Newsletter

And I pray this, that your love may abound even more and more in knowledge and every kind of insight so that you can decide what is best, and thus be sincere and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God.

-Philippians 1:9-11

On Saturday, there were six roughly equal size sections of butcher block sitting on the table in my workshop, awaiting their final assembly into the island for my wife's bakery. Yesterday, I glued two of the pieces up and clamped them together. This morning when I removed the clamps, about half of the seam immediately separated.

I know It's possible to fix this problem, and chances are good I have the tools to do it. But as I was attempting to diagnose the issue this morning, it struck me how much of woodworking is fixing things I used to not even know needed fixing. 

When I first started building things with two by fours and plywood, I thought of the process as simple: You cut pieces of wood to certain dimensions, assemble them into the desired shape, sand the whole thing smooth, and maybe paint or stain it. Nobody was impressed with the things I built back then, but they did their job just fine.

Now I make things I'm proud to show off, and people like enough that sometimes they want to pay me to make them one. The difference is not that I've gotten any better at cutting and assembling pieces of wood. That part's pretty much the same as it ever was. I think the main difference is that after the pieces are put together, I go over the whole project and identify all the minor flaws and errors and correct them. I fill in tiny voids and cracks. I go over the whole thing with a straightedge and a level and eliminate any high spots or dips. I sand, and sand, and sand some more until the whole project is smooth to the touch, then spend several days oiling and varnishing.

(Reading that last paragraph back to myself, it's no wonder my daughter's first bed took me two hours to build and her second took closer to eighty.)

To me, being a Christian is a lot like being a woodworker, and not just because in both cases you familiarize yourself with the words of famous carpenters. It's very easy to grasp the basics - so easy, in fact, that we teach them to very young children, who expect to understand and adhere to them. But the more we practice, the more detailed and nuanced our understanding becomes. And with that comes the ability to make corrections we didn't even know were necessary before, becoming ever more loving and insightful as we grow.

Blessings,

Pastor Shea

The next Hammond Food Pantry will be Thursday, Nov.

16th, between 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. All eligible clients are asked to stay in their cars and line up behind the Hammond Fire Hall. When it becomes their turn, they will come to the back door to register and the food will be brought out by the volunteers. The Food Sense program has no income guidelines and is held the same day, after noon. Food Sense clients must order and pay for their orders ahead of time and come to pick up their orders at the Fire Hall. Many thanks to all of you who donated to the Hammond Food Pantry. We are hoping to provide Food Pantry families with gift cards during the holidays. We would appreciate any help you could give toward this goal. Our Lady of Grace Parish of the Roman Catholic churches in Rossie, Hammond and Morristown held a food drive and donated bags and bags of food for the Food Pantry. We are so grateful to them for their help and support. If there are any questions about the Hammond Food Pantry or the Food Sense program, please contact me. Joan Hadlock 315/324-5517

New volunteers for Marion Medical Mission arrived in Malawi, W. Africa, on Sept. 10th to begin a new well season, with a goal of having 3500 wells in place in rural West Africa. The following are the thoughts from a volunteer from Illinois: We had hiked down a long hill from the village. The team had installed a well, and we were waiting for more villagers to arrive for the well presentation. I noticed an elderly woman making her way to the well site. She was dressed in the bright colors of Africa with lines etched in her face. She stood silently with me, staring at the well. Did she think her village would ever receive the gift of clean water so the children would no longer fear death from bad water? She began to sing, soon joined by other women nearby. The song they sang, spoken in their language, used the words, "The hands that give are the hands of God". The hands in the village had prepared for the well through digging, brick making and site preparation. The hands of generosity in America have given so the well could be completed with pumps and pipes. Surely a gift from many hands.

  GIFT BAGS: The Deacons will be giving holiday gift bags to our elderly. If you would like to contribute small items for these bags, please bring your donations to church by Dec. 10th. Many thanks for your help.

We will be collecting donations for various mission projects from Heifer International, Food for the Poor and Presbyterian Missions, in lieu of or in addition to poinsettias for the sanctuary. Some gift ideas and donation amounts are listed below. Thank you so much! Sewing Machine $50.00 Kitchen supplies $25.00 School Supplies 30.00 Fishing Net 15.00 10 Jerry (water) cans 25.00 Farming Tools 10.00 100 # Rice and Beans 40.00 Feed a Family of Four 25.00 Soccer Ball 10.00 Beehive 30.00 Flock of chicks 20.00 Sheep 120.00 Share of sheep, pig or Share of Heifer 50.00 Goat 10.00 Share of Alpaca 20.00 Two burner propane stove 20.00 Fruit tree 10.00 Please let me know your choices by Dec. 17th Checks should be made out to the church with Christmas Mission on the memo. If you wish to give honorary or memorial gifts or plants, please list names on the sheet. There will be more mission sheets at the back of the church and in the dining room.

HONORARY OR MEMORIAL NAMES TO BE

LISTED:_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Your Name: _________________________________________.

I have two and one half 9X13 pans of Tiramisu in my freezer. If anyone is interested, please let me know. Joan Hadlock

REMEMBRANCE POTLUCK NOVEMBER 5
 

Traditionally we celebrate All Saints Day the first Sunday in November which this year is November 5. During the service we light candles for each person who has passed within the last year. This year we are adding a Remembrance Potluck during Coffee Hour to remember and honor our departed loved ones. Bring a favorite family dish and pictures and stories you would like to share. We will place the pictures on a decorated table and if you wish you can tell us something about the people in the pictures.

For many years our church has sponsored an Angel Tree project coordinated with the Food Pantry families. We bought a toy or toys matched with a gender and age. However, because of the increased number of families with children from throughout the area, this is not manageable. This year through the Food Pantry every family will receive a $25 gift certificate for Christmas. There is continued need for donations to Food Pantry to be able to do this.
Since the need for toys is so great, we have also decided to partnership with the Hammond Central School Angel Tree Project directed by the HCS Guidance Counselor. The teachers and staff know the needs and wishes of the children in the Hammond school district better than we do so we will donate money to their program.
During the month of November there will be envelopes marked Angel Tree or you can send your donation marked Angel Tree to Hammond Presbyterian church, 215 Lawrence Ave., Hammond, NY 13646. The deadline for donations is November 26.  A check will be sent to the Guidance Counselor Renee Breault to support their Angel Tree program.  As a retired teacher of HCS, I am very proud that the teachers and staff have created this project.
Elizabeth Scarlett

Election Night Turkey Dinner

Tues. Nov. 7 from 4:30 to 6:30  Menu:  Turkey, mashed potato, gravy, dressing, squash,

cranberry, pumpkin pie and apple crisp, cider and coffee.  Adults, $15., children under 12, 

$5.00, under 5 free. Eat in or Take out.