The High Falls Messenger C o m m u n i t y C h urc h o f H i g h Fa l l s

A Word from Our Pastor...

September 2020

Dear Friends and Members of The Community Church of High Falls,

Historians have pointed out that the rise of every great civilization can be associated with a grain.

Western civilization utilized wheat. Asia cultivated rice. The indigenous peoples of the Americas –

corn. The rational is simple enough. For people to live in large numbers requires a food supply

greater than hunter-gatherers’ cultures can achieve. Civilization requires agriculture – agriculture

that can create enough food to supply a large population. That means grain. Grain is the symbol of

community.

October 4, 2020 will be World Communion Sunday. This day of celebration in the church year is

set aside specifically to honor the community of saints being created by God (both in heaven and on

earth). A community of a truly global character. Every tribe, tongue, and nation finding unity in the

midst of diversity. Unity, by that def-

inition, is not homogony. No one is

under the presumption every Chris-

tian in heaven and earth look, acts, or

thinks the same. No, our unity is not

found in how we are alike, but by the

how God is gathering that grand mix

together into one kingdom. The one

creating unity in the Church is not the

Church, but is, instead, God’s self.

Those are some pretty high ideals

with seemingly little reality behind

them these days. Division, not unity,

seems to be ideal of the moment.

Globalization is made suspect while

nationalism is championed in its

place. People hide in their echo chambers of preferred media, making anyone who would disagree

with them an enemy. We detach from an actual shared experience of life and a common humanity

to post combative rhetoric on social media. Add a pandemic in the mix – isolating people from each

other while also pushing people right up to (and sometimes over) their emotional cliffs – and it

seems the only hope for unity is the stubborn, miraculous, determination for it by God.

World Communion Sunday may be the most important celebration of the church year in 2020.

Even more than Christmas and Easter. Do not be shocked I would say something like that. Jesus

was always saying if something was truly good it would bear good fruit. We may love Christmas and

Easter, but if they are any good, they should also bear fruit. And that fruit could very well be the (Continued on page 7)

Page 2 The High Fal ls Messenger September 2020

From our Church Family and Friends

10 Tips to reduce COVID-19

Anxiety

Focus on things you can control,

such as your thoughts and behav-

iors

Keep the big picture in mind. Hu-

mankind will survive this.

Remember that the size of the

news coverage may not equal the

size of a threat.

Let wisdom and logic guide you.

Turn to reputable sources for your

news.

Control how often you check the

latest news.

Model peaceful behavior for those

around you.

Evaluate your own health behav-

iors and be a model for others,

including children.

Feeling too isolated? Maintain dig-

ital connections with people.

Don’t let fear influence your deci-

sions, such as hoarding supplies.

2020 has been (and still is) a tough year for all of us, some more so than others. I offer this little prayer…

Touch me, O Lord, and fill me

with your light and your hope.

Amen. Dear God, please give me

strength when I am weak, love

when I feel forsaken, courage

when I am afraid, wisdom when I

feel foolish, comfort when I am

alone, hope when I feel rejected,

and peace when I am in turmoil.

Amen

Age 7, but almost 8!!

Page 3 The High Fal ls Messenger September 2020

We welcomed Jack James into the Roman clan on 7/28/20. He is a healthy 7lbs and growing. Jack is incredibly quiet and easy going so far, and seems quite tolerant of two noisy older sisters. Natalie and Emma have been thrilled to finally meet him and "help." They love their baby brother. Danielle is recovering well and we feel very blessed to have a healthy baby during the pandemic. (Photo below: Natalie, Jack and Emma)

From Brandon Roman: “I have been eagerly waiting to share my love for camping and hik-ing in the Adirondacks with my kids. In June, Natalie and I spent a night camping at the ADK LOJ wilderness campground, and hiked Cascade Mountain near Lake Placid. Cascade is 4098' tall and one of the ADK's 46 high peaks. It was a difficult but rewarding hike for Natalie and she did impressively well. The lure of swimming and ice cream afterward probably helped! We are both excited to go again and hopefully enjoy many more experi-ences like this.”

BIRTHDAYS...

