TABLE OF CONTENTS
From Our Executive Director:
COFFEE & COMMUNION
I have often joked that my fellow United Methodists usually celebrate the Eucharist once a month but our real Communion occurs weekly during our most important ritual: coffee hour.
Many of us long for the day when there will be no barriers to intercommunion at the Lord's Table, but in the meantime we can at least commune over coffee in the fellowship hall.
Scholars tell us that the Christian sacrament of the Eucharist grew out of the radical table-fellowship that Jesus shared with all people, including sinners and outcastes. Fr. Richard Rohr, a Franciscan who is a prolific author and lecturer, has argued that we will only rightly observe the Lord's Supper when we share radical hospitality with all. While it is not yet possible for all Christians to join in the sacrament, there is no reason we cannot practice true communion during coffee hour.
- We can extend a gracious welcome to all. Many denominations discourage children from taking part in the Eucharist, which is a little odd when you consider that the rabbi we claim to follow said, "Let the children come to me," but we can at least make sure the kids are welcome during coffee hour. At my "home parish," First United Methodist Church in Amityville, children find juice and cookies there while adults share coffee or tea, along with some goodies to sweeten the morning. It is likewise important for greeters, ushers, and neighbors in the next pew to invite visitors and seldom-attenders to stay a while.
- We can create a space for real fellowship, ideally one that is close enough to the front door or the sanctuary that it is easy for visitors to pause there. At 1st Church, tables and chairs are set up in the parlor immediately adjacent to the narthex, which encourages worshipers to linger and chat. I am often on the road on Sunday mornings, and when I have been away quite a while I miss the conversations over coffee more than I miss the Eucharist. This may strike you as shocking irreverence, but I think my rebbe understands how I feel.
- We can make sure that neighbors who believe that they should not approach the communion rail know that they can come to the coffee pot. When I was a pastor in Island Park, Catholics often dropped by our church after attending mass at Sacred Heart. One of them eventually became our coffee hour coordinator and gladly brought so much food himself that the hour regularly stretched well beyond sixty minutes. Much like Sikhs, who share a communal meal every time they gather at a gurudwaras, we fed people from the surrounding community every Sunday.
- We can include those with dietary restrictions. Offer both decaffeinated coffee and the real thing, both black tea and herb tea, both hot drinks and juice. Besides the chocolate-laden treats that I like, you might also offer something such as crackers for those who are less addicted to sugar.
- We can show concern for God's good creation and for our brothers and sisters around the globe by trying fair-trade, sustainably-grown coffee, which many denominations and mission agencies now distribute. Get reusable mugs instead of paper or Styrofoam ones: when I included them in my last congregation's wish list, someone immediately bought a hundred of them. Likewise, when 1st Church switched to cloth napkins, it not only saved money and trees, it also added a rare touch of grace and beauty to our communion.
- We can encourage participation by newcomers and seldom worshippers. At 1st Church, everyone is encouraged to bring some of their excess goodies from home on the Sunday after Christmas.
- We can celebrate our diversity. You might plan ahead for Pentecost, when disciples from many lands managed to understand one another, or for World Communion Sunday (the first Sunday in October) and recall that bread takes many forms as Christians share the Eucharist around the world, inviting people to bring tortillas, rice cakes, pita, or nan to share during Coffee Hour. Next Epiphany (Jan. 6 or the first Sunday in January) you might serve Rosca de Reyes from Puerto Rico, a sweet bread baked with a figurine inside representing baby Jesus.
Shalom/Salaam/Shanti/Pax,
Tom
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NEW DIRECTORY OF LOCAL CHURCHES & SYNAGOGUES
Our directory of 1500 churches, Unitarian Universalist fellowships, and synagogues on Long Island is now at the printers. It lists local congregations/parishes, denominational executives, local ecumenical and interfaith organizations, non-parish clergy, chaplains, pastoral counselors, and campus ministers, as well as information on how to find worship services in many languages, from American Sign Language to Urdu. We mail this directory free to our member congregations, the Friends of the LICC, and our major donors, and we will be handing it out at our Board meetings. If you do not receive your copy soon, this may be a sign that you need to do the paperwork to officially join!
We sell the directory for $50 to not-for-profit organizations and for $100 to some businesses that have a legitimate need to find local clergy, such as funeral homes and hospitals. You can snail-mail a check made out to the LICC to 1644 Denton Green, Hempstead NY 11550 Attention: Sara Weiss or you can charge it to your MasterCard or Visa by calling 516-565-0290 with the relevant information. If you have any questions, please contact Sara Weiss at 516-565-0290, ext. 207 or saraweiss@optonline.net.
