The Church of the Messiah

A TASTE of AFRICA, Saturday June 8 from 1-4pm at Church of the Messiah Parish Hall

WebServant — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:18:07 +0000

Savor African culinary tastings by Master Chef Fritz Sonnenschmidt, be inspired by gospel music performed by the Spirit of Unity choir and live drumming by percussionist Abasi Johnson & Vincent (Chickie) French and bid on distinctive treasures at the silent auction!

Tickets are $60 (available at the door). This fundraiser supports scholarships for student travel to South Africa and Ghana this summer. The dynamic study tour, a component of the U.S.-Africa Partnership for Building Stronger Communities Project, focuses on experiential learning to prepare participants for work as change agents and advocates of peace. For further information, please contact the parish office at 845-876-3533.

Readings for May 19th, The Day of Pentecost : Whitsunday

WebServant — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:12:10 +0000

Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:25-35, 37
Romans 8:14-17
John 14:8-17, (25-27)

readings:Click here to view the readings for Sunday May 19, 2013

Lessons and readings from past and future weeks may be found on The Lectionary Page.

EFM Program

WebServant — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:36:02 +0000

EFM is a program of the School of Theology at Sewanee: University of the South. It is intended to enrich and enlarge knowledge about the Bible, the history of the Church, Christianity as a whole, and other faiths. It aims to deepen one’s own faith, and energize the ministry one may already practice, or develop insight for another.

The group meets in seminar once a week, for 36 weeks on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 pm until 9:00 pm.

We, the current EFM members look forward to another lively academic year, beginning in September going through early June. Breaks are timed to coincide with those of most public schools.

2013 Crop Hunger Walk

WebServant — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:35:01 +0000

In preparing for the Crop Hunger Walk this year we would like to have a brain storming meeting to discuss the pros and cons of our past efforts and come up with some new ideas for promoting the walk, ideas for the walk day to have more presence in the community, more awareness of Church World Service activities, and any other topics you may feel would be helpful.

The meeting is on Monday, May 20 at 7:00 PM at the Rhinebeck Reformed Church. Amy Porter, our representative from Church World Service, will attend the meeting on May 20 and make a presentation of how Church World Service has helped with disaster relief here in the US with particular details on Hurricane Sandy relief.

The date of the walk is October 20 in Rhinebeck this year. Please put it on your calendar.

Readings for May 12th, The Seventh Sunday of Easter

WebServant — Thu, 09 May 2013 17:36:54 +0000

Acts 16:16-34
Psalm 97
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21
John 17:20-26

readings:Click here to view the readings for Sunday May 12, 2013

Lessons and readings from past and future weeks may be found on The Lectionary Page.

Waiting Room Project is Looking for Children’s Books

WebServant — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:27:43 +0000

The Storybook Project at the Dutchess County Jail gives incarcerated parents the opportunity to record books onto CDs so their children can hear them reading to them. With the cooperation of jail staff, the books and the recorded CD are sent to the child so they can listen to their absent parent reading the storybook they have in front of them. We get reports that the children listen to the CDs over and over. To quote one child (through his dad) “It makes me feel like I can be with you anytime, even though I can’t.” Most parents who do one recording do others enabling their children to stay connected through the time their parent is away from them.

The Waiting Room Project at the Jail entails our keeping a bookcase in the waiting room stocked with age appropriate books for children who are waiting for a visit with an incarcerated relative. Families often have to sign up for visits as long as an hour beforehand and the waiting room is barren. Jail staff report that having the books there has made the waiting easier for everyone. We also invite the children to take one home after the visit in order to help them have more positive associations with the experience. Recently, a family with four children had to wait an extended period of time for a visit that ultimately had to be cancelled. During the time it took, all four found books, read them to each other, shared pictures and chose carefully the books they would take home. What would have been very stressful was manageable and even rewarding for the children.

An additional, and unexpected, outcome of this project is that when inmates who are studying for the GED have trouble with basic reading skills, the Officer in charge of Storybook sometimes lends them the books for older children. He then asks for book reports so they can work on writing as well as reading. These older-kid “chapter books” are rarely chosen for CDs, but they are serving a fine purpose.

The Outreach Committee has funded this project and we have sources for very reasonably priced books, but we can use donated books that are in excellent shape for ages 1 – 6 as well. Please leave books in the Parish Hall. For more information call the parish office at 845-876-3533.

