2018 FIRST NEWS & VIEWS

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1 2018 FIRST NEWS & VIEWS Volume ISSUE 04 May, 18 #67 #09 Save the Date May 6th - 3:00 pm Artist Series: Toledo Symphony Orchestra String Ensemble May 6th - 4:00 pm Celebrate What s Right with the Church May 13th - 11:00 am Church and Community Dinner May 20th - 10:45 am Pentecost Party May 25th - 12:00 pm Red Cross Blood Drive Pentecost Party Come celebrate the Spirit and the gift of our church! Join us Sunday, May 20th, at 9:30 am for worship and then following a celebration for ALL AGES of the church we all call home. There will be many activities leadings us to celebrate who we are and where we are headed. Connectional Ministries will provide a tutorial of our new website. Deacons will provide food. Christian Education will be hosting a book fair for disciples of all ages - for summer reading and relection or as gifts. Mission Committee will be facilitating packing of Emergency Cleanup buckets to be used around the world for disaster relief. Cupcake decorating - because who doesn t like cupcakes! These are just a few things at this event. We hope to see you there and join in on the celebration! May: A month of healing and wholeness During Sunday morning worship on May 6th, 13th, and 20th, we will explore the vastness of God s love for us and our call to heal and to love one s self and one another. Journey with the Session as we focus our hearts and minds on healing ourselves and the church during worship and throughout the week as the congregation will be challenged with personal activities and spiritual disciplines to ready themselves for God s healing presence. Join us as we celebrate the church and seek the Spirit s healing presence. INSIDE CHARACTER BUILDERS GODLY PLAY PER CAPITA PASTOR S PONDERINGS

2 Adult Seminar Fellowship 10:45 am May 6th: Join Dr. John Malacos as we talk about violence and how it has been in existence for centuries, yet in recent years there appears to be an increase in the U.S. and around the world. John will talk about violence in our country and provide an overview of what is happening and what is being done to manage it. May 13th: There will be no Adult Seminar as we invite you to join us in the Great Room for our Community Dinner. Character Builders May 6th: The May Unit of our ACKNOWLEDGING GOD study is Give Praise to God. We turn to Exodus 35:20-29 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 as our Scriptural sources for the lesson, Giving from a Generous Heart. Jim Baker will be our discussion leader about cheerful giving not out of obligation, but as a joyous response in praise of God s prodigious gifts to God s people. Come share your thoughts with us! May 13th: Bringing First Fruits is the subject we will be discussing under the leadership of Rev. Richard Merrick. The Scripture Selection is Leviticus 23:9 14 and 22. Here we read of God instructing Moses to speak to the people who are entering their promised land about the offerings they are to make to God from their harvests and from their flocks. God does not expect leftovers! Provision is also to be made to leave enough behind to be gathered by the poor and hungry. How might we relate this to our own offerings, gifts and donations? Come join us for the Education Hour. We always have places to welcome new faces! Godly Play Children in 5th grade and younger are welcome to attend Godly Play during the 9:30 am service in Room 340. May 6th: The Good Shepherd and the Grow in Faith Lord s Supper II The Good Shepherd calls the sheep from the sheepfold and walks in front of them to show them the way to the good green grass. Then he leads the sheep to his table, where they will be exchanged with people, and Jesus will feed them. We will wonder how many people can come to his table. May 13th: Ascension We will celebrate another mystery that Jesus went away so that he could be with us always, in every place, and every time. We will wonder what the disciples will do with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Godly Play Children s Choir The Godly Play Children s Choir will be rehearsing again on the following Sunday mornings after worship: April 29th, May 6th and May 13th. We will be preparing to sing in church on Pentecost Sunday, May 20th. Looking forward to singing with all the children of the church! Presbyterian Women s Corner In 2018, through the PW Birthday Offering to be received May 13th, we will answer the call to show Jesus love to the world by offering our prayers and financial support to three projects that support the critical need for shelter and hospitality in the areas they serve: the Village of Grace Center for Physical and Spiritual Health, the Dwelling Place, and the Cottage Village. Cottage Village, a tiny-house community for low-income residents - will provide quality, affordable housing and a safe, structured social community for individuals and families with low or very low incomes. This Birthday Offering grant will be used to help build 13 tiny houses and a central shared-use area that will serve as a compassionate and protective community for vulnerable rural citizens. Village of Grace Center for Physical