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DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT:
Sara C. Weiss, Director of Development
Special thanks to Christopher McGrath for a $5,000 donation to buy Christmas toys for children in needy families, and for emergency food. We were able to provide toys for everyone who wanted them. And we thank the following institutional donors for their gifts of $500 and more that we received in December:
| Bank of America | $8,000 Predatory Lending Prevention |
| Community Church of East Williston | $2,100 for Emergency Food & LICC |
| Community Church of Syosset | $700 Where Most Needed |
| Community United Methodist Church-Massapequa | $1,400 Community Resources |
| Island Outreach Foundation | $10,000 Community Resources |
| JPMorgan matching gift (& anonymous donor) | $1,000 total, Freeport Emergency Food |
| Massapequa Reformed Church | $1,000 Where Most Needed |
| Religious Society of Friends | $641 Freeport Emergency Food |
| Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock | $100,000 Emergency Food |
We are also grateful to the institutions that gave less than $500, and to all of our individual donors, though we do not list them because they have asked to remain anonymous.
Most Urgent Need
Our most urgent need for this month is for transportation. To apply for a job, or various forms of assistance often requires several trips to complete applications and provide documentation they often do not have immediately in hand. If they have small children, their transportation costs are even higher. Clients who are already destitute, for example, must pay for transportation to qualify for public assistance-which is obviously a burden. Gifts to pay for MetroCards and Suffolk Bus tickets would be a great help to people in need.
Memorial/Tribute Gifts
A great way to remember a loved one, whether living or deceased, is to give a memorial or tribute gift in his/her name. In your letter accompanying such a gift, please tell us who the gift is in memory or tribute to, and who is giving the gift. We will send a thank you letter to the contributor and to the family of the loved one in accordance with your instructions. Please send your contribution to the LICC, attention Sara Weiss. If you have any questions, call Sara for further information at 516-565-0290, ext. 207. Naming and Tribute opportunities are also available for our programs. Please call Sara for a list. We also have planned giving opportunities that will sustain these programs in perpetuity.
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IDEAS YOU CAN USE:
Pray (and Smile) Before You Give
Some people think that clergy talk about money too much, but the Gospels record that Jesus spoke about money five times as often as he taught about prayer. Perhaps the problem is that we too seldom celebrate stewardship as expressing gratitude for God with all the resources we have and instead try to cajole the flock into giving more to the congregation's budget. Rather than announce the offering, some have been known to say, "The Bible teaches us that the Lord loves a cheerful giver, so smile as the ushers receive our offering."
At Community United Methodist Church in Massapequa, the Rev. Jeff Wells invites the congregation to offer words such as these,
"We worship an awesome and generous God.
Not only does God love us and forgive us, but God gives us many gifts.
Our faith, our hope, and our love are all gifts from God.
We want to be generous like God.
Grow in us hearts to give and forgive in your image, O God. Amen."
--copyright 2009 by the Rev. Jeff Wells.
Wells encourages churches and church bodies to use his prayers for worship and devotional purposes, but asks them to include this copyright citation when reprinting - and to contact him at massapcumc@aol.com for permission to publish it for other purposes.
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WORTH QUOTING
A Wish for the New Year
"My hope is that we as a society can learn to listen to each other instead of just arguing with one another, so that we can find solutions to our problems that we cannot even imagine yet."
--LICC Freeport Pantry Manager Wally Merna, at LICC staff Epiphany party
Shirley Coverdale on MLK's Legacy
"Long Island is the third-most segregated suburban region in America - but this represents progress: we used to be first."
--Shirley Coverdale, 1st Baptist Church of Riverhead, 25th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Breakfast, Hyatt Wind Watch, Jan. 18, 2009
Lent
"As my pastor at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in East Meadow said recently, I am not so much looking forward to Lent as I am knowing that I need it."
--LICC Finance Director Timothy Denton, LICC Board meeting Jan. 28
Benedict XVI on Economic Justice
Bishop William Murphy recently spoke to members of the LICC's Board and Public Issues Committee about the ecumenical implications of the recent papal encyclical on issues of morality in markets and justice in economic systems. Here are some excerpts from Charity in Truth:
"Economic science tells us that structural insecurity generates anti-productive attitudes wasteful of human resources. . . . Human costs always include economic costs, and economic dysfunctions always involve human costs."
"The Church's social doctrine has always maintained that justice must be applied to every phase of economic activity, because this is always concerned with man and his needs. Locating resources, financing, production, consumption and all the other phases in the economic cycle inevitably have moral implications. Thus every economic decision has a moral consequence."
"The economy needs ethics in order to function correctly - not any ethics whatsoever, but an ethics which is people centered."
