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Wednesday Messages

03/17/2021: Holy Week at LAC

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Dear LAC,
Many of you have been writing in and calling the office to ask about Holy Week!
Here is the game-plan for our online worship together:
  • Palm Sunday (3/28) will be a regular Sunday morning (10 AM) worship service, led by Rev. Jed Koball. We invite you to have a palm frond or hard house-plant ready to wave while we shout “Hosanna!” and sing “All Glory, Laud, and Honor.” (Read more below about a special opportunity to submit your Palm Sunday Greetings!)
  • Maundy Thursday (4/1) will be led by our Hudson River Presbytery leaders and will be streamed Live on Facebook (and not LAC’s website) at 6:30 p.m.
  • On Good Friday (4/2), we will share in a midday service with special music and space to meditate on scripture at 12:00 p.m.
  • For early risers, our ecumenical partners will gather for an in-person sunrise service on Easter morning. Details regarding time and location are still being confirmed, but watch out for an update in Church Notes.
  • Finally, LAC will hold one service on Easter (4/4) morning at 10:00 a.m. Rev. Jed Koball will preach and Rev. Daniel Yang will preside over Communion–so save a hot cross bun (or special Easter treat of choice) to celebrate with the Sacrament with us virtually!
With Grace and Peace,
Your LAC Worship Team

Share Video Greetings for Palm Sunday & Easter!
For Palm Sunday, rustle up some houseplants (paint your hands green) and shout, “Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord! HOSANNA!” and submit your clip by Wednesday, March 24.
For Easter, greet your LAC family by saying “Hallelujah! Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!”
Please submit your recordings by Wednesday, March 31.

Call Crafters & Creators of All Ages!
As we move through this Lenten season and anticipate Easter, we invite you all to join the Sunday School classes this year as they are in the midst of ‘hiding the alleluias.’ We are inviting you to show off your artistic flair and color in the Alleluia design. We will be ‘hiding’ them as we await Easter when they can be revealed during Easter worship along with our celebration of the risen Lord! Please color and send in your art to LACoffice@lacny.org by Monday, March 29th.

03/10/2021: One Great Hour of Sharing

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Dear LAC,
For over 70 years, One Great Hour of Sharing has provided Presbyterians with a way to share God’s love with our neighbors in need around the world. With the COVID-19 pandemic still challenging everything we think we know about our faith, and our ability to stay strong and healthy, the world needs our help more than ever.
One Great Hour of Sharing is the single largest way that Presbyterians come together every year to work for a better world. Each gift to our denomination-wide offering for One Great Hour of Sharing helps improve the lives of the suffering and the vulnerable through three life-saving programs:
Traditionally received during the season of Lent, each gift to OGHS helps to improve the lives of people in these challenging situations. This offering provides us a way to share God’s love with our neighbors in need.
You may make a donation through Realm by selecting “One Great Hour of Sharing” from the fund drop-down menu:
Meet all the needs for which
the world thirsts, O GOD.
May your spring of justice, compassion
and peace spring up quickly
and may it spring up quickly in us.
Amen
Thank you,
Clark Morehouse
Church & Society Committee

02/24/2021: Zoom Progressive Dinner!

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Dear LAC,
You are invited to the LAC Winter Connect Virtual Progressive Dinner! Our evening theme will be Community Connect. Enjoy cocktails, dinner and conversations with our LAC Community in the comfort of your own home via Zoom (drink and food are optional!) Our Deacons will host groups.
When? Meet on ZOOM on February 28, 2021
Time?  Cocktails are from 6-6:40 pm and Dinner is from 7-7:40 pm
** New this time — Special children’s table for K-3 students hosted by our High School students from 6 – 6:40 pm
Email Katherine Sinsabaugh (sinkny@gmail.com) and/or Alexandra LeClere (aleclere@aol.com) to register! See you all soon on ZOOM!
Love,
Your LAC Deacons

Sharing Resources
Black History Month may be coming to a close, but our learning continues! If you missed the PCUSA’s National Office-led Black History Month Worship service this morning, you may watch it here. As promised, here are some of the books, films, and plays that y’all loved this month and wanted to share:
Literature:
Documentaries:
  • For a suspenseful and engrossing look at how anti-Black and anti-communist policy shaped (and continues to influence) the Civil Rights movement: MLK/FBI (dir. Sam Pollard, 2020)
  • For an exploration of the role of the Church in Black Americans’ survival, resistance, and flourishing: PBS’s The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This is Our Song (prod. Harry Louis Gates, Jr.)
Theater:

02/17/2021: On Ashes, Grief, and New Life

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Dear LAC,
Today is Ash Wednesday, a time when we mark the beginning of the season of Lent. Our liturgical calendar blocks out these forty days before Easter to parallel Christ’s time in the wilderness. Traditionally, Lent is a season of repentance, of starting over. A time of nurturing the parts of ourselves that are works in progress, of churning the soil and making space for our spiritual roots to grow deeper in faith. It’s a time of quieting our hearts to listen for God’s voice speaking to us once more and opening ourselves to follow God in a new (or perhaps familiar) direction. For some, this means trying out a new spiritual discipline like meditation, and for others, this could be a time of cultivating gratitude and connection with loved ones through more regular check-ins or a practice of writing letters.
On Ash Wednesday, we orient ourselves towards Christ’s journey to the cross by reflecting on our own mortality. This year, however, we don’t need a reminder that we are fragile nor of the preciousness of life. We face our finitude every time we don a mask to exit our homes, or internally debate the risk of hugging a friend outside our “bubble.” We are more aware than ever that we rely on God and on one another for support.
In past years, LAC has gathered for a simple meal and a service with the imposition of ashes. This year we will not gather for a service, though our denominational leaders have created a video for those who would enjoy time to reflect with scripture and music. Instead, we invite you to reflect on what has become “ash” in your life in the wake of the pandemic. As we approach the one-year mark, let us make space to grieve for the cancelled plans, the lost jobs and the security of “normal,” the rites of passage from graduations to proms that felt different over Zoom, the time we hoped to spend with our families and friends, and of course, the deaths of loved ones within our community.
This year, we do not anoint ourselves with ashes, but instead name our loss, and take comfort that our God does not abandon us in our suffering, but draws near to us with compassion. Our scripture tells us that God breathed life into dust at our creation, and the Spirit of God can spark life from what looks dead and dormant. Our faith takes root in the impossible good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. What wonders will God work from our ashes? Where will we experience new life? As the days lengthen, and the snow slowly melts, may you feel the Holy One stirring in you, watering seeds of hope with unending grace.
Peace,
Marranda Major
Church Secretary & Communication Coordinator

Journeying Together Through Lent

Worship
Have you noticed that recent bulletins have included the Lord’s Prayer in both English and Spanish? During Lent, we will explore the theme “praying in the language of our hearts.” We will focus on heart-felt and Spirit-led sharing during the Prayers of the People, and we will feature folks sharing the Lord’s Prayer in their native tongue as a way of honoring the diversity within our community. If you are interested in participating in this project, please contact the office to learn how you may get involved!

Stories from the Wilderness:

a Lenten Bible Study
On February 28th, March 7th, 14th, 21st at 1:30 p.m., LAC will hold an intergenerational Bible study via Zoom. Inspired by a question from LAC high schoolers (“What is this doing in the Bible?”), we will look at four Biblical characters and their experiences in the wilderness as we journey through Lent and walk alongside Jesus during his wilderness experience. Curious to learn more? Contact Ekama Eni at eeni@lacny.org or (914)834-1800 (ext. 306).

02/10/2021: Celebrating Black History Month!

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Happy Black History Month, LAC!
This month, as we celebrate the accomplishments and contributions of Black Americans and rededicate ourselves to working for racial justice, we join with our fellow Presbyterians to honor Black PCUSA Leaders!
LAC is invited to join with others in our denomination for a special online service on Wednesday, February 24th, led by the Presbyterian Mission Agency’s Racial Equity & Women’s Intercultural Ministries. The service this year will be live streamed on the PC(USA) Facebook page starting at 9 a.m.
Below, you will find a list of some notable “Firsts” within our denomination, as well as a few resources for learning more about these incredible leaders and experiencing their work firsthand.
What (and who!) are you learning about this Black History month? Reply to this message to share what you are reading, listening to, and what questions are encouraging your learning. We’ll compile your recommendations to share as we continue to learn and grow as a community!
With joy and curiosity,
Marranda Major
Church Secretary & Communication Coordinator

