The First Epistle. First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead Established November 2017 ON THE INSIDE:

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1 The First Epistle First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead Established 1872 November 2017 ON THE INSIDE: Prayers 2 Birthdays 2 Pastor Reflections 3 News & Events 4-5 The Session: Moderator: Paul Campbell, CRE Clerk of Session: LuAnn Buehre Treasurer: Chris Swee Scott Dobovsky, Peggy Johnson, Ineke Justitz, Kim Kelsh, Frank Kratky, Jane Lobitz, Kathy McKaig, Tim Nelson, Erik Swee, Walt Worman The Deacons Moderator: Elizabeth Swee Pegi Ecker, Bonnie Erickson, Jim Gale, Nicole Hestbeck, Patty Kratky, Arlene Munighan, Helen Pemble, Jane Tandberg, Kathleen Wilkinson, Marilynn Woods, Barb Worman EPCTL for November: Elizabeth Swee Talent Auction There s still time to share your awesome talents of time and treasure! The donation slips are on the table in the narthex. So far, the talents donated include jewelry, tapestry, genealogy work, Christmas cookies, handknit mittens, baklava, music-making, and more. We look forward to seeing you and your friends on November 3. Viewing at 6:00pm, auction begins at 6:30. With the Talent Auction, we hope to raise money for innovative plans and programs that will support the long-term wellbeing of First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead. Your support of the Talent Auction matters! Thank you. Dear Members of the First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead, Thank you for your giving to the church in Your giving has made a difference for both our members and for benevolence in our community and world. In order to help the Stewardship & Finance Committee plan for the 2018 budget, would you please fill out and return the enclosed 2018 Pledge Form? We understand that your pledge is flexible and only an estimate of your projected giving. Please bring your 2018 pledge form to Pledge Sunday on November 19, or drop the pledge form in the giving baskets any Sunday, or return the pledge form to the church office. If all members turn in a pledge, the church will have a much more accurate projection of giving and can budget accordingly. We appreciate your thoughtful tithing. The Stewardship & Finance Committee Poinsettia Orders Poinsettias are available to order. Deadline for ordering will be December 3rd. Price is $10 a piece, contact Elizabeth Swee (701)

2 The First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead Worship: 10:30 am 2900 Fifth Street South, Moorhead, MN Find us on Facebook: Addresses: Church: Newsletter Articles: Our mission is to be a caring community of God s people who live by Christ s teachings, reach out to others to share the love of God, and celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, thought, and action. Mid Week Meal & Program Wed. November 1st Supper: Meatloaf, baked potatoes, squash, milk, apple crisp Wed. November 8th Supper: Chicken enchilada, refried beans, rice, milk, caramel apple empanadas Wed. November 15th Supper: Roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, biscuits, milk, zucchini cake Wed. November 22nd Thanksgiving meal and service with Bethesda Supper: Beef stew, biscuits, fruit cup, milk, assorted bars Wed. November 29th Supper: Chicken pot pie, lettuce salad, rolls, milk, cherry dump cake Mary Long Todd Biever Ruth Matthews Kathleen Wilkinson Jeanne Walker Raymond Austin Theresa Samuels Laura Hagemann Donald and Marion DeJong Josh Peterson Mabel Schneider Meal time: 6:00-6:45pm Simple Church: 6:45pm Meal donation is suggested at $6 adult / $2 child You are always welcome to be our guest should this be a financially tight time in life. Your company is enough. November Hospitality Team: David Miller Jane Tandberg Dale & Sandy Gronhovd Jerry & Arlene Munighan Walt & Barb Worman** ** Group Leaders Pegi Ecker Nov. 2 Mitchell McKaig Nov. 4 Cassidy Johnson Nov. 10 Gayle Mostad Nov. 13 Leander Wheeler Nov. 16 Margaret Sambo Nov. 19 Ronald Johnson Nov. 22 K. Dale Gronhovd Nov. 25

