THE MESSENGER First Presbyterian Church, Glendale 155 E. Fountain Ave, Glendale, OH 45246

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1 THE MESSENGER First Presbyterian Church, Glendale 155 E. Fountain Ave, Glendale, OH Dear Friends in Christ, FEBRUARY 2016 In the Gospel according to John, Jesus says, I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) What kind of life are you living? Are you living abundantly? Or are you merely surviving? This Lenten season invites you to take a spiritual inventory and re-calibrate your spiritual compass. We begin Lent on Ash Wednesday, February 10, as we gather in the Church House in an intimate celebration of the Lord s Supper around the tables at 7 p.m. Hope you will be there to begin your personal Lenten journey. The Gospel According to Luke records, When the days drew near for Jesus to be received up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem. (Luke 9:51) Jesus mission was more than that of preacher and teacher, healer and helper, priest and prophet, friend and forgiver. He knew that he must die and that, in his dying, somehow, miraculously, mysteriously, powerfully, beyond anything we can know, love would triumph over hate and life over death. Only God could mingle justice and mercy, a divine act so different from our human condition. So Jesus set his face and resolutely journeyed to Jerusalem. No false bravado here. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. (Luke 22:42) He recoiled from the thought of the fate which awaited him. Yet he trusted in God and yielded to God s mysterious ways and hidden purposes, knowing he was destined for a purpose far larger than self. The phrase that sets me to thinking is he set his face to go. He turned. He changed direction. He had a destination. He did not wander aimlessly. He traveled purposefully. He had been sent for a mission from God. This idea of changing direction wonderfully expresses the penitent reflections we are invited to undertake during Lent. The Greek word for sin is αµαρτανω or hamartano which literally means missing the mark like an archer missing his target. All of us have missed that mark, falling far short of the example of holiness and love, justice and compassion that Jesus set for us. But nothing says that tomorrow must be the same as yesterday. Like Jesus, we can set our face and go in a different direction. The Greek word for repentance is µεταµελοµαι or metamelomai which literally means to change direction. Continued on the next page.

2 One of my favorite quotations is from 20 th century Scottish preacher and theologian, the Rev. James Stewart, who observed, God judges a person not by the distance he has covered, but by the direction he is facing. As we are called by God to rise to holiness and find ourselves too often stooping to sin, which direction are you facing? Are you placing your spirit in the hands of the Master to help you change your direction in life? See you on the road to Jerusalem. Your fellow traveler in Christ, Pastor Steve The Lord s Supper will be served on, February 7 (Transfiguration of the Lord) at Begin the Lenten season here in worship with us, Ash Wednesday, February 10 at 7:00 p.m. (in the Church House) Deacons The Deacons offer prayer, companionship, rides or meals, but don t always know where care is needed. If you know of a need (your own or another s), call the church office or any of our Deacons. Our extend Christian Sympathy to Gwen Sandifer-Stech and family on the death of her husband the Rev. Dr. Dan Sandifer-Stech who died on January 11, 2016 in Beijing, China at the age of 56. Dan served as our pastor from November 2010 to September On Valentine s Day, we remember that God is the source of all love in the world. His perfect love for us has made all human love possible. Page 2

