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February 20, 2005

Volume 2005 Issue 1

Church of Our Saviour Lebanon Springs, NY

Pastor’s Points

Lent is a time for both prayer and reflection. Shouldn’t we take this op-portunity during this Church season to study how Jesus prepared Himself and oth-ers for the Cross? As we look toward to our joyous Easter celebration, may we pray for each other follow-ing Christ’s path.

FROM YOUR CLERGY As we enter into this penitential season of Lent, let us not forget the joy of Lent. This may sound strange to some, since it is a penitential season, a season of reflection. But in that reflection do not dwell only on the negative areas. Remember that in all times, even when we have "missed the mark" (sinned), God still loved us through His Son, Jesus. Fr. C. Dugger

Special points of interest:

• Lent

• Pastor’s Points

• Just Another Book?

• Report of the 2004 Annual Meeting

• Senior Warden Message

• Discipleship Report

• Snippets and Bits

• Youth Corner

• Sunday School

• Days of Creation Quiz

• Deaf Ears Jumble

• Income and Balance Sheets

• Church Calendar

• Important Dates At a Glance

Gideon’s Trumpet

By Charles Colson The Bible—banned, burned, beloved. More widely read, more frequently attacked than any other book in history . . . Yearly, the Bible outsells every best-seller . . . Portions have been translated into more than 1800 languages and even carried to the moon. Literary clas-sics endure the centuries. Philosophers mold the thoughts of generations unborn. Modern media shapes current culture. Yet nothing has affected the rise and fall of civilization, the character of cultures, the structure of governments and the lives of the inhabitants of this planet as profoundly as the words of the Bible . . . Just another book? Hardly. The Bible's power rests upon the fact that it is the reliable, errorless, and infallible Word of God. And if that is true—as the Scriptures claim it is—then it has authority over the life of every believer. On this assertion the Christian faith stands or falls, for if the Bible is faulty, so is our faith. I confess that for a long time I struggled with this central proposition of the faith, that the Bible is the infallible Word of God simply because it says it is. My lawyer's mind demanded evidence, something more than just this bold self-definition . . . The next step was to find an authority to answer the question. As a believer, I had to turn to the One in whom I believe, Jesus Himself. Christ plainly asserted the authority and infallibility of Scripture. Consider just a few exam-ples: When He began His ministry, Christ used Scripture to announce His commission. "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor," He read from the scroll of Isaiah. Indeed He repeatedly cited the Old Testament Scriptures as the authority for His work and the verification of His person . . . So if we claim faith in Jesus, we must take His word for the authority of Scripture; it was His authority for His authority. As I considered the fact, I realized it solved one problem and led to another. We depend on Scripture for the fact that Jesus said these things; but how do we know He really said them? How do we know His words and the events of His life are accurately recorded in the Bible? Because this is so crucial, no question has been more exhaustively and critically examined through the centu-ries. My own study brought me to these basic conclusions. The men who penned the New Testament were He-brews, and scholars agree that the Hebrews were meticulous in precise and literal transcriptions. What was said or done had to be recorded in painstaking and faithful detail; if there was any doubt on a particular event or detail, it was not included. Moreover, the gospel accounts were written by contemporaries of Jesus who had firsthand knowledge of His life and the events of the early church . . . "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard," said the apostles. And external evidence continues to add historical verification. New archeological discoveries in the field of biblical stud-ies have added weight to the evidence that the Gospels were written by contemporaries of Jesus . . . Critical historical issues are not all neatly resolved, of course, and probably never will be. Yet it is an underre-ported fact that the more evidence is uncovered, the more scholars agree (even those who don't consider Jesus deity) that the New Testament is a reliable accounting of what the writers saw and heard. This led me to the final challenge of the proposition: granted, Jesus used Scripture as His authority and said it was to be ours; granted, what He said was accurately recorded; but how do we know He was right? In short, how do we know that Christ's view of the Scriptures is true? Well, if Jesus is God and perfect man as He claims, He cannot be mistaken in what He teaches and He cannot lie. An infallible God cannot err; a holy God cannot deceive; a perfect teacher cannot be mistaken. So He is either telling the truth, or He is not who He says He is. Therefore, if Christ's divinity and perfect humanity are established, we know that His view of the Scriptures as infallible and authoritative is true. The real proof of the Scriptures' authenticity, then, turns on the proof of Christ's authenticity. And resolving Christ's authenticity is the key to breaking the otherwise circular argument that the Bi-ble says Jesus is the Son of God and Jesus says the Bible is true. But what proves Christ's authenticity? It is the fact that He was bodily raised from the grave. The historical truth of His victory over death and His consequent eternal kingship over the world affirms Jesus' claim to be God. The Resurrection establishes Christ's authority and thus validates His teachings about the Bible and Himself. Paul minces no words about this: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile." Excerpted from Loving God, by Charles W. Colson, with permission from Zondervan Publishing House, © 1983.

