THE NORTHERN LIGHT NORTHMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

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1 NORTHMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH JANUARY 2019 I SSUE 1 One of the members of our Monday evening 6PM Contemplative Prayer group shared with us a wonderful prayer called The Welcoming Prayer. It was written by Mary Mrozowski ( ). She often started her day with the prayer. The practice and the prayer itself is described as the following: Gently become aware of your body and your interior state. Then pray: Welcome, welcome, welcome. I welcome everything that comes to me in this moment because I know it is for my healing. I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, person, situations and conditions. I let go of my desire for security. I let go of my desire for approval. I let go of my desire for control. I let go of my desire to change any situation, condition, person, or myself. I open to the love and presence of God and the healing action and grace within. Mary s personal closing prayer to Jesus Christ that follows this morning welcoming prayer is: so that Your Love, Your Light and Your Spirit may be manifested in the ALL of my life; the motives and desires of my heart, the choices I make and the steps I take. In between the first part (the welcome) and the second (the closing) we are invited to observe silence and contemplation of those thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations and conditions that may bounce around in our chaotic interior thoughts and feelings. We are invited to sit silently in the presence of The Divine and release OUR tendency to try to control all internal and external realities. We are invited to just be. Since part of our Reformed Christian belief is that God is Sovereign and at work within all of our lives and creation itself, we can be freed from trying to act as though WE are God. This grants us the serenity needed to let go and let God. When we practice this letting go, it frees us to see how God shoulders the weight of not only our troubles and our sins, but also the weight of the world. What a freedom there is in knowing we are not in charge of the Universe and all that is in it! We are called to be in charge of our own actions and reactions, nothing more. God even helps us with that. (continued on page 2) PASTORS: SUNDAY WORSHIP 10:00 A.M. 400 Villa Road Springfield, Ohio PHONE: office@northminsterspringfield.org Dwight McCormick II Pastor W. Franklin Sparks Pastor Emeritus CHURCH STAFF: Tammy Hickman Bill Harrison Greg Veith/Adan Veith Debbie Husted David Hapner Dawn White Kali Lawrence Terry Rigio Angie Curtin Financial Secretary/ Office Manager Treasurer Custodial Staff Choir Director Organist Bell Choir Director Presbyterian Women The Northern Light is published monthly September thru May with one summer issue. If there is an omission or an error, please contact the editor so a correction can be made. Thank You Tammy Hickman, Newsletter Editor Librarian

2 Pastor s Message (continued from page 1) This is one of many gems encountered during our Monday night Contemplative Prayer group meetings. In addition to Bible Study, Prayer is central to developing a relationship with God. An aside, how did you do in 2018 with your daily reading of Scripture? Did you make it through the entire Bible? I confess I did not complete every reading, but will retry it again using the same resource as this past year Fourth Presbyterian Church of Chicago s website. It lists one track of reading through the Bible in one year. There are many methods. I invite you to choose one method and read through. Back to prayer. I invite you to attend a meeting to help learn the practice of Contemplative Prayer. A small group meets on Monday nights at 6PM-7:30PM in the Choir Room. Some guidelines of how to participate in the group will be available and distributed weekly. Beginning January 7 th we will be reading and discussing a book (Invitation to Love by Father Thomas Keating copies available in the church office for $18.18) with one another as part of the meetings for several weeks. Each week we open and close every meeting with around 20 minutes of silent contemplative prayer. I ve included a schedule below and would like you to attend the group. You need not be a pastor, a monk, or a nun or any more holy or special than anyone else to be able to engage in this type of prayer. I promise we all benefit from spending time in the presence of God in prayer. The group is small (usually between three and seven people). I hope to see you at one or more of the meetings. Here is the schedule: Monday nights at 6PM-7:30PM 7-Jan Invitation To Love Intro & Planning 14-Jan Invitation To Love 21-Jan Invitation To Love 28-Jan Invitation To Love 4-Feb Invitation To Love 11-Feb Invitation To Love 18-Feb Invitation To Love 25-Feb Invitation To Love 4-Mar Invitation To Love (Ash Wed Mar 6) 11-Mar Invitation To Love 18-Mar Invitation To Love 25-Mar Invitation To Love 1-Apr Invitation To Love 8-Apr Summary/Richard Rohr/Spring Break 15-Apr Spring Break (Palm Sunday April 14) 22-Apr Spring Break (Easter Sunday April 21) Watch for any variations in the schedule in the weekly bulletin and on the church Facebook page. Denise Molnar January 4 Gary Molnar January 7 Butch Dodds January 10 Frank Sparks January 10 Russell Des Combes January 15 Jean Myers January 17 Phoebe McCormick January 18 Lois Callam January 18 Barb Aker January 20 Jim Griffin January 22 Cindy Chesnut January 27 Janet Digel-Koerner January 30 Joe & Marta Stalder January 26th

