G O O D S H E P H E R D L U T H E R A N C H U R C H & S C H O O L

J U N E 2 0 1 2

A M E S S A G E F R O M

O U R P A S T O R

Spirit, Spirit of Spirit, Spirit of Spirit, Spirit of Spirit, Spirit of

gentleness,gentleness,gentleness,gentleness,

blow through blow through blow through blow through

the wilder-the wilder-the wilder-the wilder-

ness calling ness calling ness calling ness calling

and free;and free;and free;and free;

Spirit, Spirit Spirit, Spirit Spirit, Spirit Spirit, Spirit

of restless-of restless-of restless-of restless-

ness,ness,ness,ness,

stir me from stir me from stir me from stir me from

placidness, placidness, placidness, placidness,

wind, wind on wind, wind on wind, wind on wind, wind on

the sea the sea the sea the sea

Text: James K. Manley, b. 1940 Text © 1978 James K. Manley, admin.

Augsburg Fortress.

What an exciting time to be church! The spirit of the resurrection is at work at Good Shepherd. The power of God can be seen and heard in our Sunday Worship and each day in the lives of the children of God who gather at our school. The business of the church is not being treated as “business as usual”, but instead as an opportu-nity to live more deeply into our calling to reach out to each other and to the larger community with the love of Christ. This was clear if you had the opportunity to gather to feast upon the good news about The Church of The Good Shepherd shared at our annual meeting. Here are some of the exciting things the Spirit is do-ing in our midst:

The Christian Education Team has announced that Mr. John Hinsch has discerned the call to serve as our Sunday school Superinten-dent for next year. His gifts for organization and his enthusiasm for Christian education will certainly build upon the hard work of our dedicated Sunday School staff!

The Evangelism Team has been working hard on a new photo directory so that we can put names with faces as a first step in deepening our relationships with each other!

Due to your faithful and generous giving, our strong school enrollment, and our sound management of resources, we are able to dedicate a good deal of financial resources to deferred maintenance and continue our com-mitment to energy conservation!

Thanks to the generosity of several faithful fami-lies, we will soon resume a musical witness to the community as hymns will be heard throughout our Plainview neighborhood. A new Schulmerich Carillon with hundreds of hymns will soon be installed!

On Father’s Day we will again have the blessed opportunity to receive new members. While many churches seem to be contracting in size, we have been blessed with steady and meaningful growth!

The Youth Team has discerned the need for Good Shepherd to call a trained and gifted youth leader to help develop a dynamic youth program starting this fall. This new addition to our staff will ensure regular weekly youth programming as well as plan-

ning special events and retreats!

Our Stephen Ministers have been very active in visiting our homebound members and they are to be commended for their joyful and faithful service. John Schwaninger, the Stephen Minister leader, and I will meet soon to discuss future Stephen Minister training and the commissioning of Eucha-ristic Ministers. Please let us know if you have an interest in learning more about this beautiful way to serve!

Our Building Expansion Committee is truly excited about the future possibilities of developing a new Adult Christian Day Center here at Good Shepherd. While there is much still to be done, we are in-spired by the positive congregational re-sponses thus far!

These are just the beginning of the many signs of the Spirit’s faithful leading…

On Pentecost the church was born as the gift of the Holy Spirit came upon the gathered be-lievers with tongues as of fire. The Spirit led those early disciples to boldly proclaim the Good News of God’s love for all of God’s Chil-dren through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. During this Pentecost season let us to-gether rediscover that gift of bold proclama-tion which was poured upon us in baptism. May our collective prayer be for the Spirit to unfurl our tongues and set them ablaze so that we also can be bold in our proclamation for the Glory of our great God.

Tell your friends and neighbors about this spe-cial place called Good Shepherd. Give them the gift of community and allow them to ex-perience the Spirit’s power with you!

