Book Study
We will be reading “The Forgotten Creed” by Stephen J. Patterson. In-person discussion Thursday afternoons starting 9/23 at 1 pm.
Description from Amazon (I bought a used copy for $19): Long before the followers of Jesus declared him to be the Son of God, Jesus taught his followers that they too were the children of God. This ancient creed, now all but forgotten, is recorded still within the folds of a letter of Paul the Apostle. Paul did not create this creed, nor did he fully embrace it, but he quoted it and thus preserved it for a time when it might become important once again. This ancient creed said nothing about God or Christ or salvation. Its claims were about the whole human race: there is no race, there is no class, there is no gender.
This is the story of that first, forgotten creed, and the world of its begetting, a world in which foreigners were feared, slaves were human chattel, and men questioned whether women were really human after all. Into this world the followers of Jesus proclaimed: "You are all children of God. There is no Jew or Greek, no slave or free, no male and female, for you are all one." Where did this remarkable statement of human solidarity come from, and what, finally, happened to it? How did Christianity become a Gentile religion that despised Jews, condoned slavery as the will of God, and championed patriarchy?
Christian theologians would one day argue about the nature of Christ, the being of God, and the mechanics of salvation. But before this, in the days when Jesus was still fresh in the memory of those who knew him, the argument was a different one: how can human beings overcome the ways by which we
divide ourselves one from another? Is solidarity possible beyond race, class, and gender?
Firehouse Gazebo Eagle Scout Project
I am Ben Dussault, a 17-year-old Niskayuna rising senior who lives on First Street. I am a member of Boy Scout Troop 3036 that is chartered by the Alplaus United Methodist Church. This summer I am doing my Eagle Scout Project so that I can continue my advancement to the rank of Eagle Scout. I have always wanted to do my Eagle Scout project in Alplaus and have finally decided on what I could do that would be beneficial to the Alplaus community. As some of you may be aware, the firehouse has been considering what to do with the gazebo for quite some time. I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to get my Eagle Project done as well as benefit Alplaus. After talking it out with the Fire Commissioners, they approved my project to improve the firehouse gazebo. This project will be adding a natural stone walkway and boxwood hedge, as well as bringing in dirt to fix the ground around the gazebo. The only thing remaining to begin this project is to raise funds for the materials. This would include dirt, stone dust, pavers, shrubs, edging, and other miscellaneous items. The total material costs of the project will come to $1979.00. If you are able to contribute that would greatly help in making this project for Alplaus a success. Any and all extra funds raised will be given back to the firehouse to be used in any manner they deem fit. Please make checks out to me, and mail to Ben Dussault, 3 First St., Alplaus NY 12008. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Dussault, (benddussault@gmail.com)
Troop 3036
Donations to the Church
To all those who wish to continue with your pledges/contributions/gifts to the Church, you can mail them in. We still have bills to pay, even with Church being closed temporarily. Please make checks payable to Alplaus UMC and mail them to:
Carolyn Koch/Financial Secretary, 709 Pleasantview Ave., Glenville, NY 12302.
This will prevent your check from sitting in the Church mail box until someone comes by to check it and then deliver them to Carolyn.
SICM Collection
If you have non-perishable items to drop off or paper/cleaning supplies, the SICM food bank is still in need and accepting donations. If you cannot bring them in person to church service, I can accept donations at the parsonage at 1 Rivercrest Drive Rexford on Mondays 9-12 - honk your horn (or call my cell 838-200-8601 from the driveway) and I will come out and get your donation. If Monday doesn't work for you or you would like me to pick up your donations, text or call and tell me what works for you.
Pastor Kristi
STREETSOLDIERS III SCHENECTADY
StreetSoldiers is a GrassRoots group that was started in 2016 by Mike and Renee Fahey. Since its start in Albany the group has grown teams in Troy and Schenectady.
