Just shy of 500 people attended the showings of The Fertile River in mid-September at First Congregational Church.
Vincent Terrell Durham. Photo courtesy of vtdisme.com.
The Fertile River is the work of playwright Vincent Terrell Durham, who was born and raised in Binghamton and graduated from BHS.
The play’s cast included Foster Daniels as Uncle Jesse, Joyann Kershaw as River, Qiana Watson as Mama Cora, Samuel Fraser as the boy Arthur, and Terri-Jo Ramia as Miss Sarah.
Face It! Theatre put on the production of the play, which was offered freely and open to the public.
“We think of ourselves as a social justice theatre,” FaceIt! Theatre‘s founder, Jim Michalec, told BU’s The Pipedream. “We think of ourselves as a social justice theatre. We look for issues that are either relevant, hot on the surface right now, or we look for things that are in the past that this country or this society has dealt with one way or another but not fully explored enough of and has relevance to today.”
The Fertile River at F.C.C., by Ariel Kachuro from B.U.’s The Pipedream.
The goal? To help raise awareness and encourage dialogue — part of Face It! Theatre’s inspired mission — check it out.
Learn more about Binghamton native, comedian, and playwright Vincent Terrell Durham’s life and work at his web site.
What other kinds of mission-aligned gatherings and activities happen at F.C.C.? Here are some examples…
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.
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
A Sermon by the Rev. Dr. Arthur M. Suggs Preached on Rally Day, September 16, 2018
Lectionary Reading: Luke 10: 25-37.
Mr. Rogers Visits Our Church, Spills the Beans, Reveals His Many Anxieties to a Psychiatrist
In the guise of Mr. Rogers, our world traveler temporarily returned to home base for a short time only to surprise us with more frequent and longer disappearances without asking our approval.
This time, he entered singing as though at home with nothing to do but to change from his outdoor spiffiness into a cardigan sweater and loafers.
“Oh, goodness, I’ve been more nervous about that than anything. But thank you. It’s good to be back,” he said, while dreams of shedding his heavy schedule of sermons must have harbored in his mind. “I’ve had a marvelous sabbatical, and there are stories to tell, of course, for another time.”
As you are aware, we thought the tribute to Mr. Rogers would be an appropriate theme for Rally Day —gathering together again after the summer break.
There’s a version of this show that actually began five years earlier, in 1963, on a tiny network, but it was picked up by PBS in February of 1968. And so that’s why 2018 is the Golden Anniversary.
Personally, I’m more of the Captain Kangaroo generation, a little older, but “Mr, Rogers’ Neighborhood” surpassed “Captain Kangaroo” in popularity a long time ago. Then in turn, it was surpassed by “Sesame Street.”
Mr. Rogers’ cardigan, by the way, is on display at the Smithsonian Institution. I have not seen it, but in my imagination, it’s just down the hallway from the set for “All in the Family” with the two chairs, which I have seen — things that have to do with our culture over time.
Fred Rogers, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood set, PBS.
Two documentaries have been produced on Mr. Rogers a number of years ago. The first is called “Mr. Rogers and Me,” and the other one was in celebration of his Golden Anniversary, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
In those documentaries, we learned more about Fred Rogers the man, his anxieties, the fact that he needed to see a psychiatrist on a regular basis to deal with his anxieties.
We learn that he was born into a wealthy family. His father was a rather successful businessman. His mother was an heiress from one of the Pittsburgh industrialists, so there was serious money there, to the point that his mother was a very generous soul.
She gave out about 1,500 Christmas gifts every year to the various students in the schools where her sons attended, such that the school nurse in the elementary school in Altoona would buy shoes, clothes, eyeglasses, even sometimes furniture, and she would just have the bill sent to Mrs. Rogers.
They lived on Mellon Street, after Andrew Mellon. The young Mr. Rogers, Fred, had a serious gift, and it’s always wonderful when a person uses whatever their gift is for the benefit of humanity. His gift was that not only could he think like an adult — after all, he ran a TV show, he ran a business, he hired people, he wrote the music, he did the narration — but he also had the ability to think like a child.
Remember that this show was picked up in February of 1968. That was a really tumultuous time. Racism, Vietnam war, assassinations, and he had the ability to address the anxieties and the fears, the worry, the questions of little kids.
The Four Lessons of Major Themes of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood Was Love
Fred Rogers, late 1960s, KUHT. Public domain, Wikimedia.
And so this morning, there was a banner over the pulpit that says, “It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” the theme song of Mr. Rogers’ show.
In addition to my little skit opening the sermon, Judy Garnar will be peppering some of his quotes throughout the worship service.
What I would like to do with the sermon is to point out four themes.
There are many, but I chose four that I felt are particularly meaningful from his life, from his words, and from his TV show.
The four lessons:
#1: “Stand up for What You Believe in!”
#2: “We Can Work to Make a Difference Right Where We Are!”
#3: “We Are Neighbors!”
#4: “Just Being You Is Enough!”
(Explore the reflections on each in the full sermon – download below.)
How Far Does Your Neighbor hood Extend? Do You Believe You Are Lovable as You Are?
A quick review of the four main themes of Mr. Rogers’ show (and body of work):
• Stand up for what you believe in.
• We can work to make a difference right where we are.
• We are neighbors.
• Just being you is enough.
Officer Clemmons and Mister Rogers, reprising their 1969 foot bath more than two decades later, during their final scene together in 1993. C. The Fred Rogers Company, via NPR.
And here are two questions in conclusion. These are going to be hard:
How far does your neighborhood extend? How far does your concept of neighbor extend out into the world?
We care about those immediately around us. We probably care about those in North Carolina. Do we care about those in China, where their typhoon is much worse than Florence?
Wherever we draw the line, and we all do, are you willing to push it out a bit farther?
2. Do you believe that you are lovable just the way you are right now?
We all have shortcomings and inadequacies, but can we believe that God, and a whole lot of people too, love us just as we are?
And then, in turn, can we love others just the way they are, despite their deeper and more obvious shortcomings and inadequacies?
Featured Image Credit: Sweater worn by Fred Rogers, now on display in the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of American History. Fred Rogers’ mother, Nancy Rogers, knitted all the sweaters he wore on the program. Creative Commons, Wikimedia.
