Thursday, December 31, 2020

This Week at Old South Haven Church -

Dear Members and Friends of Old South Haven Church,

I invite you again to join us this coming Sunday for a Zoom Church Service.  The details for joining the service are below.

Pastor Glorya will be preaching on " The Third Christmas Story". 
Communion will be celebrated so please have your "bread and wine" available.

As we start a new year, let us do it with hope, faith, charity, peace, joy, and love,
 
Linda
Topic: Sunday Zoom Church Service
Time: Jan 3, 2021 09:45 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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The final meeting of the Study Group "Incarnation" will by on Thursday, January 7, at 7 pm.

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from Treasurer Richard Thomas




Saturday, December 26, 2020

FW: Music for the OSHC Sunday Service of December 27, 2020, 1st Sunday of Christmas

 

 

From: Richard Thomas <RichardAThomas@OptOnline.net>
Sent: Saturday, December 26, 2020 10:26 PM
To: Brown, "B. J" <ElizMB@OptOnline.net>; Taylor, Claudia <claudiataylor@yahoo.com>; Asselta, Ken <ken.asselta@gmail.com>; Asselta, Sandy <pearldq@gmail.com>; 'Barry, Janet' <GoKatGo@OptOnline.net>; Denis, Deborah <deborah9580@gmail.com>; Hall, Diane <dianehallwasser@gmail.com>; Hoffman, Janice <Janwolf50@aol.com>; Kirsty <KirstyJDmsn@gmail.com>; 'Mayo, Deb' <deborah.mayo@sunysb.edu>; Schuhmann, Reiny <reiny@aps.org>; 'Stevens, Alan' <alan_ste@msn.com>; 'Stevens, Darcy Corral' <darcyhc@optonline.net>
Cc: Mullahy, Brian <bmullahy@OptOnline.net>; Deitz, John <DeitzJ@OptOnline.net>; Tilney, Kappy <KTilney1@optimum.net>; Nancy Best <nancyeb40@gmail.com>; Majowka, Linda M <lindabps@aol.com>; Moran, Sean <chevy_malibu97@yahoo.com>; Neal, Jason <jasontheleader@gmail.com>; Jordan, Darryl <songbirddj97@gmail.com>; Johnson, Glorya <limog@aol.com>; Baum, Jeanne <2Trees@OptOnline.net>
Subject: Music for the OSHC Sunday Service of December 27, 2020, 1st Sunday of Christmas

 

Hi Choir,

        Christmas is past, the Magi, however, are still making their way to Bethlehem, but they won’t arrive until the day after Epiphany Eve (Twelfth Night) in January. 

        This week we celebrate the First Sunday of Christmas—the last Sunday of the civil year 2020.


        The first hymn is no. 276, “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” I’ve always found praising a deity for that deity’s faithfulness a bit odd. I would think “faithfulness” would surely be one of the prerequisites required of any supernatural being who was to be praised and adored. But even though I might think that, it isn’t how humans have actually acted through history.  Many cultures did indeed offer sacrifices to gods they knew to be unfaithful.

        The Greeks had a god, Dolos, who was the god of trickery, deception and treachery—and they also had a goddess of fraud, Apate.  The Romans had a god called Mendacius. Who would trust a god with a name like that?

        “Great is Thy Faithfulness” must be a reassuring hymn in times of tribulation, as Old South Haven has sung this hymn five times this year: on April 19, May 17, July 5, August 23, and December 27. It was also in the March 29 bulletin for a service that never happened, and would have been sung by those who went through that Sunday’s bulletin and sang the hymns alone, at home. (That second Sunday after the shut-down was B.Z., “Before Zoom.”)

        In any case, it is always better to have a god who is reliable than one that isn’t.

https://youtu.be/N2i7_X8RQis “Great is Thy Faithfulness” sung a cappella by Veritas

https://hymnary.org/page/fetch/PH1990/306/high “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” 1st page

https://hymnary.org/page/fetch/PH1990/307/high “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” 2nd page

https://youtu.be/yC69ylqzpJ0 “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” soprano

https://youtu.be/didFMq9rGmc “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” alto (almost melodic)

https://youtu.be/_f0cI_uWeA4 “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” tenor

https://youtu.be/pe-T4n94ctc “Great Is Thy Faithfulness” bass

The words of “Great is Thy Faithfulness” were written in 1923 by Thomas Chisholm, when he was about 57 years old, and the music was written by William M. Runyan that same year. 