Our Schenectady team serves the community based around Vale Park in Schenectady. We support those experiencing homelessness and those who are food insecure with non-perishable food, hygiene, survival type gear for those without a home, pet food, toddler and baby items, seasonal items, and special items to help celebrate them (mother’s & Father’s Day, holidays).
We rely entirely on donations of what we are able to make and purchase, and collect through our networks. Shelf stable items are becoming harder and harder to find on Amazon. We are seeking this fundraising avenue to continue to do what we can and purchase our supplies locally to further support our community. Every dollar will be used to purchase food, hygiene, or cleaning supplies which will be shared with our friends - no questions asked and at no cost to them.
To donate via their GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/streetsoldiers-iii-schenectady?sharetype=teams&member=4286472&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&rcid=bf814fe55bb849518fbd706254c86f23
To see their Amazon wish list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1KC69O30JGLKO?ref_=wl_share
To buy Helping Hands Boxes: www.theschenectadytradingcompany.com
See their Facebook page for more information and upcoming events.
Thank you for your support!
The StreetSoliders III Schenectady Team
Community Luncheon
There will be no Community Luncheon until further notice.
United Methodist Women
Still no gathering other than worship allowed at church therefore no UMW meetings are planned. Stay Well.
Prayer Chain
The Prayer chain has been revised! There will still be two lists. One list will remain as a phone call list. The second list will be for anyone who would like to receive the prayer request by text message. To activate the prayer chain, please call Mary Herrick (518-399-2113) or call/text Carolyn Koch (518-248-8138). Please contact Pastor Kristi (518-469-7764 or revklvp@yahoo.com) if you have the need for private prayer. If you are not already part of the prayer chain and would like to be included, please let me know. Thanks, Carolyn
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On Hold:
Next Step Team
In October 2019, a team was established at Alplaus UMC after Amanda shared details about the 2019 General Conference during the Laity Service. This group has been meeting with other local congregations learning to prayerfully research, review, discuss and discover feelings surrounding the results from the General Conference decision where a partial version of the Traditional Plan was approved, by a vote of 438 to 384 (53.3 to 46.7 percent). Based on the General Conference results and the upcoming 2020 Conference vote, the Administration Council at Alplaus agreed to form a team to open a dialogue about the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals within the life and ministries of our church. Through this dialogue, we seek to find an understanding of how we plan to welcome people now and in the future within our congregation. The team will be meeting in January to plan a congregation meeting where we can have an open discussion about this topic and answer questions that you may have regarding the upcoming proposals for 2020.
Yours in Christ,
Carolyn, Dick, Karen & Claudia
Confirmation Class - open to youth grade 6 and above - will start 9/8 at 9m. This class will be in place of regular Sunday School. Aiming for Confirmation on 5/31 (Pentecost). From umc.org: “Confirmation includes three aspects,” This Is Your Baptismal Liturgy summarizes. “a) God confirms the divine promise to those who were too young to grasp what God was doing in their baptism, b) they respond by professing their own acceptance of the grace they have received and their own faith in Christ, c) the Church, as represented by this congregation, confirms the commitments they make.” Confirmation is not a destination. It is more of a way station, a place where we renew our commitment to the journey we have been traveling under the care of others. “It is the first time that persons publicly declare their intention to live out the vows of the baptismal covenant,” Burton-Edwards teaches. “It is not intended to be the last time. It’s just that confirmation is the label we put on the first time.” It is also a time for a congregation to celebrate their young people’s commitment to “live as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ,” and to renew their commitment to do the same.
Sunday School News
The format of our class has changed this year since the girls are now older. We have started to incorporate some of the format used during the regular church service. For example, we are lighting a candle at the beginning of class to emulate what we do during church and have discussed the symbolism of light in the Christian faith. We are also sharing our joys and concerns with one another, and sometimes they also share them during the church service. The girls continue to be our acolytes during the church service which we are very grateful for. During the first month of class we read about various miracles Jesus performed and compared them among the 4 Gospel books. We started to explore the miracles in the Old Testament.