and Spiritual Health - this Birthday Offering grant will make it possible for the Presbytery of Honduras to purchase the Village of Grace Center for Physical and Spiritual Health near Tegucigalpa. It will offer international hospitality for retreats, workshops and mission teams from the PC(USA), Solar Under the Sun and Living Waters for the World. The Dwelling Place was established in 1998 to provide for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of women and their children following their escape from a violent partner. This Birthday Offering grant will help the Dwelling Place purchase a vacant lot where they will construct a multi-use building with spaces suitable for large and small group programming, one-on-one case management, safe living space and staff offices. May 18th Sarah Circle will gather for lunch at noon in Room 112 at the church. June 5th Joy Circle will gather at 6:30pm for dinner and planning for next year. We hope you will join us for women celebrating women in mission in the Presbyterian Church (USA). For further information contact Dana Bourne, PW Moderator, danalyndbourne@aol.com or Color Me Happy On Saturday, May 19th, there will be a walk and 5K hosted by the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Hancock County. Please register online by May 5th to guarantee your event t-shirt! Visit the link to register or donate to a walker s/runner s goal. events/2018/16161/jenelle-hohman-color-me-happy-walk-5k Family News Please pray for Kay Doster, Joan Work s sister, as she fell and broke her left arm. She will be at Fox Run for rehabilitation as she improves. Please pray for Joan Work as she has recently had hip surgery from a fall while helping her sister Kay move to rehab.

3 Pastor s Ponderings From Life s Journeys According to Mr. Rogers, Fred Rogers tells about the cellist Yo-Yo Ma and a master class he was holding for young cellists. Fred was visiting the class that day and observing how Yo-Yo Ma was gently leading his students into a deeper understanding about their instruments, their music and even their personal lives understandings which some said they would take with them for the rest of their lives. After they had been working on a Brahms sonata, Yo-Yo Ma seemed to be looking at one boy in the class when he said these next words, but Fred knew that he was really speaking to everyone when he said: Nobody else can make the sound you make. You don t have to play the cello or any other instrument to understand what this means! Nobody else can interpret life the way you can. Nobody else can see what you see or hear what you hear or understand the way you understand. You are unique a one-of-a-kind creation! God threw away any thought of using a mold because God knew that each creation would be unique hand-made. And so you are! Those are strange thoughts for many of us who are used to spending our time cataloguing our shortcomings and inadequacies! But hang in there with me. It will be worth it. I m sure Paul was thinking about the same thing when he wrote to the Corinthians, saying the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot would say, Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear would say, Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body, that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. (Selections from I Corinthians 12) Whether here in the church, or in our schools, or in our families, whenever or wherever we happen to be, remember this: You are a beautiful and precious child of God There is no part of you that God is not madly in love with There has never been anyone like you in the history of the world There will never be anyone like you ever again You and your life are EXACTLY on time (because it is never too late to be awake and alive in this present moment where God is.) Life is short. Stay awake for it. Breathe. You already have everything you need to be happy. Just let go of what you don t need so you can receive it. Starting today, begin each and every morning with this list. Turn around the pronouns you just read and say them to yourself, first thing every day: I am a beautiful and precious child of God There is no part of me that God is not madly in love with There has never been anyone like me in the history of the world There will never be anyone like me ever again Me and my life are EXACTLY on time Life is short. I am awake for it. I am breathing. I already have everything I need to be happy (I am letting go of what I don t need so I can receive it.) You can do this because nobody can make the sound you make. That is your reality. That is your present. That is your future. Now imagine what an entire community of faith could accomplish if we all did that. What is the sound that no one else can make that you hear Findlay First Presbyterian Church making? Shalom, Bill What s Right with the Church We added more classes for our workshop! We would love for you to join us as we see what s right with the church! Class dates and times are: May 6th at 4:00 pm May 9th at 1:00 pm May 9th at 7:00 pm We hope you can join us for one of these worshops and learn what s right with our own church and how we are moving forward!

