A place of RENEWAL in a RENEWING city.

Posts in category Calvary News

Church Assessment Tool (CAT)

May 22, 2021 Written by Sue Y

May 20, 2021

Dear Members, Friends and Neighbors:

The Session would like you to assist Calvary by participating in a Church Assessment Tool (CAT) that will gather information about our congregation, our sense of community, collaboration and mission priorities for our near future– and maybe beyond. 

While we have existed since the beginnings of the American Revolution in the Hudson River Valley our demographics and sense of purpose have changed in parallel with the shifting makeup of Newburgh and Calvary Presbyterian Church.  The shift in the peoples, their economic status and class has been consistent in the urbanization and decline of the industrial base of this area. There was even a flight from this community of Presbyterian Churches avoiding the ongoing and increasing ethnic and cultural diversity and an increase of black and brown populations led church members to be wary of the mandate of Jesus– “Go into all nations preaching the gospel…”

The Calvary Session is engaging in this CAT (assessment tool)  to measure the mind, heart, soul and personality of this church in this unique public square of the City of Newburgh. While we are not fans of surveys, we believe that you can help us understand what Calvary has meant to you, has impacted you and your family and envision Calvary  collaborating with community organizations. Your responses will help us define a fresh vision for this church here now and in the future. 

PLANNING OUR FUTURE TOGETHER!

We are inviting you to complete the Church Assessment Tool (CAT), an on-line instrument that will help leaders gauge the strength, vitality, and trends in our church.  The information gained from this assessment will be valuable in helping the elected combined leadership, the session, trustees and moderator as they make decisions about the future of Calvary Presbyterian Church. 

 Please take a few moments to go online by clicking here for the survey and tell us about your experiences with and priorities for our church. Each member of a household is welcome to complete the survey.  This link will be open until June, 20, 2021. Please do not discuss the survey or your answers with others as this may influence their answers.

If you need a paper copy, please call the office (845-562-8730) or Reverend Lewis,  (845-401-7403), and we will provide one for you along with a self-addressed stamped return envelope. 

All answers are strictly anonymous.  We have no way of matching any assessment to a particular person, so please feel free to candidly share your perceptions, opinions and experiences.  Our future together is dependent on your participation and honest answers.

If you have questions, please contact Session Member Kate Weissmann (845-629-0509)

Many thanks,

The Session of Calvary Presbyterian Church

Damian DePauw
Diane McCoy-Wills
Leroy Fields, Jr.
Noa Simons
John Clarke
 Roy Ploss
Kate Weissman

J EDWARD LEWIS Sr
Pastor and Teaching Elder 

Calvary News

Worship Service 4-25-21

April 25, 2021 Written by Sue Y

Calvary News

D.E.S.K. Project Photos

April 21, 2021 Written by Sue Y

Thanks to Kate C. here are some wonderful pics showing our Calvary family creating desks for this project.
Calvary News

Great Publicity for the D.E.S.K. Project

April 14, 2021 Written by Sue Y

Kate C has been busy with letting our light shine!  Here are a two of the resulting articles.

The Times Herald Record put the story on the front page on April 5, 2021.

Building of the Future
Church Members makes desks for local students.

To see on the THR site click image or text.

 

 

 

 

 

From the Presbyterian News Service, April 14, 2021:

My D.E.S.K. Mission

During the pandemic, Calvary Presbyterian Church in Newburgh, New York provides a ‘Dedicated Education Space for Kids’

Click text or image to read the article.

 

 

 

 

 

AND watch for more on the upcoming Hearts of Heroes coverage!

 

Calvary News

Building Desks – Press Release 3-22-21

April 14, 2021 Written by Sue Y

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release

Newburgh’s Calvary Presbyterian Church to Build and Donate Desks to Aid with At-Home Learning

Construction starts this week on 30 desks to be donated to families at our neighboring school Horizons-on-the-Hudson Magnet School in coordination with their Parent-Teacher Organization.

Calvary’s sanctuary will be turned into a make-shift workshop.

This is the first time our sanctuary will be used since a devastating fire gutted our adjoining Fellowship Hall building last March 5, 2020 and the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Love Thy Neighbor (in action), Jim Ferguson and Peter Surgenor were inspired with this idea and are coordinating the efforts.

Desks will be built by a limited number of volunteers to ensure proper social distancing and COVID-safe precautions can be maintained.

The Horizons-on-the-Hudson PTO will donate books for scholars with each desk.

Desk materials have been purchased out of Calvary’s Mission budget. We also wish to thank Heights Lumber in Newburgh for their help, Belfor Property Restoration for additional materials, and McNeilly Wood Products of Campbell Hall for cutting all the plywood desktops for us.

Construction on desks begins Tuesday, March 23, 2021 at 9 am at 120 South Street, Newburgh, NY. Volunteers will be working in our sanctuary at the corner of South and Grand Streets.

