October 2022 Newsletter

 You crown the year with your good blessings,

and you leave abundance in your wake.

-Psalm 65:11

The evolution of a North Country farmer's market over the course of a growing season is very interesting. The third Wednesday in July this year, a man approached my booth and asked me where all the farmers are. I told him I had chickens for sale and the woman next to me had beef and pork, plus several others were offering jams, salsas, baked goods, and other farm goodies. "I meant the fresh fruits and vegetables," he quickly amended. There hadn't been much at the start of the day, and looking around, it was mostly sold out.

A few weeks later, it was mid-August and there were tables piled so high with produce, the vendors couldn't sell it all. They had faithfully tended their gardens all season and were now inundated with the results of their efforts.

Now, barely a month after those overstuffed table displays, farmer's market season is already over.

The growing season here is a short one, to say the least. While other parts of the country have one thing or another in season pretty much year-round, we had about a six week window this year to harvest most of the year's produce. 

Yet even with the constraints of our climate, the abundance of that harvest season cannot be denied. And while that shopper in July might not have seen it, the fact that vendors still had jars of food preserved from last year's harvest was evidence of just how far that abundance can reach.

When it comes to productivity, people are just as diverse as plants. Some people, in some conditions, properly cared and provided for, are steadily and reliably productive. Other people, in other conditions, properly cared and provided for, are massively productive for short, flourishing bursts whose output can last for a long time. 

It may look different from one person to the next, but God has sown the seeds of abundance in us all. What's left up to us is to provide the care and nurture needed for ourselves and others to flourish.

Blessings,

Pastor Shea

 For the first time in two years, Marion Medical Mission will be sending American volunteers to Africa to assist with this year’s goal of building 3450 shallow wells in Zambia, Malawi, and Tanzania. The program has been

continuing with all African workers for the last two years, and they made incredible progress, creating over 3100 wells. The volunteers are so excited to be returning to the field this year, bringing together many different kinds of people... the poor and the wealthy, Africans and Americans, college professors and the uneducated, black and white helpers all working together. This is God’s creation. This is an example of what is right in the world, this is what can happen when God’s people come together. The African village makes the bricks and provides sand and stone as needed. Marion Medical Mission provides what the villages cannot, the cement, a Mark V galvanized pump, PVC pipe and skilled African well builders. Last year, in four months, MMM wells covered 60,000 square miles of villages and gave over 315,000 of the extreme poor a sustainable source of safe drinking water, saving

thousands of lives, especially among the very young. "I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink."

 If you have walked into my office, I’m sure you’ve seen the chaos of papers all over my desk (and there’s a box under my desk that I have random papers in also), pens, markers, and highlighters all over, 3 empty vases that I haven’t put away, and several coffee mugs because I need caffeine to continue to function. And every week, someone asks me for information and then they watch me dig through my mess like a dog in a fresh pile of dirt. Things go flying, I’m grumbling because the last time I saw the information being asked for, isn’t where I thought it was, so now I must reset my brain and look into another pile of papers hoping that I put what I was looking for in there. And usually, I know where everything is in my mess. Occasionally, I get annoyed with myself and take a day to reset and clean my whole office. This is either a good thing or a bad thing when I get fed up and clean. Because my stack of chaos is all gone, so now I have to rip through folders hoping that it’s put away and not thrown away, and if I can’t find the folder that I know I put the information into, I start grumbling again at myself for cleaning up when I knew exactly where everything was when it was a pile on my desk, but I always find what I’m looking for. 

It’s said that we are created in Gods image. I really hope that God isn’t half as messy as I am. Which makes me wonder, when the weather gets bad, is this just Gods way of shuffling papers around in His office. Or maybe it’s the way the fall leaves scatter all over the place that is Gods way of showing everyone that being a bit messy isn’t terrible. Everything starts off with a bit of a mess, through any season. Spring is usually muddy, Summer is usually sweaty, Fall is usually a time where we close everything for the winter, and winter is beautiful when everything is covered in a blanket of untouched snow. God’s just shuffling a few more things around during the fall, and I’m still shuffling things around on my desk.

 On October 9, during the worship service, we will have our annual Blessing of the Animals. Please bring your "Church trained" (It's like house trained, but holier) animals, or pictures of ones who are a bit more active, to be blessed.  

 On November 6, which is All Saints Sunday, we will light candles in honor of those who have died since All Saints Day 2021. If there is a name you would like included in our remembrance, please let Tara know by November 2. 