3 Notes from Session Session met on Monday, January 18. With the death of Pastor Dan Sandifer-Stech, Session decided to start a fund to help defray the expenses for his children to attend Montreat Youth Conference in North Carolina and/or their travel expenses back to the states. Attending Montreat was planned before Dan's death and the children were looking forward to seeing all their friends and acquaintances at the conference. Donations can be sent to the church office, but please clearly mark them for the Sandifer-Stech Fund. The proceeds will be sent to the family as blocks of donations are received. Sharon Clegern has authored a 20 page brochure titled Living the Good News... describing the activities of the CYG in It is a very comprehensive look at all the activities of the group and makes apparent the benefits to the youth in the group. A copy of this brochure is in the church's office for you to read. The terms of Steve's second year contract were approved by Session. Steve's current contract expires on February 28th. The new contract will be for one year. Thank you to the HR Committee for a job well done! Session will have another retreat on Saturday, February 27. The topics to be discussed: the timing of the PNC Committee, a church mission design committee, Presbytery's Transformation 2.0 program, and the reconstruction of the church's website. The first two items are moving us toward calling our next pastor. Transformation 2.0 is a Presbytery program to revitalize declining churches, and the website is due for a total make-over. This was the last meeting for our retiring members; Snowden A., Bill C., Rich S., and Jane S.. The following resolution was adopted by the Session: Whereas Snowden A., Bill C., Rich S., and Jane S. have unselfishly worked diligently on the tasks of Session, and whereas they have devoted themselves to the smooth operation of the workings of the Session and the needs of the church. Be it so resolved that they receive the gratitude of the Session and the congregation thru the Session. Session's next stated meeting will be, February 14. If you have any concerns, questions, suggestions, or words of encouragement, please contact any of the members of Session. This is the only way that we know what others are thinking and we need your suggestions. Page 3

4 Slate of Nominees for the January 31, 2016 Congregational Meeting Please offer your appreciation to our hard working Nominating Committee. Together they have assembled a fine slate of nominees intended for the vital work of our church, and presented for your approval. This very important vote will take place at the congregational meeting held immediately following worship on, January 31. The current Nominating Committee are as follows: Mary S., Jane S., Carol H., Bill F., Susan G., Dick G., Diane L. and alternate, Dottie E.. Nominated for church Elders are: Carol F., Jerry K. and Jane S. (re-upped). Nominated for the Board of Deacons are: Nancy G. and Betty R. (both re-upped), and Susan G. Finally, the members at large presented for next year s Nominating Committee are: Bill F., Dick G., Diane L., Tom S. and alternate, Dottie E. New Music Director Amy Duke Amy told me she is usually pretty good at sniffing out surprises but confessed we had her totally surprised this past December 10. After an Advent worship of superlative music in our choir s annual offering of the Lessons and Carols, we made our way to the Church House where we celebrated Amy s fifteen years of dedicated service to our congregation. The choir put on a fine reception with tasty treats. In recognition of Amy s larger role, far beyond the organ bench, the Session voted to change Amy s title to Music Director. Amy works closely with the pastor and the choir director to select music which fits the worship theme and season, drawing upon her encyclopedic knowledge of our choir s repertoire and familiarity with their vocal competencies. Her new title better defines her role leading the music portion of our worship. With deep gratitude and affection, Amy was also presented with a wooden bench for the Duke garden with a brass plaque commemorating the fifteen years she has lifted our spirits toward God through music. Amy assures us when she and John hold their annual open garden weekend when the growing season returns, we will find her new bench in a place of prominence. Amy holds a place of prominence in our hearts. We are glad we could express our gratitude on December 10. Thanks, Amy! Page 4

5 Mission The Mission Committee wishes to thank all who so generously contributed support to help others during the Holiday Season. Twenty six baskets were filled at Thanksgiving to provide a Thanksgiving dinner to needy families in Glendale. Included in each basket was a $25.00 Kroger gift certificate. Your generosity continued as 25 Christmas gifts were provided to families served by Valley Interfaith. The Mitten Tree was most bountiful yielding many hats, mittens and scarves to children and families served at GLAD House. First Presbyterian contributed $ to the Glendale Police to assist them as they purchased Christmas gifts for Glendale families. You are awesome as you continue to reach out to those in need. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Village Directory Dave C. and his Committee are working diligently on the Glendale Directory to make it completely up-to-date and ready for the Glendale Pancake Breakfast. Benefits from the sale of these directories will benefit the Mission and Christian Education Committees of our Church. The deadline for additions, changes and deletions to the Glendale Directory has been extended to Friday February 5th. A number of families have dropped their telephone land line and are adding cell numbers. This resulted in a larger number of changes in the residential listings, and for this reason we have extended the deadline. Cincinnati Presbytery to assemble PDA Gifts of the Heart kits In the face of natural disasters, violence, or grinding poverty, Hygiene Kits can mean the difference between sickness and health for struggling families. By sharing a common view of God's calling in our community, the Presbytery of Cincinnati is coming together in sharing in God's love by assembling Gifts of the Heart Hygiene Kits for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. The Kits include: 1 hand towel 1 washcloth 1 comb 1 nail clipper 1 bar of soap 1 toothbrush bandaids The First Presbyterian Church, Glendale has been asked to collect individually wrapped BATH SIZE BARS OF SOAP (in the original wrapper) to add to these kits. We will be collecting the soap bars thru, February 7th in the Church House. The First Presbyterian Church, Glendale MEASURES UP when the time comes to provide for families in need! Page 5