        You can see the score and the words here:

https://hymnary.org/hymn/PH1990/276  “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”

Thomas Obadiah Chisholm

  Birth:  Jul. 29, 1866, near Lake Spring, Simpson County, Kentucky
Death:  Feb. 29, 1960, Methodist Home for the Aged, Ocean Grove, New Jersey 

Thomas Obadiah Chisholm, late in life.

Although said to be in poor health for much of his life, he died at age 93 years, 7 months. 

William Marion Runyan

  Birth:  Jan. 21, 1870, Marion, Wayne County, New York

Death:  Jul. 29, 1957, Pittsburg, Crawford County, Kansas

     The text is believed to be based on a passage from the Book of Lamentations, but there are other Biblical verses relating to God's faithfulness.

     The writer of Lamentations, presumably Jeremiah, may have known that other cultures had unfaithful gods, so I suppose it was necessary to affirm that Yahweh was one that was faithful.

     Considering the time the Book of Lamentations was written, shortly after the Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and Jerusalem, destroyed the (first) Temple, and took away the King (Jeconiah) and his court and the wealthy and ruling class to Babylon, it would have been a difficult affirmation to make.

     The author of Lamentations was able still to affirm that the Lord's faithfulness was great, as he concluded the Hebrews had deserved whatever had happened to them.  It wasn't God's fault, they had it coming.

        Perhaps the same thing might be said of the prophets of today:

https://youtu.be/9gIAtDxyTaM “God has already sealed Trump’s victory in Heaven.”

Lamentations 3:22-26
22 The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases,
 his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
 great is your faithfulness.
24 “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
 “therefore I will hope in him.”
25 The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
 to the soul that seeks him.
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
 for the salvation of the LORD.


        The Old Testament reading is Isaiah 61:10 to Isaiah 62:3.

I exult for joy in Yahweh,

my soul rejoices in my God,

for he has clothed me in garments of deliverance,

he has wrapped me in a cloak symbolizing vindication,

like a bridegroom wearing his garland,

like a bride adorned in her jewels.

For as the earth sends up its shoots

and a garden makes seeds sprout,

so Lord Yahweh will cause deliverance to grow,

and his people have reason to praise him  in the sight of all nations.

“For the sake of Zion I will not be silent,

for the sake of Jerusalem I shall not be quiet,

until her vindication shines brightly

and her deliverance burns like a torch.”

The nations will then see your vindication,

and all kings your glory,

and you will be called a new name

which Yahweh's mouth will reveal.

You will be a crown of splendor in Yahweh's hand,

a princely diadem in the hand of your God.


        The second hymn is no. 256, “Let the Whole Creation Cry,” by Stopford A. Brooke.

        Stopford Augustus Brooke was born in the Glendoen rectory in Donegal, Ireland, on 14 Nov 1832.  He died on 18 Mar 1916.  He was ordained in 1857 in the Church of England and was a “chaplain in ordinary” to Queen Victoria.  (That means he answered to the Queen, not to the Archbishop of Canterbury.)  When Stopford Brooke was 48 he decided he no longer believed in the tenets of the Church of England, seceded from the church, and became an unofficial Unitarian minister at Bloomsbury until he retired in 1896.

        You can read some of Stopford Brooke’s sermons here:  https://archive.org/stream/earlylifejesuss00broogoog#page/n6/mode/2up The Early Life of Jesus, Sermons Preached at Bedford Chapel, Bloomsbury, by Rev. Stopford A. Brooke, M.A. (published in 1888).

 

        The tune is SALZBURG (1678) by Jakob Hintze (1622-1703), harmonized by J. S. Bach.

