April 2025 Newsletter – Bear His Image

Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

Throughout the PreLenten and Lenten season we have been focused on God’s imagery. We have considered the many ways in which God’s Holy Word in Scripture, and in particular in the Person of Jesus, draws for us mental images of what He wants us to see and be. When we see God’s images we quickly perceive who and what He wants us to be, to become, and what He does not want us to be. He draws us a picture so we might clearly perceive His intent for us. We’ve all heard the old saying: ‘Can you draw me a picture?’ Well, God does.

Among our reflections we saw that we must resist evil and persevere as Jesus did in His desert fast. In the Transfiguration we saw that we are to be people of light entering into the fray and the chaos. In the parable of the fig tree owner we saw that we are to be fruitful and that we must avoid barrenness. We will continue to see images that speak to us, images of judgment and of what the Lord has done for us in His passion and death. At the end of our Lenten journey as will occur at the end of our lives we reach the image of the resurrected Christ.

St. Paul reminds the faithful of Corinth that they have been changed by their faith in Christ. Our former image as dust, of the earthly, has been transformed into the image of Jesus, of the heavenly. That is the wonderful promise of Easter to we who are Easter people. St. Paul goes on to tell them and us that our image has been changed. We are no longer just flesh and blood nor are we perishable. Because of that we will inherit the kingdom of God and will be imperishable. Because of Jesus, and by our acceptance of His salvation in our baptism (which we will specifically recall and celebrate on Holy Saturday morning) and lived faith in the image He wishes us to bear, we will be transformed to be like Jesus and live in glory forever. Let Easter joy fill our hearts and strengthen us to bear His image.

Welcome to our April 2025 Newsletter. It is chock full of information for Holy Week, Easter, and the Fifty Days of Easter. Please join us as we walk with Jesus through His passion and death so to arrive together at His resurrection and our own.

Our 21st Basket Social is just around the corner, on Sunday, March 27th starting at Noon at the South Schenectady Fire Hall (6 Old Mariaville Road, Schenectady). Join us for this amazingly fun event and get some of that great Polish Food that will be served.

We provide information about the great events coming in the months ahead (our Mission and Evangelism Conference, Men’s Spiritual Retreat, the Kurs Youth Encampment, Music Convention and Workshop, Golf Tournament, and Bowling Outing). Also, check out the amazing things God is doing to provide workers for His vineyard.

All this and more in our April 2025 Newsletter.

March 2025 Newsletter – Lenten Leadership

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Leadership requires action and example. A good leader (and remember, we are all leaders) sets a vision and then engages with others to meet the vision. Consider what bad leaders do. They say: ‘Do this and do that’ but merely sit back and watch. They are not alongside in working to accomplish the vision. They take a lais·sez-faire approach. Even worse, they sit back and criticize when they think you’re not doing it right. We can rightly say: How can we do it right without leadership?

Jesus is the good and perfect leader. He placed His entire self on the line for the vision His Father had set, the establishment of the Kingdom. He led and taught others the how and why. He set out clear goals and worked to get there – He alongside His disciples. He corrected His disciples when they went astray, but did so in a fair and evenhanded manner.

On the First Sunday in Lent our Epistle is taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Church at Rome. Paul is doing two things. He is contrasting the Law of Moses with its legalistic claim against the free gift of salvific grace offered through Jesus. St. Paul tells the Church that they have the Word of God and that if they confess Jesus as Lord and believe fully in Him they have salvation. They need not offer animal and grain sacrifices or carry out other precepts of the Law to obtain forgiveness or salvation. It is already theirs in Jesus’ sacrifice.

So too for us.

From there, Paul calls on us to lead by our proclamation. This was a call to bold leadership because to confess Jesus as Lord was quite hazardous then. For a Jew it could mean being cast out of family and community including great economic sacrifice. For a Gentile the penalties could include not only separation from family and community, but also arrest and prosecution, later even martyrdom. That’s not too far from reality today. Yet, lead we must without fear. Let us engage and through our Lenten action and example draw many to Christ trusting the assurance that no one who believes in Jesus will be put to shame.

