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February 01, 2007
February Newsletter
Pastor's Pen
Josephus, my old friend, describes Abraham at one point as "on the threshold of old age." Not yet old;
no longer young. It's an ever-ever land of good things to come rather than a never-never land of reduced usefulness.
I've thought of that term, borrowed actually from Homer's Iliad, as the years have ticked by. I hope you will bear with me as I think of days to come for
this congregation as well as of things to come in my life. You have been an integral part of my life for more than twenty years. That is more than half my
days as a pastor. Having decided that I have reached a point of diminishing returns as pastor, I yearn for the good of Faith Church as I aspire for my children's well being.
Soon Faith Church will sense that it is in an in-between stage of life. The session is already looking for an interim pastor. It's time to pray that God will bring here the pastor to lead Faith Church into its gracious future. We are in adolescence.
Your voice will crack and change. You face unknowns full of promise, but you can't see enough to know the direction this promise will go. The turmoil in the
denomination is part of the background noise.
I hope that you will be fueled much more by the positive energy of your life together, by what you mean to each other, and by how you will embrace folk that come here, than by the negative energy of annoyance with the denomination. As someone recently
told me of a PCUSA congregation in Florida, they're so busy with the things they're doing together that they have little inclination to worry about what's
happening "out there." In truth, though we may feel that we're "guilty by association" with viewpoints we don't agree with, this will seem a major thing only if we let it, and will seem less so if we don't.
For sure, the time after a pastor leaves can be a very productive time. You will take on duties the pastor formerly did. Already a number of you are stepping up to take over the retirement home worship services on Sunday afternoons. Some of you have done this with me for many years for seven retirement communities in town.
How I've appreciated Mark Johnson, Grieke Toebes, Carolyn Kessler, Donna Lofgren, Bert and Becky Chapman, and others too who have come with me, or who have led the services in my absence. Jurgen Honig, Charlie Short, Hannis Thompson, Tom Housley and others
whose names slip me have stepped in as they were needed for this ministry. I appreciate their ministry but not as much as the people for whom you've offered
yourselves on Sunday afternoons.
I hope that some of you will look at the range of things we do and say to yourself, "You know, I want to be a part of that." And thus you will set your alarm on Wednesday morning and discover what a wonderful half-hour is spent at our morning prayers. Or some of you, noticing how faithfully Glenn Sparks and others have been in presenting wonderful Sunday School
lessons after church, will say, "You know, I want to support this good thing we're doing together here." You will discover that you're refreshed by what you receive in the bargain.
Something you can do for one another, for those who lead worship, for the rest of the Faith Church community, and for yourselves is to determine never to
miss the Lord's Day worship when you're in town. Furthermore, calibrate how long it takes to get from your home to Faith Church so that you may be present when the service starts. I can testify to how my spirits are lifted when I see many of our folk present on time when I stand to greet you on the Lord's Day. The sound of your supporting "Amen" at the close of the Invocation that begins our worship is so good to
hear.
Ask yourself, "What can I do to make our life together strong?" And when you think of things you can do, initiate your contribution to our life together. When I visit another church as a guest preacher I take the pulse of the congregation pretty quickly. When I step foot into a congregation filled with people who
evidently love one another, are hospitable to me, and who seem glad to be there, it means a lot to me as I preach.
As Faith Church looks for the one to lead them into the next phase of our life together, let every nerve be inclined to make our life together sweet and strong. When the right pastor candidate comes and sees this, that one will want to serve in this place.
Pastor Stuart Robertson
Worship Information
Sunday, February 4th Sermon: What About the Poor Always With Us?
OT: Exodus 23: 1 - 1
NT: John 12: 1 - 8
Communion
Sunday, February 11th Sermon: Jesus and the Good Life
OT: Ruth 1: 1 - 18
NT: John 12: 20 - 26
Sunday, February 18th Sermon: Facing the Opportunity that Defines Life
OT: Numbers 21: 4 - 9
NT: John 12: 31 - 43
Sunday, February 25th Sermon: The Rejected Sacrament
OT: Genesis 18: 1 - 8
NT: John 13: 1 - 17
Clerk's Corner
While Jurgen Honig is on well earned vacation I am filling in as the acting clerk. The first session meeting of 2007 was held on January 16. Incoming session members were warmly welcomed and committee responsibilities were assigned.
Christian Education: Lou Ann Johnston and Steve Varys
Evangelism: Dave Stith and Lonnie Kucik
Building and Grounds: Dave McKinnis
Finance and Budget: Don Gentry and Dennis Dunn
Music and Worship: Grieke Toebes
Fellowship: Jan Hem
The “Report to Session of Faith Presbyterian Church from the Special committee Appointed by the Session to Review the Potential Impact of General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Actions” (The PUP Committee Report) was accepted and this should be disseminated to the congregation soon.
