THE

MESSENGER

 

 Westminster Presbyterian Church, 262 State Street, Albany, New York            November 2001

 

 


ARISE to go Public With Nov. 13 Meeting

 By Tom McPheeters

 

      As ARISE moves toward its first major public meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 13, members of three task forces are working furiously to hone their broad concerns about youth, education and employment into “winnable” issues. In the process, more than 100 task force members are getting a taste of grass-roots democracy in action.

 

      The Nov. 13 meeting, at Temple Israel on New Scotland Ave. from 7 to 8:30 p.m., will be the culmination of three years of intensive effort by members of more than 30 churches and community organizations. ARISE stands for “A Regional Initiative Supporting Empowerment,” and is active in Albany, Schenectady, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties.

 

      This is the first event designed to present to the public what ARISE is about and how this type of community organizing works, so a great deal of planning and organization is required. More than 1,000 people are expected to attend, and all religious leaders and major public officials in the region have been invited.

 

      Expect some excitement. The task forces have conducted dozens of  “one-on-one” interviews,  starting  this summer with service providers and people knowledgeable about our issues (including many young people). In the last month, the task forces have begun to dig deeper, researching and making decisions about important programs and initiatives that deserve our support, and exploring complex issues of funding and accountability.

 

      This work is coupled with in-depth discussions with public officials. The final issue “cuts” will require public officials to respond to questions and requests and this will be done at the public meeting, in full view of our members, guests and the media.

 

      Westminster's active ARISE contingent includes Doris Creegan, Karen Durgee, Tim Gordon, Jack Knighton, Tom McPheeters, Marianne Rings, Dodie Seagle, Valerie Shanley and Carolyn Smith. Last spring this group did more than 70 “one-on-one” interviews with church members and others who are part of the Westminster community.

 

      Based on what we heard, Westminster sent 15 members to the ARISE Issues Convention in June, and voted with others on the top three issues to pursue this year. Several of our members have been active on task

forces this fall. At a ‘second hour’ following the Nov. 4 church service, our task force members will report on their work to date.

 

      Westminster is committed to bringing at least 30 people to the public meeting on Nov. 13. A good showing will give our church a strong voice as ARISE continues to grow in years to come. Westminster's ARISE group will be reaching out to people with whom they have done one-on-ones.

 

      Contact any of the people above if you have questions or interest in joining a task force.  We need you, so please join us on Nov. 13!

P

 

 5-Year Organ Fund Campaign Begins

 

 

 

By Gail Reynolds

 

      The Skinner Organ Restoration Fund Committee has been diligently at work developing and planning the details essential to conducting a successful major fund-raising campaign.

 

      When it was decided to restore the historic E. M. Skinner organ, lovingly preserved and maintained virtually intact by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Older for the past 25 years, Westminster's Session  determined  that  half  of the

 

 

 

      A number of small and large social activities, programs, and special events are being planned so everyone will have an opportunity to become a part of this significant project.

 

 

 

$500,000 cost of restoration and reinstallation of the Skinner, and the purchase and installation of an Antiphonal organ, would be raised through fund-raising efforts.

 

      A steering committee was formed composed of co-chairmen Rich Miller and Gail Reynolds, Susan Filipp, Claudia Hartmark, David Klingaman, Henry and MaryElizabeth Williams, and Al Zeppieri.  Julie Mader later joined the group as its secretary, and Nancy Burton, Al Fedak, Anne Older, Eve Ryan, and  Lois  Wilson  are  very involved ad hoc members lending their talents and expertise.

 

      Over the past several months, the steering committee has developed a mission statement, to clearly identify the purpose and focus of the campaign, and to act as a key element in explaining our mission when seeking funding from individuals, corporations, and foundations, both within and outside of Westminster.

 

      A number of small and large social activities, programs, and special events are being planned so everyone will have an opportunity to become a part of this significant project.  The committee has also developed supporting written materials and giving options which will be shared with everyone as the campaign progresses.  Since this fund-raising campaign spans five years, a great deal of effort is going into carefully coordinating each phase and element to maximize a successful outcome.

 

      A fund-raising campaign of this magnitude requires a carefully planned schedule.  We are currently in the “silent phase,” or beginning, of our campaign.  During the silent phase, a fund-raising   goal   is   established, presentations are tested for their effectiveness, major gifts are sought and acquired, and the results are announced at a kick-off celebration which begins the much longer “public phase” of the campaign.

 

      The official kick-off is scheduled for late December 2001 or January 2002.  The public phase will last through the spring of 2003 with a series of events and concerts for both the Westminster family and the community at large.  Fund-raising will continue until the end of 2006 with a wrap-up celebration in the beginning of 2007.  A number of gifts from individuals have been received, and a significant grant request has been submitted.  We are very close to our silent phase goal.

