The  CRIER 
 July-August 2010

Articles:

Thinking Out Loud…                               Back to top

 Summertime…

The Bibles have been handed out to Third Graders. College students have been welcomed back. Graduating Seniors have been recognized. Our Confirmation class has been confirmed. The Choir has added their special music to our worship. We have elected Elders and Deacons to provide the leadership for BPC. We have celebrated the ministry and mission of this past year. Whew! Now it is time to catch our breath! But not to close our doors! 

Our worship this summer will be at our regular 10:00 am hour. It is a bit more informal than the rest of the year as our summer attendance goes down and choirs and other programs take a break until fall.  But don’t forget that carving out that time to worship recenters and reconnects us, and continues to remind us of who we are and who we are called to be…even in the summer! 

In July we will have two guest preachers…both of whom are members of BPC. On July 4^th, while Paul Alcorn is returning from our summer work trip with high school students and Rachel Thompson is at a family wedding, David Bushko will be our guest preacher. Then on July 18 while Rachel is on vacation and Paul is in Salem, VA officiating at the wedding of Janet Denton, who used to be on the staff here at BPC before she went to seminary, David Burpee will be our guest preacher. The other Sundays during the summer Paul and Rachel will lead our worship services. Each Sunday this summer there will also be a special program for children.

So, while it is summertime…and the livin’ is easy, be sure to ease your way in this direction!

-           Paul

A Word from Rachel                               Back to top

Did you want to hear news of our Presbyterian denomination? I thought so! Read on. . .

Early in July, the General Assembly (GA) of the Presbyterian Church will convene its 219^th session. For those who don’t know, GA is the biannual convention of the national church, with minister and elder delegates from every presbytery (regional groups of Presbyterian churches) in the country. The meeting runs for 8 days and is attended by about 6,000 people.

The business that gets the most attention are the overtures that are submitted to the assembly. Overtures are motions that are voted on by all delegates. One of the big issues this year, as it has been at every GA for the last 20 years, is about ordination standards. The Presbyterian Church currently has in its constitution a clause which bars gay and lesbian Presbyterians from holding ordained leadership positions in the church. That means that, technically, GLBT persons are not allowed to be ordained as Deacons, Elders or ministers. I say “technically” because there are many churches and presbyteries, such as ours, that defy that portion of the constitution and ordain Elders, Deacons and ministers without consideration of their sexual orientation. At every GA there is an effort to delete this discriminatory clause from the constitution, and it has always been a very close vote. A full 25% of the overtures to the convention are related to ordination standards. 

Another hot topic is the definition of marriage. 15% of the overtures submitted to GA are about marriage. Some want the GA to affirm the current definition of marriage as being between a man and a woman, and some want to change the definition so that the gender of the couple is not specified. Again, our church has stood in defiance of discrimination against couples due to sexual orientation.

Another controversial issue is over a report of the Middle East Study Committee regarding the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. This 172-page report, written by a committee of people appointed by GA at its last meeting, has already stirred up some controversy locally. In April, Paul and I attended a meeting of local rabbis and Presbyterian ministers and discovered that the consensus among the rabbis was that the report was biased and reprehensible. This meeting led Paul and I to meet with the rabbis with whom BPC has its closest connection, David Greenberg and Jason Nevarez of Temple Shaaray Tefila. It was a very good meeting, with honest dialogue on both sides. We came away feeling that we understood each other better. My personal opinion is that the committee report is biased toward the Palestinians and I think I understand why it’s offensive to the rabbis. On the other hand, what to do about the dreadful plight of the Palestinians? Also, Paul asked a most crucial question for us, which is how can we be critical of the state of Israel without being perceived as anti-Semitic? I certainly have no answers. My only hope is that in its benighted way, the report will foster conversations like the one Paul and I were privileged to have with David and Jason.

And that’s a little of what the Presbyterians will be up to in Minneapolis in early July. Stay tuned for the outcome on the controversial issues. Please add your prayers to ours for wisdom, courage and love to prevail among the delegates to GA. 

And in the meantime, I hope you find some delight in these summer days, joy in spending time with family and friends, and a renewal of your God’s-kingdom-building energy.
 

Children and Youth

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My son’s third grade curriculum this past year included a study on poetry. As I was browsing through his poetry folder I came across this poem that I would like to share with you.

 The Library 

My life is like a bookshelf
Everyday I’m booked
I play 3 instruments
The Piano
The Violin
The Flute
I go to Chinese
And orchestra
And tennis twice a week
I go shopping with my friends
I travel
I read
I write
When am I ever going to have time to be me

                        -Jamie Su
                         Grade 6

 I would like to plant this seed……

Now that summer is upon us and the busy school year is over, will your children have time to just be themselves? Will they have plenty of time and space to explore the world on their own terms? Or will they continue their busy, hectic schedules? Summer is a gift. A wonderful opportunity for all of us to slow down. To just be. Will you give this gift to your children?

Happy Summer
Kathy

Holmes Presbyterian Camp                                        Back to top

Overnight Camping Trip in September!

The last two years we have started off the program year with an overnight camping trip to the Presbyterian Center in Holmes, NY.  The overnight continues to be successful so we are planning to do it again this September.  The dates are Saturday, September 18 through Sunday, September 19.  The cost is $40 per person and the trip is open to youth 4th grade through 8th grade.  Please rsvp to Kathy DiBiasi at 234-3672 or kathy@bedfordpreschurch.org.

John’s Notes                                                                     Back to top

We’d like to say "Thank You" to Sue and Ed Kelly for hosting the choir at their house for a delightful Sunday afternoon lunch recently. The choir enjoyed their 'end of year' get together as tent, beverages, tables and cooperative weather were all provided for so graciously by the Kelly's.

                                    BPC CHOIR

Choir rehearsals begin Thursday, September 9 at 7:45 pm. Mark your calendars!

Worship in July-August 

   Please join us every Sunday this summer at 10:00 AM for our worship service. 

We look forward to seeing you!

GRATITUDE                                Back to top

Thank you to Nancy Siano for hosting a dinner party for the Single Moms group. It was a lovely evening, made poignant by the fact that we’re soon saying good-bye to Nancy, who is moving with her three daughters to Portland, Oregon.  

Many thanks to the six women who stepped up at the last minute and offered to help with the reception for the Molyneux family after the memorial service for John on June 5^th. The Molyneux family provided the refreshments, and Ann Breidenbach, Carla Hawryluk, Cheryl Raman, Shirani Ponnambalam, Suzy Beatty and Nancy Christie were indispensable in helping with set-up, serving and clean-up.  

Kudos to Linda Burpee and Anne Sweazey for giving a very useful workshop on estate planning and the best way to include the church in your will. The turnout was excellent and the information and ideas were very productive.  

A cheer of gratitude to the college and post-college students who spoke at our College Reunion/High school graduation worship service on June 6. It was inspiring to hear from Katie Breidenbach, Ben Perry and Cat Herman.   

And last, but definitely not least, our choir! Sunday, June 13 was gloriously musical, thanks to the talent and hard work of our choir and their beloved leader, John Lettieri. Many thanks, choir. It was great!