3 FOREST GLEN SECRET SANTA SHOP Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thanks to all who donated items to the Forest Glen Secret Santa Shop. The residents very much appreciated being able to shop for family and friends right there in the health center and have their gifts wrapped and ready for giving. The caregivers also expressed their appreciation and told us how much this adds to the Christmas season for their residents. Your generosity made this mission possible. Thanks also to the elves Carol Emerich, Barb Benston, Joe and Marta Stalder, and Sara Arnott who worked at the Forest Glen Christmas Shop. They came highly recommended from Santa! CHRISTMAS JOY OFFERING More thanks! Thank you to those who gave to the Christmas Joy Offering. As of December 23, $ was collected for this offering in December. KNITTING Love to knit? See Emily Spriggs for a pattern to use for knitting warm hats for those in need. BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION Remember those box tops for education! Put those collected in the large envelope posted on the bulletin board in the hallway by the kitchen. INDOOR PICNIC! On January 6th, the Twelfth Day of Christmas, we will have the Unhang- ing of the Greens. After church, please stay to take down decorations and wrap and box ornaments for storage. A light lunch will be provided by the Griffins.

4 Session Highlights The Session met in stated meeting December 18, Rev. Dwight McCormick opened the meeting with prayer. Ruling Elder Carl Ahlm offered a devotional reading. Pastor s Report: Session Training Day will be held Saturday, February 16, 2019, from 9:00 am-2:00 pm. Finance Committee report: The financial report through November 30, 2018 showed a year-to-date total income of $172,633 and total expenses of $176,911, giving a deficit of $4,278. The draft budget for 2019 was presented for comments and questions. Session will vote on the budget at its January 15 th meeting, and the approved budget will be presented to the congregation at the January 27 th Congregational Annual meeting. Session approved these motions from the Finance Committee: 1] General Fund surplus or shortfall be added to or subtracted from the Capital Improvement Fund (so that the General Fund begins 2019 with a 0 balance 2] The Treasurer move $ from Presbyterian Foundation Fund - Rogers Fund - to complete payment for kitchen improvements (stove). [ Session minutes 8/21/18] 3] The Treasurer move $ from Presbyterian Foundation Fund Jordan Fund to Property for annual maintenance of the East Garden area. 4] Northminster pay the recommended 2019 Per Capital amount of $48.20 to Presbytery. 5] $20,500 from Unrestricted Funds be used for the upcoming 2019 Pastor s Sabbatical. [ $ for Pastor Sabbatical & $2,500 for Sabbatical Pastoral Coverage and other expenses.] Property Committee: Session approved taking up to $1,200 from the Capital Improvements Escrow account to pay for upgrades to the nursery and children s Sunday school room to ensure the safety and comfort of the youngest members of the Northminster family. The next stated meeting of Session is January 15, 2019 at 7:00 PM. Please continue to pray for the Pastor and Session as we serve this congregation and our Lord Jesus Christ. A small supply of the book Invitation to Love by Thomas Keating is available in the church office. This book will be used by the Contemplative Prayer Group beginning in January. Cost is $18.18 Annual Congregational Meeting The Annual Congregational Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, January 27 immediately following worship. The purpose of the meeting is to receive 2019 operating budget and 2018 annual report. PER CAPITA & INITIAL OFFERING Each year Northminster pays a per capita amount based on the number of members in the congregation. This money is used to support the work of the Presbyterian Church s governing bodies - the Presbytery, the Synod, and the General Assembly. The 2019 per capita amount is $48.20/member When members pay their own per capita apportionment, this amount need not come from the church s operating budget. The per capita envelope (blue) is included in the box with your offering envelopes. The initial offering envelope (yellow) is also included in the offering envelope box. This offering is used to help cover the cost of the envelopes each year.

5 January 2019 Northminster Presbyterian Church Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 New Year s Day Office Closed 2 10:00 Outreach Com 5:30 Music/Worship 3 6:00 Dulcimer Club Communion Unhanging of the Greens 7 9:30 Young Woman s 10:00 PW Board Mtg. 8 6:00 Finance Comm. 6:30 Mission Comm. 7:00 Property Comm. 9 6:30 Girl Scouts 10 11:30 Ruth Circle Installation of Officers :00 Session Newsletter deadline 21 Martin Luther King Jr. Day :30 Girl Scouts Congregational Meeting

6 NORTHMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 400 Villa Road Springfield, Ohio Issue 1 January 2019 January 1 January 2 January 3 January 6 January 7 January 8 January 10 January 13 January 15 January 20 January 21 January 27 New Year s Day Office Closed Outreach Committee 10:00 am Music/Worship Committee 5:30 pm Dulcimer Club 6:00 pm Communion Unhanging of the Greens Young Woman s Mission 9:30 am PW Board meeting 10:00 am Contemplative Prayer begins 6:00 pm Finance Committee 6:00 pm Mission Committee 6:30 pm Property Committee 7:00 pm Ruth Circle 11:30 am Installation of Officers Session 7:00 pm Newsletter Deadline Martin Luther King Jr. Day Congregational Meeting There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right. Martin Luther King Jr. NORTHMINSTER S PURPOSE STATEMENT Northminster Presbyterian Church will develop disciples of Jesus Christ and learn to follow the way of Jesus.