At the heart of the Christian faith is our participation in the life, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.  We proclaim that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).  Jesus Christ was born into human history in the fullness of time for our salvation.

      In time he lived and suffered, and was put to death; but God “raised him from the dead and made him sit at the right hand of God putting all things under his feet.  God made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body.” (Ephesians 1: 20-23)  Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we are delivered from sin and death, and by the Holy Spirit we are born into eternal life with God.  This we confess; this we must renew continually in our lives.

      What is this Paschal Mystery which is the very heart of the Christian gospel and of all our worship and life?  It comes from the word “pascha” (suffer) in the ancient Greek, Latin, and Syriac, and it came into English during the medieval period.  We are more familiar with the term “Passover” which translates the term “pascha” in various English versions of the Bible and some hymn texts.  Passover is a celebration of the ancient Hebrew agricultural spring feast and of the historic rescue and deliverance from bondage in Egypt which occurred at that time of the year.  The paschal lamb, which was sacrificed to God in memory of that night of deliverance from death, becomes a central symbol of redemption.  It appears in the New Testament, especially in John’s Gospel and in the writings of St. Paul:  “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; Therefore let us keep the feast.”

      When we speak of the Paschal Mystery, then, we refer to the whole range of meanings associated with the saving work of Christ and the church’s participation therein.  It may refer specifically to those days in which we celebrate the narrative of passion-death-resurrection; it may be used to speak of the reality and power of Christ in Word and Sacrament.  But it also refers to our continuing experience of living with the Christ.  It is a rich and powerful concept.  In this light we may claim that a genuine recovery of the wholeness of the Paschal Mystery in our worship will bring a  deeper personal  commitment to Christ’s rule in our lives, and a deeper sense of what it is to be the church.

      At the center of our worship and proclamation is the story of God’s whole history with humankind, brought to focus in the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Since the beginning of the church’s worship,

these events have given shape and meaning to the Lenten/Easter season and to the whole year, and even to each day of the Christian’s existence.

      In remembering the mystery of our redemption in Christ through all seasons of the gospel, we proclaim his death until Christ comes in the  fullness of glory.  Without living memory of who Jesus was and what he accomplished, there would be neither church nor any distinctive Christian identity in the world.  It is important to our common faith and life to enact and to show forth the full and dynamic meaning of dying and rising with Christ.  This is precisely what the season of Lent and Easter/Pentecost sets before us each year.

      “We are Easter people and alleluia is our song.”   (St. Augustine of Hippo)      P

Holy Week Events

      The Capital Area Council of Churches will hold a three-hour Good Friday service at Westminster from 12  noon to 3 p.m. on April 13.  Clergy and musicians from several area congregations will participate.

      For Westminster’s service on Palm Sunday, April 8, music will be provided by the Westminster Choir, the Westminstrels Handbell Choir, and a new Cherub Choir.

      A special Maundy Thursday service will be held at 7 p.m. on April 12 in the Assembly Room. Our Easter service will include music by the Westminster Choir, the Catskill Brass, timpani and handbells.

From the Church Records

Deaths: 2/23/01 Angalina E. Schenck

                 2/28/01 John F. MacCulloch

Lectionary for Lord's Day

April 2001

 1    5^th Sunday in Lent

    Isa. 43:16-21; Ps. 126

    Phil. 3:4b-14; John 12:1-8

 8   Palm/Passion Sunday

    Luke 19:28-40; Ps. 118:1-2, 19-29

    Isa. 50:4-9a; Ps. 31:9-16

    Phil. 2:5-11; Luke 22:14-23:56 or

    Luke 23:1-49

 15   Resurrection of the Lord/Easter

    Acts 10:34-43 or Isa. 65:17-25

    Ps. 118:1-2, 14-24; I Cor. 15:19-26

    or Acts 10:34-43; John 20:1-18 or

    Luke 24:1-12

 22   2^nd Sunday of Easter

    Acts 5:27-32; Ps. 118:14-29 or

    Ps. 150; Rev. 1:4-8; John 20:19-31

 29   3^rd Sunday of Easter

    Acts 9:1-6 (7-20); Ps. 30

    Rev. 5:11-14; John 21:1-19

A Thank You Note

      The family of Angalina Schenck would like to express their deep appreciation to the Westminster family for all the prayers, cards, flowers, concern, support and love all through the almost four years that Angie was at Child’s Nursing Home, and most especially during the last three months of her life.  We are grateful to each and every one.

