THE EPISTLE

Volume 13 Issue 2 FEBUARY 28, 2008

Spaghetti Dinner on
March 30 at Church
There will be a spaghetti din-
ner at the church on March 30 to
benefit the youth mission trip. There
will be two seatings- one at 5pm
and one at 6:30pm. A silent auc-
tion will also take place. Our youth
will be selling tickets in church dur-
ing the month of March.
Our junior and senior high
youth will be traveling to Ohio in
July to repair and rebuild homes for
low income families through Reach
work camp. All proceeds from the
dinner and auction will reduce the
cost of the trip for the participants.

March 30 at Church
5:00 First seating
6:30 Second seating
Silent Auction
 THE WORSHIP PAGE
March 2, 9, 16, 21, 23, 2008
Sunday Worship at 9:30 AM

Fellowship Time and Christian Education follow

March 2 Holy Communion

Fourth Sunday in Lent I Samuel 16:1-13
John 9:1-41
“Through Darkness to Light”
March 9 Ezekiel 37:1-14
Fifth Sunday in Lent John 11:1-45

”From Death to Life”

March 16 Palm Sunday Blessing of the Palms
Sunday of the Passion “Requiem”
Gabriel Faure
March 20: Maundy Thursday 7:30 PM
Service of Holy Communion and
Tenebrae
March 21: Good Friday Noon
“Way of the Cross”
Beginning here
7:30 PM
Service of Prayer
March 23 Easter Day Holy Communion
Resurrection of our Lord Acts 10:34-43
Colossians 3:1-4
Matthew 28:1-10
“Fear and Great Joy”
First Congregational United Church of Christ
26 East Church Street Fairport NY 14450
I’m writing this on the day after we got
back from being away for a few days. Pastoral
It was a wonderful few days at Trinity Perspective
House at Silver Bay on Lake George.
Many of you know about Silver Bay, a
conference center and summer retreat
for over a hundred years. Brookside...
...and Trinity are “get away places” for clergy and families to spend some down time in the
midst of busy ministries. I had not heard about this until I saw a small ad in The Christian Cen-
tury a few months ago.

I knew that I needed a few days to decompress and do nothing. We left on Sunday after worship
and got there about 5:00 pm. There is no schedule except meal time and no one tells you what
you have to do. I read and rested and slept and Jean did needlework and read. We took a couple
of walks and chatted with others at meal time. That was it.

All of us need such times in our lives. We are so accustomed to “doing” rather than “being” that
sometimes it is difficult to get out of that way of thinking. Some people have a hard time being
alone; alone with themselves and alone with God. They become agitated unless there is activity
surrounding them. This is a sign of spiritual trouble and needed to be remedied. One of the
ways of doing this is to take time for doing nothing. It may seem hard to do and no doubt it is
difficult, but it is necessary. When this doesn’t happen, then our spiritual lives become dry and
unproductive and this flows over into our day to day lives, also.

No matter who we are or what we do or our age, this “down time” is important not only spiritu-
ally, but also physically. In our small groups this Lent, we are taking a look at spiritual disci-
plines. John Ortberg talks about “hurry sickness”. We all know about it, and all of us are af-
fected one way or another by it. Now is a good time to take stock of our lives and to make ef-
forts to root out that “hurry sickness”. We have all kinds of reasons, or excuses why we can’t do
it, but if we are honest with ourselves, we know that that excuses is just what they are. We can
do it. It takes small steps but it can happen and when it does happen, then our lives are richer
and more connected to the God who is the source and the goal of our lives.
I’d love to chat with you about this.
Faithfully yours,
]É{Ç
 New Adult Ed. Class
Celebrating & Sustaining
God’s Good Earth
What, if any, responsibilities do we have as
Christians to sustain God’s good earth? How do
we celebrate God’s creation? What difference
can one individual really make? Where do we
even begin?
These questions and more will be explored dur-
ing adult education beginning on Sunday,
March 2. Led by Sondra Franzen, this 4-part
class will be held on March 2, 9, 16 and 30, fol-
lowing the worship service in the Snow Room.
Join us!
THANK YOU TO ALL
Thank you for the many sympathy cards
and prayers. The support of our church
family has given me strength. The trag-
edy of the loss of my grandson, Andrew
is a sadness that will linger in the hearts
of so many people, especially the stu-
dents of Penfield High School. It is with
my deepest appreciation to everyone for
all the prayers that have been said for
Andrew, myself and my family.
Flo Kraai
Our Christian sympathy is extended
to Debbie Cutter and her family on
the recent death of her father, Donald
Cutter. He resided in Florida.

