It is nice when visitors to our Church or nonmember readers of our weekly e mails and bimonthly newsletters pay us compliments. The compliments from visitors give credence to our desire to be a welcoming congregation, and compliments of our e mails and newsletters give credence to the fact that we take seriously and address the issues of society and church and have them on our agenda.
The other evening I had dinner with The Rev. Ellen Marquardt, the Interim Presbytery Executive of The Presbytery of Long Island. A few weeks ago she and her husband, Bill, attended our morning worship. At dinner she told me that the two of them had visited several of the churches in the Presbytery during the past several months. Almost all of them had a coffee hour after worship. Ours was the only one where a member welcomed them after the service and invited them (and led them!) to the coffee hour. Ours was the one that engaged them in conversation, and in a conversation that was not 'probing' but congenial. Thank you Old South Haven.
On a couple of occasions a young couple from Ronkonkoma have visited. At the coffee hour after their first visit they commented to me that they were impressed at the way Bobby, who joins the children for the 'talk with the children,' and Steve, who has 'acted up' in worship, are fully accepted by our congregation. Last Sunday, four year old Jack went to Steve and welcomed him back after Steve's absence since the Sunday he acted up. Thank you Old South Haven.
Earlier this month I was asked to be a speaker at the Huntington Cinema Center after the showing of “The Bible Tells Me So”, a documentary film that deals with Christian parents responding to a son or daughter when the son or daughter announces being gay. In my remarks I praised our congregation for being a More Light Congregation, where each individual is accepted as a child of God and can be elected to any office in our congregation without regard to the person's sexual orientation. Thank you Old South Haven.
Last Sunday, I attended the annual meeting and party of the South Country Peace Group. I serve on their Board. A woman sought me out to tell me how much she appreciated receiving and reading our News Letter. Then she referred to my article on the care of
I am lucky to have found Old South Haven Church and to be the new organist and choir director. I have received a warm welcome from Pastor Tom, the choir and the congregation. I'm also grateful to Peggy Angus who gave so much love and care into her work at our church.
The opportunities here for me are exciting, playing the wonderful organ and working with the choir. We are always happy to have people sing in the choir. Please join us on Thursday night if you are interested. Pretty soon we will have to find more seating space in the choir loft! (Isn't that a lovely thought?)
There are a few things I would like to see accomplished. I am hoping to get our harpsichord in playing condition; eventually we may try to move it back downstairs. The piano at our church is a nice instrument, however, I (perhaps selfishly) think we deserve a better one some day. I may be slightly biased since piano is what I studied as an undergraduate.
Looking forward to all the things this year will bring. I am indeed happy to have my new job at Old South Haven and hope I will do well with all the responsibilities this job brings.
Thank you,
Danny
OSHC welcomes Daniel Corneliussen, our new Organist and Choir Director as of January 1. Danny is a graduate student in harpsichord performance at SUNY Stony Brook and has a BA in piano performance from Virginia Tech.
Thank you, Danny for sharing your musical gifts with us!
Danny's arrival is bittersweet, of course, since it came as a result of our beloved Peggy's retirement. She has graciously been orienting Danny to the organ and to the music program over the last few months. We are thrilled that she is now a part of the choir.
Please join us at a dinner party in her honor on February 9th at 6:00 PM in the Post Carriage House. Speak to Darcy (286-9278) or any choir member for details.
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