 

      A wide range of giving opportunities has been developed to provide a variety of levels of involvement.  Soon you will be hearing more about our Naming Campaign, Gift Societies, deferred gift plans, employer matching gift options, and gifts of securities.  In many instances, your gift to the Organ Restoration Fund may provide favorable tax advantages.

 

      The Restoration Fund Committee encourages everyone to share ideas.  If you have suggestions or concerns, or would like to lend a hand, please call a member of the steering committee.  If you have a particular idea for a social event, please contact MaryElizabeth Williams, who is coordinating our event planning.

 

      The Olders’ preservation of the Skinner Opus 780 has given us the remarkable opportunity to reinstall the original Skinner pipe organ which faithfully served the congregation and community from 1929 to 1976.  Soon, this enduring musical voice of Westminster Church  will once again make beautiful music in the space for which it was designed. P

 

From the Church Records

 

Marriage: 10/7/01 Jonathan W. Ward and Amy E. Tracy.

 

 


Lectionary for Lord's Day

 

November 2001

 

 4    31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Hab. 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Ps. 119:137-144

    2 Thess. 1:1-4, 11-12; Luke 19:1-10

 

 11   32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Hag. 1:15b-2:9; Ps. 145:1-5, 17-21

    or Ps. 98; 2 Thess. 2:1-5, 13-17

 

 18   33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Isa. 65:17-25; Isa. 12

    2 Thess. 3:6-13; Luke 21:5-19

 

 25   Christ the King

    Jer. 23:1-6; Luke 1:68-79

    Col. 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43

Fedak to Lead Hymn Sing on Saturday, Nov. 17

 

 

 

 

      On Saturday, November 17, starting at 6 p.m., a potluck supper will be served in the Assembly Hall,  and following the meal, Al Fedak will lead a program of hymn singing. 

 

      Featured will be hymns from his newest published collection of hymntunes, Sing to the Lord No Threadbare Song, released earlier this year by Selah Publishing Company of Kingston, NY.

 

      Although we at Westminster don’t sing many of Al’s hymns because they do not appear in the Presbyterian Hymnal, his hymntunes are found in many collections and denominational hymnals, both here and abroad, including: The Book of Praise (Presbyterian Church of Canada), Common Praise (Anglican Church of Canada), Hymnal 1982 (Episcopal), A New Hymnal for Colleges and Schools (Yale University Press), Praise: Psalms, Hymns and Songs for Christian Worship (Evangelical Press, UK), Sing! A New Creation (Christian Reformed Church), Rejoice in the Lord (Reformed Church in America), Ritual Song (GIA Publications), and Voices United (United Church of Canada).

 

      Sing to the Lord No Threadbare Song is a collection of 50 hymntunes composed since the 1990 release of Al’s  previous collection, The Alfred V. Fedak Hymnary.  It contains musical settings of texts by Carl Daw, Ruth Duck, Timothy Dudley-Smith, Richard Leach, Rae Whitney, and many other important contemporary hymn-text writers.

 

      A representative of the book publisher will be present at this event, and copies of the book will be available for purchase.  So bring some friends, a dish to share, and your best singing voice!             P

 

 

The Messenger is a monthly publication of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, 262 State Street (mail to: 85 Chestnut Street),  Albany, NY 12210.

Phone: 436-8544; Fax: 436-8599; E-mail Website: .

 

Interim Pastor         Sandra Lee Hanna

Parish Associate     James R. Thompson

Minister of Music and Arts     Alfred V. Fedak

Associate Minister of Music and Arts     Susan Hermance Fedak

Editor      Ann O. Treadway

Administrative Secretary         Nancy J. Sokil

News deadline: 15th of preceding month.  Contributions welcome.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photography Presentation Set for Nov. 11

 

 

 

      Beginning at 7 p.m. on Sunday, November 11, which is Veterans’ Day,  Westminster member Connie Houde will present a multi-media program of her photography in the Church’s Assembly Hall, sponsored by our Church’s Ministry of Music and Arts.


 

      Connie is an accomplished photographer whose work has been exhibited at the Albany Institute, the Adirondack Museum, the Schenectady Photographic Society, and many other venues, near and far.  She and her husband Frank have traveled widely during the last ten years, and her slide presentation for this program will feature  photographic images  and reminiscences of Vietnam, Bosnia, Mexico, Cambodia, Peru, Bolivia, Jordan, Egypt, and the United States, as well as prose, poetry, and music.

