Weekly eNewsletter from
St. Nicholas-on-the-Hudson
July 3, 2020
2020 SUMMER READ-A-THON
Thank you to those who have signed up to participate in the 2020 Friends of Darbonne Read-A-Thon! We appreciate your participation and engagement.
For those of you who signed up to be Sponsors, you will be contacted separately to assign you to a Youth Reader. And the families of Youth Readers will be copied so they know who is sponsoring them!
We are still waiting (and hoping!) for more Youth Readers to sign up.
We’ve had to change things up a bit this year and thought we would join in the fashion of having a yard sign to help communicate our interests and support. We have had small yard signs (12” x18”) made for those who are reading and/or are sponsors (image above). Please reach out to Joan Freeman at joanfreeman3@gmail.com if you would like a yard sign (they have a small wire frame that can be inserted into the ground… or the sign can be used to hang in a window if you would like) and in keeping with how we are living in 2020, I’ll deliver the sign to you.
Happy Reading!
Resources: Grinnell Library is now open for contactless pick-up and virtual events. Here’s the library’s website for additional information http://grinnell-library.org
Questions? Mother Leigh or Mother Mag can help or Joan Freeman 845-897-2404 joanfreeman3@gmail.com OR Marcy Wagman 845-298-0634 wagmanml@verizon.net.
REOPENING LETTER TO THE PARISHDear St. Nick’s Community,
The Reopening Committee and I have been meeting for several weeks to craft a plan for reopening our church for worship. While Bishop Dietsche authorized today, July 1st, as the first date churches may consider reopening for public worship, no church is required to begin today. And so, with safety as our highest priority, we have targeted July 19th as our first Sunday back.
You should be aware that our service will look quite different from that which has been our pattern. We know full well that most folks don’t like change, but we ask for your continued patience with this process. Please read the following, knowing that many of these restrictions will be lifted as time goes on — at least we hope so. Along with all of you, we will be carefully watching the numbers of virus cases and will adjust our plan accordingly.
In gratitude,
The Rev. Leigh Hall, Rector
St. Nicholas-on-the-Hudson
We have borrowed many good ideas about reopening from a lot of sources, most notably Christ Church, Red Hook. We are grateful to them for their solid reopening plan, which provided scaffolding for our own. -Mtr. Leigh
EWARE: Email Scam
Email scammers are preying on our parishioners. In two different cycles now, someone has created an authentic looking email address in Gmail, and then reached out to parishioners claiming to be Mtr. Leigh. Once you respond to the initial email asking you to get in touch, the scammer attempts to engage you in a gift card scam. Please be advised that the only two email addresses in use in the parish are: leighellenhall at gmail and stnicholasnewhamburg at gmail. Mtr. Leigh will never solicit money or donations from you through email. If you have any questions about any email or request, please contact Mtr Leigh at once. Please also forward any suspicious emails to the email provider -- "Report Phishing." We are sorry this has become such a problem, but we've heard from many other clergy that this is a real issue in churches these days, that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.
LATEST FROM THE BISHOP:
CLICK HERE for the latest correspondence from the diocese.
SUNDAY SCHOOL PLAY
Sunday Rehearsals
Sunday School students and Mtr. Leigh have joined together for a special Sunday School series. In Zoom, they are rehearsing for "The Flood," our StoryMakersNYC play. Each read-through will be 15 to 20 minutes. Last read-through will be held on July 5. Then, Mtr. Leigh will come to your house (wearing a mask and social distancing of course) to record students saying their parts outside. Then, she will edit them into one video to premiere on Sunday, July 12 during coffee hour. Parents, you also have the option of recording your own child and sending the video to us. This will be fun!
A NOTE TO PARENTS: Vacation Bible School 2020 has been canceled.
" IN CASE YOU MISSED IT "
Weren't able to catch last Sunday's service or Storytime? Don't fret, we have got the link to them right HERE.
FOR OUR ZOOM ROTA Mtr. Leigh needs folks to volunteer for Sunday service roles. If you are interested in participating check out the different roles and signup HERE.
Sunday Morning
Here's what you need to know...
Organ prelude, worship, coffee hour, and children's Sunday School will all be contained in one Zoom call. The Zoom link to join will be found in your inbox prior to the time on Sunday morning. Begin joining as early as 9:15am.
