First Presbyterian Church Newsletter 250 W. Huron, Vassar, MI 48768 VassarFPC.org March 2016 ...from Doug’s desk... “Our real idea of God may lie buried under the rubbish of conventional religious notions and may require an intelligent and vigorous search before it is finally unearthed and exposed for what it really is. Only after an ordeal of painful self-probing are we likely to discover what we actually believe about God.” ~A. W. Tozer. Lent is a time during which we are traditionally asked to give something up, or perhaps add a practice, or simply change one. For the increasing segment of the population that is unfamiliar with “church,” this seems a rather pointless endeavor, especially in a culture where instant anything has become normal. And even for those of us committed to the church and who genuinely seek to follow Jesus, we often don’t quite understand what this is all about, even if we nonetheless practice it. Every Christian practice has its beginning in something genuine, real, and effective as a means to grow in trust and commitment to Jesus Christ. Some practice fasting. Some practice extended prayer times. Some practice radical giving or service. Some practice deep study of God’s word. Some practice self denial or simplicity of life. All of these and more are commended to us in scripture.All these were practiced by the earliest church leaders. All of these have evolved over the centuries. All of them boil down to one simple thing: seeking to walk with and know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, more deeply, that we may also live more as He intends for us. So it is with Lenten disciplines. Practices such as these do not make us more “holy” to somehow earn our way more into God’s graces. Our standing with God was dealt with once and for all at the cross. We cannot make God love us more, nor make him love us less. We cannot earn our way into some special status. These practices are for us, not God. We are the ones that need to change. We are the ones that need to rely more on God’s grace. We are the ones who need to “remember.” Whether it’s depriving ourselves of Oreos, or forgiving a 20-year grudge, God asks us to do these things not because they change His love toward us, but because they change our love toward Him, and the people He loves. We all have a lots of ideas about God, pastor included, that come from all sorts of places: family slogans or stories, folk ideas dressed up in Christian lingo, Disney movies or “It’s a Wonderful Life,” spiritual leaders at key times in our lives, you name it. There are at least as many ideas about God as there are people who have them. We are all theologians. And what we believe about God affects our lives more than anything. When was the last time you tested—really tested—your ideas about God? Are you afraid you may find them inadequate? Flat wrong? Me too. The season of Lent is a great time to do that sort of testing. It prepares us for Easter, so that when we celebrate the resurrection, we have a greater appreciation of who this Jesus truly is. If we claim to be his followers, we owe it to Him, and ourselves, to get to know Him more as He is, and let go more of who we imagine him to be. The best way to do that is to study scripture together, and pray for a changed heart. As John the Baptist said in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” I invite you to this discipline underneath the disciplines of dying to self, and allowing Christ to live in and through us. Let us follow Him together all the way to the cross, be crucified with Him, and made alive in HIm.
Transcript
First Presbyterian Church
Newsletter250 W. Huron, Vassar, MI 48768 VassarFPC.org March 2016
...from Doug’s desk... “Our real idea of God may lie buried under the rubbish of conventional religious notions and may require an intelligent and vigorous search before it is finally unearthed and exposed for what it really is. Only after an ordeal of painful self-probing are we likely to discover what we actually believe about God.” ~A. W. Tozer.
Lent is a time during which we are traditionally asked to give something up, or perhaps add a practice, or simply change one. For the increasing segment of the population that is unfamiliar with “church,” this seems a rather pointless endeavor, especially in a culture where instant anything has become normal. And even for those of us committed to the church and who genuinely seek to follow Jesus, we often don’t quite understand what this is all about, even if we nonetheless practice it.
Every Christian practice has its beginning in something genuine, real, and effective as a means to grow in trust and commitment to Jesus Christ. Some practice fasting. Some practice extended prayer times. Some practice radical giving or service. Some practice deep study of God’s word. Some practice self denial or simplicity of life. All of these and more are commended to us in scripture.All these were practiced by the earliest church leaders. All of these have evolved over the centuries. All of them boil down to one simple thing: seeking to walk with and know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, more deeply, that we may also live more as He intends for us. So it is with Lenten disciplines.