Rejoicing In The Spirit,

Reverend Eric Olaf Olsen Pastor

Dear Faithful People of Good Shepherd:

We have just concluded our annual congregation meeting in which there was much to cele-brate! One is that our finances have improved so that it looks like we will end the year, June 30, with income exceeding ex-penses by about $ 60,000. This will be set aside to use for work on some of the capital improvements that this compound needs. There is still a need to encour-age an increase in giving by our members and to give according to how you have been blest by God. Many things have been happening—some that are very obvious like the landscaping in the front. Others not as obvious like new lighting for the church signs in the front, and extending the sprinkler system to the front of the parson-age. Some that would be hard for you to see, but are important—replacing windows in the par-sonage that have continually given us a leaking problem. With the replacement the leaks have finally been stopped, and repairs have been made on the inside from the damage. We are still working on upgrading all of the lights in and outside the buildings. With the money we have set aside we can work on some other projects that need doing, some of which can help us be more energy-efficient. The par-sonage driveway needs to be replaced before next winter; more window need replacing in the parsonage, and some doors. We have formed a new committee, Major Property Review Committee to replace the Energy Conservation Task Force so that its work will include all the needs to bring our property up to snuff. Some of them that we will most likely tackle first are insula-tion for the north and south walls of the school and the south side of the church along with win-dow replacement in the choir loft and restrooms. The new committee will work to create and pri-oritize all the needs for the next five years or longer to upgrade our compound. This commit-tee will work with the Property Committee and assist with bringing recommendations to the Council and School Board for action and means of funding.

My last two items are that the Carillons will be replaced so that the hours again will be chimed and music will play. The other is that we are in the plan-ning stage for a 60th anniversary celebration in the fall. Love, Peace and Joy,

On Saturday, May 5, Pastor Eric joined Monsignor Domenick Graziadio and Bishop John C. Dunne for the blessing of the statue of St. Pius X. Answering the call of a neighbor in need, Pastor Eric played an im-portant role in their acquiring this statue. For the longest time, Monsignor D o m e n i c k Graziadio wanted a statue of the church’s patron saint. It wasn’t exactly on top of St. Pius’ needs list or something in the church’s budget, just something that might be nice to have displayed on its grounds. Monsignor Domenick prayed for a while, and then one day in February, his prayers were answered. He received a phone call from a Knights of Columbus hall in Brooklyn. The gentleman told Monsignor Domenick that their building was be-ing sold, and would he like to have their 1,200 lb. statue? No charge—All he had to do was move it! Knowing that Pastor Eric once had a freight busi-ness, Monsignor Domenick asked Pastor Eric for some assistance. Pastor Eric called upon his former busi-ness partner, Andy Steffans and on February 11, St. Pius X finally received its statue.

Like most days this past May, Wednes-day, May 9th, was dreary, gray, and rainy, a morning that brought an even longer rush hour to the Long Island Expressway, Cross Island Parkway, the bridges to the Bronx,—essentially the route Pastor Eric needed to take from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church to the ground-breaking ceremony at the Wartburg.

The likelihood of a smooth morning did not look very promising; however, Pastor Eric did ar-rive on time; the rain stopped; and the ceremony proceeded unimpeded by weather with the blessings of God clearly visible to all.

At a time when high-quality senior services and healthcare reform are converging, Wartburg– recently distinguished by U.S. News & World

Report as one of New York S t a t e ’ s

― B e s t N u r s i n g H o m e s b r o k e ground on

this day to construct a state-of-the-art Rehabili-tation & Adult Day Center on their beautiful 34-acre Mount Vernon campus, that will include 50 bed in-patient rooms for short-term rehabilita-tion, and a significantly expanded adult day ser-vices center.

In describing this new facility, David J. Gent-ner, President & CEO of Wartburg and Wart-burg Foundation, said, “this increased emphasis on rehabilitative services will help more people return to their homes safely after an injury or illness. The spacious new Adult Day Center will provide day-to-day medical thera-pies and social programs so caregivers can work outside the home knowing that their loved ones are receiving health services, socialization and supervision.”

This will be the second major groundbreak-ing this year for Wartburg. In January, the non-profit organization broke ground on the Frie-drich’s Residence, a 4-story building of 61 afford-able senior apartments. These two new facilities are part of a $50 million capital repositioning

plan being funded in part by a $27,590,000 grant award. In October of 2010, the New York State De-partment of Health announced that The Wartburg had won a Healthcare Efficiency and Affordability Law of New York (HEAL NY 20) grant.

