Men's Group Report of activities from the Men’s Group: -
June 20, 2010
BISONS LOSE, BUT NPC HAS WINNING DAY: Unfortunately, the attendance and cheering of 38 North Church folks at the Bisons game this past Sunday, June 20, did not enable the team to win. Nevertheless, a beautiful, sun-filled day with hot dogs, popcorn, soft drinks, and especially great fun and fellowship with friends resulted in a winning outing for us. Special thanks is due Tony Link for suggesting that the Men’s Group sponsor this event, and for his “connections” that allowed us to have reduced admission and food costs and to sit in choice seats along the first-base line where we had a great view of the game. We have to do this again!!!
- May 8, 2010
The breakfast meeting was a joint event sponsored by the Men’s Group and the Property Committee. Following a pancake breakfast, and, in anticipation of spring time in Western New York, Jeff Weaver showed a DVD titled “The Adirondacks,” which had been prepared in 2008 as a “PBS Home Video”. Around 9:00, some of the men retreated to the church lawn where weeding and dispersing mulch occurred—in an environment of pelting rain and 40+ mph winds!!!
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March 13, 2010
Hoyendahonh: The 25 individuals (including 2 youth and 4 adults from the Amherst Presbyterian Church) who attended the Men’s Group breakfast on March 13 had the pleasure of listening to Al Parker (aka. Hoyendahonh) of the Seneca Nation (Heron Clan) share some of the traditions and contributions to the U.S. Constitution of the Six Nation Confederacy in New York State. He emphasized the Nation’s world view, the sacred role of the turtle and the white pine tree, a 13-moon calendar vis-à-vis the 12-month year, the key role of clan women (and the contribution to the Women’s Right movement that began in NYS), and that decisions are made by consensus (not by voting) and have to answer three key (and commendable!!!) questions: What is the impact upon peace? What is the impact upon the environment? And, what is the impact upon seven generations from now?
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February 13, 2010
Twenty-six men went on a tour of the Pierce Arrow Museum in downtown Buffalo. This very interesting event was preceded by a breakfast at the Towne Restaurant on Allen Street. The docent was none other than the owner of the museum, and he spent about two hours providing background information on the variety of automobiles and related memorabilia associated with the automobiles and the times in which they were constructed. Among the cars were a red 1957 Ford Thunderbird and a black 1934 Pierce Arrow. Many remarked that it is too bad cars made today do not have the exciting style that characterized these much earlier vehicles.
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November 14, 2009
The Saturday morning Men’s Group breakfast on November 14 featured a very interesting question-and-answer session led by Gerry Rising on various topics related to the environment. [Dr. Rising is a UB Professor Emeritus who writes a weekly column for The Buffalo News that is titled “Nature Watch.”] Following a nourishing meal that included Tony Link’s secret oat meal recipe and a time of fellowship focusing upon small-group discussions of how the environment is affecting us today, Gerry lead a discussion of such topics as the effect of the new wind turbines on bats, the migratory patterns of birds, the spread of diseases to local trees in WNY, how not to get rid of moles, and the “art” of bird watching. We were most happy to be joined again by men from Amherst Presbyterian Church.
- October 17, 2009
The Breakfast meeting on October 17 featured an enlightening presentation by Jonathan Lacey, Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation [FBI]. Jonathan, who joined North Church with his family in 2004, was able to present, with some understandable limitations, an insiders view of the history, priorities, organization, recruiting and common misconceptions of the FBI. The content of his presentation and his answers to the many questions asked by the 32 men in attendance resulted in a better understanding of the FBI's role in the security conscious world in which we live. - September 12, 009
The Men's Group launched its Fall program with a time of fellowship, where we discussed three "ice-breaking" questions, and then prepared for a visit from a "mystery" guest. Turns out that the mystery guest was Johnny Carson. Unfortunately, he was not able to attend so we viewed some of Carson's clips from his 1960-1970 TV shows. For many of the men, the clips brought back fond and funny memories of days gone by. - May 16, 2009: "Pancakes Galore, Senior Highs, and Women"