God Bless, Marion Rising

Opera Bus Almost Full,

Make Reservations Now

      Only a few seats remained for the charter bus trip to the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City on April 25, to hear Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera,” when this Messenger went to press. Those who would like to go but have not yet made a reservation should call the church office to see if any seats are still available, or to be put on a waiting list in case of any cancellations.

      The bus will leave Westminster’s parking lot at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 25, and ticket payment is due by April 1, with checks payable to Westminster Church.

      Albert Zeppieri’s second-hour Introduction to the Opera, scheduled for April 1, will include video clips, recorded selections, and live performances of arias by Gene Marie Callahan and Al Fedak. Everyone is invited–especially those who plan to participate in the bus trip–and it is expected to be an informative and entertaining session.

Reminder of Conferences

      The Mission Committee invites individuals or families to attend one of the two Peacemaking Conferences scheduled for this summer.  Subsidies are available.  The conference dates are July 4-7 and 22-25.  Please call Matt Elbow, 439-5054, or Sheila Wrede, 478-0290.

Mission Notes...

      On Palm Sunday, April 8, the annual One Great Hour of Sharing offering will be collected.  This offering helps alleviate suffering around the globe from harsh conditions caused by natural disasters or war.  Look for envelopes in the mail and in the pews.

*****

      The 2001 CROP Walk will take place on Sunday, May 6.  It will begin and end at the First Lutheran Church in Albany and has two routes:   a five- mile route with rest stops and the “golden mile” loop.  This is a great way to show your support for hunger programs, both locally and globally. 

      Last year’s Albany CROP Walk raised $46,126.  Twenty five percent of the proceeds served hungry families in Albany and Rensselaer counties through the local food pantries.  The remaining 75 percent was used by Church World Service to provide hunger and disaster relief in the United States and throughout the world.  Look for recruiter packets at the church or call the office for a sponsor sheet.  Come join the thousands of others who will be walking that day around the world to help end hunger.

      Our congregation sports a Golden Sneaker Award for the 2000 CROP Walk.  This award is given for the amount raised as well as the number of walkers.  We hope to earn the matching sneaker for the 2001 CROP Walk!  Thank you in advance for your support.

      Also, the Mission Committee is pleased to announce that Westminster Presbyterian will be listed on the Equinox Wall of Stars, for our support of its Capital Campaign.       P

      The word is spreading and excitement is building in our church and community for the visit to Albany on April 22 by the New England Spiritual Ensemble (NESE).

      This amazing group of musicians has a single mission: to preserve and perform African-American spirituals. It is the only professional vocal ensemble in the world dedicated solely to the Spiritual repertoire, and it sings these songs in both traditional arrangements and modern settings.

      The ensemble will sing at our morning worship service on the Sunday after Easter, and  then perform a 90-minute concert starting at 3 p.m. that afternoon at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The concert is being sponsored jointly by the Cathedral and Westminster’s Ministry of Music and Arts, and promises to be a high point in the musical and religious life of the city this year.

      The Cathedral is located at the corner of Eagle Street and Madison Avenue, and parking is available in the State Museum lot off Madison.

      Tickets are now available from the church office or from Al or Sue Fedak. Prices are $10 for adults ($12 at the door) and $5 for children ($10 for two or  more  children  per family).  To support this event in a more substantial way, you may become a patron ($100 donation and four free tickets); a benefactor ($50 donation and two free tickets); or a friend ($25 donation). All donors will be listed in the concert program.

      The words and music of African-American spirituals speak to all of us.  They are an important part of our American culture and history.  Though born out of deep pain and suffering, they nevertheless offer a universal message of hope and faith, and the promise of a better time to come. Come hear this message in song on April 22.      Al Fedak

       At its March meeting, the Session unanimously passed a motion saying, in part: “...we are deeply troubled by the recent school shootings...and will support youth, their (families), and concerned community members in seeking programs and changes designed to avert violent youth behavior in schools and other settings...”

