June Newsletter Without School Pages
- 1. Dear Faithful Members of the Good Shepherd Family: Jesus comforted and reas- sured his disciples by re- minding them that, “…the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything,…”. ( John 14:26) The mes- sage is that we are lacking in nothing! We are not deficient in knowledge, courage, ability, faith or love. In fact, we have an abundance of these gifts! So let us dismiss all possi- ble excuses not to trust in the Spirit’s guidance in our witnessing. Let us go forth in the name of Christ and be about the business of love in both word and action! May our hearts be set ablaze this Pentecost season and may we share the warmth of that flame with every one we meet! On Fire with the Spirit! Eric Olaf Olsen, Pastor What an exciting time to be church! The spirit of the resurrection is at work at Good Shep- herd. The power of God can be seen and heard Saturday and Sunday in worship and each day in the lives of the children of God who gather here. The business of the church is not being treated as “business as usual”, but as an oppor- tunity to live more deeply into our calling to reach out to each other and to the larger commu- nity with the love of Christ. We are listening to each other and recogniz- ing each other as minis- ters of God’s grace. Our arms are open wide as we invite, embrace, and wel- come visitors in Jesus’ name to join our worship and praise. It is such a privilege to serve in the midst of such a loving and faithful gathering of God’s saints! I thank God and each of you. On Pentecost the church was born as the gift of the Holy Spirit came upon the gathered believers with tongues of fire. The Spirit led those early disciples to boldly proclaim the Good News of God’s love for all of God’s Children through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. On this Pentecost we will rediscover that gift of bold proclamation again as we celebrate and affirm the baptisms of Danielle DeFilippis, Melissa Monten, and Adriana Vollono. We will also have the joy and privilege to welcome two new saints into God’s family at Good Shepherd as we baptize Gavin Jansky and Austin Carri- eri! As the waters of bap- tism are stirred and splashed, may we rejoice and reclaim the precious gift of God’s Holy Spirit poured upon us in our baptism! May our collec- tive prayer be for the Spirit to unfurl our tongues and set them ablaze so we will be bold in our proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ, inviting family, friend and neighbor to join us at Good Shepherd so that God may be glori- fied! 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 N E 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 LLLLet us go forth in the name of Christ and be about the business of love in both word and action!
- 2. Congregational Meeting May 24, 2011 in Plainview thought about current and future needs but what they accomplished has provided much for Future Generations. Sixty years of families growing up as mem- bers of the Congregation, many educated in our school, also hundreds if not thousands of people touched by our School, our primary mission outreach. Energy costs in the 1950s were so low buildings rarely had insulation and heating systems were not very efficient. Our buildings were no different. Times have changed. We are all aware of how volatile energy costs have been and their dramatic increase. Over the last few years there have been many, relatively inexpensive en- ergy conservation projects undertaken. Those projects have benefited us in the form of lower operating ex- penses and have saved us over $90,000. In the upcoming ten years or so there will be a number of very important and expensive plant mainte- nance projects that must be accomplished, new roofs and windows for Church and School, new heating sys- tems for Church, Office and Parsonage. While we do the required work we have a responsibility, to Future Generations, to ensure that the approach we take re- duces our energy consumption. Insulating the Church and School walls and roofs, and also upgrading lighting to energy saving CFL and LED bulbs will allow for sig- nificant energy savings. The approach we take to fund these important projects can position us to deal with future plant needs that will no doubt be necessary within a generation. I believe we have a choice to make, raise the funds neces- sary to accomplish these projects now and put away the energy cost savings each year for future needs or borrow to pay for the projects as they become critical leaving us in the position of needing the energy cost savings to pay for the work. There is a big difference in how the choice we make will position our ministry for Future Generations. A year ago most of us wondered or worried how we were going to pay the bills. Plenty has changed within