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- 1. Dear Faithful Membersof the Good Shepherd Family: services, I feel that trimming worship so we can get on with the rest of our lives is backwards thinking. Again, our lives were created for worship by the One we worship. Does not the One who gave us the gift of time, every year, month, week, day, minute and second of our lives deserve more from His chil- dren? Our complete liturgy is about an hour and twenty min- utes in length. Special events may lengthen some worship ser- vices, but considerable effort is exerted not to extend the time beyond an hour and a half. While the word liturgy literally means work, our time of wor- ship should never feel like drudgery. Our motivation to come and worship our God should never be guilt. God de- sires that we, God’s children come willingly to express our love and thanksgiving. God also desires to bless us through our worship, and to shun that bless- ing would be foolish and sad. With all of the foolishness and sadness that is in the world and in our lives, should we not be inspired to embrace the bless- ings of worship all the more? In fact, perhaps sharing this article with a friend, neighbor or family member may inspire them to join you on Saturday at 5:30 or Sun- day at 8 or 10! We are truly a blessed people and we have an awesome God, may our lives and actions reveal these truths with joy! Faithfully living into our mission together, Eric Olaf Olsen, Pastor If you have ever asked the question, “What is my mission in life?” let me share with you the answer, or at least name the place where the deep questions of existence can begin to be answered. God created us for worship. Just as an eagle is built to soar, so are we specifi- cally engineered by God for prayer, praise, and thanksgiv- ing! Nothing should seem more natural than joyfully pouring ourselves out to God. And while God is the sole object of our attention in worship, God blesses us through this activity by cleansing our sin, repairing our brokenness, stretching our imagination and nourishing our spirit. Like breathing, we should ensure nothing impedes our ability to worship since our identity and wellbeing are so intricately tied to this sacred event. With that said, I would like to use this opportunity to address a few worship-related concerns. While God created us for wor- ship, over the years there have been human cultural changes which have caused the day that was originally set aside by early Christian communities for wor- ship, Sunday, to become clut- tered with sporting events, social engagements, and work. Sadly, faced with pres- sure from coaches, bosses and social calendars many Chris- tians sacrifice worship and in- advertently block blessings of stability, peace, and meaning from their lives. Earlier this year we added a Saturday eve- ning service of Holy Commun- ion to help members overcome some scheduling challenges, and now a new spoken service has been added at 8:00 am on Sundays. This service of Holy Communion will be without the usual hymnody and will be held outside weather permit- ting. So if you have to hit the road by 9 to get to that planned outing, come to church first at 8 and feel free to wear your swim trunks! It is our hope that families will then not miss the opportunity and privilege of worship! It may seem that adding ser- vices acts to divide our congre- gation, but the reality is that the cultural pressures that we face daily are what divide us and draw us away from God and each other. Gathering to- gether here at Good Shepherd, centered in the reading and preaching of God’s Holy Word, and the sacrament of Holy Communion, is what unites us in to the One Body of Christ. In fact, when even one child of God is absent from our weekly worship, our worship is dimin- ished. So like Christ, it is im- perative that we keep seeking and reaching and searching for ways to include and invite. On the other hand, there are some things that we should not compromise on, such as the integrity and order of wor- ship. The shape of our inten- tionally Lutheran liturgy fol- lows the traditional ancient order of Gathering, Word, Meal, and Sending. This order was not designed to fit within an hour, but was intended to draw us close to our God. While I am not advocat- ing for excessively long worship G O O D S H E P H E R D L U T H E R A N C H U R C H & S C H O O L J U L Y 2 0 1 1 A M E S S A G E F R O M O U R P A S T O R Psalm 100 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. 2 Worship the Lord with gladness; come into his presence with singing. 3 Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and we are his;* we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
