Albany Presbyterian Women’s Newsletter Blessed are all who hear the word of God and obey it!

Luke 11:28

Spring 2021

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever

Message from Acting ModeratorOne of the benefits of having our Gathering on Zoom is that women from other Presbyteries

are able to attend. Both our Fall ’20 and Spring ’21 Gatherings have been on Zoom. We had

participants from several other presbyteries: Cayuga-Syracuse, Geneva, Newton, Newark, New

Brunswick, Hudson River, New York City, Palisades and Highlands. The connectional aspect of

the Presbyterian USA church enriches our work and our experience. Hopefully, the relationships

that we have begun will endure. There are so many possibilities. After we begin to meet in

person, I hope that we will continue to use social media to expand our Presbyterian Women’s

world. These avenues will give us the opportunity to widely share programs, ideas, mission

projects and the solutions to problems.

Charlotte Hasselbarth Acting Moderator of Presbyterian Women in the Albany Presbytery

Charlotte Hasselbarth chasselbarth@hotmail.com or 518-356-0637

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Pastor’s PerspectiveKathryn Beilke

Pastor Kathryn Beilke first presented this at worship at the January Presbytery meeting. It was profound and worth sharing again for our Presbytery women.“At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” – Luke 1:39-45

This scripture, the Visitation of Mary and Elizabeth, is one we generally only encounter in Advent; confined to the liturgical context of preparing for the birth of the Christ Child and our celebration of Christmas.

However, when I was growing up, in a way I had an encounter with this scripture every day. Because from the age of 12, I attended the Academy of the Visitation, an all-girls Catholic prep school in Minneapolis, Brooklyn, Georgetown, Baltimore, and my hometown of St. Louis, MO… where at my school the image of this embrace between two holy women – Mary and Elizabeth - was enshrined in stained glass in the entry hall, it was sculpted in marble in the chapel where we had daily mass, it was painted in an 8-foot mural in our gymnasium. And the omnipresence of this image in my daily life had a profound impact on me and my understanding of myself as a woman of God.

We Protestants have a history with “graven images,” but this embrace is depicted in volumes and volumes of art that is both trans historical and trans-cultural from which I have drawn so much inspiration in my journey. I was raised by the nuns of the Order of the Visitation to understand this is an image that represents every woman including me, it is a symbol of friendship among women, of women celebrating women.

The significance of this encounter between Mary and Elizabeth and my understanding of it has evolved throughout my life especially in ministry and in motherhood. And Mary’s words in her song – which we call the Magnificat - resonate so deeply today in our experience of the crises we faced in 2020.

Mary had answered a risky calling in the midst of an already tense political environment. No doubt her words here speak directly to her experience under the Empire that Jews lived everyday terrorized and in fear. Mary was poor, vulnerable, an unwed teenager facing the possible scorn of her own community. And yet she comes to greet her cousin Elizabeth- also pregnant with John the Baptist … to celebrate.

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Reading this scripture again during this past Advent season, that was the meaning it took on for me during the pandemic and, frankly, the tension in our own political environment … that even in the midst of darkness, we too can still celebrate.

For them, it was the celebration of the promise and possibility of pregnancy. Of a child, God’s own child, coming into the world to bring about liberation from oppression. That all of this hope for the future is forming and taking shape right in their own wombs.

So much of the maternal and birth imagery of scripture, including the nativity, have become disembodied and almost sanitary in our depictions of them… so it is easy forgetting the difficult circumstances that these women endured – but they celebrated nonetheless. It’s easy to forget that pregnancy itself is a difficult, painful and ultimately messy experience. But far greater than that, it brings new life out of us.

Ina May Gaskin said in her book “Spiritual Midwifery” “When a child is born, the entire Universe has to shift and make room…” In the last moments of my first birth before I would soon hold my daughter Harvest, I was somehow lucid enough to have a very conscious and terrifying realization of that truth: that I liked my life before and it was about to change dramatically.

And even though everyone else in the room knew it would be only moments more before she would arrive, I literally thought I had the option to give up. They were all already celebrating. They knew she was coming whether I liked it or not. But I had absolutely nothing left in me. I was exhausted from an 18-hour labor, I was severely anemic, dehydrated, and in so much pain. I just couldn’t do it.