Thirty some people, including eight Senior High youth and nine women, were treated to Tony Link’s and Ed Eisenlord’s buttermilk pancakes and Bill Clark’s sausages at the Men’s Group breakfast on May 16. In addition to pancakes (on warmed plates), syrup, and sausages, the menu included apple sauce, kuchens, OJ, cereal, and coffee/tea. The event was co-sponsored with the Property Committee and its annual clean-up-day around the outside of the church. Following the breakfast, most of the people stayed to help with the lawn work. While the women who were invited were greatly welcomed, they were not shown the men’s secret handshake. - March 14, 2009: The speaker at the Men’s Group breakfast on Saturday, March 14, 2009 was Dr. Richard Deitz, Regional Economics Officer with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Rich talked about the impacts of the current recessionary economic environment upon Western New York and Buffalo relative to the country as a whole and Upstate NY in particular. Among his observations: the budgets of NY State and local governments are facing enormous challenges, in part because Wall Street bonuses provide $2 billion in tax benefits for the State, and they have declined significantly; Buffalo has faced only a “mild downturn” and our 3 percent increase in housing prices is among the top in the nation; and in 2008 Upstate NY has experienced employment growth in professional business services, education and health, leisure and hospitality, and government. [Notes: Susan Burton very generously provided the strata as the main course for the breakfast. Kudos to Susan!!! How can we men possibly compete in the future???? And, remember that we have no meeting in April and our May 16 meeting will be a joint breakfast event with the Property Committee. - February 14, 2009: The Men’s Group had a Valentine “Party.” The Men’s Group had fun at their Saturday morning breakfast on Valentine’s Day talking about what it means to be a father. Helping us sort through this question was Rev. Dr. Howard Boswell, Jr. , Pastor of Kenmore Presbyterian Church. Among the questions that the men considered included: What is one of the things you recall that your father always said when you were growing up, and what did he mean by that saying? Do you hear your own father’s voice when you father your own children? What makes being a father more difficult today than in the past? What does it mean to be a Christian father? Why do some men hate going to church, and what does that have to do with “cutting apron strings”? Why do some men have difficulty being friends with other men? Several of Howard’s closing remarks: “Boys follow men, not religion.” “The parable of the prodigal son is really a parable of a loving father.” “Being a father these days means always learning on the job.” (The record number of people attending included 28 adults, 3 young girls, and 4 young boys.) - November 15, 2008: The Men’s Group spent much of Saturday morning on Nov. 15 at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society. After a very interesting and entertaining tour of the various exhibits, most of the 21 men adjourned to the Family Tree Restaurant for lunch and casual conversation (and a few, shamelessly, even had desserts). Kudos to Jeff Weaver who arranged the tour and the luncheon, and who, as a docent at the Historical Society, demonstrated his expertise by serving as a guide for one of our two groups. - October 18, 2008: Twenty-two men met on Saturday morning, October 18, to hear Kevin Heck provide an overview of UB’s basketball operations. Kevin is an Assistant Coach at UB and is very much involved in the ongoing recruiting efforts at that institution. After a hot breakfast and Kevin’s enthusiastic talk, the men spent some time renewing fellowship and finding out some very “juicy” things about each other’s past. - September 13, 2008: Twenty-six men met to enjoy a breakfast meal, renew fellowship, explain the history behind their middle names (if they had one), and listen to Pastor Bill Hennessy recount part of his own personal and family journey. Referencing Lewis Smedes' book, titled "A Pretty Good Person," Bill noted how all of us have ups and downs in our personal and family histories, and how these varying paths and ambiguities impact us as we strive to achieve the qualities of courage, gratitude, humility, integrity, and compassion. - May 10, 2008: Twenty-four people braved an early-morning meeting time to enjoy a hot breakfast, renew fellowship, recall memories of earliest heroes, and listen to Professor Claude Welch (Political Science Dept., UB) highlight some of the major issues facing countries in Africa. Rev. Carolyn Grohman was thanked for her willingness to accept invitations to all of the Men's breakfasts during the Spring and for her strong support of our efforts. The Group will begin a new program series in September, and men (and women?) are welcome to suggest alternative programs, recommend different breakfast menus, and volunteer during the summer to plan for the 2008-9 program year. Thanks to all for a successful launching!!! April 12, 2008: Twenty-seven people met on Saturday morning, April 12, to enjoy a hot breakfast, renew fellowship, and listen to Professor Colin Drury (SUNY Distinguished Professor, Dept. of Industrial Engineering) discuss various issues related to national security. Colin is a member of our congregation. The food was served on warmed plates, the conversation revolved around earliest childhood memories of attending church, and Colin shared some of his insights and research on security and passenger airplanes. March 8, 2008: Twenty-three people braved the snow on Saturday morning, March 8, to kickoff the newly formed Men’s Group. After spending some time getting to know each other better, the group listened to Rev. Dr. Tom Yorty (Senior Pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church) as he shared some thoughts on the topic: “I came away stronger: Why men’s groups make a difference.” He talked about how difficult it sometimes is for men to share their feelings (they want to be “human doings” not “human beings”), how increasingly important it is for small church groups to respond to the need for deeper spirituality, and why men’s wives are correct---men do need to be in a church-related men’s group!!
Click here to see photos of the March 8 Breakfast Meeting |