REMEMBER IN YOUR PRAYERS:

Martha Bowman, St. John’s Home
Barbara Cobb, Fairport Baptist Home
Louise Deller, Aaron Manor
Geraldine Stearns, Perinton Manor

TOOL RAFFLE
The Trustees are holding a tool raffle to raise some of the money needed to offset the
fact that the Antique Show has been canceled. The intention is to raise the money outside of
the church and not present the congregation with another donation request.
However, if any church member is interested in purchasing a $10.00 ticket to win
four DeWalt cordess tools (with case battery & charger), they can contact Pastor Cedarleaf
or any trustee. 200 tickets will be sold.
 WELCOME TO THE NEW THE GVA
ARRIVAL! SPIRITUAL LIFE COM-
Congratulations to Matthew and Jennifer Fun- MITTEE
derburk on the arrival of their daughter, Mia Elizabeth,
born on January 29, 2008. She is also the granddaughter INVITES YOU TO:
of Nancy and Kit Funderburk.

COME AND SEE

CONGRATULATIONS! What? A retreat to help you nour-

ish your spiritual life
Congratulations to
When? Friday, May 9, 7:00 p.m. to
Marshall Strong.
Saturday, May 10, 7:00 p.m.
He received his Boy Scout Eagle
Where? St Charles Borromeo Re-
Award at a
treat Center, 3011 Dewey Ave, Roch-
Court of Honor on Feb. 6, 2008.
ester
For his Eagle Project, Marshall con-
Who? Clergy and laity from the
structed a 70 foot boardwalk on Wild Iris Trail in Pen-
GVA
field; a DEC protected wetland owned by the Genesee
Leader? Margy Mayk, an experi-
Land Trust. He began planning the project in May,
enced leader of spiritual retreats and a
2006 and construction was completed in August,
founder of Step by Step, a program
2007. A combination of thirty-six adults, Scouts and
for women who are or have been in-
friends helped him with his project. It took 254.5 hours
carcerated
to complete!
Cost? $50 per person includes ac-
commodations and three meals

THANK YOU! Bring your own linens Save the Date!

More information and registration
Our appreciation and thanks for the celebration of our forms coming later. Questions? E-
90th birthdays at the coffee hour on December 9th. The mail
decorated cakes were much enjoyed, but even more
Emily Castner: emscast-
were the good wishes of the members of our church
ner@yahoo.com or
family. Our sincere thanks for a truly memorable oc-
casion. Bob
John and Winifred Smith Miller: rmille1@rochester.rr.com

NEXT EPISTLE DEADLINE 3 PM MARCH 20, 2008

 SAFE JOURNEY
Safe Journey, a not-for-profit agency supporting women and children in the greater Rochester
area who are rebuilding their lives after surviving domestic violence, is proud to announce
sponsorship of four (4) free community events that highlight the challenges of domestic vio-
lence and support the healing process for former victims:

* See the Faces, Hear the Facts: Domestic Violence Community Workshop
Wednesday, February 27, 2008, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Everyone is welcome to attend.
Call 585.425.1580 to register and obtain location details.

* Support Group for Survivors of Domestic Violence, 5-weeks

Begins Sunday, March 2, 2008
Participation for female survivors of domestic violence only, subject to
pre-qualification.
Call 585.425.1580

* Self-Defense Course for Survivors of Domestic Violence, 4-weeks

Begins Saturday, April 12, 2008
Participation for female survivors of domestic violence only, subject to
pre-qualification.
Call 585.425.1580

* Legal Aid Society Presents: Family Law Issues Community Workshop

April 2, 2008, 7:00-8:30pm
Everyone is welcome to attend
Call 585.425.1580 to register and obtain location details.

All programs are free. Transportation assistance and childcare will be available as needed
for participants in the Support Group and Self-Defense Course. An interpreter for the Deaf
and Hard of Hearing will be provided for any event upon request.

See the Faces, Hear the Facts: Domestic Violence Community Workshop is an original
Safe Journey production designed to raise community awareness of domestic vio-
lence. Anyone interested in learning more about the challenges of domestic violence is wel-
come to attend. Advance registration is required. Advance registration is required

For more information about Safe Journey call 585.425.1580 or go to

www.safejourney.org <http://www.safejourney.org/> .

NEXT EPISTLE DEADLINE 3 PM MARCH 20, 2008

 GoodSearch.com, GoodShop.com
What if the New York Conference United Church of Christ earned a penny every
time you searched the Internet? Or how about if a percentage of every purchase
you made online went to support our cause? Well, now it can!

GoodSearch.com is a new Yahoo-powered search engine that donates half its ad-
vertising revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate.
Use it just as you would any search engine, get quality search results from Yahoo,
and watch the donations add up!