But then something changed. Even before I saw Harvest, I loved her. I already knew her. I had bonded on this journey with her for nine months. Every kick, every shift up against my ribs, was a celebratory moment – even while painful. And so it was from this place of pure love, that I found the strength to keep going. I faced dead-on the reality that life was about to change but somewhere in my soul, I made this very conscious decision to welcome the unknown, wonderful, magical, terrifying being into my life to change my world, the world, so radically. Seconds later I was holding her in my arms and I was able to see what everyone else was celebrating this whole time.

Women need to offer their own experience and their own very personal stories like these…because the Visitation and the Christmas story are reminders that our theology is inherently an embodied theology. It is a theology of the word made flesh brought into being by Mary, the theokotos, the life-bearer.

Romans 8 says “all of creation is groaning in labor pains…” and my own experience of pregnancy and birth is the greatest testimony I can offer that “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.”

Life is hard right now. But we continue to come together at church to celebrate – that even when all seems wrong, we all bear the potential and the possibility for new life and to co-create

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the future that God imagines for us all. The Mystic Meister Eckhart wrote often about spiritual pregnancy, saying: " We are all Mothers of God, for God is always needing to be born."

And so he advised “tend only to the birth in you…” That glorious, wonderful, new thing which God is about to do in and through you that God might be born anew. May we celebrate that in one another and midwife one another to bring it about. In Jesus name, amen.

Financial News

Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Albany Financial Report

Thank you to all who have contributed to the mission projects chosen by the speakers at the Fall

and Spring Gatherings of Presbyterian Women in Albany Presbytery. One hundred and fifty

dollars was given in the fall for the USA Mission Experience Trips and so far One hundred and

ninety dollars has been sent in for the Climate Reality Project. If you have not contributed to

either of these collections and wish to do so, please send your check made out to Presbyterian

Women in the Presbytery of Albany with the name of the charity in the memo line to Rosalie

Hemingway, Treasurer, 3213 Church Street, Valatie, NY 12184

HORIZONS BIBLE STUDY IS BACK!   Stony Point Center is reopening on July 1st.  The workshop for the 2021 Horizon's Bible

Study "What My Grandmothers Taught Me - Learning from the Women in Matthew's Genealogy

of Jesus."  is planned for Fri, July 9 to Sun, July 11.  Details are in the attached flyer. Current

Stony Point COVID protocols are also attached. The workshop leader, Jane DeFord, is planning

a tactile and sensory experience, in addition to the overview of the study.  There will be some

hands-on learning, as well.  There is a 2-hour zoom option for training Bible Study for leaders on

Saturday morning from 10am-noon. After you register, you will be sent a list of items to bring

related to grandmothers and the ZOOM link if that is your option. PLEASE register by July 1st. 

Stony Point wants a minimum of 8 in Gilmor Sloan House. For questions contact Jane

MacDonald at jkmac3536@gmail.com

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Judy Hartley, the Moderator of the Albany Presbytery is interested in attending this workshop, but would like to carpool with someone. If you're interested, contact her at 217-840-3316 or breendrive@yahoo.com.

Stony Point Center- COVID Safety Update

It is understandable that guests will be experiencing varying degrees of trauma and that anxiety

levels will be high in public spaces. Please know that your safety is our priority and we know

that when choosing somewhere to gather your group, safety is your priority too. To that end, we

are constantly staying updated on CDC and NY guidelines and will update our practices as safety

permits.

As we now know, Covid-19 is spread almost exclusively through the air. Masking, keeping six

feet apart, reducing the size of gatherings, opening windows to increase ventilation, and staying

home if sick are the best ways to keep us all safe from the virus. Cleaning and hygiene remain

important as they always have. We will maintain a regular cleaning regimen before your arrival

and during your stay but will limit our presence in your spaces as much as possible.

We encourage everyone to get vaccinated. If your group can show they are all vaccinated, (and

only if), we will allow your group to unmask for gatherings when just your group is present. We

will still expect masking in public spaces and around other individuals and groups.

Here’s what we are doing to keep you safe.

The retreat center manager and each guest will adhere to anti-viral practices as listed here:Hygiene:Everyone should use hand sanitizer upon entering buildings. Everyone should wash hands for 20 seconds regularly.Public bathrooms will be cleaned daily with a hydrogen-peroxide-based, virus killing cleanser.

Distancing:Physical distancing is still important! We expect all to keep six feet of distance from others.

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Masking:Masks are a great way to keep yourself and others safe. We expect all to wear masks when not in their sleeping rooms.Outside you may choose to wear a mask or not, but we expect you to mask up and distance if you come near other people.