Gentner added, “In the past 20 years, there has been significant change in the way senior healthcare services are delivered. Ex-pectations have changed with a focus on hospitality and t e c h n o l o g y -supported clinical services.’

‘Our goal is to promote recovery and a return to independ-ence for the residents, with the ultimate goal of returning home. In addition, this facility is part of Wartburg’s vision for post-acute healthcare reform. We are mindful of the trends and in-centives to become better integrated with acute care providers and medical groups. This design will link quality and outcomes with value-based reimbursement, increasing our ability to part-ner with these providers.”

According to Ryan Herchenroether, the Wart-burg’s Director of Planning, “Most Westchester County seniors, 79 percent according to a recent AARP survey, prefer to remain in the community of their choosing. Both components of this building will support seniors by allowing them remain inde-pendent for as long as possible.”

The May 9th groundbreaking program begins with a gathering in the historic Wartburg Chapel then moved outside for the ceremony, followed by remarks & refreshments back in the Chapel.

About Wartburg

Wartburg is a not-for-profit Lutheran ministry, serv-ing people of all faiths with a full range of residential options and health-related services for older area adults and their families. Wartburg offers skilled nursing care, rehabilitation, Alzheimer’s and demen-tia care, assisted and independent living, adult day services, home care, pastoral care and monthly care-giver support groups.

The primary purpose of the Communications & Technol-ogy Team is to support the church and school offices and other ministry teams in using technology to better reach the mem-bers of the congregation and spread the message of Good Shep-herd to the wider community. The church’s database is used extensively by Pastor Eric and the church office, and is the primary source of information about our members, both former and current, as well as poten-tial new members. Over time the database gets out of date as members change email addresses, telephone carriers, or move without notifying the church office. In other cases, dates of birthdays, baptisms, confirmations, or anniversaries have never been entered. We are, therefore, giving members with Internet access the ability to check and update their own personal data in the database. Access is granted through a secure logon to allow households to update their data as well as view their records of contributions. Emails have been sent to members for whom we have an email address providing an initial username and password (both individual eight digit numbers) to use. You may follow the instructions in the database generated email, or you may go to the “MEMBERS” tab of the website and follow the instruc-tions found there. If you have not received an email you may call the church office, and Maureen will be able to help you. As you may have read in the last newsletter and have heard in church announcements, we have been working with the Evangelism Team to develop a new Pictorial Member Tele-phone Directory for the congregation. Many new pictures have been taken and more opportunities will be available in June. If you have not had a new photo taken you may provide your own or the picture in the old directory will be used. If you wish to provide your own photo bring it to the church office or email it to rrickmeyer@gmail.com. The directory will be published later this summer after a review of addresses and phone numbers has been made, but it is already up and available online. It is constantly revised as new photos are entered and member information updated. A bonus to having a logon (see above) is the ability to view the new d i re c to r y f rom the church webs i te , www.ourshepherdlives.org (you might even want to book-mark or save it in favorites! Better yet, you might even want to make it your Homepage!) Just login from the “MEMBERS” tab!

Submitted by Bob Rickmeyer

I have just spent the three days in May at the NY Metro Synod Assembly. It was very inspiring to see so many people of different ethnic backgrounds working together for the Glory of God. It was amazing to see how the larger church works together with the congregations and how different issues get debated back and forth until everyone reaches agreement. Good Shepherd was recognized for saving 37 percent in energy costs due Odd Sangesland’s diligent efforts. In addition, our school also was recognized for the work and cooperation between Judy Hinsch and Pastor Olsen. Mission Statement: Marked with the cross of Christ forever we are claimed, ,gathered and sent for the sake of the world. There was consideration and votes on new procedures in determining The Viability of a Congregation when a member of a congregation or the Synod feel they can no longer function to fulfill the purposes for which it was organized. There were also decisions, debates, and a vote on how to elect a new Bishop. A Bishop-Election Committee comprised of ten members (six lay and four clergy) will be selected and in-stalled at the Synod Assembly preceding the Assembly at which the election for the Bishop will occur. There will be up to seven nominees (including the current Bishop if he or she wants to be re-elected). The committee will have background checks and will be screened in accordance with Synod and Church-wide guidelines. If you are interested in learning more about the discussions and decisions, you may consult the Synod’s website and/or con-sider subscribing to their e-newsletter at the following links: http://www.mnys.org/who_we_are/annual_assembly/ or http://www.mnys.org/media/eletter/