 Food Pantry for this month is Thursday, Oct. 27th from 9:30 to 11: at the Hammond Fire Hall. Guests will be asked to stay in their cars and line up behind the Fire Hall. As the line moves up, please come to the back door to be signed in. The food will then be brought out to your car. The Food Sense program is the same day as Food Pantry, and is open to anyone, regardless of income. Food Stamps may be used for Food Sense

orders. Each month there is a Food Sense menu with a unit of food for $20.50 and specials at various prices. Foods include meat and fish, fresh produce, some canned goods and family meals. Food must be ordered and paid for ahead of time. This is a great way to stretch your food dollars. For further information, contact Joan Hadlock at 315/324-5517.

On Oct. 8th at 1:00 p.m. there will be a meeting for anyone with ideas for the quilt we are making in memory of Denice Pitcher. You do not have to know

how to quilt or sew., just come with design ideas from Denise’s 

If you can help with ushering at church, please let the Deacons know. This duty includes lighting and extinguishing the candles and taking the offering.

You certainly can enlist any help you need. Contact Joan H. or Linda S.

Do you enjoy a time of fellowship following morning worship? If so, please sign up to do a coffee hour. Refreshments can be very simple. Perhaps you

could ask a friend to assist.

 As most of you know, our administrative assistant, Tara has accepted the role of acting Stated Clerk in the Presbytery of Northern New York. We also know that Tara would NEVER leave our church. With that being said, the office hours have changed just slightly. Office hours are now Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 8:30am-11:30am and Tuesday 12:00pm-3:00pm. There is still a little adjusting in schedules, so please be patient. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tara in the office at (315) 324-5665 or email at hpc215@gmail.com and she will happily answer questions. 

 I'm not sure I can ever drink orange soda again.

August 14, HPC had our now-annual (it's happened twice!) youth summer games. While Tara, Jen, and I participated as a team last year to give the youth a chance to beat their leaders, Tara was out of town this year and we decided to have just our young people compete. 

So we did what any good youth leader would do. We made additions to the events that were things we wouldn't want to do, but we would be entertained by seeing others do them. Like wearing a shower cap covered in shaving cream while people throw cheese balls at you. Or having to balance a full cup of water on your head.

Then the day came and, wouldn't you know it? One team was missing one of its members. I didn't so much volunteer to fill the slot as I was voluntold.

To cut a long story short, that's how I wound up drenched, sticky, and working with two other youth to try and drink a pitcher of ambient temperature orange soda as quickly as possible. Have you ever tasted orange soda that's been warmed to about 90°? I don't recommend it. I certainly don't recommend drinking two large glasses of it in under a minute. But if you're going to, make sure you do it faster than I did. Because the only thing worse than chugging hot orange soda in order to win a race is finishing and discovering you didn't win.

It was horrible.

I never want to do it again.

So, naturally, I'm already considering ways to make it even worse next year.

Happy summer, everyone!

Blessings,

Pastor Shea

Having a big sale, on-site celebrity, or other event? Be sure to announce it so everybody knows and gets excited about it. 

Our special mission this month is Renewal House on Chapel St. in Canton. The telephone number is 315/379-9845.Their Mission Statement is as follows: "To respond immediately to the needs of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in St. Lawrence County through services which empower

victims and increase community awareness". They will provide a safe and confidential place for emergency, temporary shelter while advocates assist victims in exploring options. Renewal House is an important community

resource which assists many people in times of extreme emergency.

Many thanks to all who have contributed to the Hammond Food Pantry. This important work continues as we serve more families each month. Joan Hadlock

I never sound good when I lose my voice and usually that happens when I have a cold or when I’ve had a little bit too much fun. Last weekend, I attended my brother-in-law's wedding (I have lost my voice from too much fun, while Pastor Shea was drinking warm orange soda.) He had asked my husband, daughter and myself to be in the wedding party. My husband and I were dashing groomsmen, and my daughter was the cutest flower girl to walk down the aisle. Now, as many of you know, my husband is Canadian, which means all of his family is too, so this event was both a wedding and family reunion for me, since I haven’t seen many of the aunts, uncles, and cousins in over 3 years. Many tears of joy were shed, many sides were split from laughing, but mostly at the reception, everyone felt love. Love for one another, love for the new bride and groom, the room was bursting with the feeling of love.