Copyright © 2004 IN TOUCH MINISTRIES. All rights reserved.

Page 2 Gideon’s Trumpet

Page 3 Volume 2005 Issue 1 Annual Meeting of the Church of Our Saviour

Lebanon Springs, NY January 25, 2004

The meeting opened at 11:58 a.m.

Nominations for vestry were read by Jim French. Nominees are:

• Senior Warden – Elizabeth Sheffer

• Junior Warden – Louis “Bud” Godfroy

• Vestry Term of three years – Vince Teachout

Nominations for delegate and alternate to the Deanery and the Diocese Convention:

• Mary Young – Delegate

• Vince Teachout -- Alternate

The nominations will remain open for an hour in accordance with the By-laws of the Church of Our Saviour

Father Dugger gave his report.

• Father Dugger received thanks for his dedication and service to God and to the Church of Our Saviour

The Clerk of the Vestry read the minutes from the 2003 Annual Meeting.

• Susan Schauder moved to amend the minutes by reintroducing a motion made at the 2003 meeting but omitted in the min-utes. Sue moved to amend to by-laws to change the number of vestry members to a minimum of five and a maximum of seven. Marge Mooney seconded and the motion was carried. Article III, Section 1 of the by-laws has been amended.

John Holbrook, church treasurer presented the proposed 2004 budget.

• The income total is $62,930.00

• The Diocese assessment is up because our income has gone up.

• There is an increase in mission support by adding the New Lebanon Youth Ministry.

• A question was asked as to the amount other churches in the valley have pledged. Other churches have pledged $250.00 a month.

• The breakdown of our missionary support:

• Monthly donations spread over the year:

Anglican Frontier Ministry the Walter Family -- $300.00

Charlie’s Pantry -- $300.00

New Lebanon Churches’ Youth for Christ -- $3000.00

Samaritan Shelters -- $300.00

Youth for Christ -- $300.00

Annual donations:

Berkshire Center and Services for Youth -- $100.00

Cathedral -- $250.00

Counseling Service of the Episcopal Diocese -- $100.00

Rock the World -- $100.00

St. Francis Adirondack Experience -- $100.00

Other -- $200.00

All donations are reviewed on an annual basis.

Accounting review: Cont’d on next page

• The vestry will conduct an audit in 2004. The vestry has contacted an auditor who is not a CPA. Money has been budg-eted for a CPA if necessary.

• Fuel – The church is paying $1.18 a gallon based on 2003 purchase price. In 2004 the church will be paying more due to

Senior Warden Message To the members and friends of Church of Our Saviour

I would like to thank those of you who attended the Annual Meeting on February 13 for your input, advice and expres-sions of concerns. The Vestry will take under consideration all that was said and will make it a priority to keep you informed of matters vital to the church. The approved minutes of Vestry meetings and the monthly treasurer's report will continue to be posted in Friendship Hall. Information on upcoming events, meetings, special services, and future plans for the physical plant of the church will be sent to the editor of the Trumpet for inclusion in the newsletter. Please consider yourselves welcome to attend any Vestry meeting to hear the discussions; the meetings are held the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 pm in Friendship Hall.

