The Church HeraldStony Brook Community Church (United Methodist), Stony Brook, New York

STONY BROOKCOMMUNITY CHURCH

216 Christian AvenueStony Brook, NY 11790

Chuck Van Houten, Pastor

Church Office Tel: (631) 751-0574

Church E-mail:stonybrookcommunitychurch@gmail.com

Pastor’s Study Tel: (631) 751-0659

Church Website:www.stonybrookcommunitychurch.org

NYAC VISION STATEMENTThe New York Annual Conference, through the grace of God, embodies a beloved

community of hope, building up a healthy Body of Christ, with heartwarmedUnited Methodists in mission for the transformation of the world.

February 2016 1

Please send updates and information to Newsletter Editor, Bob Retnauer, at

bobretnauer@optimum.net

Newsletter Table of Contents

1......Pastor’s Letter2......Lectionary3......February Calendar4......”Souper” Bowl for Caring5.....Children & Youth/Council on Ministries6.....Disciple 2 Disciple Training Event8.....Valentino Night9.....Reflecting on the Lent season

The Blessing of Lent: A Time of Growth, Prayer and Study

Surprise! Surprise! Lent and Easter are early this year. Consequently, I would like to share some information and history on the season of Lent that begins for us this year on February 10th, Ash Wednesday. As we enter into this season, I would like to challenge us all to set aside time on a daily or weekly basis to do something many of us do not do formally and regularly: spend time in prayer and study. So, let’s look at the development of Easter, Holy Week, and Lent, so that we can better understand why it is to be a season of study, prayer, and personal/spiritual growth.

Many of us may not know that Easter was the first festival to emerge as a special season of the Christian year. It eventually became a season of fifty days that celebrated the good news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In preparation for Easter Sunday in the early church, people fasted all day Saturday and then met for worship at sundown on that Saturday. They continued in prayer and meditation until sunrise on Easter Sunday morning when they cel-ebrated the Lord’s Supper and began a tremendous celebration of the resurrection. In later centuries the fasting period of prayer was extended to include Good Friday and represented the period of forty hours to commemorate the time Jesus’ body lay in the tomb. Later still, the period was extended to include all of Holy Week as we know it, Monday through Sat-urday. This helped Lent become a season of giving up.

During that time, the converts to the faith were taught the Apostle’s Creed and The Lord’s Prayer and were given instruction in discipleship. Later, Lent became a time for all Chris-tians to prepare their hearts and souls for Easter. It remains a forty-day period, not counting Sundays, for Sundays are considered little Easters celebrating the resurrection. The reason Sunday is our Sabbath is because the resurrection is recorded to have taken place on that day of the week. Over the centuries many church members have voluntarily undertaken, for their own self-discipline and development, these forty days of penitence, fasting, study, and reflection on their vows of Baptism and membership. It is a time to reflect on how well we have done as disciples and how much more we can do as followers of Jesus Christ.

The season of Lent emerged out of a practice of preparing new converts for baptism on Easter eve or Eas-ter day. By the middle of the forth century after the council of Nicea, a forty day preparation period had been established.

The Holy Week period begins with our Palm Sunday procession, followed by Maundy Thursday (the celebration of the Last Supper) and our Good Friday remembrance of Jesus’ crucifixion which leads into our strong and joyous celebration of the resurrection on Easter Morning. This year, these events will take place on March 24th for Maundy Thursday, March 25th for Good Friday, and March 27th will be Easter Sunday. There will be one notable change to the Holy Week schedule this year: while the Good Friday afternoon multi-church service will take place as usual, we will also be observing Good Friday evening with a very special and moving Tenebrae Service of our own here at SBCC. Please mark your calendars. In light of all of the above, I would like to suggest that Lent become more a time of spiritual development, introspection, prayer, and study. If you do choose to give something up, let it be something that gets in the way of your spiritual health and wellbeing in order to spend more time on your relationship with God in Christ Jesus. Thus Lent may be an appropriate time to take stock in our lives. For so many of us there are far too few opportunities to slow down, take a deep breath, to allow that breath to be the Spirit of God that restores and renews us – especially at this busy time of year. There is little time to reflect upon the direction of our hectic, consumer-driven lives. The season of Lent, however, invites us to take time to attend to those aspects of our lives that we often neglect.

