Tag Archives: The Forecaster Newsletter

THE FORECASTER: FCC Newsletter – November 2019

Pastor’s Ponderings
Rev. Lisa Heckman, FCC’s Transitional Minister.

Dear Friends,

Our Congregational Conversation on 9/22 and a follow-up conversation at Council two weeks later has had me thinking more about what it means to be a “neighborhood church.”

To me that has two connotations.

Our thoughts first go to being connected with our neighbors within walking distance from the building.

Ideally our involvement would “not be for the neighborhood, but with the neighborhood” as Clare Price said on the 22nd.

We already have the Ice Cream Social, the Rummage Sale, food bags for STAP at Thanksgiving, and the Angel Tree at Christmas.

There are two negative thoughts, though, that make us hesitant to go further with this: a lack of people resources and how we define “success”.

We are few in number and the numbers we have are highly involved. We don’t know if we have the energy to take on more.

There is also this notion that our engagement with the neighborhood is a “success” only when our neighbors attend worship on Sunday mornings and become members.

Friends, increased membership is not the goal of outreach!

Showing love to our neighbors with no benefit to ourselves is the purpose. They may or may not want to worship with us. They may belong to other churches already.

So growing our membership to those we partner with shouldn’t be a consideration.

However, outreach and mission with the community is attractive to many progressive Christians. They want a way to live their faith in a hands-on way.

Inviting friends, BU and SUNY Broome students, and the greater community in general to help us do new projects in the neighborhood gives others a way to serve.

In doing so, they may like what they see happening here at FCC and want to join in other ways.

The second connotation of the neighborhood church is that the neighborhood is much larger than the blocks around our building. Our members come from all over the area, driving miles to get here.

What brings you into the center of the city?

What appeals to you here?

FCC is a theologically progressive congregation with a heart for social justice. Not many churches in this area can claim that.

We need to brainstorm ways the larger community can become aware of the nature of the ministry we do here.

One idea that has been expressed is expanding cultural events such as Jazz Vespers and the offerings of Face It! Theater group to bring people in the door. When they are here, how can we display information that tells them who we are, what we believe, how we serve?

Another possibility is to become more vocal advocates for the justice issues in our region.

What other ways can we serve our larger neighborhood?

A final comment, somewhat related to all of this:

Most churches believe that they must attract families with young children in order to grow.

That is a holdover from the days when most everyone already belonged to a church, so the way to get new members was to give birth to them.

We live in different times. There are so many people of all ages who have no church connection, yet are hungering for spiritual relationship.

A large portion of those are Baby Boomers who are starting retirement with time and resources on their hands, wanting to put them to use, and feeling a need for spiritual connections.

Here again is where the progressive nature of FCC is appealing to those who are “spiritual but not religious”.

I encourage us to expand our ideas of being a neighborhood church and our ways of connecting with our neighbors.

Grace and Peace.

Lisa

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Featured Image Credit: Love, from John Hain, courtesy Pixabay. PD.

THE FORECASTER: October 2018 – Motorcycling in the Pyrenees, and The Triumph of Christianity (Bart Erhman)

The Rev. Dr. Arthur Suggs

Pastor’s Perspective

I’m back from my Sabbatical. And from the depths of my heart I want to thank the church – that is all of you – for that time. I did quite a bit of gardening, some plumbing and electrical work, a LOT of reading, quite a bit of meditation, working with contractors for home repair, and some travel.

The high point was a trip to the Pyrenees Mountains encompassing the border between Spain and France (with a little Andorra thrown in). Unbeknownst to me, much of the Tour de France takes place in that area.

This was a motorcycle tour through those beautiful mountains on such roads as you might see the bicyclists take. I passed hundreds of such bicyclists as they were either just out riding or preparing for the race.

Suffice it to say, they (bicycle, motorcycle, car, and truck) drive rather differently than we do here in the States. I feel as though I just took a class – Motorcycle Racing 101 – and passed. Now no one will want to go riding with me.

But thank you all for that time away. It was a grand blessing for my life.

To change the subject, I’m about to promote a book I haven’t yet read. But I know the author.