1 John 4:19 says “We love because He first loved us.” That feeling of love bursting out of the reception hall felt like God’s love for everyone coming together. You can feel the energy that God used to bring two people happily together between my new sister-in-law and brother-in-law anytime they would hug or kiss. If God loves us the way my brother and sister-in-law love each other, I think it is safe to say no matter what happens we will always be forever loved. 

 We will be having a Lasagna Dinner on Thursday, September 22, from 4-6pm. This will be an Eat-in or Take-out dinner. Our menu is: Lasagna, Dinner roll, Tossed Salad and Dessert. Adults are $15 and children are $7.50. Pre-orders are not required. If you have any questions, please contact Tara in the office at (315)324-5665. 

The next Hammond Food Pantry will be Thursday. Sept. 22nd, from 9:30 to 11:00 at the Hammond Fire Hall. Everyone is asked to line up behind the Fire Hall and in turn, sign in and the food will be brought out by the volunteers.

Food Sense program is the same day at noon or after. Food Sense has no income requirements. A monthly listing of the food is available and orders must be submitted and paid for ahead of time. Anyone interested in either program may contact Joan Hadlock at (315)324-5517.

 Since September is the start of the school year and September 8 World Literacy Day, we decided to highlight M.E.L.T. ( Malawi Early Literacy Team ). It is an ecumenical mission project of Watertown Presbyterian church that provides teachers of northern  Malawi 4 key services: early literacy publications, teacher training, teaching materials and a Land Cruiser that acts as a Mobile Library to transport materials to classrooms.
Heather White, the leader of the project says that literacy is the backbone of a community and how literate your community is shows the success of a community. ME.L.T helps make this happen in the areas they serve.
This August some of the members of the team were able to return to Malawi. I am sure there will be many stories and videos to share.
On Sunday September 18 there will be more information about this amazing  project. If you wish to donate to support this project, there will be envelopes at the back of the church. Checks can be made payable to First Presbyterian Church Watertown with MELT on the memo line or donations can be made through the MELT  website. 

 The third installment of Immerse will begin gathering on September 11, and continue through October 30. Prophets is a reading Bible volume which works through the writings of the major and minor prophets. This eight week unit takes a fast paced, book club style approach to Scripture, and invites participants to approach the text as readers, not scholars. Adults are invited to gather in the Pastor's Study at 2 PM, while youth will meet at 5:30 in the youth room. Books are available in the pastor's office. 

 If anyone has an old leaf blower that they have no use for and want to get rid of, please contact Tara in the office at (315) 324-5665. The Church could use one. Thank you so much. 

 "If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it. If a[f] member is honored, all rejoice with it."

1 Cor 12:26

"Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ"

Galatians 6:2

A couple weeks ago, I rented a trenching machine to run water out to the new barn. If you've never seen one before, it's basically a giant chainsaw that cuts through the ground instead of wood, with an auger on the side to keep the dirt from falling back in the trench. According to the manufacturer of the trencher, it could cut a two foot deep trench the length I needed in just 40 minutes in "ideal soil conditions," whatever that means. Since my trench had to be four feet deep, and my heavy clay soil is probably not ideal, I figured I'd estimate high and say it would take us three hours. With my dad and brother-in-law helping out, we'd start at 9 AM, each spend about an hour running the machine, and call it quits at lunch time.

Pretty soon, we discovered the auger wasn't pushing the dirt out of the way, so one of us had to rake it back as it came out of the ground.

A short while later, we realized more dirt was obstructing the path of the machine, so another person had to shovel that out of the way.

At the three hour mark, having gone only 50 feet, we decided the rental place hadn't tightened the chain, which was impeding our progress.

Ten hours in, with the end nearly in sight, it started to rain. hard.

A little after eight o'clock, we finally finished our "half day job." The trench got done at almost exactly the same time as the rain stopped.

The job got done, and I suppose someone could wax eloquent about perseverance, triumph in the face of adversity, and all that sort of thing. But what really sticks out to me from that day is the despairing laughter we shared about twenty minutes into the storm, when the rain was no longer refreshing and the reality of shoveling wet clay in soaked clothes had set in. 

We were all miserable. It was not a good day. Yet we laughed. I'm sure if I'd been alone out there, laughing would've been the furthest thing from my mind. Something about sharing in the difficulty with other people made it possible.

