Christmas Eve and Year-End Services
There will be two Worship Services on Christmas Eve, Monday, Dec. 24:
- A family service with carols and stories at 4:30 p.m.
- A candlelight service with lessons and carols at 9:00 p.m.
A carol sing service will close out 2018 on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 10:00 a.m.
Hanging of the Greens on Dec. 1
Join in the fun at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 1 as we prepare the church for the season of Advent, which begins on Sunday, Dec. 2. Light refreshments will be provided. Questions? See Eddie Matteson or Leslie Moyna.
Christmas Gathering Dec. 3
Don’t miss our popular annual Christmas Gathering on Monday, Dec. 3 at 7:00 p.m. This festive event is hosted by Presbyterian Women and is open to all: men, women, youth and guests. “Joy, Love, and Praise” will feature dessert and piano music in Knox Hall at 7:00, followed by special music (vocal solos, piano, flute and dance) and theater in the sanctuary at 7:30.
Presbyterian Players will close the evening at about 8:00 with a short play, “Christmas Unwrapped” by Michelle R. Davis. This is a comedy with a message, directed by Pam Jusino. The cast (in order of appearance) features Sue Carlson, Manny Sharpe, Sally Kirsten, Laura Hedgecock, Ev Randlett, Irene Forbes, Calvin Malisow, Deb Hemmye, Bill Draper, and Ruth France. Tickets ($3.00) are on sale at the welcome table.
Stewardship News
As of November 25, 2018, 110 “pledging units” (individuals/families) are making a financial commitment with their pledge to FPCF for the year 2019. Of these pledgers, 32% have increased their commitment from the previous year and 5% are making a first-time pledge. We will be able to give a total amount once all pledges are received. The Stewardship Team is grateful for your faith in this congregation.
If you need a pledge form, please call the church office 248-474-6170 so that we may send you one. We appreciate having all pledge forms returned by Sunday, Dec. 16. They may be mailed or placed in the offering plate.
The Stewardship Team thanks the culinary team of Eddie Matteson and Jan Dennison for creating a delicious luncheon and Dr. Jerry Custer for putting together the wonderful musical entertainment emceed by Larry Gage to celebrate Consecration Sunday. We were excited to bring back our former Head of Staff, Budge Gere, as Guest Leader on Consecration Sunday. Please see below his letter of appreciation as well as one from Anne Gere.
Deadline for articles for the Jan.-Feb. 2019 FYI is Thursday, Dec. 20
We produced our own Advent Devotional
This year during Advent, we will be able to pray together as a church family using the 2018 Daily Devotions for Busy Christians, a booklet of short meditations based on the bible readings for each day of the Advent season. This booklet is our very own home-grown product, written by us — written by you. Copies of the booklets are being distributed after worship on Sunday, Dec. 2. Additional copies are available in the church office. (View online.)
Advent Devotional Study on Tuesdays
Come and join Pastor Eddie on Tuesday mornings at 10 a.m., in the Library for our advent devotional study. Explore the meaning of Christmas through the lens of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in Adam Hamilton’s book and video study Not A Silent Night: Mary Looks Back to Bethlehem. No one was closer to Jesus than Mary, and no one shaped his life more than she. Beginning with what Scripture and early church tradition tell us about the end of Mary’s life, then moving backward, this study will recount Mary’s story, ending on Christmas with the birth of Jesus. Copies of the book are available in the Church Office at $8.00 each. Please join us on Tuesday mornings for the final three classes: Dec. 4, 11 and 18.
Youth United Awarded FFHFYF Grant
The Farmington and Farmington Hills Foundation for Youth and Families awarded a $1,000 grant to Youth United, the program started in 2018 by First Pres in conjunction with nine other faith communities and which helps interfaith youth ages 11-18 to explore the common values of their faiths while serving the community.
Youth United’s 2019 program year will make improvements to C.A.R.E.S. in Farmington Hills, the 501(c)(3) operating out the former St. Alexander’s Church. The FHFYF grant will fund arts and craft supplies, something Youth United’s teen leaders felt was particularly important. As Jessica Goldberg explains, “Not everyone is a hammer and nails type of person. Some people need to be able to use their creative strength.”
Youth work together on the Tree of Hands mural.
On Nov. 17, we were invited to present an overview of Youth United’s activities this past summer to the Presbytery of Detroit. We hope that bodes well for receiving the two-year grant we applied for to support next year’s program.
Thank you for your continued prayers in support of this exciting new ministry!