- 2. President’s Report –Council Meeting June 21, 2011 tinues to improve. We anticipate a larger surplus this year than last. Church income continues to rise. We have plenty to do. We have fa- cilities that are almost 60 years old and buildings that were built when energy was cheap. We have certainly turned a corner. The next two years will be just as im- portant as the last two. Through our Ministry Teams we need to support Pastor’s efforts and take on some of what he has personally done. Lighten his load. We need to invite new members to join us on those teams, to help us in doing Mission and Ministry. We need to think bold thoughts, dream dreams and see our Ministry for what it can become not just what it has been. Thank you for all you do. Continue to serve God, be faithful in worship (there are many opportunities every weekend—three—now that summer has arrived), be faithful in steward- ship (time, talents and treasure), pray for each other, and pray for our min- istry. Be true to our Mission; Loving, Living and Sharing Christ. I am sure you all have experi- enced it—time flying. That is definitely how I feel! Two years have passed since the June Church Council Meeting in 2009 when I was elected Presi- dent. I knew these would be chal- lenging and exciting years. I also knew that God, who is faithful, would answer our prayers. That first year was certain to be a really important one. Our budget for the year anticipated a shortfall of income versus ex- penses ($45,000) even with an 8% increase in Church Income. Just nine months after the financial markets collapsed, the School Ad- ministration was finishing the school year and planning for an upcoming school year that held great uncertainty. We were also going through the Call Process in 2009 and into 2010. The Call Committee worked carefully and prayerfully. As that fiscal year was coming to a close, the future was coming into focus, at least as far as who our Pastor would be and that the fis- cal year would end in a small sur- plus, not a deficit. Thanks be to God! God was watching over us, guiding and blessing us. Pastors Jurik and Loufman provided solid spiritual leadership and helped us through the Call Process. Our prayers were answered when Pas- tor Olsen arrived in August of 2010. We had made it through a few very challenging years and now we had the full time Pastoral leadership that was sorely needed. God blessed our School through a time that called for program changes in order to meet the needs of our commu- nity. Modest investments were made in order to add a two year old toddler separation program. This new program, along with the excellent administration and staff that we have, posi- tions us well to do ministry through the school in future years. The second-year budget was also out of balance with ex- penses expected to exceed in- come by $29,000. Income was forecasted to increase modestly. Pastor Olsen’s impact over the past ten months cannot be overstated. He stepped in with great energy and enthusiasm, connecting personally with members and school families alike. We made the move to the new hymnal; added a Saturday evening worship service; held a community Thanksgiving Ser- vice; and extended our reach into the community through the Shepherd’s Table Lunch- eons. I could go on and on. I am pretty sure my best attempt would take up many para- graphs and I would still leave more than a few things out. We have added 19 new members in the past ten months. This is just the beginning. Our financial situation con- A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT,A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT,A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT,A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT, MR. PAUL HINSCHMR. PAUL HINSCHMR. PAUL HINSCHMR. PAUL HINSCH
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- 4. The Saintly Sewersof Good Shepherd have been rather busy these past few weeks, produc- ing the many dresses you may have seen on display in the narthex. The rewards of their weekly sewing sessions usually result in charity quilts for babies in need that are distributed to various organizations on Long Island. Upon seeing an article in one of her sewing magazines, however, sewer Janet Cox approached fel- low members Loretta Ruff and Irma Carlson to see if they might be interested in participating in this “Little Dresses for Af- rica” pro- ject. Their response is right here in these photographs! Little Dresses for Africa is a non-profit, Christian based organiza- tion that provides relief to the children of Africa. These sim- ple dresses are distributed through orphanages, churches and schools in Africa to plant in the hearts of little girls that they are worthy. To ensure that they actually get to the children, the majority of the dresses are sent with mission teams here in the United States for personal dis- tribution. TV host of her show, Nancy's Notions, Nancy Zieman, and her employees are team- ing up with this organization to help with the shipment of these dresses. The Saintly Sewers report that it was not only a fun, worthwhile project, but it also touched their hearts to be of such great help in such a simple way. AFRICA’S CHILDREN WILL REAP FROM THIS “SEW” GOOD SHEPHERD’S SAINTLY “SEW”ERS HIT THE MACHINES FOR AN INTERNATIONAL CAUSE - LLLLittle Dresses for Africa is a non-profit, Christian based organization that provides relief to