 

 

Hear Their Voices:
Feeling burned out and weary? Here [LINK] is a sermon from Rev. T. Denise Anderson about Ezekiel prophesying to dry bones and the Spirit bringing miraculous new life when we feel dead and dormant.
Rev. Anderson is a phenomenal preacher, and her message about the Church adapting to the needs of the community resonates for LAC in the COVID era.
Longing for some heady (and embodied) theology and a taste of Womanist ethics? Check out Rev. Dr. Katie G. Cannon’s lecture, “Thinking with Our Hearts/Feeling with Our Brains: Testimonies of Faith that History Might Otherwise Forget”–accessible here [LINK].
Dr. Cannon skillfully weaves her lived experiences with important challenges for the academy regarding the myth of objectivity and what “embodied authenticity” might look like. This recording is from one of Dr. Cannon’s last public appearances before her death in 2018.
Looking for material that is accessible for younger readers? Check out Elder Katherine Johnson’s autobiography, Reaching for the Moon, to hear Katherine’s story, made famous in the film Hidden Figures, in her own voice. While focused on inspiring the next generation of STEM innovators, Johnson also shares her own experience of significant racial justice moments with a focus on how her community survived by supporting one another.

02/03/2021: SOUP-er Bowl of Caring

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Dear LAC,
This Sunday is the SOUPer Bowl of Caring! The Souper Bowl of Caring was started over 20 years ago as a way for communities to give back to food justice organizations in their local communities during a time when many other Americans experience the joy and abundance that comes with the “big game.”
During this season, we are partnering with the Larchmont Avenue Church Preschool to support the Larchmont Mamaroneck Hunger Food Taskforce. There are two ways to participate:
  •  As always, giving money is one of the best ways to support our local food partners. You may give online [LINK] by selecting “Souper Bowl” from the drop-down fund menu, or by sending a check to LAC, (Attn: Gloria Haq, Bookkeeper) with “Souper Bowl” on the memo line.
  • We are asking our families to participate in LMHTF newest initiative by packing themed snack bags for their distribution on February 9th. These “Souperbowl Celebration” bags should be Ziplock (or equivalent) sandwich-sized bags so that they fit in the distribution bags and don’t add too much weight, and could include:
    • a small packet of instant soup,
    • a small sleeve of crackers,
    • a small bag of cookies or a sweet,
    • a bag of small snacks that people might eat while watching the big game,
    •  bags can be decorated with a sticker and/or ribbon and a simple note (“Hope you enjoy” or “Have a great day”).
We are looking for at least 30 families to make up 10 bags each, and we are almost to our goal! Please sign-up by replying to this message or sending me an email (eeni@lacny.org) o confirm your participation. The bags can be dropped on in the collection boxes at the preschool, or in the LAC foyer by Monday, February 8th!

 

Blessings!
Ekama Eni
Interim Director of Youth and Family Ministries

01/27/2021: Worship Volunteers Needed!

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Volunteers for our online Worship Service are VERY MUCH NEEDED. It’s easy to do and very rewarding! Opportunities are as follows:
1) Volunteer to read a scripture passage or a prayer (on Sign-up Genius this is “Reader”).
Your Lay Leader will walk you through everything-what to read, how to video yourself, and how to get the video to the church office.
2) Buddy-up with a Lay Leader to see how it’s done. Watching how the Lay Leader puts things together and assisting him/her will demystify the process for you. Contact Ernest or Patty (see below) if you’re interested.
3) Volunteer to be Lay Leader, by yourself or with your spouse or with a friend (on Sign-Up Genius this is called “Worship Coordinator.”) If you have some basic organizational skills, this is a fun and rewarding task. The Worship Committee members will coach you all the way through. And we have written materials to organize you and online resources to find readings and prayers.
Questions? Feel free to contact the office, and we’ll put you in touch with our Worship Committee leaders. Follow this link to sign up: [LINK]

