« Sunday, October 29 Bulletin | Main | Sunday, November 5 Bulletin »
November 01, 2006
November Newsletter
Pastor's Pen
Those who receive and read Faith Family News will have read my letter announcing my impending retirement—at the end of this coming April 2007. It is odd to draw the curtain on a stage of life this long, more than half my pastoral career. After twenty plus years it is impossible not to feel deeply rooted and bonded with a congregation. So that to end such a relationship comes with a host of anxieties and something akin to guilt—though not true guilt. The feeling is one of both loss and moving on to the next stage of life both for me and for the congregation.I am profoundly aware how any “success” of my work has depended on the faithfulness of others. There are many folk here who are as responsible for any good that has happened as I am. Perhaps you are more responsible for the good than I am because my work depended for its encouragement on the faithful responses of people for whom I was pastor.
I have let it be known so far in advance that I am changing my work from the pastoral to the specifically scholarly because it is my hope that in this interval between my work and the work of my successor that the congregation will pull together in a new way. In some folk now plugging in more deliberately than before it will have the effect of making the body here more healthy than ever.
I have often felt, in looking out over the congregation on a Sunday morning that this is a remarkable congregation. Not only are there so many highly educated people, but there are so many who are devoted, who see their lives as joined to the lives of others here rather than as independent people who come here for what they can find of personal benefit alone. The Bible teaches us that love of God and love of one another are loves that are entwined. We don’t really love God, in fact, if we don’t love one another. So that in doing things for the benefit of one another we are loving God.
It is hard to explain what loving God means since we can’t hug God, or see Him as we can see each other when we are together, or provide a dinner for Him, or visit Him when He is lonely, or care for His “children.” God’s children are the children of those with whom we worship and serve together. The Bible tells me/us that we are created in the image and likeness of God. So that when I see you I see more than you. You and I don’t often think of it this way but we are seeing through the ones we look at and unwittingly seeing all of God, in a physical way, that is possible to see. This is one of the reasons why it is important to come to church. We provide for each other intimations of the God we say we love.
When we eat carry-in dinners together; when we watch and listen to one another at talent shows, at Bible studies, at Sunday School, in the narthex and Fellowship Hall after worship, we are seeing all of God that is possible for us to see.
I can think of nothing better for us to concentrate on in the months to come than on encouraging one another to be present at worship, than inviting one another to whatever we do together, and following up to let people know how sincere is our interest in them.
I rarely say to folk how much I miss them at worship when I do not see them regularly because I feel like a truant officer when I do this. I have no intention of imposing on people a feeing of guilt for not being present at worship. There is enough dreary self-feeling out there as it is. I can see that in obvious mutual affection there may be a totally positive feeling that may draw people together regularly. It is a very good feeling to know that others love you. In our often harsh world to know that one is loved, to know that one is really needed is a heart-warming thing.
So when we are together it is really important to let others know how glad we are to see them. At first there was some reluctance to accept my new wrinkle of greeting one another before the worship hour begins. But increasingly I have seen how you actually do express interest in one another before I start the worship hour with a quotation from the Bible and an opening prayer. I see folk walking over to another part of the sanctuary to greet someone. How important it is to be wanted where we worship!
I pray that as God leads this congregation into the next phase of its life there will be a strong momentum of mutual affection. When you consider who will be the next pastor, if the pastor candidates discover that this is a congregation that truly loves one another the kind of pastor you really want will be heartily drawn to you. A congregation where the people obviously love one another is very attractive—not only to those whose life work is to be a pastor, but to people who look for a congregation to be their spiritual home in life.