9/7 Roy Hornbeck

9/8 Morgan Cline

9/13 Paul Giordano, Sr

9/13 Gary Kitchen

9/13 Jaxsen Reuss

9/20 Savannah Avery

9/22 Bill Wilkins

9/22 Cheryl Hassett

9/27 Kevin Buboltz

ANNIVERSARIES…

9/18 Kelly Hassett & Oscar Hernandez

9/27 Dawn & Ken Letus

9/30 Gail & Paul Wikane

Our Church Family: Birthdays & Anniversaries

Page 4 The High Fal ls Messenger September 2020

The Adventures of Mr. Whiskerpuss

By Abbigail Cline (age 11)

Chapter 1: The Purrfect Plan

Hi, if you care to know, I am Mr. Whiskerpuss. I am a cat. I get pushed around, trampled, and

tossed across the apartment. Okay, maybe I just put that in for dramatic affects. Anyway, my

‘owners’ are some stubborn, crazed people called Farrah (my ‘mom’), Tom (my ‘dad’), and lastly

Franklin. He is the boy. Little boy, I should say. Franklin says he is my ‘brother’, but no, I never

had a brother, only 3 other sisters. We were best friends, until our mom and our dad were run over

by a car on the road. Then, somebody saw us on the side of the road. Of course, they didn’t realize

that we were crying and needed to be by ourselves, so they picked us up and then we were off.

Well, anyway, my ‘owners’ think I am supposed to be some sort of playful cat, but no, I am a

couch potato with paws and claws to scratch the furniture. Oh, I forgot to mention that these

‘owners’ as they call themselves also have a gerbil. When my ‘family’ goes out somewhere, I get

up off the couch and open up Emmet’s dungeon door, as we call it. The people say that it is an en-

closed play/living space, but it truly is a dungeon. Emmet and I both agree. By the way, I don’t eat

gerbils, mice, rats, or hamsters. I much prefer 3 to 4 minnows for a meal, but my ‘mom’ only gives

me wet soggy chicken. I don’t even like chicken. Emmet doesn’t even get what he likes, so we are

like brothers!

So, me and Emmet made the purrfect plan. A dog lives above us and we sometimes talk to each

other when our ‘owners’ are gone. He totally agrees with the master plan Emmet helped me make.

The dog’s name is Pluto, and believe it or not, has a kitten friend above him. Like I the next apart-

ment room up. So anyway, her name is Galaxy. I know, awesome name, right? We are actually

related because one of my sisters, Luna, had a litter of kittens and Galaxy is one of them. Luna ac-

tually lives there, too.

But since we have a whole load of friends ready to escape, we will be going tomorrow when our

‘owners’ go out to the movie theater. The reason we are going so soon is because Luna is about to

make another litter of kittens. Everyone gets to have one when they are old enough, she says. Our

group is me, Emmet, Pluto,

Galaxy, Luna and the soon

to be born kittens. We live

right by Central Park in New

York City. After we go there,

and the kittens are old

enough, we will go to the

shore by the water and we

will catch a ride on a boat

and go up the Hudson river.

Then, we will turn into the

Rondout Creek, and then we

will live in Kingston. That’s

our plan. And, I do believe

we all will have better lives

there. Away from those cra-

zy city people. Not all of

them are crazy, but our

‘owners’ were.

To be continued…

Page 5 The High Fal ls Messenger September 2020

A Magical History Tour...a series by Gary Kitchen

The Rest Plaus Historic District

The Rest Plaus Historic District is located in the

southern end of the Town of Marbletown and is

dominated by its limestone outcroppings that de-

fine the landscape and for which the town got its

name. The district also falls within the Rondout

Creek Watershed. The area is rich in historic sig-

nificance and is near the Stone Ridge Historic Dis-

trict, the Kripplebush Historic District and the Hur-

ley Historic District. Future articles will highlight

these other districts.

The Rest Plaus Historic District consists mostly

of undeveloped open space and has been used for

agricultural purposes for over 225 years. There

are four farms that comprised the district when

the European settlers came and occupied the area

in the late 1700s even though more recent farms

have been developed. These latest farms are “non

-contributing” farmlands to the historic district

since they were developed much later than the

original four farms. The more modern farms lie

between the Rondout Creek and Route 209.

The District is transected by three main roads,

Lucas Turnpike, Rest Plaus Road and Old Kings

Highway. The abandoned O&W railway bed also

runs through it. There is also a meandering stream

that runs through the district, now named the

Kripplebush Creek, but historically known as the

Rest Plaus Kill and the Dover Kill. Dover Kill was

originally called “Doove Kill” or sluggish stream to

the Dutch. The stream eventually empties into the

Rondout Creek behind the Feather Farm along Lu-

cas Turnpike.

This stream runs under Old Kings Highway and

before the mid-nineteenth century bridge was built

at that location, this area was known as the

“fording place” or where the old road forded the

stream. To the Dutch, this area was known as

“Reust Plaus.” This name was eventually angli-

cized to Rest Place and is now called Rest Plaus, a

name which is administratively recognized by the

Town of Marbletown. This tradition of calling this

area by “Rest Plaus” has continued for over 300

years.