the children of Africa. Just a few of the many dresses designed by our talented “sew”ers that were on display in the narthex during the weekends of June 18/19 & 25/26. Pastor Eric blessed them during the service on 6/26. Once again we will be holding our Wednesday evening Bible study & Pot Luck dinners at 6:30 p.m. during the months of July and Au- gust. John & Judy Hinsch have volunteered to host on July 20th, while Tom & Dell-Ann Benson will open their home to us on August 10th. We very much appreciate their making their homes our home for the evening. Please consider opening your door to host on either July 6th, 13th, or 27th or in August, the 3rd, 17th, 24th or 31st. Everyone brings something to keep the host feeling “pressure-free!” The sign-up sheet is in the narthex waiting for your name. What better way to spend a hot summer evening than with your Good Shepherd family, good food, and the Good Book! GOOD SHEPHERD LUTHERAN CHURCH & SCHOOL 99 Central Park Road, Plainview, NY 11803 Phone: 516-349-1966 Fax: 516-349-8438 E-mail: church@ourshepherdlives.org Website: www.ourshepherdlives.org Ministers: The Members of Good Shepherd Reverend Eric O. Olsen, Pastor Judy R. Hinsch, A.I.M., School Director Teresa Ratkowski, Director of Choir and Organist Maureen Cooke, Church Secretary/Newsletter Editor Lindsay Kuefner, School Secretary John E. Menig, Jr., Sexton Bobby Lang, Sexton SUMMER IS BACK!SUMMER IS BACK!SUMMER IS BACK!SUMMER IS BACK! ...AND SO IS WEDNESDAY EVENING...AND SO IS WEDNESDAY EVENING...AND SO IS WEDNESDAY EVENING...AND SO IS WEDNESDAY EVENING POT LUCK DINNER BIBLE STUDYPOT LUCK DINNER BIBLE STUDYPOT LUCK DINNER BIBLE STUDYPOT LUCK DINNER BIBLE STUDY Little Dresses for Africa - Changing lives one little dress at a time..." CLEANING YOUR CLOSETS? Please hang on to some of those old clothes just a little bit longer. We will be having a clothing drive for the needy in the fall.
- 5. Please join themembers of Trinity’s Junior & Senior Youth Group for a great time on Saturday, July 30th. We will begin the day at 10 a.m. at Splish Splash for a full day of wet and wild fun. Then we will pro- ceed to Trinity Lutheran Church in Rocky Point, a mere 15 minutes away from the park, for a barbecue dinner at 5:30 p.m. The cost of this day is only $30 per person. Please complete the registration form below and send it to Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church before Monday, July 18th. We also have forms in the narthex. HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME!!! SPLISH SPLASH/BARBECUE/LAWN PARTY! Come for a spectacular day of fun and fellowship! The BIG THANK YOU below is from our social ministry who delivered 175 pounds of food to Lutheran Life Services on June 6th! YOUTH GROUP outing—July 30th
- 6. Did you orsomeone you know celebrate an Anniversary? A Birthday? A Promotion? Are you proud of yourself or of someone else? Let us know what is happening! Please e-mail any news (good or bad) that you’d like to share with your family in faith by the 15th of each month to: Church@ourshepherdlives.org. Many of you have been receiving our past few newsletters on line as well as through the US mail. In order to save postage ex- penses, we are trying to downsize and hope- fully eliminate mailing our newsletter alto- gether. If you have been receiving it through e-mail, you will no longer be getting it through the US mail. If we do not have your e-mail address, and you would like to continue to receive Good Shepherd’s monthly newsletter, please send us an e-mail at church@ourshepherdlives.org in response to this notice. If you are interested in continuing to receive this newsletter but have no e-mail access, please call the office at 516-349-1699 to dis- cuss this matter. If we do not hear from you at all, we will as- sume that you no longer wish to receive news from Good Shepherd. If this is the case, however, please extend the courtesy of letting us know. Thank you for helping us to keep our ex- penses down and our records current! - submitted by Mary Weigert WE NEED YOUR HELP! FROM OUR TECHNOLOGY TEAM www.ourshepherdlives.org Hear Pastor Eric’s Sermons! Stay appraised of upcoming events! Get timely calendar changes! Get news from our church and school! Stay current with your Good Shep- herd family while you are away! YOU CAN EVEN order flower dedica- tions & make prayer requests, too! Don’t forget to . . . check out our website “Summertime and the living is easy…” Do a summer “cool” coffee hour. Think outside the coffee urn. Summer allows us to do cool drinks—iced tea, punch, lemon- ade…you choose! Check the schedule and treat us to your creativity. Hot coffee, iced coffee, juice, to name a few—it’s really up to you! Thank you! - Karin Kienle KEEP THINGS COOLKEEP THINGS COOLKEEP THINGS COOLKEEP THINGS COOL (OR NOT!)(OR NOT!)(OR NOT!)(OR NOT!) Please e- mail all articles for inclusion in the August newsletter no later than July 15thJuly 15thJuly 15thJuly 15th, to church@ourshepherdlives.org..church@ourshepherdlives.org..church@ourshepherdlives.org..church@ourshepherdlives.org..