--Pope Benedict XVI, papal encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth)
Witnessing, Listening, and Sharing
"Christian witness to God's love seeks to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world. That means conversing with, listening to, learning from and living peacefully with those in the world who do confess Jesus as Lord. Listening and sharing sometimes shows God's love better than declarations of beliefs."
--National Council of Churches, "Getting to Know Neighbors of Other Faiths: A Theological Rationale for Interfaith Relationships," www.ncccusa.org
Do Executions Deter Murder?
"The dozen states that have chosen not to enact the death penalty since the Supreme Court ruled in 1976 that it was constitutionally permissible have not had higher homicide rates than states with the death penalty. . . . Indeed, 10 of the 12 states without capital punishment have homicide rates below the national average, Federal Bureau of Investigation data shows, while half the states with the death penalty have homicide rates above the national average."
--New York Times editorial Dec. 15, 2009
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WORTH READING: The Last Day by James Landis
I must confess that this book sat on my shelf for a number of weeks before I gave it a second look: somehow, a guy-meets-Jesus-in-jeans-on-the-beach novel just seemed impossibly hokey.
When I finally got around to The Last Day (Steerforth Press), though, it turned out to be anything but what I expected. Jesus does a few minor miracles in this story, such as cooking a huge omlette from a single egg, but he also dismisses some Biblical miracles as natural occurrences. He has an easy laugh, enjoys a young GI's first beer with him, loves home-cured bacon, and is not the least bit judgmental. In The Last Day, Jesus returns home to New Hampshire with Warren Harlan Pease as the young man visits those he left behind when he went off to Iraq as an Army sniper: his high school sweetheart, his daughter, his veterinarian/hunter father, his best friend, and his deceased mother. In the end, this is a work of courage and grace, about the physical and emotional toll taken by warfare and also about finding spiritual peace, about loss and life, about sin and redemption. It is not the least bit hokey.
--twg-
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DID YOU KNOW?
New Bible Study Group at Nassau Jail
LICC Chaplain Nancy Schaffer recently started a new Bible study group with women at the Nassau County Correctional Center.
Interfaith Study in Garden City
For the past five years, the Garden City Clergy Association has offered an interfaith Bible study series, with fifty to sixty participants. In past years they always stuck to Old Testament passages, but this year they studied the New Testament, at the request of a rabbi who suggested that they read Modern Jewish Thought about Christianity.
New York State has a Web site, www.mybenefits.ny.gov/selfservice, where people can check to see what benefits and tax credits they may be eligible to receive for
food, medical care, child care, and such.
St. Martin's School Receives EPA Award
St. Martin of Tours School in Amityville will be presented the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Energy Star for Schools Award at a ceremony on Tuesday, February 9, at 1:15PM. Amityville's Deputy Mayor Peter Casserly will present the award to Kathleen Razzetti, the school's Principal, at the St. Martin of Tours Parish Center. This award is the mark of superior energy performance that identifies the school as one of the most efficient school buildings in the nation. St. Martin's is one of only a handful of schools on Long Island, and the only one in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Rockville Centre, to earn this distinction.
Presbyterian Community Church of Massapequa had such success last year raising pledges to repair their boiler that they decided to challenge the congregation to pledge $10,000 for local missions in 2010.
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OFFERED/NEEDED
Offered:
- Free Vestments
- Hempstead United Methodist Church has a box full of robes, stoles, and clergy shirts to give away. If you are interested, please call 516-485-6363.
- Free Frige
- New Beginnings Christian Ministries has a 14.7 cu ft refrigerator to give away. It needs to be picked up in Brentwood ASAP-although they may be able to arrange delivery. Contact Yvonne Quirk at 631-581-7324.
- Grand Piano
- Grand piano, free for the taking from Church of Our Saviour, Lutheran, 1901 Northern Blvd, Manhasset. Former sanctuary piano in good working order - can be seen and played by appointment scheduled with Office Adminstrator, Dorothy Maus - office hours 8:30am-1pm, Tuesday through Friday. 516-627-2430.
- Free Health Screening Feb. 13 in Mattituck
- Mattituck Presbyterian Church (12605 Main Road , 631-298-4145) is presenting free health and wellness screening open to all people living in the East End. This program will begin at the Mattituck Presbyterian Church Social Hall on Saturday February 13, 9 am - 2 pm.
- You do not need insurance.
- You do not need an appointment.
- You will not be charged any money or co-pay.
- You do not have to be a Church member.
- You will receive free Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Dental and Vision Screening (other services are being added).
- You will also receive general health and wellness information.
- You can ask questions about your health problems and receive answers to help you understand health concerns.
