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Camping is more than just staying in a tent. It has a deep
cultural dimension. Human culture, especially western industrial
society, is driven by the profound fear of insecurity, temporality
and transience. We do our best to insulate ourselves from the
elements, from the surprises and hazards of nature and thus we
build our homes, our cities and our
infrastructures to cocoon ourselves.
Camping takes almost all our cultural pride (and if you want,
arrogance) away. In a tent we are only a thin fabric away from the
elements. In a tent we cannot ignore the fact that we are just a
part of the universe. This spring I was reminded of it in a very
profound way. We were hiking in Hawaii. The night caught us high on
the slopes of Mauna Loa, snow patches were all around us. We
pitched our little hiking tent right behind a rock shelter. Even in
mountaineering sleeping bags we were just about cozy. The tent
groaned and rattled all night under the strong wind, providing us
with a tenuous protection and only a short and
shallow sleep. And yet it was a most memorable vacation night
and also a very powerful spiritual experience. We were just a thin
fabric away from pinching cold, buffeting wind, bright night, crisp
Milky Way and the
world biggest active volcano!
Of course you do not need to climb high mountains to experience
this spiritual dimension of camping. In any tent, when you lie down
to sleep, you can hear every rustle of a leaf on a nearby tree, you
can hear a chipmunk scrambling about, and to an untrained ear it
often sounds like an elephant. In a tent one can hear even a beetle
climbing a stalk of nearby grass, not to mention buzzing, and
whistling of those thirsty mosquitoes - thankfully that they are
held at bay by the tent! The weather can turn nasty, and we can see
from beneath a drumbeat of rain and perhaps hail and feel every
gust of the wind. How thankful we are for that hair-thin insulation
from
the raging elements!
Continued on Page 2
Summer 2015 MISSION STATEMENT As followers of Jesus Christ, we
rejoice in Gods plan for a just, loving, and peaceful world, and we
commit ourselves to making it a reality for all people
everywhere.
July 11 at 7 p.m.
Film Showing
Holo Mai Pele: The epic hula myth 275 W. 96th St, #17D
July 15 at 6:30 p.m.
Initial Book Discussion
Encyclical letter Laudato Si 3rd floor Session Room
July 24 at 7 p.m Vocal Recital
Tenor, Oswaldo Iraheta and Friends Sanctuary
August 10 14; 17-21
Vacation Bible School
Contact [email protected] for more information.
Hiking and Camping in the Hawaiian Snow
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Camping is a marvelous experience; it is a perfect reminder that
we are part of nature. It is also a gentle reminder and
illustration of the insecurities and transiency of our lives. It is
indeed a profound spiritual experience and exercise. No wonder it
has been a part of our Judeo-Christian religion. Every autumn our
Jewish neighbors celebrate the holidays of Sukkoth. During that
holiday they are to stay for a week in tents or temporary booths -
something quite difficult to accomplish in an urban place like New
York City. Yet even in Manhattan it can be done. Around that time,
you can notice some strange structures on balconies, rooftops,
courtyards and around some synagogues.
The holiday of Sukkoth is a vivid reminder of the original
simplicity of life and the humble nomadic origins of
our faith.
Yes, of our faith! Because as Christians we share those same
origins. What is alive in Judaism was unfortunately all
but neglected and forgotten by the Church.
I do not think we should slavishly adopt the celebration of
Sukkoth, but consider this summer or any next appropriate time to
spend at least one night in tent. Especially for us city-dwellers,
it can be a transformative and deeply spiritual
experience.
Page 2 SUMMER 2015
What a year it has been! From the warm welcome of Homecoming
Sunday to the cotton candy and clowns of the Christmas party, from
the pancake goodness of Mardi Gras to the sweet and sentimental
Youth Sunday Service, things have been busy at Rutgers. Along the
way, Christian Ed has been there educating the children and youth
of the church about Christ, the Bible, and how faith affects our
lives. Some highlights have included:
Learning the parts of the Bible in Sunday School Bringing out
the songs in our hearts with our KidSing
program Volunteering, ice skating, and fellowshipping during
S.K.A.T.E. events Celebrating the birth of our savior with an
all-program
Christmas Pageant Learning about important figures and how their
lives
reinforce Bible lessons during Black History Month Lifting up
Lucy Dunn Ellis, Hayden Coudal Jones,
Michael Gilfillan, and several youth from Grandparents House
with Vera Roberts Junior and Senior Grants
As the summer approaches, Christian Ed shows no signs of
stopping! Although S.K.A.T.E. classes and events are on hold until
September, there is still Sunday School available each week for our
preschoolers and grade schoolers. The nursery continues to be open
for the wee ones of the church. Weve also got two great weeks of
Vacation Bible School happening from August 10th-August 21st. Plus,
were taking the summer to come up with some exciting surprises for
the next church year. I hope you take some time to join us. Its
going to be a blast!