- 7. On Trinity Sunday(also Father’s Day), June 19th, the congre- gation of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church rejoiced in welcom- ing seven new members into our family through Affirmation of Baptism. Two were returning members; another two were joining their own families in membership here, and three have long been among us and decided that the time was right for them to become part of our family. We’d like you to meet them: Elaine Cassimatis commutes to our church from Freeport where she lives with her dog, Santana. She holds a Masters in American and British Literature from Hofstra Uni- versity and works in a totally unre- lated field—property manage- ment! She credits her becoming a member of Good Shepherd to the Grace of God, a wonderful decision her parents made years ago, and her introduction and subsequent friendship with Rodney and Gun- hild Schabel. Her friendship with the Schabels spawned from her tak- ing Norwegian lessons from Gun- hild in 2006 prior to a hiking trip to Norway that summer. Rodney and Gunhild often spoke about their involvement with Good Shepherd. Elaine imparted that she had gradu- ated from Nassau Lutheran School in Mineola in 1968. During their conversations, she recalled her wonderful memories of those years and realized how fortunate she was that her parents had chosen Nassau Lutheran for her formative years. Finding and joining Good Shepherd Lutheran Church has been no “fluke of fate” or accident for Elaine. It has been a sort of homecoming, and she is very happy to be here. “The Lord really does work in mysterious ways!” Elaine re- marked. Angel Lorch and her son Jason were members who transferred to Faith Lutheran Church during Jason’s confirmation prepara- tion. Angel has been an assistant teacher in our school’s pre-K program since 2000 and also runs our popular “Music & Movement” enrichment program. Jason was part of the Beth- page High School swim team that shattered the school’s 36- year record for the 200 Freestyle Relay on January 4th with a time of 1:36.47. Jason just graduated and will be attending Mount St. Mary College in Newburgh, NY in the fall. Angel and Jason reunite not only with their Good Shepherd family but also with their own family, Phil and Christopher, as mem- bers of our church. Vicki Milhim also decided to join her husband George as a member of Good Shepherd. Vicki was born in New York City and grew up in East Meadow. She is the office manager at her husband’s accounting firm, George E. Milhim & Company in West Hempstead. She enjoys gardening, cooking, reading, and learning about new topics. Melissa Saueracker has always felt warmly welcomed by our congregation ever since her husband George and their chil- dren, Jack and Josef, became active mem- bers in 2008. She also enjoyed being part of our school family since 2006 and de- cided to become a member because she felt it was important to be part of the same church as the rest of her family, particu- larly as Jack prepares to receive his First Holy Communion next April. A former full-time elementary school teacher, Melissa now substi- tute teaches in the Plainview/Old Beth- page School District. She chose to leave her full time status to raise her children, and with the support of her husband of 11 years, she has been able to see them develop and mature into young adults. Beverly Strack just completed her 12th year as the teacher of our school’s “Busy Bees.” pre-K program. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Beverly graduated from the University of Pitts- burgh. She has been married for 25 years to Bob, and they have 3 children: Samantha (19), who just completed her sophomore year at the University of Delaware, Benjamin (17), a recent graduate of POB JFK High School, and Emily (14). Her children reflect a warm and loving mom, dedicated to blending her career with her #1 priority: her family. Their summers are spent at home in Old Bethpage with lots of fam- ily activities, otherwise referred to as “Camp Strack”. During her days of teaching art in the Huntington School Dis- trict, Gunhild Schabel shared a mutual friend with Nancy Stingelin. After their friend moved away to Anchorage, AK, Gunhild and Nancy remained only occasionally in touch. After her husband passed away, Nancy sold their home in Syosset and moved to Fairhaven Apartments in Woodbury, only a few blocks away from the Schabels. They established a closer friendship, and she often visited Good Shepherd with them. And she liked us! Born in Flushing, Nancy is a Busi- ness Adminstrator for A Step Ahead. She enjoys cooking, gar- dening, working with animals, traveling, and office work. GoodShepherdLutheranChurch GoodShepherdLutheranChurch GoodShepherdLutheranChurch GoodShepherdLutheranChurchWarmlyWelcomes: WarmlyWelcomes: WarmlyWelcomes: WarmlyWelcomes: ElaineCassimatis ElaineCassimatis ElaineCassimatis ElaineCassimatisAngelineLorch AngelineLorch AngelineLorch AngelineLorchJasonLorch JasonLorch JasonLorch JasonLorchVickiMilhim VickiMilhim VickiMilhim VickiMilhimMelissaSaueracker MelissaSaueracker MelissaSaueracker MelissaSauerackerNancyStingelin NancyStingelin NancyStingelin NancyStingelinBeverlyStrack BeverlyStrack BeverlyStrack BeverlyStrack
- 8. AUGUSTAUGUSTAUGUSTAUGUST Dell-Ann Benson Tom Berardino CarlGscheidle Gail Haupt Jessica Hinsch Mary Knotek—75 Ryan Lessman Olivia Marlin Bob Rickmeyer Genevieve Sounia Zachary Vollono Margaret Wenger Warren Wiegert Judy & John Hinsch July 30 — 34 years Martha & Tom Berardino August 5— 22 years Margaret & Paul Wenger August 13 — 45 years Dell-Ann & Tom Benson August 24 — 24 years Not listed? Then we just didn’t know!Not listed? Then we just didn’t know!Not listed? Then we just didn’t know!Not listed? Then we just didn’t know! Please contact us so we may update our records and recognize your spe- cial moments & accomplishments in future issues. Thank you! MAXIMILLIAN JAMES LUDEWIGMAXIMILLIAN JAMES LUDEWIGMAXIMILLIAN JAMES LUDEWIGMAXIMILLIAN JAMES LUDEWIG BORN TUESDAY, 6/21/11 @ 11:33 A.M. 6 LBS/14 OZ, 19” CONGRATULATIONS, VIENA & WAYNE!CONGRATULATIONS, VIENA & WAYNE!CONGRATULATIONS, VIENA & WAYNE!CONGRATULATIONS, VIENA & WAYNE! JULYJULYJULYJULY Lauren Banzer — Sweet 16 Michael Benson Tom Benson Joe Berardino Gerard Coggins, Jr. Al Ehl Christopher Lorch Corin Lund Paul Rickmeyer Alyssa Tollefsen Arlene Wittwer BELATEDBELATEDBELATEDBELATED Ethel Batchelder Karin Kienle — 60 Melissa Milhim — 21
- 9. T H OS E C E L E B R A T I N GT H O S E C E L E B R A T I N GT H O S E C E L E B R A T I N GT H O S E C E L E B R A T I N G Page 9 T H O S E P R E P A R I N GT H O S E P R E P A R I N GT H O S E P R E P A R I N GT H O S E P R E P A R I N G F O R O R D A I N E D M I N I S T RF O R O R D A I N E D M I N I S T RF O R O R D A I N E D M I N I S T RF O R O R D A I N E D M I N I S T R YYYY Roger Griffith T H O S E I N N E E DT H O S E I N N E E DT H O S E I N N E E DT H O S E I N N E E D O F H E A L I N GO F H E A L I N GO F H E A L I N GO F H E A L I N G WE PRAY FOR... Ken Garcia (Irma Carlson’s friend), Maria Spergel (Suzanna Allan’s mother) Marie Fenter (Dell-Ann Benson’s friend), Tyler LaGois, Genevieve Sounia, Joy Parisey (GSL teacher Cindy Cannizzaro’s sister); Susan Boettcher (John McGowan’s sister), Paul Hinsch, John Binsfeld & Dick Frantz (Benner family friends), Julia Kellermueller (SL teacher assistant Sue Curran’s mother), Maureen Araujo, Sean Walsh, Mary Knotek, Henry Kirschbaum (Lori Tollefsen’s uncle), Doris Monten, Nancy Kwiatkowski (Janet Cox’s daughter), Viena Ludewig, Jay Boryea (Paul Hinsch’s friend), Ken Dixon (Pastor Eric’s friend), Deb Gebhart (Ruff Family Friend), Sven Faret (Gunhild Schabel’s son), Reverend Patricia Large (Lori Mason’s cousin), Diane Lisa (Cathy Vollono’s friend), Janice Ridings (Rickmeyer family friend), Francis