Brookville Church

N E W S L E T T E R

REV. VICKY L. EASTLANDPastor of Congregational LifeRev.Vicky@verizon.net

2 BROOKVILLE ROADBROOKVILLE, NY 11545

516-626-0414Brookvillechurch@gmail.comwww.facebook.com/BrookvilleChurchwww.BrookvilleChurch.org

Where our doors are always open!April 2015

A portion of the confession is printed below.we reject any doctrine

• which…sanctions in the name of the gospel or of the will of God the forced separation of people on the grounds of race and color and thereby in advance obstructs and weakens the ministry and experience of reconciliation in Christ.

We believe

• that God has revealed himself as the one who wishes to bring about justice and true peace among people;

• that God, in a world full of injustice and enmity, is in a special way the God of the destitute, the poor and the wronged;

• that God calls the church to follow him in this, for God brings justice to the oppressed and gives bread to the hungry;

• that God frees the prisoner and restores sight to the blind;

• that God supports the downtrodden, protects the stranger, helps orphans and widows and blocks the path of the ungodly;

• that for God pure and undefiled religion is to visit the orphans and the widows in their suffering;

• that God wishes to teach the church to do what is good and to seek the right.

In God’s service,

The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is the protestant denomination of the Brookville Church since it’s founding in 1732. The RCA is a “confessional” denomination which means we profess certain Creeds and Confessions that have been adopted by the Church over the centuries, usually written in response to a theological debate that was happening in the Church at the time. All the RCA’s confessions or “Standards of Unity” (Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession and Canons of Dort) were written around the 1500s during the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation.

In the year 2000, the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America invited its members and congregations to a decade of study and reflection on the Belhar Confession, a confession of the Christian church in South Africa written out of the struggle against apartheid in the 1980s.

The Belhar's relevance is not confined to Southern Africa. It addresses three key issues of concern to all Churches: unity of the church and unity among all people, reconciliation within church and society, and God's justice. In 2010, after a decade of study, it was adopted as a doctrinal standard in the RCA.

The fact that a new confession was adopted in 2010 bares huge relevance to our denomination as there have been no other confessions adopted since 1619! I would like to offer the opportunity for us to dig deeply into its content and meaning so we might respond to the call of the Belhar to unity, to reconciliation, and to justice, especially in its focus on racism.

Please let me know if you have an interest in participating in a study on the Belhar Confession. I will make plans if there is enough interest.

The Belhar Confession

~ Rev. Vicky

Passover

Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is known as the “Holiday of Freedom,” commemorating the Jewish Exodus from Egypt following 210 years of slavery. The eight-day festival of Passover is celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th through the 22nd of the Hebrew month of Nissan, which usually falls sometime in March or April. Passover is regarded as the “birth” of the Jewish nation, and its lessons of struggle and identity continue to form the basis of Jewish consciousness today.The holiday begins with a Seder, a festive meal, and is designed to give each person the experience of “going from slavery unto freedom.” We read from the Haggadah, the special book which tells the Exodus story and recounts the Ten Plagues. We eat foods which are symbolic of slavery: matzah as the bread of affliction, salt water as the tears of oppression, bitter herbs as the harshness of slavery. We recline in our chairs to express our freedom. The youngest child asks Four Questions. We recite the prayer of thanksgiving and praise and end the Seder with the hope of “Next Year in Jerusalem!” By following the rituals of Passover, we have the ability to relive and experience the true freedom that our ancestors gained.Passover conveys four major concepts that enable us to lead successful and productive lives. They can be summarized in four words: memory, optimism, faith, and family.Memory links our past to our future. It turns history into destiny. Learning to treasure it is the first step in our climb up the ladder of greatness.Optimism opens all possibilities. The optimist believes that with God’s help, no difficulty is insurmountable. A tyrant like Pharaoh could be overthrown. A nation as powerful as Egypt could be defeated. Slaves could become free. The oppressed could break the shackles of their captivity. Anything is possible, if only we dare to dream the impossible dream.Faith in a personal God gives us faith in ourselves, faith in our future and faith in our ability to help change ourselves and the world. There is a Divine master plan. Faith is just God's way of choosing to remain anonymous. Faith is our way of listening.Family is central to Passover as we come together at the Seder to retell the story of slavery to freedom. Passover has also taught us that the way to heal the world is to begin with ourselves and with our own families. Children are our future. They are the ones who most require our attention. The home is where we first form our identities and discover our values. The highlight of Passover, the Seder, revolves around the children. The entire Haggadah is a response to the questions asked by the children. Passover requires the participation of the youth, and actually makes them the featured center of attention.My hope and prayer, at this season of the year, is that each of us, regardless of the path we choose to the “One Truth,” remembers that we were slaves and now we are free, and that we bring this message to our children and our children’s children.