- Volunteer professional medical staff members will provide health screening, counseling, education about your health issues and referrals for medical attention if you do not have a doctor.
- Your health information and identity will not be shared with anyone unless you give written permission in advance.
- Free Training in Spiritual Care
- Are you looking for an avenue to volunteer your time with others? Come learn more about sharing your gift of time and presence as a Spiritual Care Companion with those that are hospitalized or living in a nursing home or homebound. Catholic Health Services of Long Island sponsors this free six-week training, for volunteers of all faiths, with basic pastoral care skills and information to become a caring, attentive, listening presence. Topics include - communication skills, concerns of the sick and homebound, spiritual companioning, grief, death & dying, ethical issues and more. St. Francis trainings begin in late February and end in March. Informational sessions will be held:
- Friday February 5, 2010 from 9:30am-11:30am St. Francis Hospital, Roslyn, NY - Lower Level (Conference Room DeMatteis Pavilion)
- Tuesday March 9, 2010 from 1:00pm - 3:00pm Good Samaritan Hospital, West Islip, NY (Medical Education Conference Room 2nd Floor)
- Thursday March 11, 2010 from 7:00pm - 9:00pm Good Samaritan Nursing Home, Sayville
For further information, please call Carol Cella at 516-705-3714; or Mary T. O'Neill at 631-474-5663; or Peggy Nixdorf at 631-587-1600x8236.
- Prayer Group for Pastors
- Weekly Pastor's Prayer and Fellowship Meeting every Friday at 7 p.m., at Our Father's House in Plainview. The purpose of our gathering is to provide an atmosphere of camaraderie for clergy, to be built up in fellowship, to share personal struggles with like-minded colleagues, and to help one another maximize his/her potential in ministry, and to share ideas, contacts, and resources. The meetings are open to pastors and their spouses. Refreshments served. For more info, email seviregis@msn.com.
- Free H1N1 Flu Shots
- The Suffolk County Department of Health Services (SCDHS) is holding OPEN (no appointment needed) points of distribution (POD) clinics for H1N1 influenza vaccination for people in priority groups for H1N1 influenza vaccination as follows:
- Monday, February 1, 2010 at the H. Lee Dennison Building, 100 Veteran's Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, between 4 PM and 7 PM
- Thursday, February 4, 2010 at the Shelter Island Senior Citizens Center, Rte. 114 South, Medical Building, Shelter Island, between 11 AM and 1 PM
- Monday, February 8, 2010 at the H. Lee Dennison Building, 100 Veteran's Memorial Highway, Hauppauge, between 4 PM and 7 PM
- Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at the Riverhead Free Library at 330 Court St., Riverhead, between 10 AM and 2 PM
People highly recommended to receive H1N1 influenza vaccine (specified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) include pregnant women, household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age, healthcare and emergency medical services personnel, all people from 6 months through 24 years of age, and persons aged 25 to 64 who have conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications. Questions from the general public or from health care providers about H1N1 influenza should be directed to a special NYSDOH H1N1 Influenza Hotline, 1-800-808-1987, which is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The Suffolk County Department of Health Services also has a Suffolk County H1N1 Influenza Hotline, (631) 787-2200, which is currently open on weekdays from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.
- Free Home Energy Audit
- Since January 2009, more than 500 Long Island families have received LI Green Free Home Energy Audit services. Our not for profit organization, which is based at Stony Brook University and affiliated with the Advanced Energy Research Center, has ramped up this program and is ready to dramatically increase the number of homes to be served in the next 12 months.
The LI Green Free Home Energy Audit program provides a no cost preliminary residential energy screening to any Long Island homeowners. Our trained engineers and technicians conduct a one on one meeting with families to determine what energy challenges exist in their home and the best ways to solve them. The outcome of the meeting is an individualized "Home Energy Action Plan" along with the technical assistance needed to deliver it.
Making their homes more energy efficient is the single largest contribution that families can make to reducing global warming. At the same time they will save significantly on energy costs while their homes also become warmer and more healthy to live in. To participate, sign up online at www.ligreen.com.
- Free Tax Preparation and Earned Income Tax Credit Filing
- For information about getting your tax return prepared and filing for the Earned Income Tax Credit, please contact: Health and Welfare Council of Long Island (516) 483-1110. And make sure to ask for a FREE eligibility screening for Health Insurance and Food Stamps! Find out more information on Financial Aid U and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Program.
- A Boost for Your Paycheck
- The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's "Making Work Pay" is a refundable tax credit of up to $400, or up to $800 if you're filing a joint return. It's automatically added to your paycheck through less tax withholding. The credit amount starts phasing out if you make more than $75,000, or $150,000 if you're filing a joint return. So, you can get the credit now in your paycheck and you don't have to do a thing. Or get it on your tax return next year if you don't have taxes withheld by an employer.