-During worship, your audio will be automatically muted by me, the host. You can un-mute yourself to speak, but if your background noise becomes disruptive, I will mute your audio.
-We will pray together virtually but live. One person will be designated to say the responses during the prayers
-A shared slideshow will allow you to fully participate in the service at home
-We have taken all appropriate and recommended steps to make Zoom more secure
-When the service ends, we will have Zoom coffee hour at 10am, followed by children's Sunday School at 10:30am.
Thank you for joining us in virtual worship!
Office Hours with Mtr. Leigh
Wednesdays and Thursdays
Each Wednesday from 10am to 12pm and now Thursdays from 1pm to 4pm, Mtr. Leigh holds Zoom office hours. New this week, office hours are scheduled, meaning that you'll need to make an appointment for a 15, 30, or 60 minute meeting. To make an appointment, please use Mtr. Leigh's new scheduling app: https://calendly.com/leighhall
Once you've scheduled your appointment, you'll receive the Zoom meeting information in a separate email.
CONTINUE YOUR PLEDGE OR DONATE ONLINE
DURING THE CORONA VIRUS CRISIS
We are grateful for each and every dollar we receive here at St. Nick's, and each one of those dollars goes to good use. We keep a lean budget, and our finance committee carefully monitors every line.
While we are not meeting in person for worship on Sunday mornings, we expect that plate donations will drop. And with so much economic uncertainty, we know that home budgets might change. In order to facilitate continued giving, we have reactivated our church PayPal account. Using the button below, you can make your pledge or donation online.
Donate Online
Additionally, you can also set up auto-draft from your own bank account using your online banking. This will cause a paper check to be sent to our mailbox at 37 Point St., which we are checking each day. The Vestry are doing the normal count, and our parish administrator, Dana, continues to record pledges in our system.
ZOOM! HAPPY HOUR Join your St. Nick's community weekly for Happy Hour via Zoom conference call. Grab your favorite beverage -- coffee, tea, beer, wine, seltzer, whatever -- and hang out with us for an hour. There is no agenda! Zoom Happy Hours are on Thursdays, 4:45pm to 5:45pm and will continue throughout the coronavirus crisis. The links for Zoom Happy Hour will be sent in a later email on the corresponding day so keep a look out for them in your inbox. Hope to see you there!
Art by Sophia Gauzza
UPDATE: Storytime with Mtr. Leigh
Storytime is taking a break for the month of July (and possibly longer) as we prepare to re-open the church for worship. Please be sure to sign up for our summer Read-a-Thon which supports the Holy Spirit School in Darbonne, Haiti. Keep reading!
BUDDY GROUPS Our parish has been broken up into nine groups of six or seven households and assigned parishioners to be captains of those groups. The captains are a mix of vestry and other lay leaders in the parish. They will be in touch with you to check in and to make sure all is well with you. They will also help me to know what your needs are, be they pastoral or logistical. While you should feel free to call any member of the parish now, Buddy Groups will ensure that no one slips through the cracks, and that our elders, in particular, are getting the care they need right now.
For Buddy Groups and captain contact information
please click: HERE
Temporary Coronatide Contact Sheet Available
Dana, our parish administrator, has created a temporary Coronatide contact sheet with the most updated contact information we have for all of you. If you would like a digital copy of the Temporary Coronatide Contact Sheet, please email the church office. A more complete parish directory, with photos and expanded information, will be available in September.
AA GROUP MEETINGS St. Nick's does have regular AA meetings but due to the Corona Virus restrictions they are currently on hold until further notice.
INTRA OFFICE DEADLINES Want to put an announcement in the weekly e-news? The deadline for submission is: Thursdays @12pm
PASTORAL MINISTRY If you have concern for yourself, a family member or friend, please contact Mtr. Leigh Hall, at 845-432-HOLY, or email leighellenhall@gmail.com. The Rector observes Friday as her Sabbath. Please emergency calls/texts/emails on Fridays.
AGING NEWS: SENIOR RESOURCES Click on this link for the recent enews from Dutchess County Department For The Aging:
https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Aging/OFA-Golden-Living-News-for-Senior-Citizens.htm
PRAYER REQUESTS You can choose to submit a general request for the public parish prayer list or a confidential request for her only. You can submit requests using this online form.