“If not now, when?”Rabbi Hillel (Ethics of the Fathers, 1:14)

With my best wishes for a Happy Passover,Rabbi Stuart A. Paris, HaKohen

Passover conveys four major concepts that enable us to lead successful and productive lives. They can be summarized in four words: memory, optimism, faith, and family.

Maundy ThursdayApril 2 - 7:00 p.m.

Foot Washing and Communion service

Good FridayApril 3 - 7:00 p.m.

Adult Choir Cantata

Easter SundayApril 5 - 10:00 a.m.

Resurrection Worship Celebrationwith Children's Easter Egg Hunt and

Bunny Hop following worship

Join Us!

MEMORIAL/TRIBUTE GIFTS

A great way to remember a loved one, whether living or deceased, is to give a memorial or tribute gift in his or her name. Please tell us who the gift is in memory of or tribute to, and who is giving the gift.

We will send a thank you to the contributor and to the family of the loved one notifying them of your gift. Please make your check out to Brookville Church.

Thank you!

Annual Women’s Dinner

Ecumenical Women’s Ministry

Annual Spring Dinner

Friday, April 24, 6pm

Please join us for a special evening with Wonderful Women, Great Conversation, Delicious Food and Gorgeous Raffles at The Reformed Church of Locust Valley. This year the guest speaker is Barbara Costello, Founder/President of Guardian Angel Family Crisis Center located in Sea Cliff, New York.

Cocktails, Hors d’oeuvres and Shopping: 6:00pm

Dinner: 7:30pm

Price: $25 per Person

For more information, ticketsor to RSVP

please contactLorrie Latzen (516) 484-0678

or Ardis Mercer (516) 759-3463.

Remember to pray for our Partner in

Peace and Education, Rev. Justin Meyers, his wife Stephanie and their sons, Gavin

and Collin as they serve in Oman.

LENTEN MOVIE STUDY

Camp Warwick has an urgent need for Camp Sunrise! This is a summer camping experience designed especially for people of all faiths with disabilities. The current need is to purchase a new wheelchair accessible bus that provides transportation for those with challenged mobility for both on-site and off-site activities. The used bus the camp purchased over a decade ago has driven its last mile!

Without this access for transportation Camp Warwick will no longer be able to accommodate campers with limited mobility. Their goal is to raise $65,000 by May 15, 2015 so they can purchase a new wheelchair accessible bus in time for the 2015 camp season. So far they have reached about 30% of their goal.

Should you need any additional information prior to making a donation, please contact Rev. Jill C. Fenske, Vice President of the Warwick Conference Center Board of Directors who is leading this effort. jcfenske@juno.com (973)667-7022

Checks may be made out to the Warwick Conference Center, Inc. with “Sunrise Bus” in the memo line.Mail to:

Camp SunriseWarwick Conference Center

P.O. Box 349Warwick, New York 10990

A few of the participants of the Thursday evening movie study at Revs. Vicky and James' home. We discussed the spiritual themes and parallels to the life of Job found in the Coen Brother's film, A Serious Man. It is the story of an ordinary man’s search for clarity in a world where his life is coming apart at the seams.

Girl InspiredI praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. - Psalm 139: 14

It’s impossible. Your voice doesn’t count. You’ll never be good enough. You’re too old. You’re too young. Your worth is in your beauty. Don’t get angry. You’re stupid. To take care of yourself is to be selfish. Failure means they were right about you. Stay in your place. Sit down and shut up. You’re being too emotional. You will be humiliated. Just do what they tell you. Your feelings don’t matter.These are just a small selection of statements that women shared with me in mid-March, when I led a retreat day for women leaders in our church. We were exploring our challenging inner voices, the “spiritual saboteurs” that spin in our heads, cause us fear, steal our hope and prevent us from living fully into God’s plans. It’s these statements that constantly tell us untruths, limiting our beliefs in what we can be, do or become.While these statements were painful to hear, they were sadly not surprising. In my work with women, I have had thousands of conversations where we’ve shared universal feelings of inadequacy, shame, doubt and fear. We all have “spiritual saboteurs,” which can begin as subtle ideas, but often gain power by many insidious influences: modern day living (speed, multitasking, disconnection, distraction); difficult life experiences (which can stay with us for a long time), unhelpful societal messages (telling us we are NEVER good enough) and historic and institutional barriers (changing, yet ever present). They ultimately sabotage our life with God.This is why I’m so excited about the work that I’m doing with Monica Pierce at The Community Reformed Church and Rev. Lori Burgess from The Congregational Church. In fall 2014, we launched Girl Inspired, a new ministry on Long Island that equips girls with the social and spiritual tools to identify, confront and transform cultural biases against women and help them live abundantly. We want to inspire all girls to develop a deep faith and strong sense of themselves so they can challenge their spiritual saboteurs and grow fully into the amazing women that they are meant to be.We have just begun to dream about the things we want to do with Girl Inspired. We are offering monthly Friday Night Film Chats, where girls can engage in modern culture and relevant life issues through film, media and entertainment while developing friendships and having fun! We’re holding a retreat day for women and girls on Saturday, May 9 in Manhasset. Our website will be launched this Spring, and we’re planning a scholarship program and summer empowerment camp for underserved girls starting in 2016!As you can see, we’re dreaming big. And our biggest dream is that someday soon, all women and girls, of every age and background, can fully banish their spiritual saboteurs and boldly claim to all: I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.Blessings,

