May 2021 – Currents
May 2021 – CURRENTS
COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GLEN ROCK
354 Rock Road, Glen Rock, NJ 07452 office@communitychurchgr.com Tel: 201-444-4625 Fax:
201-444-4633
The Rev. Terrence O’Brien, Senior Minister The Rev. Vern L. Dethmers, Minister Emeritus
Notes from PASTOR TERRY
Dear Friends,
There comes a time in all of our lives when we need to say goodbye to someone
whose presence among us has been a blessing. We say our fond farewell, not because of any tragic
event, but simply because it was time to move on. And as difficult as it might be,
you both know that it is the right decision. Such is the case with the departure of Barbara
Zucchino this month. Although both of us have known this day was coming for quite some time,
neither of us were looking forward to it.
Barbara came to work at CCGR shortly after I arrived in September of 2015. She was replacing
someone with big shoes to fill, in Roseanne Eckert, who was much loved by myself and
the congregation. She did so with, what seemed to me, such remarkable ease. For the past five
years we have shared a wonderful working relationship, one that I am extremely
grateful to have had.
Barbara has the innate ability to always be one step ahead of you. On a personal note, I think it
frustrates her tremendously so if she is not. Barbara has always been meticulous
about her work. She is extremely aware of deadlines and makes it a point to meet them well ahead
of time. This never comes, though, at the expense of her pleasant and engaging communications with
church members. Those of you who have ever had any interaction with her could certainly attest to
that. And when it comes time to put the pedal to the metal, she is all business and ready to go
the extra mile.
More than all of this, however, I felt like I had a confidant in Barbara; someone with whom I
could express work concerns in confidentiality. We have never spoken in detail of our home
lives, or that much outside of work. And yet, I have a strong belief that she is a person with a
deep sense of faith, which has been evident in the compassion and care she expresses towards
others.
So, we do not say goodbye, for goodbyes feels much too final. Instead, we simply wish Barbara a
fond farewell, with hopes and prayers that the next chapter in her life will bring further joy and
happiness. Thank you, Barbara, for sharing your gifts with Community Church.
Many Blessings, Pastor Terry
P.S. – Due to the pandemic, we will not be able to have a send-off in person. I
am certain, though, that Barbara would welcome your best wishes.
======================
The upcoming worship experience at Community Church is about to change. We are planning to return
to in-person services after nearly 14 months without. May 2nd, 9th, 16th, & 23rd will be live
streamed only. On May 30th we will hold a 10:00 am social distanced outdoor service on the east
side lawn of the church.
Then, barring any further outbreaks, the church will be holding in-person worship services in the
sanctuary once again, beginning Sunday, June 6th at 10:00 am. We still intend, though, to adhere
to all CDC recommendations. Precautionary measures such as social distancing, masks, no hymn
singing, and open windows will all be followed.
We realize that many of you have been vaccinated at this point. Services will continue, though, to
be live streamed for those unable to attend in person.
New Office Staff Welcome!
We are very happy to announce that CCGR and recently elected Consistory member Jessica Fry will be
joining the office staff later this month. Jessica is being brought up to speed during this
transition period by Barbara Zucchino whose position Jessica will assume. Jessica will
be handling administrative financial responsibilities in the office. The church is excited to
have Jessica come on board. We hope that you will welcome her and hold her in your prayers as she
works her way into the position.
Community Church Youth and Families
Our Church School families have been creative to keep youth involved in different ways than church
school. Our youth and families performed a second video pageant thanks to their
ingenuity and talents. Thanks also to Pastor Terry, Janet Montroy and Boyd Lowry for making that
successful.
Some church families participated in the Hackensack Shelter desserts and
clementines donations that happened this past weekend. After they were delivered, the staff asked
to let us know how much the donations of cookies/brownies and fruit were appreciated.
There was enough for all the meals that night and still enough for all the meals the
following night!! ( While different groups cook meals not many add desserts or fruit to those
donated meals) Stay tuned for the next date on this outreach.
Next opportunities for youth and family involvement will hopefully include a service
for graduating seniors and working on the Glen Rock borough wide July 4ᵗʰ Food collection. It is
Community Church’s turn to lead this year. It was an academic year like no other. So grateful for
everything the church school families and staff have done to ensure that we continue
to stay connected and supportive of each other, as well as the needy
members of our community.
Candy Hall
Interim Church School Coordinator
May 1 – Cheryl Wardrop
May 14 – Jodi Stewart
May 19 – Jack Fogarty
A Musical Note
There are many ways to mark the passing of a year. The cycle of the seasons, each beautiful in its
own way, is the common backdrop of our lives. Businesses are run on the fiscal year, from July 1 to
June 30. And no matter how long we have been out of school, the start of the academic year in
September brings a sense of new beginnings, and its end in June makes us all feel a little giddy
with thoughts of leisure and vacation.