3 The First Epistle PAGE 3 Pastor Reflections For I am mindful of the plans I have made concerning you declares the Lord- plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a hopeful future Jeremiah 29:11 I am continuing with the theme of hope for this month again, because it is a time of hope for your congregation and looking forward to new growth. I waited to write this reflection until Sunday afternoon on October 22nd. The congregation this morning elected to call Robert Drake to be your new pastor starting November 28th. This is time of celebration and thanksgiving for you. And it is time for a hopeful future for you. It was enjoyable for me to sit in the congregation this morning and feel the energy and the Holy Spirit moving through the worship service and your congregation. I feel that it was also the Spirit moving yesterday that brought me an article about Hey, pastors, want to bring us millennials back to church. The reason I say this is because Robert is younger than I am and can lead your church to become an inviting church to this generation that is hungry for spiritual growth. In the article, by J-P Mauro he talked about what millennials and young people want more. We want more than the caramel macchiato that we can get anywhere. We don t need the Church to give us access to what is cool. We have more access to that than we can consume. We want what is true. We want what is beautiful. We want access to it in ancient terms which we may not understand, but can learn through practice..you know what we want? As the disciples said to Jesus, Teach us to pray. (Luke 11:1). Without that, we haven t a clue how to mature in our faith. That struck me because over the summer we started #simplechurch and explored different ways of praying the Psalms. This fall we continued that theme of learning about praying different ways. My hope for you as a congregation is to be open to doing things differently with your new pastor. Reach out to new people and help them grow in their faith. At the same time you will be able to deepen your own faith. You truly are the saints of First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead. I had already chosen to have the first sermon subject in November be about prayer and finding treasures in heaven. I have seen the Holy Spirit moving this last month in your church. Be open and hopeful for the future. Remember continue to dream of what God might yet provide for you. Seek God with all your heart, looking towards a hopeful future. Let the Grace of God guide us forward. - Pastor Paul New Life Events: November November 1 - Lunch Bunch - Noon - VIP Room, Downtown Fargo November 12 - Beer and Hymns - Junkyard Brewery Christian Education Sunday School gathering time in November we will be working on music for the Christmas Pageant. Sunday November 26 ( Thanksgiving weekend) we will have intergenerational Sunday school at 9:15am. There will be a project related to Advent which begins the following Sunday.

4 The First Epistle November 2017 News & Events Session News from October Session spent some time discussing the usage of our church building. Concerns include: unlocked doors, clean-up, a closing check list will be given to all those who request to use the church, groups & committees using the building. The Nominating Committee will begin the work of finding 5 elders and 2 deacons to serve next year. Four 3-year terms for elder and a 2-year term are needed. Deacons have two 2-year terms available. If you are interested in serving as an elder or deacon, contact Kim Kelsh or Walt Worman. A date has been set for the 2017 Annual Meeting. The meeting will take place on Sunday January 21, 2018 following worship and a potluck dinner. Current Committee moderators are responsible for preparing a report for the meeting. Friday January is the date to have your reports turned in for preparation of the Annual Report. Current Active membership is 147 members. Approved the baptism of Sophie Sharon Massie on November 19. Parents are Adam and Joni Massie. Church Treasurer Chris Swee reported on the church financials. Currently income is outpacing expenses, largely due to lower pastoral expenses. But giving is slightly behind projections. Garrick Larson has been doing our church bookkeeping for the last two years. Garrick has resigned as bookkeeper as of the end of the year. Please give Garrick a huge thank you for all the work he has done. His work is truly appreciated. Building & Grounds reported that the Xcel bills have been higher than anticipated with a new boiler. They will be investigating the increase in costs. Session agreed to pay the outstanding portion we owe on the 2017 Per Capita. This will be $3442, to come out of the General fund. Presbyterian Trivia If you are the first person to answer the Presbyterian Trivia question by calling the church office at you will receive a gift. The answer and winner from the this month and a new question will appear in the December Newsletter. Question: Who was the first martyr in the American Abolitionist movement in the nineteenth century? Reprinted from the October 22, PNP Connections First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead The "Grateful Garden" Community Garden Project In March of 2016, the Action Committee of First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead (FPCM) formally embarked upon a long-hoped-for dream of creating a community garden on the church grounds, by submitting an application for funding support to the Presbyterian Mission Agency in Louisville, Kentucky. In September 2016, an award was made of a $10,000 "Dream Grant" for a two-year project to plan and create a community garden at FPCM. Planning began immediately and on May 6, 2017, the official ground breaking for the new garden was held. At several public meetings the public was invited to come to FPCM for informational orientation and to sign up as participant gardeners. Over 20 community members signed up to participate in tilling, seed planting, weeding, watering, and harvesting activities on a weekly basis through the spring, summer, and autumn months. The gardening group includes several members of new immigrant groups to the Fargo- Moorhead community as well as church members and other neighborhood families. Several community agencies such as Cultural Diversity Resources, New American Development Agency, Kurdish Community of America, and University of Minnesota Extension Health and Nutrition Programs are partners and supporters of the garden project. The garden director who was hired to plan and coordinate the weekly activities of the garden and record attendance and harvest sharing is a graduate student in Foods and Nutrition at North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND. The harvest of garden produce includes lettuce, radishes, kale, zucchini squash, bok choy, cabbages, peppers, onions, beans, herbs, carrots, and tomatoes. All produce will be shared among the gardeners for their families. Plans for next year include doubling the size and area of the garden as well as doubling the number of gardeners from the community.