GoodShop.com is a new online shopping mall which donates up to 37 percent of

each purchase to your favorite cause! Hundreds of great stores including Target,
Gap, Best Buy, eBay, Macy's and Barnes & Noble have teamed up with Good-
Shop and every time you place an order, you’ll be supporting your favorite cause.
Just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter the New York Conference
United Church of Christ as the charity you want to support. And, be sure to spread
the word!

ADVENT HOUSE VOLUNTEERS

NEEDED
ADVENT HOUSE is currently in high need of volunteers to help with caregiving,
housekeeping and fundraising. Advent House is volunteer staffed and donation
funded; therefore, our community’s support is crucial to continuing our ministry.
Have you thought about helping out at Advent House? Please call Carolyn Ruffing,
Volunteer Coordinator, at 223-6112 for more information. If you want to speak to
folks from our church who volunteer at Advent House, contact Harriet Breckenridge,
Paul Yerrick, Betty Shamblen, Sally Forgensi, Freda Sheldon, Jim Weidman or Jim
Bradford
 ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING
On March 16, donations will be received for One Great Hour of Sharing. This has been
a great tradition in our Church for five decades. Once a year our denomination al0ong with
eight other denominations collects money for use among the poor and needy world wide. This
has been one of the main ways our Church has been able to reach out with God’s mission be-
yond our local community.
Funds collected are used in 80 nations in three general areas: sustaining communities,
disaster relief, and for refugees. Sixty percent of the funds are used for sustaining communities
which involves fighting hunger, disease, illiteracy with healthcare, education, and agricultural
development. UCC alone raises $3 million annually through One Great Hour of Sharing.
Please help sustain this wonderful tradition with a generous gift. Checks should be made out to
First Congregational Church with a designation OGHS. They can be placed in the offering
pates or mailed to the Church. Thank you for your support.

MORNING CIRCLE
Morning Circle will meet on
March 11 at 10 AM in Fellowship Hall. Our
speaker will be Suzanne Feather from Pre-
ferred Cared. Topic: “Life is a Ball”.

2007 PLEDGE
STATEMENTS ARE
The second Pot Luck - Just For Fun is set
for Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 5:00 PM.
NOW AVAILABLE
The first one was a lot of fun, so be sure
to join in for a time of good company and
IN FH.
They are in a box on top of the return
great food!
cart in the library area. Please pick up your
statement today. If anyone is not able to get
Sign-ups are on the rolling bulletin board
into church to pick up their statement, call
in Fellowship Hall just so we know how
the church office and it will be mailed to
many tables and chairs to set up). Bring
you. 223-0224.
your own service and a dish to pass - and
a big appetite.
 Family News
ROTATION STUDIES:
Learn About the
Prophets Elijah and
Elisha, Holy Week and
Best of All, Easter!
Through our drama, storytelling, art and movie
classrooms, our preschoolers and elementary
school students will learn about the great
prophets Elijah and Elisha in February, as well
as the events of Holy Week – from Palm Sun-
day to Easter Sunday. Our children will learn
of the prophets’ compassionate acts. And, they
will learn of the most compassionate act of all
– Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Junior High and Confirmation
Class To Study
The Lord’s Prayer
Our REALtime junior high and confirmation
class will continue with their 10 week study of the
Lord’s Prayer. They will study the prayer itself,
the context in which Jesus gave it to us, and its
impact on our lives today.
30 Hour Famine
The 30 Hour Famine will be taking
place on
Feb. 29 – March 1.
All funds raised at church and through
the efforts of the eleven participating
youth will be donated to World Vision.
Thank you for your on-going support!
FAIRPORT VACATION
BIBLE SCHOOL
SAVE THE DATE!!
Fairport Community Vacation Bible
School is a fun-filled week of music,
games, crafts and growing in God’s
love! Children from age 3 to entering
7th grade are welcome to come spend
five action packed mornings in GOD’S
BIG BACKYARD! Teen and adult
volunteers are always needed and ap-
preciated! We have a job for every-
one! This year, FCVBS will held from
August 4 through August 8. Look for
registration and volunteer forms at
your church or the Fairport Public Li-
brary starting in April. Contact
Heather Moore with any questions
(585) 259-0122. Let’s get excited!
 Family News (p.2)

Family Movie Night on March 15 to Feature

“The Bee Movie”
Preschoolers, elementary students and their families are invited to a family movie night on Sat-
urday, March 15 from 7 – 9 p.m. in Upper Fellowship Hall featuring the newly released hit,
“The Bee Movie.” Children are welcome to wear their PJs. Snacks will be provided. Sign up
on the rolling bulletin board in Fellowship Hall or call the church office (223-0224). Bring a
friend!