      The motion called for the Christian Education Committee to take the lead in adopting initiatives to address this concern. The Worship and  Mission Committees and the Outreach/ Communications Team were also directed to seek ways to help implement specific Westminster action on the issue.

      The Christian Education Committee, co-chaired by Rich Miller and Sue Schell, urges anyone in the congregation with ideas on a Westminster role in relation to school violence to contact the church office or call them directly.

       In another motion, the Session commended all members of the church laity and staff who were involved in the planning and execution of the three recent potluck suppers and programs, a second-hour program with the Rev. Cass Shaw, the Ash Wednesday service, two funerals and a memorial service.

      In other business, a joint meeting of the Session and the Board of Deacons was scheduled, in accordance with the Book of Order, for Thursday, May 17, at 6 p.m.              

    Volunteers Keep Breakfast Program Running

 By Lois Wilson

      Westminster’s breakfast program will end its 16^th season on April 12.  Since early November the “club” has been open  three days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.  In the first 50 days of this season, volunteers served 3,810 hot meals and prepared 2,384 bag lunches, with an average of 80 people attending per morning.

      “God bless you,” was a guest’s farewell greeting to me on March 13, my first day as a server. A few days earlier Mary Jean Tedrow had been my trainer.  Some guests left early on my first morning to get to work on time.

      I interviewed two guests:  Doc told me that the club has “a good atmosphere” and “is better than the other programs in Albany.”  Mary (not her real name) enjoys reading the paper and talking with other guests; she lives with her adult son who is wheel-chair bound and they come by bus for breakfast.  Mary said, “I’ll miss the club when it closes for the season, because it is a nice meeting place.  Deb (FOCUS Minister Debra Jameson) is a great person and often helps me out.”

      Hot oatmeal, toast, cold cereal, juice, and coffee are served every morning.  Omelettes are available on Tuesdays, pancakes on Wednesdays, and fried eggs on Thursdays.  About 30 volunteers are needed each week for the program.

      Breakfast is served, and Deb said,  “For some of our guests, it may be the only time in their lives when they are served.” She is at the breakfast program each day, following in the footsteps of her predecessors – the Rev. Richard Guralnick, the breakfast program  organizer;  the Rev. Kevin Wansor; and former FOCUS director Tom McPheeters.

      Jack Knighton told me that the four founding FOCUS churches have divided up the various FOCUS programs and services in different ways over the years.  Present responsibilities are: Emmanuel Baptist, office space for the FOCUS minister; First Presbyterian, a coffee house (recently relocated to Cohoes); Trinity Methodist, the food pantry; and Westminster, the breakfast program.

      Westminster members have devoted many years of service to the breakfast program – as have volunteers from other churches.  Jack and Lu Knighton came in one day a week for more than a decade and recall how Roland Bennett helped to organize the program. Howard and Shirley Otty, who worked weekly from 1984 through 1990, made corn beef hash on Tuesday, to be served Wednesday morning.  Shirley vividly recalls peeling potatoes to prepare hash for 60 people, and the good fellowship among the volunteers.

      Bob Frye was a decade-long volunteer, rising each Thursday at 4:45 a.m. during the “season” from 1988 to 1998, to get to Westminster by 5:30 a.m. to turn on the stove and cut up the meat to be served that morning. He often worked until 10:30 a.m. to help clean up for the weekend.

      This year’s Westminster volunteers include Allan and Mary Jean Tedrow, Bill and Margie Mayer, Lois Thompson, Marianne Rings, Tom McPheeters, Mike Shrader, Glenda Bennett, Norm Andrews, Frank Houde, Rose Mergendahl, and Louise Burch.         

      During the month of February our breakfast program served 1,521 meals. March highlights included the creation and donation by the Westminster Intergenerational Crafters of Shamrock pins for our breakfast guests, and the making of lunches for 35 children who were in Albany with the Correctional Association of New York to lobby for the repeal of the Rockefeller Drug Laws. (All 35 children have parents incarcerated because of the laws.)  The breakfast program ends soon and will resume next October.  (See separate story on this page.)

