Burgers and Buddies

Last Saturday we had the last event of a busy Christmas season.  Our second annual college student and high school senior lunch was held at Westchester Burger Co.  The deacons sponsor this event which is organized by Charles Barton.  Elisabeth and I tagged along as we love hanging around young people.

The burgers were amazing (I had a mushroom and onion monster), and it was great to learn more about the busy lives of these great kids.  It was fun to hear stories of playing "sardines" in the church, which seems to be a favorite with every generation.  I look forward to making memories with the youth of PCMK so we will have stories to share at this gathering five years from now.

It was also fun to watch these kids catch up with one another and tell stories about campus life.  It's good to get together with old (and new) buddies, and it's always good to enjoy a good burger and a coke!

Pastor Dale

Now it Feels Like Christmas!

Sunday we had our annual Christmas Pageant, and what a wonderful day it was.  The weather threatened to undo all our best-laid plans.  After an epic snowfall on Saturday it turned to icy rain overnight.  The parking lot and sidewalks were a skating rink at 7 am.  But a heroic effort from our man Donald, who even brought a friend to help, the sidewalks were cleared and the snowplow came through one more time to scrape off the ice.
Before they were even done, the cars started arriving to drop off excited children who would become sheep, and angels and contestants and singers!  Denise Schutz and her team herded the sheep into the room where they put on their costumes and got ready for the big event.  I was rushing around trying to stay calm so I could calm the nerves of others.  But I must admit I was nervous, especially about our big surprise.

The surprise was that one of the children in the pageant was going to call a friend for help on a trivia question, like they used to do on the "Millionaire" show.  When Steve Bauer asked Tess Fuqua (whose name was Sarah for the pageant) who she wanted to call, she said, "Our neighbor and good friend, Governor Andrew Cuomo.  Steve said, "Sure, we'll call the Governor" faking disbelief.  But he was as nervous as anyone because he was going to make the call connect. Little did we all know, but the Governor had called in from his car in Buffalo, NY.  We were all holding our breath, hoping that his voice would be heard.  There were a few misplaced beeps of the prop phone, but then we heard it, "This is Andrew Cuomo."  Everyone gasped and then applauded.  His answer to the trivia question was the gospel of Luke (where the birth story is told).  Then he went off script and extended a special greeting to his neighbors at PCMK!

It was quite a thrill, but when he hung up the show went on.  The kids told the story of the birth of the savior with joy.  At the end of the service the Governor's staff member came forward and received our appreciation.  She said that when the Governor learned he would be out of town he said, "I really want to be in that pageant, so make it work."  So we did.

It was a wonderful day that will not soon be forgotten.  But there are more Christmas memories to be made--Lessons and Carols, Saturday at 8, The Fourth Sunday of Advent at 10 am, and the Christmas Eve candlelight services at 5 and 10 pm.

See you in church
Pastor Dale

Parties, Parties, Parties

One of our favorite things to do during Advent is have people in our home for food, fun and fellowship around the fireplace.  Last week we had three parties in five days, which explains why I haven't written in this blog for a while.

The first gathering was not exactly a party.  It was the December meeting of the session of PCMK.  It is now our tradition to have the December meeting in the living room of the manse.  We got our business done in a holiday atmosphere.

Then on Friday evening we had our annual staff Christmas party.  As grillmaster I was a little slow on the draw which made dinner later than planned.  But everyone was good and hungry by the time we ate our delicious (if I say so myself) pork roasts.  After dinner we held our White Elephant gift exchange.  There some great laughs over some of the oddities that got wrapped up.  I got a pious picture of Jesus from the 1950's.  not sure what to do with it.  I can't throw it out--that would be sacrilege!

Sunday, after a wonderful morning worship service, the high schoolers came over for their Christmas party.  After making Christmas cards for PCMK homebound members, we enjoyed a dinner of Elisabeth's homemade chili.  We too had a Whilte Elephant gift exchange with some great gifts.  I ended up with a tie with a piano keyboard that actually plays music.  Maybe Terry wants this one?

Advent is a busy time of year, but it is truly wonderful.  One of the things that makes it so is the time spent with friends and family.  We have one more PCMK party to go (the middle school youth), and then we have family to welcome into our home for the celebration of the greatest gift ever given.

While good things are happening in homes, there are some amazing events coming up at PCMK.  Don't miss our Christmas Pageant (the 15th), Lessons and Carols (the 21st), and Christmas Eve (you know the date).

See you in church,
Pastor Dale

Three Reasons to Celebrate

Sunday was a very big day in the life of PCMK and a big day for me.  It started with a wonderful worship service where we dedicated our pledges for 2014.  The music was inspiring and we were almost moving to the beat of our theme song, "Celebrate the Journey."  I'm looking forward to continuing the journey with all of you as we begin another year of ministry together.