In this time of virtual learning, we recognize that some children in our community may be in need of a better place to work from home. We have created the My D.E.S.K. (Dedicated Education Space for Kids) Mission to build and donate simple wood desks for our young neighbors. We started by reaching out to our neighborhood school, just a block away from our church, Horizons-on-the-Hudson Magnet School. Families immediately responded with the need for almost 30 desks.

The desks measure 30 inches wide by 18 inches deep.

Press Contact:

Kate Cl

Calvary News

Build and Donate Desks to Aid with At- Home Learning

March 23, 2021 Written by Sue Y
Calvary News

Update 2-11-21

February 11, 2021 Written by Sue Y

Peter S sent me this photo and said the new windows are being installed in fellowship hall and plumbing is being added for the new radiators.  Heat and light how exciting! It is exciting to see daylight in the building after almost a full year.  Thank you Peter for the update and photo.

Calvary News

Update 1-29-21

January 30, 2021 Written by Sue Y

Part 1 of this update is from an email sent by Peter S to the fire committee.  No point in me rewriting it as he did an excellent job covering what is happening:

Friends:

The Skinner Organ has been disassembled and will be packed into a truck tomorrow morning.  Lots of pieces including a  500 pound blower motor that rode a sled down the steeple spiral stair.

We had a productive meeting with some Session and church members to imagine the basement kitchen layout.  Just in time as plumbing and electrical began in earnest on Monday. Thanks to those who provided input.

Radiators have been installed and piped.

We do have a problem with some frozen parts in the boiler room and a leaky gas main. Central Hudson is coming tomorrow morning to asses the situation (some of the problem may be theirs) and Frank Connolly is working on the gas line and leaking pieces of the furnace.

There are some minor maintenance items that will need to be addressed in the coming months.  Cleaning around the now vacant organ loft,  tightening floor boards in the sanctuary before carpet placement, clean organize the hood fan in the basement (this is a hanging liability – a much more expensive hood might be required as we plan to move back into the building), cleaning and polishing the wood work at the front of the church, and the list will keep growing.

Progress is underway.

Peter S

And to continue the progress, our beautiful Skinner Organ has left the building.  The Foley Baker team has entirely disassembled, packed up and put everything on a huge truck and has taken every piece to their location for the full restoration. These photos were taken on the Friday morning before the loading of the truck began.  It was bitter cold that day (13 degrees that felt like 10 or lower – I attached also a screenshot of the wether report), I sure don’t envy the workers.   

 
Calvary News

Update 1-24-21

January 24, 2021 Written by Sue Y

I stopped by the church on Friday, January 22 to check out the progress on the organ restoration/removal.  There were 5 or 6 technicians working diligently to take our Skinner organ apart for transport to their location.  I asked one of them about their work and was told that they are removing every part of the organ for the restoration.  They were working to carefully dismantle all of the parts in the great and the swell (where the pipes are to the right and left of the console).  I joked and asked what they do when they put it back together if they find they have extra pieces (there are A LOT of pieces) and he told me that they label every part as to where it goes back in, including the screws! And I thought a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle was difficult)  Here are some pics of the pipes and pieces already removed and ready for trucking back to they location.

 

And thank you to Jim F (at least I am assuming he did this) for fortifying the stained glass window aera to the left of the pulpit area so the heat does not escape!

Have a great week!  I will do my best to get back to the church for another update next week – Foley Baker are to finish their removal work by then.

 

Calvary News

Update 1-20-21

January 24, 2021 Written by Sue Y

Happy Inauguration Day!  I hope this update finds you all happy (as is possible with all of the stress) and health.

I am excited to share this update with you – the organ restoration has begun!!  The Foley Baker Organ Company started on Monday to remove our beloved Skinner Organ to take it to their facility for cleaning and restoration.  Peter S provided the following pics taken on Tuesday to show the beginning of this work. I will try to get there a few times to document their progress over the next weeks,   They hope to have all of the parts removed by the end of the month.  This work is completely covered by our insurance.

  

Also hard at work are American Eagle Electricians and CDR Alarm Company running wires in Fellowship Hall

       

And I left the “best for last”.  Calvary, through the efforts of John, Kate, Carter and Jack, joined the ringing of church and cathedral bells though the county in memory of the over 400,000 souls lost to COVID in the United States.  The bell ringing coincided with the start of the national COVID-19 memorial service at the Lincoln Memorial Reflection Pool in Washington DC on Tuesday night January 19, 2021.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ON YOUTUBE

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ON WEBSITE

Thank you to the Clarke family,

Calvary News
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Calvary Presbyterian Church

120 South Street • Newburgh, NY 12550
Phone:  845-562-8730 • Email:  info@calvarypresbychurch.org