THE OPEN DOOR

The Briarcliff Congregational Church 30 South State Road, PO Box 290, Briarcliff Manor, New York 10510

914-941-4368 www.briarcliffchurch.org

“Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.” Revelation 3:8

Volume 64 Number 9 June 2012

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Choir Recognition Sunday 2

Moderator’s Report 2

Benevolence News 2

Buildings & Grounds 3

Women’s Society News 4

Celebrations 5

Prayers 6

BCC Talent Show! 6

June Calendar 7

Dear Good People of Briarcliff Church,

It is hard to believe that I have been with you for almost two months already! The time is

flying by. I am hoping that Pastor Bonnie is not feeling the time passing as quickly as I am!

There is a reason that this publication is called “The Open Door”. Not only have you made

me feel welcome and a part of the BCC community, but you have shown how it is possible

for a church to come together and worship in amazing ways. From my first Sunday when the

Youth talked about being the proof of Jesus’ presence among us, to last Sunday when the Lay

Leaders of our church brought the presence of God’s Spirit so palpably into our open doors,

worship and all the time in-between have been filled with doing God’s work to ensure that

the doors remain open.

The work of each of the Boards and Committees has had a singular focus – keeping BCC’s

doors open and welcoming. Not just through financial stewardship, but through ensuring

that the church continues to prosper spiritually. The inclusion of our Open and Affirming

Statement in our bulletin sends a strong signal that our doors are open and welcoming of

everyone. Our busy Sunday School, including the children learning what it means to go

beyond our doors to help others who are in need, raised almost one thousand dollars for the

Heifer Project, and were able to tell us about what it means to support this during the

Children’s Message. So, not only were they having fun with making the crafts that they sold,

they understood the importance of what they were contributing to!

I hope that you will make a special effort to join us on Sunday, June 17. We will give thanks

for our fathers, and we will be doing a hymn sing (be thinking about what favorite hymn you

would like us to sing…we will be including “special requests”), honoring our Senior Choir

for their hard work and glorious voices, and we will be enjoying some ice cream and time

together! So, before you go off to your Father’s Day brunch or get ready for the family

barbeque, or just plan to take some time to remember your father, or someone who was like a

father to you, come and join us for the sweet Spirit that will fill our church and the sweets

that will touch your sweet tooth afterwards in Beebe Hall!

Even though summer is before us and there is no Sunday School and the choir is on break,

BCC’s doors will continue to be open and God’s Spirit will continue to dwell with us. So,

come on by and spend some time in reflection and sharing of God’s Word and God’s love for

us. I wish you each a blessed and restful Summer…and remember that even Jesus took time

to rest!

Shalom,

Rev. Dr. Martha R. Jacobs, Sabbatical Pastor

SAVE THESE DATES

JUNE

4 Annual Meeting

10 Church School Sunday

14 Women’s Society Lunch

17 Choir Recognition

Sunday

Contact Us At:

jacobs@

briarcliffchurch.org

AND

church-office

@briarcliffchurch.org

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JUNE 17TH IS CHOIR

RECOGNITION SUNDAY.

WE WILL CELEBRATE FIMI

AND THE CHOIR WITH A HYMN SING

DURING WORSHIP FOLLOWED

BY AN OLD FASHIONED ICE

CREAM SOCIAL! THIS WILL BE

A GRAND TIME FOR ALL! BE THERE!

Yes, Virginia, there is Church in Summer.

It’s a sure bet that the Almighty does not take a

summer vacation, and neither does BCC! Our

summer Sunday services (which continue to

start at 10 a.m.) are often shorter and more

informal than those during the rest of the year,

but they are no less fulfilling. Pastor Martha

will be preaching all summer, and Fimi

frequently surprises us with special music and

guest artists. And there is really nothing quite

as pleasant as spending a few minutes on the

Church lawn after worship with lemonade,

cookies and good friends. We hope you will

take an hour from your busy summer schedule

to join us.

The Board of Deacons

MODERATOR’S REPORT

Well, Rummage is over and we’re swinging into

the closing months of the program year. June is

always a busy month but let me encourage you

to include attendance at our Annual Meeting at

8 p.m. on Monday, June 4 on your schedule.

This is when we elect our boards and

committees for the coming year and it’s an

opportunity to look back at the past year and

anticipate the opportunities and challenges of

2012 – 2013. This year we will also discuss a

recommendation on how to manage the

situation when a board/committee member is

not participating in the work of the group. In

addition, there is always time for questions and

comments on other topics of concern.

