Vol. 21 No. 1 January 2019 Round and Round We Go...

Transcription

1 The Vol. 21 No. 1 January 2019 Round and Round We Go... If you were at the Blue Christmas service last month then this may sound a bit familiar to you. The circle of seasons, the circle of the day, the circle of the week...life is full of cycles, patterns, repetition. Another round of the calendar draws to a close. The circle has gone around again, bringing with it times of sorrow and times of joy; times of despair and times of hope; times of longing for what was and times of wondering what will be. And for everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven. For many, if not all of us, 2018 has certainly brought about its share of sorrow, despair, and times of longing for what was. But it has also brought about joy, hope, and times of wondering what will be has also brought about a time of discernment for our church leadership as we come to terms with the decline in attendance and financial giving; but it has also been a time of bonding and fellowship as we ve shared more meals together, participated in more ministry opportunities, and welcomed each other into our homes more often. During this time between Christmas and the New Year, I have spent some time longing for what was, but I ve definitely spent more time wondering what will be. How will 2019 begin? Will we see an increase in attendance? Will more people participate in our Sunday study? Will more people engage in our ministries? Will we pick up a few new members along the way? Will we be able to balance the budget? As we ring in the new year, logic tells me to expect more of the same more decline, more loss of resources, and so on. Yet, this Advent and Christmas season has left my heart filled with joyful expectation that something new and exciting is waiting for us around the corner. I truly believe that our discernment, prayers, and hard work are finally going to pay off. A new year is upon us and with it will be new opportunities to share the love of Christ in and around South Lyon. We will continue to re-evaluate what we are doing and why we do it. We will continue to be authentic, utilizing the assets and resources we have at hand. We will continue to work at being a radically inclusive community where all who come through our doors are welcomed, accepted, and loved as the children of God. Scripture tells us that in Christ, all things are made new, and that in Christ, nothing is impossible. The Rev. Jill Duffield, editor of the Presbyterian Outlook, wrote this: How would God have me change in order to make this text believable? If Jesus came to save the world, his incarnation leaving no person or part of humanity behind, if his teachings are authoritative, if his life is a model for our own, how would God have us change in order to make these truths believable?...if we are God s chosen ones, clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and most of all love, how would God have us change in order to make this believable? Every disciple of Jesus Christ is called not just to imagine the answers to these questions, but prayerfully seek to live them. May 2019 be filled with blessings of joy and resolve. 1 With Peace and Grace, Pastor Mike

2 Happy Holidays! This Christmas season might not have had snow but it sure had the Christmas spirit! This Christmas, thanks to Adopt-a-Family, six (6) children from four (4) families in South Lyon received gifts. Thank you to all who participated. Another mission was the hat and mitten tree which the kids will be donating on Thursday, 6 January to Active Faith, along with the bath towels. Thank you to everyone for giving to our missions and making this a fantastic Christmas! Your Deacon, Lily Mueller Lily was recently ordained as our youth deacon. She is a junior at South Lyon High School, a member of the ski team, and competes at the state level for track and field. UN-HANGING OF THE GREENS It s time to take down the Christmas decorations on Sunday, 6 January following worship. If you can lend a few minutes and a helping hand, we sure would appreciate it. Lots of hands make little work for everyone. Thank you in advance for your help! Kids Connection Post-Christmas/Epiphany Party Attention all kids in grades K 5!!! Join us on Thursday, 3 January at 10:00 a.m. for our post-christmas/epiphany party. We ll gather at church and take inventory of all the items we collected on the Mitten Tree, deliver them to Active Faith, come back to church for a pizza lunch, make crafts and play games. We ll wrap up by 2:00 p.m. Hope you can make it, and feel free to invite a friend or two....connecting kids to Christ, the church, and the community 2019 ANNUAL CONGREGATIONAL MEETING with POTLUCK Mark your calendars now... to attend our Annual Congregational Meeting on Sunday, January 27th immediately following worship. Please bring your Annual Report with you and any questions you may have. We will review committee reports and approve the pastor s terms of call. Annual Reports will be available for your review on Sunday, January 20th. The meeting will be accompanied by a delicious potluck. 2

3 Traveling Mug Club - 3rd Friday of each month January Draught Horse Brewery Friday, January 18 at 6:30 p.m. is our next Dinner and Drinks outing at Draught Horse Brewery in New Hudson. They have a great menu (kids menu as well) with appetizers, entrees, flatbreads, salads, and Macaroni and Cheese to die for. Hope you can make it. Hope you can make it. It s a fun night out with our fellow church members and families as well as any friends you d like to bring along. Grief Support Group It is a fact that the grieving process takes time and you will travel though different stages as you heal. Join Pastor Mike and the group on the third Monday of each month at 10:00 a.m. Support groups are a good way to help in the grieving process. Everyone in the group is traveling through this process just like you. This month s meeting will be held at The Corner Caffé on Monday, January 21st. If you know of anyone else who is suffering bring them along with you. There is always room for more. CRAFTY SATURDAY If you are interested in spending a little me time on Saturday, January 26th from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. join the others doing the same! It s a good way to meet members you may not know and craft at the same time. There is plenty of room to spread out. Bring whatever craft you are working on now. You will need to bring any food or beverage that you will want. 3

