The Pastor's Page

While Lent is not as old as Christianity, it is a long-standing tradition of getting ourselves to appreciate the joy of Easter by both imitating and paying attention to Jesus. Lent was also a time when newcomers to the faith prepared themselves to enter the community. So it is a good time for you, if you are without a Christian community, to browse and see what’s out here!

Primary facts about Lent (for Latin for “lengthening.” Daylight Savings Time now kicks in near the middle of Lent on March 14; the days are getting longer!):

Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness; Lent is the forty days before Easter without the Sundays. What did Jesus do in the wilderness? He fasted and prayer before coming out to take care of the neediest!
We imitate Christ by fasting (doing with out accustomed luxuries, making room for God),
By prayer (intimate conversation with God, about anything and everything- thanking God, pleading with God, asking for signs and insights, reviewing the day, finding meaning and peace in the chaos), which resembles reverie and meditation more than we think about. Conversation doesn’t mean lots of words; keeping God in mind is prayerful!
By giving alms – Jesus pointed us always toward the least of God’s children and creatures; when we pray more and eat/consume less, we have more of our goods and our resources to care for others. And there is so much need in this world.

Greenbush started with alms opportunities BEFORE LENT, with Haiti crisis responses and our Food Pantry Souper Bowl requests. We are continuing through Lent with the discipline of ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING, where Christians all over the world are setting aside resources for disaster and famine relief, medical care, village development, etc. Would you like to assemble some hygiene kits which could make their way to Haiti? Or what a bout an “alms box” on the dinner table whose bills and pocket change accumulate to make a difference in God’s world?

Our fourth focus of Lent is to know more about Jesus. Did you know you could read the four gospels more quickly than almost any modern novel? And if you were to make that your Lenten discipline, you would notice wonderful similar and different passages in these four distinct accounts (mostly) of Jesus’ adult presence on this earth. The sermons in Lent will be an attempt to make Jesus more real, more personally accessible to all of us.

You don’t have to give up precious STUFF for Lent; what church traditions really encourage is a refocusing where ME AND MINE get put into better perspective by God’s INHABITED WORLD, its glory and its desperate pain. How does God want you to relate to fellow creatures more prayerfully, selflessly, and generously as you contemplate the gift of Jesus’ life and his resurrection?

PLEASE CONSIDER THE “NEWS BUTTON” EVENTS COMING UP SOON

Greenbush Presbyterian Church would be delighted to become your church home. While the denomination name is a mouthful (it basically means we call our leaders "presbyters" or elders), we are a middle-way Protestant congregation affiliated with about 90 other similar churches in the Hudson Valley of New York. Some Presbyterians claim that our form of government inspired the U.S.Constitution; while there was a colonial influx of Presbyterian Scots, there were "Reformed Christians" from many parts of Europe who came to America to live vibrant faith lives without government intrusion. Many of our present members chose the church because it seemed a good fit, not because their parents were Presbyterian!

The Protestant Reformation is remembered by "our side" as a time when Christians challenged some parts of Roman Catholic practice with evidence of different models within the New Testament. In the 21st Century, most Christians are in constructive conversation. Presbyterians are dedicated to healthy minds and bodies for their clergy and their children (There are many Presbyterian colleges and hospitals.); they rely on prayer and follow their Bibles for guidance in worship and all areas of life. Most Presbyterians also believe that God is not finished with us; that we have more to learn from God's word and action in our lives today as the embodiment of a constantly creating, ever redeeming, up-close God.

We are located in Blauvelt (Rockland County, NY, not far south of the Palisades Mall) on Western Highway (which runs parallel to the west of Route 303 from Route 59 to New Jersey) not far north of the intersection with Erie Street. While this area was settled by Dutch Protestants, we affirm that Rockland County is increasingly pluralistic. Therefore, we are always seeking ways to work with neighboring congregations (Thanksgiving with St. Catharine's R.C. Church, Good Friday with 8 Protestant churches, Youth Group with another Presbyterian and two Reformed congregations, a recent Fall Festival with the Tappan Reformed Church). We have cordial relations with local Jewish and Muslim congregations; and all are welcome at any church event.

The church has a lovely pipe organ and carillon (you can hear seasonal hymns at noon and six pm each day), and our choir is always looking for more singers. The facility has great flexibility (seating can be easily shifted; community groups are welcome to share the space. A Korean congregation and nationally certified preschool/day care program partner with us year-round. We are proud to share our space with boy and girl scouting, cultural and community service groups, Alcoholics Anonymous, and those who attend our well-known chicken barbecue, soup suppers, Penny Social, and garage/rummage sales.

Join us one Sunday at 10:15 am (one-hour worship in our sanctuary) or 11:20 (adult learning and worship in the education building). Also try our Thursday Evening Faith Devotions, 6:45-7:30. We intend to show you welcome, loving-kindness, lively faith, and opportunities to learn and grow together.

- Bruce C. Page, Pastor