I sometimes wonder if we really appreciate how

fortunate we are to belong to a Church which

encourages us to run our own affairs and to

question and even disagree, (politely, of course.)

It takes time and commitment but it’s one of the

strengths of our Congregational tradition. Keep

the tradition alive – come to the Annual

Meeting.

MIDNIGHT RUN UPDATE

Wonderful news! BCC had a record number of

participants at the May Midnight Run and

everyone reported a very positive experience.

Returning volunteers Brian Braden and Rosalie

Matsuoka joined our newcomers Mike

Cerniglia, Kris Kane and their 7 year old

daughter Kali, and Anna Papayanis. They

helped make the sandwiches, loaded them into

cars and then several of them drove into New

York City to distribute the food and clothing to

those who desperately need them. BCC also

provided bags of men's clothing "rescued" from

the Rummage Sale, toiletries collected in the

Benevolence bin and the bread needed for over

200 sandwiches. Thank you to all who helped

and we hope others will consider joining in this

satisfying and rewarding outreach in the future.

Stay tuned for upcoming dates!

BENEVOLENCE CORNER

In our final article, Benevolence wishes to

highlight Phelps Hospice. Our support of this

compassionate organization ties in with the

Bereavement Workshops offered as part of the

BCC Lenten Series.

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Phelps Hospice was founded in 1983 by Dr. Bruce

Heckman. Its goal is to provide quality,

compassionate palliative care for terminally ill

patients and their families, to meet the unique

physical, emotional and spiritual needs of each

patient and family, and to provide patients with

the opportunity to have control over their lives

and remain at home surrounded by their loved

ones. Phelps Hospice uses an interdisciplinary

team approach to make sure that all the physical

and emotional needs of their patients and

families are met. There are nurses, social

workers, home health aides, hospital chaplain,

dietician, bereavement counselor, medical

director and multiple volunteers who are

committed to each family and all coordinate

their efforts to make sure that the difficult final

days are managed with respect and compassion.

The challenge of facing the myriad issues

associated with terminal illness is lessened by

the expertise and care provided by each of these

team members. Phelps Hospice services are

covered by Medicare, Medicaid and most

private insurance plans. A hospice nurse is on

call 24/7 and other hospice staff members also

act as consultants, guides and compassionate

listeners. Therapeutic programs may be

developed for the comfort of the patient, such as

massage, art, music, reflexology and even pet

therapy. Bereavement support is also offered to

families as they cope with the loss of their loved

one.

Certainly, dealing with end-of-life issues is one

of the most difficult and painful experiences for

any family to face. Knowing that you are not

alone and have knowledgeable and

compassionate shoulders to help share the

burden is the greatest gift that Phelps Hospice

provides. If you wish to know more about Phelps

Hospice and its services or are interested in being

a volunteer, please contact Phelps Memorial

Hospital - Hospice Office @ (914) 366-3325.

Benevolence Corner Feedback Wanted

Did you find these monthly highlights

interesting? Helpful? Boring? We hoped that

each article on a featured organization would

enhance your understanding of our Benevolence

outreach and the groups we have chosen to

support. Please let us know if you enjoyed the

Benevolence Corner or if you would prefer a

different approach. Thanks and have a great

summer!

The Benevolence Committee:

Martha Yergeau, Chair

Maria Fluturas, Kathleen Pedowitz,

Nancy Panagacos, Stephanie Prentiss

Bruce Wilson, Penny Wolf

BUILDINGS & GROUNDS REPORT

At the top of my report for this month is

remembering the happiness I felt having so

many volunteers (sixteen) come to help for the

church cleanup on April 21 - not the best of

mornings but certainly better than

later in the day. We raked and

weeded, moved mulch, trimmed the

boxwood in the columbarium and rhodies under

the office, and dug dandelions. Several trips

were made to pick up mulch which makes such

a improvement in looks, and happiness for the

plantings! Inside work included painting

window trim in the upstairs Sunday School

rooms and cleaning in the Parish House kitchen.

THANK YOU ALL!

Another great moment came when I

saw the beautiful Stewartia tree in

place, in front of the Parish House.