Consequently, I would like to invite you to strongly consider taking our Lenten study series, “Final Words from the Cross.” This is a very powerful and meaningful study put together by Adam Hamilton and the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City, the largest United Methodist Church in the world. I especially want to invite those who don’t usually take Bible studies and book studies to get engaged in this special time of learning and sharing. In addition, if you are serving on any of our church’s governing boards, teams, or committees, I want to offer you a special invitation as this type of study is very important for those in leadership and service positions in the church. If you have never taken a study before, PLEASE sign-up for this one!! Yes, it is very important that one take on the task of a deeper spiritual discipline during Lent. One of the ways that we can do this is to set aside 10 minutes each day to read such devotionals as the Upper Room which is available on the table at the doors of our church. I look forward to spending extra time together during this very blessed and special season of Lent.

May God bless you in the coming weeks with a deeper sense of faith, commitment, purpose, and personal growth. May it be done in the love and care of our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ.

In God’s love, joy, and faith,Pastor Chuck

February 2016 2

LECTIONARY

February 7: Transfiguration Sunday: Fifth Sunday After the EpiphanyThe Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord is a major feast day in the life of the church. It marks the end of the Ordinary Time after Epiphany. The first “bookend” of this season was the Baptism of the Lord. His transfiguration is the second. The season, overall, represents the whole of the journey of discipleship to Jesus from rebirth to entire sanctification.Exodus 34:29-35 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2Psalm 99 Luke 9:2-36 (37-43a)

February 10: Ash WednesdayWhy do we begin Lent with such a stark reminder of death as Ash Wednesday? Precisely because we are, during this season, preparing ourselves, and some among us, to live out the vows of the baptismal covenant more faithfully. And baptism is about death first...Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10Psalm 51:1-17 Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

February 14: First Sunday in Lent:Deuteronomy 26:1-11Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16 Romans 10:8b-13Luke 4:1-13

February 21: Second Sunday in LentGenesis 15:1-12, 17-18Psalm 27 Philippians 3:17-4:1Luke 13:31-35

February 28: Third Sunday in LentIsaiah 55:1-9Psalm 63:1-8 1 Corinthians 10:1-13Luke 13:1-9

“It is a time to reflect on how well we have done as disciples and how

much more we can do as followers of Jesus Christ.”

February 2016 3

Febr

uary

201

6

Sund

ay

Mon

day

Tue

sday

W

edne

sday

T

hurs

day

Frid

ay

Satu

rday

31

10

:00

Wor

ship

11

:00

Fel

low

ship

M

YF se

rves

lunc

h at

Pa

x Ch

rist

i

1 7:00

(pm

) AA

2 UM

W V

alen

tine’

s w

orks

hop

3 1:30

and

7:1

5:

Thre

e Si

mpl

e R

ules

cl

asse

s

4 6:00

AA

7:

30 C

hoir

R

ehea

rsal

5 10:0

0 A

lAno

n

6

7 10:0

0 W

orsh

ip

11:0

0 F

ello

wsh

ip

11:3

0 C

hoir

R

ehea

rsal

1:

00 P

ie M

akin

g

8 7:00

(pm

) AA

9 7:

00 F

inan

ce

10

Ash

Wed

nesd

ay

obse

rvan

ces

11

6:00

AA

7:

30 C

hoir

R

ehea

rsal

12

10:0

0 A

lAno

n 13

14

10:0

0 W

orsh

ip

11:0

0 F

ello

wsh

ip

15

7:00

(pm

) AA

16

7:

30 (p

m) C

hurc

h

C

ounc

il

17

Fin

al W

ords

from

th

e C

ross

cla

sses

1:

30 a

nd 7

:30

18

6:00

AA

7:

30 C

hoir

R

ehea

rsal

19

10:0

0 A

lAno

n 20

21

10:0

0 W

orsh

ip

11:0

0 F

ello

wsh

ip

11:3

0 C

hoir

R

ehea

rsal

M

YF

Las

er T

ag

22

7:00

(pm

) AA

23

7:

30 (p

m) T

rust

ees

24

Fin

al W

ords

from

th

e C

ross

cla

sses

1:

30 a

nd 7

:30

25

6:00

AA

26

10:0

0 A

lAno

n

27

28

10:0

0 W

orsh

ip

11:0

0 F

ello

wsh

ip

11:3

0 C

hoir

R

ehea

rsal

5:

30 V

alen

tino

Nite

1 7:00

(pm

) AA

2 7:30

Fin

ance

3 Fi

nal W

ords

from

th

e C

ross

cla

sses

1:

30 a

nd 7

:30

4 6:00

AA

7:30

Cho

ir

Rehe

arsa

l

5 10:0

0 Al

Anon

6

February 2016 4

MYF Tackles Hunger!

Tackle an opponent we all want to beat (with no worries about concussions!): bring your donations of non-perishable food (or money! Hands Across Long Island can buy wholesale!) to church on Sunday, February 7th.

Come dressed in your favorite team’s colors, place your donation in the box decorated for the team you’re rooting for, and then lean back and feel terrific, knowing you’re supporting our neighbors in need as well as your team.

Go Denver!!

Yeah Carolina (Actually I’m really not that into football….)

February 2016 5

Several SBCC members will be attending the annual District training event entitled “Disciple 2 Disciple” on Saturday, February 6th, at Westbury UMC. The event (including lunch) is free and open to all laity and clergy in the district. Please speak to Pastor Chuck or notify the office if you’d like to join us.

February 2016 6

YouMaketheDifference

Bein

g el

ecte

d to

a

lead

ersh

ip p

ositi

on in

you

r

chur

ch is

a h

uge

resp

onsi

bilit

y. T

hat i

s

espe

cial

ly tr

ue in

thes

e

diffi

cult

days

, whe

n th

e fa

te

of th

e w

orld

cou

ld v

ery

wel

l

depe

nd u

pon

how

effe

ctiv

ely

the

chur

ch g

oes

abou

t the

task

of m

akin

g

disc

iple

s of

Jes

us C

hris

t.

We

lear

n an

d gr

ow w

ith

chan

ging

tim

es, a

nd b

est

prac

tices

evo

lve.

Mak

e su

re

you

are

equi

pped

to

unde

rtake

you

r min

istry

with

exc

elle

nce.

Com

e, a

nd

lear

n so

met

hing

new

, or

refre

sh y

our k

now

ledg

e of

a

favo

rite

topi

c. T

he w

orld

is

depe

ndin

g on

the

chur

ch,

and

you

are

the

chur

ch!

631-

366-

2396

ww

w.li

edis

trict

.com

Dis

cipl

e 2

Dis

cipl

eD

istri

ct T

rain

ing

Even

t 20

16

Gro

win

g to

geth

er to

be

tter l

ove

& s

erve

the

Lord

& o

ur n

eigh

bor

 

Long

Isla

nd E

ast D

istr

ict

Rev

. Adr

ienn

e Br

ewin

gton

, D

istri

ct S

uper

inte

nden

t

(631

) 366

-239

6

liedi

stric

t@ny

ac-u

mc.

com

Sat

. Jan

. 30t

h

Ham

pton

Bay

s U

MC

Sat

. Feb

. 6th

W

estb

ury

UM

C

February 2016 7

Dis

cipl

e 2

Dis

cipl

e

At th

e D

isci

ple

2 D

isci

ple

Res

ourc

ing

& Tr

aini

ng E

vent

you

will

expe

rienc

e a

Spiri

t-

fille

d tim

e of

wor

ship

, lea

rnin

g

and

fello

wsh

ip w

ith o

ther

laity

and

cler

gy o

f the

Lon

g Is

land

East

Dis

trict

.

