The Goshen Ecumenical Pantry Inc.  Housed in the Goshen First Presbyterian Church at 33 Park Place, Goshen, hands our food to Goshen residents, on the second Saturday of each month from 9:30am to 10:30am.

Goshen Ecumenical Pantry Inc @ The Goshen First Presbyterian Church, 33 Park Place, Goshen, New York 10924. Church Phone # 294-7991 or info at 294-9004.

Goshen Ecumenical Pantry, Inc. is the FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN GOSHEN, ST. JAMES’ EPISCOPAL CHURCH, GOSHEN UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, ST. JOHN A.U.M.P. CHURCH, GOSHEN CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH, ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST CHURCH, TEMPLE BETH SHALOM

The Goshen Ecumenical Pantry, Inc. a non-profit organization incorporated in 1993 is comprised of volunteers from local area Goshen Churches and Temple as well as concerned individuals from the Goshen community.

The purpose of the Pantry is to promote spirit of benevolence and to advance and preserve the welfare and physical well being of the homeless, needy and poverty stricken by means of administering the collection, transportation and distribution of donated food and food products.

The Pantry is funded through Grants from HPNAP (Hunger Prevention Nutrition Assistance Program of New York), and Shoprite’s Partners in Caring Program, Walmart, private donations and our Souper Bowl of Caring Fundraiser.

The Pantry distributes food and food products donated primarily by the members of the local Churches and Temple, with additional donations from area School Food Drives, the Scouting for Food Drive and Post Office Food Drive and area Businesses and organizations. We also purchase food thru the Regional Food Bank in Cornwall.

We distribute food to the needy in Goshen on the second Saturday of each month, at the Presbyterian Church Parish Hall at 9:30a.m. – 10:30a.m. We also distribute food to the Northgate Sr. Citizen Center once a month. We serve approximately 85 families.

The Goshen Ecumenical Pantry, Inc. will gladly accept donations of non- perishable food items and monetary gifts will be used to purchase additional food items.

How much food will I get? Each month when you shop, we will sign you up in the computer, and give you 2, 3 or 4 bags of pre bagged food. (The number will matter on the makeup of your family composition form). You will also get bread, meats and miscellaneous food, in addition to the pre bagged food.

Where or when do I sign up? Come to the pantry on the 2^nd Saturday of the month between 9:30am-10:30a.m. with the required paper work (proof of Goshen residence and proof of each family member) and we will sign you up and give you food.

Donations are ALWAYS welcome! Food Donations: Fresh vegetables, eggs, anything perishable are welcome. These need to be brought to us on or near the time we distribute (2nd Saturday of each month around 9:15am) so they do not spoil. We can always use paper and plastic bags.

Foods to donate are Peanut Butter, Spaghetti Sauce, Jam/Jelly, Tuna Fish, Canned Meals, Macaroni & Cheese, Detergents, Hand Soap, TOILET PAPER, Pancake Mix & Syrup,Rice, Canned Vegetables & Fruits, SOUP, Canned Beans(all types), Pasta, Cake & Brownie Mix, Instant Potatoes, Coffee/Tea/Cocoa, Oatmeal, Puddings, Toothpaste, Toothbrushes, etc. Foods can be donated to any Church in Goshen or the Temple in Florida, NY.

We do not want outdated foods, open, rusty or stained cans. In general, if in you wouldn’t eat it, throw it out don’t give it to us. We can’t accept home canned food. We are always looking for help to unload food from the Food Bank pickups, and we could use trucks and drivers to pick up the food at the food bank. Call John Strobl at 294-9004 if you can help or need info.

Click on following to download Lent Meditations http://www.er-d.org/userfiles/2011devo-printable.pdf

The Reverend M. Carl Lunden, Rector

In December 2000, St. James welcomed The Rev. M. Carl Lunden as its twenty-second Rector. Father Lunden was sponsored for ordination to the priesthood by Grace Episcopal Church in Middletown.

He studied at The General Theological Seminary in New York City, from which he graduated cum laude in 1997. He spent three years as Priest-in-Charge of Ascension and Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in West Park/Highland, New York before being called to St. James.

Father Lunden has two children, Bethany and John. Before joining the Episcopal Church, Father Lunden was a Roman Catholic seminarian and a member of the Conventual Franciscan Friars.

The Reverend Deacon Thomas Mark Liotta, BSG, Minister of Music

The Rev. Deacon Thomas Mark Liotta, BSG, a member of the Brotherhood of St. Gregory, a religious community in the Episcopal Church, became the Minister of Music at St. James’ Church in 1990 after having served in the same capacity in the Roman Catholic Church for many years.