the last year. Now we may wonder, how can we pay for these projects? With God’s help anything is possible! To date, without officially announcing a campaign we have approximately $100,000 donated toward the preliminary list of projects, about $15,000 of School Fundraising, $35,000 worth of LED light bulbs and recently a gift from a member of about $50,000. It would be easy to see this task as too difficult for us to achieve, look around, see who we are. God asks us to believe, believe that we can be what He wants us to be! With His help and His blessing ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. As I said at each of the last few Congregational Meetings, this is an exciting and challenging time at Good Shepherd! In the coming days, weeks and months let us all; seek to find where God leads us in Faithful Giving – of our time, our talents, our presence at wor- ship, our financial gifts. God is Faithful and will provide for us… Abundant Living. Thank you to everyone who attended this meeting. As I mentioned last October, this is an incredibly important year in our history, a NEW BEGINNING, a very exciting time to be a member of Good Shepherd. The fiscal year that ends in June was one of great blessings. God led Pastor Eric Olsen to us and us to him. Pastor Olsen has stepped in and led us with great energy and enthusiasm. God continues to bless our School. Enroll- ment has been strong and continues to im- prove. The Staff is a blessing to the children and the families they minister to. Once again, God has provided us with more than enough income to pay the bills. In fact, enough income to deal with some unexpected and immediate physical plant needs and as you will hear later, enough to repay internal borrowing for past projects. At each of the past three Congregational Meetings I have asked each person attending to write down the name of a friend or family member who used to be more regular in attendance at wor- ship and pray for God to bless them, to tell them we miss them, and to invite them to join us at worship. Once again, I asked I ask you to do the same. Don’t take names off the list. Keep adding. Who do you know that would benefit from your prayers? Who do you know that would benefit from sharing in Worship and the Eucharist with us? Trust God; ask Him to lead you to them. I n the current fiscal year we are experiencing an increase in Church income of over 10%, almost $24,000. This is great news, news worth celebrat- ing. Faithful Giving…Abundant Living. While the increase in income is great news, expenses are expected to come in over budget by about $18,000. Most of that increase resulted from expenses for Parsonage repairs and maintenance, a new phone system and a difficult winter. As I mentioned before, School enrollment in the current year is strong. The well managed School operation, along with increased enrollment, is projected to result in a combined Church and School budget surplus meaningful enough for us to payback internal borrowing for the Property Fund, for the Eastside Beautification Campaign and for the new gym boiler. At the meeting we shared news about impor- tant, long overdue landscaping to improve the Church’s ‘curb appeal. Thanks be to God! God has blessed us over the past few years. Each of the last few years we presented budgets that had greater expenses than income. During challenging times, we have increased Church in- come modestly and benefitted from unexpectedly strong School enrollment and a well run program. Early signs of School enrollment for the up- coming School year indicate another good year is shaping up. Combine that with an expectation for modest Church Income growth and careful management of expenses, and we finally have a budget in the black! Right after we finish celebrating and giv- ing God the Glory, we need to remember two things. First, we are more dependent on the success of the school and its summer program than ever. Second, outside of the School as ministry, we are doing the bare minimum, pay- ing for staff, paying the bills, paying for emer- gency repairs. Given the anticipated financial situation for the 2011/2012 year we should be able to return to making disbursements from the Good Shepherd Fund. It has been quite a few years since we have last made any disbursement. As a result, we have asked the GSF Disbursements Team and the GSF Investment Board, led by John Hinsch, to create a program to educate and inform members about the history of the Fund and the ministries it has funded. The fund has been a blessing to many ministries, including our own. In May of 2010 I announced the formation of an Energy Conservation Project Task Force. Tom Benson, Marc Herbst, Judy Hinsch, Odd Sangesland, and John Schwaninger agreed to serve. Later that year we added Wayne Ludewig to the team. The objective