Vacation Bible School 2015 August 10th 14th & August 17th
21st
Its time for art, action, and Vacation Bible School! Rutgers
Presbyterian Church invites children ages 4-11 to join us for a
week (or two) of playtime, fun time, and Bible time! This year,
well be exercising our bodies and our imaginations with the themes
Voila: Gods Artistic Playground and G-Force: Gods Love in Action.
Join us as we explore the Bible through transportation and exercise
as well as creative and artistic expression. It will be a time of
songs, scripture, games, crafts, and more. To register your child
for one or both weeks, please complete the VBS Registration Form
2015 and return it along with the weekly registration fees.
Remember: each child needs their own registration form submitted.
If there are any questions, please feel free to contract our
Director of Christian Education, Ashley Birt, at
[email protected] or (212) 877-8227, ext. 205.
Interested in teaching (ages 18+) or helping as our intern (ages
12-17)? Email Ashley for more information.
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As we begin this beautiful summertime, we are thankful for the
choir year that has recently ended. We would like to offer our
sincere thanks and gratitude to the members of the Rutgers Church
Choir for their dedication and gifts of inspiring music this past
year. In addition to our Sunday mornings, we are thankful for the
beautiful and inspiring music during the holidays, the many
wonderful recitals, cabarets, and most recently, the Opera Concert
in memory of Wellington Jones. We are blessed to be able to share
this ministry of music with such incredible people. During the
summer months we are grateful to several choir members who will
share their musical gifts as soloists with us.
This fall we will continue to build our Rutgers Concert Series
we have a wonderful offering of special music which we invite you
to be a part of. Please see our listing of upcoming concerts, and
stay tuned, as we add to these as well!!! Please save Friday night,
July 24th, for a special summer concert of Romantic Opera Music
featuring tenor Oswaldo Iraheta! The concert is free and open to
the public and will be held in the Sanctuary of Rutgers! It is a
sincere joy to be part of the Rutgers Church family and I wish you
a wonderful and restful summer!
Page 3 SUMMER 2015
June 16th Susan Poliacik
June 18th Amelia Suchanek
Sally Suchanek
June 23rd Ben Reggio
June 28th Cydney Johnson
June 29th Jack Bessonette
June 30th Benjamin Greer
July 6th Bill Donnell
Bill Falk
July 8th Rick Reece
July 16th Nancy Muirhead
July 29th Nathan Matthews
Lloyd Spencer
August 4th Ian Gale
August 9th Dave Taylor
August 22nd Isabelle Gale
Florence Solowianiuk Michael Wanko Theresa Santiago Harry
Thompson
Charles Amstein
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SUMMER 2015 Page 4
Our summer semester has been a busy one, featuring craft classes
filling our art studio to the brim, lots of charming and adorable
2-3 year-olds in our On My Own playgroup program, and new faces in
our adult wellness programs. Visits from children and teachers the
Bronx Early Learning Center in June were particularly memorable; it
was a real joy to help these youngsters use their imaginations and
express themselves through creative
storytelling and art.
Ready, Set, Go concluded a wonderful year, where children
learned about the world around them through hands-on play (for
example, see the Programs Facebook page for a video showing
children learning what a chain reaction is). And though we said
farewell to many of the children in the class this year, were
excited to welcome new friends to the summer session of Ready, Set,
Go,
which begins on July 6 and is filled to capacity.
Weve also launched our 2nd annual Operation Backpack Drive, and
invite all members of the Rutgers family to participate. Operation
Backpack collects school supplies and backpacks for children living
in homeless shelters; our goal is to donate 20 filled backpacks
this year. Our partners at Volunteers of America Greater New York
lead this worthy cause. We will collect backpacks until August 6.
Please stop by the Daniel Russell Room for information on how you
can help, or feel free to contact me at [email protected] or
212-877-8227, extension 212.