You could use Paul's phrasing of "carry one another's burdens." You could recite the old adage that "misery loves company." However you choose to phrase it, though, that day reminded me that struggling is more bearable when you don't have to do it alone.

Blessings,

Pastor Shea

Our mission for this month has been the Hammond Food Pantry. Our Food Pantry was established years ago by Howard and Alma Persons, at first using their own money to purchase food. Food storage was a problem until the present Food Pantry building was built. The building now has 6 freezers and two large refrigerators. Before Covid hit, we had the clients come into the Fire Hall and go down the line to receive their food. Now we ask everyone to stay in their cars behind the Fire Hall, and at their turn, sign in and the food is brought out by volunteers.

Hammond Food Pantry is held once a month and our numbers have never been higher. The last few months have been near 100 families from the Hammond area, Brier Hill, Morristown and out from there in every direction. I order food on line from the Food Bank of Central NY in Syracuse..This month I spent around $3000.00 for the food, which is then delivered by tractor trailer to our site. Several from our church have been helping as volunteers, including Pastor Shea who helps the day before Food Pantry setting up food on the tables. Our church provides $100.00 per month for the Food Pantry. We also have a few other monthly donors. But you can see from our numbers and our monthly payments, we are in constant need of backing. At our recent Ice Cream Social put on by the Deacons,, we raised over $175.00 in funding and had a nice box of food donations. Thanks to all who participated and helped support this important work.

We are always in need of volunteers to help fill the bags before the food is distributed. We begin about 8:30 a.m. and continue until the last customer has come through. Anyone interested in helping may come to the Fire Hall, this month on Aug. 25th. We certainly would appreciate any help you can give. Joan Hadlock (315) 324-5517

A couple days ago, I just celebrated my six year anniversary with working at the church. Six years ago, I walked into my office, looked around at all the chaos, and proceeded to settle in just nicely. I started to organize everything so I could find it easily, I got my kids comfortable with toys, snacks, and other comforts from home, and I got my church family comfortable with knowing that anything they threw at me (and some of you guys have thrown some crazy chaos my way) I was always there to help. We've all had some good times, we've all had some bad times, but we all stuck together through everything. These past couple of years has been so crazy for me, but I've really learned that it doesn't matter how crazy it is, if I need someone, I know I can count on my church family to be there. I've laughed so hard in my office some days where my tummy hurts, and I've cried on so many shoulders in my office. I've listened to a lot of drama in my office, and I've listened to a lot of music in my office. I've celebrated holidays and promotions, in my office, and I've worried about the world in my office. My office is my home away from home, and I am so blessed to be able to come into work every day and feel comfortable and happy with my life.

I always picture God going into an office every morning to starts His day. When He turns on the lights, is it the sun rising for us? When He opens His computer, is He reading the prayers we have been sending Him and filing them under categories of what's important and what can wait? Does He have a box of tissues on His desk for those really hard days, or a bag of chips hiding in His desk drawer for those days that He just wants to sit back, watch, and chuckle as my friend and I go out to see Elvis and then drive home singing "suspicious minds" and all the other great Elvis classics. Either way, they say if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. I hope God is as lucky as I am to be able to say that these past six years might have been a little bit of work, but mostly lots of love. I look forward to many more years of love in my office.te about. Usually, I aim for the comical part of my life, because if you can’t laugh at yourself, you become a very sour person. Lately, it’s been a different kind of disaster that I’ve been dealing with (see picture above). One of those things where, you show up, see the chaos, and the only emotion you have is to cry. After a good cry, it’s amazing how quickly you start grasping for anything to make you happy. You start telling yourself, “It could have been so much worse.” or “At least no one was hurt.” It’s like I’m trying to grasp at the air around me to breath, because I want to be positive, I want to be upbeat, but I had a punch to my gut that has left me gasping. Once that feeling goes away and I start feeling better, I quickly try to look at the funny side of things. I want to laugh; I want other people to laugh, because “things could be so much worse”. I’m trying my best to deal with things that are out of my control. So that’s the stage that I’m at right now. I have a long road of chaos ahead of me, and I’m ready for it. We are told that God only gives you what you can handle. There are times when I would like to say to God, “Hey I really don’t appreciate this extra chaos that you’ve given me, so knock it off.”, but He does these things for a reason. Maybe I needed to take a step back in life and look at the bigger picture around me. Look at how people have gathered to help me. All these people are people that God has brought into my life. Maybe it’s to make me a stronger person. This is one of those stories where; when you’re ready to talk about it to others; you always end up saying “God had His hand in this.” And as long as I know that, it makes it easier to deal with the things that are out of my control. 