was to review projects currently proposed, to identify other physical plant needs that are both neces- sary and appropriately oriented toward energy savings and to make a formal proposal to Coun- cil. We have made significant progress to- ward this end. At this time we have a great deal of the work identified, but there is more to do. The preliminary list of projects that combine Energy Conservation Projects with important Physical Plant maintenance adds up to about $600,000 in work. It is important work. Crea- tion Stewardship work. Infrastructure rebuild- ing work. As I mentioned in my April Newsletter Article, I believe we have an important respon- sibility facing us: as we approach The Church of the Good Shepherd – Lutheran’s 60th Anni- versary I believe we have a unique opportunity and an important responsibility facing us. The people who had the foresight to buy 10 acres of farmland and a farmhouse in Plainview for a mission church first called “The Plainview Chapel” hailed from Trinity Lutheran in Hicks- ville. Only a handful of families gathered in the farmhouse to worship nearly sixty years ago. Among others, family names like Bergman, Berry, Kochesberger , Ocker, Sauter and Thor- man. Within six years of our founding, as the congregation grew, Church and School build- ings were built. Four years or so later an exten- sion and remodeling of the Church building was accomplished, a new classroom, office and a gymnasium/auditorium were all added to the School. The families that started that small church 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
- 4. COFFEE HOUR SCHEDULE Just a reminder that the following committees are scheduled to host upcoming coffee hours: June 5 Flower Committee June 12 Council June 19 21+ Men’s Group June 26 21+ Men’s Group July 3 Good Shepherd Fund Please see the display on the easel in the narthex to sign up for those open summer weeks. Thank you! On May 13th and 14th the Metropolitan New York Synod ELCA met for two full-day sessions of its annual assembly at the Marriot Hotel in Melville. Good Shepherd was represented by Pastor Olsen, Ethel Batchelder, and Paul Benner. Marilyn Benner and Judy Hinsch were also in attendance as Rostered Associates in Ministry and had a voting member status. The assembly heard reports from all of the various com- mittees, boards, agencies, etc., of the Synod, covering their mis- sion and their accomplishments during the past year. The finan- cial results for the past year, the budget for the current year, and the proposed budget for the upcoming year were also reviewed and adopted. A resolution was passed to implement the goal of provid- ing representation for youth and young adults on Synod council, Synod committees, task forces, etc., and in congregations. An- other resolution was passed to “undertake a strategic planning process with all deliberate speed” so that it could be presented to the next Synod Assembly. The assembly also approved a memorial “calling the church to speak against and act to prevent bullying, harassment, and re- lated violence” to be presented to the 2011 Church-wide Assembly. On Friday night, there was a Eucharistic Liturgy at St. Peter’s in Huntington and another on Saturday afternoon in the ballroom of the Marriott. The powerful and vociferous singing of the 415 mem- bers in attendance (42 percent of which were clergy) was a wonderful experi- ence in which your Good Shepherd representatives heartily partici- pated. SUBMITTED BY PAUL BENNER Kitty Katzell of Medford, NJ, tells the story of a little boy who was zigzagging his way home from Vacation Bible School one beautiful summer day. He found a caterpillar and a fluffy milkweed pod and blew out all the filler. He saw a bird’s nest in a tree and a swan in a pond. He picked up a worm and thought of going fishing. A neighbor watched his zigzag path, greeted him, and asked him what he was doing. “I’ve been to Vacation Bible School,” the boy replied. “Good for you,” the neighbor said. “If you tell me where God is, I’ll give you this quarter.” “I’ll give you a dollar, Mister, if you can tell me where God ain’t,” the boy replied. Reprinted with permission The Joyful Noiseletter Vol. 26, No. 6, July—Aug 2011 THERE’S STILL TIME TO REGISTER YOUR CHILD (AGES 3 THROUGH GRADE 6) FOR VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL. IT WILL BE HELD RIGHT HERE AT GOOD SHEPHERD DURING THE WEEK OF JUNE 27— JULY 1. WHAT A TERRIFIC WAY FOR YOUR CHILD TO BEGIN THE SUMMER! PLEASE SEE PAGE 8 OF THIS NEWSLET- TER FOR THE ENROLLMENT FORM AND SEND IT IN BY JUNE 10! This was my first time at a Synod assembly. You hear all the various things the Synod is involved in on our behalf. It’s really quite amazing!