Lee (Helen Kopf’s son), Lynne Carl- son (Irma’s daughter-in-law), Ed Lennon (Lori Mason’s relative), Mary Melvin (Virginia Schroeder’s daughter), Mary Ellen Moyse (George’s wife), Don and Francine Unger (Katalina Paterakis’s grandparents), Fred Ruff, Joyce Tare, Jake (Maisch family friend) and his family, Ian Spadaro (Dottie’s grandson), James Fields (Vincent and Doro- thy Cronin’s nephew), Richard Karl (Naomi Pfund’s friend), Mary Gessing (Dorothy and Vincent Cronin’s cousin), Rita Cunningham (Cronin family friend), and Diane & Chris Cucci (Naomi Pfund’s student). T H O S E S E R V I N GT H O S E S E R V I N GT H O S E S E R V I N GT H O S E S E R V I N G I N T H E M I L I T A R YI N T H E M I L I T A R YI N T H E M I L I T A R YI N T H E M I L I T A R Y USMC Lance Corporal Nicholas Ventrelli-O’Connell (Patty Larson’s family friend), David Jacobs (Joyce Tare’s nephew, Alec & Madison’s cousin), CPT. Paul Rickmeyer, Major Phillip Sounia, MSgt. Richard Miranda, Christopher Zito (Mary Knotek’s friend), Sgt. Vincent Mezick. A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert-like island. The two survivors, not know- ing what else to do, agreed that they had no other re- course but to pray to God. However, to find out whose prayer was more powerful, they agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island. The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man’s parcel of land remained barren. After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing. Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing. Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that he and his wife would leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man un- worthy to receive God’s blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered. As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from heaven boom- ing, “Why are you leaving your companion on the is- land?” “My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them,” the first man answered. “His prayers were all unanswered and so he does not deserve anything.” “You are mistaken!” the voice rebuked him. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you would not have received any of my blessings.” “Tell me,” the first man asked the voice, “What did he pray for that I should owe him anything?” “He prayed that all your prayers be answered.” For all we know, our blessings are not the fruits of our prayers alone, but those of another praying for us. - submitted by Paul Hinsch S O M E T H I N G T O P O N D E RS O M E T H I N G T O P O N D E RS O M E T H I N G T O P O N D E RS O M E T H I N G T O P O N D E R Wayne & Viena Ludewig—Maximillian James born 6/21/11 Marcia Ressmeyer Sink & Russ Boynton—Married 7/2/11
- 10. UPDATE FOR JULY2011 WITH COUNSELING SITES LOCATED IN: NASSAU SUFFOLK MANHATTAN QUEENS WESTCHESTER Prepared especially for LCC Association Congregations & Schools Now that school is ending, it is normal for parents to put thought into what ac- tivities their children will be involved in this sum- mer. The tendency is to ‘kick back’ and have a re- laxed home schedule. However, spending time at home does not mean you can let your guard down when it comes to home entertainment. Being aware of which shows or movies your children are watching and how much time they spend in front of the television is vital. Although it is natural for children to model the be- haviors they see and hear on a daily basis, parents do not often correlate their children’s language or ac- tions to the television pro- grams they watch. The in- fluence of television shows is increased as a result of the show’s combined audio and visual stimulation as well as the implicit mes- sage that the content of what is being watched is ‘normal and acceptable’. The adult content that is in many programs and com- mercials, especially after 5:00 p.m., can become overwhelming for parents to monitor. Violence, ques- tionable