Many thanks to Barbara Brewster who gave this

special tree in loving memory of her daughter,

Susan Brewster Eisenmann. It replaces the

Brewster red maple which she also gave to the

church many years ago. And if that were not

enough of a gift, thanks to Keith Austin, we

were also the recipient of courtesy pickup of the

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tree from Prospero’s Nursery AND planting - all

by Tom Williamson of Tom Williamson

Landscaping! Many garden centers would have

charged us the cost of the tree for delivery and

planting. We certainly are grateful for the gifts

of both Tom and Barbara. It will be fun to watch

this tree through the seasons, big white flowers,

beautiful fall color and as it matures it has very

interesting peeling bark which gives it great

winter interest. Nearby, we had the lawn

reseeded - more string for awhile.

Rummage week seemed to fly by; this year

Yasna brought along her cousin to help in all of

the setting up, emptying baskets and extra

cleaning and supplies. We are proud that we

recycled over a dozen bags of unusable clothing

and shoes - taken to the pickup near Stop and

Shop, and not going into the dumpster. Good

Will became Ill Will when they led us on and in

the end never returned for the final load which

was schlepped from stage to kitchen to back

step, covered with tarps and finally little by little

into our dumpster. Behind the scenes of

rummage week is another week of work for

Buildings and Grounds! Many thanks to our

tenant, The Garden House School, who

graciously worked with us and took the lead in

moving of their rooms and all the toys that

youngsters use; a big job for all.

Another joy came when the Women’s Society

voted to pay for the replacement of the

carpeting in the Vicario Flower Room. How nice

it will be to have scrubbable vinyl flooring!

DAVE GASPARIK has been busy building

bulletin boards for the Parish House. He also

rebuilt and installed the doors for the Career

Closet space, and worked on the church sound

system with MIKE AIELLO to enable the

Sunday service to be heard downstairs in the

nursery.

DAVE PECOR has begun working

outside on the cleaning, scraping,

sanding and painting of the trim around the

exterior and stained glass windows. He said we

will be seeing his ladders and scaffolding in use

for two to three weeks; we are hoping for sunny

weather for this big job, made possible in part

by the Christmas offering.

And so we celebrate ten years of working on the

grounds of BCC and eight years as chairmen of

Buildings and Grounds. It all started because

John looked at the area around the parking lot

our first Sunday and thought it would be a great

place for some ferns! We have learned SO much

in this job, especially about the workings of our

buildings. And it has been invigorating to work

with some wonderful craftsman in taking care of

these buildings, and getting to know the people

using the buildings. God is good! And so is our

committee: Keith Austin, Stu Bush, the Daves:

Dykstra, Gasparik, Pecor, and Mark & Sherri

Gausepohl.

Carol and John Mickel

BCC WOMEN’S SOCIETY NEWS

Everybody always wants to know how we did

with the annual rummage sale and I’m pleased

to report we did very well indeed. We helped

people clean out their closets and basements.

We contributed to the green movement by

“recycling” a ton of stuff to new homes. We

made new friends not only within the church,

but also in the wider community who flocked to

our church in search of bargains. Spirits were

high and good fellowship abounded. Yes, it was

a success. Oh, you wanted to know about the

money? On the 100th anniversary of the

rummage sale, a new record in BCC Women’s

Society fund raising was set—after deducting

for expenses, a bit over $25,000 was made. Forty

per cent of this will go to the Trustees for the

general budget and the rest will be used for

Women’s Society benevolence, projects and

expenses. The recent renovation of the Eastman

Room is an example of one of our projects.

Thanks go to Penny Wolf and her co-chairs

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Carol Mickel and Helen Buerger for their

amazing work in coordinating the rummage

sale. We want to thank Mel Corbett too for his

skill in composing rummage anthems and for

his space planning abilities. Our thanks go out

too to all the good people—members of the

church and friends of the church – who

contributed so much work and time to this

effort.

Having recovered from rummage, thirteen

ladies went on a field trip to the Cathedral of St.

John the Divine in New York City and enjoyed a

leisurely lunch at LeMonde afterwards. On June

14, we’ll gather for our annual June luncheon,

this year at the home of Janet Davis, 74 Furnace

Woods Rd, Cortlandt Manor, NY. The luncheon

begins at 11:30. Please call Carol Mickel (944-

9160) to talk about what you would like to

contribute to the table. Also, if you need a ride,

contact Janet Moulton (769-1102) who is

arranging car pools. Everyone is welcome. This

is always a very pleasant afternoon.

