Good Tidings and Great Joy!

Renovation Update from Carol Asiello

Like any home improvement project, there are always surprises and chaos before you begin to see the results! Work is underway in the most commonly used rooms of the Education Wing to bring a sense of warmth hospitality and enthusiasm back to our members and the people who use the church facilities. A thorough cleaning and painting was completed. The bathrooms are being tiled and new partitions and fixtures are on order. The Fellowship Hall will have new wood laminate floors with 2 heavy coats of poly and the windows will receive new commercial quality fabric blinds. The nursery school rooms will match – with a bit more color on the walls – and new blinds are ordered for the other 2 large rooms. The Library, Pastor Study and Office will receive new blinds and carpet. Once everything is back in place, new carpet “tiles” will be installed in the hallway and welcome mats at the entrances. The kitchen has received a fresh coat of paint, and we are hoping to have enough resources to put in a new floor and countertop at the end of the project – stay tuned and be patient!

Please note we are working diligently with local vendors to coordinate all the work to be completed by August 15. The folks who use NCPC have been very understanding and interested in our progress. But none of this would be possible without the backing of session, the encouragement of church members, and the efforts of Gary, Art, Fred, Roger and Charlie to oversee the process and lend a hand.

Thank You to all who have donated to the Renovation Fund

Many have given money towards the renovations, some from church members, some from AA groups and some from individuals attending meetings here at the church. Thank you to each and every one.

Eagle Hill Neighborhood Association– A neighborhood soaring to new heights

The Eagle Hill Neighborhood Assoc. experienced a rebirth in 2009 and is continuing to develop.

Regular monthly meetings are held on the 4^th Tuesday of each month. During the school year they are held in the cafeteria of the Eagle Point School at Western Ave. and Russell Rd. During the summer they are held here at our church. The meeting starts at 7 P.M. and is generally concluded by 8 P.M. or shortly thereafter.

The name Eagle Hill is taken from the Historic Hill and Landmark Cemetery (mid 1800s through mid 1900s) that is located on Western Ave. just west of the Harriman State Office Campus entrance.

The Eagle Hill section of Albany was originally almost exclusively undeveloped land, which was later divided up and sold off as garden plots to immigrants living in downtown Albany who used it to plant gardens and vineyards. Eventually many of these same people, having been displaced by construction of the Empire State Plaza, built homes here and part of the area acquired the nickname “Little Italy.”

The Eagle Hill Neighborhood Association is a non-political group formed to:

• Foster and support communication among residents
• Promote quality of life in the neighborhood and throughout the city of Albany
• Address current quality of life issues, including (but not limited to) criminal, health and safety code violations
• Promote public safety through partnership with police, fire and emergency personnel

Work with other academic, civic and community organizations to enhance the quality of life for our neighbors and all Albany residents

Please explore our website and our neighborhood. Stay as long as you like…

Vincent Rigosu, President

Claudine Chimelli, Vice President

Charles K Cortright, Treasurer

Santa Coppolino Pasquini, Secretary

Mailing Address:          POB 3786

Albany, NY 12203-3786

Next meeting:              Tuesday, August 24^th at New Covenant Presbyterian

Website:http://sites.google.com/site/eaglehillnalbany/home/

Blessing Cup

Count your many Blessings! Name them one by one! Share your good

Fortune with others!

Remember we collect  the Blessings Cup on the first Sunday of every Month. Our August donation went to FOCUS on Schools. September through December as follows:

September 5                                SUNY at Albany Ministries

October 3                                     Support Ministries

November 7                                 Capital City Rescue Mission

December 5                                  Parson’s Children Home

A Thank You from Denny to the Congregation of New Covenant Presbyterian Church.

You were all so gracious on my last Sunday with you and on the occasion of my retirement, June 27^th. Thank you for the reception, for the gift card to Borders, but most of all for all of the kind words. Already I am getting busy in my retirement, but I carry all of you in my heart with the many others I have known and worked with in so many other congregations and presbyteries.

I am no longer your pastor, but can continue to be your friend. In particular the Book of Order says, and most presbyteries require that I call to your attention, this provision of G-14.0630: Officiate by Invitation Only _ “Former pastors, associate pastors, and ministers who do not have a pastoral relationship with the particular church as defined in this chapter may officiate at services for members of  the church, or at services within its properties, only upon invitation from the moderator of the session or, in case of the inability to contact the moderator, from the clerk of session.”

Enjoy your renovated building, and keep working on your mission as a church!

Peace,

Denny Maher

New Covenant Presbyterian Church

916 Western Ave

Albany, NY 12203