 Our church family is invited to celebrate Kennon's graduation on August 20th at 2pm.  It will be at our home at 884 County Rd 3, Redwood (Rossie), NY 13679.  You can RSVP to Jen at JenGardner1@gmail.com or 315-528-7303.  Hope to see you there! 

The next Hammond Food Pantry will be Thursday. Aug. 25th, from 9:30 top 11:00 at the Hammond Fire Hall. Everyone is asked to line up behind the Fire Hall and in turn, sign in and the food will be brought out by the volunteers. Food Sense program is the same day at noon or after. Food Sense has no income requirements. A monthly listing of the food is available and orders must be submitted and paid for ahead of time. Anyone interested in either program may contact Joan Hadlock at (315)324-5517.

Session decided to include Renewal House  in our mission support as a church because of the important role it plays in the North Country. Renewal House in Canton is for victims of family violence and is the only domestic violence agency in  Saint Lawrence County. They run a 24 hour crisis line and provide temporary shelter for domestic violence victims. It operates a 9 bed safe dwelling in Canton and up to a 15 site safe-home network. A few of the many services offered are crisis counseling/ intervention, children/ youth programs, transportation, information and referrals.
On August 21, Jackie Washburn will talk about the work of Renewal House, its needs,   her role at this important service and how we can be of most help. There will be envelopes available for anyone who wishes to donate to Renewal House.

Another Ice Cream Social will be held after service on Aug. 7th. Hope everyone will plan to be there.

  On Thursday August 18th at 7pm in the Hammond Presbyterian Church, Steve Goobic is excited to be sharing his experiences, through stories and pictures, of his two month adventure hiking the wilderness through deserts and mountain forests from Phoenix to Albuquerque. The ruggedness and remoteness of this amazingly varied landscape leant itself to a wonderful adventure through some amazing territory. This was definitely a journey not for the faint of heart. 

Hammond Presbyterian Church will be having their Famous Friday Fish Fry on August 5th. Pre-Order Pick-Ups will be from 4pm-5pm. To Pre-Order your meal, please call or text (315) 514-9233 (anytime) with your name, phone number and how many dinners you would like, and someone will contact you with a time slot, so you can have a nice hot meal ready. This dinner is TAKE OUT ONLY!!

Menu Includes:
Fish (with homemade tartar sauce), Salt Potatoes, Cole Slaw, and Dessert

Adult meals: $15
Kids meals: $7.50

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tara at the phone number above.

In commemoration of the church’s 200thAnniversary, a memorial monument is planned to recognize the seventeen original founding members of the Presbyterian Church of Rossie, now known as Hammond Presbyterian Church. The founders started the church in April, 1821.

The monument will be located in front of the church where anyone passing by will be able to read the founders’ names.

This monument project will be fully funded by donations. All gifts are greatly appreciated!

Checks may be made out and sent to “Hammond Presbyterian Church” with Monument Fund noted in the memo. PO Box 193, Hammond, NY 13646.

The picture included here is a rough draft idea of what the monument will be.  

Hammond Presbyterian Church will be having ANOTHER Famous Friday Fish Fry on August 26th. Pre-Order Pick-Ups will be from 4pm-6pm. To Pre-Order your meal, please call or text (315) 514-9233 (anytime) with your name, phone number and how many dinners you would like, and someone will contact you with a time slot, so you can have a nice hot meal ready. This dinner is TAKE OUT ONLY!!

Menu Includes:
Fish (with homemade tartar sauce), Corn on the Cob, Cole Slaw, and Dessert

Adult meals: $15
Kids meals: $7.50

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tara at the phone number above.

 “Back by popular demand” Liz Scarlett will offer chair yoga classes for 4 Tuesdays in August: August 9,16,23 and 30 at 10 am in the pavilion next to the Hammond Presbyterian Church. The charge is by donation which will be a contribution to the church. We will read poetry, do gentle chair yoga, guided imagery, breath work, mindfulness and movement to music. Spread the word. Let interested people know. 

Commit your work to the Lord, and it will succeed

-Proverbs 16:3

My daughter brought me a bouquet of flowers recently and informed me she'd picked it herself. I told her I was very grateful for the thoughtful gift, and encouraged her to find something to put them in, which she happily scampered off to do. 