Lastly, were very pleased to announce that Rutgers will host a
new adult wellness class, Chair Yoga for Every Body, led by
Viniyoga therapist Lynn Crimando. Sponsored by Health Advocates for
Older People, this class includes seated and supported standing
yoga postures intended to preserve range of motion, increase
circulation, and promote healthy movement. The poses can all be
modified to individual joint and pain conditions. The class will
also include breathing exercises to build vitality, reduce stress
and elevate mood, and meditation for improved mental focus and
clarity and increased self-awareness. Chair Yoga for Every Body
will meet in the Fellowship Hall on Thursdays, 2-3pm, starting on
July 9, and is
free for Rutgers members to join.
Thank you, and enjoy your summer!
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SUMMER 2015 Page 5
The Rutgers Church CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) project
launched recently. The CSA was planned by a small committee
comprised of Gretchen Engler, Joy Wyatt, Valerie Spiller and
myself, along with a neighborhood resident Mike Fonseca who had
been active in a CSA on the east side before moving to the west
side. We had help from Just Food, a nonprofit that works with more
than 100 CSAs all across New York City. Session gave the project
its strong support and the Giving Network provided a grant to Just
Food to help them with
their work.
We had an outpouring of interest from church members, Community
Programs families past and present, and neighborhood residents. A
total of 69 persons bought shares for the 20 week season. Each
Tuesday evening we get an email from our farmer, Ben Shute of
Hearty Roots Farm in Germantown, about half an hour north of
Poughkeepsie, telling us what will be in our share bag the next
day. Our shares are sized a little more than half a regular share,
as requested by the majority of our shareowners who have small
households. Some of our
shareowners are sharing their share with a friend.
The truck arrives at church about 2:30 pm on Wednesday after
making other stops at CSAs in Brooklyn. Each CSA member takes a
turn during the season to help with the pick-up process, which
lasts from 4:30 7:30 pm each Wednesday in the church lobby. If
folks are going to be out of town, they can have family or friends
pick up their shares. Still, there will be some left-overs at the
end of the night; if it is a large volume of left-overs,
Laura Jervis is helping us arrange to donate them to a WSFSSH
facility that can put them to good use.
Were finding that some folks want to stop and chat a bit about
the veggies they prepared the previous week and their plans for the
coming week. And we always have a table full of flyers and info
about other church events. Its becoming a nice, small community of
church members and upper westsiders who are gathering together
around fresh food. In this spirit, it continues a long tradition at
Rutgers Presbyterian Church of building communities around food:
Ullas Thursday night meal service, Dermontes meals for the weekend
shelter
program, Cynthia Gales Gourmet Groups, etc.
One of our CSA members, Lila McDowell, kindly volunteered to
start a Facebook Group and so far about 30 of us have joined. Its
an online space where we can exchange recipes, cooking tips, and
related ideas. Well have a chance to visit Hearty Roots Farm in
September when they host a Fall Festival Day for their CSA
members from all over New York City.
We hope to add more members next year; if you have an interest,
drop me an email and Ill make sure
you get info when we are organizing the 2016 season.
Living in the shadow of Fairway, it is
hard to imagine that food can get any
fresher and tastier, but our CSA has
already shown that it can. Last week's
Japanese turnips were a surprise and
delight and I cannot wait to see what
unexpected treat is in the bag this week!
Joy Wyatt
I was there the first day that all those
greens arrived and were all
successfully claimed by westsiders: kale,
lettuce, turnips, etc. Plus strawberries
and eggs for some providing a
generous selection of healthy foods for
us to enjoy. Now I have to learn to
actually cook again and not depend on
my restaurant visits and my microwave.
Alice Hudson
The crew that grows our CSA food at Hearty Roots Farm
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SUMMER 2015 Page 6
Rutgers Presbyterian Church is bumping up its online
presence
There are now several different ways to find out about what is
going on at 236 West 73rd!! Please helps us spread the word to your
online network.. Follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, Share
our posts.
Below is a quick and easy tutorial on how to Share, Like and
Follow :-)
www.facebook.com/rutgerschurch
1. To find us on Facebook enter the above link or, if you
already have an account, in the search box from your Fa-cebook
homepage type Rutgers Presbyterian Church and we will pop up with
our new Logo. Go to our page
and the first thing you can do is click the Like button. Liking
our page or our posts is an easy way to let people know you enjoy
it without leaving a comment.
2. Next, if you see an event or any post that you find
interesting simply click the Share button at the bottom of that
post and it will post to your timeline where your Facebook friends
can see it. You even have the option to add a personal message.