Just keep in mind that there are some circumstances where you now may have too little tax withheld. This can include if you have more than one job, receive a pension, receive a $250 recovery payment check, if you are a married couple who both work outside the home, or if you are claimed by your parents as a dependent. Remember that you can adjust your withholding to the correct amount for your situation. To find out what's best for you, visit irs.gov and search for "withholding calculator" or check the recovery page.
- Help Paying for College
- The American Opportunity Credit is worth up to $2,500 of the cost of tuition and related expenses. You can claim it on your 2009 and 2010 tax returns. The credit amount starts phasing out if you make more than $80,000, or $160,000 if you're filing a joint return. Even if you don't make enough money to file a return, file anyway because you may get up to $1,000 back.
And if you have a section 529 college savings plan, you can spend those funds on a computer that's used for college. Visit irs.gov/recovery for more info.
- Extra Green for Going Green
- The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act may give you tax credits for certain energy efficient home improvements and electric vehicles. You can get a 30 percent tax break of up to $1,500 if you add insulation, energy-efficient exterior windows, doors or skylights, or heating and cooling systems. You also get a 30 percent tax break with no dollar limit for alternative energy equipment like solar water heaters, geothermal heat pumps and small wind turbines. And to spruce up your driveway or garage, you could get a tax credit for buying certain electric vehicles. To see how you can make your home greener and save some green in the process, visit irs.gov/recovery.
Needed:
- Mentors Needed
- When you serve as a mentor, you enrich your life as much as you do the life of a child. BUDDY (Building Unique, Dynamic & Diverse Youth) brings together three of Long Island's premier nonprofit organizations - the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD), the Long Island Council of Churches (LICC) and the Mentoring Partnership of Long Island (MPLI) who have teamed-up to launch and sustain a mentoring program for children in Nassau County whose mothers are incarcerated. If you have an hour a week to mentor a young person between the ages of 4-18, please call Valerie Taylor at 516-747-2606 or visit us online at www.licadd.org for more information and an application.
- Disaster Relief Kits
- Church World Service, our ecumenical partner in disaster response, has issued an urgent appeal for "Gift of the Heart" disaster relief kits. 174,000 pounds of CWS Kits were donated last year-and nearly 300,000 pounds of Kits have already been requested this winter-and that was before Haiti was devastated by an earthquake. Please help assemble disaster response kits if you can. If your church assembles kits, they would love to receive them before the usual late-April collection date. We have two volunteers who can take kits to the CWS staging area in New Windsor, Maryland. The Rev. Rebecca Segers is going down in February and Carol White is going down around April 10. If you have assembled kits already, please contact Kathy Burton, associate director of CWS for Long Island, at 860-598-9194, 888-297-2767, or kburton@churchworldservice.org. Information on how to assemble CWS kits can be found at www.churchworldservice.org.
CWS Kits, Blankets and other basics, pre-positioned in the Dominican Republic for disasters in the Caribbean, have been distributed quickly in and around Port-au-Prince. Vitally needed water and sanitation equipment also have been transported from Santo Domingo, and further shipments to Haiti from the DR are underway, including additional tents and food packages, and Medicine Boxes.
- Valentine's Candy
- If you receive more chocolate this month for Valentine's Day than you can or should eat, why not donate it to your local emergency food pantry? Emergency pantries often have bare shelves in winter and in the current recession even more of our neighbors than usual are at risk of going hungry. Do you have anything else that needs to be cleaned out of your cupboard? Fruitcake you received this Christmas? Fancy jellies and jams? Flavored coffee that is not your cup of tea? Most of us have food in our homes we will never eat, food our neighbors need. This is a great time to go through the canned goods and give away anything that you are not going to use that is not dented, many years old, or otherwise inedible.
The LICC particularly needs canned meat, hash, stew, low-sodium food, low-fat food, dietetic food, Ensure (and similar supplements), baby food, and infant formula. Donations of toiletries, personal care items, and shopping bags also are welcome. Do you have any of these you are not using? Please call before bringing clothes-we already have lots to give away.
The Freeport pantry needs a copier, vacuum cleaner, and small shopping carts.
The Riverhead pantry needs some comfortable chairs or a small couch for guests waiting for assistance.
We also need drivers who can pick up food donations occasionally and deliver them to Freeport, Hempstead, or Riverhead, as you are needed and as you happen to be available-with absolutely no guilt if you do not happen to be free.