We will be reading “The Forgotten Creed” by Stephen J. Patterson. In-person discussion Thursday afternoons starting 9/23 at 1 pm.
Description from Amazon (I bought a used copy for $19): Long before the followers of Jesus declared him to be the Son of God, Jesus taught his followers that they too were the children of God. This ancient creed, now all but forgotten, is recorded still within the folds of a letter of Paul the Apostle. Paul did not create this creed, nor did he fully embrace it, but he quoted it and thus preserved it for a time when it might become important once again. This ancient creed said nothing about God or Christ or salvation. Its claims were about the whole human race: there is no race, there is no class, there is no gender.
This is the story of that first, forgotten creed, and the world of its begetting, a world in which foreigners were feared, slaves were human chattel, and men questioned whether women were really human after all. Into this world the followers of Jesus proclaimed: "You are all children of God. There is no Jew or Greek, no slave or free, no male and female, for you are all one." Where did this remarkable statement of human solidarity come from, and what, finally, happened to it? How did Christianity become a Gentile religion that despised Jews, condoned slavery as the will of God, and championed patriarchy?
Christian theologians would one day argue about the nature of Christ, the being of God, and the mechanics of salvation. But before this, in the days when Jesus was still fresh in the memory of those who knew him, the argument was a different one: how can human beings overcome the ways by which we
divide ourselves one from another? Is solidarity possible beyond race, class, and gender?
Firehouse Gazebo Eagle Scout Project
I am Ben Dussault, a 17-year-old Niskayuna rising senior who lives on First Street. I am a member of Boy Scout Troop 3036 that is chartered by the Alplaus United Methodist Church. This summer I am doing my Eagle Scout Project so that I can continue my advancement to the rank of Eagle Scout. I have always wanted to do my Eagle Scout project in Alplaus and have finally decided on what I could do that would be beneficial to the Alplaus community. As some of you may be aware, the firehouse has been considering what to do with the gazebo for quite some time. I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to get my Eagle Project done as well as benefit Alplaus. After talking it out with the Fire Commissioners, they approved my project to improve the firehouse gazebo. This project will be adding a natural stone walkway and boxwood hedge, as well as bringing in dirt to fix the ground around the gazebo. The only thing remaining to begin this project is to raise funds for the materials. This would include dirt, stone dust, pavers, shrubs, edging, and other miscellaneous items. The total material costs of the project will come to $1979.00. If you are able to contribute that would greatly help in making this project for Alplaus a success. Any and all extra funds raised will be given back to the firehouse to be used in any manner they deem fit. Please make checks out to me, and mail to Ben Dussault, 3 First St., Alplaus NY 12008. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Benjamin Dussault, (benddussault@gmail.com)
Troop 3036
Donations to the Church
To all those who wish to continue with your pledges/contributions/gifts to the Church, you can mail them in. We still have bills to pay, even with Church being closed temporarily. Please make checks payable to Alplaus UMC and mail them to:
Carolyn Koch/Financial Secretary, 709 Pleasantview Ave., Glenville, NY 12302.
This will prevent your check from sitting in the Church mail box until someone comes by to check it and then deliver them to Carolyn.
SICM Collection
If you have non-perishable items to drop off or paper/cleaning supplies, the SICM food bank is still in need and accepting donations. If you cannot bring them in person to church service, I can accept donations at the parsonage at 1 Rivercrest Drive Rexford on Mondays 9-12 - honk your horn (or call my cell 838-200-8601 from the driveway) and I will come out and get your donation. If Monday doesn't work for you or you would like me to pick up your donations, text or call and tell me what works for you.
Pastor Kristi
STREETSOLDIERS III SCHENECTADY
StreetSoldiers is a GrassRoots group that was started in 2016 by Mike and Renee Fahey. Since its start in Albany the group has grown teams in Troy and Schenectady.
