r e a t i o n t h r o u g h E n v i r o n m e n t a l S t e w a r d s h i p

DID YOU KNOW…

The Recycle Bins help save and raise money for the church?

It’s spring, and spring cleaning is underway in many households. As you

clean out your closets or reorganize your garages and sheds, place your paper waste or

unwanted clothing in the green and blue recycle bins at the end of the parking lot.

Did you know that these bins help us save and raise money?

Not only are you helping to keep recyclable materials out of landfills and reduce the cost of waste disposal, but you are also supporting the church and its missions.

In fact, the church is paid by the pound for items recycled in the bins, earning us several thousand dollars a year. And it doesn’t cost us anything to have the bins located on our property, unlike the garbage

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service, for which we pay a fee.

The green bin is for paper recycling.

A company called GreenFiber.com uses the waste to make energy efficient insulation, extending the positive impact of your contribution.

This bin accepts newspapers, phonebooks, office paper, cardboard, cereal boxes, magazines, brown paper bags, and constructions paper.

There is no need to separate these items from one another. Actually, it is preferred that you not use plastic bags or string to bundle your papers. Merely dump them into the bin.

In addition, please do not place any glass, metal, plastic, aluminum, string, or Styrofoam in the green bin.

American Clothing Recyclers runs the three blue bins.

John and Matt D’Ambrosio have run this Glens Falls company for 15 years, but they are the fourth generation of their family in the clothing sorting business.

Among the items you donate to the blue bins, some are sold at reduced costs to families for whom new items may be unaffordable.

Other items are donated to help families such as those who have lost all their belongings in fires or natural disasters. Recently, victims of hurricane Irene were given clothing through this company’s donations, as were those who lost their homes in the Jay Street, Schenectady, fire.

Still other items are sent away to places in the US and the third world to help clothe people in poverty.

Even items you donate that are too tattered, damaged, or stained to be re-worn are used. They become reusable cleaning rags, still further reducing use of synthetic or single-use cloths and keeping them out of our landfills.

Items accepted include: all clothing, belts, blankets, drapery, hats, hand bags, shoes, sheets, towels, and even stuffed animals.

The company works hard keep the area around their bins clean. And they will even return items that have been placed in the boxes by mistake if you call the number on the box before it is emptied.

If you would like to receive a donation receipt for a substantial donation, you can call them at 793-7719.

So please fill up those bins, now during your spring cleaning, or any time throughout the year. It’s another way we can all work together to care for God’s creation and our church.

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Am I the future of CRCC? By Nancy Baker

I grew up in St. John’s Church in Albany and taught Sunday School for years with a toddler and infant in tow. My grandmother taught Sunday School for 53 years when she finally retired. It was not unheard of to have 500 people attend Christmas Eve or Easter Sunday services. But I hear that they are merging for lack of funds and membership. It is not impossible for that to happen to CRCC. Our Consistory works hard to manage the funds for the church as well as provide opportunities to raise funds. However, it takes the entire congregation to make their effort successful. So, we hold fundraisers ! These fundraisers are meant to help us avoid asking the congregation for more funds. Many of us have small children, or older children with tuition expenses and just the daily expenses of life as we know it. These fund raisers keep our organization alive.

The Evangelism and Welcome Committee is always searching for ways to grow our membership. The Community Outreach Committee is tasked with raising funds to keep the church going and facilitating

outreach events. All of the efforts of these two committees is geared toward reaching out to new people, bringing them into our church to look around and hopefully like what they see and hear. No one likes to ask our congregation to reach deeper to support the church if we do not need to. But the church has bills to pay and needs to remain solvent to stay alive. New members and fundraising is critical to our survival and success.

During Bruce’s medical leave, I had the privilege of hearing a sermon delivered by Kevin Bottini. What stuck with me about that sermon was when he said that stewardship could be as simple as mentioning that you were going to church. “I will be late to the event – I have church in the morning”. That opens the door for folks to ask you about church. Where do you go? Why do you like it? Can I come too? New people to share the commitment. New people to participate so that we do not need to ask the same members to help so much.

The Community Outreach committee will be hosting a Giffy’s Bar-B-Q just in time for spring. Thursday, May 7 from 4-7

Giffy’s will be here selling chicken BBQ. We are committed to 250 tickets. That is a big stretch for our congregation. But I have every confidence that we can sell the tickets and make this successful. I am asking that every member take ten tickets to sell. Ask a neighbor, a friend, a coworker. Many of you live and work near church. At DOT on Wolf Road, the County Jail and other businesses close by. Some may assume the committee has people taking care of selling the tickets. Not so. We need everyone’s help. It would be wonderful to sell 500. But we have to sell at least 250. By no means impossible for our congregation. We can do it!