Welcome to our March 2025 Newsletter. We enter Lent on March 5th with Ash Wednesday. Lent provides us with apply opportunity to practice the disciplines of prayer, fasting, and sacrifice. Join in our Directed Giving program to provide food resources in our local community. Looking forward, we are preparing for our Seniorate Lenten Retreat on April 5th and our Basket Social on April 27th. Looking back we announce the winners of our Valentines Raffle. Congratulations to all who participated. You support the faith development of our youth. Read up about CarePortal’s Love Day 2025. What we do really matters. We announce upcoming Ordinations for three of our brothers, Tonsure, and Minor Orders for another five. God bless them! All that and a reflection on the Orthodox Hymn “Open To Me The Doors Of Repentance.”

Read up on all this and more in our March 2025 Newsletter.

January 2025 Newsletter – Leading From Why

Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

As the new year begins it behooves us to take account of our lives. Certainly, there is personal stuff we should address. It may be our weight, health issues, and so on. Our concerns also extend to our families – am I spending enough time and paying attention to their needs. This includes the parish family and its needs as well. All of these concerns add up, don’t they? They become a sort of whirlwind which appears impossible. How do I succeed?

Recently, I attended a class given by a former Marine pilot who had served in Iraq. His duty station was the Al-Anbar province. This was the worst place on earth. It was so bad that most, including American commanders, wrote it off as unsalvageable and unwindable; there was no way out. The overall campaign took four years. 1,335 Americans were killed, 8,205 injured. When one faces a significant challenge as the U.S. did in Al-Anbar, or even our own personal whirlwinds, we need to search deeply for keys to success. In the end Al-Anbar became a success for its people because leaders took initiative to succeed. But, who were those leaders?

It is not as many suspect, a few top people, but rather a wholesale change in dynamic – the key – everyone had to be a leader. For our Church and for our parish let us take these lessons to heart. Each of us is called to be a leader in every situation. Each of us is called to learn leadership – because it is a learned trait, not just something that happens (and we will focus on that in the year ahead). The first key is to recognize and focus on our why. If our why is focused inwardly, if all is about me, we will be unhappy and fail; we will miss on the commandment of love. If our why is focused on others, on our fellow parishioners, church members, and community we can be anywhere, in any role, and be truly happy. Let us then take on leadership from our why in this new year and so overcome the whirlwind with victory.

Welcome to a new year and happy 2025. We began our discussion in this Newsletter focusing on the subject of leadership. We pause at the start of the year and assemble for our annual parish meeting (February 2nd) where we exercise our responsibilities in our ecclesial democracy. Can you step up and serve? Truthfully, we would love to have you on the Parish Committee as we undertake the various projects ahead pf us this year. We give thanks for everyone’s generosity with clothing and food donations over the holidays. We are also grateful to all those who did so much to make Advent and the start of the Christmas Season beautiful. The SouperBowl of Caring is here once again and the soup pot is out. Let’s fill it with kindness.

It is Epiphany season, so see or call Fr. Jim if you would like your home blessed. This is also the month for supporting our church musicians on Music Scholarship Sunday. Looking further forward, you can now get your tickets for the Outrageous Valentine’s Raffle. Our Basket Social is approaching so start thinking about the basket themes for this year’s donations.

2025 also marks an important anniversary. Can you believe it’s only been 1700 years since the Council of Nicaea? Read up on this important moment in faith history and join us in professing the Creed each Sunday as the Council intended, without adulteration or theological error.

All this and more in our January 2025 Newsletter.

April 2024 Newsletter – Light, Flavor, and Pierogi

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father

We entered the Easter Season with great joy on the cusp of this new month. We are living in the joy and radiance of the Easter Season — and guess what — it is Basket Social time.

The text above from Matthew 5:16 is part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. He began speaking about His people being salt (i.e., flavor) and light before the world. We are to be that which changes the as-is way of doing things to His new way, a way that gives hope, light, and flavor to life – a life very much worth living now and through eternity. We may fall into the trap of thinking these themes of radiance, hope, light, and flavor are something we must reserve for church and being around churchy people. Jesus would differ. After all, He told us to let our light shine before others. He spoke of these things before huge crowds of people — working to grow His Father’s Kingdom.

Efforts at being radiance, hope, light, and flavor definitely start internally, in our own community. Our working together, our generosity, creativity, and the joy that surrounds us as we prepare together – from the making of pierogi and gołąbki to the creation of baskets, and our working together in so many ways show us to be what Jesus desires we be. Our work upholds each other as we stand together even when things may seem stressful. Then we let our light shine out to all those we encounter — our public. The Basket Social is the perfect occasion for fun, for that radiance and joy human interaction elicits. In the midst of the fun something becomes apparent — people see the difference that Jesus makes in our lives and they are drawn to that. We Easter people are different because we choose patience when we might be impatient. We select kindness when others might not be kind. We smile even though we might be tired, and at the end of our rope.

Now, and into the future, let us together be the Easter difference all we encounter need – light and flavor, and be joy-filled in the doing.

Welcome to our April 2024 Newsletter. Indeed it is Basket Social Time – the 20th Anniversary of this wonderful event. We look forward to our work together and welcoming our beautiful supporters on Sunday, April 21st at Noon.

This April we walk together through the first thirty of the fifty days of the Easter Season. It will be a grand celebration of all Jesus has done for us. There are great events, beyond the Basket Social, also occurring this month including the annual Mission and Evangelism Workshop and the PNCC Scholar’s Conference.

Ever wondered about the origin story on the Baby Jesus you (or your family) used to dress up at home – the Infant of Prague – well check it out and more in this month’s newsletter.

20th Anniversary Basket Social & Polish Kitchen – April 21st

Come join us for the Grand 20th Anniversary Basket Social to be held Sunday, April 21st at the South Schenectady Fire House, 6 Old Mariaville Rd, Schenectady, NY 12306 starting at Noon. This year’s Basket Social will feature:

  • Nearly 100 themed baskets.
  • Homemade Polish food.
  • Raffles and Door Prizes

Join us for this wonderful event.

March 2024 Newsletter – The Love Response

If I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself.

In the second version of the Stations of the Cross, at the Eleventh Station: Jesus is nailed to the Cross, we pray: ‘if we ever saw this for what it truly is – a compelling demonstration of how far You would go to prove Your love for us – then we…’  

Then we would what? There are many answers to that. 

We might break down in sorrow over our sinfulness, our betrayals and failures in living up to Jesus’ gospel way. We might reform of those things. We might enter into contemplation – reflecting on the great mystery of Christ Jesus, trying to grasp the great love that propelled Him to suffer and die for us. We might rejoice in our redemption, acknowledging that Jesus’ sacrifice has freed us from sin and eternal death. We might be more thankful and faithful in our daily lives. None of these is a bad thing to do and all have value. Indeed, each of these and other faithful practices should be central in our life, not just an occasional or Lenten thing.

It is not just in the nailing to the Cross that we are reminded of all the compelling things Jesus did for us. A quick survey: He was bound that we might become free. He was crowned with thorns that we might be crowned with eternal life. He fell that we might rise. He was stripped that we might become clothed in glory. He died that we might live. He was buried to show us that the grave is not the end. In these many ways Jesus’ love is proved in its fullness. The question remains, what is the one necessary response.

In our Eleventh Station prayer we go on to say: ‘then we would be so moved and touched that we would eagerly give You our love in response.’ Jesus seeks a love response from us. Then we must declare in every moment of our eternal Easter lives, I will love as Jesus loved. Jesus says that He will draw all to Himself from His being lifted up on the Cross. If we see the Cross as what it truly is – the full-on intensity of God’s love for us, then we will live the love response Jesus seeks.

Welcome to our March 2024 Newsletter. March is racking up to be quite a whirlwind. We go from the third Sunday in Lent to Easter all within the month. Check out our Lenten offerings and our Holy Week and Easter schedule. We share the Lenten and Easter poetry of Rev. Walter Hyszko. We are preparing for our annual Basket Social (the 20th anniversary) coming up on Sunday,April 21st starting at noon. Do you get God’s Field? We offer various ways from online to subscriptions. In college or taking music lessons? Scholarships are available. All this and more in our March 2024 Newsletter. Check it out.

19th Basket Social & Polish Kitchen – April 30th

Come join us for the 19th Annual Basket Social to be held Sunday, April 30th at the South Schenectady Fire House, 6 Old Mariaville Rd, Schenectady, NY 12306 starting at Noon.This year’s Basket Social will feature:

  • Nearly 100 themed baskets.
  • Homemade Polish food.
  • Raffles and Door Prizes

Join us for this wonderful event.