        Jakob Hintze was known as an excellent contrapuntist.

               https://youtu.be/-hcM4xUA6Es  “Let the Whole Creation Cry,” music score, hymn played on organ

https://youtu.be/OhzPRCfrsXo  “Let the Whole Creation Cry,” played by a string quartet (synthesized)

        Here’s just the tune, on piano:

                http://www.hymnary.org/media/fetch/149206 SALZBURG by Jakob Hintze, as harmonized by J. S. Bach, on piano


        The epistle lesson is Galatians 4:4-7.

But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. To show that you are his children, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who cries out, "Father, my Father." So you are no longer slaves but God's children. Since you are God's children, God has also made you heirs.


        Luke 2:22-40 is the gospel reading.  The lesson begins with Mary and Joseph taking their child Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem “to do what was customary according to the law.”

        The preceding verse, Luke 2:21, is not included in the reading:

“At the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.”

The Circumcision of Christ (1590) by Federico Barocci (ca. 1535-1612)

        We never sing a circumcision hymn, because there aren’t many good ones (in English anyway), as you can tell from the words below from one by Sebastien Besnault—which is one of the better ones:

O happy day, when first was poured
The blood of our redeeming Lord!
O happy day, when first began
His sufferings for sinful man! . . .

     Lord, circumcise our hearts, we pray,
     Our fleshly natures purge away;
     Thy name, Thy likeness may they bear:
     Yea, stamp Thy holy image there!

That hymn does have the redeeming quality of being usually sung to a tune by Bach, but I couldn’t find a YouTube video of anyone singing it.

        The reading then begins with the story of Joseph and Mary taking their baby to the temple in Jerusalem “to present him to the Lord” as the law required for every first-born male. Then Simeon enters the story.

  Simeon Reverencing the Christ Child by Greg K. Olsen

        A devout and righteous man in Jerusalem named Simeon was directed into the temple courts by the Holy Spirit. Simeon took the baby in his arms and declared:

“Now, according to your word, Sovereign Lord, permit your servant to depart in peace.

For my eyes have seen your salvation

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples:

     a light,

     for revelation to the Gentiles,

     and for glory to your people Israel.”

So the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about him.

Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “Listen carefully: This child is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. Indeed, as a result of him the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul as well!”

[A hymn about Simeon is “Just and Devout Old Simeon Lived” which appeared in the Scottish Psalter and Paraphrases (1800).]

        Not only does Simeon make his prophecy, another is present in the temple, Anna, and she recognizes that the baby has a special destiny too.  Anna the prophetess was very old. As a young woman, after having been married to her husband for only seven years, her husband had died, and Anna had lived as a widow ever since—for eighty-four years.  She lived in the temple, “worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day.”  Anna came up to Mary, Joseph, and the baby, and “began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.”

        You can watch all these events take place in a video:

https://youtu.be/SswGxaRo3dw “Presentation in the Temple”


        Jason Neal’s sermon title is “From Great to Good.”

        Jason is almost certainly the youngest elder elected by the Old South Haven congregation.  He was elected to serve as an elder at the Annual Meeting held on 24 Jan 1993, when Jason was 17 years, 11 months and 28 days old.  He had already preached in the church.  (Jason preached on Youth Sunday, 12 Apr 1992.)

        Though the youngest, Jason wasn’t the only member of the church to be elected to be ordained an elder at a young age.  Roger Kickerer Jr. born 08 May 1949, was elected to serve on Session at the Annual Meeting of 15 Jan 1971, when he was 21 years, 8 months and 8 days old.  He served one three-year term on Session.  In November 1961, Roger had helped Dr. Wiswall, Mr. and Mrs. Earl Light, and the other volunteers lay the 65-foot brick walkway from South Country Road to the church. (It was all done with volunteer labor.) Roger Kickerer had sung in the Old South Haven choir when he was in high school, and would also sing with the choir when he was back from college. He had a friend, Paul Richter, who was the organist at Old South Haven in the early 1960s (until May 1964) while he was an organ student with George Markey at the esteemed Guilmant Organ School in Manhattan.  Old South Haven was Paul Richter’s first paid staff position of his 42-year career of church work.  Later in life, Roger Kickerer lived in Manhattan and after a couple of decades there were few at Old South Haven who remembered his name.  So it was surprising that when he died in December 2004, he left $50,000 to Old South Haven Church.  The bequest was used to repair the Hinners organ. His friend Paul Richter flew in from Oregon to play at the organ’s rededication on 21 April 2007.