The earlier settlers named this area as a Resting

Place, because it was approximately halfway be-

tween Ellenville and Kingston and provided a good

place for travelers to take a rest. There were two

places that accommodated these travelers. One

was the Rest Plaus Mill, or as it is known to the

locals as Harry Hansen’s place. The other location

was up Old Kings Highway from where it meets

Rest Plaus Road and was known as the Pratt

House. These two buildings retain their historic

character. Late night travelers, who knew they

probably couldn’t find or afford accommodation in

Stone Ridge, might have stopped at one of these

two places for the night or just to replenish for the

journey into Kingston.

While travelling along Old Kings Highway or be-

tween Lucas Turnpike and Route 209 along Rest

Plaus Road, one can see the open fields dotted

with eighteenth and early nineteenth century

frame and stone farmsteads and their supporting

agricultural buildings, barns and outbuildings.

Many barns were lost to fires because of hay fires

in which case newer buildings were raised to con-

tinue the farm operation. Most of the early homes

remain intact with slight alterations or additions to

accommodate a growing family.

It would be nice to be able to give a little history

of all the different homes, structures and sections

of Rest Plaus, but that would take up too much

space in our newsletter. There are over 60 historic

and non-historic buildings and sites in the district.

One can just imagine what the area looked like

back in the 1700s and 1800s. Lucas Turnpike did

not go straight through to High Falls, but was just

sections of Old Kings Highway. This wandering

road eventually became the footprint for Kyserike

Road, Route 209, Rest Plaus Road with only dis-

jointed sections that retained the name Old Kings

Highway.

The entire Rest Plaus District, actually the entire

Rondout Valley, had become deforested either by

the Indian tribes that preceded European occupa-

tion or by the earlier settlers themselves to expose

the fertile Rondout Valley bottom land. In the

1700s you could stand where G&G Power Equip-

ment is now on Route 209 and see an unimpeded

view of the Benton Bar cemetery on Lucas Turn-

Page 6 The High Fal ls Messenger September 2020

pike. This early photo below was taken from Mohonk Mountain showing the Rondout Valley as it might

have looked at the turn of the century. Notice the fields with very few homes.

The Rest Plaus Historic District with its intact collection of eighteenth, nineteenth and early twenti-

eth century resources, maintains its general setting, layout and viewscape as it might have appeared

to the early traveler. Despite the relocation, straightening and joining of roads, new development and

the expansion of non-agricultural businesses, the district has survived as an intact example of rural

eighteenth, nineteenth and early twentieth century agricultural development.

Our next history article will highlight some of the more notable homes along the historic Main Street

of Stone Ridge. Do you know where Washington and his troops stayed in Stone Ridge? Where was the

“Hub” of Stone Ridge located and was the Stone Ridge Library always a library?

The Towpath Run/Walk has gone virtual this year. Due to the Covid pandemic, Friends of Little

Ones, Inc. will be conducting the 6K (3.7 mile) Run/Walk as a virtual race from Monday, Sept. 21 -

Sunday, Sept 27. The registration fee is $18. Pre-registration is required by Sept. 14. A short-

sleeved t-shirt will be given to all registrants. Go to RunSignUp at https://runsignup.com/Race/NY/

Accord/TowpathRun to register online or to download a printed form. Participation is needed this

year more than ever as almost all fundraisers for the Little Ones Learning Center have had to be can-

celled. For more information contact Deanna Paley at (845)626-7677 or email dee_e_v@yahoo.com.

Page 7 The High Fal ls Messenger September 2020

grapes that are gathered from many hills into one cup for World Communion Sunday.

We should make a big deal of World Communion…except we cannot…Again, Covid-19 means we

cannot gather – at least not in large numbers. So I intend to get creative. Grain is the symbol of

community, and grains from every tribe, tongue, and nation is symbol of our diversity in the midst of

our unity as a people being created by God. Since we cannot gather and share one cup, and one loaf

of bread, let us celebrate the diversity of bread and juice in people’s homes this year.

What is your favorite grain? What is your favorite juice? And if you are at home, partaking in com-

munion via an online worship service, what kind of bread and juice would you pick to use? Wheat,

rice, corn? Sour dough? Tortilla? Donut? And for that matter, what kind of juice? Grape? White or

purple? Fermented or not? Sangria anyone?

In homes, not churches, this year – all over the planet – people will be choosing their favorite grain,

and their favorite juice, to celebrate World Communion Sunday. We should celebrate that. So, be-

tween now, and October 4, my challenge to each of you is to make your pick for World Com-

munion Sunday elements, and then to post a picture of them to the church’s Facebook page.