Lesley Mazzotta

We want to inspire all girls to develop a deep faith and

strong sense of themselves!

Over 300 lunches were made at ourcampus-wide service day!

On Saturday, February 28th representatives from all our faith communities gathered in fellowship hall to put together lunches for the INN (Interfaith Nutrition Network) and were delivered to the INN soup kitchen in Hempstead to be distributed to those in need. Our Director of Multifaith Education, Lesley Mazzotta led us in a discussion on food insecurity in the United States and how we can find ways to make a positive impact in our communities.

Thank youto everyone

who participated!

Choir News“We are people on a journey, following where the Master walks.

We are people on a journey, in the shadow of the cross”~ excerpt from hymn 142

Come with us on the journey through Holy week. Each service prepares us for the great resurrection day - Easter!

The Adult Choir will present 'Song of the Shadows' on Good Friday, April 3, at 7:00 pm in the sanctuary. This beautiful cantata takes us through the events leading up to and including the crucifixion of Jesus. It is a strong and beautiful cantata. I hope to see you there.

Kids NewsI am excited to announce that the youth of the Brookville Church and the Interfaith Community have joined together to produce a 'Kids for Kids' Coffee House Concert on Saturday, April 25 at 4:00 pm. This is our first attempt to have the kids do the entire event. What amazing talent they have, that they are so willing to share for this fund raiser. They will be raising money to send

under-served kids to Camp Warwick this summer. PLEASE support their efforts. I'm so proud of our kids for always wanting to help!

CarolCgoglia@aol.com

Purim is a festive Jewish holiday that celebrates the deliverance of the Jews from their enemies in the biblical Book of Esther. At The New Synagogue of Long Island, kids performed the Purim Play at the March 6th Celebration.

Do you know a high school student who needs to prepare for a math final or Math Regents Exam? If you do, suggest they contact Cathy O’Neill. Cathy is a trained secondary education math teacher and is volunteering her time to help raise funds to send underprivileged children to summer camp. The suggested minimum donation is $50.00 per session. For more information or to sign up call the Brookville Church office at (516) 626-0414 or Cathy O’Neill at (516) 676-8570.

REVIEW CLASS

Special Maundy Thursday Footwashing & Communion Service

April 2 at 7:00 p.m.

Please join us as we recount the final hours Jesus had

with his disciples before his crucifixion. You will have the opportunity to participate in

an optional footwashing or symbolic handwashing ceremony, along with Holy

Communion.

A Drop in the Bucket?Forget about a drop in the bucket. We’re starting a wave!On your way to work you walk by a church. To your surprise you see a little smoke coming from one of the beautiful stained-glass windows. Then the smoke gets heavier, denser, flames appear. You look around—where is everyone?— but no one else is there. Would you run in to try to put out the fire? What if this were your church? Will you do it? Will you save your church?

Here’s the short answer: Not only can you save Brookville Church, but you can also preserve it for future generations. Yes, YOU.

Here’s the good news: You will now have the option to use ONLINE GIVING to make contribution(s) to our church—and it will benefit YOU. Yes, YOU.

Here are some of the plan’s many benefits:

• Online giving is easy to set up and manage. It helps you maintain giving even if you cannot be at church on Sunday

• The online giving system makes it easy to give to special collections in addition to regular offerings

• The choice of which funds to support is up to you – general fund, camp fund, mission program, flower fund, etc.