4 FOR... AND ABOUT SOUTH LYON FIRST PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN JANUARY 2019 A New Year to Celebrate as we ask the age old questions: where has the time gone? 2018 is but a memory, and we will never get it back again so as we reflect we need to focus on the future of 2019 and what will it bring, is there anything you wish you could do over but most importantly How can I Serve God in 2019? As a Presbyterian Woman, God has placed you here in this town, this church for a reason. Seek His guidance as you discern what your place is and what He wants you to be doing. Attend a Bible Study, Join the Soul Sisters for lunch, get to know another woman better, be part of a study group on Sunday Evenings, donate socks whatever you come up with The Soul Sisters: Who are we? A group of FPCSL women that meet once a month for lunch to discuss whatever hot topics come up and to enjoy just being with one another. We meet at Aubree s on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at 12:15. We hope that you will join us so we can get to know you better and share the joy of laughter and friendship. (Next lunch is Wednesday, January 9th.) The Women s Bible Study: Will meet on January 9th at 11:00 a.m. in the church library. In January we will be studying Lesson Five from the God s Promise, I Am With You official Presbyterian (USA) Women s Bible Study by Amy Poling Sutherlund. This lesson is called, God with Us When We re Powerless and the focus will be on God s promise of presence when we are powerless and invites us to lay down our weapons of worry and keep our eyes on God! The primary Scripture is 2 Chronicles 20:1-30; Deuteronomy 20:1-4. If you are a worrier, this lesson will speak to you and tells you not to lose heart, or be afraid, or panic, or be in dread of the future and asks you to stand still, and see what God will do. POWERFUL WORDS! And... We will learn Jehosphaphat s prayer. HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE. A Reminder... if school is closed, we cancel Bible Study and Soul Sisters Lunch. If the roads are too bad for buses... we don t need to be out either! SOUPER BOWL OF CARING February 3, 2019 Souper Bowl of Caring is dedicated to tackling all of the issues that exist in our community, including poverty, hunger, and homelessness. Did you know? 48 million Americans live in poverty? 1 in 7 Americans face hunger every day? More than 630,000 people in the United States are homeless? 23% of those struggling went to college? or that 16 million children live in food insecure households? Please support our youth as they collect cans of soup and monetary donations for Active Faith on Sunday, February 3rd. Watch for more details. 4

5 Mission & Outreach Active Faith is very appreciative of FPCSL s food donation. In January, we are collecting canned meat. Canned ham, turkey, chicken, tuna fish, Spam, etc. Please drop your items in the Active Faith bin next to the elevator near the Parlor. Thank you in advance. Everyone Eats (E1E) is serving two (2) meals in January. Yes, we are getting our fifth Wednesday date early this year. The Tuesday before each meal, we will have a preparation session. Check your bulletin closer to the date. The Wednesdays are January 16 and 30. We meet at 9am to carpool to the Spirit of Hope Church at the corner of Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., Grand River, and Trumbull Ave. Norm, the sexton at Spirit of Hope, is on personal leave. Please pray for him and his family. This also means that we have more clean-up after serving the meal; we do need more volunteers to help. The Red Cross will be in Fellowship Hall Tuesday January 22 from 2pm to 8pm. Sign-up online to reserve a time slot. And thank Bob for arranging this collection by donating and/or volunteering to assist at the treats table or check-in desk. We are collecting box tops for Education, Labels for Education, Campbell Soup labels, and Aunt Millie s bread labels. If you have these labels we would be grateful to receive them. Please place the labels in the receptacle by the Mission and Outreach board. Mission and Outreach Committee meets each month on the third Tuesday (January 21st) of the month at 10:30 am in the Library. Anyone interested in using their talents and influence, please join us, no RSVP needed. Thank you for all the donations and volunteering each of you has done this past year. Though I do not have totals for you, you did marvelous. In Christ s love, Anne 5