Get creative. Have fun. And be inspired by the Communion Liturgy: “As this grain has been gathered

from many fields into one loaf, and these grapes from many hills to one cup, grant Oh Lord that your

whole Church may soon be gathered from ends of earth into your Kingdom. Even so, come Lord Je-

sus.”

God bless,

Pastor Aaron

(Continued from page 1)

Pastor Aaron Schulte

aaronjamess@gmail.com

845-594-2214

info@communitychurchofhighfallls.com

http://churches.rca.org/highfalls/

www.facebook.com/communityychurchofhighfalls

Some days it is hard to think positive thoughts...some of these may, at the very least, make

you smile (taken from the Internet)

Is it too early to put up the Christmas tree? I have run out of things to do.

When this virus thing is over, I still want some of you to stay away from me.

Wait a second...so what you’re telling me is that my chance of surviving all this is directly linked to the

common sense of others?

Another Saturday night in the house and I just realized that the trash goes out more often than me.

Remember when you were little and all your underwear had the days of the week on them. Those

would be helpful right about now.

Remember all of those times when you wished the weekend would last forever? Well, wish granted.

Happy now?

Page 8 The High Fal ls Messenger September 2020

Messages, Updates, etc.…

The church building is currently closed for most activities. Recently, however, a limited seating Sun-

day morning service is now offered at 9:30am. You must contact Pastor Aaron prior to Sunday morn-

ing to see if seating is available. A facemask is mandatory. Pews have been marked off to maintain

social distancing requirements. All necessary materials will be in the bulletin and no person to person

contact is necessary. Participants are asked to not congregate within the building—if personal conver-

sations take place before or after the service, please do so outside.

Pastor Aaron will continue to do a Sunday message via YouTube. Links will be posted to our Church

Facebook page, the Church webpage, or via this link. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6C1O9n-

1Kk8wnebYYZgwZg

• Pastor Aaron also keeps an email list for those who would like to receive church updates via

email. Just send him an email and ask to be included: aaronjamess@gmail.com

• Please consider supporting the church with offerings and donations. You can send a check to the church (address above) or, if you prefer, we have made online giving availa-ble. There is a “GIVE” button on the church website or you can simply go to tithe.ly to set up an account, and follow this path to start an account:

tithe.ly ››› sign up for free ››› give to church ››› online giving Note: each transaction costs 30 cents plus 2.65% which will come out of the amount given.

• The Rondout Valley Food Pantry has been assisting MANY families with food donations during

this pandemic. You may drop off donations of food in the vestibule of their building on Rt 209 in

Stone Ridge. You may also send checks to them at: PO Box 22, Stone Ridge, NY 12484. If you

have any questions, please call them at 845-687-4013.

• The "Bring a Dime" money has been counted and $158.50 was collected in 2019.

• The North Marbletown Mission Thrift Shop of the Community Church of High Falls is open on

Wednesdays 2-5 PM and Saturdays 9AM- 1PM. Safety protocols will be in place to protect custom-

ers and volunteers. Everyone will be required to wear a mask and only 6 shoppers will be allowed

in the thrift

Sending my love to you and all the members of the church and especially the shawl ministry. Xo Rigmor

August Stats from the RV Food Pantry

Page 9 The High Fal ls Messenger September 2020

Remember the photo of that cute little playhouse that Paul Wikane made for his grand-daughter (we

shared it back in the Spring)...well, here she is...having a grand time keeping house.

Hi Merry Long time and hope u and your family are well. I’ve been ok, still and forever in remission I hope. I’m still working w/e caring for someone and like to do this so if u hear of anyone needing assistance let me know. Stay Safe and Hello to All. - from Lynette Keator To the left are some of Lynette’s pretty flowers.

Our home away from home. (Photo by Merry Oakley)

PO Box 68

High Falls, NY 12440

We are located at 4 Firehouse Rd, High Falls

Communi ty Church of H igh Fal l s

info@communitychurchofhighfallls.com

http://churches.rca.org/highfalls/

www.facebook.com/communityychurchofhighfalls

Pastor Aaron Schulte

aaronjamess@gmail.com

845-594-2214

Greetings Friends and Neighbors!

Thank you to all who have contributed to the September Newsletter.

And, thanks to Philliber Research Associates for printing our copies and thanks to the Guild for provid-

ing the postage.

If you wish to receive this newsletter via email rather than paper copy, just send me an email and I

will add you to the list. ~ Merry O. Editor (with the email version, the pictures are generally in color!)

Our next newsletter deadline will be: September 27th...we would love to hear from YOU!!

You can Email writings and/or photos to me at: mleeoak@gmail.com

or send via USPS to: Merry Oakley, Newsletter Editor Community Church of High Falls

PO Box 68

High Falls, NY 12440

From the Editor...