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Newsletter
The Freeholder Charlton Freehold Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 768 Charlton Road Charlton, New York 12019 (518) 399-4831 Rev. Dr. Stephen Butler Murray, Pastor Spring 2006 From the Pastor's Desk ... We are living in a time of transitions. In beautiful Charlton, and even here in the far north of Galway where my house is, flowers begin to bloom and the weather now accommodates long walks in the evenings. The daytime was rife with hot weather this past week. Although that can be a sticky nuisance to some, perhaps for others it is a gentle reminder that trips to the beach this summer will be excellent, relaxing fun. Our children in college are taking exams at the end of their academic years, and our younger ones are approaching theirs. We yearn for the freedom that summertime can bring, and it is almost upon us indeed. Of course, as a church we recognize the liturgical transition that we have journeyed through with Easter. We have accompanied Jesus of Nazareth through Lent and into the Easter season through a remarkable transition. For a time, we focused especially on Jesus' way of living, on his teaching and healing ministry. And then, we focused especially on Jesus' way of living, on his teaching and healing ministry. And then, for a week, Holy Week, we gathered together several times to mark the events that led to Jesus' death on the cross at Golgotha. Although horrific, although tragic, these are the events and transitions of a very human life. No matter what claims one may make about this certain man living in Palestine, the geography of his life has all of the familiar landmarks of one that is human at his very core. But then comes the moment of controversy, the moment at which Christianity takes a detour from other religions that may recognize Jesus as merely a great teacher or even a prophet. Our celebration of Easter is the celebration of a remarkable event, resurrection. And no matter how that resurrection is interpreted, whether as a spiritual revelation or as the actual revivification of a human being, the resurrection is an event that shakes us up. It is an event that may cause us to think of living in a new way. The potential is that we can feel free to live in greater freedom. Many psychologists and theologians say that what is at the heart of anxiety is fear of death. Paul Tillich discussed this as the "radical encounter with non-being." Yet, what happens in the resurrection is that the ultimacy of death is conquered. A new possibility is raised that despite the passing away of our physical bodies, life goes on anew through the work of a God who claims us, loves us, finds value in the ongoing connection with us. We continue, yet we are a new thing, a new creation. That is the possibility at the heart of what happens in the resurrection of Jesus, that we too may believe in a God who acts so radically, so decisively, against the constrictions of our existence. We are left with the possibility of living in a freedom that is only God's to give. Beautiful weather is upon us. Let it inspire us to live free, live well, live boldly. The message of Easter tells us nothing less. ******************************************************************************** The Freeholder Charlton Freehold Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 768 Charlton Road Charlton, New York 12019 (518) 399-4831 Rev. Dr. Stephen Butler Murray, Pastor Fall 2005 From the Pastor's Desk ... There are times in our lives when we falter. The relationships that we have depended on may seem to loosen and fray, the occupation that we rely on may seem less secure or offers reducing fulfillment, where we live may seem more house than home. When these times occur, they are difficult, and regardless of how others see or interpret the causes, no matter how relatively small the concerns actually are in the larger existential topography of the world, they are our concerns. They matter to us, and they matter deeply. The problems arise when we feel a loss of identity, a diminution of self, a certain sense that the person we know ourselves to be is adrift on a windless sea. In those moments, we often make one of two choices. We let go or we struggle. Either choice has its benefits and its dangers. By letting go, we are trusting that the winds will pick up to fill our sails, that we shall find our way again if we just remain calm and remain in hope. Yet, if the stillness remains, if the winds never come, we find ourselves marooned in the state that we had hoped to escape. Struggle can be our other option, the decision that we will strive to find a way out of our situation. If there are no winds for our sails, then we can get oars! Struggle is good because it gives us something to do, it occupies our time, and gives us a sense of direction, and may very well lead to the success we endeavored to achieve. Yet, struggle is also exhausting, and if we still feel lost, our energy and resources are depleted. In the end, neither letting go nor struggling necessarily results in us finding our way, in a righting of ourselves. Letting go hopes completely in the outside world, that content less fate will somehow bring us home. Struggle relies totally upon ourselves, our own wit and grit getting us through the tough times. The one hopes in emptiness, the other in the endurance of the utterly fallible creatures that we know ourselves to be. At such times, I advocate reestablishing a connection with God. God provides us with our ultimate meaning, as God's Beloved Child. This is a self-identity to which we can surely anchor our lives. We can find that connection with God in many ways, through prayer, through singing hymns, through fellowship, through giving our time and labor to others. Somehow, all of these activities, when done with a mind that they are for God, bring us closer to God. They are meaning-making events in our lives. I pray that this church will help sustain you throughout your life. And if not, I pray that you will, with God's good grace, help make this church even more of a place of welcome, of light, of hope, of substance, and sustenance. We are all ministers to one another. That is what it is to be a church.