 

      The main theme of Connie’s presentation is the interconnectedness of the global village, and the need for mutual care, understanding, and reconciliation among nations, peoples, and individuals – a need more urgent now than it has ever been.  At the same time, the show celebrates the joys and sacredness of life as it depicts the everyday activities of people from around the globe.

 

      Everyone is invited to this special program.  Admission is free, and desserts and beverages will be served.

 

 

Telling Stories

      The first meeting of a group organized by Jack Knighton to plan a “tell-around” program was scheduled for Oct. 20 (after this Messenger went to press).  The group expects to present an initial program, reciting three chapters from the Gospel of Mark, sometime within the next few weeks.  Watch for notices in the church bulletin for more details.

 

 

        Celebrating Our Gifts: Where do you fit in?

 

 

      (Ed. note: This is the last in a series of three articles about the 2002 budget/canvas campaign.  The cul-mination of the campaign will be Pledge Sunday on November 11.)

 

By Susan Filipp

 

      Throughout the fall we have looked at celebrating God’s gifts to us.  God has given each of us many gifts, based not on our merit, but on God’s gracious love for us.  As both individuals and members of the Westminster congregation, we acknowledge these gifts. The programs and projects of our church are direct outcomes of our duty to return thanks to God in the form of praise and service.

 

 

 

      Americans also have a long tradition of sharing, born, perhaps, out of necessity: you needed your neighbors to help build your barn and you returned the favor.

 

 

 

      You may have been struck by the “heavy duty” nature of the lectionary over the past few weeks.  It might have seemed to you that many of the values and procedures of middle class American life have come under fire.  A worker is praised for cutting deals with people who owe his employer money, implying that the owner had overcharged them to begin with. We are chided for not sharing our possessions and admonished to be more generous.

 

      Having just written your weekly offering check, you may have thought, “Well, I am giving a sizeable amount.  And I have built up my business/savings with careful fiscal procedures.  I am fair and I don’t cheat.  What more do they want?!”

 

      While the New Testament always provides opportunities to re-examine how we live, there may be another explanation to these problematic texts.  As a former history teacher, I can tell you that in the First Century there was practically no middle class.  There was only a small ruling upper class and a very large working lower class and a tiny group in between.  For example, the great dislike and distrust of tax collectors arose from the fact that there were basically no rules about tax

collection.  The income of tax collectors was solely how much more money they could get in addition to the required tax.  Business existed without many regulations, either.  Favoritism and personal interest of the powerful set the “rules” of business.

 

      I really wonder if these texts, along with some of the writings of St. Paul (his attitude on the proper place of women, on the desirability of chastity over marriage, on homosexuality) need to be reviewed in the light of the life and times of the First Century.

 


      But to address a more basic question: Are we Americans,  Presbyterians, Westminster members generous?  Do we share?  Statistics provide answers.  Without a doubt the United States of America has the largest foreign aid program of any country in the world.  Americans also have a long tradition of sharing, born, perhaps, out of necessity: you needed your neighbors to help build your barn and you returned the favor.

 

      Today we share crops and medicines with those in need around the world. Out of having enough income and free time, especially in the 20th Century, Americans have become the leading volunteers in the world.  Even today many Europeans can’t imagine why someone would give up time to go work in a hospital or art gallery — for free!

 

      The events following the disaster of September 11 demonstrate even more clearly the depth and breadth of American generosity.  Within weeks, hundreds of millions of dollars were given.  So many laborers descended on the wreckage site that some had to be sent home.  Fund-raising concerts were held.  Large corporations donated truckloads of food.  Women from Pennsylvania sent home-baked apple pies to the EMT workers. Colleges and universities assured the victims’ children a way to finance their education.

 

      And Westminster did its part.  Within one week a total of $2,291.37 was received from free-will offerings.  So without question we are a generous and sharing people!

 

      It is from that position of generosity we ask you to consider your financial support of Westminster’s annual budget.  But how do you decide what amount is appropriate for you?   Again, statistics can prove useful:

 

      Study the 2002 Budget figures

      By now you have heard about the 2002 budget at the annual congregational meeting and possess a complete copy.  Take some time to review the figures in the light of the proposals of each board or committee.

      Consider Westminster’s 2001

Canvass Statistics

 

Total pledged                                             $143,619.50

Total # of pledges                                     141

Average pledge                                  $1,018.58           

Mean (½ above,1/2 below)                      $770.00

Smallest annual pledge                     $20.00

Largest annual pledge                               $5,100.00

 

      Ask yourself where your 2001 pledge fits in with these numbers.

