Headlines

 

Charon Barconey to be installed to new Presbytery post

The Presbytery of Detroit has issued an invitation to a service of worship of God and the installation and commissioning of Charon Barconey as the Associate Executive Presbyter of our Presbytery on Saturday, March 2 at 3 p.m. at St. John’s Presbyterian Church, 1961 East Lafayette Street in Detroit. A reception will follow the service. Charon is a former Director of Christian Education for our church.

Ash Wednesday worship service March 6 at 7:30 p.m.

This Ash Wednesday worship service will again be a Taizé service in the sanctuary that includes a ceremony of the candles and imposition of ashes of forgiveness.  In Christian history, Ash Wednesday was developed as a day of penitence to mark the beginning of Lent – the 40 days of preparation through deeper disciplines of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Please join us for the deeply meaningful service on Wednesday, March at 7:30 p.m.

First Pres hosts Presbyterian Women’s retreat on March 23

To the women of our church and friends: are you in need of spiritual renewal? You are invited to the annual PWPD women’s retreat, “Perfect Love: Mind, Body, and Spirit.” This annual retreat is sponsored by Presbyterian Women of the Presbytery of Detroit, but this year we’re hosting the event at our church.

The keynote speaker is Christine Bertram, professor of World Religions and Bible at OCC. The day will include a hot catered lunch and breakout sessions, small group discussion, and special worship in our sanctuary. Our own Pastor Eddie and Pam Jusino will offer two of the six breakout sessions, and Ruth Azar from the Second Mile Center will offer a third. The day begins with registration and coffee hour at 9:00 a.m. and concludes at 3:00. The cost is $30. However, PW is planning to partially offset the cost of registration for attendees from our church (after the event), based on the number of us attending. Contact Nancy Cook for more information. The deadline is March 16.

New Member Orientation on March 24

What does it mean to be in relationship with one another at our church? How do you take the next step in becoming an active member of our family of faith? Join Pastor Eddie and other church leaders for lunch and conversation immediately following worship on Sunday, March 24, in room 207 (upstairs). Get familiar with our church’s DNA – our history, its mission, vision, core values – and learn why being a member of our covenant of faith is so important to your spiritual and faith formation. This is a family-friendly event where children are welcome. Child care will be available after the meal.

The deadline for articles for the April FYI is Wednesday, March 21!

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Youth United awarded $20K Faith in Action Grant

First Pres, our Youth United partners, and C.A.R.E.S. in Farmington Hills have been awarded a $20,533 Faith in Action grant from the Presbytery of Detroit for the 2019-2020 program years. This is in addition to the recent $1,000 grant from the Farmington/Farmington Hills Foundation for Youth and Families.

Youth United provides multicultural, interfaith youth aged 11-18 the opportunity to learn more about each other’s common values of treating neighbors with compassion while serving others. A great group of youth and adults from 10 different faith communities join First Pres members on the Youth United planning team, which is co-chaired by Karen Linnell and Laura Hedgecock.

This Faith in Action grant will enable youth to make improvements to C.A.R.E.S.’ facilities, allowing C.A.R.E.S. to offer more comprehensive services to its clients. Projects will include the installation of a community garden, an outdoor produce stand and a reflection garden, as well as preparing space to be converted into offices. At the end of each summer service camp, we will hold a community celebration that will provide community leaders the opportunity to observe firsthand the difference youth can make in the lives of others, as well as the power of interfaith mission.
Stay tuned for more details as we develop our plans for this summer.  ~Mission Committee

2019 is off to a Good Start!

Thirty-four SOS guests of assorted ages helped our church begin the year doing what we do best — caring for others! From alligator and squash hors d’oeuvres to entertainment by a jazz band to a snow day, First Pres hosted South Oakland Shelter (SOS) January 13-20. More than 130 members, friends, scouts, Toastmasters, circles, and a volunteer driver (that no one knew but who showed up every single night) pulled it off under the extraordinary leadership of Chris and Emily Davis.  All those folks volunteered and impressive 1,137 hours!

Deacons’ Caregiving Ministry

Home Communion: One of the most meaningful ministries Deacons are involved in is taking Communion to our homebound members and hospitalized members on the first Sunday of every month. It is an important reminder to others of God’s love for them as well as a reminder that they are still part of our Family of Faith. We have found that there is a need for more of our members to receive Home Communion. In order to meet the needs of our congregation, we would like to invite all members to join us in this ministry. We are not asking you to do this every month; our goal is to have a list of people so that your participation would be on a rotating basis. We will provide training and you would be part of a team of two people. If you would like to take Communion to members of our Family of Faith, please contact Pam Jusino or Lois Caito.

Stephen Ministry:  Even if you are not a Stephen Leader or a Stephen Minister, you play an important role in our church’s Stephen Ministry. Our Stephen Ministers need your prayerful support as they confidentially meet with their care receivers every week. Our Stephen Leaders also need your help in identifying people who might benefit from a Stephen Minister relationship — they don’t need to be a church  member to receive ministering. If you see a friend, coworker, neighbor, relative, or someone else who could use some extra Christian care, tell that person about our Stephen Ministry program. If you have any questions, please call Helen Thomas at 248-896-2400.

Pamphlet Rack:  Take a minute before or after worship on Sunday to check out the pamphlet rack in the Narthex. We all go by the rack all the time but if you stop to check it out you will find there are many good resources there. There is information about different groups in our community. There are also CareNotes on such issues as anxiety, loneliness and depression. Check out the pamphlets — please feel free to take one.