With all my heart I want to see long after I’ve left here as pastor that Faith Church is a congregation that grows in every way that matters, beginning with the internal love for one another that evokes in the heart of everyone a love for God, for His Son, Jesus Christ, whose Name we invoke and praise at the beginning of every hour of worship—and whom we represent when we leave this place, since, after all, we think of ourselves as Christ-ians. Pastor Robertson
Ruth Ann Butler
We are very sorry that Ruth Ann Butler, who cared so lovingly for little children during worship and Sunday School, died of a heart attack on October 14th. Her gentle ways and friendliness contributed warmth to our life. We will miss her.Worship Information
Nov. 5th – Sermon: “The Truth that Liberates” OT: Leviticus 26: 3 - 13 NT: John 8: 31 - 38 CommunionNov. 12th – Sermon: “Father Abraham?”
OT: Genesis 15: 1 - 6
NT: John 8: 48 - 59
Nov. 19th – Sermon: “Jesus the Sight Giver”
OT: Isaiah 35: 1 - 10
NT: John 9: 1 - 17
Nov. 22nd – Thanksgiving Eve
Sermon: “God Likes to Hear ‘Thank you’”
NT: Luke 17: 11 - 19
Nov. 26th – Sermon: “Jesus, the Trustworthy Shepherd”
OT: Jeremiah 31: 7 - 14
NT: John 10: 1 - 6
Jubilee Christmas 2006
Jubilee Christmas is coming!Jubilee Christmas is a program coordinated by the Layette Urban Ministry (LUM). It gives low-income parents an opportunity to select gifts for their children, so that they can be “heroes” in the eyes of their children on Christmas morning.
We will be celebrating Jubilee Christmas at Faith on Saturday morning, December 16, where we will be hosting 15 families. Lots of help is needed to make it a special day for our guests.
We will launch our preparations for Jubilee Christmas on Sunday, November 19, in the Fellowship Hall. You will have a chance to choose children for whom you would like to buy presents, and sign up to provide other gifts, baked items or volunteer help – whilst having coffee and munching goodies.
Questions? Ron Smith 414-4232, Dorothy Bethel 497-4673
Clerk's Corner
At its October 3, 2006 meeting the following matters were brought to the attention of the Session: The Session received with great regret the news that Pastor Robertson will retire in April 2007 from his ministry of over 20 years to this Congregation. A letter announcing his decision was recently sent by him to the Community of Faith Church. The Session expressed its gratitude and appreciation for the long and faithful service that Pastor Robertson has provided to the Congregation, and expressed its feeling of great loss experienced by all of us when he retires from his pastoral duties. The Session was, however, gratified to learn that the Robertsons plan to continue to reside and to remain active in the Greater Lafayette community. The World Day of Prayer will be held on November 2, 2006. A pitch-in church dinner is being planned for Wednesday, November 12, 2006. Further information will be distributed in the Sunday worship service bulletins. An Inquirers' class has been scheduled after Sunday services on November 5 and 12. All persons wishing to find out more about the Christian tenets and activities of Faith Church, whether or not they are interested in joining the Congregation, are invited to participate. The Congregation is greatly indebted to Hannis Thompson and to Mickey Latour for their diligence in mowing the lawns and for attending to the general maintenance of the grounds of our church. The Board of Deacons will meet with the Session at its next meeting on November 7, 2006.The annual Congregational meeting will be held after morning services on November 19, 2006. All members of the Congregation are urged to attend, to be informed about the budget for next year, to approve the remuneration of the Pastor, and to nominate candidates for the Nominating Committee.
Nominations for filling vacancies on the Session and on the Board of Deacons are being sought. Names may be dropped off at the box provided for this purpose in the narthex, or mailed to the Church Office.
A response to the PUP Report has been prepared by and for the Covenant Presbyterian Church, and has been graciously presented to Faith Presbyterian Church for our use. The material is on file with Stephanie Cardwell. Interested persons may request copies for their perusal.