5 The First Epistle PAGE 5 News & Events Hospitality Group Update Due to the favorable response to continue with Fellowship Time after church in the summer, I have looked at ways to keep the summer months in the schedule. I presented the need to rework the schedule at the October Worship Committee meeting where it was approved and the following plan was approved by Session. Starting in January 2018, the Hospitality Groups will operate on a quarterly system: JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH APRIL/MAY/JUNE Ron & Peggy Johnson Ineke Justitiz Cassidy/Landon Johnson Holly Martin Scott Ecker & Monika Browne-Ecker Hal & Pegi Ecker Jane Lobitz Richard & Helen Pemble*** Clarence & Carole Smerud Gerald & Janet Van Amburg Joni Lordeman*** Bill & Marilyn Woods John & Judy Ortez Mary Skalet Tim / Ryne Ortez Kathy Giddings Garrick & Mary Larson Robert & Mary Long Greg & Renee Akason Adam & Joni Massie JULY/AUGUST/ SEPTEMBER George O Neill Jim Gale Kim Kelsh Kathy McKaig Scott Dobovsky Nicole Hestbeck Maggie Sambo Erik & Elizabeth Swee*** LuAnn Buehre Jim & Myrna Beattie Tim Nelson Diane Wray-Williams *** Denotes Group Leader OCTOBER/NOVEMBER/DECEMBER Vern & Liz Bancroft (greeters) Jim & Marlys Winter (greeters) Chris & Nadine Swee Dagne Forbes*** David Miller Jane Tandberg Arlene Munighan Walt & Barb Worman Frank & Patti Kratky Julie Sorenson/ Julie Munsey Steve Knorr/Flory Austin Jay & Bonnie Erickson Please let me know what Quarter you would like to transfer to if you are unable to serve during the quarter you are assigned. I will do my best to get someone to trade with you. Janet Van Amburg, Hospitality Group Coordinator

6 First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead 2900 Fifth Street South Moorhead, MN RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED November Worship Schedule Sun. November 5 th - 22 nd Sunday after Pentecost Treasures in Heaven - Matthew 6: Luke 18: 9-14 Sun. November 12 th - 23 rd Sunday after Pentecost Deborah Uncommon Leader - Judges 4: 1-7 Sun. November 19 th - 24 th Sunday after Pentecost Stewardship Sunday - Matthew 25: Psalm 90:1-8 Sun. November 26 th - 25 th Sunday after Pentecost Crossing the Jordan - Joshua 3:14-4:24

7 November 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 All Saints Day 7:30pm New Life Committee Meeting 2 Talent Auction Set-up in FH 3 6pm Talent Auction in FH nd Sunday after Pentecost 4-6pm Youth Group at Skate City Roller Rink 6 7-9pm Heather & Thistle Pipes and Drums Beginners Class (HTPD) 7 Election Day 7pm Deacons, Personnel, B&G, and S&F Committee Meetings 8 1pm Circle One in Fellowship Hall pm Korean Church Worship rd Sunday after Pentecost 11:45am Action Committee Meeting 2pm Community Theater event pm Worship, CE, S&F Committee Meetings pm Korean Church Worship 18 5:30pm Card Club 19 24th Sunday after Pentecost Stewardship Sunday 11:45am Friendship Lunch 3pm Korean Church Dinner 20 9am-5pm Craft Day in FH 7-9pm Girl Scout Leaders Meeting 21 7pm S&F Meeting with Session 22 6pm Soup Supper 7pm Thanksgiving Eve Worship here with Bethesda Lutheran 23 Thanksgiving Day Church Office Closed 24 Newsletter Deadline 6-10pm Korean Church Worship Christ the King Sunday 27 6:15pm Dorothy Day Food Pantry Volunteering 28 9:30am Newsletter Assembly Group 7pm Book Group 7pm S&F Meeting with Session 29 30