        The closing hymn is “Go, Tell It on the Mountain,” hymn no. 29.  The lyrics and melody were collected by John Wesley Work, Jr. (also known as John Wesley Work II).  John Wesley Work, Jr., the son of a slave, was born 06 Aug 1871 in Nashville, Tennessee.  He was a director a church choir, some of whose members later formed the Fisk Jubilee Singers.  He attended Fisk University, taught in Tullahoma, Tennessee, and studied at Harvard.

      John Wesley Work II

        You can hear a rather interesting NPR story (broadcast on 25 Feb 2011) about the life of John Work II here:

                http://www.npr.org/2011/02/26/134028602/at-fisk-university-a-tradition-of-spirituals

        In 1904, John Work II became a Latin and history instructor at Fisk.  Working with his wife, Agnes Haynes (whom he had married in 1899), and his brother, Frederick Jerome Work, he collected slave songs and spirituals.  Their second collection, New Jubilee Songs and Folk Songs of the American Negro (1907) included "Go Tell It on the Mountain."  It was the spiritual’s first publication.

        The administration at Fisk developed a dislike of the old spirituals in the 1920s—partly because the songs had been part of slave worship and were a reminder of slave life, and partly because white minstrel performers had begun to parody the songs and ridicule slave religion. John Work II was forced to resign in 1923.  (Or he felt his work to be so unsupported and unappreciated by the university that he had to resign.)  He then served as president of Roger Williams University in Nashville.  He died 07 Sep 1925.

        The arrangement in the blue Presbyterian Hymnal was done by John Wesley Work III. 

 John Work III was born 15 Jun 1901 in Tullahoma, Tennessee.  He obtained a B.A. degree in history in 1923, then attended Julliard School of Music.  He then obtained a masters in Music Education from Columbia University in 1930.  He next received a bachelor of music degree from Yale in 1933.  Then he taught music theory at Fisk.  He became director of the Fisk Singers in 1946.

        From 1950 to 1957, he was chairman of the Music Department at Fisk.  His health became poor after touring with the Fisk Singers in Europe in 1956.  He retired in 1966 and died 17 May 1967.

        You can hear “Go Tell It on the Mountain” as sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers here:

https://youtu.be/Bc3TmiTVFzM “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers

        Here is an a modern arrangement:

https://youtu.be/sPVa2QdF4Xg “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” performed by Remedy, a University of Dayton a cappella group

        Here is a rather odd performance by a group called Cloverton, singing in Manhattan (Manhattan, KANSAS, that is).  I’ve been to Manhattan, Kansas, many times.  It’s the home of Kansas State University. I dated a math major, Cheryl Diane Smith, who attended graduate school there.  It was 140 miles away from Liberty, Missouri.  Those long-distance relationships rarely work out.

https://youtu.be/0EWWKdUZARY  “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” sung by Cloverton (with accordion, acoustic guitar, and snare drum)

According to their web site, the group Cloverton “propelled” onto the Christian music scene in 2011.  They’re one of the better known “Manhattan-based” bands.

        Here is “Go Tell It on the Mountain” sung by Vanessa Williams:

https://youtu.be/G45ktb9JiBs  “Go Tell It on the Mountain/Mary Had a Baby,” Vanessa Williams


Instrumental Music


        Unknown.

Richard

This Week at Old South Haven Church -

Dear Members and Friends of Old South Haven Church,

Please see below for the details for joining the church service tomorrow morning, December 27th, at 10 am, on Zoom.  Jason Neal is leading the service as Pastor Glorya is on vacation.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve service on Thursday evening and we are looking forward to continuing the Christmas spirit tomorrow.

Love and Peace,

Linda


Topic: Sunday Zoom Church Service
Time: Dec 27, 2020 09:45 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

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Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Revised Bulletin: CHRISTMAS EVE Old South Haven Church

Attached is a revised Bulletin for
"A Service of Lessons and Carols"
Old South Haven Presbyterian Church
December 24 2020 - 8:00 p.m. Christmas Eve

CHRISTMAS EVE Old South Haven Church

Old South Haven Church Meeting House this Christmas Eve.
"In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Photograph by Richard Thomas.