Donations for the LICC can be dropped off at their Riverhead office (407 Osborne Avenue at Lincoln, opposite the Polish Town Civic Association, 631-727-2210), their Hempstead office (in Christ's 1st Presbyterian Church at the village green on Nichol's Court, 516-565-0290), or their Freeport Emergency Food Center (450 North Main Street, 516-868-4989).
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ARE YOU PLAYING IN THE SOUPER BOWL?
Many youth groups, confirmation classes, and Sunday Schools ask each worshiper for $1 to feed the hungry on Super Bowl Sunday, raising more than $3 million dollars last year for soup kitchens and emergency food pantries, plus substantial donations of canned goods. In doing this, they also encouraged people to remember our neighbors in need after the Christmas-Hanukkah-New Year's Eve season has passed. Please consider collecting food and money for the LICC's pantries. Information on the Souper Bowl of Caring is available at 1-800-358-SOUP or www.souperbowl.org.
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IT'S STILL A GREAT TIME TO BUY A HOME
Low prices and low interest rates make this a good time to buy a home if you have good credit and some savings-particularly if you get free mortgage counseling. Many lenders offer seminars for first-time homebuyers, which also help you to be a smart shopper and avoid mortgage trouble. For mortgage counseling, call the LIHP at 631-435-4710. And the LICC would be glad to do a program tailored to the needs of your congregation or community group.
And if you are in the market for a new home, you may still be able to claim the First-Time Homebuyer Credit., which Congress extended and expanded in November. Here are key points the IRS wants you to know about the expanded credit and the qualifications you must meet in order to qualify for it.
- You must buy - or enter into a binding contract to buy a principal residence - on or before April 30, 2010.
- If you enter into a binding contract by April 30, 2010 you must close on the home on or before June 30, 2010.
- For qualifying purchases in 2010, you have the option of claiming the credit on either your 2009 or 2010 return.
- A long-time resident of the same home can now qualify for a reduced credit. You can qualify for the credit if you've lived in the same principal residence for any five-consecutive year period during the eight-year period that ended on the date the new home is purchased and the settlement date is after November 6, 2009.
- The maximum credit for long-time residents is $6,500. However, married individuals filing separately are limited to $3,250. The maximum credit for first-time homeowners is $8,000 (up to $4,000 for married filing separately).
- People with higher incomes can now qualify for the credit. The new law raises the income limits for homes purchased after November 6, 2009. The full credit is available to taxpayers with modified adjusted gross incomes up to $125,000, or $225,000 for joint filers.
- The IRS will issue a revised Form 5405 to claim this credit on 2009 tax returns. The revised form must be used for homes purchased after November 6, 2009 - whether the credit is claimed for 2008 or for 2009 - and for all home purchases that are claimed on 2009 returns.
- Homebuyers who claim the credit on their 2009 tax return will not be able to file electronically but instead will need to file a paper return. For homes purchased in 2009 there is an option to take the credit on an original or amended 2008 tax return.
- The new law includes documentation requirements. See revised Form 5405 for details.
- No credit is available if the purchase price of the home exceeds $800,000.
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LICC TAKES ITS FINANCE SHOW ON THE ROAD:
"how to Make Ends Meet in Retirement" Feb. 11 in Manhattan
Long Island Council of Churches, which has been offering personal finance seminars across Long Island for the past seven years, is taking its show on the road to Manhattan on Feb. 11. Wondering how you can manage your money well in the current recession? Wondering how to make ends meet in retirement if you are "house rich but cash poor"? Do you know someone who needs help coping with tight finances?
The LICC will present a personal finance seminar on Thursday, Feb. 11. at 7 p.m. at Morningside Gardens for Morningside Retirement & Health Services, at 100 La Salle Street (Building I). The program is free and open to all.
LICC Executive Director Tom Goodhue, a longtime resident of Morningside Gardens, will emcee the program. Vanessa White from the Bank of America, who helped a dozen or so Morningsiders get reverse mortgages when they were offered by Bank of New York, will describe how reverse mortgages work and whether they might be available to Morningside Gardens residents sometime soon. Richard Deam & Pam Wetherbee from DeamOaks Financial Services, who have done other programs recently at Morningside, will discuss how to safely increase the return on your savings. Sondra Purcell, an elder law attorney, will answer questions about other ways to make ends meet in retirement.
The LICC started offering these programs in 2003 when it became concerned about predatory lending and the looming sub-prime mortgage crisis, but the range of topics they have addressed has steadily grown. "We keep finding new challenges that people face," Goodhue explains. "Our programs are always focused on the needs of each audience. We save the bulk of our time for questions from the audience - and give them a chance to ask questions anonymously in writing."