Then and Now... Jim Hall -- Church Historian In 1859, through the efforts of Rev. James Crocker, the original Academy was built. Today we call the attached wing on the church the Academy, but the original one was a separate building on the east side of the church, with the main door facing the church. In 1856, 133 books were purchased by the church members for a church library. Reverend Crocker was asked by some area families to teach school so the children wouldn't have to go so far away from home to attend school. Reverend Crocker whitewashed the old abandoned sessions room which was over the horse-shed. The response to the school was great and the school had a flourishing start. For two years the minister of the church held classes in this makeshift room. Finally he demanded that a school building be built by the community. Reverend Crocker raised $1,000.00 and Daniel Teller was the carpenter. The entire cost of the original Academy was $1,475.00 and was mostly paid for by the efforts of the minister. About forty students attended the Academy, where English, Latin and other subjects were taught. The Academy was closed in 1913, but during its serving years it attracted and educated many young people, as a high school and finishing school who went on to college and became professional people. The original Academy building burned down in April of 1946. The new Memorial Academy that we use today was officially opened in 1949 with a service of dedication. ********************************************************************************** The Freeholder Charlton Freehold Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 768 Charlton Road Charlton, New York 12019 (518) 399-4831 Rev. Dr. Stephen Butler Murray, Pastor Spring 2005 From the Pastor... We are living in a time of transitions. Soon enough here in the beauty of Charlton, the trees will overrun with green leaves, flowers will bloom wherever we look, and the weather will accommodate long, languid walks in the warm, languid evenings. The daytime will be rife with hot weather in the not-so-distant future. Although that can be a sticky nuisance to some, perhaps for others it is a gentle reminder that trips to the beach are excellent, relaxing fun. We yearn for the freedom that summertime can bring, and it is calling to us even though we yet reside in snowy landscapes. Of course, as a church we recognize the liturgical transition that we have journeyed through with Lent. In this season, we have accompanied Jesus of Nazareth through Lent and into the Easter season through a remarkable transition. For a time, we focused especially on Jesus' way of living, on his teaching and healing ministry. And then, during Holy Week, we will gather together several times to mark the events that led to Jesus' death on the cross at Golgotha. Although horrific, although tragic, these are the events and transitions of a very human life. No matter what claims one may make about the certain man living in Palestine, the geography of his life has all the familiar landmarks of one that is human at his very core. But then comes the moment of controversy, the moment at which Christianity takes a detour from other religions that may recognize Jesus as merely a great teacher or even a prophet. Our celebration of Easter is the celebration of a remarkable event, resurrection. And no matter how that resurrection is interpreted, whether as a spiritual revelation or as the actual revivification of a human being, the resurrection is an event that shakes us up. It is an event that may cause us to think of living in a new way. The potential is that we can feel free to live in greater freedom. Many psychologists and theologians say that what is at the heart of anxiety is a fear of death. Paul Tillich discussed this as the "radical encounter with non-being." Yet, what happens in the resurrection is that the ultimacy of death is conquered. A new possibility is raised that despite the passing away of our physical bodies, life goes on anew through the work of a God who claims us, loves us, finds value in the ongoing connection with us. We continue, yet we are a new thing, a new creation. That is the possibility at the heart of what happens in the resurrection of Jesus, that we too may believe in a God who acts so radically, so decisively, against the constrictions of our existence. We are left with the possibility of living in a freedom that is only God's to give. Beautiful weather is upon us. Let it inspire us to live free, live well, live boldly. The message of Easter tells us nothing less.