Check out Men’s Saturday Breakfast
The 2018 Men’s Presbytery Communion and Advent Breakfast will be held on Saturday, Dec. 8 at Northbrook Presbyterian in Beverly Hill. The keynote speaker is John Gallagher, Detroit Free Press Senior Business Columnist. In addition to writing for the Free Press for 29 years, he has written numerous books on urban development include: “Reimagining Detroit: Opportunities for Redefining an American City”, “Revolution Detroit” and “Great Architecture of Michigan.” He also was co-author of “AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture” and “How Detroit Went Broke.” Cost is $15. See Tom Neal for tickets by Dec. 4. The group will carpool from the church parking lot, leaving at 7:15 a.m.
Join in the Theater Outing
A group is gathering for a fun matinee performance of Evidence of Things Unseen by Katie Forgette at the Detroit Repertory Theatre on Sunday, Dec. 9. After worship, the group will have a quick lunch in Knox Hall then depart for the performance about 1:00 p.m., returning for desserts and conversations led by a non-boring UD-M Ethics & Religious Studies Professor. Tickets are $10. Interested or have questions? Contact Sue Andrews ASAP.
Christmas concerts at First Presbyterian Church
Sunday, Dec. 2 at 5:30 p.m. – Come enjoy Vox Lyrica, a women’s choral group with piano and flute accompaniment. $10 donations accepted at the door.
Friday, Dec.7 at 3:00 p.m. – The Orchard Lake Philharmonic under the direction of Norm Logan presents a one-hour holiday concert. This daytime concert is designed for seniors and those who don’t like driving at night. Tickets are $5 at the door.
Friday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 pm. – The Orchard Lake Philharmonic under the direction of Norm Logan presents Music for the Holidays. Donations accepted at the door.
Mission Opportunities
Second Mile Christmas Giving
Thank you for your generous contributions to the Thanksgiving baskets for Second Mile Center families. Ruth Azar has confirmed that Christmas baskets are also being prepared. If you would like to help, the bright blue tubs marked SMC will be by the coat racks by the kiosk on Dec. 2 and 9. The items requested are elbow macaroni, canned cranberry sauce, yams, beans, and corn, self-rising corn meal, brownie or cake mix, and frosting. Sue Carlson is collecting checks to Second Mile Center or gift cards to Kroger to go toward perishable items.
Also, PW Mission is organizing gift bags for children from Second Mile Center. Each child will receive a toy, an outfit, socks and underwear and perhaps a hat and gloves. If you would like to contribute to this project by donating a Target gift card or anything else, contact Sue Carlson.
Hat and Mitten Tree giving
The Presbyterian Women’s Hat and Mitten Tree is in the Narthex and we are collecting hats, mittens, underwear and socks for needy children right here in our own community (no scarves for children, please). We are also collecting adult-sized hats, scarves and gloves, as there is an ever-present need for these items too during the cold months too. Your new items should be placed on the dowel tree near the Information Table in the Narthex. Please leave price tags on items. Handmade items are also welcome. The tree will be up through Sunday, Dec. 9. Then your donations will be distributed though Neighborhood House, Goodfellows, and Calvin East Presbyterian Church.
New dates for S.O.S. hosting: Jan. 13 – 20
Our first Mission activity of 2019 is to host guests from South Oakland Shelter (SOS) on January 13-20. But we need your help before that to gather extra blankets, towels, washcloths and twin-bed sheets (flat and fitted). Here’s why: S.O.S. provides us with bins full of linens that we provide to guests. There’s usually just enough to give each guest one of each. Invariably, some clients will say their room is too cold and/or new guests will enter the program during the week as others go out of it. That means the number of available linens drops really quickly.
On checkout day, we ask guests to leave their linens in the hallway. However, those who are in the program for an extended period of time get wise to the fact that there is a limited number of linens, which means they may have to go without what they want at the next location…so they pack up the blanket /sheet/towel in their own belongings and keep it with them. Ultimately, we do donate these items to SOS. It just so happens that this approach positions us to be better hosts during our week. Please bring new or gently used blankets, twin-bed sheets (flat and fitted), towels and wash cloths to church on Sunday, Dec. 30 and Sunday, Jan. 6.
More from the Mission Team….
December is probably the busiest time of year for Mission as we share our joy with others. You all have been so generous with food and donations for kids and their families at Second Mile Center and guests at C.A.R.E.S. for Thanksgiving. Besides the giving opportunities outlined in the newsletter, you may also bring canned goods for the Farmington area Goodfellows annual food drive. With its goal of bringing Christmas to every child and older person in F/FH, the Mission Team donated $1,000 to Goodfellows. We also donated $1,300 to Farmington Public Schools Operation Common Good to provide winter jackets, boots, hats, scarves and gloves. COTS (Coalition on Temporary Shelters) houses homeless people year-round, but the colder weather makes the need for emergency shelter greater. They offer programs and services for more than 900 men, women and children daily. We contributed $500.
Thank you for your contributions totaling $1,525 to the Peacemaking offering in October. Three-fourths of that goes to the Presbytery and General Assembly. The other one-fourth goes to a cause determined by each church. We were pleased to donate $380 for C.A.R.E.S. in Farmington Hills.