—from children and youth ministry to the Wart- burg home in Mt. Vernon, NY—this is what our contributions to our Synod accomplish! If you ever get an opportunity to attend, take it! I also met my son’s fourth grade teacher that he had at Good Shepherd, Mary Nordeen. My son is now 53! Submitted by Ethel Batchelder VOLUNTEERS, AGES 13 —100+, ARE NEEDED TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR GOD’S GOOD SHEPHERDS VACATION BIBLE STUDY SCHOOL Monday, 6/27Monday, 6/27Monday, 6/27Monday, 6/27 ———— Friday, 7/1Friday, 7/1Friday, 7/1Friday, 7/1 By giving five mornings over one week, you will find this exciting experience to be mutually rewarding for you and our children! Please sign up in the narthex. VOLUNTEERSVOLUNTEERSVOLUNTEERSVOLUNTEERS DON’TDON’TDON’TDON’T NECESSARILYNECESSARILYNECESSARILYNECESSARILY HAVEHAVEHAVEHAVE THE TIME. . .THE TIME. . .THE TIME. . .THE TIME. . . THEY JUST HAVETHEY JUST HAVETHEY JUST HAVETHEY JUST HAVE THE HEART.THE HEART.THE HEART.THE HEART. SOURCE UNKNOWNSOURCE UNKNOWNSOURCE UNKNOWNSOURCE UNKNOWN NEWS FROM OUR NYS ASSEMBLYNEWS FROM OUR NYS ASSEMBLYNEWS FROM OUR NYS ASSEMBLYNEWS FROM OUR NYS ASSEMBLY ON MAY 13 & 14ON MAY 13 & 14ON MAY 13 & 14ON MAY 13 & 14
- 5. T H O S E W H O C E L E B R A T ET H O S E W H O C E L E B R A T ET H O S E W H O C E L E B R A T ET H O S E W H O C E L E B R A T E Those who will affirm their baptism on Pentecost: Danielle DeFilippis Melissa Monten Adriana Vollono Those who will be baptized on Pentecost: Austin John Carrieri Gavin Cooper Jansky 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 Page 5 The family and friends of Paul Bishop, Reverend George Hoyer, Eugene Wallach, Beth Banzer, Eugene Brent, and Korbinian Keller. 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 D O F H E A L I N G WE PRAY FOR... Genevieve Sounia, Joy Parisey (sister of GSL teacher Cindy Cannizzaro); Susan Boettcher (John McGowan’s sister), Paul Hinsch, Ryan Faret and his family, Gene- vieve Thompson, John Binsfeld & Dick Frantz (Benner family friends), Julia Kel- lermueller (mother of GSL teacher assis- tant Sue Curran), baby Jake (Brent family friend), Maureen Araujo, Sean Walsh, Mary Knotek, The People of Japan, 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 Ma- son’s cousin), Diane Lisa (Cathy Vollono’s friend), Janice Ridings (Rickmeyer family friend), Francis Lee (Helen Kopf’s son), Lynne Carlson (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), Nevin Keeley (Beverly Strack, GSL school teacher’s brother), Fred Ruff, Joyce Tare, Jake (Maisch family friend) and his family, Ian Spadaro (Dottie’s grandson), James Fields (Vincent and Dorothy Cronin’s nephew), Richard Karl (Naomi Pfund’s friend), Mary Gessing (Dorothy and Vincent Cronin’s cousin), Rita Cunningham (Cronin family friend), and Chris Cucci (Naomi Pfund’s student). T H O S E W H O A R E G R I E V I N GT H O S E W H O A R E G R I E V I N GT H O S E W H O A R E G R I E V I N GT H O S E W H O A R E G R I E V I N G 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 Lt. David Jacobs (Joyce Tare’s nephew, Alec & Madison’s cousin), CPT. Paul Rickmeyer, Major Phillip Sounia, MSgt. Richard Miranda, Christo- pher Zito (Mary Knotek’s friend), Sgt. Vincent Mezick. Did you or someone 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.
- 6. MAYMAYMAYMAY Grace Berry—90 Danielle Vollono—sweet 16 Miranda Benson Evan Haupt Judy Hinsch Alex Lessman Emily Miccio Judy Miranda Melissa Monten Gretel Saul Ellie Ulich JUNEJUNEJUNEJUNE Jack Saueracker Dorothea Spadaro Ellie Ulich William Wiegert ANNIVERSARIES Bob & Anne Rickmeyer May 11 — 42 years Stephen & Gail Haupt June 16 — 26 years Erik & Andrea Hansen June 25 — 22 years CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES! Nicole DeFilippis Michael Haupt Rebecca Hinsch Jason Lorch Katie Rae McGowan Kathleen Norton Our Cranes of Compassion outreach of love to the people of Japan yielded $2,597.45 which will be sent for disaster relief through the ELCA. Additionally, a very large box full of origami cranes that we all worked so hard to fold and create will be sent to the JELCA in Sendai, Japan. As you all know from last month’s newsletter, Japanese legend states that if someone makes 1,000 ori- gami cranes, their prayers will be answered. There was delicious Japanese food and beautiful origami boxes & creations to be purchased, cranes to be folded, cultural costumes to be photographed in, games, prizes & raffles to be won. We are so appreciative of all the people who put this event to- gether, Pastor Eric and our Good Shepherd moms: Rumi Fioretti, Kioko Kayaki, Mitsuko Seshimo, Mari Cho, and Terumi Tanaka, as well as our neighborhood friends, Seiko Miyasaka; Eri Sullivan; Keiko Takahashi; Takako Ishii; Eri Enomoto; Emiko Yoshida and her son; Satoko Sasahara and her two daughters; and Yuki Kita- gawa. Robata Restaurant on Old Country Road donated trays of sushi for this event, and the following neighborhood