Practices such as these do not make us more “holy” to somehow earn our way more into God’s graces. Our standing with God was dealt with once and for all at the cross. We cannot make God love us more, nor make him love us less. We cannot earn our way into some special status. These practices are for us, not God. We are the ones that need to change. We are the ones that need to rely more on God’s grace. We are the ones who need to “remember.” Whether it’s depriving ourselves of Oreos, or forgiving a 20-year grudge, God asks us to do these things not because they change His love toward us, but because they change our love toward Him, and the people He loves.
We all have a lots of ideas about God, pastor included, that come from all sorts of places: family slogans or stories, folk ideas dressed up in Christian lingo, Disney movies or “It’s a Wonderful Life,” spiritual leaders at key times in our lives, you name it. There are at least as many ideas about God as there are people who have them. We are all theologians. And what we believe about God affects our lives more than anything.
When was the last time you tested—really tested—your ideas about God? Are you afraid you may find them inadequate? Flat wrong? Me too. The season of Lent is a great time to do that sort of testing. It prepares us for Easter, so that when we celebrate the resurrection, we have a greater appreciation of who this Jesus truly is. If we claim to be his followers, we owe it to Him, and ourselves, to get to know Him more as He is, and let go more of who we imagine him to be. The best way to do that is to study scripture together, and pray for a changed heart. As John the Baptist said in John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
I invite you to this discipline underneath the disciplines of dying to self, and allowing Christ to live in and through us. Let us follow Him together all the way to the cross, be crucified with Him, and made alive in HIm.
In the hospital? Home bound? In a nursing facility? Please let the church office know so that Pastor Doug can visit them! You may also call your care team Deacon.
FINANCIAL NOTES
JANUARY: ACTUAL INCOME: 8,203.00 EXPENSE: 7,579.02 NET: + 623.38
Easter is just around the corner and with this celebration comes the Easter Lily! Please see Sue Campbell (823-3848) or Connie Gamet (823-8944) to order yours in memory or
celebration of loved ones. We would appreciate payment ($15) before they are delivered with checks made out to our church and “Lilies” on the memo line. Let’s fill the church in celebration of our Risen Lord!!
GREETERS Mar 6 Mark & Jill O’Connor Mar 13 Dan & Mary Johnson Mar 20 Kirk & Susie Atkins Mar 27 Wegrzyn Family
USHERS Mar 6 David, Scott & Zack Wegrzyn Mar 13 Lori Hubbard, Mary Kennard, Kim Wegrzyn Mar 20 Mark Bilbee, Mark O’Connor, Bobby Staten Mar 27 Kevin Haines, Mike Kennard, Dan Zuzula
WORSHIP LEADERS Mar 6 Lori Hubbard Mar 13 Cheryl Childs Mar 20 Bob Rice Mar 27 Steve Franko
VIDEO/TECH Mar 6 Shelley Abel Mar 13 Tanya Steele Mar 20 Dianne Hackett Mar 27 (VACANT)
BIRTHDAYS:
01 Mike Kennard 01 Haydin Johnson 02 Kim VanWormer 03 Rob Bulko 03 Dan Johnson 04 Bill Haines 05 Kirk VanWormer 06 Becky Gorleski 07 Monica Hoornstra 08 Nolan Opperman 10 Anna O'Connor 12 Nicole Baker 15 Ray Waggoner 15 Zack Wegrzyn 16 Helen Waggoner 16 Shane Pease 18 Jennifer Safford 20 Alaina Poulos 20 Pam Revette 23 Jody Franko 25 Lynn Childs 30 Chris Haines
Vassar First Presbyterian Church Ministry Team Summary Paragraphs