Dear Members and Friends of Old South Haven Church,

I am writing to invite you to join us at our Christmas Eve Service to be held on Thursday evening, December 24, 2020, at 8:00 P. M.   Because of the pandemic, this year's church service is by Zoom. The time of our Christmas Eve Service has been changed (this year only) to 8:00 P. M.
 
Please join us at 8:00 P. M.  The details for joining our Christmas Eve service are below.  
 
Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year!
 
Linda

A Service of Lessons and Carols
Old South Haven Presbyterian Church
December 24 2020 - 8:00 p.m. Christmas Eve

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The Word Became Flesh. John 1:1-14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.



Friday, December 18, 2020

This Week at Old South Haven Church -

Dear Members and Friends of Old South Haven Church,

I again invite you to join us this coming Sunday for our Zoom Church Service.  Please see below for the details to join the service. 

Please see the attached Bulletin and Pastor Glorya's Christmas Letter.
Pastor Glorya's sermon topic will be:  "God Always Keeps His Promises (Even If Not Done Our Way)".

Darcy and Alan Stevens will light the Love Candle.

Pastor Glorya has prepared a list of people who need our prayers.  See below.

The details for joining the service are below.

Please join us this coming Sunday and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you Peace and Joy!

Linda



Linda

Message from Paster Glorya Johnson:

Dear Friends,
As I sit here in my La-Z-Boy, I can't help but think about the calendar. I feel as if I'm operating in a different time zone. The virus has us all so mixed up. In early November the time changed from the ending of Daylight Savings Time back to what used to be known as Eastern Standard Time. Where did the summer go? Where did the fall go? What happened to my plans? My schedule? Things feel all jumbled up, don't they? And here we are…. Christmas is a few days away.

Over two thousand years ago Joseph was working in his carpentry shop. Mary was at home doing her daily chores but doing them very slowly; the baby would be here soon. When Joseph came home for dinner, he tells Mary he got a notice that because of his lineage they have to make a trip to Bethlehem for some sort of tax count. Mary's not sure about traveling. The calendar reminds her that the baby's due date is right around the corner. Elizabeth is close by so that when the baby comes there will be family to help out. After discussing the situation, they both realize there's no choice they must go.

The trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem is no easy trip. The terrain is rough. Thank goodness for the donkey. Not that riding on him in a pregnant condition was fun it did at least allow Mary to get off her feet every once in a while. "Can't wait to get to Bethlehem and get settled in the inn," she must have thought. She was in for a surprise!

Upon arrival, Joseph went to the inn his family had suggested because their house was full. However, the inn's clerk told him that because of the tax count there were no more rooms for rent. Joseph explained that his wife was pregnant, close to her delivery date in fact. The clerk apologized and told Joseph he could put them up in his stable behind the inn if they didn't mind being around the animals. Realizing he had no choice, Joseph agreed.

It seemed like they no sooner got settled in the stable and Mary went into labor. She gave birth to a healthy, handsome baby boy, just as that angel said would happen. Joseph and Mary were overjoyed. Even the animals seemed excited. Joseph found a feeding trough and put some straw in it and Mary lovingly placed the baby in it. He looked so peaceful. Mary and Joseph looked at each other and laughed. They knew this was going to happen but not at this time and in this place. What happened to the plans? What about the schedule? God happened to the plans and the schedule. God knew it was time for his Son to make his appearance. There was work for him to do. Now was the time for him to become human.

The arrival of that baby boy on that night in Bethlehem was truly a blessed event. He was wise beyond his years as a child. And as an adult became an image that we all work to imitate aware that we can never be as perfect as he was. Throughout his life he operated on God's time, Kairos, not human time. He visited people who weren't ready for him to visit, healed people who may have sought him out but when they least expected it, there he was blessing them for their faith. The stories and lessons of hope, peace, joy and love are many, they fill part of a very important book.