The LICC's seminars on how to manage your money and avoid bad loans usually run an hour to 90 minutes, but we can tailor it to the needs of your audience. We can do shorter programs, for example, for a college class, campus ministry group, or youth group. This could be a great addition to your congregation's stewardship campaign, helping people to think faithfully about how we use our resources, and not just the portion we donate to our house of worship. We would also be glad to do presentations for religious leaders on how to manage a congregation's money more effectively, reduce expenses, and encourage planned gifts. We also have speakers who can handle a variety of languages.
The LICC will arrange speakers, educational materials, and other freebies. There is no charge for this program, thanks to grants from Astoria Federal Savings, Bank of America, Bethpage Federal Credit Union, Capitol One, Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, Ridgewood Savings Bank, the State Bank of Long Island, TD Bank, and Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. To request a seminar, please call 516-565-0290, ext. 206, fax 516-565-0291, or e-mail tomgoodhue@optonline.net.
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GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE-DONATE BLOOD
Long Island Blood Services’ Drives in February
| 2/8/10 | St. Elisabeth Episcopal Church, 6 Harvard Street, Floral Park | 3:00-9:00 PM |
| 2/20/10 | Memorial Presbyterian, 189 Babylon Turnpike, Roosevelt | 9:45-2:15 |
| 2/2/10 | St. Paul Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 110 Cathedral Ave., Hempstead | 3:15-9:15 PM |
You can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org to verify the date and time of the blood drive.
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ADVERTISING IN THE PRELUDE
Each month we mail about 3000 copies of our newsletter The Prelude to the clergy leaders and lay leaders of 1350 faith organizations. We also email this newsletter to 2200 religious leaders and post it on our Web site (www.liccny.org), which receives more than 2000 visitors each month. Filled with timely articles, news briefs, updates and notices affecting Long Island's communities and churches and the wider world, The Prelude is a must read for all who would "work together to improve Long Island and promote interfaith understanding and cooperation." The LICC accepts paid sponsorship ads, display ads and simple listings (classifieds). Advertising in The Prelude is a great way to reach clergy, lay leaders, and volunteers in Long Island's congregations. To receive a "media kit" with advertising rates, copy requirements, and copy deadlines, please call 516-565-0290 or email tomgoodhue@optonline.net. Congregations that join the LICC and groups that join the Friends of the LICC receive a free classified ad in thanks for paying their annual dues.
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ADS & ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Gandhi Celebration Jan. 30
Saturday, Jan. 30, will be the anniversary of the death of Mohandas K. Gandhi. The Long Island Muli-Faith Forum will celebrate his life in Hauppauge at 6 p.m., where the Shanti Fund has placed his statue in the Dennison County Building. Dinner will be provided, but please RSVP ASAP to Panna Shah at 631-331-0710 or 631-764-7660.
Haitian Relief Concert Jan. 31 in Amityville
Organist Roby Hyland, violinist Fred Fehleisen, and the hand bell choirs from 1st United Methodist Church will have a benefit concert for Haitian Relief on Sunday, Jan. 31, at 4 p.m. at 25 Broadway (Route 110) just north of Merrick Road in Amityville. There is no admission charge, but a free will offering will be received to aid earthquake victims in Haiti. For further information, please call 631-264-0152.
“Separation of Church and State: Are We Making Progress?” Feb. 24 in Manhasset
A panel discussion to stimulate civil conversation on controversial issues. Panelists include Rev. Welton Gaddy, The Interfaith Alliance; Rev. Barry Lynn, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State; and Dan Mach, American Civil Liberties Union. They will address the status of religious freedom today, the new administration and religious liberty, and the role of law to protect religious freedom.
Sponsored by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock
February 24, 7:30 p.m. at 48 Shelter Rock Road, Manhasset.
Questions? Ask Claire Deroche (516) 627-6560, Ext. 177 or cderoche@uucsr.org.
Lenten Mini-Retreat: “In the Footsteps of the Christ” Feb. 27 in Wading River
10:00 am - 12:30 pm, Saturday, February 27
St John The Baptist Catholic Church, 1488 North Country Road, Wading River
Leader: the Rev Yuri Ando
Following the footsteps of Christ is the theme of our Lenten Retreat. This mostly silent retreat will use devotional resources such as the Stations of the Cross, journaling and the labyrinth to guide our meditations and prayers.
Following the Stations of the Cross is a traditional prayer experience used by groups and individuals as they reflect on the passion of Jesus Christ. The labyrinth is also an ancient prayer path symbolic of our interior journey toward God. When we walk in the footsteps of Christ, these prayer practices allow us to move quietly into ourselves and to reflect on our relationship with the Son and the Father. You will be invited to make your own cross so that you might continue your meditation at home. We will end our morning retreat with music from Taize and a “Love Feast.”