As our year draws to an end, I am pleased to

announce that Penny Wolf will be the new

President of the Women’s Society. We know that

she will do a wonderful job, bringing her special

touch of spirituality and good humor to our

gatherings. Enjoy your summer and we’ll see

you again at our September meeting.

CONGRATULATIONS

GRADS!

Melissa Moulton is graduating from Skidmore

College. She has been accepted to and will be

attending New York University School of Nursing

in the September, 2012.

Emily Prentiss will be graduating from Ossining

High School in June will be attending the

University of Rochester in the fall.

Tyler Ferguson has been courted to play football

for Western New England University in

Springfield, Mass next year.

John Ruffing will graduate from Winston

Preparatory School and attend Thames Academy

at Mitchell College in new London, CT.

CELEBRATIONS

The human will, that force unseen,

The offspring of a deathless soul,

Can hew a way to any goal,

Though walls of granite intervene.

James Allen (1864-1912)

Happy June birthdays to our friends:

Myrtle Nichols June 6

Louisa Myers June 15

Bill Sharman June 16

Elly Robinson June 17

RUMMAGE 2013 !!

Mark your calendars:

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Rummage 2012 was

a record breaking success,

earning $27,000!

We are already tweaking Rummage 2013 and

WE NEED YOUR HELP.

We had record-breaking donations, shoppers and

revenues this year. Now, we need record

breaking workers during the week and on

Sale Day!

We work hard, have a tremendous amount of

fun, get to know each other better

and find true treasures (along with some bizarre

trash). Mark your calendars NOW and

COME, BE A PART OF IT.

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During May we have been praying for:

Those who are ill:

Shirley Johnson

Troy Bernardette Ragsdale

Barbara

Anne

Floranne Moulton

Larrie Rockmacher

Robert Baxter

Diane Greenwald

Esther Struck

Christopher Rocco

Bob Kelly

Maida Basil

Dianne Scarcella

Valerie Nelson

Densi Matroney

Solomon Robert

Bill Benzenberg

Everett Waterman

Those recovering from surgery:

Keith Williams

Mary Alenstein

Nancy Gardiner

Fred Colby

Jennifer Lasorsa

Carol Mickel

Those who grieve:

The family of John Glascott, Jr.

The family of Lou Hahn

The family of Jane Franck

Those serving in the military:

Matt Warren

Gerrit Dykstra

Those who are in need:

Gloria Johnson

Our Mother Earth

And for Rev’d Dr. Bonnie Rosborough,

as she travels abroad during her

sabbatical leave.

SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday, September 28th

7 p.m.

Beebe Hall

“Get Your Acts Together!”

BCC Talent Show

Traditional, Creative, Original

Singing, Dancing, Instruments,

Spoons, Washboards, Skits,

Comedy, Mime, Storytelling, etc.

If you’re interested in performing,

please contact Fimi at church or

via email at

huimeilin924@gmail.com

If you can help with this event,

please call Jane Ozer

at 914-762-7502

Lucky 13! Happy Thirteenth Anniversary to Patrick

Martin and Rachel Hansen on June 5!

BRIARCLIFF CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH TEL: 914-941-4368 FAX: 914-941-1513 EMAIL: church-office@briarcliffchurch.org

JUNE 2012 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

2

Keith Orlando

Piano recital,

7 pm

3 WORSHIP

10 am

Trinity Sunday

4

Annual

Meeting, 8 pm

5

6

Rev’d Jacobs in

office, 1 – 7 pm

Deacons,

7:30 pm

7 .

Senior Choir

rehearsal, 8 pm

8

9

10 WORSHIP

10 am

Church School

Sunday

11

12

Benevolence,

8 pm

13

14

Rev’d Jacobs in

office, 9-11 am

Women’s Soc

Luncheon, 11:30 am,

home of Janet Davis

Senior Choir

rehearsal, 8 pm

15

16

17 WORSHIP

10 am

Choir

Recognition

Sunday –

Hymn Sing &

Ice Cream Social

18

19 Rev’d Jacobs in

office, 3-7:30 pm

Trustees,

7:45 pm

20

21

22

23

24 WORSHIP

10 am

25

26

27 Rev’d Jacobs in

office, 10 - 4

28

29

30

Childcare is available during worship. Sunday School meets simultaneously.

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