Administration (Scott Wegrzyn)This team has two sub-teams: personnel and finance. It oversees these and other general administrative concerns of the church. It crafts a budget proposal each year for Session to approve, oversees staff, considers staffing structure, crafts job descriptions, and recommends building use policy. Buildings & Grounds (Bob Rice)This team handles all things related to facility and property, such as routine maintenance, small repairs, facility or equipment upgrades, tech needs, or large projects as approved by Session. The church owns not only the church building and grounds, but also the upper parking lot and the pastor’s manse, as well as the equipment and appliances inside them.Communication & Publicity (Betty Jo Atkins)This team’s focus is providing for and managing communications and publicity, with internally and externally, by prioritizing and appropriately timing these things and implying the most effective method for them. This is not only so that any given need gets the best exposure appropriate to it, but so that key events or initiatives don’t get “lost in the noise.” The team will work closely with the church secretary to execute communication and publicity, but will curate what, how, and when any communication publicity is done, and help establish processes and strategies for easy management of the same.Community Connections (Mark O’Connor)This team’s focus is any event or project that brings the community together in Christian fellowship: which is “Christian-speak” for having fun and making connections. It serves a practical and cohesive function in our community of faith, and at the same time provides a safe space for new people to get to know us. The team executes several events each year to that end, and looks for smaller ways to facilitate a sense of connection between friends and members as well.Discipleship & Growth (Kevin Haines)This team’s stated mission is “Inviting you on a Journey with Jesus.” It oversees, enables, resources, and supports the person-inviting, disciple-making and disciple-growing aspects of the church’s ministry, from nursery to families to ecumenical Youth Group and VBS, to adult professionals, to retirees. It is concerned with education, but not merely as knowledge transfer, but heart changing: helping people of any age or stage meet Jesus, grow in faith, and become committed followers of Jesus. This team also oversees and resources any small groups that form, from study groups to affinity groups to service/mission groups. Mission & Outreach (Betty Jo Atkins)This team concerns itself with supporting mission efforts that do not typically fall under our own congregation’s ministry. These may be local, regional, statewide, national, or global in nature. In many cases that support is financial, such as perhaps funding a missionary abroad. It may also sometimes be more personal, like forming a work trip to a devastated area of our nation.Worship & Music (Steve Franko)The worship & music team concerns itself with providing for the worship and music aspects of our congregation, and considers not only present needs but future directions for forms of and tools for worship. There are practical matters like making sure ushering and children’s sermons are covered, resourcing our choirs and accompanists, making sure candles are stocked, etc. It also, in collaboration with the pastor and music staff, considers weightier matters like the practice and philosophy of worship.
(Note: Nominating team is not listed because at-large members of this team are nominated by previous nominating team and elected at the congregational meeting. Steve Franko is the chairperson this year)
If you would like to be a part of any of these ministries, please contact the chairperson.Come find your place with us as we build God’s Kingdom together!
CONTACT PERSONS
Pastor Doug Abel, (989) 780-2813 (Voice, VM, or Text) Kimberly Wegrzyn, Church Office: (989) 823-7671
Elders
Shelley Abel 780-2817 Kevin Haines 871-3293....................... .............................
Betty Jo Atkins 882-9021 Mark O’Connor 823-8663.................... ..........................
Nicole Baker (917) 776-9546 Bob Rice 652-9474............. ....................................
Lynn Childs 868-4802 Scott Wegrzyn 529-1147......................... ...........................
Steve Franko 823-7590 Dan Johnson, Clerk 823-2525...................... ...................
Deacons
Louanne Campbell 823-3624 Ray Sowden 871-9127............ ..............................
Mike Kennard, Mod. 823-2192 Carol Swaffer 823-3756........... .............................
Bill Shoop 823-1331 Kimberly Wegrzyn 233-8460........................... .....................
