Newsletter, September 2

Thought for the Week: September 2, 2015
by Kim Williams.

Our hearts are filled to overflowing with thanksgiving for the week we just had with the PATCH kids and their chaperones at our third annual Drumming Camp.  We give thanks for each one who participated in some way. You played, you sang, you danced, you fed, you taught, you listened, you talked, you laughed, you drummed, you read stories, you took photos, you organized, you picked up trash, you set up, you took down, you moved drums and chairs, you swept floors, you bought supplies, you made name tags, you picked up name tags off the ground, you shared smiles and hugs, you cooked, you made deserts, you served, you led, you helped out, you made t-shirts and maracas and collages, you brought food, you brought treats, you opened your hearts. In short, you lived out the motto of St. Stephen’s: a place where love begets love.

Thank you to each one of our 36+ volunteers:

Sara Ruth, Fran, Sue, Gesine, Claas, Deacon Kathleen, Karen, Patti, Sophia, Luke, Jaydn, John, Rammie, Elizabeth, Susan, Collette (and friends), Blair, Eugene, Carole, Felder, Julia, Ellen, Denise, Jean, Nancy, Judy, Jane, Muriel, Alex, Dick, Linda, Rev. Derek, Peter, Gary, Kim, Rev. Sheelagh (and anyone else we inadvertently forgot)

To modify Yah’Ya’s drum circle ending,
“Thank you, heart. Thank you, God, Thank you, heart, Thank you, everyone!”

Thank You To All Our Sponsors Who Kindly Donated Food Or A Gift Card!
Shoprite, Trader Joes, Goldberg’s Famous Deli, Peters, Millburn Diner, & Pizzeta.

Reminders

  Serving at the Altar Sunday 9/6  & 9/13

Coffee hosting and flowers needed

Please sign up with Susan Dinan for coffee hour.  Please let Eugene or Claire know if you want to donate flowers.  There are only 40 weeks in the year that we need flowers for the altar – please consider taking ONE in memory of a loved one, or in thanksgiving for an event.  Flowers are priced at $40, $50 or $60 for the two vases.

Thanks to Summer Musicians!

Thank you to all who shared their musical talents with us throughout the summer during the choir’s vacation: Harriet Jernquist, Dick Cole, Denise Price, Kira Hanson, Peter Wick and Ellen Pluta. The Senior Choir resumes rehearsals this Sunday, September 6 at 9 am.

Drumming Camp was a huge success!
Please See Article Below

On August 29, the children involved in a drumming camp had their first live performance at Taylor Park.  The week-long PATCH (Parents And Their Children) drumming camp has been hosted by St. Stephen’s Church for the past three summers.  The children involved in the camp are part of an Essex County program for children who have at least one parent who is incarcerated. Each summer the camp attracts about 20 children ages 6 to 13, and most of these children continue drumming throughout the year with this program.  On Saturday, some family members of the children came to Taylor Park to enjoy the performance.

In the past, the children performed inside the church, but this year the kids did an outside performance for the public to show off their drumming skills. And they loved making music in the park, according to a girl at the camp, doing the performance was “rewarding” and “made her feel proud to be a part of this camp.”

The campers are taught drumming by Yah’Ya Kamate. He is a great and energetic teacher who attracts the attention of the kids by being charismatic and kind. He is a dancer and drummer for the Alvin Ailey Dance Company, a traditionally black dance company in New York City.  He is originally from Ivory Coast. He was the one who had the idea to make the Taylor Park performance a tribute to Nelson Mandela and included a speech recited by all the children, dancing, and drumming to make them feel proud about their heritage.

At the end of the week the kids were asked to review the camp so the church can figure out how to change it for the better.  When asking the kids how they felt about the camp the response was overwhelmingly positive. One of the girls, said, “I wish it was an overnight camp! I love when Yah’Ya comes and teaches us drumming and dances.”  Another girl said “I love the camp because I love to drum, most of the time I don’t get to play the drums and when I do it is a lot of fun.” Both of the girls made it very clear that they do not get similar experiences elsewhere and that they want to continue participating in the camp.

It felt great knowing that the kids had a wonderful experience, so I asked the adult directors how they felt about the camp. According to Reverend Sheelagh Clarke, the woman who runs the drumming camp, “while this camp isn’t exactly easy to run I wouldn’t want it any other way, I love being able to help these kids and this is a great way to do it because it gives them a hobby that they can develop over time.”

-Elizabeth Hawk

UPCOMING EVENTS 

Annual Fund Raising Breakfast

You are invited to the annual fundraising breakfast for the Interfaith Hospitality Network, October 14 from 8-9 am at Mayfair Farms. Learn more about the agency’s programs for the homeless and enjoy a continental breakfast. Please contact Tina Kelley at tinapetekate@yahoo.com or 917 439 9484 if you would like to attend. Thanks!

Tina Kelley
co-author, Almost Home: Helping Kids Move from Homelessness to Hope
(Wiley, Oct. 2012)
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