- submitted by Virginia Schroeder

All current and former choir members All current and former choir members All current and former choir members All current and former choir members along with your spouses are invited to a along with your spouses are invited to a along with your spouses are invited to a along with your spouses are invited to a Surf & Turf Surf & Turf Surf & Turf Surf & Turf dinner at Jim & Lori Mason’s dinner at Jim & Lori Mason’s dinner at Jim & Lori Mason’s dinner at Jim & Lori Mason’s house (14 Briggs Street, Hicksville) at house (14 Briggs Street, Hicksville) at house (14 Briggs Street, Hicksville) at house (14 Briggs Street, Hicksville) at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13.6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13.6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13.6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13.

$15 per person/BYOB$15 per person/BYOB$15 per person/BYOB$15 per person/BYOB Please RSVP to Lori Mason (516Please RSVP to Lori Mason (516Please RSVP to Lori Mason (516Please RSVP to Lori Mason (516----551551551551----4292) by Friday, June 8.4292) by Friday, June 8.4292) by Friday, June 8.4292) by Friday, June 8.

On behalf of the Plainview-Old Bethpage Memorial Day parade committee, Mr. Leonard B. Symons, invited

Beginning the last week in June, our weekly Bible Study will be moving to Wednesdays for the summer months. Our morning session locations will alternate between the bay (Theodore Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay) or the beach (Tobay), or, in the event of rain, our Prayer Chapel on Wednesday mornings at 10:00 a.m.

Our evening session will be a pot-luck dinner on Wednesday evenings at someone’s house (perhaps yours?) at 6:30 p.m. Please choose a week to open your door and sign up on the sheet on the bulletin board in the

narthex. Please consider hosting— y o u need to do nothing but lend us your home! Everyone else does the bringing! What a fun, festive summer experience this promises to be if we all participate!

Reverend Olsen to be an honored guest at the ceremonies in POB Community Park and to give the benediction, Following are the words that our Pastor shared with the community: “The prophets Isaiah and Micah tell us of a day when God shall be the judge between the na-tions and shall arbitrate for people; when all of God’s children shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; when nation shall not lift up sword against nation; and when all of God’s children will not learn war any more. This future is what we and nearly every soldier prays for. Today this is what we, the residents of Plainview – Old Bethpage pray for as we remember our brothers and sisters who faced the suffering and horror of war so that we could and can enjoy the freedom to live apart from such terror. We especially remember those who loved us to the point of laying down their life for our sake- our dearly departed ser-vice men and women.

Benediction

God of love and peace, Inspire us by the exam-ple of selfless giving which our departed brothers and sisters have modeled for us and grant them eternal peace with you. Let us not waste your precious gift of love, but empower us to use it to bring life to others. We pray for the safe return of our service men and women who are currently serving throughout the world as well as all who protect us here at home including all police, fire and emergency service personnel. Free your creation from evil and envelope it with love. Show us your peaceable future- we humbly pray. In your mighty name, Amen”

LUTHERAN SCHOOLS ASSOCIATION

2012 STANLEY J. KRAMER SPIRIT AWARD

Presented to

GOOD SHEPHERD

LUTHERAN SCHOOL

FOR THEIR CREATIVE AND JOYFUL MINISTRY,

ENCOURAGING EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE AND

SPIRITUAL FORMATION IN TOMORROW’S LEADERS

Creative, dedicated, innovative and inspiring – these words describe Stan Kramer, the man and his ministry

of more than 40 years in the Lutheran Community of greater New York. At the time of his death, he was a

faithful member of LSA’s Board of Directors. LSA has chosen to honor our friend by establishing the Stanley

J. Kramer Spirit Award to be given to a school, organization or in-

dividual who most demonstrates their joy in ministry and the crea-

tive use of resources in pursuit of educational excellence and the

proclamation of the Gospel.

