January 2025 News and Information

Musings by Pastor Bruce

Dear Followers of Jesus at FPCF,

I hope your Christmas and holiday season was filled with joy and all good things from our Lord Jesus Christ. (I hope you were able to eat many cookies!).

As I have mentioned a few times, we began a new calendar year for the Church on Sunday, December 1, 2024. That was our New Year’s Day, and now through Pentecost Sunday on June 8, we will listen to the gospel story of Jesus’ life, his teaching, and of course his death and resurrection. So, for the first five months of 2025:

• What does that mean for us as followers of Jesus Christ?
• Who are we as the Body of Christ?
• Who is God calling us to be?
• How is God equipping us to act and serve?

To sharpen your prayer life, read this quote from Frederick Buechner on who and what a disciple is:
“Furthermore, in being called to take up our crosses and follow Jesus Christ, we are called to participate in his suffering. Christianity affirms this love that suffers, and what is more, affirms it, not in spite of the fact that it suffers, but because of it. It affirms it for the reason that to love others to the point of suffering with them and for them in their own suffering is the only way to ultimately heal them, redeem them. It is God’s way in Christ, and as we are called to participate with Christ in his suffering, so we are called to be partners with him in his work of redemption. For our own sakes, as well as for theirs, we are called to be Christs to all humankind, in other words, and that is close to the heart of our faith and of our lives together as Christians.” Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation, (p. 104).

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.

Shalom,
Bruce D. Mulder, Transitional Pastor

Go Ahead and Ask” Podcast

Watch entertaining answers to your questions about our Christian faith, morality and ethics by viewing First Presbyterian’s monthly “Go Ahead and Ask Show on YouTube. The program features a lively discussion with Interim Pastor Bruce Mulder, moderated by First Presbyterian member Michael Rogers.

You can find past shows by going to the First Presbyterian Church of Farmington website and clicking on Watch on Demand videos, or by navigating to our YouTube channel at https://YouTube.com/@FirstPresFarmingtonMI.

You can submit questions at https://farmington-pres.org/go-ahead-and-ask/, by just handing them to Pastor Bruce or Michael, and by emailing them to the church office.

February 2025 FYI Deadline: Friday, January 17

Social Justice Book Club Starts New Book in January

The Social Justice Book Club enjoyed a lovely holiday dinner together on Monday evening, December 16. We’ll begin our next book on Monday, January 27, at 7:00 p.m. We’ll be reading The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta, a NY Times bestseller. Tim Alberta, a practicing Christian and the son of an evangelical pastor, paints a troubling portrait of the American evangelical movement. Please join us as we open ourselves to understand each other more deeply.
We meet once per month on the last Monday evening via Zoom, and we work toward completing the book by May.

If you’ve thought about joining but haven’t yet, we encourage you to do so. It’s a safe place to talk about the tough issues of our day. Contact Colleen Tavor to get on the email list.

Filling the shelves at CARES

During 2024 FPCF members/friends donated 963 pounds of food and household items to CARES! Donations are critical and very much appreciated by CARES and the guests who come to CARES each month to help them bridge the gap in their food budget. The need continues to grow. Prior to Covid, an average of 100 households were served each month. In November, the number was over 800! People in this community do go hungry. But the faithfulness and generosity of our members makes a huge impact. A CARES’ guest recently remarked, “I wouldn’t make it through the month without the help I get from CARES.”

Thank you for all you have provided to your hungry neighbors during 2024. Those 963 pounds were well . We hope you continue to help in 2025. Place your donated items in the plastic bin in the Narthex or under the curtain in the Mission Cove.

For ideas of what is especially useful, please look for the yellow cards in the pews. Thank you for continuing to fill the shelves at CARES.

 

Mission Project: Blessing Bags

“What you do for the least, you do for me.”

Matthew 25:40 reminds us of words first spoken some 2000 years ago – and they have never lost their importance. FPCF was founded 70 years ago with a keen interest in Mission and through the years we remember why we first came together as a congregation. For many years we supported SOS (Lighthouse) by opening our church doors for an entire week and caring for 30-35 individuals seeking shelter. This year, let’s revisit that previous ‘caring’ in a smaller but still meaningful way, by coming together and creating “Blessing Bags”.

Blessing Bags are plastic Zip lock bags containing several items useful to a person living on the street or in a shelter. These items include things like the following:

Granola Bars     Hand Warmers       Band Aids      Lip Balm        Gum/Mints      Bottled Water       Energy Bars     Gloves            Tissues                         Trail Mix      Nail Clippers      Travel Size Hygiene Items    Fruit Cups w/plastic spoons     Peanut Butter     Crackers

What to do now: Look over this list and consider what you may like to provide for the Blessing Bags. See the Sign Up sheets in the Foyer on the Kiosk to sign up (Just like we did when SOS was here!) There will be a plastic bin in the Mission Cove to drop off items before Sunday, February 9.

When to be here: Sunday, February 9 after Hospitality Time we will assemble the bags.

Afterwards: Put a Blessing Bag in your car to hand to a person asking for help at a corner. Additional bags may be given to the local police departments.

Questions? Ask any Mission members (Rick Fuller, Nancy Prieskorn, Karen Linnell, Leslie Black, Colleen Tavor, Laura Hedgecock).

Save the Date! Friday Friendly Game Night at FPCF

Don’t stay home on a cold, Friday evening! Your couch has seen too much of you lately! Save this date on your calendar.