On Monday, January 29 Session will have a special meeting with presbytery representatives to discuss the process for searching for a pastor.
I am sure the session members will appreciate any suggestions or comments the congregation would be inclined to share with them.
Acting Clerk (until Jurgen returns), Jane Stewart
Faith Women News
Your planning committee has met, and will let you know about scheduled events soon. In the meantime, our Bible Study is well on its way, and it is not too late to join us on Tuesday mornings, 10:00am in the church library.
Our next activity is baking, packing, and sending Valentine cookies to our college students. You will find a sign-up sheet in the Narthex for baking cookies, and to indicate if you can help on Saturday, February 10 at 9:00am. Efficiency is our middle name, and we are usually done by 10:30am. Your help will be greatly appreciated. For parents of students: Please check with Stephanie in the church office to see if your student’s address is up-to-date.
For the Planning Committee,
Grieke Toebes
Kids' Club Is Back
Kids’ Club is offered to children of Faith Church and children in the community. The next session will begin Sunday, February 4 and will continue for five weeks. More details will follow.
Friends Are Welcome!
We extend our sympathy to Polly Tyler at the loss of her brother, Kenneth Parke and sister, Lucy Parke Nixon.
Thank you, sincerely, to all who made visits, sent flowers, cards and made phone calls since my illness was diagnosed. My strength, hope and comfort comes from God through my strong Christian friends. Please continue to pray for my healing and recovery. I hope to be back among you soon. Love to everyone, Janis Matouk
Jewish Studies Noon Lecture Series
Pastor Robertson will be giving the Jewish Studies Noon Lecture Series lecture on March 7th, in Stewart Center. The title of his lecture is:
"The Bible and its Early Interpreters" and
"Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity": Prolegomena to Two New Jewish Studies Courses
Two new Jewish Studies courses have been proposed and this lecture will give a sense of the content of them.
The first part of the lecture will give illustrations of the vitality of the Hebrew Bible in the way its themes develop and bring influence to Jewish life long after the time that the particular parts of the Hebrew Bible were written. This starts with the adaptation of early parts of the Bible in later parts of the Hebrew Bible--for example, the prophets use of the Torah and the Psalms use of the prophets.
The second part of the lecture deals with the development of Judaism and Christianity from the religion of the Hebrew Bible. After AD 70 and the destruction of the Temple two new religious developments emerged, one centered on the rabbis' teaching, the other on Jesus and His followers.
Faith Picture Directory
Faith Church will be having a new directory put together by Olan Mills. Everyone that participates will receive a free 8X10 picture and a church picture directory. The picture days are scheduled for Tuesday, March 20 and Wednesday, March 21 from 3:00pm – 9:30pm. You may sign-up online beginning Sunday, February 4 at www.olanmills.com. Sign-up sheets will be located in the Narthex beginning Sunday, February 18th. We would like to have everyone participate. This will be the last professional directory made before Pastor Robertson retires. Any questions, contact Stephanie at
743-3683 or office@faithpresbyterian.org.
Bible Bags
Do you ever receive stickers in the mail and just throw them away? Next time, please donate them to the church office to be included in the bible bags. Bible bags are used by the children during the worship services.
Also THANK YOU to Deb Johnson for providing hard crayon boxes for the Bible bags.
Birthdays
February 2 Stuart Robertson
February 2 Pat Short
February 4 Luann Johnston
February 4 Margaret Parker
February 4 Cari Van Tuinen
February 5 Natasha Landolt
February 6 Erin Sparks
February 8 Amy (Clinton) Corbett
February 9 Kyle Van Horn
February 11 Markus Hess
February 12 Kevin Corbett
February 13 Ben Johnson
February 14 Alexander Corbett
February 14 Kayla Evers
February 16 Nathaniel Corbett
February 19 Polly Tyler
February 22 Thomas Housley
February 24 Emma Parker
February 24 Megan Corbett
February 26 Jo Honig
Anniversaries
February 1 Jim & Jan Milligan
February 27 David & Kris Stith
Community Worship Services
• Sun., Feb. 4 St. Mary’s Healthcare 2:30pm
• Sun., Feb. 11 Tippecanoe Villa 1:30pm
• Sun., Feb. 11 Friendship House 3:00pm
• Sun., Feb. 18 No Davis Manor
• Sun., Feb. 25 Rosewalk Commons 2:30pm
The Deacons invite you to become a part of this ministry
Worship With Us
We invite you to join in the worship of God each Sunday morning at 9:30am. 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.
Schedule 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.
Posted by faithpres at February 1, 2007 09:22 AM