Ord

er o

f the

Day

8:30

am

Gat

herin

g &

R

efre

shm

ents

9:00

am

Wor

ship

with

C

omm

unio

n

10:0

0am

M

orni

ng W

orks

hop

11:4

5am

Br

eak

12:3

0pm

A

ftern

oon

Wor

ksho

ps

Long

Isla

nd E

ast D

istri

ct

357

Mac

Arth

ur B

oule

vard

Hau

ppau

ge, N

ew Y

ork,

117

88

(631

) 366

-239

6

liedi

stric

t@ny

ac-u

mc.

com

Wor

ksho

ps

Ther

e w

ill be

one

mor

ning

com

mun

al

wor

ksho

p im

med

iate

ly fo

llow

ing

wor

ship

. O

ur fo

cus

this

yea

r is

on

Dis

aste

r Res

pons

e. T

he m

orni

ng

wor

ksho

p is

bei

ng p

rese

nted

by

UM

CO

R a

nd is

par

t of t

heir

“Con

nect

ing

Nei

ghbo

rs” T

rain

ing

Prog

ram

. Th

e m

orni

ng w

orks

hop

is

focu

sed

on “P

erso

nal P

repa

redn

ess”

.

The

afte

rnoo

n w

orks

hops

are

:

R

ole

of L

ay S

erva

nt a

nd L

ay

Lead

ers

with

Mic

helle

San

chez

an

d Lo

rrain

e Le

eks

M

issi

ons

with

Jos

eph

Ewoo

dzie

W

orsh

ip D

evel

opm

ent (

On

Com

mun

ion)

with

Hal

Low

C

hurc

h Fi

nanc

es w

ith R

oss

Willi

ams

Tr

uste

es w

ith F

red

Brew

ingt

on

Ev

ange

lism

- (Be

ing

a C

onta

giou

s C

hris

tian)

with

Bill

Flip

se J

r.

C

hurc

h an

d Te

chno

logy

—(R

espo

nse

in a

Dis

aste

r) w

ith

RPM

Box

Dig

ital M

inis

tries

February 2016 8

Save the date for Valentino Nite, one of the most fun evenings of

the year!

This year Valentino Nite will be held on

February 28th at 5:30. This fund raiser for MYF will, as always, feature a terrific spaghetti dinner with tickets priced at just $10 for adults, $8 for kids, and a maximum of $35 per family.

P.S. – Want to help without having to do any actual work? See the sign-up sheet in the Community Room to donate food items.

February 2016 9

Reflecting on the Lent Season People often don’t look forward to Lent. Childhood memories of giving up candy or sitting through weekly Stations of the Cross come immediately to mind. Words like “sacrifice,” “discipline,” and “selfdenial” are often used in ways that suggest that Lent is something to be endured rather than a time of grace and spiritual growth.

Have you ever thought of Lent as a yearly second chance? Each year the Church gives us six weeks to take a long, loving look at our lives to see if our values and priorities are in line with God’s desires for us. Since most of us find that we’ve wandered from God’s path, Lent becomes that second chance, or do-over, to “return to God with our whole heart.”

On the bulletin board in the Community Room we’re highlighting Lenten practices and memories of people who have shared their stories with us. Their experiences range from pious and traditional to creative and out-of-the-ordinary, but all of them represent attempts to make the season of Lent a meaningful time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Invite family members to share their thoughts, hopes, and desires for Lent. Decide to support one another in whatever you choose to do. As you journey through this annual second chance, remember that each step brings you closer to the welcoming arms of our loving God.

How to Find Time in the Day for Lent The fast pace of your life may seem to leave little time and energy for the traditional Lenten practices. But you can weave moments of spiritual awareness and service into even the busiest of schedules. The trick is to see Lenten practice as part of, rather than in addition to, each activity of your ordinary hectic day.

