July Inside this Issue:

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1 July 2015 Inside this Issue: PG 2: Toms Pen PG 3: Youth News PG 4: Our Family PG 5: Party in the Park PG 6: Other News PG 7: Calendar PG 8: Did you Know Service Times: (In the Chapel) 9:15am Children s Church 10 am Sunday School (in the Sanctuary) 11:15am Children s Church 12pm Fellowship 12:30pm Youth Group Visit Us on Facebook at: SIGN UP TO RECEIVE OUR NEWS AND UPDATES request to: christy@firstchurchcongregational.org Website: Office: Christy Duffus Administrative Assistant Page 1

2 Rev. Cofer s Pen God s blessings, grace, mercy and peace to you as we begin this month of July! I sure have been enjoying the summer so far, and I hope that you are also! It has been and continues to be a busy summer here at First Church. As I write this article, we are in the middle of our Expedition Everest Vacation Bible School, and it has been a wonderful experience! All of the kids are having a great deal of fun and learning and celebrating our faith, and all the adult and teen helpers are having a great time also. I am so grateful for everyone who has been helping, your energy has been wonderful and we could not have learned so much and had such a great time without all of you! Many thanks also to Alex for all of his hard work in putting VBS together! I know I have enjoyed my part in being the storyteller for the week, and I am already looking forward to next year! The Painesville Community Theater has gotten off to a great start also. There are quite a few kids in the program and it has been enjoyable for everyone. The kids are having a great deal of fun, and they are learning their parts and getting ready for the play, also. Their first production is coming up on July 10 & 11th I would encourage everyone who is able to come and enjoy King Midas and the Palace of Gold. Party in the Park is coming up later this month also please look for the article in the newsletter here to explore the various ways in which you can be involved. This is a good way for us to reach out into the wider community and make our presence known, to introduce ourselves to folks who come from all over the area into downtown Painesville. Please mark it on your calendar and join us in making this event a success! Also as I write this article, the General Synod is meeting in Cleveland for their once every-other year gathering. Please keep the wider church and the covenant we share with one another in your prayers. In more ways than one, as every part of the church, these are challenging times for us. The world is constantly changing and so is the church. While there is so much that can be perceived as negative, I am reminded each and every day that the saying God is still speaking rings true. We have been blessed with so much as a congregation, and when we share what we have, we are a conduit for God s love to reach out into the wider community and in the world. This conduit has never been more important than it is today. I think of our brothers and sisters in the Lord who were gunned down in their church just because of their race. I think of the reality that our government is overshadowed by special interests, and things are clouded because of this. People misuse our faith for their own gain, or it is dismissed by the wider world as archaic and irrelevant. The church is surrounded by too many things competing for their place in people s priority list. Yet, with all of this and more going on to discourage us, I hear the voice of the still speaking God making inroads in our lives, and continuing to light the way for us as a family of faith. Through all of our ministries, lives are being touched, changed, and empowered to live for the one who was, is and will always be. God uses all of these challenges, and more as well, to continue to speak to us and give us hope. I give thanks to God for you, and for our continued ministry together. We change our own lives, we fill up the bucket of life, one drop at a time. I give thanks that we gather our drops together, and bear witness to the full bucket filled to overflowing, which is God s kingdom come to us. We lift up all the challenges and more that I just mentioned in prayer, but we also add our witness in how we live our lives, to make a difference in the world. We are on a quest a quest to find God in our own lives, and a quest to bring the witness of Christ to the wider world. I give thanks for our journey together, and may you continue to be empowered by the blessings of God s Holy Spirit. Walking with You on His Path, Tom Page 2

3 Youth News Youth Council Youth Council will meet on Sunday July 19th at 1:30pm. Youth Council has planned some fun and exciting events for the year: July 26th-Beach Cookout 6pm- August 9th-The Fest 12pm-9pm September 27th-Zip City 12pm-4pm October- Volunteer at Metro Parks Haunted House November 22nd- Thanksgiving dinner 5pm-7pm December 20th- Christmas Party 6pm Be sure to mark your calendars for these fun events and as alway invite a friend or two to join you. VBS was a great success we had 32 kids in attendance and we could not have done it with out all of our helpers. Thank you to everyone who helped make this an amazing week. Hold on VBS To God s Mighty Power Page 3