With the new Vestry holding its first meeting in March, there are several people I would like to thank for their service to Church of Our Saviour. To Bud Godfroy who has served as chair of the buildings and grounds committee and as Jun-ior Warden, heartfelt appreciation for all you have done and will continue to do for our church. To Susan Darcy and Marge Mooney for their service as editors of the Sunday bulletin, thank you for your time and dedication. To Mary Young who has served so faithfully as Convention Delegate and now will be on the Vestry, our deepest gratitude for representing us in the Diocese. I would especially like to thank Father Dugger for his leadership and counsel; all of us at Church of Our Saviour know what a wonderful spiritual leader we have.

There is much to do in the year ahead. The Vestry has approved the drilling of a new well and the upgrading of the electrical system. We will be discussing improvements to the kitchen. The restoration work will continue. The Vestry serves the parishioners and seeks to ensure that the work of our Lord is carried out in our church and our community.

Your Vestry is here to listen. Please bring any concerns or suggestions you have to any Vestry member. If there is an item you would like to have the Vestry discuss, please contact me so I may add it to the agenda.

Thank you for your support and your prayers.

Bitsy

Gideon’s Trumpet Page 4

increased oil prices. John will check with Larabee’s on payment options.

• A question was raised regarding insuring the Youth for Christ program held in the rectory. The Youth for Christ program has insurance and the diocese needs confirmation of that coverage.

Future concerns regarding finances:

• The church is not raising enough funds to keep a full time rector. The vestry will be looking at ways to build up the funds.

Hortense Zeller moved to accept the 2003 financial report and the 2004 proposed budget. Vince Teachout seconded. The report and proposed budget were approved.

Buildings and Grounds – Bud Godfroy

• Written report

Restoration – Jim French

• Eugene Browning will work on the rectory in the spring and the bell tower during the summer.

Communications – Mary Lou Olsen

Submitted by Elizabeth Sheffer - Senior Warden

Page 5 Volume 2005 Issue 1

Discipleship Committee TÇÇâtÄ exÑÉÜà yÉÜ ECCH

February 13, 2005.

2004 has been a fairly busy year for Discipleship at Church of Our Saviour.

During 2004 we have had the continued blessing of John Holbrook’s teaching in Bible Class, (we are cur-rently enjoying a fascinating study of the Book of Revelation.) We are grateful for the opportunity to study and share the Word of God.

In September we enjoyed a wonderful weekend of stories of faith and sharing with Tom Reilly from Faith Alive. Tom is a wonderful presenter and we all left the weekend feeling closer to the Lord and each other.

In July we had a healing service at Church of Our Saviour. Although both Father Dugger and Mother VonWrangle were unable to be at the service, Father Mark Dieble and Mother Bar-bara Morgan stepped in and conducted the service for us. The vestry has decided that this is a ministry the parish should be involved in and has committed to 2 healing services a year. Our next healing service will be on Febru-ary 26 at 2:00. Mother VonWrangle will be conducting the service for us. We will have a second healing service in 2005, probably in July or August.

We are of course, very involved with the New Lebanon Youth for Christ ministry. I think every-one involved in this ministry would agree that is a great blessing to all involved. It is awesome to see the touch of God change a person’s life.

We ask for your continued prayers for our church, our parish, our pastor, our vestry, our missions and our committees as we seek to grow in our faith and discern God’s will for our parish.