3. If you need to set up a free Facebook account:
A. Open the Facebook homepage. You can only create one Facebook
account per email address. B. Enter in your information. On the
Facebook homepage, enter in your first name, last name, email
address, password, birthday, and gender. You must use your real
name for your account. Nicknames are allowed as long as they are a
variation on your real name (Jim instead of James, for example). C.
Click the "Sign Up" button. If all of your information is correct,
you will be sent a verification email to the address you
provided.
@rutgerschurchny With Twitter you can do fun things like follow
us or retweet our posts which is similar to sharing in Facebook. 1.
To find us on Twitter, if you already have an account, in the
search box type Rutgers Presbyterian Church and we
will pop up with our new logo. Go to our page and the first
thing you can do is click Follow . Following
2. someone means you will see their tweets in your personal
timeline.
3. Next if you see a tweet that you want to share with your
followers you can retweet it in two simple steps. At the bottom of
the post you see this symbol Click this symbol, then click retweet
and now your followers will see the post.
4. If you need to set up a free Twitter account:
A. Open the Twitter homepage www.twitter.com B. Click Join the
conversation C. Create a Username and Password. Add your email
address D. Start Connecting!!
Coping With Lifeby Joy Rose
There is no such thing as a life thats free
From care and pain and loss.
As we traverse this earthly sphere
We, too, must bear our cross.
The problems we encounter
From one day to the next,
Can truly overwhelm us
And leave us quite perplexed.
Then we will be free to work out our plans
For the problems that assail us,
Guided by the Masters hand-
For He will never fail us.
Be calm and steadfast, look ahead,
Dont capitulate to sorrow.
Ere long the mist will clear away
Leaving a bright tomorrow.
If only then we would wait awhile
Till the dark clouds disperse,
We would find the silver lining there
That we didnt see at first.
So when Despair comes knocking
Send Hope to answer the door,
Reinforced with courage, trust and faith
And the caller will leave, for sure.
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SUMMER 2015
Page 7
Books have been put away, pencils shoved into
desks, and there are no more teacher's dirty looks -- it's
summer time and Scouting at Rutgers is taking a brief rest
from weekly meetings. But that doesn't mean that the Scouts
won't be active. Boy Scouts are heading to Ten Mile River
Scout Camp to sharpen their skills and earn merit badges.
Also, August 1st and 2nd they will host a Scout
Troop from North Carolina on their way to Canada.
Hopefully the gym won't be too much like a sauna. The Cub
Scouts will be spending a night on the infield after viewing
a
Staten Island Yankees game, where they will be joined by the
Girl Scouts.
Other, more tentative plans, include zip lining, a visit
to the Intrepid, reworking our "tent" room, and community
service in the City Parks. As you can see from the pictures
here a very full program in September. KEEP COOL
On Wednesday, June 24th, Rutgers Presbyterian Church had the
honor of hosting the show Coming Out Mus-lim. Described on their
website as a show that captures sto-ries and experiences of being
at the intersections of Islam and queerness and its relationship to
family, lovers, ones sense of self and relationship with our faith,
Coming Out Muslim provided an evening of storytelling led by Wazina
and Terna, two queer Muslim women. Falling during both Ramadan and
Pride Month, it was a celebration of how our identities and our
faith intersect in beautiful and powerful ways. The sanctuary,
filled with people from our community and the New York com-munity
at large, became a lively and magnificent testimony to
the power of love, celebration, and interfaith work. After the
show, we held an Iftar, or break fast meal, for all who came as
well as opened a space up for prayer. It was a great time for all!
Looking towards the future, we hope to host more progressive
interfaith events in our space. As it says on our website, as
followers of Jesus Christ, we rejoice in God's plan for a just,
loving, and peaceful world and we commit ourselves to making it a
reality for ALL people everywhere. May we use these opportunities
for our church to live into this calling.
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236 West 73rd Street
New York, NY 10023
(212) 877-8227
www.rutgerschurch.org
www.facebook.com/rutgerschurch
@rutgerschurchny
Operation Backpack is Here!!
Help send children who live in homeless shelters back to school
with a new backpack full of supplies. Purchase one item or all
items. Any donations are appreciated. Drop off your supplies in the
designated boxes on the 4th floor or in the lobby until August
6th.
Feel free to invite friends to use our drop site.
For more information, visit www.voa.gny.org