April 2023 Newsletter – In All Things New Life

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one

The short excerpt above is from John 17:22, part of the Last Supper narrative between Jesus and His disciples, near the end of it. Whereas in the other three gospels Jesus actually eats a passover meal before He dies, in John’s gospel He doesn’t. The Last Supper is actually eaten before the beginning of Passover. So, the sequence of events leading up to the actual crucifixion are very different in John’s gospel. John’s gospel account records Jesus’ extended teaching (see John 13– 17). Although John does not retell Jesus giving the bread and the cup and instituting the New Covenant in His blood, the symbols and words used in the Lord’s Supper are abundant in John’s Gospel. While Jesus does not mention the new covenant in His blood in John, He does give the new commandment centered in that covenant (John 13:34), “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”

Jesus’ teaching in this narrative are instructive to us as we move through our lives. As on Palm Sunday for Jesus, we experience times of glory and triumph. As on Maundy Thursday evening, we experience times of fellowship and bonding. As on that night and Good Friday we experience times of great sorrow and seeming defeat. Because Jesus fully understood and experienced our human condition, our joys, fellowship, pain and sadness, He wanted us to know what we have in Him.

Easter reminds us of the glory Jesus’ Father gave Him which He has now given us. This not just for the sake of having God’s glory, but so we may be one in that glory.

Easter reminds us of our new life in Jesus. It reminds us as our status as family to God and each other. We have an opportunity each day to live in this new life, so we see even our sufferings and trials in a much different way. They are not permanent. God’s love and life and our fellowship in Him overcomes even death forever. Happy Easter!

Welcome to our April 2023 Newsletter. We begin April in Holy Week and arrive quivckly at the Easter Season, reveling in the joy of Jesus’ resurrection which is also the promise of our resurrection. 

Join us throughout Holy Week and walk with Jesus through His passion, death, and burial so to arrive at His resurrection. One set of events cannot be understood without the other.

Our newsletter contains our full calendar of events, reminders of upcoming events, including the ever popular Basket Social on April 30th.

We look forward to seeing you.

Check out all that and more in our April 2023 Newsletter.

February 2023 Newsletter – Prepare, Grow, and Build Like Noah

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. 

The text above is from Hebrews 11:7, wherein the writer is reminding people who knew the Hebrew Scriptures, of Noah’s faithfulness to God’s instruction and the fact that by being faithful he became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith. 

This year, the Pre-Lenten season begins right on the first Sunday in February, and by the time this two-and-a-half week season passes on we are in Lent. It will go by quickly. This year, let us liken ourselves to Noah. We all know the account found in Genesis Chapter 5 – 9.

Scripture says that Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation and that he walked with God. While this was true of Noah, and because of Noah was also true in his family, the rest of the world was corrupt, violent, and filled with continuous evil (sound familiar?). The question to ask – Am I faithful like Noah, and how will my faithfulness affect this age? Noah certainly did not know what to do with the corruption of his time. While he acted properly, was righteous and blameless, he made no impact on those around him. God had to intervene to change the situation. For us, we live in the light of God’s greatest intervention. Not the flood, but the sending of His Son Jesus. That means we now know what to do and we have the power to do it (no flood needed).

Jesus showed us the way to go. He  gave us the gospel that is life. He enjoined on us the Beatitudes as a way of life along with all the other instruction from the Sermon on the Mount. If we do as Jesus taught, we will deeply impact our time, culture, and the people around us. As with the early Christians, people will be amazed and enter the kingdom. Like Noah, let us use this time to prepare, to grow in faithfulness, to build a way of life consistent with the gospel. Where we have succeeded, let us build further.  Where we have fallen short, let us prepare to fix it now, and fix it this Lent.

Welcome to our February 2023 Newsletter. With the start of February we enter the Pre-Lenten Season of Septuagesima. We engage in preparation for our Lenten journey because by the end of February we will be in Lent. This month and next we engage in the ministry of administration with our annual parish and financial meetings. Our Valentine’s Raffle is underway. SouperBowl Sunday is February 12th – let us give generously to feed those in need locally. We also celebrate Scout Sunday, review the great scholarships we have available, and list some fantastic Youth events/opportunities upcoming. There is a pizza/game night around the corner and the Basket Social is not that far away.

Check out all that and more in our February 2023 Newsletter.

18th Basket Social – Sunday, April 24th

Come join us for the 18th Basket Social to be held Sunday, April 24th at the South Schenectady Fire House, 6 Old Mariaville Rd, Schenectady, NY 12306 starting at Noon.

This year’s Basket Social will feature

  • Over 130 themed baskets.
  • Homemade Polish food.
  • Raffles

Join us for this wonderful event.