Save the Date: Vacation Bible School

WebServant — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:26:15 +0000

The dates have been set for this summer’s vacation bible school. It is scheduled for Monday through Friday, July 29^th to August 2^nd, at 9 am to 12 noon each day. The cost of the program is $20 per child, $35 for two children and $50 for a family. More information will be forthcoming but be sure and save the date.

2013 Mad Dash

WebServant — Fri, 03 May 2013 18:24:59 +0000

Planning for the 2013 Mad Dash Race has begun! For those of you who aren’t familiar with The Mad Dash, it is a 5K and 10K race that was founded in 1988 by the Church of the Messiah. After 24 successful years, the race has become a Rhinebeck tradition. Last year, the Dash hosted about 600 runners and walkers of all kinds, and raised over $16K! The Mad Dash is a special event because all of it’s proceeds go to fund Church of the Messiah’s outreach. We will be having our first planning meeting on Tuesday, May 7th at 7:00pm in Donegan Hall. There will be many opportunities to help for anyone who might be interested.

Third Thursday Luncheon

WebServant — Thu, 02 May 2013 14:58:55 +0000

The Episcopal Church of the Messiah, located at 6436 Montgomery Street in Rhinebeck, New York, will hold the monthly “Third Thursday Luncheon” on Thursday, May 16, 2013. As part of Messiah’s Outreach Programs, each luncheon benefits a local organization to support its ongoing programs. The May Luncheon will benefit the Jayne Brooks Food Pantry, located at The Church of the Messiah.

We invite you to stop by to see our parish hall transformed into a stylish bistro, serving a luncheon of soup, sandwich and delicious desserts. The soups for May will be Senate Bean, Spring Vegetable, and Gazpacho. The sandwich choices will be Ham Salad, Turkey Club and Italian Egg Salad. Desserts and coffee or tea will complete the meal.

The luncheon will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with a $6.00 donation requested. For takeout orders with a $7.00 donation, please call 845-876-3533 between 9:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

Food donations from the public are always welcome, and may be dropped off at the church office any weekday morning between 9:00 a.m. and noon. Often needed items include tuna, pancake mix, coffee, soap, shampoo, canned tomato products, peanut butter and jelly, but all nonperishable and unexpired foods are useful. In addition, money donations allow the Pantry to purchase food at reduced prices from the regional food bank; checks may be made out to the Church of the Messiah, with the notation “Food Pantry.”

The members of the Church of the Messiah thank you for your continued support.

Readings for May 5th, The Sixth Sunday of Easter

WebServant — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:58:42 +0000

Acts 16:9-15
Psalm 67
Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5
John 5:1-9

readings:Click here to view the readings for Sunday, May 5, 2013

Lessons and readings from past and future weeks may be found on The Lectionary Page.

Junior & Senior Youth Group Meeting

WebServant — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:42:53 +0000

Both the junior and senior youth groups will be having their next meeting on Sunday, May 19^th at 5pm in the parish hall.

Parish Work Day

WebServant — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:42:04 +0000

This Saturday, May 18^th starting at 9:30 am, we will be having a parish work day to work on the grounds and to paint the men’s bathroom. We suggest wearing old clothes to work in.

Pantry Thank You

WebServant — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:47:28 +0000

On the day of the Boy Scout Food Drive, our volunteers helped all day to carry, sort and shelve food, along with feeding tired and hungry boys. Many, many thanks!!

May 2013 Choir Rehearsal Schedule

WebServant — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:17:30 +0000

May 19 (Sunday) 11:45-12:45 p.m., May 30 (Thursday) 7-8:30 p.m. As a reminder, Rehearsals on Sunday mornings start at 9 am.

Church School Update

WebServant — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 18:14:25 +0000

There will be Church School this Sunday, May 19, 2013 starting at 9:45 am in Donegan Hall.

The Women’s Writing Group

WebServant — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 19:39:59 +0000

The next meeting will be held on Sunday, May 19th from 2-4 pm.

2013 Grant Applications

WebServant — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 18:55:27 +0000

The Outreach Committee is now accepting Grant Applications for 2013. The instructions as well as the Grant Application Forms can be obtained from the Church Office, in the Narthex or downloaded from the Church web site. The Outreach Committee is seeking to both support existing programs as well as seeking new ideas. The deadline for submission for the first round was March 31, 2013, but grants may still be submitted. If there are funds remaining we will solicit grant applications in a second round request. If you have any questions please call the parish office at 845-876-3533.