4 Our Family Hear Our Prayer Lord, I come before you today in need of your healing hand. In you all things are possible. Hold my heart within yours, and renew my mind, body, and soul. Wallace Scott, Eva Weber, Louise Keeter, Marge Libby, John & Nita Ruple, Dave Burris, Maxine Trout, Cliff Hall, Jean Burnham, Larry and Judy Elliott, Alan Sadar, Marcia Hemphill, Ernest Delamotte, Les Naughton, and Bernard Szczepanski. THEATER CAMP Tickets on sale now for Musical Theater Camp A. Performances on July 10th at 7:30pm and July 11th at 11 am at First Church Congregational. Tickets can be purchased at the door for a $5 donation. We are currently accepting registrations for! Don t miss out on the fun! starts Monday, July 13th! Meets Monday thru Thursday from 9am-3pm.Registration Forms are available in the church office or on the Community Theater Web site : under registration Book Group The Book for Wednesday July 15th is the third book in the Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer; The Best Kept Secret. Speaker Breaking the Sugar Addiction. Dr. Misty Senz will be speaking on how to eliminate sugar from your diet. On Wednesday July 22 at 7pm. We had many request from people who came to her first program here at First Church Congregational to have her return. Join us for a fun educational evening. WITH SYMPATHY Bruce Anspach s mother Ellen McLane passed away on Saturday June 27th. Our sympathy and prayers go out the Bruce, Karen, and the Anspach family. HEIDELBERG Heidelberg does not meet in July or August. The next meeting will be in September. Toss in the Towel Hope Chest is in great need of bath towels for the clients they serve! We have collected 23 towels in our drive to date. Please donate new or gently used towels and place them in one of the collection pools in the narthex or chapel lobby. Thank you for your support. Missions Blood Drive July 27th from 12pm-6pm Page 4

5 Party in the Park We are getting excited about our involvement in Party in the Park coming up on July 17th, 18th, & 19th! In order to make our involvement a success and the best it can be, we need your help! We are still in need of the following help and items: To Borrow: 2 Roasters 2 Coolers Items to Donate: 6 Cases of Coke 3 Cases of Sprite 2 Cases of Diet Coke 3 Cases of Bottled Water Folks to Work the Information Table (Friday-Sunday, in the Park Itself): Saturday, July 18th: 1-3 PM (1 Person), 3-5 PM (1 Person), 7-9 PM (2 People). Sunday, July 19th: 6-8 PM (2 People) tear down. We will be passing out information and talking about the church and its different ministries, passing out pinwheels to the kids, and selling 50/50 raffle tickets to benefit the Painesville Community Theater. Working the Church Open House itself on Saturday, July 18th Help with Set-up from 9-11 AM (need 8 people) Help with the Food (includes serving, selling, etc.; need 6 people for each two hour shift from 11 AM-8PM) Bouncy House: We need 1 Person for each two hour shift (11-1 PM, 1-3 PM, 3-5 PM, 5-7 PM, & 7-8 PM) Clean-up: 6 People, beginning at 8 PM until everything is put away, cleaned up, etc. You can sign up for as many or as few of the 2 hour shifts as you would like. We are going to have an informational meeting on Wednesday, July 8th at 7 PM in the chapel to go over everything. We will cover what each job entails, the organization, and so forth. Please put this date on your calendar, as this meeting will help to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Last year, we had a lot of fun working together, and we hope you will join us this year! Page 5

