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It’s always a delight to host SOS!

South Oakland Shelter is a consortium of several Oakland County community and religious centers that volunteer their time to provide overnight accommodations, food, transportation and a sense of dignity to individuals and families in need. For more than a decade, First Presbyterian Church of Farmington has been a part of this worthwhile endeavor. For the past 12 years, for one week each January, our church has opened its doors to those for whom life hasn’t been so kind.

Managing SOS is an “all-hands-on deck”-type project requiring lots of volunteers. Many of First Presbyterian’s tried and true have given their talent and treasure to support the cause. Regrettably, while the number of SOS clients has remained level, the number of First Presbyterian volunteers is slowly dropping, making it difficult to sustain the effort. To find out how you can help next year – even if it’s just for one day or one evening – please contact either Chris or Emily Davis at (248) 349-5146. They do a fabulous job coordinating our team of volunteers and would love to get you involved on the ground floor for next year when we host S.O.S. for the 13th time on January 19-26, 2020!

Because we are hosting SOS the week of Jan. 13-20, the Session will gather for its monthly meeting one week later than usual on Wednesday, Jan. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 208/210.

Call to Annual Meeting on Sunday, Feb. 4

The Session has called the Annual Congregational Meeting for Sunday, February 3, 2019, immediately following worship. The call of the meeting is to:

1. To receive the reports of the Session and its officers and committees, the Board of Deacons, and other organizations of the congregation.
2. To conduct the annual meeting of the Corporation.

And any other appropriate congregation business.
The 2018 Annual Report is in production and will be emailed to members and friends who have signed up through the church website. If you haven’t signed up to receive the FYI, annual reports and other church news via email, simply to the church website, www.farmington-pres.org, and click on the link for the FYI newsletter. Emailed copies save paper (and trees!), toner and postage. A few hard copies will be available at the welcome center on Jan. 27.

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.

The deadline for articles for the March FYI is Wednesday, Feb. 14!

Caregiving Ministry

Prayer Chain – Do you know that we have 32 people who are part of our Prayer Chain? Our Sunday Joys and Concerns are not just prayed for on Sunday morning. They are passed on to the members of our prayer chain and are lifted up in prayer during the week, too. If you have a prayer request that you would like the prayer chain to pray for but do not want it announced on Sunday morning or if you have a prayer request during the week, please feel free to contact Karen McCullough, our prayer chain coordinator.

Cluster Leaders – Do you know that we are in need of a couple more cluster leaders? Cluster leaders are given a group of members and are in contact with them during the year. This contact can be done in a number of ways — conversation on Sunday mornings, during activities at the church, by phone or by mail. If you think you are able to do this and would like more information, please contact Josh Archey, Mickey Seiler or Lois Caito.

Stephen Ministry – Do you know that while some Stephen Ministry relationships can last for a year or more, others last only for a few weeks? For example, a Stephen Minister can meet with you while you are going through medical tests, waiting for the results, adjusting to a new job or facing retirement. Our ministry is available to all our members, but you do not have to be a member of our church to have a Stephen Minister. In fact, you are the front lines of this caring ministry in our congregation. Throughout the week, as you meet and greet those around you, think Stephen Ministry. If you see people who are downcast or struggling through difficult times, think Stephen Ministry. Tell them about this special ministry in our congregation where they can receive the extra love and care they need to make it through the challenge or crisis they are facing. If you would like to have a Stephen Minister or know of someone who could use a Stephen Minister, please contact Helen Thomas.

C.A.R.E.S issue call for volunteers

C.A.R.E.S., our local food pantry, could use a few more volunteers for weekday shifts (we are open Tues-Fri, 9:30 am-2:30 pm). We will start a lunch serving during the week and need some help to make it happen, in addition to people for our regular pantry and clothing closet tasks. To fill this timely need, contact Delores directly at [email protected].

The ideal shift would be at least three hours every week on a specific day (for example, every Wednesday, 11-2). If you are a fantastic volunteer, but can’t commit to every week, reach out and we can figure out what will work. And if you are interested in volunteering for evening, weekend, or special projects, sign up here and we will be in touch: http://caresfh.org/volunteer/

Hat and Mitten Tree a success!

Once again, our church family has demonstrated how we live our faith. The 2018 Hat and Mitten Tree was an amazing success with so many donations of purchased items and beautifully handmade items. The total value of these items was $2,746.

Donations included: 88 Hats (55 purchased and 31 handmade); 11 Hat and Scarf Sets; 50 pairs of Gloves or Mittens; 11 pairs of handmade Mittens; 75 pairs of Socks for Adults or Children; and 67 pairs of Underwear.

They were all extremely gratefully received by Neighborhood House, who will be distributing them throughout the winter to schoolchildren and families in the Farmington and Farmington Hills area. Many, many thanks for your generosity to our needy brothers and sisters in this extremely cold weather.   ~Sally Kirsten, P.W. Vice Moderator, Justice and Peace

New Tunes in our Music Room

In an effort to further expand our creative work within the broader community, we at First Presbyterian have initiated a three-month trial performance partnership in our Music Room with Thistle Rose Academy of Arts (TRAA). TRAA is a non-profit, inclusive theater and creative academy with the motto: “We are Dreamers. We are Visionaries. We are Believers. We are Artists.”