The liturgical year is another way to note the passing of time. It begins in Advent, moves through
the great festivals of Christmas, Lent, Easter and Pentecost, and ends on Christ the King Sunday at
the end of November. It begins again the following week with Advent, in an endless cycle of
celebration and remembrance. Each liturgical season has its own color: blue for Advent, white for
Christmas and Easter, purple for Lent, red for Pentecost. But what happens between the
special festivals of the church? That season is “ordinary time”, and this year it begins on June
6.
Normally there isn’t much to say about ordinary time. There is nothing dramatic or
exciting happening, it just is. But how glad I am to be approaching ordinary time now! After a most
un- ordinary year, I’m taking great pleasure in the simple unfolding of small pleasures: hugging my
children and grandchildren, getting together with friends, eating in a restaurant. What a joy it is
to be slowly returning to everyday rhythms. This last year has taught me that such
ordinary events are the infinitely rewarding core of life. How appropriate it is, then,
that the liturgical color for ordinary time is the green of nature itself!
I am reminded of the Shaker song “Simple Gifts” Although it was written to reflect particular
Shaker theology, there is also a universality to the text that speaks to me strongly:
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free ‘Tis the gift to come down where you ought to
be And when you find yourself in the place just right ‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight
May we all find ourselves in that valley!
Connie Sinkway Celebration of Life Service
A worship service to celebrate the life of Connie Sinkway will be held in the
sanctuary on Saturday May 22, 2021 at 2 PM with festive prelude music beginning at 1:45 PM.
Connie’s faith and commitment to Community church was strong and her friends and her
church family sustained her. We are grateful to you all for caring for us over the last few years
and welcome you to join us in the sanctuary. Our family recognizes the need to be
cautious about indoor gatherings and strict protocols will be followed; limited and
spaced seating, masks, hand sanitizing, and if you are not in good health, the choice to join us
from your home. The service will be live streamed and/or recorded and those links will be available
on the church website or Facebook page. We look forward to honoring our mom’s life with all of you.
With gratitude and friendship from Connie’s family: Dave and his wife Gabrielle and their children
Lily and Adam.
Robin and her daughter Meg, son Zach and his wife Katie and their children Parker and Avery.
Jody, along with Diane and her husband Don and their children Garret and Trevor.
“Praying for people not only has impact on their life since you are helping usher in the hand of
God when it corresponds to His will, but praying for others also changes your heart towards that
person. So, we should always pray for each other because prayer creates unity,” and we are
comforted to know others are praying for them.
Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can’t find the
words to pray.
Please continue to pray for all of our church members and families. We each are faced with
challenging issues — some because of loss and grief, some for health issues, family conflict,
loneliness, or some other type of situation.
Special prayer requests continue for: the Mapes/Lange/Glass family; the Sinkway/Emery family; the
Strickland family; Anne Allen, Debbie Azzarone, Kim Briggs, Trudy Carhart, Beryl Ferrari, Jean
Franklin, Bob Freudenrich, Donna Nihen, and Janice Roed.
CCGR ‘PRIVATE’ PRAYER CHAIN
For those more ‘private’ prayer requests, it gives us comfort knowing our church has a small group
‘CCGR Prayer Chain’. We share prayer needs in confidence on a regular basis those prayers shared
with us that you would like to be kept private. If you have a need for prayer that you feel you
would like us to share confidentially amongst the small group Prayer Chain, please email requests
to:
• Candy Hall at candy.hallccgr@gmail.com and/or
• Donna Nihen at blackvelvet1299@aol.com,
• and of course, Pastor Terry at pastor@communitychurchgr.com
Adopt-a-Bill
The Adopt-a-Bill initiative is an opportunity for you to adopt and pay for a one-time expense item
that the church incurs, or to adopt a recurring expense for one month. We often
ask ourselves at times of the year if there is any other way that we can help out the church beyond
our pledged commitment. And we want to put a face on that assistance. Every month, we will be
posting a handful of one-time and recurring expenses in the Currents. There will be a wide range of
cost items, giving everyone the opportunity to participate. It’s just another option for you in
helping out our church at those times during the year when you might have the
financial resources to do so. The gifts will remain anonymous. Those making an adoption will have
their yearly donation credited to their end-of-year statements while maintaining confidentiality.
Please note on envelope the item you’re adopting and the amount. I am pleased to announce, at
this time, that a number of previous Adopt-a-Bills have already been covered. Don’t miss out on the
next opportunity, to give back to the church in a unique way! As a reminder, our current Adopt-
a-Bills are:
