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BOVINA COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
A letter from the pastor My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold
rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor
person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the
one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,”
while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and be-
come judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and
sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith
and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who
love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? -- James 2:1-
6 (NRSV)
Convictions! Actions!
On the subway, it was a battle. My convictions told me this is God’s
child and he is not to be treated any differently than anyone else.
My actions said I don’t want to be near this person as I calmly
switched cars at the next station.
In the heart of Appalachia in Eastern Kentucky, it was a battle. My
convictions told me this girl is God’s child and when she is speaking
to me I should have respect and listen to her. My actions said my time is too important to give to a person of whom I can only under-
stand ¼ of what she says due to her thick dialect as I politely
ignored her and addressed only the other person with her.
As an honored participant who was given the opportunity to work alongside one of the world’s renowned hymn writers, John Bell, it
was a battle. My convictions told me this is God’s child who de-
serves the same respect I would give any other person. My actions
said because you are a person that others honor I will actively
ignore you and passive aggressively try to knock you down a few
pegs.
At times in my life, I want to quit reading the scriptures of the
Bible. Some are too poignant and strike to the bone. I’ll read a passage and I’ll drop my pen thinking, “Well, I got that all wrong.”
Such is the case with the passage shared with you in this letter.
“My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really
believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?”
In the context of the epistle of James the author is reprimanding the community for treating the rich with favoritism and placing the poor
in places of less honor.
In the context of our lives it’s not solely our favoritism of the rich over the poor, which is still an issue; rather, it is our favoritism, or
as in one of my examples reverse favoritism, of any person over
another.
As I’ve shared through the examples above, my actions don’t always coincide with my convictions. This means I have work to do if I’m to
“practice what I preach.” It means I need to be aware of what I’m
doing and be aware if what I’m doing aligns with what I believe.
Knowing how people are, some may line up to point out all of my
shortcomings. Sadly, this is just the way some people do things. Speaking of such people Jesus says, “Or how can you say to your
neighbor, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while the log is in
your own eye? (Matthew 7:4 NRSV)”
The best I can do is to focus on my faults. The best I can do is not to
let other’s hypocrisy fester under my skin and grow hatred and
bitterness in me. Hopefully with prayer and study, with the patience
of friend’s and family, with the pain of growth and being stretched to
be more accepting of others even though we differ my actions will
align with my convictions.
In closing, if any others have similar predicaments of their actions
not aligning with their convictions please share with me that I’m not
alone in this matter. I’m not asking you to share your troubles with me though I’d be honored and willing to be an ear for you. Rather
I’m hoping that all take the opportunity to reflect on where they
stumble and if they realize they too have shortcomings, then don’t be
so afraid to share that you too are imperfect.
Until next time, may you be richly blessed in all you do.
God Bless,
Rev. Garrett Adam Vittorio Schindler
COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER Sponsored by
the Bovina UP Church
October 2015
October 3 — Bovina Fire and EMS Chili Supper 5-8 PM.
October 4 — Youth Group Begins.
October 24 — Lantern Tour with Ray LaFever (see p. 7).
October 31—Halloween Party at the Community Hall 7-8 PM.
November 3 — Election Dinner at the Community Hall.
November 7 — Library Farm Feast.
November 25 — Pie Sale at the UP (contact Amy Burns [email protected] for pre-orders).
December 6— Santa Claus visits the Fire Hall 1-3 PM.
December 24—Christmas Eve Service and Pageant @ 6:30 PM.
Page 2 Bovina Community Newsletter
Bovina UP Church News The Bovina UP Church welcomes you to worship with us Sunday morn-
ings at 10 AM. If you are interested in joining the church, please con-
tact a member of the Church Session (Jack Burns, Norma Gabriel, Tom
Hilson, Evelyn Stewart, Mark Schneider, or Steve Burnett).
Sunday worship @ 10 AM. Please come join us!
Sunday School for Children preschool through 6th grade during
worship (during the school year).
Communion served on the 1st Sunday of every month.
Session Meeting @ 7PM on the 2nd Tuesday of every other month.
Fellowship Coffee Hour following worship service on the 2nd Sun-
day of every month.
Joys and Concerns
Prayers for Agnes Burns, Jackie and Stanley Rome.
We have many new babies in our midst! Congratula-tions to Joseph and Megan DeSalvo on the birth of their
new daughter, Ramona Grace, and to Christine Egan and Scott DeSimon on the birth of baby Lou. Also, con-gratulations to Cody and Carrie Weber and big brother, Zack, on the birth of their son, Evan, and to the Kauf-
man family on the birth of baby Lucas. Finally, congrat-ulations to Margaret Hilson, who joined the church in July, and to her grandson Sebastian Hilson-Schneider,
who was baptized on the same day.
Thanks to our SOS (“Surprise of Summer”) volunteers and participants for making the Wednesday nights in
July such fun! Game-leaders this year were Mary Pelletier, Pam Benson, Hans Hilson-Schneider, Sarah Roberts, Monica Liddle, Colleen Heavey, Lisa Stanton,
and Amy Burns. We are grateful to these folks for helping us make such wonderful and silly memories
on the Bovina ballfield.
Page 3 Bovina Community Newsletter
Vacation Bible School 2015
This past August, we hosted “by the waters” VBS. At these waters we learned the stories of Joshua and the Israelites at the; Elijah, the ravens, and the poor widow; Jesus’ Baptism, Jesus and the Woman at the Well; and Lydia and Paul at the River. From these stories we learned that God loves and cares for us; we learned that if we obey and if we take care of others before we take care of ourselves that God will provide for us; we learned that we all are
one family and that we are God’s beloved; we learned that Jesus lived the message of love your neighbor as yourself and we are to do likewise; and we learned that Jesus’ way of living is still being spread today.
We had a total of 25 kids from the ages of 2-12 participate in activi-ties and 24 volunteers to provide food, teach classes, teach music, and lead games. Special thanks to all of those volunteers who helped make this a wonderful week: Jan Bray; Ma-rie and Amy Burns; Autumn Dor; Norma Gabriel; Karyle Heavey; Sarah Hetterich;
Heleena, Jesse, Margaret and Peg Hilson; Hans and Mark Hilson-Schneider; Monica Liddle; Pam Benson and Alan McPheely; Mary Pelletier; Jenny and Te-resa Reynolds; Sarah Roberts; Alex Stanton; and Pastors Marena and Garrett Vittorio-Schindler!
Youth Group and After-School Programs
The youth group begins its activities once again on October 4 at 5:00 pm. Youth from 6th through 12th grade are welcome and
encouraged to join us. We meet the first Sunday meet every first Sunday of the month during the school year (excluding Janu-
ary). In 2016, we will have a confirmation class for our youth that are in 9th grade and older.
The after-school program is being restructured this year and is not currently meeting on Wednesdays. Watch our Facebook
page for future developments.
Art Show and Concert
In the spring Artist/Farmer/Elder Steve Burnett led art activities with the after school pro-gram. Delaware Academy senior Colin Spangenberg taught the kids songs from “Anne” and
“Beauty and the Beast.” On July 19th, the kids sang for the congregation during service and
following worship sold their art with the 50% of the proceeds going to the artists themselves and 50% of the proceeds going to Bovina’s kids and youth ministries. Many came to the concert
and art show and had a glamorous time being entertained by the talented and creative kids of
our community.
Creation Bible Study
This past summer Revs. Marena and Garrett led a three-week study on
Creation at their house. For three weeks people from Andes and Bo-vina joined the reverends at the manse to feed on the Word, studying
in depth the first three chapters of Genesis, and to feed on food pro-vided by the hosts. Many enjoyed the study and are looking forward to
future studies.
Ecumenical News
On August 30th we worshipped with our brothers and sisters from
Andes Presbyterian Church, Andes United Methodist Church, and Cabin Hill Presbyterian Church for worship at Cabin Hill. At this service we
welcomed Andes U.M.C.’s new pastor, Paul Moller, and his wife, Amanda, and their daughter, Olivia. It was a wonderful gathering with great fel-
lowship following the service. Our next joint service is on November 29th. It is the First Sunday of Advent. The service will be held at Andes
U.M.C. Service is at 9:15 am.
Invitation to the Children’s Christmas Cantata!
This Fall, kids from 1st – 8th are invited to join our children’s choir, directed by Rev. Marena Vittorio. Marena has a love for teaching young peo-
ple the joy of singing. In her studies, she specialized in children’s music and is excited to see so many young people in the area with rising talent. “Just because our churches are small, doesn’t mean our children shouldn’t have opportunities to sing sacred music in praise of God!,” Marena
says. “It’s time to have some fun, singing together and ringing bells together!”
We will be learning “The Light Before Christmas: Celebrating Candles and Carols,” by Joseph M. Martin. Rehearsals will begin in November and
will take place every Sunday at 12:30pm. Performances will be on Sunday, December 13th, 11:00 am, at Andes Presbyterian Church and on Decem-ber 24th, 6:30 pm, at Bovina United Presbyterian Church. Please contact Rev. Marena or Rev. Garrett at (607) 832-4340 or e-mail marenavitto-
[email protected], with interest.
Volume 8, Issue 3 Page 4
Page 5
B O V I N A D AY !
Community Food Bank
The Andes Community Food Bank, located in the Andes Presbyterian Church, is open to Bovina Residents. If you, or someone you know, is in need of food, please know that resources are available. The hours are Friday night from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Delivery is available for those not
able to make it on Friday.
The Food Bank also provides baskets for Thanksgiving and Christmas Dinners. Also they provide a snack packs for kindergarten through third
grade students at the Andes School every Friday throughout the school year. These snack packs are filled with healthy and nutritional snacks with the hope of passing on healthy eating habits to today’s kids. During the summer, the Food Bank assists with snacks for the kids at Andes
School involved in the summer CROP program.
In October, the hours of the Food Bank are expanding to being open on Tuesday from 11:00 am – 2:00 pm and Friday from 5:00 – 7:00 pm.
VOLUNTEERS are NEEDED to serve our community in this ministry. If interested in volunteering in any manner, please call Rev. Garrett
Schindler at (607) 832-4340.
Sacred Harp Singings
On the 2nd Tuesday of the month join the Catskills Sacred Harp Musical Association and us for FaSoLa Singing from 6:00 – 8:30 pm.
Page 6 Page 6
Bovina Fire and EMS, by Roberta Burgin
The Bovina Fire Department would like to thank all who supported
their annual Chicken BBQ this year, it was a great success and we
enjoy seeing the community coming out to support our fund-raising
efforts.
Please mark your calendars for Saturday, October 3rd for the Bovina
Emergency Squad’s annual All-You-Can-Eat Chili Supper.
Also visit us on December 6th when we welcome Santa to the Bovina
Fire Hall!
Finally, we would like to congratulate this year’s Fire Queen Anna
Post in being named Delaware County Fire Queen at the Delaware
County Fair Parade! Anna has represented our Department well in several community parades this summer and fall.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Once again, we were blessed with some amazing weather
in August for Open Barn & Studio Day and Livestock Music
Festival! Thanks to Mark Foster, John Finn, and Wendy
Buerge for organizing and hosting these events to highlight
and celebrate Bovina’s artistic, musical, and agricultural
heritage. These kind of weekends sure remind us that Bo-
vinians have been, are, and always will be an industrious
folk!
livestock music Festival
and Open Barn & Studio
Day
Page 7
The Bovina Historical Society has been avidly attempting to raise funds for Russell’s Store renovations. This building of historic significance, currently occupied by Proprietor Bea Sohni, continues to need repair and upgrade. To date,
BHS has raised $7100.15 of $ 30,000 projected cost of repairs and renovations, leaving $22,899.85 yet to raise.
