Your Church November 2018

Your Church November 2018 Volume 36 Issue 10 Dear Friends, A special note from the Personnel Committee this month: A Special Welcome to Our New Director of Music of Ministries, Robert Edwards! We would like to welcome Robert Edwards to our church staff to oversee our music ministries of the church. He is trained both in piano and organ and loves playing both equally. As you get to know him, you will find and appreciate his love of music and his great sense of humor. Please greet and welcome Robert when you see him! The Personnel Committee is pleased to announce that Sara is staying on as our Administrative Assistant. Without a pastor as head of staff, Sara will be responsible to the chairman of Personnel, Dallas Dieckmann. Any request should go through respective Committee Chairperson or the Chairman of Personnel (Dallas Dieckmann: Email: dal-don@comcast.net Phone: 734-755-9165). Dallas Dieckmann, Chair of Personnel Committee Contact Information: 108 Washington St. Monroe, MI 48161 Phone: 734.242.1545 Fax: 734-243-6120 www.monroefirst.org Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 9:00am - 3:00pm Friday 9:00am - 1:00pm

PAGE 2 Congregational Life Study Bible Orders The Order for the Harper Collins Study Bible will be sent in at the end of November. If you are interested, the information is on the sign-up sheets upstairs and in the C.E. Lobby. Sunday Morning Bible Study Dallas Dieckmann and Cindy Morgan will continue to facilitate the Sunday morning Adult Education class at 9:30 a.m. They are following Paul as he tries to convert the Corinthians to the Christian faith. Thursday Morning Bible Study Our Thursday Morning Bible Study at 10:00 a.m. will continue with Cindy Morgan and Alice Kostoff as our co-facilitators in the Cairl Room for the next few weeks. We are studying the Gospel of Mark based on N.T. Wright s Bible study series. Please join us as we journey through the life of Christ in Mark s eyes. All Saint s Day ~ November 4 What is All Saint s Day?? It is a Christian festival to celebrate all known and unknown saints and to observe the bond between those living and those in heaven. How should we celebrate it?? The day is typically observed by attending Worship and visiting cemeteries to honor our loved ones who have joined the Church Triumphant. How will we celebrate it? Your loved one who died this past year will be honored during the Roll Call of the Saint s portion of our Worship service as we light a candle at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 4! Please join us as we toll the passing bell for our loved ones!

PAGE 3 Congregational Meeting On Sunday, December 9 after worship a congregational meeting will be held to elect new Deacons and Elders for 2019. 200th Celebration of Faith and Service 200th Celebration of Faith and Service That is the name of our 200th Birthday celebration coming up in 2020. The group is making lots of plans and hope they will be exciting. Anyone who has old bulletins, pictures of church events, special worship services, or whatever you may have that involves First Presbyterian Church, and you want to donate them back to the church, please bring them to the church office. We are anxious to find as many historical items as possible. The next meeting is Monday, November 12 at 7:00 p.m. in the Cairl Room. Thank you, The 200th Birthday Committee. Communion Future Communion Dates include: November 4 All Saint s Day December 7 First Sunday in Advent December 24 Christmas Eve Service at 8:00 p.m. If any homebound member would like to have Communion served at home, please contact the church office. Now I Lay Me Down Bed Program Bed Race to Aid Children, Inc. wants to thank First Presbyterian Church for all their support. The following is a list of donations given in 2018: $ 6,000 was given in March, 2018 $ 5,000 was given in June, 2018 $30,000 was given in October, 2018 This is a total of $41,000 that Bed Race to Aid Children, Inc. has given to Now I Lay Me Down in 2018. This was presented in Worship on October 28, 2018. Again, thank you for all your support of our program. ~ Bed Race to Aid Children, Inc., Board

These Days Copies of the These Days devotional books are available in the Narthex, C.E. Lobby, and Main Office. These books have a brief devotion, prayer for each day, and adult coloring pages. Please feel free to pick up a copy or take one to a shut-in member. PAGE 4 Men s Prayer Breakfast The next Men s Prayer Breakfast will be Saturday, November 10 at 8:30 a.m. at the Fifth Wheel Restaurant located at 8500 N. Telegraph Road, Monroe, MI. Please sign up on the sheet in the C.E. Lobby. Martha Mary Circle The Martha Mary Circle would like to invite all of the ladies to their meeting on Monday, November 12 at 1:00 p.m. in the Cairl Room. Please mark your calendars now for our Christmas Lunch at the Monroe Golf & Country Club on Monday, December 10 at 12:30 p.m. This is open to all Ladies of the church. The annual cheese ball sale has started. Order forms are available in the Welcome Center, C.E. Lobby, and the Church Office. For questions, see Charlotte Frary. Our choices are the same as last year (Celebration Cheddar, Chipped Beef and Cookies and Cream). Please place your order forms in the box outside of the Church Office. Orders will be delivered on Sunday, November 11. The last date to order is Wednesday, November 7. Staff Robert Edwards, Director of Music Ministries Sara Jones, Administrative Assistant info@monroefirst.org Suzanne Bondie, Financial Secretary sbondie@monroefirst.org Gary Bogedain, Sexton Sean Farris, Custodian Suzanne Bondie, Childcare Amy Morgan, Childcare Next Month s Newsletter Deadline: November 21 Bible Study Youth Group The Rev. Kevin Eccles has launched an ecumenical Bible Study for Youth. Youth from any of our area churches are invited to meet at the Monroe Free Methodist Church at 3928 E. Dunbar Road, Monroe. The group meets from 6:45 to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. Youth may join at any time. The focus of the study will be the Book of Job and the Gospel of Luke. To make reservations, please call the church at (734) 863-4321.