• Contributions can be drawn from multiple accounts - checking or savings accounts and/or credit cards

• Contributions can be started, changed, or stopped at any time

• You choose the frequency of contributions: one-time, weekly, monthly, etc.

• The date of withdrawal is your choice

• Security – the account information is encrypted. The church does not have access to account numbers

• Donation reports are available for record-keeping and tax purposes

• Online Giving is available 24/7 and requires no special hardware or software. All that is needed is an Internet connection and a Web browser, such as Microsoft® Internet Explorer 8.0 (or later), Mozilla Firefox 2.0 (or later), Safari 3.0 (or later), or Google Chrome

Here’s the kicker: It also helps streamline the church’s cash flow, especially during bad weather or vacations.

You can forget about a drop in the bucket. We’re starting a wave!

Make your regular donation(s) with this convenient method of ONLINE GIVING.Someone will be at church on Easter Sunday to help you register if you need the assistance.

How do you sign up?Visit our church website at: www.brookvillechurch.org

Click on the Online Giving link

Complete the online registration form

It’s that simple!

Greetings everyone!Below, you will find our calendar of events for April. I look forward to seeing you and your family there. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Blessings,

Lesley 

Friday, April 17, 6:00pm – 9:00pmGirl Inspired Friday Night Film ChatAll girls, grades 6 – 12, are welcome to join us as we explore the portrayal of women and girls in popular music – the songs, the lyrics and music videos that dominate our culture. All inspired girls should come with a list of their favorite songs, and we’ll listen and learn together over dinner. At Rev. Lori Burgess’ home, 90 Country Club Drive, Port Washington. Girl Inspired's “Friday Night Film Chats” provide a safe space for girls, ages 12 - 17, to engage modern culture and relevant life issues through film, media and entertainment while developing new friendships through inspired discussion and fellowship.

Sunday, April 19, 10:00am – 11:15amInterfaith Children’s ClassesFellowship HallA monthly class on COURAGE that is taught through stories, arts, crafts and group discussion from both the Jewish and Christian faith traditions. Our classes are divided by age, and every grade is covered in three classes from kindergarten through 8th grade.

Sunday, April 19, 10:00am – 10:45amCelebrating our SongsToddlers, aged 18 months – 4 years old, meet in the Brookville nursery at 10:00am for 45 minutes of free play, games and a simple, yet engaging lesson that highlights songs from Christianity and Judaism. This month, we focus on Jonah and his brave adventures in the belly of the whale!!

Thursday, April 23 – Saturday, April 25RCA Women’s Sankofa JourneyJoin a wonderful community of women for a two-day, two-night trip through New York State, tracing the steps of our historical mothers, hearing their stories and honoring their legacies as we consider our own. Along the way, we'll visit historic and sacred sites, build relationships and engage in meaningful conversation about all God calls us to be as women of faith in the twenty-first century. Join the journey now: space is limited, so please register early to secure your spot. www.rca.org/women/sankofa.

May Save the Dates!• Sunday, May 17, 10:00am – 11:30am: Interfaith Children’s Classes (for K – grade 8)• Sunday, May 17, 10:00am – 10:45am: Celebrating our Songs (for toddlers)• Wednesday, May 20, 7pm – 9pm: Brookville Multifaith Gathering: Dialogue Event with

Rev. Eastland and Dr. Sultan Abdulhameed

Education Corner By: Lesley Mazzotta, Dir. of Multifaith Education

Classis Assessment 2015Dear Members of the Brookville Church Family,

For the past several years we have asked each member of the church to consider paying his or her share of the item in our budget called “Classis Assessment.”

What is the Classis Assessment?The assessment is a per capita levy made annually, upon each church in the Reformed Church in America, which is used to carry out the administrative work of the denomination. This includes the administrative work of the General Synod, The Regional Synod of New York, and the Classis of Nassau/Suffolk.The assessment is based on the figure that the church reports as “Active” members. The total assessment for our church this year is $4,720.80. The amount per church member is $112.40. If each of us pays this amount, it will be a big help toward meeting our own local budget. Enclosed with this newsletter is a form on which you may indicate the amount which you would like to enclose for the confirmed members of your family. (For those who are receiving the newsletter via email, please print and cut out the form below to mail in with your payment.)

Please return it to the Church office at your earliest convenience.

Checks should be made out to theBrookville Reformed Church.

Thank you for your consideration of this matter.

Rev. Vicky L. Eastland, on behalf of the consistory.

Classis Assessment 2015Please send to the Church Office at: The Brookville Church2 Brookville Road, Brookville, NY 11545

Enclosed please find $___________ to pay the Classis Assessment for the communicant members of our family listed below, at $112.40 each.