Respectfully submitted,

Jim French

You always hear the usual stories of pennies on the sidewalk being good luck, gifts from angels, etc. This is the first time I've ever heard this twist on the story. Gives you something to think about. Several years ago, a friend of mine and her husband were invited to spend the weekend at the husband's employer's home. My friend, Arlene, was nervous about the weekend. The boss was very wealthy, with a fine home on the water-way, and cars costing more than her house. The first day and evening went well, and Arlene was delighted to have this rare glimpse into how the very wealthy live. The husband's employer was quite generous as a host, and took them to the finest restaurants. Arlene knew she would never have the opportunity to indulge in this kind of extravagance again, so was enjoying herself immensely. As the three of them were about to enter an exclusive restaurant that evening, the boss was walking slightly ahead of Arlene and her husband. He stopped suddenly, looking down on the pavement for a long, silent moment. Arlene wondered if she was supposed to pass him. There was nothing on the ground except a single darkened penny that someone had dropped, and a few cigarette butts. Still silent, the man reached down and picked up the penny. He held it up and smiled, then put it in his pocket as if he had found a great treasure. How absurd! What need did this man have for a single penny? Why would he even take the time to stop and pick it up? Throughout dinner, the entire scene nagged at her. Finally, she could stand it no longer. She causally mentioned that her daughter once had a coin collection, and asked if the penny he had found had been of some value. A smile crept across the man's face as he reached into his pocket for the penny and held it out for her to see. She had seen many pennies before! What was the point of this? "Look at it." He said. "Read what it says." She read the words "United States of America." "No, not that; read further." "One cent?" "No, keep reading." "In God we Trust?" "Yes," "And?" "And if I trust in God, the name of God is holy, even on a coin. Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every single United States coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray, I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me. Lucky for me, God is patient and pennies are plentiful! When I was out shopping today, I found a penny on the sidewalk. I stopped and picked it up, and realized that I had been worrying and fretting in my mind about things I cannot change. I read the words, "In God We Trust," and had to laugh. Yes, God, I get the message. It seems that I have been finding an inordinate number of pennies in the last few months, but then, pennies are plentiful! And, God is patient… Have a blessed day!

Got something you would like to have in Gideon's Trumpet? Want to share with your Brothers and Sisters in Christ? We encourage YOUR participation in the Trumpet and solicit your contributions which can be left in the Church Office; or mailed to Susan Darcy, 7 Hutchinson Lane Lenox, MA 01240-2217 or sent by email to: Susan@darcy-systems.com. I’m looking forward to your suggestions and contributions!

Snippets and Bits

Page 6 Gideon’s Trumpet

Got a question about Sunday School? Please call Debi Galusha at 518-733-9356. Jumble -- Find the word in the scrambled letters. The “block” letters are then used to solve the scrambled saying on the last line.

“Deaf Ears”Jumble 1. OANMRS _ _ _ _ _ ∏ 2. RRVWTEOHO _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ∏ _ 3. BEKEUR ∏ _ _ _ _ _ 4. EPTCRES _ _ _ _ _ ∏ _ 5. NCWSEIKSDE _ _ _ ∏ _ _ _ _ _ _ 6. TDUNREP _ _ _ _ ∏ _ _

A ∏ ∏ ∏ ∏ ∏ ∏ never listens to instruction or advice. Proverbs15:12

1. COMPLETE: “In the beginning ___________ created the heaven and earth.”

6. After God created sea monsters and all manner of birds, what did He command them to do?

2. According to the Gospel of John, who participated in creation along with the Father?

7. After creating man in His image, God assigned man __________ over all He had created.

3. Who moved upon the face of a dark and formless world 8 God finished creation in _______ days and rested on the __________ day.

4. COMPLETE: After separating land and water, the Creator called the land ____________ and the water __________.

9. Where did God place man after he was created?

5. What did God call the two “great lights” that separated day from night?

10. What reason did God give for creating a companion for Adam?

Bible Quiz “Days of Creation”

Think you know the answers?

Take the quiz and find out

Answers on the bottom of the last page!