In Our Prayers
For those for whom prayers have been asked:
Jean + Lori + Aunt Totsie + Stu + Paul + Cathy + Friends + Michael + Jake + Ashley + Teresa + Norma + Dale + Cara, Bob & Charlotte + Alex & Alison + The Howes Family + Rick + Bea + Jenn & Becky + Kim + Ashley + Tony + Christopher + Kristina & Pete + Ray John + Henry & Sue + Peggy & Tom + Kelly + Violet + Will + Those who have COVID-19 & those who have passed from COVID-19 + Steve + Bob + Donna + Danny + Charman + Chris + Henry & Family + Al + Lorraine + Helen + Eliot + Barbara
- For compassion and empathy to others
In Thanksgiving:
- For the birth of Gabriella
For the departed:
Felice Mauro + Richard + Lori Williams Minchew
+ Laurel Alksnis + Drew Hoffman + Tony Cipriano + Anthony Dass + Mike Tomkovitch + Susan Guerriero + Louie Nardella +
Patti Ciccarelli
St. Nicholas-on-the-Hudson
July 3, 2020
2020 SUMMER READ-A-THON
Thank you to those who have signed up to participate in the 2020 Friends of Darbonne Read-A-Thon! We appreciate your participation and engagement.
For those of you who signed up to be Sponsors, you will be contacted separately to assign you to a Youth Reader. And the families of Youth Readers will be copied so they know who is sponsoring them!
We are still waiting (and hoping!) for more Youth Readers to sign up.
We’ve had to change things up a bit this year and thought we would join in the fashion of having a yard sign to help communicate our interests and support. We have had small yard signs (12” x18”) made for those who are reading and/or are sponsors (image above). Please reach out to Joan Freeman at joanfreeman3@gmail.com if you would like a yard sign (they have a small wire frame that can be inserted into the ground… or the sign can be used to hang in a window if you would like) and in keeping with how we are living in 2020, I’ll deliver the sign to you.
Happy Reading!
- What to be a reader or sponsor? sign up as a reader and/or a sponsor using this link: https://forms.gle/WCo5PPtC7aHuNGLU6
Resources: Grinnell Library is now open for contactless pick-up and virtual events. Here’s the library’s website for additional information http://grinnell-library.org
Questions? Mother Leigh or Mother Mag can help or Joan Freeman 845-897-2404 joanfreeman3@gmail.com OR Marcy Wagman 845-298-0634 wagmanml@verizon.net.
REOPENING LETTER TO THE PARISHDear St. Nick’s Community,
The Reopening Committee and I have been meeting for several weeks to craft a plan for reopening our church for worship. While Bishop Dietsche authorized today, July 1st, as the first date churches may consider reopening for public worship, no church is required to begin today. And so, with safety as our highest priority, we have targeted July 19th as our first Sunday back.
You should be aware that our service will look quite different from that which has been our pattern. We know full well that most folks don’t like change, but we ask for your continued patience with this process. Please read the following, knowing that many of these restrictions will be lifted as time goes on — at least we hope so. Along with all of you, we will be carefully watching the numbers of virus cases and will adjust our plan accordingly.
- Beginning on Sunday, July 19th, we will offer one service of Morning Prayer II or the Liturgy of the Word from the Book of Common Prayer at 9:30am outside in the downstairs churchyard. The service will last no more than 40 minutes.
- We will send the liturgy via Mailchimp e-newsletter on Saturdays for those who would like to follow along on their phones or tablets. Initially, we will be limited to 25% of our capacity in our gathering. We ask that you sign up for worship the night before so that we have some idea of who to expect on Sunday morning.
- The service will be live-streamed to either our Facebook page or our YouTube channel (more information to come on that). We will continue to record and post services to these outlets by the following Monday morning. We urge those who are 65+, those with compromised immune systems and underlying health conditions, and those who are uncomfortable with in-person worship for any reason, to continue to utilize this virtual option.
- Organ music without congregational singing will be part of the service for the foreseeable future.
- As we are gathering outside on the lawn, family units may sit together. Please bring your own lawn chair, face mask, and Book of Common Prayer or smart phone to follow along. A limited number of single-use face masks will be available should you forget. There will not be a printed bulletin for at least the first several weeks. Hand sanitizer will be available, but we encourage you to bring and to use your own. Everyone in attendance will wear their masks at all times and maintain a distance of six feet apart from those not living with them. No mask, no entry. As an extra layer of precaution, we will request to do a forehead temperature screening as you enter.