This year, LSA is pleased to highlight the Ministry of Good Shep-

herd Lutheran School in Plainview and its director, Judy Hinsch,

with the Stanley J. Kramer Spirit Award. As a Christian community

of learning, deeply committed to its mission, Good Shepherd Lu-

theran School strives for excellence in providing a developmentally

appropriate curriculum for toddlers, nursery and prekindergarten

age children. Good Shepherd seeks to give each child an enriched

learning experience in an atmosphere of Christian love, and encourages the development of a positive self-

concept and a genuine concern for the feelings and needs of others. The teachers and staff are dedicated,

warm, welcoming and loving; they value all children, strive to meet their needs, and accept them for who

they are. They are dedicated to providing a well-rounded curriculum that is safe, fun and rooted in the love

of Jesus. Good Shepherd Lutheran School is laying the foundational blocks for their children to be life-long

learners and servant leaders in the 21st

century.

For over 50 years, Good Shepherd Lutheran School has been an integral part of Good Shepherd Lutheran

Church. The church’s mission is "Loving, Living, and Sharing Christ,“ and Pastor Eric Olsen is committed to

bringing that mission to school families. He helps create an atmosphere where children feel appreciated,

loved and know they are special gifts of God. His children’s chapels and Sunday morning talks are times for

them to learn and talk about God's love, to ask questions, to laugh and claim their rightful place in the

community of faith, just by being themselves.

The Stanley J. Kramer Spirit Award presented by Linda Mitchell and Jane Kramer The Stanley J. Kramer Spirit Award presented by Linda Mitchell and Jane Kramer The Stanley J. Kramer Spirit Award presented by Linda Mitchell and Jane Kramer The Stanley J. Kramer Spirit Award presented by Linda Mitchell and Jane Kramer to Good Shepherd Lutheran School, represented by Judy Hinsch and Pr. Eric to Good Shepherd Lutheran School, represented by Judy Hinsch and Pr. Eric to Good Shepherd Lutheran School, represented by Judy Hinsch and Pr. Eric to Good Shepherd Lutheran School, represented by Judy Hinsch and Pr. Eric

Page 8

T H O S E P R E P A R I N GT H O S E P R E P A R I N GT H O S E P R E P A R I N GT H O S E P R E P A R I N G

F O R O R D A I N E D M I N I S T RF O R O R D A I N E D M I N I S T RF O R O R D A I N E D M I N I S T RF O R O R D A I N E D M I N I S T R YYYY

T H O S E I N N E E DT H O S E I N N E E DT H O S E I N N E E DT H O S E I N N E E D

O F H E A L I N GO F H E A L I N GO F H E A L I N GO F H E A L I N G

WE PRAY FOR...