********************************************************************************* The Freeholder Charlton Freehold Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 768 Charlton Road Charlton, New York 12019 (518) 399-4831 Rev. Dr. Stephen Butler Murray, Pastor Fall 2004 From the Pastor... The other day, a friend newly ordained to the ministry asked if I ever
wore a clerical collar. She is settling into the country church that
called her in North Carolina, where women ministers are not exactly
commonplace. At issue is how to get people in the community to recognize
her as a pastoral presence, and she thought that wearing the familiar
white band around her neck might do the trick. I told her the story of the
one and only time I have ever worn the collar that now hangs honorably in
my closet. My first job out of Yale Divinity School was as the chaplain of Suffolk University in Boston, located just off of the grassy Commons on Beacon Hill. However, my apartment was located across the Charles River in the Harvard Square neighborhood of Cambridge. On nice days, I abandoned my usual route of taking the Red Line subway in favor of the 50-minute walk through Cambridge, across the Longfellow Bridge, and on up the sharp incline of Beacon Hill, which makes on think the hills of San Francisco are decidedly overrated. What makes this journey truly worthwhile is reaching the middle of Longfellow Bridge, looking out upon the breathtaking Boston skyline. The day after I was ordained, I wore my newly bought clerical collar to work because I thought my co-workers would get a "kick" out of my new clothing line. It was a lovely Spring day, so I decided to make the scenic trek. My usually 50-minute walk took me well over three hours. Time and again, I was stopped by people who wanted me for counsel, to pray for them, to bless them. I felt as though I had slung a neon sign around my neck. While I felt entirely useful to the people I met on my walk, I did not feel so good about the irritated glances tossed my way when I walked into my morning meeting a half hour late. There are certain symbols with which we identify, that allow us to participate in events and traditions greater than ourselves. Such symbols may be clerical collars or wedding bands or the church itself. It is important that we recognize the power embodied by such symbols, and that we approach them without reflection, if we don them without considering the consequences, we may realize that the symbols do not fit us. Or we may not fit them. What do we mean when we say that we come together as a church? I ask what it is that you love about the Charlton Freehold Presbyterian Church, why you come here for worship, service, and fellowship. How it is that you imagine this church could be more and do more, and how it is that you might contribute to bring that vision to fruition? Such deep reflection, interweaving the commitments both of our present situation and of our ideals, is necessary if we are to be a community of faith. If we do not discern what it is we are being faithful to, we cannot bear witness by our faith with integrity. The church is a place for movement and passion. But that energy must have a direction if the church is to be a faithful servant, witness, and beacon to others. To grapple with our future direction, to ask what we ought to be and what we ought to do, is as valuable a quest as recognizing what we love about who we are and what we do now. The Rev. Dr. Stephen Butler Murray ********************************************************************************** The Freeholder Charlton Freehold Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) 768 Charlton Road Charlton, New York 12019 (518) 399-4831 Rev. Stephen Butler Murray, Pastor Spring 2004 From the Pastor... What a delightful time to step into the life of this church! We now have shared a month together since I was received by the Session and the Presbytery as your Stated Supply Pastor, and in that time I have found myself fulfilling the gamut of ministerial duties, responsibilities, and honor. As I write this message, I am preparing for our services during Holy Week on Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter, and for the joy of an upcoming baptism as well. I have been with you for the meetings that are our assessments of the past, discussions of the present, and plans for the future. I have had meals with you and visited you at your homes and in the hospital. We have prayed together about your revelries and your concerns. In this one month together so far, what we have experienced is the ongoing life of the Charlton Freehold Presbyterian Church, a life that has been going on here in this town since 1786. Think on the longevity of this worshiping community. There was not yet a President of the United States of America when this church was founded. This church is older than Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, the oldest graduate school for ministerial studies in the United States. This church has witnessed the War of 1812, the Civil War, two World Wars, as well as those of Korea, Vietnam, the first Gulf War, and the recent conflicts as well in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is a church that has witnessed, that has weathered, that has taught, that has comforted, that has proclaimed a life of Christian fellowship to its neighbors for a good long time. This legacy is something to be celebrated, indeed. However, friends, our longevity also should give us pause. We should stop and think what it is that this church means to Charlton, to the Albany Presbytery, to our small slice of history. Many other churches have come and gone in this time, and yet our church has borne the commitments and codes of this town, of our faithful witness, of our way of living and worshiping in the world. This church is an institution of merit in this community, as established common ground where people may gather for fellowship and faith, where they can count on resplendent music and thoughtful service. Our longevity is a mantle and a yoke, a burden and a joy. Charlton Freehold Presbyterian Church stands for something, and while that identity may have shifted and changed throughout time, this church nonetheless stands as something good. Our responsibility is to look not back upon our last two hundred plus years, but to look forward to our next two centuries. Our responsibility is to ask difficult questions of how it is that the church best will serve its members, its community, its presbytery, its world. This will require vision and imagination, courage and commitment. This will demand that we recognize in an age of shrinking congregations, the declining significance of churches to an increasingly secular society, and a deepening emphasis upon international politics rather than local concern, Charlton Freehold Presbyterian Church must still be a leader in its ministry, in its music, in its work in the community, in its proclamation of its purpose. This will require our time, our talents, our gifts, and our endurance. We, the members of this congregation, are the beginning of this church’s next 200 years of good work. May the foundation we build for the next generations be as impressive as or predecessors’ was for us, we who celebrate the fulfillment of their dreams and investment in this beloved church. Peace in Christ, The Reverend Stephen Butler Murray
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