Children Invited To Participate In Palm

Sunday Processional and Easter’s Living
Cross Creation
On Palm Sunday, March 16, all preschool and elementary students are invited to gather in Fel-
lowship Hall at 9:15 a.m. to receive their palm and line up for the Palm Sunday processional.
We’ll march into the sanctuary, following the choir, as we wave our palms and shout,
“Hosanna” to welcome Jesus to Jerusalem. After the processional, children will sit with their
families.

During the Easter Sunday worship service on March 23, all church school students are in-
vited to help transform our wooden cross into a “living cross” decorated with lots of beautiful
flowers. This transformation symbolizes the new life we are all granted through Jesus’ death
and resurrection. While nursery will be offered for our youngest children, there will be no
Children’s Chapel on this day. Instead, all children will be given a special Easter goody
bag as they enter the sanctuary. They can enjoy looking through the contents of this bag,
as they worship and celebrate with us on this special day.
 Senior High To Ex-
amine Music Choices
JYF & SYF and Their Faith
The Senior High class will begin a new study
examining music choices and how they align
with our faith. During the classes, students
will be encouraged to think about what they
choose tlisten to versus simply being
“unconscious consumers.”

Confirmation Class to Host Seder

For Class Project
On Palm Sunday, March 16, the confirmation class will host a Seder supper for their families
as their class project. It is customary for Jewish people to celebrate Passover with a Seder meal.
Passover is the Jewish holiday commemorating and celebrating the redemption of the Jewish
people from slavery to freedom. It is believed that Jesus’ last supper with his disciples was a
Passover meal.

The Jews celebrate Passover to remember how God freed them from slavery. Our confirmation
class students and their families will celebrate Passover to remember how Jesus’ incredible love
for us has freed us from sin and death. During the Seder meal, our students will recount the
Passover story as they lead family members in prayer and thanksgiving and explain the rich
symbolism associated with a Seder supper.

ANNUAL HEALTH CARE SCHOLARSHIP

t. John’s Home offers a $1,000 Scholarship to a high school senior who will be attending a 2-
year or 4-year college or university to pursue a degree in a health-related field. See the bulletin
board in Fellowship Hall for details. Additional copies of the application can be found on the
literature table in Fellowship Hall.

NEXT EPISTLE DEADLINE 3 PM MARCH 20, 2008

 Come, Walk The Way of the
JYF & SYF Cross on Good Friday
All JYF and SYF members are invited to join with other mem-
bers of the community at our church on Friday, March 21 at
noon to walk The Way of the Cross. Carrying a large wooden
cross, we will walk to various locations in the village, pausing to
remember and reflect upon various events of Holy Week culmi-
nating with Jesus being laid in the tomb. Please dress for the
weather!!! We’ll return to the church at approximately 2:30 p.m.
For more information, contact Kelly Weidman at 223-0224 or
223-8978.

Games Night Scheduled For March 28

All 6th – 12th graders are invited to attend a Games Night at a local park shelter on Friday
night, March 28, beginning at 7 p.m. Watch the youth group bulletin board for more details!

Senior High To Join the 30 Hour Famine and

Help Starve Hunger!
Our Senior High youth will be joining over a hundred other eastside youth in the 30 Hour
Famine on Feb. 29 – Mar. 1. The money they raise will be used for hunger relief both
here in the United States and around the world. Please keep them in your prayers.

World Hunger, Poverty & Famine: How They Fit Together

• 852 million people across the world are hungry.
• In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families can-
not afford to meet their most basic need for food.
• Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people
who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies,
which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness.
• Countries in which a large portion of the population battles hunger daily are usually poor
and often lack the social safety nets we enjoy, such as soup kitchens, food stamps, and job
training programs. When a family that lives in a poor country cannot grow enough food or
earn enough money to buy food, there is nowhere to turn for help.
The Epistle is printed once a month
By the First Congregational United
Church of Christ, 26 East Church St.,
Fairport, New York 14450

Office Phone: 585-223-0224

Fax: 585- 223-4264
Pastor’s Phone 585-223-8172
E-mail: church1@choicemail.com
Webpage: fairportucc.org
Office Hours: M-F 9:00-3:30

Church Service 9:30AM

Sunday School: 10:50AM

Pastor: Rev. Dr. John Cedarleaf

Christian Ed. & Family Ministries:
Kelly Weidman & Karen Hamill
Admin. Asst: Cathy Kinton
Church Moderator: Hank Ralston
Organist: Beatrice Benedict
Choir Director: James C. Jefferis
Business Administrator: Sue Brooks
Epistle Editor: Bill Lindsay
Wedding Coordinator: Sue Bickel

NEXT EPISTLE DEADLINE 3 PM MARCH 20, 2008

First Congregational United Church of Christ NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

26 East Church Street
U.S. POSTAGE
Fairport NY 14450
PAID
FAIRPORT N.Y.
PERMIT NO. 61
Address Service Requested

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