Occupancy:Meeting rooms and dining rooms are currently held at half capacity or less according to CDC and NY State guidelines.All sleeping rooms will be limited to single occupancy (at our group occupancy rate currently) until further notice. This is not a NY State requirement but we feel for now, it adds a layer of comfort. Those from the same family can share a room.

Cleaning:Public bathrooms will be cleaned daily with a hydrogen-peroxide-based, virus killing cleanser.Meeting rooms will be cleaned before arrival.Bedrooms and private bathrooms will not be entered during your stay. If you require fresh linens, please let us know, but no one will enter your room.

From the Stony Point website May 12, 2021

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Spring Gathering Follow-up

As a follow up to the Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Albany Zoom Spring Gathering,

information and resources are available. Nancy Pienta presented "Creation Care - How Can We

as a Church Respond to God's Call?”, a list of references is provided.

Tedtalk podcast from Dr. Katherine Hayhoe about the need to talk about climate change. 

https://www.ted.com/talks/katharine_hayhoe_the_most_important_thing_you_can_do_to_fight_climate_change_talk_about_it?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

Laura Faulk, member of Presbyterian - New England Congregational Church, the Albany

Presbytery Peacemaking Task Force and Co-chair of The Climate Reality Project: Capital

Region, NY Chapter presented “The Climate Reality Project: Capital Region, NY Chapter. It

educates the public about climate science and solutions, builds coalitions with other climate

activists, and conducts issue advocacy campaigns in order to bring about the rapid and just

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implementation of economy-wide climate solutions at the local, state, and national levels as well

as the development of resiliency plans.

The Climate Reality Project: Capital Region, NY Chapter        https://www.climaterealitycapitalregionny.com/.

Climate Reality Project. https://www.climaterealityproject.org

Solarize Albany https://www.solarizealbany.org/.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) Community Solar information https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/All-Programs/Programs/NY-Sun/Solar-for-Your-Home/Community-Solar.

The site is wrap-n-mat for reusable, washable sandwich wrap https://www.wrapnmat.com/ .

PROJECT PEANUT BUTTER

Westminster Presbyterian Church is now working with the founder of Project Peanut Butter at

the Washington University School of Medicine where a faculty member started the African

Initiative for this project.  Our goal is to transform the lives of the severely malnourished served

by our partners in Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone by identifying these children and getting

appropriate nutrition to them. WPW members Felicia and Fatmata helped to identify the need for

such support for children served by WPC partners in Ghana and Sierra Leone.

OUR MISSION

Project Peanut Butter (PPB) seeks to advance the treatment of severe malnutrition, the single

largest cause of child death in the world today, using effective, locally produced ready-to-use

therapeutic foods. This nonprofit is formed to provide needed nutritional and medical support

primarily to children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

Excerpts from a Project Peanut Butter article of August 10, 2015 Project Peanut Butter (PPB)

was founded by Mark Manary, MD, a pediatrician who currently serves as the Helene Roberson

Professor of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine.

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According to the WHO, malnutrition is credited as the largest contributor to child mortality in

the world. Dr. Manary is one of the world’s foremost experts in childhood malnutrition, and the

majority of his clinical field work has been in Malawi and Sierra Leone. In these locations he has

worked with local communities to establish feeding centers and nutrition programs where he and

his teams conduct research projects and programs aiming to eradicate malnutrition.

In 1999, Dr. Manary spent 10 weeks living in a village in Malawi, becoming familiar with the

lives of rural Malawians and what an effective treatment of malnutrition needed to entail. He

concluded that the therapeutic food had to be something that didn’t spoil, didn’t need to be

cooked, was easy for mothers to give in small amounts to their children at home, and was energy

dense.

The food became known as Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF). RUTF is an energy-dense,

peanut butter like paste, but it is more than just peanut butter. It consists of roasted ground

peanuts (peanut paste), powdered milk, vegetable oil, sugar, and vitamins/minerals. Peanuts

contain mono-unsaturated fats, which are easy to digest, and they are rich in protein and zinc,

which is good for the immune system. RUTF’s intended use is for severely malnourished

children ages 6 months to 5 yrs.

From 2000 to 2004, the doctors and their small teams tested various formulas with thousands of

malnourished children in a series of controlled clinical trials within Malawi. The results of these

trials were striking: 95% of these children recovered! Compare that to the 25% to 40% who fully

recovered using traditional hospital therapies.