Deacon Liotta began playing the organ while still in high school as substitute organist in the many churches in Troy, New York. He began his formal studies of the organ at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC with Mr. Robert Twynham, organist and choir director of the Cathedral of Mary the Queen in Baltimore, MD.

When he arrived in New York, he studied organ with Dr. Bronson Reagan, organist at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in New York City. He did his liturgical and choral training at the St. Pius X School of Liturgical Music of Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY where Mr. Walter Ehret, noted arranged and choral clinician, was his instructor in vocal methods and choral conducting.

Prior to being received into the Episcopal Church, Deacon Liotta was a member of the Christian Brothers, a Roman Catholic religious order.

Genie McMonigle, Secretary

Genie McMonigle has been secretary at St. James’ since February 1995.

She has lived in the Mid-Hudson region since 1986 and presently resides in Walden with her husband Bill. They have two children: Willie is in the Marine Corp and Samantha is attending college at Lock Haven.

Genie & Bill were married at St. James’ and are active members of the congregation.

Karen Jayne, Sexton

Karen Jayne is the new St. James’ Sexton

Jim & Jack Cassel, co-chairpersons

With the older facilities and buildings at St. James’, the Buildings and Grounds committee faces many challenges. We always have ongoing painting, electrical, carpentry, general clean up and fund raising projects.

We are always seeking people who would like to help.

Even if you don’t consider yourself handy with a paint brush, hammer or screwdriver, you are welcomed and encouraged to participate in this ministry of time and talent.

Fellowship Committee

Jeanne Healey & Donna Carbone, co-chairpersons

The fellowship committee is comprised of the members of St. James’ church. We are all members of this wonderful St. James’ family.

“We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:3

The fellowship Committee’s mission is to bring the members of our parish together outside of Sunday worship. Ultimately, these gatherings of the members of the St. James’ family are to strengthen the bonds of our community and that which unites us to Christ.

Some of the fellowship committee’s previous events have been:

• Fall Harvest Festival
  

• Progressive Dinner
  

• St. Patrick’s Day Dinner
  

• Maundy Thursday Agape Dinner and Easter Vigil Agape Reception
  

• Parish Picnic at Craigville Park
  

• Family Game Night
  

• Women’s Appreciation Dinner

Greeters Ministry

Jackie Kessler, chairperson

The primary purpose of the Greeters’ Ministry is welcoming newcomers to St. James’. Whether people have just moved to the area and are “church shopping,” come with friends, or are returning to church after an absence, the Greeters look for ways to make their visit a good experience.

Greeters serve at the 9 a.m. Family Eucharist and at the 10:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist service.

The Greeters’ role is to welcome new people coming to worship, and then encourage them to sign our guest book, show them where to find the hymnal and Book of Common Prayer, and answer any questions and concerns. In addition, the Greeters introduce them to our rector, give them a newsletter and other information about St. James’. They then accompany guests to coffee hour where they are then introduced to other parish members.

Outreach

John Strobl, chairperson

St. James’ Parish participates in many outreach programs, including:

• The Goshen Ecumenical Pantry – a group of volunteers from local area Churches and Temple, as well as concerned individuals in the Goshen community. Food is distributed to the needy of Goshen at 9:30 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month at the First Presbyterian Church. Food bagging is done the fourth Saturday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

• Meals on Wheels – the St. James’ team delivers Meals-on-Wheels two weeks per month. This part of the Orange County Senior Dining Program involves delivering meals to approximately 10 residences two days per month.

• Community Dinners – dinners that are held the last Saturday of each month from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in St. James’s parish hall. Started in July 1999, the meals provide nourishment and companionship to our fellow residents. Each month a different group from the community hosts the dinner, which serves between 20 – 50 individuals.

The gratitude expressed by the guests, as well as the fellowship involved in preparation and serving, make this an outreach project that St. James’ parish is truly blessed to be a part of.

Other programs:

• Relay for Life Cancer Walk
• AIDS Walk NY
• The ACS Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk

Pastoral Care

Meg Strobl and Lynn Riccardulli, co-chairpersons

Lay Pastoral Care is support to our sisters and brothers in Christ as they continue their journeys in faith. This support responds to the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of others.

Pastoral Care in a congregation happens when all baptized persons share in the pastoral ministries of the parish. The full awareness that we at St. James’ love and care about each other is a strengthening force in our faith community.

Our Lord instructs us to love God and one another. We promise to do this at every Eucharist. We put that promise into action through our giving and receiving of pastoral care.