We’ve successfully held a wonderful afternoon with Concert Among the Pines at John and Carmen Tucker’s home-stead, a one-week School House Day Camp for fifteen students and one student intern at District #1 Maynard School (pictured on p. 5), and a resounding dinner party at Mountain Brook Inn. We are grateful to the hours of work and
energy devoted to those making those events happen.
Our annual meeting will be held at the Community Hall on Sunday, October
4 at 11 a.m. Those interested in our active efforts and goals are invited to
attend.
Town Historian Ray LaFever will be conducting a Twilight Tour of the Bovina Center Cemetery at 4 pm on Saturday, October 24. Here's a chance
to hear some of the interesting stories about citizens from Bovina's past and how some of them met their maker. At right is the grave of Frederick
McFarland. Note it says he "died on or near" February 21, 1889. If you want to hear the story behind those words, come for the Twilight Tour ($5 ad-mission, children under 12 free). All proceeds to benefit the Bovina Histori-
cal Society. Note: children must be accompanied by an adult.
Bovina Historical Society News, by Jan Bray
Town News Update, by Mark Rossley
If you need a Transfer Station permit, please call the Town Clerk, Cathy Hewitt (832-4302).
Mark your calendars for Tire Day dates: October 10th and 17th.
Board meetings are open to the public and scheduled for the second Tuesday of the month at 6 PM in the Community Hall .
Page 8 Bovina Community Newsletter
Bovina Historical
Society Schoolhouse
Day Camp
The Schoolhouse Camp, held at the Maynard School in Bovina District 1, was another resounding suc-cess this year thanks to the creative team of Jan “Marion Thomson” Bray, Amy “Miss Aggie Draffen” Burns, Mary “Miss Mina Wilson” Pelletier, Nurse Barb Brown, and stu-
dent teacher, Maddie “Miss Flor-ence Laing” Pelletier. During the week, the students had the op-portunity to experience a re-enactment of a typical early-
1900s schoolday. The children practiced learning a daily max-
im, recited poetry, danced around the Maypole, made butter from a hand-milked cow at Weber’s farm, made needlepoint cinch sacks,
fetched the milkcan from the cool brook waters, sampled authentic peri-od foods, and learned wildflower identification (among other fascinating
activities). The students also practiced some of the games popular in the era, such as Graces, jacks, marbles, and Kick-the-Can (still played in Bovina Center, as everyone knows)! Thanks so much to the
BHS for sponsoring this camp and to our talented and dedicated volunteers who donated their time to this wonderful project.
The photo above was taken by DCHA intern Samantha Misa using a camera from 1896!
Helen Strangeway Gladstone by Ray LaFever, Town Historian
Page 9 Bovina Community Newsletter
On January 8,1868, Helen Strangeway, the 21
year old daughter of Christopher Strangeway
and Margaret Thompson, married George
Gladstone. The Bovina Historical Society Mu-
seum has her wedding dress. Note that
the dress does not look like what we are used
to in wedding dresses. Particularly in rural
areas, a woman was not going to buy some-
thing that she could wear only once.
This photograph below, dating from the late
1890s, shows George and Helen
Gladstone with their four sons, James Walter
(1869-1931), Christopher Strangeway (1874-
1953), Robert Elmer (1875-1956), and William
Armstrong (1878-1909). Helen passed away in November
1916 at the home of her son Christopher. She has been in fail-
ing health for a few years. Her husband survived her by a bit
over a decade, dying in March 1927.
While I was looking for photos of Helen to
put in the museum, I noticed that the
jacket she is wearing in the photo looked
familiar. Turns out that not only does the
BHS have her wedding dress, but it has
the jacket (above).
A Note About The Scotland Trip 2016
You might have heard about last November's trip to Scotland, which
was a fundraiser for the church, and how successful it was. I would
like to try another trip for October or November of 2016. It would be
similar to the 2014 trip but I hope to add an extra night in Edin-
burgh, giving us three nights in the Scottish Borders and four nights
in Edinburgh. It is almost impossible to determine what the trip
might cost at this point, but last year's trip was $3100. Given I want
to add an extra night, the cost likely would be a bit higher. It would
be nice to think with the fall fuel prices that the air tickets would drop
accordingly, but that doesn't always seem to be the case.