4 Mission Happenings Join us in supporting those who are recovering from natural disasters! We need supplies for our Emergency Cleanup Buckets We will be assembling them together on Sunday, May 20th as part of the Pentecost Party. Please see exact needs on signup sheets outside the main office. Items include: scouring pads, sponges, dust masks, dish soap, liquid laundry detergent, clotheslines and clothespins. Let s do mission TOGETHER and celebrate how we can do more together than we each can do alone. Contact Pastor Jessie with any questions: jessie@findlayfpc.org New Members On Sunday April 22nd, we welcomed two families into our congregation, the McAllisters and the Earleys! Please welcome them when you see them! Cathy and Bill McAllister come to us by letter of transfer from First Presbyterian Church, Fostoria. They have 2 grown children and are both retired. Cathy retired from St. Wendelin Catholic School and Bill as the executive director at the Geary Family YMCA in Fostoria. They enjoy traveling, golfing and will soon be grandparents! They live in the country, near New Reigel. Church News Mackenzie and Harold Earley are new to the Findlay area, moving here because of Harold s work with Marathon Petroleum. Mackenzie takes care of the kids, David 5, who is a FPC preschooler, and Scarlett is 1 and they are expecting a child this fall. Welcome Matt Pfirsch We are happy to welcome Matt Pfirsch to our FPC team as Facility Manager. He will be working closely with Skip and staff the next few weeks. If you see him around, please introduce yourself, say hello, and make him feel welcome. Pentecost Geraniums The Worship Committee encourages members and friends to provide monetary gifts for the purchase of red geraniums for Pentecost Sunday, May 20th. Envelopes are in the pew racks for gifts in memory of, in honor of, and in celebration of loved ones. The geraniums will later be planted in the flower beds to beautify the surroundings of our Church for the summer. We also invite everyone to wear red to church on Pentecost Sunday, May 20th. Baptisms, Holy Week Festival, and Cabin Fever Enjoy some pictures from a couple of our community and kids events as well as Sunday Baptisms!

5 May Sunday May 6 8:00 am Communion Worship C 8:45 am Prayer Ministry C 9:30 am Traditional Worship S Godly Play S, :45 am Character Builders 209 Seminar FH Sermon Talk Back 211 Food and Faith 201 3:00 pm Artist Series S 4:00 pm Celebrate What s Right with the Church 209 Monday May 7 9:30 am Women of Faith L Tuesday May 8 5:30 am Voting Polls GR 6:30 am Men s Breakfast Cafe Marie 9:15 am GatherRing S Wednesday May 9 9:30 am MOPS GIFT 332 7:00 pm Chancel Choir CR MOPS Evening 332 Thursday May 10 8:00 am Miller s Men Group P 9:00 am MVP Training FH 5:00 pm Connectional Ministries 117 5:30 pm Stewardship and Finance 209 7:00 pm Mission Committee 117 Trustees 214 Friday May 11 9:30 am KnitWits 112 Saturday May 12 Sunday May 13 8:00 am Communion Worship C 8:45 am Prayer Ministry C 9:30 am Traditional Worship S Godly Play S, :45 am Character Builders 209 Community Dinner GR Monday May 14 9:30 am Women of Faith L FPC Book Club P Tuesday May 15 6:30 am Men s Breakfast Cafe Marie 9:15 am GatherRing S 3:00 pm Maumee Valley Presbytery Meeting 6:00 pm PW Coordinating Team P Wednesday May 16 9:30 am MOPS GIFT 332,107 Thursday May 17 8:00 am Miller s Men Group P 9:30 am Christian Education 211 Friday May 18 12:00 pm Sarah s Circle 112 Saturday May 19 C: Chapel S: Sanctuary L: Library CR: Choir Room GR: Great Room Serve NS: Nursery School P: Parlor #: Room Number Hymn Festival - May 13th On May 13th, we will be having a Hymn Festival during the 9:30 am Worship Service. This will be comprised of numerous hymns, their stories and the scriptures related to them. The hymns themselves have been chosen from the familiar, around the world, or those we simply do not get to sing very often. Please come oin your voice with the Chancel