And so, we say, "Thank you. Thank you, Mary, for giving birth to this very important baby. A baby who grew up to be an example for us all. A baby for whom we sing "Joy to the World." A baby for whom the most prolific thing we can say is Halleluiah. Amen.
               
At Old South Haven, this coming Sunday was often the Sunday of the annual Christmas Pageant presented by the Sunday School.  There will not be a Christmas Pageant this year, but here are some photos from past pageants:



                                Kappy Tilney                Joseph dutifully listens to Mary as animals gather around the manger.
   




Topic: Sunday Zoom Church Service
Time: Dec 20, 2020 09:45 AM

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PRAYER CONCERNS: December 13, 2020
Losses:
Family and Friends of Eric Smith, entered the Church Triumphant on December 12, 2020 due to Orange Orange.
Family and Friends of Robert (Bob) Baum, who entered the Church Triumphant on Sunday, December 6, 2020. Memorial Service to be held later.
Matt Palace who lost his daughter in her late 20's
The Bontempe Family on the lost of their father
The Haug Family who lost grandmother due to COVID-19
Family and friends of Margaret Duffy who entered the Church
Triumphant after battling cancer
Family and friends of Margaret Duffy who entered the Church Triumphant after battling cancer.
The congregation of the Jefferson Temple in Bellport on loss of pastor
and several congregants to COVID-19.
Kim Lipski loss of husband, Ron
    Illness and other concerns:
    Mike Baum-Re-infected with COVID-19 resulting in recurrent hiccups
    Kevin Barnes and daughter
    Lynn Moss
    Betty Ulrich
    Natasha and Audrey COVID exposure—awaiting test results
    Irene- hip fracture-did well with surgery now in Rehab Ctr.
    Janice and John Hoffman
    Herman Washington
    Mary-post op open heart
Prayers for Deacon Patrick Knight, Presbytery Treasurer, dialysis at home; Jose Amayo, Sexton, Presbytery of Long Island. Haiti Helping Kids; Good Shepherd Mission in Belize; Na Luum Ca Village in Southern Belize; NCD: New Hyde Park.

   


Future meetings of the "Incarnation" study group will be at 7 pm on Tuesday, Dec. 22; and a final wrap-up on Thursday, January 7. 2021.

Join Study Group at 7 pm Tuesday December 22, 2020. The link to the Jan 7 meeting will be announced later.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82958270775?pwd=emx5bFQrU2c2aE51cEF1VTM4bDArQT09

You probably won't need the following additional Zoom information, but I've included it just in case.
Meeting ID: 829 5827 0775
Passcode: 291835
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,82958270775#,,,,,,0#,,291835# US (New York)
+13126266799,,82958270775#,,,,,,0#,,291835# US (Chicago)

Dial by your location
        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 829 5827 0775
Passcode: 291835
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbCYIfYLML

Thursday, December 10, 2020

Addendum to Old South Haven Church weekly email


Included with this addendum are the attachments missing from the earlier"This Week at Old South Haven Church" mailing.

This Week at Old South Haven Church -

Dear Members and Friends of Old South Haven Church,

I would like to invite you to join us this coming Sunday for worship by Zoom.   This is the second Sunday of Advent--The Joy Sunday. 
The Advent Wreath: The Candle of Joy Daryl Jordan
The Bulletin is attached. Pastor Glorya's sermon topic will be,   "Expressions of Joy from Mary and Isaiah"

The details for joining the service are below.

Please join us this coming Sunday and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you Peace and Joy!

Linda

Pastor Glorya has prepared a list of people who need our prayers.  See below.

Also included below is a message from the Presbytery encouraging us to continue our virtual worship services.