As most parents can likely guess, the flowers in question were dandelions. Commonplace, invasive, difficult to get rid of, "weeds." But she didn't see them that way. She saw beauty. And she offered that beauty to me as a gift. Normally I'd try to write some profound reflection about this gift, how it made me feel, and the spiritual lesson to be found therein, but I'm not going to do that this month. Because someone else already has. So I'm just going to share it instead. Here are the lyrics to "Dandelions" by Five Iron Frenzy.

In a field of yellow flowers underneath the sun,

Bluest eyes that spark with lightning, boy with shoes undone.

He is young, so full of hope, reveling in tiny dreams,

Filling up his arms with flowers, right for giving any queen.

Running to her, beaming bright, while cradling his prize.

A flickering of yellow light within his mother's eyes.

She holds them to her heart, keeping them where they'll be safe,

clasped within her very marrow, dandelions in a vase.

She sees love where anyone else would see weeds.

All hope is found, here is everything he needs.

Fathomless, your endless mercy, weight I could not lift.

Where do I fit in this puzzle, what good are these gifts?

Not a martyr or a saint, scarcely can I struggle through,

All that I have ever wanted was to give my best to you.

Lord search my heart, create in me something clean.

Dandelions; you see flowers in these weeds.

Gently lifting hands to heaven. Softened by the sweetest hush.

A father sings over his children loving them so very much.

More than words could warrant, deeper than the darkest blue.

More than sacrifice could merit, Lord I give my heart to you.

Lord search my heart, create in me something clean.

Dandelions; you see flowers in these weeds.

Blessings,

Pastor Shea

 Shallow Wells are being built in Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia, even as the Covid crisis has prevented American volunteers from traveling to these countries. To build a well, the African village makes the bricks and provides the sand, stone and unskilled labor.  Marion Medical Mission provides only what the village cannot, such as cement, Mark V galvanized steel pump, PVC pipe and skilled African well builders. Once the well is built, the village agrees to maintain the clean water source over the years. Marion Medical Mission’s accomplishments are astounding.  Together with the Africans, they have built 42,205 wells in these three countries, providing an estimated 5 million people with a sustainable source of safe drinking water.  In one year, they build over 3000 wells covering over 60,000 square miles, providing 396,500 people, (237,000 children) with the safe water. The Well program is made up of dedicated, capable, passionate people.  They always say, “When we pray, we move our feet.” 

 I have had so much go on in these last few weeks; it’s been hard to pick one topic that I want to write about. Usually, I aim for the comical part of my life, because if you can’t laugh at yourself, you become a very sour person. Lately, it’s been a different kind of disaster that I’ve been dealing with (see picture above). One of those things where, you show up, see the chaos, and the only emotion you have is to cry. After a good cry, it’s amazing how quickly you start grasping for anything to make you happy. You start telling yourself, “It could have been so much worse.” or “At least no one was hurt.” It’s like I’m trying to grasp at the air around me to breath, because I want to be positive, I want to be upbeat, but I had a punch to my gut that has left me gasping. Once that feeling goes away and I start feeling better, I quickly try to look at the funny side of things. I want to laugh; I want other people to laugh, because “things could be so much worse”. I’m trying my best to deal with things that are out of my control. So that’s the stage that I’m at right now. I have a long road of chaos ahead of me, and I’m ready for it. We are told that God only gives you what you can handle. There are times when I would like to say to God, “Hey I really don’t appreciate this extra chaos that you’ve given me, so knock it off.”, but He does these things for a reason. Maybe I needed to take a step back in life and look at the bigger picture around me. Look at how people have gathered to help me. All these people are people that God has brought into my life. Maybe it’s to make me a stronger person. This is one of those stories where; when you’re ready to talk about it to others; you always end up saying “God had His hand in this.” And as long as I know that, it makes it easier to deal with the things that are out of my control. 

 Our church family is invited to celebrate Kennon's graduation on August 20th at 2pm.  It will be at our home at 884 County Rd 3, Redwood (Rossie), NY 13679.  You can RSVP to Jen at JenGardner1@gmail.com or 315-528-7303.  Hope to see you there! 

