On the eve of the holiday and on the day itself, residents of Columbia County observed the day dedicated to the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr., in different ways. An interfaith worship service, a pancake breakfast, and a gathering to celebrate local resources and local resourcefulness all paid tribute to Dr. King's dream of brotherhood and his life of service.
The observance of Martin Luther King Day got off to its traditional start at Shiloh Baptist Church in Hudson on Sunday night with an interfaith worship service sponsored by the Hudson Interfaith Council. This year’s service, entitled “A Call to Conscience,” was organized by Rabbi Daniel Fried of Congregation Anshe Emeth and the Reverend John Perry of Christ Church Episcopal.
Just being in Shiloh Baptist Church is an interfaith experience. The building was once a synagogue, and the symbols of Judaism remain in the building’s stained-glass windows, contrasting with the symbols of Christianity with which the African-American congregation has adorned its place of worship. Being at Shiloh Baptist Church for the Martin Luther King Day service is both an interfaith experience and a community event. The leaders of nearly all the houses of worship in the Hudson area took part in the service, including representatives of the Hudson Mosque and Hudson Friends Society, which meets in the tiny meeting house built by the Quaker founders of Hudson. Elected officials from three levels of government addressed the gathering: Hudson Mayor Rick Scalera, Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chair Art Baer, and New York State Assemblyman Marc Molinaro. There were greetings, there were speeches, there were prayers, and there were songs—such songs—sung by the Hudson High School Choir, the Shiloh Youth Choir, and the brilliant and amazing Shiloh Mass Choir, with soloist Adele Armor.
The historic significance of the day was lost on no one, but the Reverend Kim Singletary of the Overcomers Ministries, who served as worship leader, gave voice to what everyone was thinking: “Tomorrow we celebrate the life of the first black man in America to have a holiday named after him. The next day we celebrate the inauguration of the first black man to be elected President of the United States.”
Messages of peace were read from the New Testament, the Hebrew Scripture, and the Koran. The words of Martin Luther King, Jr.—excerpts from “A Call to Conscience” and his “I Have a Dream” speech—were recited by Chantelle Samuels and Immanuel Folds. The Reverend Ronald Grant, pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, delivered the keynote speech, which took as its text the story of Daniel and the Babylonian captivity of the Hebrews and drew—although never mentioning the President-Elect—implicit comparisons between Daniel and Barack Obama.
The annual Interfaith Council service in observance of Martin Luther King Day is always a stirring experience of community in Hudson, but this year—two days before the inauguration of Barack Obama—it was especially so.
As in every year, the final part of the service was presenting the Micah 6:8 Award, so named for this verse from the Bible: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” The award, which goes to a young member of one of faith communities in the Hudson Interfaith Council, went this year to Dylan Meyer, a senior at Hudson High School, a communicant at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, and the son of Peter Meyer and Janet Kealy.
“EAT FOR A CAUSE" AT ST. PETER'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN SPENCERTOWN
Fran Heaney
ccSCOOP News
On Monday, January 19, St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church in Spencertown was the scene for “Eat for a Cause,” a pancake breakfast to benefit the Baccaro family. Brian and Kelly and their two children lost all of their possessions in the tragic house fire on Haddock Hill Road.
Marcy Coalter, her family, and the members of St. Peter’s Church organized the “Eat for a Cause” pancake breakfast as a Day of Service project in observance of Martin Luther King Day.
Martin Luther King said, “Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.”
In the words of the National Day of Service poster that hung on the church front door: “Think about it. Dr. King knew what makes a great American. Doesn’t matter if you are young or old. Doesn’t matter where you live. Doesn’t matter how busy you are. All that matters is what you do for others. Honor the Dream. Be Great. Volunteer.”
The St. Peter’s Church community heard that call and responded. Marcy’s husband, Lee Coalter, assisted his in-laws, Sandra and Joel Dyslin, in the kitchen, cooking up the delicious menu of pancakes (chocolate chip or blueberry), eggs (any way you like ‘em), sausage, and bacon. All the Dyslin grandchildren who were grown-up enough to write down the orders volunteered their services as waiters and waitresses. Sandy Fischer and Wendy Madsen buzzed around the Friendship Hall assisting the children as they took the breakfast orders from the delighted guests.
Mary Anne Davis and Dan Franck, Patricia Luccardi, Vivian and Ed Wachsberger, Dick Light and his beautiful granddaughters, Austerlitz Town Supervisor George Jahn, the entire Cashen family, and many more enjoyed the breakfast feast.
Chatham Middle School students, Gabe Franck and Adam Brown volunteered their morning off to collect money and receive the canned goods that will go to a local food pantry.
Marcy Coalter was happy to report that “Eat for a Cause” had made the goal of serving 100 pancake breakfasts.
For more information about Eat for a Cause, visit eatforacause.org
ccSCOOP Green Moment:
"LOCAL 'N' GREEN" AT MARISA'S BAGEL CAFE IN CHATHAM
Fran Heaney
ccSCOOP News
Kerstin Kup, Joseph Briggs, and Chiara Ostacoli had a good green idea. They came up with a way to respond to Michelle Obama’s “Call to Service” and observe Martin Luther King Day: the first Local ‘n’ Green Meeting.
Like many Columbia County residents, Kerstin, Joseph, and Chiara are changing the way they think about food, local farms, food products, community markets, sustainability, solar power, and alternative energy.
Event organizers Kerstin Kup, Chiara Ostacoli, and Joseph Briggs
Chiara Ostacoli and her mother own and operate Marisa’s Bagel Café in Chatham. On Monday, January 19, they invited green-thinking folks to the café to celebrate Dr. King’s birthday by brainstorming about locally grown food and Columbia County’s precious resources. Joseph Briggs thought a gathering of like-minded, green-thinking community members would be a good way to connect the dots. The café was packed with people eager to share their ideas.
Alicia Polak, visiting from South Africa, talked about her Khaya Cookie Company. The cookie company was the recipient of the Food Network’s “Edible Entrepreneur of the Year” award in 2007. The founding principle of the Khaya Cookie Company is to create jobs. For every 150,000 boxes of cookies sold, the company hires 100 new people. Check out www.khayacookies.com for more information.
Jody Rael and Betsy Ferris Wyman of Solar Power and Art brought information about their dream to create an industrial-scale arts enterprise in the 100,000 square feet of the old Chatham Boxboard Company on Route 66. Jody owns 180 acres in back of the mill. He hopes to build Solaqua Homes, a co-housing community. Sundog Solar from Solaqua is already a big success.
Candace Estace, a nurse from Schodack High School, came to discuss getting locally grown food into school cafeterias. Brenda Schufelt is planning to have a victory garden. She hopes that the Obamas will plant a garden at the White House.
Sarah Shapiro talked about the Hawthorne Valley Farm’s full line of natural foods, baked goods, and dairy products. Jeff Lick of the Spruce Ridge Alpaca Farm talked about the Alpaca fiber products the farms produces and sells.
Glen Widjeskog, who is involved in Stuyvesant conservation, voiced his concern for the children in the community with “nature deficit disorder” and advocated for a “No Child Left Inside” program.
Kerstin, Joseph, and Chiara were excited and inspired by the turnout at their first Local ‘n’ Green meeting. Their next meeting will be February 2 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Marisa’s Bagel Café. You can email them at localNgreen@yahoo.com.
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