Jamie Perkins (Arlene Wittwer’s friend); Lillian Richmond, Carlos & his mother (Karin Kienle’s friends), Dorothea Spadaro, Carol Berardino, George Meyers and Roy Hoffman (Sue Devine’s friends), Odd Sangesland, Harry Baierlein (Deborah Stein’s father), Marion Tucker (Nancy’s mother), Maureen Wilers, Emma Lynn Eisele, John Pietrofere, Martin Boltizar (Louise Lamont’s cousin), George Pieper (Eleanor Pearson’s cousin), Laura Krenkel (Terry Miccio’s cousin), William Beach (Bonnie Beach’s fa-ther), Loraine Muñoz (Marta Scherer’s friend) Leon Thompson (Lisa Olsen’s father), Rebecca Bahr and her family (Viena Ludewig’s friend), Glenn Schabel, Max Ludewig, Lori & Meghan Ortega (Lisa Ol-sen’s sister & niece), Clara Keeney (Beverly Strack’s mother), Ann Araco (Lori Tollefsen’s mother), Susan Dowd (Maisch family friend), Bea McCabe, Peggy Taylor (Amy Pietrofere’s friend), Eleanor Davis, Warren Wiegert, Justin Rogers (Karin Kienle’s nephew) and Christine & Tom Greenwood, his parents, Jason Damiano (Anna’s grandson), Chris Cucci and his family, Joan & Mike Adams (Maureen Cooke’s in-laws), Ed Simmons (Pastor Eric’s friend), Ruth Odwazny, Ryan Faret & his family, Genevieve Sounia, Susan Boettcher (John McGowan’s sister), Maureen Araujo, Joy Parisey (GSL teacher Cindy Can-nizzaro’s sister), Dr. Stanley Bartkow, Paul Hinsch, John Binsfeld (Benner family friend), Jay Boryea (Paul Hinsch’s friend), Ken Dixon (Pastor Eric’s friend), Sven Faret (Gunhild Schabel’s son), Diane Lisa (Cathy Vollono’s friend), Janice Ridings (Rickmeyer family friend), Francis Lee (Helen Kopf’s son), Lynne Carlson (Irma’s daughter-in-law), Mary Ellen Moyse (George’s wife), Don and Francine Unger (Katalina Paterakis’s grand-parents), Joyce Tare, Jake (Maisch family friend) and his family, Ian Spadaro (Dottie’s grandson), James Fields (Vincent and Doro-thy Cronin’s nephew), Mary Gessing (Dorothy and Vincent Cronin’s cousin), and Rita Cunningham (Cronin family friend).

T H O S E S E R V I N GT H O S E S E R V I N GT H O S E S E R V I N GT H O S E S E R V I N G

I N T H E M I L I T A R YI N T H E M I L I T A R YI N T H E M I L I T A R YI N T H E M I L I T A R Y

CPT. Paul Rickmeyer, USMC Lance Corporal Nicholas Ventrelli-O’Connell (Patty Larson’s family friend), David Jacobs (Joyce Tare’s nephew, Alec & Madison’s cousin), LTC. Phillip Sounia, Christopher Zito (Mary Knotek’s friend), Sgt. Vincent Mezick, Spe-cialist Sean Hassett (Lori Mason’s cousin).

Roger Griffith

The Tollefsen family and the friends and family of Henry Kirschbaum; the Ehl family and the friends of Al’s grandson, John Ehl; Nancy Stingelin and the friends and family of Virginia Odem, The McGowan and Hickey families and the friends of Dennis Hickey.

T H O S E W H O A R E G R I E V IT H O S E W H O A R E G R I E V IT H O S E W H O A R E G R I E V IT H O S E W H O A R E G R I E V I N GN GN GN G

T H O S E W H O A R E T H O S E W H O A R E T H O S E W H O A R E T H O S E W H O A R E

C E L E B R A T I N GC E L E B R A T I N GC E L E B R A T I N GC E L E B R A T I N G

Jesse & Victoria Jansky, the Janskey family & their friends & Declan Patrick Jansky, baptized on June 10. Jeanne & Charles Walsh, the walsh family & their friends & Christin Walsh, con-firmed on May 27.

GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL

99 Central Park Road, Plainview, NY 11803

Phone: 516-349-1966 E-mail: church@ourshepherdlives.org Website: www.ourshepherdlives.org

Ministers: The Members of Good Shepherd

Reverend Eric O. Olsen, Pastor Judy R. Hinsch, A.I.M., School Director

Teresa Ratkowski, Director of Choir and Organist Maureen Cooke, Church Secretary/Newsletter Editor

Lindsay Kuefner, School Secretary Ed Indellicati, Accountant/Bookkeeper

John E. Menig, Jr., Sexton Bobby Lang, Sexton

Please e-mail all articles for inclusion in the combined

July/August newsletter no later than

Monday, JUNE 18 Monday, JUNE 18 Monday, JUNE 18 Monday, JUNE 18 to church@ourshepherdlives.orgchurch@ourshepherdlives.orgchurch@ourshepherdlives.orgchurch@ourshepherdlives.org

THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!THANK YOU!

