Deacon's Corner
And, just like
that, while we're wringing the last drops of leisurely fun out of summer, we
find ourselves standing on the threshold of fall. We still have about three
weeks before it's official though.
The autumnal equinox arrives early on
Sunday morning, September 22. Actually,
it will arrive worldwide at precisely 8:44 A.M. EDT for earth's entire northern
hemisphere at which time the center of the sun will pass through what is known
as the “celestial equator”, an imaginary extension of the earth's equator into
space. From that moment on, our days will progressively grow shorter and the
nights longer. Isn't it ironic that, as we enter a season that requires a lot
of our efforts and attention, we have less time in the day to accomplish tasks?
Judith
McKinnon, director of volunteer and community services at the Open Door Mission
is facing that reality as the Mission's “Code Blue” operation makes
preparations for another cold weather season. “Our volunteer hub is still
experiencing problems”, she lamented, adding, “It's frustrating for those who
want to volunteer and for us in trying to accommodate them and fill our
staffing requirements”. The Mission is working with the application's provider
to solve the problem. She was also very impressed by and appreciative of the
great response she received from APC following her “Mission Minute” address.
Way to go!!! Further into the fall (October 27) the Deacons will be holding a
bake sale to benefit open door. Mark your calendars.
For those of
you who are interested in volunteering you can contact Kelsey Tuttle either by
phone or email (518-926-9724; greenek322@gmail.com). She can
serve as a go between until Open Door can find a solution to this glitch.
Periodically
throughout the year the Deacons will contact congregants who we refer to as our
Friends At Home. These are our senior members who have moved into assisted
living, or nursing homes or, in some cases still live at home...supervised but
alone. On September 3rd we will be mailing cards to each of those
members to let them know we appreciate and are thinking of them. If you would
like to reach out to any of our FAH, please ask any of the Deacons for a list
of names and contact information. Remember that loneliness and isolation are
the big by-products of that kind of lifestyle change. A kind thought from out
of the blue goes a long way.
We will be
sending college “care packages” to our APC students on October 1st.
If you have a student attending school, please make sure that we have their
current contact information so they don't fall through the cracks. These
contacts also include students attending schools locally and still living at
home. As with our FAH members, it's nice to hear from folks. If you're not
certain that we have your student's current information you may send it to Ida
Williams so she can check it against or add it to our current list. (dancinghorsefarm@gmail.com).
Lastly,
following worship on the 18th of August the Deacons gathered with
their families and enjoyed our annual picnic. Weather put us into McLean Hall
but it didn't matter...the food was good, the fellowship was enjoyable, and the
kids ran around and had a ball. We also had the pleasure of sharing that time
with Bryan's brother Buddy and his family. It was an enjoyable way to spend a
Sunday afternoon!
“As long as the earth
endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, day
and night will never cease.” Genesis 8:22
Respectfully,
Tom Genovese for the Deacons
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