01/20/2021: LAC’s Annual Congregational Meeting

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Dear LAC Community,
On Sunday, January 31st at 11:00AM, there will be a meeting of the congregation of the Larchmont Avenue Church to hear reports from Session committees, as well as reports from the Deacon Board, and the Trustees.
Additionally, a representative of the Finance Committee, and the Stewardship Committee will update the congregation on the 2021 budget, as well as the status of

the 2021 Stewardship campaign.
Your participation matters!!!In order to conduct the business of the Annual Meeting, we need a quorum of 57 members, preferably on separate devices in order to tabulate votes from multiple-member households.
We look forward to seeing you on Zoom!
Sincerely,
Clark Morehouse and Leah Griggs Pauly
Co-Clerks of Session

01/13/2021: LAC Preschool Announces New Director

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Dear LAC Community,
We are pleased to announce the appointment of Kristin DeFelice as the Larchmont Avenue Church Preschool Director. Kristin has been serving as Interim Director since February of 2020, and has ably led the Preschool community through a challenging time while providing a safe and encouraging learning environment for the students.
Kristin has a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education, and taught in preschool programs for over 12 years. While taking time away from teaching after having children, Kristin was very active at the Preschool. Both of her children attended, and she was a member of the Preschool Board/Advisory Council. She is a LAC Preschool alumni herself.
We are sorry to say goodbye to Alexandra Belluzzi, who started as Preschool Director in May 2019 and brought a focus on updating the classrooms and curriculum to the Preschool. Please join us in thanking Alexandra for her leadership and wishing her and her baby Daniella all the best, and in welcoming Kristin as Preschool Director.
Sincerely,
Leah Griggs Pauly
LAC Personnel Committee

01/06/2021: Happy Epiphany!

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Dear LAC,
Last Sunday, we celebrated Epiphany in worship; but if you have been counting down, you know that yesterday was the twelfth day of Christmas, and today, January 6th, is traditionally when we celebrate the Magi’s Journey and the incredible revelation of God’s self in Christ. If you missed it, you can catch up on Rev. Jed Koball’s sermon, “We Journey Together,” here [LINK] and join in God’s call to be in solidarity with our neighbors, both far and near.

 

In recent years, we have celebrated Epiphany in worship by receiving Epiphany Stars-small cut-outs, lovingly hand-lettered by Rev. Smith-Bartlett with a “Star Word” to be a guide for reflection in the new year. Artist Morgan Harper Nichols has created a digital adaptation [LINK] for folks missing this tradition. As star words fly by in this Instagram Reel, simply close your eyes, and take a screenshot (or tap your device to pause) when you feel ready to receive your word for 2021. (You can find the full list of star words here [LINK].) Or, if carnival attractions and gameshow antics bring you delight, you can try clicking to “Spin the Wheel” here [LINK] to see how the Spirit may be speaking to you through the wonder of random number generation!

 

Whether your star word resonates deeply with you, or if you forget it within a matter of minutes, I pray that this new year will be a time of God’s light breaking in through the darkness, and that when you reflect on what it means to have survived this past year, that you will remember moments when God’s love surrounded you.

 

Star Giving by Ann Weems

What I’d really like to give you for Christmas is a star…

Brilliance in a package,
something you could keep in the pocket of your jeans
or in the pocket of your being.
Something to take out in times of darkness,
something that would never snuff out or tarnish,
something you could hold in your hand,
something for wonderment,
something for pondering,
something that would remind you of
what Christmas has always meant:
God’s Advent Light into the darkness of this world.
But stars are only God’s for giving,
and I must be content to give you words and wishes
and packages without stars.
But I can wish you life
as radiant as the Star
that announces the Christ Child’s coming,
and as filled with awe as the shepherds who stood beneath its light.

And I can pass on to you the love
that has been given to me,
ignited countless times by others
who have knelt in Bethlehem’s light.
Perhaps, if you ask, God will give you a star.
From Kneeling in Bethlehem, The Westminster Press, 1980.

Help Us Imagine and Create!

Did you find these online Epiphany stars delightful? If you are intrigued by thinking about ways to adapt worship traditions to work in an online context, please join the Worship Committee as we continue imagining how to make our online worship services more meaningful! We need folks to volunteer as Liturgy Editors to select readings and write prayers for upcoming services. (We’ll set you up with resources, and can even connect you with a worship mentor to talk you through the process!) We need folks to record video and audio clips as virtual liturgists! We need artists-of all ages and experiences and media-to create images and videos as we work together to create LAC’s very own visual culture. Send a note to the office to be paired with a worship mentor, or sign up here to get involved with an up-coming service: [LINK]