IIF WE HAD A PENNY FOR EVERY FOOT OF MOUNT KILAMANJARO...

...maybe we could help cure malaria!

140 Manetto Hill Road, Plainview

On April 9th, Joe Sadowski, the 13 year old boy from Plainview who

was battling leukemia since last summer, died unexpectedly. Joe

was a strong boy with a beautiful smile who liked to make people

happy.

In memory of Joe, the Schatt Family of Family Bagels will be host-

ing a fundraiser on Saturday, June 9thSaturday, June 9thSaturday, June 9thSaturday, June 9th. They would like to join to-gether with the community and show support for the Sadowski

family. Fun activities, including tattoos and face painting, as well

raffles will be planned between 9am9am9am9am---- 4pm 4pm 4pm 4pm.

Please join us on this special day!

JUNEJUNEJUNEJUNE

ETHEL BATCHELDERETHEL BATCHELDERETHEL BATCHELDERETHEL BATCHELDER

MATTHEW FOXMATTHEW FOXMATTHEW FOXMATTHEW FOX

LINDSAY GIACOBBELINDSAY GIACOBBELINDSAY GIACOBBELINDSAY GIACOBBE

DANIEL HAYESDANIEL HAYESDANIEL HAYESDANIEL HAYES

JONATHAN HAYESJONATHAN HAYESJONATHAN HAYESJONATHAN HAYES

DEAN KELLINGTONDEAN KELLINGTONDEAN KELLINGTONDEAN KELLINGTON

MAXIMILLIAN LUDEWIGMAXIMILLIAN LUDEWIGMAXIMILLIAN LUDEWIGMAXIMILLIAN LUDEWIG

EMILY MICCIOEMILY MICCIOEMILY MICCIOEMILY MICCIO

GEORGE SAUERACKERGEORGE SAUERACKERGEORGE SAUERACKERGEORGE SAUERACKER

JACK SAUERACKERJACK SAUERACKERJACK SAUERACKERJACK SAUERACKER

DOROTHEA SPADARODOROTHEA SPADARODOROTHEA SPADARODOROTHEA SPADARO

PAUL WENGERPAUL WENGERPAUL WENGERPAUL WENGER

BelatedBelatedBelatedBelated———— Happy Birthday Happy Birthday Happy Birthday Happy Birthday

Judi & Charlie MirandaJudi & Charlie MirandaJudi & Charlie MirandaJudi & Charlie Miranda————June 1June 1June 1June 1

Diane & Ron MaischDiane & Ron MaischDiane & Ron MaischDiane & Ron Maisch————June 5June 5June 5June 5

Genevieve & Major Phillp SouniaGenevieve & Major Phillp SouniaGenevieve & Major Phillp SouniaGenevieve & Major Phillp Sounia————June 13June 13June 13June 13

Gail & Stephen HauptGail & Stephen HauptGail & Stephen HauptGail & Stephen Haupt————June 15June 15June 15June 15

Eric & Andrea HansenEric & Andrea HansenEric & Andrea HansenEric & Andrea Hansen————June 25thJune 25thJune 25thJune 25th

We extend our heartfelt sympathy to Al Ehl and his family on the passing of his grandson, John.

Sadly, John Ehl left behind a two-year old daughter, Olivia. If you would like to make a donation in his memory to Olivia Ehl’s college fund, you may do so in two of the following ways: 1. You may write a check payable to her grandfather, Alan Ehl, who will col-lect all checks and deposit them into the account on Olivia’s behalf, and send it to Mr. Alan Ehl, 19 Evergreen Avenue, Middle Island, NY 11953.

2. You may use the form on the next page to send a check

payable to “New York’s 529 College Savings Program Direct Plan.”