 The next Hammond Food Pantry will be Thursday. July 28th, from 9:30 top 11:00 at the Hammond Fire Hall. Everyone is asked to line up behind the Fire Hall and in turn, sign in and the food will be brought out by the volunteers. Food Sense program is the same day at noon or after. Food Sense has no income requirements. A monthly listing of the food is available and orders must be submitted and paid for ahead of time.  Anyone interested in either program may contact Joan Hadlock at (315)324-5517. 

 In July we continue our coverage of Mission Support Opportunities for 2022 with a very close to home opportunity: The Hammond Food Pantry. It serves 90 families mostly from the Hammond, Morristown, and Rossie areas. Our church community and local people have consistently supported this organization, but with rising costs, donations would be greatly appreciated and put to good use. During our July 17 worship service Joan Hadlock will highlight this program and the good work it does. There will be envelopes available for donations. July 28 is the next food distribution at the Hammond Fire Hall.  

 Community Ice Cream social open to EVERYONE!!! Sunday, July 24th from 12pm-3pm at the Hammond Presbyterian Church. Please bring a donation for the food pantry, monetary or non-perishable items 

Come One, Come All to the Hammond Presbyterian Church Yard Sale on Saturday July 9

On Sat., July 9 (the date of the town-wide yard sale), there will be a yard sale at Hammond Presbyterian Church 8 AM-1 PM. Please come and check it out. You never know what treasures you may come across. 

If you want to sell your items at the sale, please contact Anne at (315)324-5485 or email thegasguys527@gmail.com soon for details and to reserve a spot. All sale items remaining at the end of the day will be taken home by the seller. There will be no fee for hosting your sale at the church, but monetary donations will be accepted if you wish to offer.

Hammond Presbyterian Church will be having their Famous Friday Fish Fry on August 5th. Pre-Order Pick-Ups will be from 4pm-5pm. To Pre-Order your meal, please call or text (315) 514-9233 (anytime) with your name, phone number and how many dinners you would like, and someone will contact you with a time slot, so you can have a nice hot meal ready. This dinner is TAKE OUT ONLY!!

Menu Includes:
Fish (with homemade tartar sauce), Salt Potatoes, Cole Slaw, and Dessert

Adult meals: $15
Kids meals: $7.50

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Tara at the phone number above.

In commemoration of the church’s 200thAnniversary, a memorial monument is planned to recognize the seventeen original founding members of the Presbyterian Church of Rossie, now known as Hammond Presbyterian Church. The founders started the church in April, 1821.

The monument will be located in front of the church where anyone passing by will be able to read the founders’ names.

This monument project will be fully funded by donations. All gifts are greatly appreciated!

Checks may be made out and sent to “Hammond Presbyterian Church” with Monument Fund noted in the memo. PO Box 193, Hammond, NY 13646.

The picture included here is a rough draft idea of what the monument will be.  

" the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people,"

-1 Samuel 13:14b

In a recent Bible study on 1 and 2 Samuel, one of the participants raised something that had startled her to discover. "I didn't realize King David was such a complex character," she mused. Several other people in the room agreed, remarking that the David they'd learned about in Sunday School and church services was an exceptionally good man who made a single regretful mistake. The David of Scripture, meanwhile, has plenty of flaws and shortcomings and mistakes. Yet he's still celebrated as a good man, a good king, and even "a man after [God's] own heart."

This led the group to consider the way we remember historical figures. If we think of them as "good," we scrub away all their flaws, foibles, and missteps until what we have left is a near-perfect hero. If they're "bad," we focus solely on their negative traits until a villainous caricature emerges. We do this not only with biblical characters, but kings and presidents, rebels and dissidents, religious leaders and artists, and even the members of our own families. We decide whether someone was good or bad, then emphasize the parts of their life which fit that predetermined narrative.

While it might seem like we're honoring our heroes by celebrating their good traits, I think it might actually work against us. If David was a great, near-perfect hero, then you or I can never measure up to him. We can never hope to be called people after God's own heart. All we can do is sit back in awe of his legendary greatness.

If, on the other hand, we can accept the entirety of how David is portrayed in Scripture - taking his foibles, flaws, and mistakes alongside his goodness, faith, and devotion - then suddenly he looks a lot more human. A lot more like us. 

So if, in his flawed humanity, David could strive to pattern his life after the heart of God, then maybe you and I can too. We will certainly fall short, err, and otherwise fail to live up to the ideals we profess. But we can profess them anyway, do our best to meet them, and trust God can make something good from our efforts. I think it's at least worth a try.