Cost: member of a subscribing church, $10; others, $25. To register, call 631-821-2255 .
Classroom & Office Space Available in Franklin Square
Ascension Lutheran Church, 145 Franklin Ave. in Franklin Square, has plenty of space available for office or school use. For further information, please call 516.352.1263 or email ascensionpastor@optonline.net.
Seminary Open Houses
New Brunswick Theological Seminary will host a series of Open Houses for those wishing to investigate degree programs in theological education on each of its campuses.
New Brunswick, New Jersey Campus
17 Seminary Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
| New Brunswick at St. John’s University
8000 Utopia Parkway
Jamaica, NY 11439 |
- Tuesday, February 23 at 5 PM Tuesday, February 16 at 5 PM
- Wednesday, March 24 at 5 PM Tuesday, March 23 at 5 PM
- Saturday, April 24 at 9 AM Thursday, April 15 at 5 PM
For more information, contact Audrey Williamson, New Jersey Regional Recruiter, at 732-247-5241, awilliamson@nbts.edu, or Faye Taylor, New York Regional Recruiter, at 718-990-6000, ftaylor@nbts.edu.
Job Opening: Day Care Director
Director sought for small startup Day Care Center - Initially as consultant to complete OCFS application. Contact Bay Shore Methodist Church, 631-666-7194.
Volunteer Disaster Chaplain Training Course
Garden City (Long Island), New York - March 8-9, 2010
Co-sponsored by the Episcopal Community Services, Long Island Council of Churches, and the Mercer School of Theology of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, this training is open to faith leaders of all faiths. Florida participants who complete this certification can volunteer with the Long Island Council of Churches or through Long Island VOAD partners. NDIN can also assist unaffiliated volunteers in finding disaster spiritual care volunteer opportunities in local communities across the United States. Emergency managers and disaster mental health professionals may take this course to develop their knowledge of disaster spiritual care best practices.
This two-day training prepares faith leaders or institutional chaplains to volunteer as disaster chaplains in mass care settings or to serve as disaster chaplains within their house of worship, religious community or professional institution. Each registrant must be endorsed for this training and/or currently serve as a professional chaplain and/or credentialed religious leader. Emergency managers and disaster mental health professionals may register using their agency affiliation.
Monday, March 8 and Tuesday, March 9 - 8:15AM - 5:00PM
The George Mercer, Jr. Memorial School of Theology
65 Fourth Street - Garden City, NY 11530
For Driving or Train Directions: http://www.mercerschool.org/directions.html.
Attendance is limited to 35 participants - Register by March 1
Tuition is $195 - Paid in Advance
(Continental breakfast, lunch and training materials included)
This course is compliant with NIMS (National Incident Management Systems) and incorporates FEMA Incident Command System (IS 100) training. It also complies with the National VOAD* Points of Consensus for Disaster Spiritual Care.
*Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
The Course Curriculum Incorporates:
- Operations & Spiritual Care: General Principles; Interventions; Sites and Specifics
- Emotional and spiritual phases of the disaster "life cycle"
- Spiritual First Aid: PCAID (Presence, Connect, Assessment, Intervention, Develop Plan of Care) as an intervention appropriate in any phase of a disaster
- Disaster human services operations and disaster site operations
- Practice in applying principles of spiritual and emotional care in various disaster scenarios
- Mental Health: Introduction; Impact of Disaster; Response and Reaction
- Phases of psychological reaction to disaster and impact on behaviors, thoughts, & feelings
- Psychological First Aid as a basic intervention that does not require professional training
- Indicators that referrals for professional mental health care may be appropriate
- Self-Care: The Need and Techniques; Individual and Community Resilience
- The need for caregivers to develop effective self-care practices
- Practices that minimize compassion fatigue ("the cost of caring") and other stresses related to providing care in times of crisis
- Strategies to promote recovery and resiliency, especially through support systems that monitor, nourish and maintain self-care for individuals and communities
Registration Link URL: http://www.n-din.org/ndin_trainings/Scheduled_Training_06.php
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The Long Island Council of Churches is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. The Long Island Council of Churches unites diverse Christians to work together in ministry with the poor and to promote interfaith understanding. All donations are tax-deductible and much appreciated.
The Rev. Thomas W. Goodhue
Executive Director
Long Island Council of Churches
1644 Denton Green
Hempstead, NY 11550
voice: 516-565-0290, ext. 206
fax: 516-565-0291
email:tomgoodhue@optonline.net
Web: www.liccny.org
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