organizations do- nated raffle prizes to help this important cause. Please remember them if you have any opportunity to reciprocate by frequenting their businesses: Bagel Boss, Incredible Feets, Marshall Arts Amer- ica, Okinawa Budokan Karate (Hicksville), Pasta-eria, Shoprite, and Trader Joe’s. “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.”The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” COMPASSIONATE CONNECTIONCOMPASSIONATE CONNECTIONCOMPASSIONATE CONNECTIONCOMPASSIONATE CONNECTION OVER 1,000 CRANES HEADED TO JAPANOVER 1,000 CRANES HEADED TO JAPANOVER 1,000 CRANES HEADED TO JAPANOVER 1,000 CRANES HEADED TO JAPAN Miss Cindy dresses up Japanese styleMiss Cindy dresses up Japanese styleMiss Cindy dresses up Japanese styleMiss Cindy dresses up Japanese style. Not listed? Please contact us so we may update ourNot listed? Please contact us so we may update ourNot listed? Please contact us so we may update ourNot listed? Please contact us so we may update our records and recognize your special moments & accom-records and recognize your special moments & accom-records and recognize your special moments & accom-records and recognize your special moments & accom- plishments in future issues. Thank you!plishments in future issues. Thank you!plishments in future issues. Thank you!plishments in future issues. Thank you!
- 7. GOOD SHEPHERD’S FIRST GRADUATING CLASS REUNION!GOOD SHEPHERD’S FIRST GRADUATING CLASS REUNION!GOOD SHEPHERD’S FIRST GRADUATING CLASS REUNION!GOOD SHEPHERD’S FIRST GRADUATING CLASS REUNION! The first graduating class of Good Shepherd Lutheran School will be celebrating 50 years of memories when they reunite here in Plainview over the June 10—12 week- end. The sixth grade class graduated in 1961 and champi- oned 11 students. Invitations were also extended to teachers Rodney Schabel and Jim Rahn. Rodney Schabel, still quite active in Good Shepherd’s minis- try, will join the group in their cele- bration; however, Jim Rahn, a Lu- theran Pastor in California, is un- able to attend due to his grandson's college graduation. Organizer, Jeanette "Uhl" Newton indicated that ten of the eleven students have been located, and seven will be attending. Some will also bringing spouses. The weekend will open with a Friday night pizza party at Good Shepherd’s cottages. Saturday activi- ties include a visit to the Cradle of Aviation museum, a walk on the boardwalk at Jones Beach (many memories there), and dinner at the Milleridge Inn. The group will join Pentecost worship on Sunday morning at Good Shep- herd, followed by a farewell brunch at the 56th Fighter Group in Farmingdale. Former students will also visit old homesteads. Classmates Jeanette "Uhl" New- ton, Pam "Aitken" D'Antonio, Beryl "Winther" Piantek, Diane "Cornwell" K o r b y , A l b e r t Kirchner, Craig Abatelli, and Ken Quereau will be con- verging from Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Con- necticut, and Long Island, and will be staying at the Mar- riott Hotel in Mel- ville. "Many of us have not seen each other since that graduation, while others have kept in touch over the years," said Jeanette. "We are all excited to get together and share past and current stories." Submitted by Jeanette Uhl Newton Thank you to Kenneth Quereau for sharing his yearbook with us for this article
- 8. Vacation Bible SchoolVacation Bible SchoolVacation Bible SchoolVacation Bible School God’s Good ShepherdsGod’s Good ShepherdsGod’s Good ShepherdsGod’s Good Shepherds June 27 ~ July 1, 2011 9:00 ~ 11:30 am Ages 3 through entering Grade 6 * $30 per child * $75 family of three or more Good Shepherd Lutheran Church & School 99 Central Park Road Plainview, NY 11803 516-349-1966 Please complete the registration form below and return it to Good Shepherd with the required $30 per child. MUST BE RETURNED BY JUNE 10th !!! ………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………...………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………...………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………...………………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………... I’d like to register for Vacation Bible School 2011: Child’s name: ___________________________________________________ Grade entering September ’11: _____ Birthdate: ___/___/_____ Address: _______________________________________________________ Town: ________________________________ Zip____________________ Phone: __________________________ Emergency Phone: ____________________ E-mail Address:_________________________________________________________ Family Worship:Family Worship:Family Worship:Family Worship: Friday, July 1Friday, July 1Friday, July 1Friday, July 1stststst at 11 amat 11 amat 11 amat 11 am All are welcome to participate.All are welcome to participate.All are welcome to participate.All are welcome to participate.