The book is The Triumph of Christianity: How a Forbidden Religion Swept the World, and the author is Bart Ehrman, Professor of New Testament at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Years ago, we were both at Princeton Theological Seminary, I was working toward a Masters, he toward his doctorate. His apartment was easily visible from my apartment window, and I can happily testify that he really did burn the midnight oil in his studies.

He has written about thirty books, and in so doing achieved rock star status as a teacher, lecturer, and author.

I have followed his reputation closely over the years, and watched in particular as he went from evangelical Christian to liberal Christian to arguably Christian at all, a path similar to my own.

But by being famous, he has also drawn the criticism and wrath of those for whom evangelical Christianity is not a path, but THE PATH, and you better be on it (as in, theirs)… or else.

Tom Bissell wrote a review for The Triumph of Christianity in the NY Times and I encourage you to read it (click the link/book title to read the review).

Here is one quote from the review, which begins with a nice bit of humor:

“The field of New Testament Studies has never been a reliable starting point for scholars seeking publishing superstardom. One explanation for this is the subject matter itself. A true understanding of the forces that shaped Christianity — seemingly familiar but in fact highly arcane — requires the ability to synthesize and express deep learning in a dozen interlocking subjects.

Ehrman, who considers himself a historian but has done extensive work in textual criticism, has managed to achieve his remarkable renown by writing a string of best sellers that skillfully mine and simplify his more scholarly work.

That may sound pejorative, but it’s not. Ehrman’s outreach to a popular audience — among whom I happily include myself — is wholly to the good, if only because throughout history average Christians have proved oddly unwilling to dig into the particularities of their faith, beyond familiarizing themselves with a few tent-pole doctrines.” (Tom Bissell, Book Review, NY Times)

Since we’re already an odd church, how about we prove oddly willing to dig into the particularities of our faith?

We will be starting the book on October 3 (2018), with the Spiritual Book Group, at noon. Hope you can join us. I will be leading the study with the assistance of Doug and Judy Garnar.

Blessings upon you all,

Art Suggs

Additional News in this month’s Forecaster

• Worldwide Communion – October 7th, 2018

Few things cause more fighting between people than Christians of various denominations. It is sad how many people hurt each other over their understanding of the lessons Christ taught.

But one thing we get right is World Wide Communion. Each year on the first Sunday in October, Christians all over the world celebrate Communion.

Join us! You will be warmly welcomed.

• Jazz Vespers – October 14th, 2018 – the Harpur Jazz Ensemble.

October Jazz Vespers – our season opener – will be held on the 14th at 5:00 PM. It will feature the Harpur Jazz Ensemble.

The Ensemble is a group of talented and passionate students who study and perform big band repertoire for the community and student body. They are directed by a popular Jazz Vespers performer. ~ Mike Carbone.

Over the years they’ve frequently appeared on and off campus with special guest musicians including, among others, Clark Terry – one of the most recorded musicians in the history of jazz; “Slam” Stewart – jazz bass player; Jennifer Leitham – “the left-handed virtuoso of the upright bass”; and John McNeil – contemporary creative jazz artist.

In the past year the group has seen their budget dwindle despite the enormous impact their civic programs have on the local community as well as undergraduates of all different academic programs. “Our ensemble doesn’t just give these kids an education in music theory, technique, and history. It’s an education in community”, explains alumni and crowdfunding organizer Ben Wood. “The friendships and connections we create are for life”. The intent of the campaign is to raise funds for new instruments, upgraded technology, and better rooms and furniture so they can continue to spark the love for music and its many intellectual benefits in others.

Music has been shown to promote brain activity, increase focus, help with understanding and analyzing visual information, and even builds self-confidence – all traits necessary to succeed in both academics and life. “It (music) influences our emotions, makes us think in different ways, and teaches us how to work together”, says Wood. “I would hate to see something so all-encompassing and vital be taken away from these students.” Hope to see you on October 14! ~ Judy Giblin

(check out a cool Binghamton Jazz Vespers mention in this edition of Jazz Times)

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Featured Image Credit: Some Blonde d’Aquitaine on summer pasture near the Pic du Midi d’Ossau. Photo by Myrabella, CC via Wikimedia.