Adult Christian Education, Sundays 9:00-9:50 am

Each week we receive a copy of The Wired Word, which provides us bible lessons and discussions for everyday life … and make them more relevant to modern Christian living. With The Wired Word it is an easy, automatic way to weave current events into our weekly Bible studies.  We discuss the issues but have been known to get off track at times. Join us in the Library on the second floor for an enriching time together.

Neighborhood House needs your help

Cold weather seems to bring out greater needs for clients of Neighborhood House.  Traditionally, our church has helped supply paper products as well as cleaning products to Neighborhood House during February and March.  This year two additional, totally unrelated items are in short supply: jelly and cereal. So, you can help by adding toilet paper (in 4-roll packages), tissues, paper towels, wipes, and all-purpose cleaners plus jelly and cereal to your grocery cart next time you go shopping. Bins to collect your donations are in the narthex.

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/

Mission launches 2019 contributions

In February the Mission Ministry Team made our church’s first contributions for 2019 to Fort Street Open Door ($500, more in Sept), Paws with a Cause ($400) and a “campership” (scholarship for a camper) to Boy Scout Troop #179 ($400).

Overtures to Spring concert

The Orchard Lake Philharmonic under the direction of Norm Logan presents Overtures to Spring on Friday, March 8, 2019 at 3:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Farmington Hills. The concert selections include: HARBURG April in Paris; WEBER Concertino for Clarinet op 26 in Eb Major with Suzanne Nash, Clarinet Soloist; and DVORAK Symphony no. 9 of 95 E minor “ New World, movements 2-4. Tickets for the matinee performance are $5 and are sold at the door. For the evening performance, donations will be accepted at the door.

A Broadway Revue coming in May

Save the date! The Farmington Community Chorus will perform A Broadway Revue on Friday evening, May 10 at 8:00 p.m. and Saturday afternoon, May 11 at 4:00 p.m. in our church’s sanctuary. The chorus will present a very wide selection of songs from Broadway through the years. The Farmington Community Chorus, established in 1980 under the sponsorship of the Farmington Hills Parks and Recreation Department, is an activity for community residents and currently numbers about 80 people from all over Metropolitan Detroit.

Congregational Updates

Nancy Cook receives DAR Community Service Award

Three Flags Chapter DAR presented the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Community Service Award to Farmington resident and long-time First Pres member Nancy Cook at the group’s annual Good Citizens Luncheon on Saturday, Feb. 2, 2019, held at First Presbyterian Church.

The Community Service Award is an opportunity for DAR chapters to recognize worthy individuals in their community for unpaid voluntary achievements in cultural, educational, humanitarian, patriotic, citizenship, or environmental endeavors. Nancy received this award for over a decade of volunteer service to the Goodfellows. While the annual Goodfellows campaign gears up in the late fall through mid-December and culminates in delivery of food baskets and gifts to families and senior citizens in need, Nancy volunteers year-round in the Goodfellows office.  She is also very active in the Exemplar Club, here at church  and she serves on the F/FH Commission on Aging.

Also honored at the luncheon were high school graduating seniors from the three Farmington high schools and two middle school students who won the DAR American History Essay Contest for their respective grade levels. Our own Dr. Jerry Custer was the speaker, delighting the group with “How Can You Be A Real Composer If You’re Not Dead? Scenes from a Musician’s Life.”

Pictorial Directory available for smart phones and computers

In addition to receiving the printed pictorial directory, you are now able to access the directory — family photos, directory listing and all — on your mobile device as an App or on your home computer as a web-based Desktop Directory. The App works on iOS (Apple devices) as well as Android devices. The App will allow you to send emails and make phone calls directly from the directory listing, as well as map to a specific address. Members and friends of First Pres should send an email to the church office at [email protected] to request the instruction sheet and your personal access code.

Session Meeting highlights

At its January 23, 2019 meeting:

• Authorized a 2.5% pay increase for all staff, other than the Pastor, contingent on performance reviews.
• Approved the Family and Children’s Coordinator job description.
• Authorized the SOUPer Bowl of Caring collection of donations for C.A.R.E.S. Food Pantry.
• Approved the 2018 Annual Statistical Report to the Presbytery of Detroit.

At its February 20, 2019 meeting:

• Authorized purchasing nine round tables and eight rectangular tables for Knox Hall with Memorials and Tributes Funds.
• Corrected the Family and Children’s Coordinator job description to 15 hours per week.

Congregational Concerns

Names withheld from the online 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

Thank you to our church family for supporting us during the recent passing of my Mom. Thank you for your cards and emails. Mark and I appreciate all your kind thoughts and prayers. They have sustained us during these last few months when we lost three of our parents. Thank you for your care and concern.
Charlene Diehl

Dear Friends of Farmington Hills Presbyterian Church, How delightful to see the story about you in PC(USA) News! https://www.presbyterianmission.org/story/350k-gift-energizes-mission-in-presbytery-of-detroit/. (Note: see article on page 2). I’ve been reading about the grant in the newsletter, but it is so nice to see national attention. Great work! Glad to see your name in the photo credit, Laura. Praise God for the all creative ways you work hard to witness to God’s love for all. Thank you, Tammy, for a good explanation about the effective method the Presbytery used. Smart people, so nice to see them highlighted. I am grateful to Jean Loup and Rev. Sue Melrose for connecting me to all of you. God bless you.
With warm wishes, Ann in Chennai India