- 9. UPDATE FOR JUNE 2011 WITH COUNSELING SITES LOCATED IN: NASSAU SUFFOLK MANHATTAN QUEENS WESTCHESTER Prepared especially for LCC Association Congregations & Schools Simply put, “psychotherapy” literally means “mind heal- ing”. Psychotherapy is a sci- ence and an art. It is a sci- ence in that a therapist uses technical knowledge about thoughts, feelings, beliefs, behaviors and relationships. It is an art in that the thera- pist draws upon his own per- sonal consciousness and a sense of self and intuition to fashion a favorable treatment outcome. At LCC, a therapist also draws upon faith to guide and inform the process. At the core of psychotherapy is the therapeutic relationship between therapist and client. Clients seek therapists to help them change, such as to become less anxious, less de- pressed, less confused and conflicted; or to become more aware, more empow- ered, more confident and communicative. A successful relationship is one in which the client brings trust, openness, honesty, a willingness to work, strength to change, and health to heal. The therapist provides an environment that is safe, accepting, confidential and nonjudgmental. Above all, the therapist must be em- pathic—able to deeply con- nect to the thoughts, feel- ings, beliefs and mysteries of the client, and to the client’s relational, cultural and social milieu. Empathy is therapy’s “medication”—its agent to deliver help. A therapist uses specific tools to help; most prominently he uses interviewing, listening and eluci- dating. Strictly speaking, a therapist is not a counselor. Unlike a counselor, a therapist does not give advice or answers. A therapist helps clarify a per- son’s options but always leaves decision-making to the client, knowing that real and lasting change is not prescribed by an expert, but generated by and within the sacred chamber of a person’s heart. A half century ago most clergy were opposed to psychotherapy, thinking that it intruded on theo- logical territory. Many believed it reduced human existence to mental processes, and that it trivialized or even denied the re- ality of sin. Indeed, the ancient Greek word “psyche” meant both “spirit” and “consciousness”, presaging the potential to blur pastoral and therapeutic do- mains. But over the past thirty years or so, psychotherapy and pastoral theology have developed a mutual respect and often an atmosphere of cooperation. For many people, psychotherapy be- comes a precursor to a path to spirituality, and for many people of faith it becomes a path to deeper understanding of self and others. Many clergy of all faiths have accepted the value of ther- apy and have become a major source of referrals for psycho- therapeutic services. This has been true for LCC. No other society in the world af- fords its people with quite the degree of freedom of choice as does the U.S. But such wide free- dom often requires guidance. Psy- chotherapists have become the guides of choice for millions of Americans. Pastoral psychothera- pists are the guides of choice for many Christians and LCC has many, along with gifted Christian lay therapists. Psychotherapy works. Recent stud- ies show that two-thirds of people who engage in psychotherapy im- prove. Their depressions lift, their anxieties lessen and their erratic behaviors ease. Success rates are similar for clients using every type of therapist and therapeutic modal- ity. But is it for you? Only you can decide. I hope that reading these few words help inform your deci- sion. For more information, you can (confidentially) e-mail me or any other LCC therapist at Cen- ter@LCCNY.org. The Rev. Alan Steinke, M.Div., LCSW-R, is a retired Lutheran pastor. He has had extensive experience in the field of psychotherapy since graduating with a MSW degree from Yeshiva Uni- versity in NY and a M.Div. Degree from Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo. Pr. Steinke is an LCC Psychotherapist in Mineola, counselor-in-residence at Trin- ity Lutheran School in Hicksville, and is also one of LCC’s Clinical Supervisors. 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. WHAT IS PSYCHOTHERAPY? By: The Rev. Alan F. Steinke, M.Div., LCSW, LCC Psychotherapist
- 10. Good Shepherd Lutheran Church & School 99 Central Park Road Plainview, NY 11803 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Non-Profit Org. U.S POSTAGE PAID Permit # 490 Hicksville, NY 11801 DATED MATERIAL