PRAYER CHAINS
Telephone Chain: Louanne Campbell....823-3624
Email Chain: Kimberly Wegrzyn....233-8460
Contact Persons Session Ministry Teams: Administration (Finance & Personnel) Scott Wegrzyn 529-1147 ........................................ Buildings & Grounds Bob Rice 652-9474 ................................................................... Communication & Publicity Betty Jo Atkins 882-9021 ......................................................... Community Connections Mark O’Connor 823-8663 ............................................................. Discipleship & Growth Kevin Haines 823-3293 ................................................................. Mission & Outreach Betty Jo Atkins 882-9021 .................................................................... Nominating Steve Franko 823-7590 .................................................................................. Worship & Music Steve Franko 823-7590 .........................................................................
Deacons Mike Kennard 823-2192 .........................................................................................Youth Cheryl Childs 868-4802 ..............................................................................................Choir (Shared with FUMC) Pat Middlin 545-0948............................................................
Session Highlights
Session met on Thursday, February 11th, 2016 (New meeting night). Here are some of the highlights of the meeting. Pastor Doug Abel was our Moderator
• Newly elected Elders were all in attendance.
• Devotions were based on Psalm 103:11-15
• Minutes of the January 18th Stated Meeting was approved as written.
• Financial report was received. We are still operating in the RED. If you plan on pledging, but have not yet submitted it, please do so, it is still not too late.
• If you can help by paying your part of the apportionment, that fee will be $26.00 per member. Again, this fee is voluntary, trying to replace money paid out of our budget. Checks still made out to the church, but put “apportionment” on memo line.
• Official Church membership now stands at 150. Brandon Lee transferred to St. Michaels
• Communion was served on February 7th. Next communion will be served on March 6th.
• The next 5th Sunday will be May 29th.
• Next Presbytery meeting will be March 1st.
• “Auditing” of church books is being looked into.
• Communion will be served at the Maundy Thursday service on March 24th.
• Usher badges are in and being used.
• Drama teams are up and running. First one will be February 28th.
• Everybody is encouraged to invite friends to our church. If one knows of somebody curious about our church, please invite them to attend a service.
Respectfully submitted,
Dan Johnson
Clerk of Session
First Presbyterian Church
P.O. Box 117
Vassar, MI 48768
Small Group Ministry at VFPC Small Groups are the backbone of the life of the church. We have a ton already, and more are forming. If you are interested in starting one, or want to let us know of a need for one, please talk to Kevin Haines or Pastor Doug, or use the form in your bulletin and put it in the offering. We have all types for wherever the Lord has you on the journey: discipleship triads or quads, study groups, discussion groups, work/service groups, seasonal groups, support groups, and our ever-busier Session ministry teams.
Below are a few highlighted groups you can tap into: Christian Conversation: Every Sunday morning at 9:00am, off during summers. Topics cover a wide range but always we strive to stay grounded in scripture and discern how God is working. Interested? Just come! A New Book Study: Bad Girls of the Bible, by Liz Curtis Higgs. Beginning March 2, 12:30 pm. Contact: Lynn Franko. Vassar Community Grief Group: Each month, 2nd Mondays, 5-6:00pm, Becker Hall. Co-led by
Pastor Doug and Paul Harchick (aka “Paul the Barber”). No matter how recent or long ago your loss was, come if you need it, just show up!. And… there’s really good food!!!! Women's Guild: 2nd Wednesdays at 6:00 p.m. These ladies ROCK. They do all sorts of things and are always looking for more motivated women! Get involved just for one project, or as much as you want. Lenten Devotional Series: Wednesdays, 6pm, Feb 17th-Mar 23rd, Heritage Room. A time of sharing and deepening our faith together, beginning with a short devotion from Pastor Doug, ending with prayer. 45 minutes. Men’s and Women’s Discipleship Triads or Quads: these form with 3 or 4 max, meeting to study scripture, share life, and go deep. Once formed, they may choose to be closed or open, and are intentionally limited in size. They can meet anytime, anywhere depending on members’ schedules and needs. We have two now, with plans for more. New groups will be publicized as they form. If interested, contact Pastor Doug or Kevin Haines!