PAGE 5 Thanksgiving Church Office Hours The Church Office will be closed on Thursday and Friday, November 22 and November 23 for observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. There is always, always something to be thankful for. Unknown Socialites The Socialites will meet on Saturday, November 17 at the Schroeder residence at 5:30 p.m. All widows, widowers, and other singles are welcome. Please join us! Thanksgiving Baskets Showing Our Thanks by Helping Others As Thanksgiving approaches, Deacons and Outreach are busy making plans for our Thanksgiving Basket deliveries. We are very blessed this year because MCOP will be able to provide many of our food items at extremely reasonable prices. The list we post at church will be much shorter. Once again the charts will be in the lobby and Narthex along with baskets in which to place donated items. If you would prefer to donate funds which we can use to purchase items from MCOP and also the perishable foods, please make checks out to Deacons-FPC with a note on the memo line: Baskets. All donations may be given to Ann Lux or Mary DeSloover. This is one of the most important projects that our groups undertake during the year. Set up will be Friday, November 16 at 10:00 a.m. Delivery will be on Saturday, November 17 at 9:00 a.m. Willing hands to help pack and deliver baskets are always needed. Please join us on either of these dates to help share the love of Christ in our communities.

Church News PAGE 6 Sparklers The Sparklers will be dusting and polishing the Sanctuary on Wednesday, November 14 at 1:00 p.m. If you can come to help, it would be very much appreciated. Any questions, talk to Carol Rabun or Alice Kostoff! Flower Calendar If you would like to give flowers for any given Sunday in honor or memory of a loved one, please mark your name on the flower calendar in the Narthex and contact the church office for details by calling 734-242-1545. You may take the flowers home after worship or leave them to be taken to one of our shut-in members. Chair Yoga Chair Yoga with Chantelle will be held every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. The cost is $7.00 per class and is open to women and men. Birthday List in November If you have not already filled out a birthday slip yet please complete it and place it in the birthday box in the narthex. Greg Hunter November 2 Molly Heisler November 3 Janet Spence November 10 John Chesman November 12 Mary DeSloover November 14 Gary Follbaum November 22 Christ the King and Stewardship Sunday! Join us for worship at 11:00 a.m. on November 25 as we end a liturgical calendar year and bring forward our time, talents, and stewardship forms to Christ the King, our Lord! With Sympathy. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Michael Kirtland who joined the Church Triumphant on October 19. May God s Peace be with you in the days ahead. Veterans Day. On Sunday, November 11 it is Veterans Day. Although we can never thank you enough for your service to our country, we can recognize you. Please come to worship that day so we may show our thanks.

Finance News PAGE 7 Why Give to the Church? We are responsible for the things and the people entrusted to us by God. Parents are responsible for their children, employers for their employees, church members for the care and well-being of one another. As Christians we are also responsible for the place in which we worship and the means of doing ministry, such as program materials, utilities, and staff salaries. This coming month leading up to Stewardship Sunday on November 25, please consider the four biblical principles of stewardship (from Faith Work & Economics). 1. The principle of ownership Psalm 24: The earth is the LORD's and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. In the beginning of Genesis, God creates everything and puts Adam in the Garden to work it and to take care of it. It is clear that man was created to work and that work is the stewardship of all of the creation that God has given them. This is the fundamental principle of biblical stewardship. God owns everything, we are simply managers or administrators acting on his behalf. Stewardship is the commitment of one's self and possessions to God's service. 2. The principle of responsibility We are called as God's stewards to manage that which belongs to God. While God has graciously entrusted us with the care, development, and enjoyment of everything he owns as his stewards, we are responsible to manage his holdings well and according to his desires and purposes. 3. The principle of accountability A steward is one who manages the possessions of another. We are all stewards of the resources, abilities and opportunities that God has entrusted to our care and one day each of us will be called to give an account for how we have managed what the Master has given us. This is the maxim taught by the Parable of the Talents.