- In the event of rain, the service will switch back to a virtual Zoom gathering. This decision will be made by the rector and announced on the Saturday night prior by 9pm.
- There will be no coffee hour or refreshments following the service until we can safely share close contact. We ask that you refrain from using the restroom while in attendance, as it will need to be sanitized between uses — this is one reason we are keeping the service short.
- The Holy Eucharist will resume on Sundays at a point yet to be determined. We want people to feel comfortable being together for some weeks before introducing Communion as an additional element. When we resume the Holy Eucharist, Communion will be offered in one kind only — the Bread, not the Cup. This will be our custom for some time to come. The peace will continue to be shared by staying in your seat and without physical touch.
- The offering plates will not be used, but a drop box will be available to collect your gifts.
In gratitude,
The Rev. Leigh Hall, Rector
St. Nicholas-on-the-Hudson
We have borrowed many good ideas about reopening from a lot of sources, most notably Christ Church, Red Hook. We are grateful to them for their solid reopening plan, which provided scaffolding for our own. -Mtr. Leigh
EWARE: Email Scam
Email scammers are preying on our parishioners. In two different cycles now, someone has created an authentic looking email address in Gmail, and then reached out to parishioners claiming to be Mtr. Leigh. Once you respond to the initial email asking you to get in touch, the scammer attempts to engage you in a gift card scam. Please be advised that the only two email addresses in use in the parish are: leighellenhall at gmail and stnicholasnewhamburg at gmail. Mtr. Leigh will never solicit money or donations from you through email. If you have any questions about any email or request, please contact Mtr Leigh at once. Please also forward any suspicious emails to the email provider -- "Report Phishing." We are sorry this has become such a problem, but we've heard from many other clergy that this is a real issue in churches these days, that has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.
LATEST FROM THE BISHOP:
CLICK HERE for the latest correspondence from the diocese.
SUNDAY SCHOOL PLAY
Sunday Rehearsals
Sunday School students and Mtr. Leigh have joined together for a special Sunday School series. In Zoom, they are rehearsing for "The Flood," our StoryMakersNYC play. Each read-through will be 15 to 20 minutes. Last read-through will be held on July 5. Then, Mtr. Leigh will come to your house (wearing a mask and social distancing of course) to record students saying their parts outside. Then, she will edit them into one video to premiere on Sunday, July 12 during coffee hour. Parents, you also have the option of recording your own child and sending the video to us. This will be fun!
A NOTE TO PARENTS: Vacation Bible School 2020 has been canceled.
" IN CASE YOU MISSED IT "
Weren't able to catch last Sunday's service or Storytime? Don't fret, we have got the link to them right HERE.
FOR OUR ZOOM ROTA Mtr. Leigh needs folks to volunteer for Sunday service roles. If you are interested in participating check out the different roles and signup HERE.
Sunday Morning
Here's what you need to know...
Organ prelude, worship, coffee hour, and children's Sunday School will all be contained in one Zoom call. The Zoom link to join will be found in your inbox prior to the time on Sunday morning. Begin joining as early as 9:15am.
-During worship, your audio will be automatically muted by me, the host. You can un-mute yourself to speak, but if your background noise becomes disruptive, I will mute your audio.
-We will pray together virtually but live. One person will be designated to say the responses during the prayers
-A shared slideshow will allow you to fully participate in the service at home
-We have taken all appropriate and recommended steps to make Zoom more secure
-When the service ends, we will have Zoom coffee hour at 10am, followed by children's Sunday School at 10:30am.
Thank you for joining us in virtual worship!
Office Hours with Mtr. Leigh
Wednesdays and Thursdays
Each Wednesday from 10am to 12pm and now Thursdays from 1pm to 4pm, Mtr. Leigh holds Zoom office hours. New this week, office hours are scheduled, meaning that you'll need to make an appointment for a 15, 30, or 60 minute meeting. To make an appointment, please use Mtr. Leigh's new scheduling app: https://calendly.com/leighhall
Once you've scheduled your appointment, you'll receive the Zoom meeting information in a separate email.