Project Peanut Butter was officially founded and began producing food in Malawi in 2004. In

2007, the United Nations, World Health Organization, and World Food Programme recognized

RUTF with home-based therapy as the standard of care for severely malnourished children

worldwide.

In previous years, the food factories made more than 900 tons of the life-saving peanut butter for

children in Malawi and Sierra Leone. Some was shipped to Somalia and Zimbabwe. Manary

estimates the enhanced therapy is saving in the neighborhood of 750,000 children annually.

Others put the figure much higher.

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Helping WPC Partner HOCAP Select Best Way to help children who have Severe Acute

Malnutrition (SAM) and malnourished pregnant women who could give birth to stunted children.

Excerpts from https://www.projectpeanutbutter.org/

Across the world, Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is the largest killer of children under five

years of age, contributing to nearly half of all childhood deaths.

Defined by a very low weight to height ratio, visible severe wasting, or by the presence of

nutritional edema, an estimated 20 million children suffer from SAM, and malnutrition

contributes to the death of more than 3 million children a year.

Severe acute malnutrition is hunger and starvation clinically defined: hunger and starvation for

nutrients. Without proper treatment, the majority of children who survive live with major

compromises to their health, as well as to their cognitive and physical capabilities.

In addition to running its own production facilities in Malawi and Sierra Leone and now in

Ghana, PPB has helped other nonprofits develop and make their own RUTFs . . .The goal of PPB

is not only to produce food but also distribute it to malnourished children in the community.

Several feeding clinics are run in Malawi and Sierra Leone by PPB nurses and staff. Feeding

clinics will also be started in Ghana later this year.

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Up Coming Event - Save the Date

Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Albany

In - Person Fall Gathering

Saturday, October 16 – 11:30 am to 2:30 pmat

First Presbyterian Church of Hudson Falls

Program

Westminster Presbyterian Church’s African Mission

Belinda Quaye, Director of Christian Education at Westminster Presbyterian Church, will speak on the Youth Connection between youth from Westminster Presbyterian Church and congregations in Tema, Ghana.

Lois Wilson, Chair of the African Mission Committee at Westminster Presbyterian Church, will speak on how the program developed.A freewill offering will go to the FOCUS Churches of Albany, which is an ecumenical group of six churches that collectively address hunger and homelessness.

For further information, contact: Rosalie Hemingway at 518-758-7886 or silver3213@gmail.comCharlotte Hasselbarth at 518-356-0637 or chasselbarth@hotmail.com

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Share Your Good Words During PW’s

Online Churchwide Gathering Event

“Then people will come from east and west, from north and south . . . .”

—Luke 13:29 resbyterian Women, we’re

gathering online! Let us come together to “Rejoice in Hope” during PW’s Online Churchwide Gathering Event, August 5, 2021. This free event will include two hours of programming after the online Business Meeting closes on August 5. The online Gathering will be a time to rejoice, reflect and recharge. And it will also include time for celebrating and strengthening Presbyterian Women. Would you like to thank a mentor, celebrate your PW group or highlight an amazing ministry? Three tiers of engagement allow you to share your message and also financially support Presbyterian Women’s ministries!

1. Choose your level.

❍ Master gardener level, $5,000+ Includes a two‐minute or less video spot (provided by Master Gardener) during the online event on August 5; a post on PW’s social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram); Master Gardener’s logo or name on Presbyterian Women’s website July 1–August 15, 2021; a slide in the Gathering slideshow; a mention in

Presbyterian Women’s

Online Virtual Event

Thursday, August 5, 2021

P

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Horizons magazine. ❍ Cultivator level, $500–$4,999

Includes Cultivator’s logo or name featured on Presbyterian Women’s website July 1–August 15, 2021; a slide in the Gathering slideshow; and a mention in Horizons magazine.

❍ Caretender level, $100– $499 Includes a slide in the Gathering slideshow and a mention in Horizons magazine. (Design assistance can be provided by PW staff for the Gathering slideshow—just ask!)

2. Contact Carissa Herold, carissa.herold@pcusa.org or 844/797‐2872, ext. 5322, to stake out your place in the PW garden! Please provide your name, phone number, email address and the focus of your ad/slide. Carissa will contact you with details regarding next steps and the timeline.

Deadline: Reservations, art (or requests for design assistance) and payment due June 18, 2021. Questions? Contact Carissa Herold, carissa.herold@pcusa.org or 844/797‐2872, ext. 5322.

Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.1Peter 4:10

Elder Andrea RalphActing Editor

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