Click here to view and print the Outreach Application Form 2013

Click here to view how to obtain a grant for 2013

Church School Schedule

WebServant — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:37:46 +0000

Our Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year to you all!

Now that the Christmas celebrations have finished, it is time to regather the parents and children of our 2013 Church School Program.

We are planning a number of exciting events as well as implementing a special six week curriculum which began Sunday, Jan 20^th . We have also attached a calendar for the rest of the winter and spring here at Messiah.

First the curriculum! We have a six week program for our older children that will focus on 6 world faiths, as we teach our young people about interfaith diversity. Following each teaching Sunday our young people will present what they have learned at the coffee hour following the 10 am service. When we have concluded the program we will continue using the Episcopal curriculum for the remainder of the church school year.

And now for the event!

We will be holding a special celebration for Mardi Gras on the last Sunday before Lent begins, Sunday February 10^th . We are inviting all our families to be present as our young people prepare a pancake Mardi Gras brunch at coffee hour after the 10 am service. Church school will begin as usual at 9:45 am and our teachers will help our young people with the preparations during the remainder of the 10 am service.

As an update, we continue to advertise the position of Youth Minister for our parish. We will keep you all informed as we move forward with the process. When a search committee is formed to interview candidates we would like the participation of our church school parents and children in the process.

We have an exciting, innovative and creative program for our young people here at Messiah and we look forward to seeing all of you in the weeks to come.

Click here to see our Church School Calendar 2013

Girl’s Writing Group is back!

WebServant — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 18:36:10 +0000

The Girl’s Writing Group is back! Our girls writing group will be meeting every other Sunday from 9:30am – 10:30am at Church of the Messiah in Rhinebeck. Any teenaged girl (or mature pre-teen) is welcome to attend, they do not need to belong to the parish. The first meeting will be this Sunday, October 28th and the sessions will run throughout the school year, ending on June 2, 2013. The goal of this group is to help the girls express themselves through writing in a trusting environment. Meetings will take place in Donegan Hall.

Following is the calendar of dates which the group will meet: Feb 10, Feb 24, March 3, March 17, April 7, April 21, May 5, May 19, June 2.

Please email the office, at rhinebeck.episcopal@gmail.com if your daughter, or someone you know hopes to attend, even if you are not completely sure. Girls do not have to attend all of the sessions, they are welcome to come to any!

Confirmation 2014

WebServant — Fri, 28 Sep 2012 18:25:42 +0000

The next year date for confirmation here at Messiah will be in 2014. As we are on a two year confirmation schedule with the Diocese. Classes will begin sometime in 2013

Annual Nicaragua Appeal

WebServant — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 18:11:08 +0000

Annual Nicaragua Appeal for each family to donate $10 or what ever you can so we may continue to supply our 7 elderly women each month with basic foods, such as rice, beans, flour etc. These women have no means of support and get by each month with help from your contributions. We over see this program when we go to Nicaragua in January. Please make checks out to ECW Church of the Messiah. Thank you for your continuing generosity.

Third Thursday Recruitment

WebServant — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 18:42:36 +0000

Our Third Thursday Luncheons begin again in October, and we are recruiting for new volunteers to help out!

There are several ‘positions’ available, which you could “commit to” for the 2012/2013 Season and/or you can sign-up to be on-call, as a “Floater”, to fill-in where we are short staffed on a month to month basis.

We are in our fourth year of offering this once monthly community lunch, which runs form October to May. We serve about 120 people generally, at $6.00 per person. Lunch includes multiple offerings of soup, sandwiches, desserts, coffee and tea, and provides a much needed social opportunity for many in our community. Each lunch honors a local charity, who benefits from the proceeds. Lastly, at every luncheon we make enough extra food to deliver a delicious, nutritious meal to the Homeless Shelter in Poughkeepsie,. This is a win, win community building outreach program for everyone involved!

We will have a sign-up table set up in The Parish Hall on September 23rd and September 30th after both the 8:00 am service and the 10:00 service.

Details and estimated time requirements for all the various tasks involved can be explained. Alternatively, if you are only interested in signing up as a “Floater” and/or “Dessert Maker”, you can call the parish office at 845-876-3533.

To sustain and grow this outreach effort, we need additions to the team. Join the fun!

Church School Registration

WebServant — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 18:12:49 +0000

We are planning a very exciting program for church school this year. Registration for grades PreK thru 8^th grade, is ongoing. The first class will be Sunday September 23^rd. Questions or concerns, please call the parish office at 845-876-3533.