UPDATE FOR JUNE 2012

WITH COUNSELING SITES LOCATED IN: NASSAU SUFFOLK MANHATTAN QUEENS WESTCHESTER

Prepared especially for LCC Association Congregations & Schools

For millennia, the practice of forgiveness

has been central to the religious and spiritual life of

the Christian community. The words of Jesus in the

Pater Noster or Lord’s Prayer remind us that we are

forgiven our trespasses even as we forgive those

who trespass against us. While all people of faith

would certainly embrace this teaching in theory, we

must also acknowledge that in practice it is some-

times easier said than done. Why? What we

are learning from neuroscience and from ac-

tual brain scans is that the brain, yours and

mine, has a built-in negativity bias that re-

minds us of previous painful and hurtful

situations and alerts us to potential ones in

the future. A rule of thumb is that our brain

is like Velcro with negative and painful ex-

periences and like Teflon with those that are

more positive and even joyful. We remember

the hurtful words and actions more power-

fully than we do any uplifting words of affir-

mation and appreciation. In the context of

human relationships, and more specifically in

the area of marital and family life, the find-

ings have a particular relevance.

John Gottman, the psychologist and

noted researcher of marriage notes that the nega-

tivity bias of the brain, when it involves couples, is

so often manifested in what he refers to as the

“four horseman of the apocalypse:” criticism, con-

tempt, defensiveness, and stonewalling. Every cou-

ple, of course, even those with the best of mar-

riages, will see traces of the “horsemen” from time

to time throughout their married life. Not a prob-

lem unless the negativity becomes chronic and cal-

cified, when the situation crosses a certain point of

no return.

How do we as pastoral counselors help a

couple in our care to avoid this unfortunate trajec-

tory, where the built-in negativity bias is mani-

fested rather powerfully in the so-called four horse-

men? For Gottman, even if the horsemen make oc-

casional appearances, there is no cause for alarm if

certain instances of negativity are offset by ongoing

expressions of love and intentional acts of forgive-

ness. Indeed, this is not a one-to-one ratio, with

one positive expression of love and care balancing

one negative expression from any of the particular

horsemen.

Gottman, in his forty years of research, has

come up with a positive-to-negative ratio but be-

cause of the powerful effect of even a single nega-

tive word or hurtful action, a couple must work to-

ward a ratio surpassing one to one. If from time to

time there is a certain amount of negativity in a

martial relationship, it will not signal the

end of the marriage if positive interac-

tions and overt expressions of forgive-

ness are outweighing the negative ones.

This is how Gottman puts it in his book,

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage

Work: “As long as there is five times as

much positive feeling and interaction be-

tween husband and wife as there is

negative, we found the marriage was

likely to be stable”.

Keeping in mind the 5 Positive-

to-1 Negative ratio, Jesus’ response to

the disciple Peter takes on greater sig-

nificance for our lives and our marital

and family relationships. Recall that

when asked by Peter if he should forgive

his brother or sister up to seven times, Jesus an-

swered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy

times seven.”

(Matthew 18:21-22). Rev. Kirk Bingaman, Ph.D.,Rev. Kirk Bingaman, Ph.D.,Rev. Kirk Bingaman, Ph.D.,Rev. Kirk Bingaman, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Pastoral Coun-seling and the Director of the Pastoral Counseling Program in the Graduate School of Religion & Religious Education at Fordham Uni-versity. An ordained Presbyterian minister, he is a licensed mental health counselor in New York and a Fellow with the American Asso-ciation of Pastoral Counselors. He holds a Ph.D. in Psychology & Theology from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA and a Master of Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary. He is working on his third pastoral counseling book. The upcoming book is about the connection of prayer and forgiveness to changes in the brain. Dr. Bingaman sees teens, couples and adults at LCC’s

Mineola site.

If you or someone you know is in need of counseling sup-port for this or any other mental health issue, please call the Lutheran Counseling Center at 516-741-0994 or 1-800-317-1173 or e-mail us at Center@lccny.org. Visit our website at www.LCCNY.org. We have eight sites over the NY area.

The Importance of Forgiveness in Relationships

By: Rev. Kirk Bingaman, Ph.D., LCC Pastoral Counselor

When asked

by Peter if he

should for-

give his

brother or sis-

ter up to seven

times, Jesus

answered, “I

tell you, not

seven times,

but seventy

times seven.”

(Matthew 18:21-22).