Choir, the GatherRing Handbell Choir, the Brass Choir and Organ as we sing praises to our great God! Artist Series Concert The Artist Series will be presenting the Toledo Symphony Orchestra String Ensemble on Sunday, May 6th at 3 pm in the Sanctuary. This group is made up of two violins, a viola and a cello. A free-will offering will be collected. Nursery School Afternoon Class The FPC Nursery School is opening an afternoon class for four-year-olds. This will be a three day class starting this fall. It will meet Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 12:30 pm - 3:00 pm. The 2018 school year is Labor Day to Memorial Day. Your four-year-old must be 4 on or before August 1st. Please spread the word about this new class! Please call Sharon Vaas, Nursery School Director at (419) Music and Arts Camp We have over 75 children registered for this year s camp! With this great turnout, we need more volunteers. Please consider how you can help during this busy week as we welcome the children of our community into the church. We need food volunteers, art helpers, music helpers, shepherds, etc. If you can help in any way, please let Brent know at brent@findlayfpc.org. This is an enormous opportunity to give to the next generation! Support Our Church s Ministry By Contributing Your Per Capita! Each year, the church is required to pay a certain amount per member to the denomination this is to support the larger work of the Presbyterian Church USA, which includes administrative costs, but also world mission, Presbyterian hunger program, and lots of other awesome things. So, included in our operating budget at First Presbyterian Church (FPC) is an expense item entitled Per Capita. This represents monies paid to the Presbytery to support administrative expenses of the Presbytery (regional), the Synod and the General Assembly (national) and to support mission work of the greater church. FPC pays $30.98 for each active congregational member on the roster. Would you consider reimbursing FPC for the Per Capita assessment paid on your behalf? Please indicate in the memo portion of your check, Per Capita. Thank you!

6 First Presbyterian Church First News & Views First Presbyterian Church 2330 South Main Street Findlay, Ohio FIRST NEWS & VIEWS (USPS # ) is published bi-weekly by the First Presbyterian Church, 2330 S. Main Street, Findlay, OH Periodicals postage paid at Findlay, OH. POSTMASTER: send address change to PERIODICAL Phone: Fax: Visit our website findlayfpc.org Like us on Facebook facebook.com/findlayfpc First Presbyterian Staff Bill Lindeman, Interim Pastor Jessica Commeret Myers, Interim Associate Pastor Brent Neuenschwander, Director of Music Nicole Cramer, Coordinator of Children s Faith Formation Stephanie Bryan, Office Secretary Bethany Charlton, Communications Coordinator Dorie Pierre, Childcare Staff Amy Wilkerson, Financial Secretary Marna Weaver, Church Accountant Sharon Vaas, Nursery School Director Skip Lamb, Interim Facility Manager Matt Pfirsch, Facility Manager Kevin Cotterman, Custodian Annette Jones, Custodian Kerry Lee Appleton, Custodian Next newsletter deadline is Friday, May 11th. Church Transportation Dave Reynolds will be the bus driver for Sundays, May 6th and 13th. Please call if you need a ride (419) Service Viewing Our Services are available to watch via our website or by visiting our page on YouTube. You can find the videos under our worship tab at findlayfpc.org. Financial Results First Quarter Year to date: Actual Budget Revenue: $212,339 $200,944 Expenses: $194,762 $205,145 Surplus/Deficit: $17,577 $4,201 Sunday Morning 8:00 am Communion Worship in the Chapel 8:45 am Prayer Ministry in the Chapel 9:30 am Traditional Worship in the Sanctuary 10:45 am Christian Education Preaching Schedule May 6: Rev. Jessica Commeret Myers May 13: Rev. Bill Lindeman May 20: Rev. Bill Lindeman If you would like a large print newsletter, please contact the church office.