On Friday, July 20, let's go to the baseball game.
We've reserved a block of tickets in the picnic area to see the Staten Island Yankees play the State College Spikes at 7 p.m.
We'll have a full picnic with hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken and sides, along with drinks. All ages are welcome.
The cost is $25 per person, and assistance is available. E-mail us or call Fr. Bob at (201) 858-4460, ext. 11, for your tickets.
Jun 24, 2007
Jun 8, 2007
Family Movie Night
This month's movie will be "Corpse Bride," Friday, June 22, at 7 p.m., at Trinity parish hall.
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come and bring the kids. Some snacks will be served, but feel free to bring what you would like.
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to come and bring the kids. Some snacks will be served, but feel free to bring what you would like.
Jun 4, 2007
Interweave Interfaith Spirituality Day
Interweave is hosting "Rooted and Grounded in Peace" Saturday, June 16, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 31 Woodland Ave., in Summit, N.J.
Modern life can be filled with so many pressures, competing calls for attention and conflicts that it can seem a struggle. This day will explore specific practices that can make you a “peaceable warrior,” engaged in the spiritual struggle to be grounded in peace and attuned to your highest values. How can you resist all that would erode your values? How can you respond in ways that serve good in the world? How can you be resilient in the face of the fears and uncertainties of our era?
Mark Beckwith, newly elected Episcopal bishop of Newark will be the keynote speaker. Beckwith will discuss “Spiritual Grounding for Effective Action.”
For more information, or to register, call (908) 277-2120 or visit www.interweave.org/jsd.htm
Modern life can be filled with so many pressures, competing calls for attention and conflicts that it can seem a struggle. This day will explore specific practices that can make you a “peaceable warrior,” engaged in the spiritual struggle to be grounded in peace and attuned to your highest values. How can you resist all that would erode your values? How can you respond in ways that serve good in the world? How can you be resilient in the face of the fears and uncertainties of our era?
Mark Beckwith, newly elected Episcopal bishop of Newark will be the keynote speaker. Beckwith will discuss “Spiritual Grounding for Effective Action.”
For more information, or to register, call (908) 277-2120 or visit www.interweave.org/jsd.htm
Jun 1, 2007
Annual Parish Meeting
Everyone is welcome to join us for the annual parish meting in the Parish Hall immediately following mass on Sunday, June 3.
It is an excellent time for everyone to "catch up" and to understand more about the scope and ministry of our parish. It is also a time to elect members of our vestry and other representatives to our district and diocese.
It has also been our tradition to eat together by having a "covered dish" luncheon. Those who can should bring something for their families and others to enjoy.
It is an excellent time for everyone to "catch up" and to understand more about the scope and ministry of our parish. It is also a time to elect members of our vestry and other representatives to our district and diocese.
It has also been our tradition to eat together by having a "covered dish" luncheon. Those who can should bring something for their families and others to enjoy.
The Rector's Voice
Pentecost Sunday, May 27, 2007
By Rev. Gerard A. Pisani Jr.
Pentecost Today
When I was a boy, in the Assembly of God Church, there was a national radio broadcast called “Revival Hour” each week. The opening theme included this verse from Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.” It never left me. Here are some comments about God’s Spirit as I see them in our yearly calendar cycle so far.
The Spirit of Christmas introduces us to God’s love and peace:
The Christmas story is beautiful and memorable because it is almost incomprehensible. Its roots are from long ago and its effect is forever! Many perceive it as a new story, no matter how often it is told. This is the story of God’s love to the whole world.
I have deliberately called it a story. Stories are the oldest literary form to convey truth, especially truth that is beyond our comprehension. I believe we have become too literal in trying to understand our world, to the point that we tend to distort truth by our passion for “facts.” Real life is not always so concrete! Jesus himself was known as a storyteller; he told many parables. What better way could anyone convey the incomprehensible mystery of God’s love more efficiently or effectively than by telling a story? It is certainly not by alleging that all our knowledge is pure “fact.” Catch the true “spirit” of Christmas.
The Spirit of God makes all things new (words I shared in the New Year):
What was?
Yesterday is also a regular part of our lives. These are the days and times that have passed and we cannot change them. No one can undo what has been. It is history – been there, done that.
What’s now?
Today! The Scripture tells us that “now is the time of God’s favor, today is the day to be saved." Someone once said today is the first day of the rest of your life. Every day is a new day when we have an opportunity to start over.
A great tomorrow:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in God, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Our Spirits meeting God’s Spirit in Lent (God’s Spirit is able to change us and make us whole):
God is often the name we use in speaking of the majestic source of Creation, the effervescent vitality of everything that is, and the mystical spirit that is the essence of life as we know it. God, in modern terms, is perhaps “pure energy” or “light” -- that which was, and is, and is to come.