Linda


Topic: Sunday Zoom Church Service
Time: Dec 13, 2020 09:45 AM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2425544200?pwd=M3JpbUVPMWplL3FHWjlGR1pmK0c2dz09

Meeting ID: 242 554 4200
Passcode: 092003
One tap mobile
+16468769923,,2425544200#,,,,,,0#,,092003# US (New York)
+13017158592,,2425544200#,,,,,,0#,,092003# US (Washington D.C)
Dial by your location
        +1 646 876 9923 US (New York)


PRAYER CONCERNS:

Losses:
Family and Friends of Robert (Bob) Baum, who entered the Church Triumphant on Sunday, December 6, 2020. Memorial Service to be held later.
Matt Palace who lost his daughter in her late 20's
The Bontempe Family on the lost of their father
The Haug Family who lost grandmother due to COVID-19
Family and friends of Margaret Duffy who entered the Church
Triumphant after battling cancer
Family and friends of Margaret Duffy who entered the Church Triumphant after battling cancer.
The congregation of the Jefferson Temple in Bellport on loss of pastor
and several congregants to COVID-19.
Kim Lipski loss of husband, Ron

Illness and other concerns:
Kevin Barnes and daughter
Lynn Moss
Betty Ulrich
Asif Iqbal-open heart surgery Dec. 3rd
Natasha and Audrey COVID exposure—awaiting test results
Irene- hip fracture-did well with surgery now in Rehab Ctr.
Janice and John Hoffman
Herman Washington
Mary-post op open heart
   


Future meetings of the "Incarnation" study group will be on Thursdays, December 10 & 17, Tuesday, Dec. 22; and a final wrap-up near Epiphany  (date to be determined)
7 pm

Join Study Group
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82958270775?pwd=emx5bFQrU2c2aE51cEF1VTM4bDArQT09

You probably won't need the following additional Zoom information, but I've included it just in case.
Meeting ID: 829 5827 0775
Passcode: 291835
One tap mobile
+19292056099,,82958270775#,,,,,,0#,,291835# US (New York)
+13126266799,,82958270775#,,,,,,0#,,291835# US (Chicago)

Dial by your location
        +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
        +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
        +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington D.C)
        +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
        +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
        +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 829 5827 0775
Passcode: 291835
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbCYIfYLML


News from the Presbytery of Long Island

The Stated Clerk of the PC(USA) urges churches to stay the course on virtual worship

The debate between state governments and churches over in-person worship during a pandemic reached a new level last week when the U.S. Supreme Court sided with religious leaders in New York state. The high court ruled that New York's efforts to control the COVID-19 virus in churches and synagogues by limiting the number of people attending religious services was much harsher than the restrictions imposed on businesses and other locations that draw a number of people.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese in Brooklyn, along with several congregations of Orthodox Jews, had taken legal action to block Governor Andrew Cuomo's orders.

The Reverend Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), says that regardless of where other denominations stand on in-person worship, he's still urging PC(USA) churches to stay the course with online gatherings.

"People are dying. We should choose life and life more abundantly as our Scripture requires. We recognize that church is not a building. It is a place of worship," he said. "We are able to worship remotely, and we've found opportunities to have worship through other venues that do not require us to leave our homes."

Last spring when the virus began infiltrating the U.S., Nelson urged churches to move toward virtual worship to protect members and their communities. In addition, the entire 224th General Assembly (2020) of the PC(USA) was moved to an online format.

"Social media has been a major asset this year. Pastors have been able to sit on their sofas at home week after week and actually preach. They've found a way to make it work," Nelson said. "They've done this because they understand clearly that abundant life is important. It cannot be done if people in a surge are being asked to continue to go to worship when it would be detrimental to their health."

Even as potential vaccines are being shipped across the country for distribution, Nelson says this is not the time for churches to let their guard down.

"Stay the course, however long it takes, so we can safely get back to some sense of normalcy and this pandemic is gone," Nelson said. "I'm not sure we will ever get back to the way it was. I think we will be looking at a new normal in the days ahead."

Nelson's advice: Be creative.

"We've had conversations over the past year around the issue of having communion, we've pulled together hybrid services, combining in-person with virtual," he said. "All of these things have been done virtually. I have personally had the opportunity to preach on many Sundays because we were able to film these in advance."

Nelson says many churches are finding new people tuning in to their services and are gaining members as a result of online opportunities.

"Some church members have indicated they are not planning on going back but will participate virtually. Discussions are being held on how to best utilize their buildings to further help their community," he said. "This is a time of innovation and to really be challenged, looking beyond our boundaries and serving a community, so that when this pandemic has ended, we can determine how we can be most effective in the days to come."

J. Herbert Nelson, II
Stated Clerk