Signature:________________________________

MEMBERS:_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

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Easter Sunday isApril 5th!

Join us for our

Worship Celebration

at 10:00 a.m.

A Note FromJanîce Leotti

I w a n t t o t h a n k everyone for giving me such a warm welcome as I began working, once again, as the administrative assistant for the Brookville Church this March. I’ve been enjoying the position so far, and Lauren Goglia, Rev. Vicky, Carol Goglia, and Nan, John, and Ruth Coffey have been patient while I acclimate to all the changes that have taken place since the last time I worked here many years ago. A special thanks to all of you!

And speaking of changes, please be aware of the new church office hours:

September - June ~Monday through Friday

9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.June - August ~

Tuesday through Friday9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

(Closed Monday)

I look forward to seeing all of you in church on Sundays or if you are in the neighborhood, drop by and say hello!

All the very best!

Janîce

ReflectionsReflections

Our ground has been covered with snow longer and later than in many recent years. Because of this we are reminded that there is or there is not global warming, which is a far-off, long-term phenomenon that adherents and deniers say is happening (or not) right now. Closer to today, nature continues to do things within the historic parameters of spring. While we still see significant snow along the roadside and in the wooded areas there are new patches of ground emerging every day as the inevitable spring weather catches up with the calendar. It always pleases and surprises me to see the first stalks of flowers shoot out of the ground just days after the snow had covered the place. Even on Friday, March 20th when 3-4 inches of snow fell on the little plants, they kept showing up like stalwart soldiers, for nature’s call.

It reminded me that further north, as in the band of states along the Canadian border and in Quebec, the winter’s white blanket is thicker and the weather is still considered cold, but the maple trees have begun their annual renewal of the sap rising out of the roots into the tree trunk and branches. When we see the jars and jugs on the store shelves it is easy to forget the hard work required to bring us the golden maple syrup. Remember the important number--forty gallons of sap for one gallon of syrup? I have never seen a number for the cords of wood required to burn and heat the sap, but someone had to cut and haul it to the sugar shack. If you have never seen a sugar shack or sap being made I recommend it as a weekend holiday, especially if children can be involved. I tapped maple trees myself as a boy; saw the commercial production, and years ago took our church’s Youth Fellowship on a couple of winter weekends in Vermont and upstate New York. All of this experience blends into my memory as an enjoyable time.

Getting back to the small, first flowers of spring and the power of new life determined to grow--it is impressive. Late season snowfalls or cold nights do not kill off the small plants. Forsythia will soon show its yellow flowers as an annual reminder that in a short while the tall trees will show their many shades of green buds. My mother was ill through her last winter and her wish was to live until she could see one more spring. Nancy’s uncle, who moved to Florida in the thirties, always lamented that he could not see a spring in the north.

Now I will switch from the sweet to the sublime.

Do you remember my previous columns about Driveway Moments? I had one a couple of days ago. It occurs when you are driving in the car listening to the radio, preferably NPR, when you hear a radio story that won’t let you go. You arrive in your driveway, or garage or parking lot and must listen to the program through to the end because it has captured your attention. My recent moment was a book review about:

The First Four Notes. Ta - Ta – Ta - Tum

This book was written and reviewed in 2012 and this week NPR did a special new review with some members of the Brooklyn Symphony Orchestra. It is about Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony which was composed over 200 years ago and starts with for iconic notes. Yes, this program caused me to stay in the car and listen to the end, but I went beyond that this time to search online for more information. There is information about Driveway Moments and Beethoven’s Fifth. The Internet has far more than I cared to read, but it satisfied my curiosity for this time.

What was different about this NPR Program is that the Brooklyn Symphony players performed the movement nicely and finished with an unexpected flourish. During rehearsals Beethoven was known to push his orchestra players by increasing the tempo – and then – again, and then - some more. Players were known to walk off the stage in frustration. So the Brooklyn players gave it a go with increased tempo. Fascinating! Their skill was profound and the music awesome. When they finished they exclaimed, “WOW,” and I sensed an out of breath whoosh. It was a Driveway Moment that I felt had to be told about. Thank you for being available.

Branch WorshamEnd Word: Q. What is better than Maple Syrup? A. ( From Kentucky) Bourbon. Barrel. Aged. Maple. Syrup.

ie: maple syrup aged in a single use bourbon barrel

JUST THIS ONCE~~AND JUST FOR FUN~~WE’LL LET YOU FINISH~~WHAT WE’VE BEGUN

Remember the days when you let your child have some chocolate

if he finished his cereal? Now the chocolate is the cereal.