Human beings have a tendency to get “stuck in a rut,” as they say. It is easier for us to live in the past and talk about how it used to be, rather than live in the present and move toward the future. It is often difficult for us to move forward -- or even move at all -- because we become comfortable with where we are. We feel safer in inactivity than when we become actively involved in something new and different. Change is scary, and most people tend to resist change in any of their life circumstances.
As you know, I like to share ideas with you through acronyms. I find them helpful to simplify or clarify, and I hope you will too.
LENT: Letting Everything (to be) Newly Transformed:
Letting: God does not force; God encourages and asks us to “let go and let God,” as some have said.
Everything: Nothing can be exempt from God’s activity in our lives if we are to succeed.
(to be) (God at work)
Newly: Yesterday was -- let it go. Tomorrow is not here -- it will come. Work on today -- expect and welcome change!
Transformed: transformer (trans·form·er - n.) a device that transfers electrical energy from one alternating circuit to another with a change in voltage, current, phase or impedance. Transformation is dying to that which is old and awakening to something new. New life is not only in the future; it is essential in each moment of any today in our lives. New life comes each time we, in the name of God (God at work), Let Everything (be) Newly Transformed!
The Spirit of Easter (God’s Spirit raising us from the inside out):
May I suggest an acronym that may help us be Easter Christians? It is based on the glorious news of Easter that Jesus is Risen.
RISEN: Realize Inwardly Sufficient Eternal Note
Realize (re·al·ize - v.) 1. to know, understand and accept something; 2. to be aware or conscious of something, or to become aware of something
Inwardly (in·ward·ly - adv.) 1. to yourself, or without showing a feeling on the outside; 2. on or to the inside
Sufficient (suf·fi·cient - adj.) as much as is needed
Eternal (e·ter·nal - adj.) 1. lasting for all time without beginning or end; 2. unaffected by the passage of time; 3. seeming to go on for ever or recur incessantly (informal)
Note: 1. to notice or remember something by paying particular attention to it; 2. to notice or become aware of something; 3. to mention something important; 4. to write down something important as a record or reminder
Perhaps you now realize Easter is more spiritual than physical. Too often we become attached to the “outward and visible” of life and lose the power and certainty of the “inward and invisible.” We are so busy and anxious trying to prove that Jesus was raised physically that we forget the genuine reality that captured the attention of the Apostles and many others who were completely amazed and astonished. Their inward lives were so dramatically changed that their outward actions were bold and new.
The Spirit of Pentecost (that you may know God and the power of God’s Spirit):
The Spirit of God personally has astonished me in my life. I experience something new almost every day and usually say, "Wow!" When you realize I came to Bayonne in 1974 to close Trinity Church because so few were attending at that time, you may begin to realize the many stories I could share with you. There are too many and would make this article a lengthy epistle.
Perhaps more of my favorite acronyms will help me share my feeling about God’s Spirit here in this place:
FAITH (Finding Authenticity In Today’s Happenings)
GRACE (God’s Recreational Activity Causing Excellence)
PRAYER (Perusing Reasonable Alternatives Yet Expecting Resolve)
LOVE (Limitless Offerings Veraciously Expended)
FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real)
SUCCESS (Serving Ultimately & Consistently Causes Excellence Stability & Security)
SECURE (Staying extremely Comfortable Under Renewable Expressions)
In life, every day is a challenge, and God’s presence is always there. Perhaps the Apostle Paul said it best: “There is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
One of my favorite hymns from my childhood to this day will bring my point to a close:
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not,
As thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above.
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed thy hand hath provided,
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
May you sing this song with vigor each day as you sense and know the power and presence of God’s Spirit in your life!
By Rev. Gerard A. Pisani Jr.
Pentecost Today
When I was a boy, in the Assembly of God Church, there was a national radio broadcast called “Revival Hour” each week. The opening theme included this verse from Zechariah 4:6: “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord.” It never left me. Here are some comments about God’s Spirit as I see them in our yearly calendar cycle so far.
The Spirit of Christmas introduces us to God’s love and peace:
The Christmas story is beautiful and memorable because it is almost incomprehensible. Its roots are from long ago and its effect is forever! Many perceive it as a new story, no matter how often it is told. This is the story of God’s love to the whole world.
I have deliberately called it a story. Stories are the oldest literary form to convey truth, especially truth that is beyond our comprehension. I believe we have become too literal in trying to understand our world, to the point that we tend to distort truth by our passion for “facts.” Real life is not always so concrete! Jesus himself was known as a storyteller; he told many parables. What better way could anyone convey the incomprehensible mystery of God’s love more efficiently or effectively than by telling a story? It is certainly not by alleging that all our knowledge is pure “fact.” Catch the true “spirit” of Christmas.