The Christmas Joy offering will be collected the last two weeks of December as well as Christmas Eve. Half of this Presbyterian special offering will provide assistance to current and retired church workers in their time of need and develop our future leaders at Presbyterian-related schools and colleges equipping communities of color. The other half will go to Freedom House Detroit, a temporary home for indigent survivors of persecution from around the world who are seeking asylum in the United States as well as victims of human trafficking. Many of you heard Cheryl Willette, a ten-year volunteer at Freedom House, speak at our church in October followed by a Burundian brunch provided by two former Freedom House clients.
Adopt a Family for Christmas
The Mission Committee invites you to participate in its Christmas Adopt-A-Family activity. Our family consists of five people and they are part of the Farmington Public Schools’ Homeless Program. Please select an “ornament” from the display in the narthex – each ornament lists the age and gender of the recipient as well as the needed item. Leave the back part of the ornament with your name on the display. Then place your purchased item near the narthex display no later than Sunday, Dec. 16. For more information, see Karen Linnell or Nancy Prieskorn. Your generosity will brighten someone’s Christmas!
Congregational Concerns
Annual Meeting Scheduled; Annual Reports Due Soon
The Annual Meeting will be held on Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019, immediately following worship. Please turn in all reports to be included in the 2018 Annual Report by Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. The 2018 Annual Report will be emailed to members who have signed up through the church website to receive the FYI newsletter, the annual report and other important church information ( to sign up for the newsletter and electronic communications, please go to www.farmington-pres.org ). A few printed copies of the 2018 Annual Report will be available at the welcome center on Sunday, Jan. 27.
Important year-end information regarding contributions
Please be aware that the last bank deposit for contributions for tax year 2018 will be Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2018.This means contributions must be received in the church office before Monday, Dec. 24, 2018 or in the offering plate on Sunday, Dec. 23. Any monies received in the mail after these dates will not be counted or deposited until after the end of the year and will be counted as 2019 contributions. Please note these dates so that you will know in advance how to plan your year-end giving.
2019 Per Capita Apportionment
The Presbyterian Church is a “connectional” church where we interact through the Presbytery of Detroit, the Synod of the Covenant and the General Assembly.These councils are funded by the “Per Capita” on each of our active members.For 2019, the Per Capita amount is $28.55.(Of that, $8.95 supports the General Assembly; $3.25 supports the Synod of the Covenant; and $16.35 is for the Presbytery of Detroit.)As a church, we will be paying a total of $9,678.45.
We ask that you contribute $28.00 for each member of your household confirmation age and above to help offset this amount. Our Offering Counters really appreciate round numbers!Checks may be made payable to the First Presbyterian Church of Farmington with memo line “Per Capita.” Or use the special “Per Capita” envelopes available in the pews in January through Feb. 3, “Per Capita Sunday” which is the day we will collect this special offering as well as the date of our Annual Meeting.
2019 Offering Envelopes
Those who have used numbered envelopes in 2018 will automatically receive envelopes for 2019. If you have NOT used envelopes this year, but DO wish to have them for next year, please do one of the following:
- Contact Jerry Scheel at 248-859-4753 or by email at [email protected]
- Contact the church office to make your request known.
Numbered envelopes facilitate the speed and accuracy of the data entry process, so we do encourage you to use envelopes if you contribute manually on a regular basis.
We also encourage the use of electronic debit. If you wish to submit your pledge electronically from your account monthly, please call Jerry Scheel, Financial Secretary, to have the forms mailed to you. If you have any questions, please contact Jerry Scheel or call the church office at (248) 474-6170.
2019 Worship Flower Sign-up Available
Please consider giving flowers in memory of a loved one or to recognize a special occasion such as a birthday or anniversary or to the glory of God. An arrangement is $24 and enhances our worship services. More than one arrangement may be ordered for any Sunday. You may take the flowers with you after the worship service or leave them so that they can be delivered to one of our homebound members. The sign-up sheet is available on the kiosk in the area outside Knox Fellowship Hall. For more information, call the church office (248) 474-6170.
November Session Highlights
At its November 14, 2018 meeting:
- The Session authorized the use of one-half of the Christmas Joy offering to retired church clergy and workers without pensions and a Presbyterian-supported college in the southwest and the other half to Freedom House. The Christmas Eve offering will also be for these causes.
- Session called the Annual Meeting of the Congregation for Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019 after the Worship service.
- Session approved the Investment Management and Spending Policy (IMSP) as required by the Endowment Fund Plan of Operation.
- Session approved the use of the sanctuary and Fellowship Hall on Friday, Dec. 28, 2018 for the wedding of Ashley Aue. Session also approved the serving of wine at the wedding reception.