(Pictured above are members of the group who
accompanied Ray to the Scottish Borders in the
fall of 2014).
If you think you might be interested, please con-
tact me at [email protected] or call me
at (607) 832-4609. You don't need to make any
kind of commitment right now, but I do need to
have enough people interested to justify the travel
agency's time in setting up the
trip.
Page 10 Volume 8, Issue 3
Bovina Library News, from Annette Robbins and Mary Pelletier
Our Summer Programs at the Library were well-attended and enjoyed by pa-
trons of all ages:
Fifteen children signed up for the Summer Reading Program and read 51 books.
Ten children, aged 3-13, attended the Bird Buddies Art Camp with John Virga, indulging in an
artistic exploration of birds, nests, and their behavior, including the building of birdhouses.
Many adults participated in Dr. Lily Lei’s weekly Lectures and Discussions on Eastern and Western Views on health and medicine and the mind-body-spirit connection.
Upcoming Events:
Mark your calendars for the Annual Farm Feast to be held on November 7 from 5:30-8 at the
Community Hall. If you would like to sponsor our event, please call or email the library (607-832-
4884, [email protected]). All proceeds go to the library to enhance their collections, services and
programs. Advanced tickets: $15 adults, $8 kids under 12yrs. At the door: $18 and $10.
On November 10 at 1pm there will be a Medicare Talk by Peter Rein, Licensed Medicare Insur-
ance Consultant. Peter will discuss and be available to answer questions regarding: Medicare Ad-
vantage Plans (Part C), Medicare Supplement Plans (AARP), Part D – prescription plans, LIS – Low
income subsidy, EPIC – Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage
In June we celebrated the retirement of this wonderful lady.
Thank you, Janet Stewart, for your years of dedication to the
role of our dear postmistress!
Frances Burns was one of our Bible Study participants, which included a scrumptious lunch prepared
by the Vittorio-Schindlers!
Farm Day Celebrates Bovina Agriculture, by Peter Pockriss
A beautiful day, the hard work of a corps of volunteers, and, as always, the bounty of Bovina’s farmers, pro-ducers, and artisans made for another highly successful Bovina Farm Day on Sunday, September 6. This fami-ly-focused celebration of Bovina’s proud agricultural heritage, past and present, attracted some 1,000 visitors to Webcrest Farm in Crescent Valley.
Bovina Farm Day was founded seven years ago by the Weber and Stewart families. For the first time this year, Farming Bovina took on many of the responsibilities of producing the event. With guidance and support from Farming Bovina President, Evelyn Stewart-Barnhart, Farming Bovina board member Peter Pockriss took the lead in organizing Farm Day 2015. Ed and Donna Weber once again hosted the event on their farm, exhibited their live-stock, and took care of countless on-the-ground logistics. Farming Bovina’s other board members—Steve Burnett, Jack Burns, Joan Burns, Heidi Gogins, and Chris Ingvordsen—all took on responsibilities for mounting the event.
As in the past, the centerpiece of Farm Day was a marketplace featuring farm-ers, producers, and artisans from Bovina and the surrounding area. Visitors chatted informally with vendors, sampled their products, and purchased goods. The wide variety of products represented included produce, cheese, meats, maple products, honey, cider, baked goods, canned goods, Christ-mas trees, and crafts including pottery and woodcraft.
Kids of all ages enjoyed lively Farm Day activities. Annual favorites were back, like hayrides, a corn maze, a haystack slide, and a hay bale pyramid to climb. New additions included a farm themed treasure hunt (ice cream was the prize for kids who found all the clues!), as well as sack races, tug-of-wars, and a special compe-tition where teams raced to push round hay bales across a finish line. There were a variety of farm animals to meet, including cows, goats, sheep, pigs, horses, and chickens. Tours of the Maynard Schoolhouse and Webcrest Farm at milking time rounded out the day.
