From
the Pastor's Desk: When
God interrupts your plans
They were sure that
this was God’s will. After praying and planning for months, the
leadership of the Bethlehem Community Church was convinced that they were
to purchase property on Delaware Avenue, the main drag of Delmar. The
congregational meeting to approve the purchase was expected to be
uneventful and the final step in this well thought out process. Instead,
the meeting exploded, revealing a deeply divided church. The momentum and
forward movement came to an abrupt halt. There would be no purchase. What
happened? Had they missed God’s will? If they prayed, planned and
trusted Him why did everything fall apart? Sometime later it became
obvious that the Lord had a different plan. Out of the blue, someone
donated acreage on Elm Ave. just down the street from where the new town
park would be built. Before this unexpected event that property was not
even considered because it was not for sale. The church built there and
prospered.
This story reminds me
of a similar event found in Acts 16. The apostle Paul had been sent out by
the church of Jerusalem on a mission to strengthen the early church plants
of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). As he finished this task he turned his
sights to the north to preach the gospel. However coming to the city of
Mysia he was stopped by the Holy Spirit dead in his tracts. The scripture
says "the Spirit did not permit them" to enter into the region
of Bithynia. What do we learn from this? Was Paul at fault? Had he missed
the calling of God? Was he being disobedient, acting out his own plans
instead of God’s? The verses surrounding this passage give no indication
that Paul had failed the Lord. In fact they show an immediate willingness
to respond to the Spirit’s direction. Paul stops and goes to Troas
instead. When the Lord speaks to him there telling him to go to Macedonia
he obeys.
What we learn from
this incident is that when a person is in fellowship with the Lord, God
may direct him into His will by closing doors. Finding a closed door while
you are in the process of attempting to discern and carry out His will is
not an indication you have failed Him. Sometimes we may be tempted to
think if we just lived close enough to the Lord He would always reveal His
will like the call to Macedonia, clear, direct and vivid. But this is not
so. As a person steps out in faith and begins to take steps of trust and
obedience God may well direct by closing what once seemed to be the next
most logical prayerful step.
If we have died to our
own preferences and surrendered to Him, if we have brought all under the
authority of His word, if we have moved with an on going prayerful
dependence upon Him, using wisely and faithful all the resources He has
entrusted to us we do not have to fear missing His will. Even our mistakes
and shortcoming will ultimately be used by Him to fully accomplish all His
purposes. "Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of
God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding
out!" Don't be afraid. You can trust Him. Just be ready to do what
ever He asks you to do.
Building
News: Finance Committee:
Our
Building Fund is over $75,000, increasing weekly with special donations
from both within the congregation and outside. In addition to this,
about $50,000 has been pledged over the next 2 1/2 years for a total
of $125,000. The cost of the entire project is estimated to be
between $360,000 and $400,000. We are exploring various ways of
financing and have spoken with a Christian lending institution as well as
two local banks and a Christian broker. More cash is needed to move ahead
at this point. We are praying for the Lord's guidance and provision
through the process. We are looking to Him to provide all that is
needed in His time and in a way that will bring honor and glory to Him
Building
Committee:
The
Building Committee will be meeting very soon to look at the architect’s
drawings obtained from J. Luk Construction Company. This company was
highly recommended to us over the summer by Ken Heckler, pastor
of Christ Community church and board member of the City Mission and
Mike Saccocio director of the City Mission. Both worked closely with John
Hodorowski, the owner of J.Luk Construction, during their recent
construction project. The Committee toured the new City Mission
building in October and, although the building was not comparable to
our project in size, we were impressed with the quality of the building.
Ray VanBuskirk and Celia Petronis have visited houses under
construction by J. Luk Construction. to see how the projects are conducted
and talk with builders and clients. John has prepared estimates and plans.
The building committee is working through these in order to present finished
plans and a final price to the congregation for approval.
Women's
Retreat was Great Fun !!!
The gang
In
October, the women of the Saratoga Chapel attended the Chapel’s 6th
annual (and
voted to be the ‘best ever’) women’s retreat
in Silver Bay, N.Y. Ginnie Winn was the keynote speaker and challenged all
of us to reach out when God gives us a nudge, however strange and unusual
the nudge might seem. She entertained us with stories from her life of
ways that God has blessed her over the years in many ways as she stepped
out and did this herself. Her message gave us many practical ways we can
be involved in responding to the Spirit’s leading. One particularly good
story was how she prepared a roast before services and then looked around
for a lonely person to invite home to dinner. She thought she got all the
way out of the church doors when, suddenly, she spied a man standing all
alone. She asked him if he’d like to come to dinner. He said “Yes, but
can I go tell my wife?” Ginny said “Sure” and then he asked if his
six children could come as well!
Oneida Bay
Cabins
The
weather was outstanding and all of the women had a relaxed, happy time,
eating great food, hiking, doing crafts and just hanging out. Ginnie was
able to minister in other ways from her life experience and a good time
was had by all. Changes in the retreat schedule and the intimate number of
the group made the retreat relaxing and enjoyable, strengthening
friendships and encouraging us toward a closer relationship with God. The
next retreat is scheduled for October 10 – 12, 2004 at Silver Bay.