Youth Corner

Page 7 Volume 2005 Issue 1

Saturday February 5 10:00 AM Episcopal Church Women Meeting Sunday February 6 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist & Sunday School Wednesday February 9 9:00 AM Ash Wednesday Service 7:00 PM Ash Wednesday Service Thursday February 10 7:00 PM Vestry Meeting Sunday February 13 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist & Sunday School 11:45 AM Annual Meeting Wednesday February 16 6:30 PM Soup and Bread Supper 7:00 PM Lenten Program - Claudia Engelhardt - Samaritan Shelters Thursday February 17 6:30 PM Simple Meal - Bring a Sandwich - drinks provided 7:00 PM Bible Teaching and Study Sunday February 20 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist & Sunday School Class Wednesday February 23 6:30 PM Soup and Bread Supper 7:00 PM Lenten Program - Bishop David Ball Saturday February 26 2:00 PM Healing Service Sunday February 27 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist & Laying on of Hands 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist & Sunday School & Laying on of Hands

March 2005 Wednesday March 2 6:30 PM Soup and Bread Supper 7:00 PM Lenten Program - Rev. Tim Klaznick - Historical Church Music Thursday March 3 6:30 PM Simple Meal - Bring a Sandwich - drinks provided 7:00 PM Bible Teaching and Study Saturday March 5 10:00 AM Episcopal Church Women Meeting Sunday March 6 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist & Sunday School Wednesday March 9 6:30 PM Soup and Bread Supper 7:00 PM Lenten Program - Shirley Parker - Asst Dioc. Treas, ECW, Canterbury

House Thursday March 10 7:00 PM Vestry Meeting Sunday March 13 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist Wednesday March 16 6:30 PM Soup and Bread Supper Lenten Program - Paul & Mary Elizabeth Stewart - Church & the Un-

derground Railroad Palm Sunday March 20 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist & Sunday School Wednesday March 23 6:30 PM Soup and Bread Supper Lenten Program - Canon Clinton Dugger - T.B.A. Maundy Thursday March 24 7:00 PM Holy Eucharist and Stripping of the Altar Good Friday March 25 12:00 Noon Prayers 6:00 PM Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Easter Sunday March 27 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist & Laying on of Hands 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist & Laying on of Hands

Mark Your Calendars to Plan for these Future Events

Good Friday March 25 12:00 Noon Prayers 1:00 PM Prayers 6:00 PM Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Easter Sunday March 27 8:00 AM Holy Eucharist and Laying on of Hands 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist and Laying on of Hands

February 2005

February and March Calendar At a Glance

Page 9 Volume 2005 Issue 1

We’re on the Web!

http://www.churchofoursaviour.us/

During February Remember these Important Dates

Date Subject

Every Wednesday

Soup and Bread Supper - 6:30PM with a Lenten Program at 7:00PM see February and March Calendar inside for Lenten Programs

26 February Healing Service - 2PM

The mission of the Church of Our Saviour is to spread the Gospel and inspire a renewal and commitment to liv-ing the Christian life through the love of Jesus Christ as expressed by His People. Church of Our Saviour

14660 Route 22N PO Box 827

Lebanon Springs, NY 12125-0827

Phone: 518-794-8792

Church of Our Saviour Lebanon Springs, NY

These are the Every Month Important Dates 1st Saturday - Episcopal Church Women Meeting (Special Date - January 8th)

1st Thursday - Simple Meal (Bring a Sandwich) and Bible Study - Dec. 2 and Jan. 6 2nd Thursday - Vestry Meeting - Dec. 9 and Jan. 13

Answers: Days of Creation 1. “God” - Genesis 1:1 2. The Word/Son - John 1:1-3 3. Spirit of God - Genesis 1:2 4. Earth, Seas - Genesis 1:10 5. Greater light/sun, lesser light/moon - Genesis 1:16 6. Multiply/reproduce - Genesis 1:22 7. Dominion - Genesis 1:26,28 8, Six, seventh - Genesis 2:2 9. The Garden of Eden - Genesis 2:8 10. It was not good that he should be alone. - Genesis 2:18 Deaf Ears Jumble - 1. RANSOM 2. OVERTHROW 3. REBUKE 4. RESPECT 5. WICKEDNESS 6. PRUDENT Overall Answer: A MOCKER never listens to instruction or advice.