Your participation is an opportunity to share with others the blessing and talents that God has given you. Your participation also allows you to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit through your active ministry.

Stewardship Committee

Ed Fritsche, chairperson

St. James’ Stewardship Committee focuses on the Christian sense of the word “Steward”. One may define a steward as one who involves himself/herself with managing the affairs of a household. The Christian sense of the word Steward involves managing the affairs of God on earth. Each and every parishioner has unique abilities and talents. God has made each of us a Steward and we should use our abilities or talents to serve God.

Have you thought about all that God has given us? How about property, talents, the gospel, relationships, environment, health, and time. The Stewardship Committee encourages everyone to remember that a Christian steward serves God out of love and gratitude for those gifts knowing that it is not how much we have, but what we do with what we have that is important.

The Stewardship Committee throughout the year hosts numerous coffee hours to show our appreciation for all those who complete a commitment card during Commitment Sundays. This event is always held for three consecutive weeks in October. Completing these cards allows St. James to budget for the following year. The committee term is three years. We welcome anyone who is interested in serving St. James in this manner.

The current Stewardship Committee members are: Ed Fritsche, Chip Hamilton, Mike Policatti, Robert Rainey, John Strobl and Kit Wallace and Jackie Bloem.

St. James’ Youth Group

Fr. Carl, chairperson

The St. James’ Youth Group is open to young people in the parish from grades 7-12.  The goal of membership in the Youth Group is to reflect on what it means to live a Christian life- how our relationship with Christ shapes our decisions, friendships, and encounters at school and at home.  The Youth Group meets on the second Sunday of the month after the 10:15am service (around 11:30am).  Adult leadership is vital and we are always looking to add  to our group.

The Youth Group events were Hosting the January  Community Dinner, snow tubing, a weekend retreat to Incarnation Camp in Ivoryton CT, a Lock-in at the Church. the Headless Horseman Hayride in Ulster County.

Youth please join, Adult’s consider being a part of our congregation’s efforts to minister to our youth and contribute to their faith formation.

 St. James’ Sunday School

Donna Carbone superintendent

Sunday School is provided for children between pre-school to 8th. grade. Classes are held at 10:00am the first three Sundays of the month.  The children learn about helping their “neighbors” by participating in a number of community service activities: The Souper Bowl of Caring, sponsoring a Carpenter’s Kid, Trick-or Treating for UNICEF, holding a bake sale for a terminally ill child and a coat drive for local families in need.

Our curriculum covers both Old and New Testaments.  We use a rotation format.  Multi- age groups rotate through a variety of stations (Good News Bible stories, Apostles’ Playhouse, Creation Station, Bible Games, Videos) that reinforce each week’s lesson.  This arrangement allowes us to address different learning styles while keeping the children actively involved. We begin each week by learning new songs along with movements at the Music Station.

The children also participate in many special events throughout the year.  they invite their friend to join them in Sunday school in February, prepared for Holy Week on Palm Sunday, participated in a Easter Egg Hunt, held a Fall Festival and celebrated the birth of Jesus with a Christmas Party.

Its essential meaning originates in baptisms. It pertains to every Christian person. Ministry is the activity of the entire body of Christ. Each person has a special ministry, shaped to fit the given reality of that person’s life.

At St. James’ there are many opportunities to minister inside and outside of the parish.

• Congregational Ministries
• Liturgical Ministries

The shield was adopted by the General Convention of 1940 and is rich in symbolism.  The red cross on a white field is the St. George Cross, an indicator of our link to the Church of England, the mother church of the Anglican Communion.  The miniature crosses in the blue quadrant symbolize the nine original American Dioceses that met in Philadelphia in 1789 to adopt the constitution of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America.  They are: Connecticut (established in 1783), Maryland (1783), Massachusetts (1784), Pennsylvania (1784), New Jersey (1785), New York (1785), South Carolina (1785), Virginia (1785), and Delaware (1786).   The blue field in the upper left is the color traditionally associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary and is  symbolic of  Jesus’  human nature, wich he recieved from his mother.

The outline of the miniature crosses is in the form of St. Andrew’s Cross in tribute to the Scottish church’s role in ordaining the first American Bishop, Samuel Seabury, in 1784.  The colors red, white and blue symbolize, respectfully, (Red) the sacrifice of Christ and Christian martyrs,(White) the purity of the Christian faith, and (Blue) the humanity of Christ received from the Virgin Mary. In duplicating the colors of the American flag, they also represent the Episcopal Church’s standing as the U.S. branch of the Anglican Communion.