Ladies, if you’ve never attended one of these retreats in the past, we
encourage you to set aside the dates and the $100 fee for next year.
Speaker is to be announced.
An “early
bird” at Silver Bay
What
are the Men Doing?
The men of Saratoga Chapel have been involved in
an exciting personal and group activity over the summer and fall months.
They have met on one Saturday a month together for breakfast and
fellowship and then fasted for dinner, coming back together for prayer
together. The first Saturday meetings were at Alan Strong’s house, then
Joel Landis tried his hand at breakfast, and then the November meeting,
scheduled for Saturday, November 22nd is back at Alan’s
house.
The men are continuing to pray for our country,
personal spiritual growth and spiritual growth within families and our
church body, God’s leading as we undertake our building project and
God’s leading as we interact with the community of Malta.
New
Ministries
1)
Home
of the Good Shepherd
Chris Lambertsen has
exciting news about a new ministry at a local assisted living community,
Home of the Good Shepherd at 26 Rockrose Way, Ballston Spa, NY. He is
looking for volunteers who will assist him in conducting services for the
20 residents. Chris writes, “Volunteering at nursing homes requires
sacrifices that will have to be made, such as giving time. Volunteers
should have a willingness to show love and compassion to the elderly. It
gets lonely for them and they look forward to having someone to talk to.
Those who give of their time to help these lovely people will receive
great blessings from the Lord.” Thanksgiving sunshine baskets including
the announcement of services, a tract and a little seasonal gift were
given to each resident prior to the Thanksgiving service.
Services so far have been held on
Nov. 15, 9:30 am to 10:30 am (10 residents out of 20 attended!)
Nov. 27, 9:30 am to 10:30 am (A
Thanksgiving special), Nov. 29, 9:30 am to 10: 30 am. Future
services will be held the 2nd and 4th Week of the
month.
How can you help?
We need people with good singing voices for special music, someone who
could conduct a Bible Study during the week, someone to plan and prepare
occasional ‘sunshine basket’ type of presentations for the 20
residents to cheer them up, volunteers to visit folks and people to help
with the services that are scheduled. If you are interested in helping,
talk to
Chris Lambertsen 235-6770
Alan Strong
899-5369
Earl Greanleaf
587-3534
1Cor.13
: 13, And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three;
but the greatest of these is charity. Charity is love in action
2)
The Travelling Trio:
What do
Saratoga, Coburg Village and selected homes in Malta have in common?
ANSWER: They have all been venues for the Saratoga Chapel ladies’ trio
to mix music with ministry. In late July Celia Petronis, Holly Noble and
Mara Shafts, dressed in Victorian attire and accompanied by Emily Hale on
her violin, presented a musical program of hymns, old Celtic tunes and
contemporary Christian music as part of the "Hats Off to
Saratoga" celebration. After performing at the Salvation Army
building they took their music to the streets, stopping to sing before
appreciative audiences at Ben & Jerry’s and Congress Park. These
creative ladies have also presented a Valentine program at Coburg Village
and delivered St. Patrick’s Day singing telegrams to some of Celia’s
seniors on her Meals on Wheels route. Currently the trio is practicing for
their next two adventures—singing telegrams for Christmas delivered to
some of Celia’s homebound meals-on-wheels clients and a musical program
for the December senior’s luncheon for residents of the Northway Estates
Mobile Home Park hosted by the Friday AM Bible study.
If you are excited about a ministry opportunity and want to share it
with the readership of the Chapel, please send your information to ludked@union.edu.
Family
News:
From time to time we have
exciting news from families in our congregation. We’ve received several
notes over the past month. We don’t mean to leave anybody out, so if you
have exciting news you think would be good to share with the readership of
the Chapel Talk, please send your notes to D. Ludke, editor, Chapel Talk,
10 Dawn Drive, Scotia, NY 12302 or email to me at ludked@union.edu.
We’ll put the news in as space permits.
From the
Kautzmann family:
“Steve Kautzmann, son of Dave
and Janet Kautzmann, and Kristy Matthews, daughter of Pam and Gary
Matthews were married on Friday,
July 11, 2003 at 3:00
in the afternoon in Snohomish, Washington.
The Lord blessed them with a beautiful sunny day for their outdoor wedding
at Lord Hill Farms overlooking the Cascade Mountains, with a number of east
coast friends and relatives attending. They went on an Alaskan
cruise for their honeymoon and currently live in Everett, WA. They
met at their church, Alderwood Community Church and Steve works for Boeing
in Everett, with Kristy working for Alderwood Companion Animal Hospital in
Lynwood. We praise God that Kristy is a Christian, comes from a
wonderful Christian family and we have had the opportunity to spend time
with her, her parents, grandparents and also meet others in her
extended family.”