The three foundational practices of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Here’s how to think about them in a new way:

Praying Daily

If you make a habit of saying a little prayer whenever someone irritates you, cuts you off in traffic, or makes life difficult; when someone does you a favor, you experience great and friendly service, or when something joyful happens to you—you will soon find yourself praying your way through the day. Try this simple practice and you will be observing the Church’s call for greater prayer during the Lenten season. You will also find that this habit makes your life flow smoother, your self more centered, and your Spirit more aware of God’s presence.

A Different Type of Fasting

There are many ways to fast. Why not fast from criticism, gossip, judging others, or passing on rumors? Why not abstain from unwarranted fear and anxiety? You can also tell that inner voice inside your head that criticizes you to abstain from eroding your ability to be the confident, blessed

February 2016 10

person God calls you to be. These are beautiful ways to observe the Lenten call to fasting and abstinence. In the book, Praying Lent, the authors offer suggestions on different ways to fast during Lent.

Give of Yourself

Daily life also offers countless opportunities to give of yourself to others (alms), and most don’t involve dipping into your wallet. Give encouragement to the doubting, give a word of praise to the insecure, show kindness to someone who could use a friend, and offer a word of thanks to those whose service of others often goes unappreciated. Give the gift of your attention to someone who simply wants to be noticed. Tell your children stories about people whose values you admire when you gather at mealtime. Don’t be stingy with your smiles—give them freely to everyone you meet. And most important, give your love to those close to you. Hug them, hold them, and tell them what they mean to you. In this way you open your heart to God and others.

So no matter how busy you are in life, with some greater awareness and new perspectives you can consciously pray, fast, and give of yourself this Lent—and you will be ready to celebrate when a joyful dawn breaks upon you Easter morning.

 

Reflecting on the Lent Season People often don’t look forward to Lent. Childhood memories of giving up candy or sitting through weekly Stations of the Cross come immediately to mind. Words like “sacrifice,” “discipline,” and “selfdenial” are often used in ways that suggest that Lent is something to be endured rather than a time of grace and spiritual growth.

Have you ever thought of Lent as a yearly second chance? Each year the Church gives us six weeks to take a long, loving look at our lives to see if our values and priorities are in line with God’s desires for us. Since most of us find that we’ve wandered from God’s path, Lent becomes that second chance, or do-over, to “return to God with our whole heart.”

On the bulletin board in the Community Room we’re highlighting Lenten practices and memories of people who have shared their stories with us. Their experiences range from pious and traditional to creative and out-of-the-ordinary, but all of them represent attempts to make the season of Lent a meaningful time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for themselves, their loved ones, and their communities. Invite family members to share their thoughts, hopes, and desires for Lent. Decide to support one another in whatever you choose to do. As you journey through this annual second chance, remember that each step brings you closer to the welcoming arms of our loving God.

How to Find Time in the Day for Lent The fast pace of your life may seem to leave little time and energy for the traditional Lenten practices. But you can weave moments of spiritual awareness and service into even the busiest of schedules. The trick is to see Lenten practice as part of, rather than in addition to, each activity of your ordinary hectic day.

The three foundational practices of Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Here’s how to think about them in a new way:

Praying Daily

If you make a habit of saying a little prayer whenever someone irritates you, cuts you off in traffic, or makes life difficult; when someone does you a favor, you experience great and friendly service, or when something joyful happens to you—you will soon find yourself praying your way through the day. Try this simple practice and you will be observing the Church’s call for greater prayer during the Lenten season. You will also find that this habit makes your life flow smoother, your self more centered, and your Spirit more aware of God’s presence.

A Different Type of Fasting

There are many ways to fast. Why not fast from criticism, gossip, judging others, or passing on rumors? Why not abstain from unwarranted fear and anxiety? You can also tell that inner voice inside your head that criticizes you to abstain from eroding your ability to be the confident, blessed