Financial Update
Below is the budgeted year-to-date actual financial information for our church through Oct. 31, 2018:
Total income received: $352,004.21
Total expenses: $363,562.07
Year to-date balance: ($ 11,557.86) deficit
Directory Updates
Laurel Scott has a new cellphone: (734) 800-6316.
Corrine Wedge, who moved to North Carolina earlier this year, will be relocating to Milwaukee to be near her daughters. Effective December 14, her new contact information is: Layton Terrace, 9200 West Layton Avenue, Apt. A-127, Greenfield, WI 53228. Her cell phone remains (248) 9122-8649 and she will be getting a new land line.
Debra Cox should be added to both the Pictorial Directory and the 2018 Directory of Members: 28197 Carlton Way Drive, Novi, Mi 47377-2633; (248) 210-6036; [email protected].
Prayer Concerns
Names withheld from the web-version of our FYI .
We hold in our prayers those who are sick and suffering. We also hold in prayer those in need and those impacted by the recent storms, natural disasters, gun violence and terrorism, as well as those who put themselves in harm’s way to assist them. We also remember members who are homebound, in nursing homes, and assisted living.
And those serving in the military or as first responders: Sgt. David Beaver, Police Officer Chris Clew, Pvt. Tim Rogers, Cpl. Milo Perez, LCpl. Nicole Perez
Kudos and Thanks
Kudos to Dr. Jerry Custer who will be in Dublin, Ireland from Dec 2-9, attending the world premiere of a newly-orchestrated version of his choral work, “I Will Be the Light,” performed by the Youth Choir, Children’s Choir, and Chamber Orchestra of the RTÉ, Ireland’s counterpart to the BBC in England. The premiere will be broadcast nationwide by the RTÉ from the National Concert Hall in Dublin on Dec. 5 and Dec. 9. While in Ireland, Jerry will work with the singers and the orchestra, and spend some time consulting with the music department at Dublin City University, which is establishing a master’s degree program in choral studies, the first of its kind in the nation.
Please check out Jerry’s blog covering his Ireland trip at www.jerrycuster.com.
Congratulations to Charon Barconey! The Presbytery of Detroit has elected Charon to the position of Associate Executive Presbyter. This is a “called” position — in the same class as the Presbytery Executive and Stated Clerk — and will be full time. Charon is a Commissioned Ruling Elder, has been commissioned to this call, and will be able to moderate meetings and preside at Communion as authorized by Presbytery.
Charon is a former Director of Christian Education here at First Pres.
Dear Saints of Farmington First,
Thank you for the honor of being invited back to First Presbyterian to preach on Consecration Sunday. Your graciousness and hospitality were truly overwhelming. My heart is still full from the memory of the day, which kindled many fond memories from the years I was privileged to be part of the life of Farmington First. You were — and are! — a fine congregation.
My special thanks to Pastor Eddie and Stewardship Team Head Nancy Prieskorn for their masterminding the whole event. As for the program that followed worship and was expertly woven in throughout the meal exquisitely prepared by Chef Eddie Matteson: once again the operative word is overwhelming to the point that I was overwhelmed. You who presented — starting with Larry, Jerry, Carrie and Pam — set a marvelous tone for the time.
At the end of the festivities, I closed by quoting the line of the poet Marianne Moore regarding the leap of a lion: “Extended explanation tends to spoil the leap.” I’m not sure that the sentiment necessarily also applies to saying a heartfelt thank you over and over after an extraordinary experience; but I am sure that no matter how often I say thanks for the wonderful day, I would never truly be able to express the sentiment adequately.
Blessings, Rev. Dr. Brewster “Budge” Gere
Dear Friends,
It has taken me more than a week to absorb the wonderful Sunday morning I spent with you. It was a joy to see so many familiar faces, to admire yet again the lovely building, and, most of all, to see how healthy and thriving First Pres of Farmington is. Budge and I have so many cherished memories of the years we spent in your church, and it is a great pleasure to see how the congregation has flourished in the twenty (!) years since we moved away.
The recognition of Budge’s ministry among you was heart-warming, and I was deeply touched by your recognition of me as well. Special thanks are due to Nancy Prieskorn for organizing such a lovely event, to Larry Gage for his masterful job as MC, to Jerry Custer, Pam Jusino, and, especially Carrie Wilson (who drove four hours) for the terrific music, and to Eddie Mattson who fed us all so well. Of course, I am most grateful to Pastor Eddie for his gracious invitation.
Anne Gere
I would like to thank all of those who continue to contribute returnable cans and bottles to the “ongoing can drive” to support the Youth Mission Reserve fund. Each year about $100 is contributed due to your generous donations. Thank you! Mitchell Cressman
The First Presbyterian Church of Farmington wishes you a Blessed Christmas and Joyous New Year!