Blessings,

Pastor Shea 

 We were all anxious for Fellowship/Coffee Hour to start up again.  Now is your chance to take part.  Please sign up to host one Sunday. The refreshments can be very simple, just enough for us to snack on and visit with one another.  The Deacons  

Our mission co-worker in West Africa, Josh Heikkila writes about the following: Some time ago, the community of Saboba in Northern Ghana asked how the church could help them with community development. Area rice farmers were having to sell their rice at low prices to a middle man. It was decided that if the PC USA could provide funds to purchase a miller and grinder for the rice, the church could provide electricity and use the garage at the manse to house the equipment. In 2019, $6000.00 was provided to purchase the necessary macninery and by spring 2020, everyth8ing was up and running. Now the farmers, mostly women, can bring their rice directly for milling and grain grinding services before selling. The operation also employs several church members to run the facility and the church makes a small profit at the same time

to help with maintenance and upkeep of the operation. This project truly shows the church working the community to help meet an important need for the local people. The Saboba church

and community have put together a committee to oversee the operation and plan for the future.

This month Hammond Food Pantry will be held Thursday, May 26 at the Hammond Fire Hall from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. Cars will line up at the back of the Fire Hall and move up and income eligible clients will sign in at the back door. Food will be brought out to your car by volunteers. The same day, the Hammond Food Sense program will be held starting at noon. Food Sense is separate from Food Pantry and has no income requirements. Food Sense must be ordered and paid for ahead of time. A monthly Food Sense menu has a set unit of food, with meats, produce, family meals for $20.50, and several specials which can be ordered separately. Food Sense is a good value for the money. For information on Food Pantry or Food Sense, contact Joan Hadlock at (315) 324-5517.  

HAMMOND FOOD PANTRY

The next Hammond Food Pantry will be Thursday, June 23rdfrom 9:30 top 11:00 at the Hammond Fire Hall. Everyone is asked to line up behind the Fire Hall and in turn, sign in and the food will be brought out by the volunteers. Food Sense program is the same day at noon or after. Food Sense has no income requirements. A monthly listing of the food is available and orders must be submitted and paid for ahead of time. Anyone interested in either program may contact Joan Hadlock at (315)324-5517.

 The other day, my husband and I were driving down the road and I see a lump trying to cross the road as fast as possible and I quickly say to my husband, “Pull over, that’s a turtle.” My husband stops about a foot from the turtle and the poor guy saw his end coming because he just pulled everything into his shell and you can practically hear him praying to the turtle gods not to become road kill. Also, I am the one who always suggest that we stop to move the turtles, but once the car is in park, I look on lovingly to my husband to get out of the car and help the poor turtle on its way. Not today. I hopped out of the car and ran up to the little fella, realized my mistake and started to bargain with it. “Please don’t try to bite me or go potty on me while I move you, and I promise I will get you closer to your destination.” So I quickly picked up the turtle, brought him over to the side of the road, ran back to the car triumphantly and then remember what my husband does and say, “Do you want me to bring him over to you so you can see him? He’s a big guy.” (This is also why I begged the turtle not to go potty on me, because usually when my husband picks them up to move them, he always brings the turtle to the car for everyone to see and gets pottied on.) My husband told me that it was okay and to get back in the car and I was proud of the good deed I had done. And isn’t that mainly what Jesus told us all to do, to love each other as I have loved you. Maybe that’s why after doing a good deed, whether it’s something small or something big, you feel really good about it. And maybe when these opportunities present themselves, it God making sure that you don’t just drive past the poor little turtle on the road, but that you stop, and help and do as His Son has taught us to do and that’s why we feel so good. And it doesn’t have to be just helping a turtle cross the road. It could be the person in the store that can’t reach the item on the top shelf that you can, or when someone pays for your coffee in front of you at the coffee shop. It’s those little good deeds that God has placed before us to follow what Jesus has said. 

In our continuing coverage of PNNY Mission Support Opportunities for 2022, we focus in June on a church and community program: The Canton Second Chance Thrift Store and Food Pantry located at 30 Court St in Canton, NY. This organization also oversees The Richard Morrow Emergency Fund, The Giving Tree and The Back to School Program to help North Country residents with economic needs. Detailed information is on their website at www.ccpcanton.org. If you wish to support this group, donations can be sent to Church and Community, PO Box 55, Canton, NY 13617. This organization will be highlighted on June 19 and there will be envelopes available for donations during the offertory.