Mark your calendars for their upcoming performances of “Much Ado about Nothing” in our Music Room on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 22 at 8 p.m., or Saturday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

2018 Offering Envelopes Available

Those who have used numbered envelopes in 2018 will automatically receive envelopes for 2019. If you did NOT used envelopes in 2018, but DO wish to have them for 2019, please 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, please call Jerry Scheel, Financial Secretary, to have the forms mailed to you. Questions? Contact Jerry Scheel or call the church office at (248) 474-6170.

2019 Worship Flower sign-up available

Please consider proving worship 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 or friends. The sign-up sheet is available on the kiosk in the area outside Knox Fellowship Hall. For more information, call the church office at (248) 474-6170.

How about ushering in the New Year?

Do you like to meet and greet? Like to help people? Like being able to move around? We’re looking for people who can give the congregation a hand every eight weeks, or occasional substituting, as an usher. Please contact Irwin Moyna for details.

Sunday morning greeters needed

The Greeting Team provides warm welcomes and greetings to all who enter our church. We are in need of some volunteers! We believe there are fellow worshipers willing to extend the hand of welcome if we were to ask. We are asking!! We have openings for regular rotation (one Sunday every other month) or fill-in dates. If you would like more information or have questions, please contact Manny Sharpe.

December Session highlights

At its December 19, 2018 meeting:

• Approved the 2019 Operating Budget.
• Changed the January Session meeting to January 23, 2019 to avoid the week ofSOS.
• Accepted the Thistle Rose Academy of Arts Space Usage Proposal for a trial period of three months beginning in January 2019. Session will review the space utilization at the end of the trial period.

In Our Prayers

Names withheld from the web-version of our newsletter.

We hold in our prayers, those who are sick. We also hold in prayer those impacted by the government shutdown, recent storms, natural disasters, gun violence and terrorism, as well as those who put themselves in harm’s way to assist them. We pray for the grieving, and remember  members who are homebound, in nursing homes, and assisted living and  those serving in the military or as first responders.

Kudos and thanks

I wish to thank everyone for their prayers, cards & letters. I appreciate them, it is always good to hear from friends. I miss you all. May God keep each one of you in His Care. The door is open if you come to Florida. ~Evelyn Dunn

Thank you to my friends at First Presbyterian Church for your care and concern as I recovered from my recent surgery, as well as the flowers, many cards and visits from our church family. It made a big difference and was very much appreciated. ~Nan Flint

To all my friends at First Presbyterian Church: Wishing you a healthy and happy New Year! ~Fondly, Phyllis Bothwell

The Farmington Area Goodfellows recently recognized the generous support received from First Pres with a plaque and a letter of thanks: This December, thanks to support from friends like you, we helped almost 450 of our neighbors who live below the Federal Poverty guideline. These children, families, seniors and developmentally challenged adults in our Holiday Assistance Program received over 28,000 non- perishable food items, over 600 boxes of diapers and baby wipes, and every child received three toys and 3 age-appropriate books. Families also received one $35 voucher for groceries and one $35 Target gift card for each child, as well as a box of personal care and paper items. Thank you again for your support. ~Richard Lerner, President

Thank you for your recent gift of $750.00 to The Coalition on Temporary Shelter (COTS). It is because of your generosity that COTS is able to help people regain self-sufficiency. We know that you consider your philanthropic decision seriously and I am grateful that you have chosen to support COTS. Please know that we work very hard to ensure that your gift is put to good use to serve in the homeless in our community. I am very proud of the face that only 10% of every dollar is spent on fundraising and administration costs to run this organization. (the national average is 24%.) Please send my love to everyone at 1st Presbyterian Church of Farmington. Your congregation continues to be so very generous to our family and we are so grateful to you. We pray God’s richest blessings to all of you. ~With much gratitude, Cheryl P. Johnson, Chief Executive Officer

Samaritan Counseling Center News

Samaritan Counseling Center (SCC) is excited to announce the following:

• Allison Krieg-Hill, M.A., LLPC, will join our staff as a clinician in Samaritan Counseling Center’s North Congregational Church and Seymour Lake UMC offices (to be opening soon).
• Congratulations to Karen Schurgin, Psy.D., ATR, L.P.C., L.P., who was recently appointed Clinical Director of Samaritan CounselingCenter.

Creative Self-Care Program

This is a 10-week Art Therapy Program for adults who are seeking alternative methods of maintaining self- care. Each week will focus on a different component of self-care and will encourage creative self- exploration.

Every Thursday beginning in mid-January,   6:00-8:00 p.m. at Samaritan Counseling Center, 29887 West 11 Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48336, in the Multi-Purpose Room. Cost: $25/session plus a one-time material fee of $25

For further information, please contact SCC’s business office at 248 474-4701, or visit our website, sccmich.org.

Preparation for Marriage Workshop

This workshop, led by experienced leaders, provides opportunities for couples to identify and explore both strengths and areas of potential difficulties in their relationship. Couples will consider the complexity of marriage, recognize what each individual brings to this relationship, and clarify the expectations both have as they enter into this commitment.

February 2019 (exact date TBD), 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, $225 per couple. A $125 deposit is required at registration. Please contact SCC’s main office at 248 474-4701 or visit our website, sccmich.org., for further information. Additional workshops are usually held in April, June and September, and private sessions can be arranged throughout the year for an additional $50 fee.