 

      Review your Personal

Financial Situation

      Ask yourself: how much money do you anticipate you will have for charitable giving in 2002? What in the Westminster program is important to you? Considering the budgetary requests, how does your interest in Westminster’s well-being translate into an annual financial commitment?

 

      The Beatles may have crooned “Money Can’t Buy You Love” — but it can buy many other things that are part of Westminster’s mission; to name  a  few,  water  pumps  in  dry

Africa, teachers in backwoods Appalachia, grief counselors in New York.  It can support an historic building that, in turn, shelters many neighborhood groups in addition to our congregation.  And finally, it can make possible the worship — the words and the music — by which we praise our gracious God.

 

    Please consider your 2002 pledge carefully.  Be as generous as you can.  To quote a well-known member of Westminster, “Give til it feels good!”       P

 

 

 

An Historical Note

Baptismal Font a Palmer Design

 

 

       Westminster is most fortunate to have our beautiful marble baptismal font which was rescued unharmed in the 1928 fire.  The font was presented in 1862 by Thomas Olcott to the State Street Presbyterian Church.  It was executed from designs furnished by Erastus Dow Palmer, the noted 19th century sculptor.

 


      The newly re-opened Institute of History and Art has a sculpture court featuring Mr. Palmer’s works.  Those who went on the recent tour of the Albany Rural Cemetery saw some of his works, including the “Angel of the Sepulcher.”

Ada Linklater

 

WOW!  A January Date

 

      The Westminster Outreach Workers (WOW) are scheduled to be at the South Mall Towers from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002, to clean apartments or whatever.  Won’t you join us? The more workers we have, the more apartments we can visit.  Cleaning isn’t our only reason for being there.  We bring smiles to lonely faces, and joy to many.

 

      We have found that the residents love to see children, too, so don’t let your kids keep you from this “hands on” mission program.  We will be leaving Westminster Presbyterian Church magnets on the refrigerators of each apartment we visit.

 

      Mark your new calendar as soon as you get it, and join us for a very rewarding service project.  Questions can be directed to me at 371-8765 or               Mary Jean Tedrow

 

Session Seeks Board Changes

 

 

       Following up on recommendations heard at its previous meeting, the Session in October passed resolutions on church reorganization to submit to the congregation for approval at the annual congregational meeting on Sunday, Oct. 21.

 

      (The annual meeting took place after this Messenger went to press, so the resolutions will be reported here as they were prepared for the meeting.)

 

      The first two resolutions would amend the by-laws of the Westminster congregation.  The first reduces the size of the Session from 15 to 12 elders, with four elected each year, effective January 1, 2002.  Sitting elders in the classes of 2002 and 2003 would be entitled to complete the terms for which they were elected.

 

      The second resolution would eliminate the Board of Stewards, effective January 1, 2002. In connection with this move, there will be a new Session committee to be called Stewards of the Spirit. It is to be chaired by a member of Session and include up to 12 people who will volunteer rather than be appointed.

 

      Their mission will be, in part:  “To provide opportunities for evangelism to be learned and practiced in and by the church, that members may be better equipped to articulate their faith, and to witness in word and deed to the saving grace of Jesus Christ.”

 

      The third resolution, which takes the form of an amendment to the Westminster corporation by-laws, reduces the size of the Board of Trustees from 15 to 12 trustees, with four elected each year, effective January 1, 2002.  As with the elders, trustees in the classes of 2002 and 2003 would be entitled to complete their terms.

 

      The purpose of these changes, as explained by the steering committee which proposed them, is twofold: (1) to update the church administration to better meet today’s congregational needs, and (2) to foster a more spiritually-based church membership.

 

      Those attending the annual meeting were also expected to elect new members of the Session and Board of Trustees, and to review a proposed church budget for 2002.  The budget was mailed to all members, along with an invitation to the meeting, earlier in the month.       P

 

 

 

Mission Notes...

 

      Thanks to all who gave to the Peacemaking Offering in October.  A contribution of $1,500 has been made to the Peace Institute in the Middle East.  Peace comes from within, and the Mission and Peacemaking Committee encourages all of us to find peacemaking opportunities in our everyday lives.

*****

 

      This fall, the Mission Committee is holding a clothing drive to benefit Great Finds Thrift Store.  Great Finds is a second-hand retail store operated  by Clear View Center, a local organization that provides services to those living with mental illness.   The thrift shop is in need of both business and casual attire for women who are rejoining the workforce.  Clothes are sold at low cost, or are free, depending on the ability to pay.   During the month of November, we are asked to bring clean, “gently worn” clothes that women could wear to a job interview or a first day of work, to the Assembly Room at church.  This is a great way to support the Clear View Center – and clean out your closets!

S. Wrede