*****

      For the FOCUS Interfaith Food Pantry we are always looking for volunteers to conduct interviews, pack grocery bags and restock, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays  from 9:30 a.m. to noon.  Give Jim Cameron a call if you are interested and available (465-5161). The Executive Council appointed an ad-hoc committee that has actively begun the work of evaluating the pantry operation and searching for new administrative staff.

*****

      The Capital Area Council of Churches invites us all to worship at Westminster on Good Friday, April 13.  The service will be somewhat different from that of previous years, both in format and in style.  The service, running from 12 noon to 3 p.m.,  will be divided into three distinct one-hour sections, allowing people to come when they can and leave when they must. Worship will draw from the traditions of the Taizé community in France, using scripture, contemplation, silence, and simple repetitive songs as vehicles for prayer and worship.  More musicians (both singers and instrumentalists) are needed.

*****

      The annual FOCUS Easter Dawn Service will  take place Sunday, April 15, at 6:30 a.m., on the steps of West Capitol Park (on Swan Street, between the Alfred E. Smith building and the Capitol).  The Rev. John Miller, the new Executive Director for the Capital Area Council of Churches, will be  guest speaker.  Around 7:15 a.m. everyone is invited to a community breakfast up the block at Emmanuel Baptist Church.

*****

      The FOCUS Executive Council has gained two new members, Lois Wilson from Westminster Presbyterian, who also serves as Clerk of Session;  and Susan Haney from First Presbyterian, who serves as an elder there.  The Executive Council is actively engaged in re-examining the congregational apportionment structure, understandings and expectations of FOCUS membership, and food pantry transitions.

*****

      This year’s anti-hunger CROP Walk will take place on Sunday, May 6.  Our congregations have been long-time supporters of this event and our goal is to increase by 15 percent the participation by FOCUS churches (this includes walkers, pledgers,  volunteers and cheerleaders).  Save the date, and for more information contact your church CROP organizer or FOCUS Minister Deb Jameson.            P

      Spring is right around the corner, so is Easter – and so is our annual congregational brunch.  This year’s brunch will be held on April 22, the Sunday after Easter, which is the Sunday the New England Spiritual Ensemble will be worshipping with us at Westminster.  It promises to be a great day for our church!

      The annual brunch is a time for togetherness and fellowship, and an opportunity to welcome home members of our church family who have been unable to attend church during harsh winter months.  It is also a time to salute 50+ year members.  This year the Trustees will be selling old hymnals to raise money for the Organ Fund.

      We will also honor all our members on committees who have served our church with such creativity and dedication during the past year.   This year’s brunch program will celebrate and give thanks for the hard work and uncommon spiritual gifts of these folks.  The program will then attempt to reflect “where we are” at the beginning of the New Millennium, as we engage in the process of re-articulating our mission.

      This year’s brunch menu will feature chicken a l’orange with ginger.  Healthy accompaniments will include green beans and wild rice.  To start the meal, there will be a simple salad of mixed greens, and for dessert something lemony and zesty.  Please let us know if you do not eat meat or sugar.  We plan to have one vegetarian main course available, one “sugar-free” dessert, and something yummy for children.

      There is no charge for this event and  all  are invited.   For planning purposes, we will begin taking  reservations on Sunday, April 1. Please sign up after church, or call the church office (436-8544).

      We have much to celebrate, so come, everyone, to the annual congregational brunch.  Come celebrate and give thanks for the gifts of worship, music, community, and the opportunity  to work together with new energy and purpose.

Sarah Williams

Retreat Dates Changed

      Members of the Mission Study task force, the Session, and the church staff will attend a retreat at the Rensselaerville Institute from 4 p.m. on Friday, May 11, through 3:30 p.m., Saturday, May 12.

      Purpose of the retreat will be to “fine tune” statements about our vision, mission and ministry, and determine programs and ministry strategies for the future.  A facilitator familiar with church renewal and processes will lead the retreat.

A Mother’s Story

      A story by Susan Filipp published in the March issue of Guideposts relates the birth of her daughter, Larissa, and “all the things that happened,” such as their pediatrician’s hunch that he might be needed that morning, and medical equipment newly-ordered, to save the newborn from serious medical problems.  The story was entered in a writing contest sponsored by the inspirational magazine.  Larissa, who grew up in Westminster, was recently married.  The magazine is available in the church library.

 
April 2001