After church we enjoyed  a delicious brunch prepared for us by our Stewardship Committee.  Do you realize how rare it is to have such fun with stewardship?  For so many churches it is a stressful time of hand-wringing and anxiety.

The fun continued as Sarah Lucas and I took the high school youth group to a game (actually two games) of laser tag in Elmsford.  I thought I was the expert at this harmless form of combat until I encountered Theo Coutsorous.  He scored more points than our entire team!

After a few slices of pizza with the youth I returned to the church for an amazing dinner of Middle Eastern foods.  It was our Interfaith Dinner with folks from the Islamic School.  The food and fellowship was great and then we enjoyed a fascinating presentation on Islamic Art.  I hope we do this again real soon.

It was a big day.  These three events captured what is so special about PCMK.  We worship joyfully, we have lots of young families, and we reach out to our neighbors in creative ways.  All this is worth celebrating. How about another slice of pizza!

See you in church

An Evening of Music

Saturday evening was the first of our 2013-2014 PCMK Musicale Concerts. Naturally I was thrilled that our son was one of the musicians for the event. He is a member of the Amphion String Quartet and they are an exciting and passionate group of young musicians. We had a great audience of PCMK members and folks from the community. A beautiful reception was prepared, so the evening was a success on every level. There are more exciting concerts planned, the next one being the Baroque Soloists on New Year's Eve. Our own Terry Flanagan plays harpsichord with that group. They are back for their third concert by popular demand. All these musical events provide "points of entry" for people who are not (yet) part of the PCMK family. We can invite friends and folks in the community hear about these events and come. Terry even talked to one woman who was on her way to shopping when she saw the sign out front, decided this sounded better and came on in. I encourage all PCMK members to invite friends to these point of entry events (such as the Christmas Pageant). We want to share all the joy being part of PCMK has brought into our lives as we are "On the Journey Together."

On the (Crop Walk) Journey Together

On Sunday members of PCMK gathered with dozens of other Christians from churches in our part of the county.  At least two other Presbyterian Churches were represented.  As you can see from the pictures, we had a great group of young and not so young members (who's the bald guy in the picture?) from PCMK.
It was the annual CROP walk where we raise sponsorship and walk to support hunger relief around the world through Church World Service.  Lami Adebayo says we raised over $1000 from our PCMK family. Once again you make me proud to be your pastor.
The walk was in the beautiful Pound Ridge Reservation on a glorious late fall afternoon.  The sun was shining and the temperature was moderate until the sun hid behind a cloud.  We walked roughly a mile until we reached a creek, took pictures and started back.  The event was over before you knew it and I found myself wanting to keep on walking.
What made the time (and miles) go by so quickly was the company on the journey.  For a while I talked to a pastor from another church, and then we both realized we wanted to join our people.  Then I talked to several members of our church family and even sang along with the kids who were fresh from children's choir rehearsal at church.  They sang, "Praise, praise, praise the Lord; praise God's holy name hallelujah!" in both English and French).
The afternoon was the perfect example of our Stewardship Theme for 2014, On the Journey Together.  We were literally on a little journey together, but more important was the common goal and the bond in Christ that we shared.
Over the next few Sundays we will look at some of the great journeys of Scripture and see how they can inspire us for our journey together into the future God has for us at PCMK.
See you in Church.

Pumpkins and hot dogs

Sunday evening was the perfect Autumn event.  It was our annual? youth group bonfire at the Lucas' family farm.  Over 20 youth showed up to carve pumpkins, roast hot dogs and veggies and make smores (of course).  The end of the evening is always the fun of hide and seek in the dark.  And it is certainly getting darker earlier these days.

Sarah Lucas is doing such a fine job with our young people.  From Sunday morning youth group, to bonfires, to mission trips; she is there building relationships with and among our kids.  It is so great to see them having so much fun together.  As a pastor, I enjoy the opportunity to let my hair down (what hair?) and carve pumpkins and make smores.  We are blessed to have so many youth in our church and we are blessed to have Sarah.  Many thanks to the parents who help make youth group happen at PCMK.

Raising Good Kids is what youth group is about and it is what we have been talking about in our parenting series on Sunday mornings.  On this past Sunday we focused on the unique challenges of raising teenagers.  This coming Sunday we will learn how to have a toolbox of effective parenting techniques.  Not all methods work for all families in all situations, so we need to have options.

No matter whether you have kids or not, we encourage everyone to attend this last class after church and join in our shared task of "Raising Good Kids."

See you in church,
Pastor Dale

Raising Good Kids - Session 2