The Spirit of God makes all things new (words I shared in the New Year):
What was?
Yesterday is also a regular part of our lives. These are the days and times that have passed and we cannot change them. No one can undo what has been. It is history – been there, done that.
What’s now?
Today! The Scripture tells us that “now is the time of God’s favor, today is the day to be saved." Someone once said today is the first day of the rest of your life. Every day is a new day when we have an opportunity to start over.
A great tomorrow:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in God, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Our Spirits meeting God’s Spirit in Lent (God’s Spirit is able to change us and make us whole):
God is often the name we use in speaking of the majestic source of Creation, the effervescent vitality of everything that is, and the mystical spirit that is the essence of life as we know it. God, in modern terms, is perhaps “pure energy” or “light” -- that which was, and is, and is to come.
Human beings have a tendency to get “stuck in a rut,” as they say. It is easier for us to live in the past and talk about how it used to be, rather than live in the present and move toward the future. It is often difficult for us to move forward -- or even move at all -- because we become comfortable with where we are. We feel safer in inactivity than when we become actively involved in something new and different. Change is scary, and most people tend to resist change in any of their life circumstances.
As you know, I like to share ideas with you through acronyms. I find them helpful to simplify or clarify, and I hope you will too.
LENT: Letting Everything (to be) Newly Transformed:
Letting: God does not force; God encourages and asks us to “let go and let God,” as some have said.
Everything: Nothing can be exempt from God’s activity in our lives if we are to succeed.
(to be) (God at work)
Newly: Yesterday was -- let it go. Tomorrow is not here -- it will come. Work on today -- expect and welcome change!
Transformed: transformer (trans·form·er - n.) a device that transfers electrical energy from one alternating circuit to another with a change in voltage, current, phase or impedance. Transformation is dying to that which is old and awakening to something new. New life is not only in the future; it is essential in each moment of any today in our lives. New life comes each time we, in the name of God (God at work), Let Everything (be) Newly Transformed!
The Spirit of Easter (God’s Spirit raising us from the inside out):
May I suggest an acronym that may help us be Easter Christians? It is based on the glorious news of Easter that Jesus is Risen.
RISEN: Realize Inwardly Sufficient Eternal Note
Realize (re·al·ize - v.) 1. to know, understand and accept something; 2. to be aware or conscious of something, or to become aware of something
Inwardly (in·ward·ly - adv.) 1. to yourself, or without showing a feeling on the outside; 2. on or to the inside
Sufficient (suf·fi·cient - adj.) as much as is needed
Eternal (e·ter·nal - adj.) 1. lasting for all time without beginning or end; 2. unaffected by the passage of time; 3. seeming to go on for ever or recur incessantly (informal)
Note: 1. to notice or remember something by paying particular attention to it; 2. to notice or become aware of something; 3. to mention something important; 4. to write down something important as a record or reminder
Perhaps you now realize Easter is more spiritual than physical. Too often we become attached to the “outward and visible” of life and lose the power and certainty of the “inward and invisible.” We are so busy and anxious trying to prove that Jesus was raised physically that we forget the genuine reality that captured the attention of the Apostles and many others who were completely amazed and astonished. Their inward lives were so dramatically changed that their outward actions were bold and new.
The Spirit of Pentecost (that you may know God and the power of God’s Spirit):
The Spirit of God personally has astonished me in my life. I experience something new almost every day and usually say, "Wow!" When you realize I came to Bayonne in 1974 to close Trinity Church because so few were attending at that time, you may begin to realize the many stories I could share with you. There are too many and would make this article a lengthy epistle.
Perhaps more of my favorite acronyms will help me share my feeling about God’s Spirit here in this place:
FAITH (Finding Authenticity In Today’s Happenings)
GRACE (God’s Recreational Activity Causing Excellence)
PRAYER (Perusing Reasonable Alternatives Yet Expecting Resolve)
LOVE (Limitless Offerings Veraciously Expended)
FEAR (False Evidence Appearing Real)
SUCCESS (Serving Ultimately & Consistently Causes Excellence Stability & Security)
SECURE (Staying extremely Comfortable Under Renewable Expressions)
In life, every day is a challenge, and God’s presence is always there. Perhaps the Apostle Paul said it best: “There is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.”
One of my favorite hymns from my childhood to this day will bring my point to a close:
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions, they fail not,
As thou hast been thou forever wilt be.
Summer and winter, and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above.
Join with all nature in manifold witness,
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide.
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside.
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed thy hand hath provided,
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
May you sing this song with vigor each day as you sense and know the power and presence of God’s Spirit in your life!
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