A popular addition to this year’s Farm Day was an apple pie baking contest, coordinated by Brooke Alderson. Nineteen entrants competed for the title of “Best Bovina Apple Pie,” as well as prizes. Judges Ed Weber, Alex Wilson of Wayside Cider, and chef Frank Metesana enjoyed some great pie, but had a tough time picking the winners: Susan Yelavich took first place and a tie for second place went to Jillienne LaFever Craver and Linda Dunne Egner.
Also new to Farm Day was a scarecrow making contest, organized by An-nette Robbins. Using discarded clothing, hay, feed bags, bailing twine, and other materials, contestants fashioned a sea of whimsical (cont. on p. 12)
Page 11 Volume 8, Issue 3
figures—including a likeness of John Lennon—that stood guard over a corn field. After careful considera-tion and some characteristically witty remarks, Judge Peter Schjeldahl picked “Edgar Allen Crow,” by Marni and Mel Greenberg, as the champion. Second place went to Robert Guadagnino and third place to Pauline and Ariel Newman.
Other additions to the day included a cooking demonstration by Bovina chef Gerry Murphy, who showed the crowd how to prepare a “Bovina Bolognese” using locally produced ingredients. Visitors enjoyed samples of the sauce served over homemade gnocchi. Throughout the day, visitors could gather around a circle of hay bales and hear live interviews with local farmers, includ-ing Jack Burns, Donna Dickson, Matt Dell, Steve Burnett, and Dan Finn. Ja-net Stewart treated the crowd to her legendary songs.
Farming Bovina sends great thanks to Ed and Donna Weber for once again hosting Bovina Farm Day, as well as to Tom Hetterich and Hall Willkie for their generous contributions. Beyond the folks mentioned above, Farming Bovina also thanks: Marni Greenberg for producing the Farm Day program book and helping with innumerable logistics; Ray LaFever for his history exhibits and for han-dling all the social media; Stephen Robbins for coordinating the advertising and graphics; Charles Oakley for exhibiting his sheep and donating a lamb for the raffle; Cara and Paul Olmsted for organizing the relays; Mi-chael Gitlitz for conducting the farmer interviews; Judy and Hal Pockriss for serving as guides in the school-house; and Jaye Pockriss and Donna Weber for organizing the treasure hunt. Thanks also to those who lent their time before, during, and after Farm Day, including Mark Rossley, Douglas Perrett, Matt Dell, Cole Pockriss, Jasper Gitlitz, Mel Greenberg, Roz Foster, Deidre Larkin, and Rita Landsman.
Farming Bovina is already looking for volunteers to serve on commit-tees for next year’s Farm Day. If you’re interested in helping, please drop an email to FarmingBovinaNY.org or contact one of Farming Bo-vina’s board members. Farming Bovina is already looking for volun-teers to serve on committees for next year’s Farm Day. If you’re inter-ested in helping, please drop an email to FarmingBovinaNY.org or con-tact one of Farming Bovina’s board members.
Sincere thanks also go to local businesses for their generous contribu-tions, including the Andes Hotel, Brushland Eating House, Russell’s store, and the Mountain Brook Inn. And many thanks to the farmers, producers, and artisans—by far too many to mention—who donated items for the Farm Day raffle.
Bovina Farm Day was sponsored by Pure Catskills. All proceeds from the event will support Farming Bo-
vina’s efforts to preserve and promote agriculture in and around the town of Bovina.
Page 12 Volume 8, Issue 3
Pastor, Rev. Garrett Schindler [email protected]
607-832-4340 PO Box 26
Bovina Center, NY 13740
COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER SPONSORED BY
If you would like to receive our e-newsletter, please
send a message to
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PERMIT NO. 2
www.bovinaupchurch.com
Photos and images in this issue were gener-ously contributed by Wendy Buerge, Amy
Burns, Mark Foster, Julie Hilson, Hans Hilson-Schneider, Ray LaFever, Samantha Misa, Mary Pelletier, Doug Perrett, Peter Pockriss, Mark Rossley, Garrett Schindler,
and Mollie Spangenberg.
If you have any news to contribute for future issues, please let Julie
know ([email protected]
or 832-4567)!