6 Other News Same-Sex Marriage Following the Supreme Court ruling regarding same-sex marriage on Friday, June 26th, Rev. Cofer sent out the following message in an to the congregation. This is simply being reprinted here in the newsletter for those who may not have received the for any number of reasons. Hi Everyone, Today, the US Supreme Court rendered a decision in a court case and the result of which is that same sex marriage is now legal in all 50 states. While we know what this means regarding the state (legal) aspect, many of you may be wondering what the position is of First Church regarding the issue, and so, I would like to take this opportunity to address it. At this time, First Church has no position regarding same-sex marriage. Given the reality that this was the most likely ruling that the Supreme Court was going to make, the church council has been having discussions about it. Both the council and myself feel that the decision to bless/celebrate same sex marriages should be one that is made by the congregation, and as such needs to come before the congregation in a special congregational meeting to vote on the issue. At the June meeting of the Church Council, the council voted to make a recommendation to the congregation. The recommendation is as follows: Council recommends that if Ohio s law permits same-sex marriage, that the Senior Pastor of First Church has the approval to perform those marriages following the current church wedding policy. This would mean that, if voted on and approved by the congregation, I would have the authority to officiate them or not, as I do now with straight couples. The wedding policy would be followed that is all the requirements that are in place now for a wedding would remain. If we bless same-sex marriages, the wedding policy in place now would not have to be rewritten, it would remain in effect regardless of the gender of the couple. This is the recommendation that will be voted on at an upcoming special congregational meeting. Let me say that I am fully aware that no matter which way the church goes regarding this issue, it will upset people. I wish it were not the case my desire is that we are able to remain a community of faith with one another, and we can continue to celebrate one another s differences and points of view. I ask that you continue to keep the church, me, and the church council in your prayers. The council is also aware that our decision as a congregation, whatever it may be, will not please everyone. I have suggested the following timeline to the council: Wednesday, August 12th at 7 PM we would have an informational meeting, where all of us will have the opportunity to share our opinions and feelings. There will be no votes taken at this meeting, however in the course of our conversation there may be things that come up regarding the issue that we can incorporate into the voting meeting itself. Then, we would have the actual voting meeting either on Sunday, August 23rd following the 11 am service or on Wednesday, August 26th at 7 PM. At present, I feel that this is the best timeline regarding our already scheduled congregational activities and will also allow us time to pray, discuss, and discern with one another before then. If this timeline changes, then we will certainly get that out in plenty of time. Let me also say the following: in the interim, I have made a decision that I will not officiate any samesex marriages until we have made a decision together as a congregation. There are some that may disagree with me, however, as pastor and teacher, I feel that this is the right position to take while we discern. I have also said that I will honor the wishes of the congregation following the actual vote. I also encourage you to share with me, the council, and the Pastoral Relations committee, and with one another your feelings between now and then. God s Blessings, Tom Page 6

7 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 28 2pm Youth go to Adventure Zone 29 Camp A 7pm Troop A 1 Camp A 2 Camp A 3 OFFICE CLOSED 4 8:30am PIYO 5 12:30 pm Youth Group 6 Camp A 7 Camp A 8 Camp A 12pm Knitting club 9 Camp A 10 Camp A 7pm PCT Performance 11 St. James: 8:30am PIYO 11 am PCT Performance 12 12:30 pm Youth Group 13 1pm Prayer Group 7pm Boards 14 11am Listening for God 15 11am Book Club 6pm Missy Norton Girl Scout All Day Party in the Park 18All Day Party in the Park 8:30am PIYO 19All Day Party in the Park 5 pm Youth Council 12:30 pm Youth Group 26 12:30 pm Youth Group 20 Project Hope - Missions 1pm Prayer Group 7pm COUNCIL pm Blood Drive am Listening for God 7pm PWC 22 12pm Knitting club 7pm Dr. Misty Senz Breaking the Sugar Addiction :30am PIYO 1 We are currently in need of Coffee hour host for the summer months. If you are able to host coffee hour any Sunday during the summer please sign up on the board outside of the Social room. Page 7

8 Published monthly by First Church, Congregational 22 Liberty ST., Painesville OH POSTMASTER First Church, Congregational 22 Liberty ST., Painesville OH NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE PD Painesville, OH Permit 195 Blessings to: Page 8 Did you know? A couple of years ago, the First Church Council of Stewards created the Pastoral Relations Committee. This Committee s mission is to act as a liaison between members of the congregation and the pastoral staff. The pastoral staff includes Tom Cofer and the paid church personnel under his administrative authority. All persons wishing to make a complaint or extend a compliment to the pastoral staff are urged to contact the committee member of his or her choice. The source and content of any comments will be kept strictly confidential in all respects. The current members of the Pastoral Relations Committee are as follows: Earle Drabenstott, Chair, Ann Marie Hamilton, George Milbourn, Cap Perts, and Jean Stevens. History Snippet Now is summer camp season around are area. Well in 1967 camps and conferences were as followed: *Jr. Camps for grades 5 and 6 - cost $ dates held at Temple Hills and 4 at Dunkirk. *Jr. High Camp for grades 7 and 8 - cost $ dates held at Temple Hill, 5 held at *Pilgrim Hills and 3 at Dunkirk. *Middle High camp for grades 9 and 10 - cost $ dates held at Pilgrim Hills and 1 held The Dunkirk. Clara Nichols Historian