4. The principle of reward Finance News Colossians 3:23-24: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. The Bible shows us in the parables that faithful stewards who do the master's will with the master's resources can expect to be rewarded incompletely in this life, but fully in the next. As Christians in the 21st century we need to embrace this larger biblical view of stewardship, which goes beyond church budgets or building projects, though important; it connects everything we do with what God is doing in the world. As you meditate on each of these four principles that our Lord gave us, let Him speak to you in regard to how you will support our church this coming year with your gifts of time, talent, and financial resources. Charlotte Frary, Chair of Finance Committee Income and Expense Statement as of October 1, 2018 Income $125,000.63 Expenses $167,163.22 PAGE 8 Hanging of the Greens We hope that everyone joins us after Worship on Sunday, December 2 to help with the Hanging of the Greens. Congregational Life will be providing a light lunch. Please dress casual for Worship and bring the whole family to help in decorating the church for the upcoming advent season. If you are unable to decorate, please come for the fellowship. You can cheer us on from the sidelines. Nursery Please remember that Nursery is provided during Sunday morning Adult Education and Worship. Suzanne Bondie will take care of the small children, starting at 9:30 a.m., for those parents who wish to attend Adult Sunday School. Amy Morgan will share a lesson to those children who come to the Wee Believers room.

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PAGE 10 November 2018 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 10-Bible Study 2-Worship Planning meeting 6-Community Meal 6-TOPS 2 9-TOPS 8-HA 3 4 All Saint s Day and Communion 9:30-Adult Ed. (Dallas) 11-Worship 12:15-Fellowship 5 6-Chair Yoga 7-AA Mtg. 6 10-Chair Yoga 11-Staff 7 Cheese Ball Orders due Today 6-Ecum. Youth Group 6:30-Bells 7:30-Choir 8 10-Bible Study 6-Personnel 6-Community Meal 6-TOPS 9 9-TOPS 9:30-Worship Planning meeting 8-Heroin Anonymous 10 8:30-Men s Prayer Breakfast At Fifth Wheel 9:30-Prepare Cheese Balls in Fellowship Hall 11 9:30-Adult Ed. (Cindy) 11-Worship 12:15-Fellowship 12:15 Deacons Meeting Dedication of Baskets Cheese Ball Delivery 12 1-Martha Mary Circle 6-Chair Yoga 7-AA 7-200th Anniversary meeting 13 10-Chair Yoga 11-Staff 5:30-Cong. Life 6-Finance 7-Misson/Outreach 14 1-Sparklers 5-Worship 6-Ecum. Youth Group 6:30-Bells 7-Property 7:30-Choir 15 10-Bible Study 6-Community Meal 6-TOPS 16 9-TOPS 9:30-Worship Planning meeting 10-Thanksgiving Basket Setup 8-Heroin Anonymous 17 9-Delivery of Thanksgiving Baskets 5:30-Socialites 18 9:30-Adult Ed. (Cindy) 11-Worship 12:15-Fellowship 19 6-Chair Yoga 7-AA Mtg. 7-Ecumenical Thanksgiving Prayer Service at IHM Chapel 20 10-Chair Yoga 11-Staff 21 Newsletter Deadline 6-Ecum. Youth Group 6:30-Bells 7:30-Choir 22 Thanksgiving Day Office Closed 9-4 Schroeder in Fellowship Hall 10-No Bible Study 5-7 Schroeder in Boyd Chapel 6-Community Meal 6-TOPS 23 Office Closed 9-TOPS 9:30 No Worship Planning meeting 8-Heroin Anonymous 24 25 Stewardship and Christ the King Sunday 9:30-Adult Ed. (Cindy) 11-Worship 12:15-Fellowship 26 6-Chair Yoga 7-AA 7-Session 27 10-Chair Yoga 11-Staff 28 6-Ecum. Visit Group 6:30-Bells 7:30-Choir 29 10-Bible Study 6-Community Meal 6-TOPS 30 9-TOPS 9:30-Worship Planning meeting 8-HA DATE LITURGIST USHERS 11/4 Janet Spence Carol Rabun, Gary and Jo-Ann Follbaum 11/11 Dale DeSloover Kim Hooper, Marilyn Marshall, George Kostoff 11/18 Cacie Clifford Jim Crammond, Helyn Schroeder, David Nielsen Connor Gessner 11/25 Ann Lux Jim & Sue Heisler, Randy Stiffler

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Leadership of First Presbyterian Church of Monroe Session Class of 2018 Class of 2019 Class of 2020 John Chesman Cory Fogle Alice Kostoff Marilyn Marshall Jim Heisler Rusty Shorter Kathy Lee Cheryl Eder Jennifer Hueston Greg Hunter Alan Schroeder Building & Property Committee: Jim Heisler (Elder), Chair; Cory Fogle and Greg Hunter (Elders) Congregational Life Committee: Judy Chesman, Chair; Kathy Lee and Cheryl Eder (Elders) Finance Committee: Charlotte Frary (Chair), Chair; John Chesman and Alan Schroeder (Elders) Mission & Outreach Committee: Ann Lux, Co-Chair; Rusty Shorter (Elder), Co-Chair Personnel & Policy Committee: Dallas and Donna Dieckmann, Co-Chairs; Cheryl Eder and Jennifer Hueston (Elders) Worship Committee: Alice Kostoff (Elder), Chair; Marilyn Marshall (Elder) Board of Deacons Moderators: Ann Lux Class of 2018 Elinor Upjohn Lynn Geiman Gwen Peters Thomas Bajkiewicz Class of 2019 Ann Lux Shannon Costello Karen Sobieralski Mary DeSloover Jeffrey Haman Judy Chesman