6 The lovely wreaths and poinsettias that decorated our sanctuary this Christmas were given by the following: White Poinsettias: Jim and Marilyn Birckelbaw... in loving memory of our daughter Shelly Birckelbaw Red Poinsettias: Ed Beckstein... in memory of Sally June Beckstein Betty & Kenny Chapman... in memory of Clarence Chappie Chapman Gary & Pat Cooper... in honor of our sons Steve and Paul and their families. Dorcas & Bob Cue... in memory of loved ones. Mike and Dian Cullens... in honor of our children Jeff and Marissa Cullens and Samantha Millard Dorothy Esbrook... in memory of my husband Jim Mark Fitzgerald/Anne Lyke... in honor of Abigail Colegrove Steve & Marilyn Harrington... in memory of John and Vivian Devereaux and Marian Harrington Mike & Stephanie Horlocker... to the glory of God. Pat Huss... in memory of Bob Huss Ruth Munzel... in loving memory of Herb Munzel Dorothy & Hassan Restum... in memory of loved ones. Leslie & Al Williamson... in memory of Lois McDonnell Lintner Bob Weinburger & Nancy Geiger... in honor of loved ones. Wreaths: Betty & Kenny Chapman... in memory of Clarence Chappie Chapman CHANCEL FLOWER UPDATE FOR 2019 First off, I would like to thank Heather Mueller for the preparation and time she puts into decorating our Sanctuary for the liturgical holidays, and in arranging the weekly flowers that decorate the Chancel. Great job Heather! Secondly, we have weekly flower openings in If you are interested in purchasing an arrangement the cost is $25. It is a great way to remember or honor someone, or mark a special occasion, by placing flowers in the Sanctuary on a Sunday morning. If you are interested in flowers please contact the church office for all open dates. Thank you in advance. For those of you that are already scheduled for a particular week...we thank you. Laura will contact you one month in advance of your original date to see if you would like to update your dedication. Happiness radiates like the fragrance from a flower and draws all good things towards you. ~BrainyQuote 6

7 Happy New Year 2019! From the Staff at First Presbyterian Church Pastor Mike Bob Weinburger Laura goode Sally Messner peggy hart For everybody in the world whatever color their skin may be, whatever their religion may be, whatever their situation may be, good health, lots of love, of possibilities and... Peace!! A NOTE FROM OUR TREASURER - What is Per Capita? If you ve looked inside your box of offering envelopes then perhaps you noticed an envelope for per capita. Per Capita is the dues we pay for every member of the church. The per capita is divided and supports the Presbytery of Detroit, the Synod of the Covenant, and the General Assembly. These are the councils that make up our denomination, the PC(USA). Per Capita helps cover the overhead costs of each council and helps financially support our local, national, and worldwide missions. You can help us this year by covering the cost of your per capita. The cost is $27.00 per confirmed member. Please contact Bob Weinburger with any questions. In case you missed this on Facebook Hello, welcome to Flight #2019. We are prepared to take off into the New Year! Please make sure your Attitude and Blessings are secured and locked in an upright position. All self-destructive devices should be turned off at this time. All negativity, hurt and discouragement should be put away. Should we lose Altitude under pressure, during the flight, reach up and pull down a Prayer. Prayers will automatically be activated by Faith. Once your Faith is activated you can assist other passengers. There will be NO BAGGAGE allowed on this flight. The Captain (GOD) has cleared us for takeoff. Destination Peace, Joy, and great moments that will help us through whatever we discover on Flight #2019. Repost and book your flight!! HAPPY NEW YEAR! Author Unknown 7

8 Prayer requests received during the month of December. Please pray for the following... Jim and Marilyn Birckelbaw and family on the passing of their daughter Shelly. the family of Mary Lee Panicacci. the family of Janet Hill. the Ried family on the passing of Eric. Tom Goodman s mother Mary who suffered a stroke. Tom and Phyllis Goodman s sister-in-law who broke her femur. Dick and Sheila Henderson s son-in-law recovering from pneumonia. Gwyn McClintock s three cousins with health issues. Kim MacNish s uncle Dick and cousin Jerry. Mary Bond. Mary Lloyd s nephew Brad Stevens. Billy Lintner. Debbie Allen. Barbara Donley. Mary Lou Verran. for refugees throughout the world who will be spending this Christmas away from the home they have known, and in uncertainty of their future. for leaders of our world, that ways are found to work for justice and peace. Our Shut-ins and Homebound Mary Bond Joan Borsh Edna Carey Bette Haack Edna Hope Our Men Serving in the Armed Forces Kenny Bond Ben Bond Jared Roth Our Friends Under the Care of Presbytery Anne Lyke To all of you that sent cards, gave hugs, extended any expression of sympathy in our loss of Shelly we sincerely thank you. We are blessed to be surrounded by so many loving people. ~ Jim and Marilyn Birckelbaw Birthdays Anniversaries 1/9 Betty Chapman 1/18 Tom & Phyllis Goodman 1/11 Don Anderson 1/12 Jim Birckelbaw 1/13 Matt Mueller 1/15 Beckie Rich 1/17 Dorothy Tennant 1/21 Gary Panicacci 1/25 Dorothy Esbrook 1/6 Barbara Johanningsmeier 1/13 Andrea Dingeldey 1/20 Open 1/27 Open Request prayer by calling the church office at (248) or online at Please let your Deacon know how your prayer is being answered. If you do not know who your Deacon is, contact the church office. 8