language or sex- ual content are examples of areas you may want to monitor. Even channels that show only cartoons often have cartoons geared to teenagers or adults instead of young children. So how do you, as a responsible parent, effectively monitor what your child watches? The following sug- gestions may help. • Discuss the content of your children’s TV shows with them. • Do your homework: make sure you know what content is in the shows your child is watching and limit your child’s television to those shows you are comfortable with. If you are not always able to do this on your own, talk to your ca- ble company about putting blocks on your television for certain programs or have a password put on your cable so that your child must first get your permission before watch- ing a show. • Keep family oriented mov- ies or children’s book tapes on hand for those times when there are no appropriate shows on TV • Don’t implicitly trust movie ratings—these have become much more liberal in the past few years. One helpful re- source is Focus on the Fam- ily’s Plugged In (www.pluggedin.com) which gives parents details about vio- lence, sexual content, etc. in current movies. • When you are watching TV with your children, make sure to express disappointment and/or sadness if someone gets hurt, is treated badly or is doing some- thing harmful to another per- son. Feel free to stop the movie and ask your children what they think about what they just saw. Use TV time as an opportunity to enhance your child’s educa- tion with the strong morals and values that you have instilled in your family. Don’t use TV as a babysitter. Do fun things (that don’t involve TV) together when possible such as a trip to the zoo, reading books together, playing games or letting your child help you with dinner. REMINDER: LCC’S SPRING AP- PEAL ENDS ON JULY 1. PLEASE MAKE YOUR DONATION ON OUR WEBSITE OR VIA MAIL (LCC, 132 JEFFERSON AVE., MINEOLA, NY 11501). THANK YOU. You may reach the Lutheran Coun- seling Center at 516-741-0994 or 1-800-317-1173 or e-mail us at Center@lccny.org. LCC has seven counseling sites in and around metropolitan New York. Visit our website at www.lccny.org. LCC has seven counseling sites over the New York metropolitan and surrounding ar- eas. THE IMPORTANCE OF MONITORING YOUR CHILD’S TELEVISION HABITSTHE IMPORTANCE OF MONITORING YOUR CHILD’S TELEVISION HABITSTHE IMPORTANCE OF MONITORING YOUR CHILD’S TELEVISION HABITSTHE IMPORTANCE OF MONITORING YOUR CHILD’S TELEVISION HABITS By: Nichole L. Adams, Psy.D., LCC Licensed Child Psychologist
- 11. SERVICESERVICESERVICESERVICE ASSISTINGASSISTINGASSISTINGASSISTING MINISTERMINISTERMINISTERMINISTER LECTORLECTORLECTORLECTOR ACOLYTE(S)ACOLYTE(S)ACOLYTE(S)ACOLYTE(S) Saturday, July2 Please Volunteer Please Volunteer Please Volunteer Sunday, July 3 @ 10:00 John Schwaninger Please Volunteer Please Volunteer Saturday, July 9 Ellen Sangesland Ellen Sangesland Please Volunteer Sunday, July 10 @ 10:00 Lori Mason Gretel Saul Please Volunteer Saturday, July 16 Please Volunteer Please Volunteer Please Volunteer Sunday, July 17@ 10:00 Judy Hinsch John Hinsch Please Volunteer Saturday, July 24 Ellen Sangesland Ellen Sangesland Please Volunteer Sunday, July 25@ 10:00 Dell-Ann Benson George Milhim Zachary or Danielle or Adriana Vollono Saturday, July 30 Please Volunteer Please Volunteer Please Volunteer Sunday, July 31@ 10:00 Anne Rickmeyer Richard Benson Please Volunteer JULY SERVICE SCHEDULE No acolytes were scheduled because of the number of servers that are siblings and family vacations; however, we do need you to serve. Please contact us as soon as possible so we may schedule accordingly. Also, if any assisting ministers and/or lectors would like to fill those “please volunteer” spots, please contact John Schwaninger at 349-0811. We also need people to serve at the 8:00 a.m. service on Sundays. As always, “THANK YOU!”