From Carol Hale about several church weddings:
“Saturday, August 2, 2003 was hot and humid but it was a
day to be remembered and the culmination of 6 months of preparation for
this first in the Hale household. Amy Hale and Christopher Smith were
married at 1:00 PM at First Presbyterian Church in Schenectady and the
reception followed at East Glenville Community Church. A long time friend,
Rev. Dave Pollock, officiated during the ceremony, letting Jim Hale enjoy
his role as Dad. The day was one of celebrating with many family members
and friends from near and far.
Chris and Amy are currently living in Clifton Park near Exit
8. They plan to move out to Vancouver, British Columbia in August 2004 so
that Amy can begin her seminary studies at Regent College.
Todd Strong and Carrie Hood were married on August 23, 2003
in a lovely garden ceremony at the home of Carrie’s parents in
Southbury, CT. The ceremony was performed by Jim Hale. Carrie’s family
was originally from the UK and the wedding gave several of her relatives
the opportunity to come to the US for the first time. A good number from
the Albany, NY area made the 3 hour trip to join in the celebrations. Todd
and Carrie have recently moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan to begin new
employment opportunities, each in his own field of psychology.
Craig Mulyca (son of Bill and Peg Mulyca) and Genevieve
Reiman were married on September 1, 2003, at East Glenville Community
Church. Jim Hale performed the ceremony, and Peg Mulyca had the honor of
singing during the service. A reception for the families was held at Maple
Ski Ridge in Mariaville. The couple is now living in Duanesburg, NY.
From the
Greenleaf Family:
On June 28, 2003, Landon Joseph
Greenleaf was born in Winston Salem, NC. His birth weight was 8 pounds and
he was 20 inches long. Like his Mama, he has reddish brown hair. Landon
joins his sisters and brothers, Brittany, Samantha, Cory and Jacob, ages
15, 12, 10 and 5. They all attend Christian school, except Cory, who chose
to attend a brand new public school in their neighborhood. Ten days after
his birth, and one day after Grandpa Greenleaf sold White Bear Equipment
to STS Truck Equipment and Trailer Sales, Mama Diane and Papa Earl flew
down to North Carolina and spent a week with the family at their new home
in Welcome, NC. On Labor Day weekend, Diane and Earl and great grandma
Catherine Pityinger drove down to North Carolina and spent some time with
the family. While there, they were present for the dedication of Landon
and the baptism of Samantha at Lighthouse Baptist Church in Welcome, NC.
We praise and thank the Lord for the blessing of family.
From Keith and Harriet Wilson:
“ We arrived back in Ormond Beach, Fla., on Friday, Nov. 14th.
The trip went well in spite of lots of rain and fog the first two days. We
are at 1155 Ocean Shore Blvd., #706, Ormond Beach, Fla. 32176. Our phone
is 386-441-2842. We are getting settled in. Hope all is well with all of
you.”
Y
Y
Y
What
is Love
Y
Y
Y
During February,Valentine’s Day focuses us on the issue of LOVE. Here
are some answers to the age-old question, “WHAT IS
LOVE?” posed to a group of children by some professional people – see
if you agree:
Y
"When
my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her
toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even
when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." Rebecca - age 8
Y
When someone loves you, the
way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in
their mouth." Billy - age
4
Y
"Love is when a girl puts
on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell
each other. " Karl - age
5
Y
"Love is when you go out
to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them
give you any of theirs."
Chrissy - age 6
Y
"Love is what makes you
smile when you're tired." Terri
- age 4
Y
Love is when my mommy makes
coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make
sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7
Y
"Love is when you kiss
all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be
together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look
gross when they kiss" Emily -
age 8
Y
"Love is what's in the
room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen," Bobby - age 7
Y
If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who
you hate," Nikka - age 6
Y
"There are two kinds of
love. Our love. God's love. But God makes both kinds of them."Jenny
- age 8
Y
"Love is when you tell a
guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle
- age 7
Y
Love is like a little old woman and a
little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so
well." Tommy - age 6
Y
"During my piano recital,
I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me
and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I
wasn't scared anymore," Cindy -
age 8
Y
"My mommy loves me
more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at
night." Clare - age 6
Y
Love is when Mommy gives Daddy
the best piece of chicken." Elaine-age
5
Y
"Love is when Mommy sees
Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert
Redford." Chris
- age 7
Y
"Love is when your puppy
licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4
Y
"I know my older
sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out
and buy new ones. "Lauren - age
4
Y
"When you love
somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of
you." Karen - age 7
Y
"You really shouldn't
say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it
a lot. People forget," Jessica
- age 8
And
the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a
contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the
most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door
neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon
seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard,
climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked him what
he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just
helped him cry."
Y
John 3:16 God
loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that
everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die.
(Contemporary
English Version)
God
- ageless
Thanks be to God for his
Love Gift to us, Eternal Life through His Son, Jesus!
Happy Holidays from
Saratoga Chapel