CONTINUE YOUR PLEDGE OR DONATE ONLINE
DURING THE CORONA VIRUS CRISIS
We are grateful for each and every dollar we receive here at St. Nick's, and each one of those dollars goes to good use. We keep a lean budget, and our finance committee carefully monitors every line.
While we are not meeting in person for worship on Sunday mornings, we expect that plate donations will drop. And with so much economic uncertainty, we know that home budgets might change. In order to facilitate continued giving, we have reactivated our church PayPal account. Using the button below, you can make your pledge or donation online.
Donate Online
Additionally, you can also set up auto-draft from your own bank account using your online banking. This will cause a paper check to be sent to our mailbox at 37 Point St., which we are checking each day. The Vestry are doing the normal count, and our parish administrator, Dana, continues to record pledges in our system.
ZOOM! HAPPY HOUR Join your St. Nick's community weekly for Happy Hour via Zoom conference call. Grab your favorite beverage -- coffee, tea, beer, wine, seltzer, whatever -- and hang out with us for an hour. There is no agenda! Zoom Happy Hours are on Thursdays, 4:45pm to 5:45pm and will continue throughout the coronavirus crisis. The links for Zoom Happy Hour will be sent in a later email on the corresponding day so keep a look out for them in your inbox. Hope to see you there!
Art by Sophia Gauzza
UPDATE: Storytime with Mtr. Leigh
Storytime is taking a break for the month of July (and possibly longer) as we prepare to re-open the church for worship. Please be sure to sign up for our summer Read-a-Thon which supports the Holy Spirit School in Darbonne, Haiti. Keep reading!
BUDDY GROUPS Our parish has been broken up into nine groups of six or seven households and assigned parishioners to be captains of those groups. The captains are a mix of vestry and other lay leaders in the parish. They will be in touch with you to check in and to make sure all is well with you. They will also help me to know what your needs are, be they pastoral or logistical. While you should feel free to call any member of the parish now, Buddy Groups will ensure that no one slips through the cracks, and that our elders, in particular, are getting the care they need right now.
For Buddy Groups and captain contact information
please click: HERE
Temporary Coronatide Contact Sheet Available
Dana, our parish administrator, has created a temporary Coronatide contact sheet with the most updated contact information we have for all of you. If you would like a digital copy of the Temporary Coronatide Contact Sheet, please email the church office. A more complete parish directory, with photos and expanded information, will be available in September.
AA GROUP MEETINGS St. Nick's does have regular AA meetings but due to the Corona Virus restrictions they are currently on hold until further notice.
INTRA OFFICE DEADLINES Want to put an announcement in the weekly e-news? The deadline for submission is: Thursdays @12pm
PASTORAL MINISTRY If you have concern for yourself, a family member or friend, please contact Mtr. Leigh Hall, at 845-432-HOLY, or email leighellenhall@gmail.com. The Rector observes Friday as her Sabbath. Please emergency calls/texts/emails on Fridays.
AGING NEWS: SENIOR RESOURCES Click on this link for the recent enews from Dutchess County Department For The Aging:
https://www.dutchessny.gov/Departments/Aging/OFA-Golden-Living-News-for-Senior-Citizens.htm
PRAYER REQUESTS You can choose to submit a general request for the public parish prayer list or a confidential request for her only. You can submit requests using this online form.
In Our Prayers
For those for whom prayers have been asked:
Jean + Lori + Aunt Totsie + Stu + Paul + Cathy + Friends + Michael + Jake + Ashley + Teresa + Norma + Dale + Cara, Bob & Charlotte + Alex & Alison + The Howes Family + Rick + Bea + Jenn & Becky + Kim + Ashley + Tony + Christopher + Kristina & Pete + Ray John + Henry & Sue + Peggy & Tom + Kelly + Violet + Will + Those who have COVID-19 & those who have passed from COVID-19 + Steve + Bob + Donna + Danny + Charman + Chris + Henry & Family + Al + Lorraine + Helen + Eliot + Barbara
- For compassion and empathy to others
In Thanksgiving:
- For the birth of Gabriella
For the departed:
Felice Mauro + Richard + Lori Williams Minchew
+ Laurel Alksnis + Drew Hoffman + Tony Cipriano + Anthony Dass + Mike Tomkovitch + Susan Guerriero + Louie Nardella +
Patti Ciccarelli