J.M Honig, Clerk of Session
Thank You
At my father’s memorial service, one of our daughters sang “How Can I Say Thanks”, a tribute to both fathers, divine and mortal. I often think of those words when I consider the love and caring prayers from this congregational family when I was so down and out—how can I say thanks. Sincerely, Bobby KaneInquirer's Class
The next Inquirer’s Class will be held on Nov. 5 & 12 immediately following the Sunday School hour. These classes are for anyone who might be thinking about joining the church or for anyone who simply wants to find out more about the Christian Faith and about our church. Members and non-members are welcome. Please contact Glenn Sparks at 589-3653 or gsparks@purdue.edu if you plan to attend.Faith Women Fellowship News
Puccini’s on the west side is a great place to have lunch. Twenty Faith women got together to eat, talk, and have a good time. Our small mission project targeted the Food Pantry, and a generous amount of food was collected, and brought to the pantry. REMEMBER: On November 3 at 1:30pm at Faith we will join the Church Women United for a service in the sanctuary. Several of you have signed up to bake cookies and help serve at the reception afterwards. You will be contacted next week. Material for a daytime Women’s Bible Study is being looked at. Tuesday at 10:00am seems to be the best time for this. We are planning to start in January 2007. Grieke ToebesKid's Club, A Lot of Fun
Have you wondered what we do with the kids on Sunday afternoons from 4:30 – 6:00pm? We sing, we study the Bible, we play games. This fall unit was on Creation and the Creator. There was a lot of enthusiasm for the interesting science experiements. We concluded with a family party and closing program, where we sang, ate hot dogs, and enjoyed each other’s company. The CoordinatorsKid's Club in October
The Kid's Club in October was a wonderful ministry to our children. Thanks to Stephanie Colbert, Nancy Dunn, Jan Hem, Carolyn Kessler, Marilyn Sameh, and Grieke Toebes for serving our church family in this way.PUP Report Study Committee progress
The committee has met three times. We have studied the components of the PUP report that are of concern to many in our congregation, the historical background of the PCUSA, the consequences of remaining in the PCUSA while working for reform, and the consequences of leaving the PCUSA. Our studies are guided by the objective of the unity and faithfullness of our congregation. We welcome input from members on this important issue. The committee members are: Dave McKinnis, Co Chair: 463-4963 Glenn Sparks, Co-Chair Elaine McVay Tom Goodrich Don Gentry Jane Stewart Grieke Toebes Pat KainBirthdays
Nov. 1 Thomas Housley Nov. 2 Cheri Sparks Nov. 3 Sarah Tyler Nov. 7 Lars Hem Nov. 7 Dottie McCaw Nov. 8 Susannah Jackson Nov. 16 Hugh Donkin Nov. 17 Cathy Lockwood Nov. 19 Elizabeth Parker Nov. 20 Barbara Jacobus Nov. 21 Carol Graefnitz Nov. 25 Ashley Bingle Nov. 25 Jonathan Moore Nov. 26 Amber Bingle Nov. 26 Sarah Kettel Nov. 28 Frances JanovitzAnniversaries
Nov. 11 Dennis & Nancy Dunn Nov. 24 John & Lola Miller Nov. 27 Kevin & Lou Ann JohnstonCommunity Worship Services
• Sun., Nov. 5 St. Mary’s Healthcare 2:30pm • Sun., Nov. 12 Tippecanoe Villa 1:30pm • Sun., Nov. 12 Friendship House 3:00pm • Sun., Nov. 19 Davis Manor • Sun., Nov. 19 University Place 4:00pm • Sun., Nov. 26 Rosewalk Commons 2:30pm The Deacons invite you to become a part of this ministrySchedule Information
You can contact Pastor Robertson by calling the office, 743-3683, on Wednesday mornings 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. and Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Pastor Robertson's day off is Monday. Outside of office hours please feel free to call Pastor Robertson at home at 497-2162.Worship With Us
We invite you to join in the worship of God each Sunday morning at 9:30am and each Wednesday morning at 7:00am. We also invite you to participate in the prayers, fellowship, work and activities of this church. For more information about this opportunity to be involved at Faith Presbyterian Church, please call or talk to any member of Session, Pastor Robertson or call the church office at 743-3683.Posted by faithpres at November 1, 2006 08:47 AM