Forest Home Chapel
Sunday, May 20, 2012
United Methodist Church, Ithaca New York

Worship
at the Chapel

 

Sunday, May 13 is Mother's Day. Pastor Rebecca Dolch will help us share Mother Stories, by the people of Forest Home Chapel. Download the bulletin.

 

The Reverend Rebecca Dolch
Phone: 607-351-7416
Email: rebadolch@gmail.com

Welcome to Forest Home Chapel

224 Forest Home Drive, Ithaca, NY  14850
607-257-4329


 

Image goes here.
 

Sunday April 22, a "Little Pentecost"

Our Vision Retreat Sunday was an amazing and fruitful day! Pastor Rebecca Dolch preached the sermon "Planting a Small Seed" to prepare us for the work ahead, to review what the Chapel has stood for in the last hundred years, and to define our core values for the years ahead together.

After a short worship service, we reviewed findings and preliminary recommendations by the Parsonage Visioning Team (view report here) (view information sheet here), in conjunction with the structural health and needs of the sanctuary building. The congregation asked questions about both buildings, our budget and financial health.

Turnout for this watershed time together was most rewarding. Most families stayed for the pot luck lunch together, and representatives from each family continued during the visioning exercises afterwards.

Elizabeth Mount prepared excellent posters and gave a presentation about the history, endeavors and missions at Forest Home Chapel in the last decades. These posters will remain up in the Fellowship Hall, in case you would like to enjoy and learn from them further.

At Rebecca's request for testimony, many stood to express their experience of blessings from the past, as well as core values for the present, hopes and priorities for the future. We wrote our most important thoughts for each on sticky-notes. "Good organizers" categorized the notes into core areas of focus, including Faith, Community, Service, and Who We Are. Questions and discussions followed as the group worked to understand each other. The day concluded with a group benediction.

In her Sunday, April 29 sermon, Rebecca voiced two core values that emerged from the exercises:

"We want to be a congregation, an atmosphere, where people can experience a sense of acceptance and belonging."

"We are a Christian congregation, but one that honors and supports people who are from other religions, or who are seeking a spiritual connection, or people who may think of themselves as skeptics and agnostics but want to come for the inspiration and community. This attitude would be radical in some Christian circles."

In recent days, many have expressed joy and satisfaction with the retreat experience. New viewpoints were heard, and new ideas were considered by many. A new and joyful unity was a predominant feeling afterwards, a clear will of the Chapel body.

Questions and notes from both sessions have been carefully kept, and will be used to help make decisions about where the Chapel should head in the future. If you are interested in helping to discern implementation, please consider attending church council meetings. Next meeting is Thursday, May 17, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. in the Chapel meeting room. Go to Operations/Reports to see previous meeting minutes. No major decisions will be made without consensus of the whole body of Forest Home Chapel's congregation.

Illustration above: "World's Smallest Seed" by James B. Janknegt


We welcome all who seek a church community whose worship and service affirm the spirit of Christ. We encourage your participation in mission projects, theological discussions, spiritual growth, choir, and social fellowship. We value the development of personal friendships in a caring and giving community.
 

Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

Upcoming Events at the Chapel

For a complete list in Word 2007, click here


May

27: Pentecost

May 31 – June 2: Upper New York Annual Conference, Syracuse


June

3: Teacher Appreciation Sunday

4: Trustees Meeting

10: Kitchen Cupboard Sunday

10: Chapel Picnic

12: Kitchen Cupboard Staffing

14: Church Council Meeting

17: Father's Day


July

8: Kitchen Cupboard Sunday

10: Kitchen Cupboard Staffing

29: Fifth Sunday Mission – TBD


August

12: Kitchen Cupboard Sunday

14: Kitchen Cupboard Staffing

18: Fall Cleanup