Tickets will be available after service on Sundays. Host a neighbor or friend gathering that night and pick up Giffys for dinner. Get your dinner and enjoy it under the pavilion out back with church members and new friends. Bring someone to get to know us. Move our congregation forward into the future. I truly want to be the future of CRCC. Do you? If so, we really need your help.

Tickets are available from Nancy Baker at 365-9427.

REV. CORNWELL TO BEGIN SABBATICAL IN JUNE

“After seven years of service as an installed Minister of Word and Sacrament in a church within Albany Classis, a pastor is entitled to a three month sabbatical.” ~ Vocational Development Committee, Albany Classis

Bruce, the consistory and the Sabbatical Planning Team (Vicki Lane and Lisa McGee) are in the process of putting the finishing touches on his sabbatical which officially begins on June 17th. His objective during this sabbatical will be to stage a reading of his play, Second Coming – The Character and Ministry of Mother Ann Lee of the United Society of Believers (Commonly Called Shakers). Bruce wrote Second Coming

during his last sabbatical in 2006. Readings are usually staged to assist the playwright in the writing of the final draft of a play. Sometimes scripts are rewritten considerably after the playwright has heard his or her script read.

The reading will be in late August at the Shaker Meeting House here in Colonie which happens to be the actual setting of the play. In June and early July, Bruce will be working closely with Shawn Turner who is transcribing and arranging the Shaker Hymns that will be used in the production. He will also be putting together his production team consisting of actors, musicians, and singers.

In late July, he will take a break from the project to vacation in Europe. He and Sandy are taking a cruise of the Baltic Sea on Viking Cruise Line’s Viking Star. Some

of the ports of call include Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Berlin, and Copenhagen. When Bruce and Sandy return from the trip, he will begin rehearsals for the Shaker piece.

The Reverend Ronald Stockhoff will be covering for Bruce during his time away. In addition to leading worship at 10 am every Sunday, he will be in the office two days a week and will attend some meetings. Outdoor worship will be led by preaching Elder Lynn Gilgore. Both Ron and Lynn will be attending worship in the next few weeks. This will give both of them the opportunity to meet members of the congregation.

Ron and Lynn will begin leading worship on June 7th. Bruce will return to the pulpit on September 13th.

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BOOK GROUP NEWS

May’s book selection is Light a Penny Candle by Maeve Binchy, the story of two girls, Elizabeth and Aisling, one British and one Irish.

As a child, Elizabeth White was sent from her war-torn London home to a safer life

in the small Irish town of Kilgarret. It was there, in the crowded, chaotic O'Connor household, that she met Aisling-who would become her very best friend.

Aisling's boldness brought Elizabeth out of her proper shell. In return, Elizabeth's friendship helped Aisling endure her own sorrows. Through the years, they always believed they could overcome any conflict, conquer any hardship. They believed they could survive anything, as long as they had each other.

The group will meet on May 26 at 7 PM. Anyone who is interested in participating in the Book Group is welcome to attend. Please contact Karen Reynolds for more information.

Faith Days LGBT NYS State Fair Booth 2015

Community Reformed Church of Colonie is a Room for All congregation. Room for All congregations affirm and welcome lesbian, gay , bisexual, transgender, questioning individuals and their families into our lives and the full life of the church. As a Room for All congregation, we are committed to working with Reformed church in America Churches nationwide to reform denominational policies to allow full inclusion and to celebrate the diversity of all who worship our Lord. Christ's door remains open here and there is "room for all". This year Community Reformed will be helping to support Faith Days 2015 at the New York State

Fair. Visitors from across the state visit the booth many looking for a truly supportive congregation for themselves, family or friends. People from our community may visit the booth, and in many communities a welcoming congregation is still the only support available. We will be sending literature about our church to be handed out at the booth, we will be listed as a sponsor and we will be taking out an ad in the NY pride Network Guide because there truly is room for all.

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701 Sand Creek Rd Colonie, NY 12205-2497 Bruce K. Cornwell, Pastor

Community Reformed Church of Colonie

Editor: Beth Colbert

Layout Designer: Shawn Turner

Articles are due by the 15th of the month and may be submitted to jimandbethcolbert@gmail.com or given to Beth Colbert.

www.coloniereformed.org

www.coloniecommunitydaycarecenter.com

701 Sand Creek Rd Albany, NY 12205-2432 Carol Grasso, Director

Tel: (518) 869-0131

E-mail: cgrasso6@yahoo.com

Colonie Community Day Care Center

Tel: (518) 869-5589

E-mail: CrccChurchOffice@nycap.rr.com