Reverend Karen Monk
Pastor of Kaaterskill UMC
Worship Services:
Summertime Hours: 10am
Where: Haines Falls UMC
Come earlier at 9:30am if you like to sing!
Fall, Winter and Springtime
Hours: 10:30am
Where: Tannersville UMC
Sunday School is held from September through May at this church in the Blue Room during the regular service.
All text, images, photos, and other art works are the copyright of the United Methodist Church, Kaaterskill United Methodist Church, and/or the kind folks of our congregation whom have provided resources for this web site.
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 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalm 119:105
Worship Services
At Kaaterskill United Methodist Church, the emphasis is on unconditional love and acceptance for members of the congregation and for members of the community. Visit us and discover boundless opportunities for personal and spiritual growth, along with meaningful ways to make a real difference in your community. You'll be greeted with genuine warmth and embraced by a supportive extended family.
In the summertime we gather before church begins to sing hymns and gospel songs. The altar is lovingly and artfully decorated by Lynne Taylor according to the theme of the day or the season. Worship services open with a hearty "Welcome" from Pastor Karen Monk and an equally hearty reply from the congregation. The worship service of any time of year is a fellowship. Strong friendships exist between the members of our church community. An openness and a trust exists in this congregation that gives truth to the Methodist slogan "Open Minds... Open Hearts... Open Doors." Summertime is light-hearted and fun. Children are off from school. Families go on vacation. We enjoy church camp and a summer picnic.
The winter time worship has an added gravity. It is a time of returning to school and a level of commitment to church school for children and adults. Choir begins again. The Kaaterskill UMC worship services hold reminders of our deep commitment to God and to each other and our lives together. The Interfaith Thanksgiving worship service further encourages the deepening of relationships within our mountain top community. It is a celebration of gratitude in which folks from multiple religions gather. The remainder of the winter months we explore in depth the meaning of Jesus' time on earth from his birth at Christmas time to his death and resurrection of Easter time. Yet with the added seriousness is also time for joy with the many ways we combine fellowship with ministry. Choir, Knit Wits, Thrift Shop, Prayer Circle, Food Pantry, P.E.T., Disciple classes, Sunday School leadership, V.I.M.: All of these have and are forming lasting friendships that in turn deepen our personal faith journey. Our friendships are not exclusive or clicky. Anyone can come in and is welcomed at any time.
Each service holds something satisfying for every one. The opening prayers evoke an emotional response that holds theme in common with the scripture, gospel readings, and sermon so that the participants in the service leave with a clear message for the week. We have a mini-sermon for the children before they leave the worship area for Sunday School. This Kid's Word invites active discussion with the children. They feel welcome in church and part of the process. Sometimes Lynne Taylor leads a Drama Ministry to enhance the points of the day. A motivated, warm and optimistic speaker, Pastor Monk's messages are always poignant, drawn from her life and the lives of people she has known, and sometimes stories from authors she has read whom have touched her deeply.
Something that has always made me feel really welcome when I attend church has been the sharing of God's Peace. Within this congregation, the people are such friends that more visiting goes on than the Pastor allocates for the time of the service. With a tolerant and benevolent grin, she reminds the congregation to find their seats and we pass into our expression of Joys and Concerns. We are "prayin' fools." We pray for gratitude, we pray for the health of our friends and relatives, and we pray for the healing of the earth and resolution of difficulties between nations. In these matters, we pray for the well-being of our soldiers and wisdom for our world leaders.
At the time of offering, Pastor might invite us to Christian discipleship. "Historically," she has said, quoting John Wesley, "our United Methodist tradition challenges us daily to 'do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can!'"
We never depart without words of friendship with one another. In the wintertime, a coffee hour follows the service. Friends gather and exchange pleasantry and catch up on family news. We celebrate the births of new babies and new stages in the lives of our children. We invite you to worship with us, to take part in any of our many ministries, to join us for a study group or for one of our church dinners. Come as you are! Our hearts, our minds, and our doors are open to you! For further information call us at (518) 589-5787. |
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