6 The Community Youth Group continues to enjoy their fellowship time together. We met in January to discuss issues that teenagers face, in school and at home, and how to deal with them. Betty R. and I facilitated, and as always, were impressed with the maturity and thoughtfulness with which the youth engaged in the discussion. We are very proud of them. For the next few months, we are facing some changes in the CYG program. Knox Presbyterian (Hyde Park) has invited our youth to participate in their spring production of Fiddler on the Roof. Our youth enthusiastically accepted this invitation, but the consequence is that they will need to be at Knox to participate in rehearsals almost every in February, March, and early April. After the production in mid-april, we can return to our regular program at First Presbyterian, for the remaining weeks of the year. This is a significant shift for CYG, but a great opportunity for the youth. We have a team in place to provide transportation each week, and look forward to sharing in fellowship with the larger Knox youth community. Leslie M., CYG Leader Parents Night Out Saturday, February 13, 2016, 6:00-10:00 p.m. It s a date! Make a reservation now for this babysitting service on Valentine s weekend at First Presbyterian Church, Glendale. $10.00 per child/$30 maximum per family. For more information, please contact Charlotte K. or the church office. Coffee Hour Host A very special THANK YOU to Betty R. for hosting Coffee Hours in January and February! We always look forward to and enjoy her many homemade goodies. She is always a great hostess. Now it is your turn to host Coffee Hour. We always have opportunities. Check the sign-up sheet in the hallway next to the kitchen entrance and choose a date that fits your schedule. Thank you in advance as we continue this welcome activity after morning worship. Page 6

7 Date February 2016 Time February 4 February 5 Friday February 7 Gentle Yoga Worship (Transfiguration of the Lord) Communion, school 10:00 a.m. February 10 Wednesday Men s Lunch at SKYLINE Ash Wednesday Service 12:30 p.m. 7:00 p.m. February 11 Staff Contact Information: Rev. Steven R. Garstad heygarstad@earthlink.net Amy Duke Director of Music glenpres@fuse.net February 12 Friday February 13 Saturday February 14 February 15 Monday Gentle Yoga Parents Night Out (babysitting) Worship (1 st in Lent) Session Deacon s Meeting 10:00 a.m. 6:00-10:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m. 11:00 a.m. Tyler Hagy Choir Director glenpres@fuse.net Beverly Cody Church Secretary glenpres@fuse.net February 18 February 19 Friday February 21 Gentle Yoga Worship (2 nd in Lent) School 10:00 a.m. February 25 February 27 Saturday Session Retreat 9 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. February 28 Worship (3 rd in Lent) African-American History Month Groundhog Day, Feb. 2 First Presbyterian Church, Glendale 155 East Fountain Avenue Glendale, OH Phone: , Fax: glenpres@fuse.net or visit us at Boy Scout, Feb. 7 Transfiguration of Our Lord, Feb. 7 Ash Wednesday, Feb. 10 First in Lent, Feb. 14 Valentine s Day, Feb. 14 Presidents Day, Feb. 15 Second in Lent, Feb. 21 Third in Lent, Feb. 28 Page 7