Our Schenectady team serves the community based around Vale Park in Schenectady. We support those experiencing homelessness and those who are food insecure with non-perishable food, hygiene, survival type gear for those without a home, pet food, toddler and baby items, seasonal items, and special items to help celebrate them (mother’s & Father’s Day, holidays).
We rely entirely on donations of what we are able to make and purchase, and collect through our networks. Shelf stable items are becoming harder and harder to find on Amazon. We are seeking this fundraising avenue to continue to do what we can and purchase our supplies locally to further support our community. Every dollar will be used to purchase food, hygiene, or cleaning supplies which will be shared with our friends - no questions asked and at no cost to them.
To donate via their GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/streetsoldiers-iii-schenectady?sharetype=teams&member=4286472&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&rcid=bf814fe55bb849518fbd706254c86f23
To see their Amazon wish list: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1KC69O30JGLKO?ref_=wl_share
To buy Helping Hands Boxes: www.theschenectadytradingcompany.com
See their Facebook page for more information and upcoming events.
Thank you for your support!
The StreetSoliders III Schenectady Team
Community Luncheon
There will be no Community Luncheon until further notice.
United Methodist Women
Still no gathering other than worship allowed at church therefore no UMW meetings are planned. Stay Well.
Prayer Chain
The Prayer chain has been revised! There will still be two lists. One list will remain as a phone call list. The second list will be for anyone who would like to receive the prayer request by text message. To activate the prayer chain, please call Mary Herrick (518-399-2113) or call/text Carolyn Koch (518-248-8138). Please contact Pastor Kristi (518-469-7764 or revklvp@yahoo.com) if you have the need for private prayer. If you are not already part of the prayer chain and would like to be included, please let me know. Thanks, Carolyn
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
On Hold:
Next Step Team
In October 2019, a team was established at Alplaus UMC after Amanda shared details about the 2019 General Conference during the Laity Service. This group has been meeting with other local congregations learning to prayerfully research, review, discuss and discover feelings surrounding the results from the General Conference decision where a partial version of the Traditional Plan was approved, by a vote of 438 to 384 (53.3 to 46.7 percent). Based on the General Conference results and the upcoming 2020 Conference vote, the Administration Council at Alplaus agreed to form a team to open a dialogue about the inclusion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ+) individuals within the life and ministries of our church. Through this dialogue, we seek to find an understanding of how we plan to welcome people now and in the future within our congregation. The team will be meeting in January to plan a congregation meeting where we can have an open discussion about this topic and answer questions that you may have regarding the upcoming proposals for 2020.
Yours in Christ,
Carolyn, Dick, Karen & Claudia
Confirmation Class - open to youth grade 6 and above - will start 9/8 at 9m. This class will be in place of regular Sunday School. Aiming for Confirmation on 5/31 (Pentecost). From umc.org: “Confirmation includes three aspects,” This Is Your Baptismal Liturgy summarizes. “a) God confirms the divine promise to those who were too young to grasp what God was doing in their baptism, b) they respond by professing their own acceptance of the grace they have received and their own faith in Christ, c) the Church, as represented by this congregation, confirms the commitments they make.” Confirmation is not a destination. It is more of a way station, a place where we renew our commitment to the journey we have been traveling under the care of others. “It is the first time that persons publicly declare their intention to live out the vows of the baptismal covenant,” Burton-Edwards teaches. “It is not intended to be the last time. It’s just that confirmation is the label we put on the first time.” It is also a time for a congregation to celebrate their young people’s commitment to “live as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ,” and to renew their commitment to do the same.
Sunday School News
The format of our class has changed this year since the girls are now older. We have started to incorporate some of the format used during the regular church service. For example, we are lighting a candle at the beginning of class to emulate what we do during church and have discussed the symbolism of light in the Christian faith. We are also sharing our joys and concerns with one another, and sometimes they also share them during the church service. The girls continue to be our acolytes during the church service which we are very grateful for. During the first month of class we read about various miracles Jesus performed and compared them among the 4 Gospel books. We started to explore the miracles in the Old Testament.