• What: Food, fellowship and fun on a Friday night. We will provide pizza, salad and a dessert. We have board games such as Apples to Apples, Sequence and more. Card games such as Euchre, Five Crowns, Uno and more. And, of course, we have the always popular – BINGO!
• When: Friday, January 17. Pizza @ 5:30 p.m. Games @ 6:30 p.m. Come anytime.
• Where: Knox Hall
• Who: You, your family, neighbors, your BFF. Come alone or bring a car full.
• Why: See “What” above

Not mandatory but let us know if you are planning to come by signing up on the “Game Night” sheet in the foyer. It will help with planning and if we have to call you in case of bad weather.

Please join us. Bring your favorite game. Bring a friend. P.J.’s optional. Any questions? Ask anyone from the Nurture Ministry, Nancy Prieskorn, or Dorothy Tait.

Hospitality Training (January 19 and 26 after the service)

Presbyterian Players have another hit!

Presbyterian Players (an offshoot of Presbyterian Women) presented “Shepherds and Kings” by Karen Jones on Wednesday, December 11 during the PW Christmas Gathering and Sunday, December 15 during worship. Rumors are that the play, cast, and crew may be nominated for a Tony award for their two excellent performances! A special thank-you to Sue Carlson for not only playing the part of Grandpa Rufus, but she also directed the play! God has indeed blessed us with talented members at First Pres.

The fabulous cast and crew of Shepherds and Kings

Standing, left to right: Leslie Moyna, Sandy Adkins, Laurel Scott,
Sally Kirsten, Deb Anderson, Kari Gorman, Siobhan Moyna, Mary Carson
Sitting, left to right: Linda Clew, Tom Neal, Sharon Cressman,
Laura Hedgecock, MJ Floreno, Sue Carlson, Sue Andrews

Missing: Marcia Van Hamme

;

Meet the King Family

Left to right: Sandy Adkins as Jacob; Laurel Scott as Jenny; Linda Clew as Alice; Tom Neal as Gerald

Meet the Shepherd Family

Standing, left to right: Kari Gorman as Buford; Sally Kirsten as Aunt Tracie; Sue Carlson as Grandpa Rufus; Deb Anderson as Ike; Sue Andrews as Maisy;
Seated, left to right: Laura Hedgecock as Velma; MJ Floreno as Granny Esther

The Making of a Christmas Play

By MJ Floreno

Sue Carlson pulled together a very eclectic cast (including herself, which is a definite no-no in the drama world) who were willing to do everything asked of them to produce an enjoyable production. Early rehearsals found so many illnesses; in fact, had the play taken place in a hospital it would have been extremely realistic.

But we soldiered on and made it work. Our beloved Marcia Van Hamme, whose tenacity in providing wardrobe and scenery help, was a champ in filling in to read the roles of anyone out sick. It was quite a treat to see her play two parts at once and have a conversation with herself! Those watching did their best to control their laughter while she completely focused on the reading. Speaking of Marcia, I believe she has a secret “prop” closet that she emptied more and more every week. She brought in quilts, a coat rack, clothing, etc., from her “place up north.”

The best lesson learned by all was that memorization gets more difficult with age … but ad libs and humor get easier. We had so many laughs, sometimes hysterical, like the one involving a whoopie cushion or over the name BUFORD…someone replaced the long U with the ghostly sound of BOO. Or Mr. King always calling himself Mr. Shepherd!

Director Sue spent weeks pushing for enunciation and voice projection, but when Rufus had to lean over to shout at Esther (me as Granny) she almost blew the hearing aid out of my right ear (yes, in real life Granny wears them). Some real typecasting there.

So many experiences that brought us closer and made us work harder. Most importantly, we prayed at the beginning of each rehearsal, sometimes for those of us that were sick and sometimes for others. Prayer worked.

The beautiful scenery that Siobhan designed didn’t fall down, most of our lines came off quite naturally, Leslie and Sharon got us over some bumps, a camaraderie was built that I suspect will last forever, and we all got healthy. Blessings all around!!

Church Library News

Please plan to visit the Geiger Church Library soon!  Books are now organized by topic with color-coded stickers. Topics include Seasons of the Church, Women of the Bible, Inspirational, Humor, Caregiving, Grief and Angels. There are many reference books for those who would like to dive deeper in the Bible.
There are also many wonderful children’s books in the library. Are your grandchildren coming to visit? Take a couple of children’s books home for them to read or for you to read to them.

Plan a visit upstairs soon and browse the shelves. Find a book you like? Take it and we know you will return it when you are finished with it. There is no longer any card for you to complete. When you return it, just check the circle on the spine of the book and put it back on the shelf with the same color-coded circle.

As Presbyterians we are always striving to learn and deepen our relationship with the Holy Spirit.  The Geiger Church Library is located on the second floor at the end of the hall next to the church office. It’s a wonderful resource to use as we continue to grow in our faith journey.

Lois Caito & Nancy Prieskorn

FPCF Session Meeting Highlights – December 18, 2024

In the December Session meeting, the Treasurer reported that the November revenues to expenses was negative, but the year-to-date expenses continued to be positive and the loan balance was $83,580.

Action Items passed by Session:

• The FPCF 2025 Budget with Receipts and Expenses of $358,306 passed with a motion to move the surplus to the 2025 Operations Reserve to be used as needed. The receipts were based on pledges received as of December 18, 2024, and an estimate of other giving.
• There will be two 2025 Annual Congregational Meetings; one on Sunday, February 2, 20225, with the purpose to share the highlights of the 2024 Annual Report and the approved 2025 Budget and the second on Sunday, May 4, 2025, with the purpose to elect the next class of Elders and Deacons and other elected committee positions.

Pastor’s Report:

• The Mission Study Team held their last meeting and are finalizing the Mission Study document. This will be submitted to the Presbytery COM (Committee on Ministry) for review. Then this will be presented to Session and the congregation, starting the next steps in searching for a permanent pastor.
• There will be hospitality and liturgy training held in January/February for those interested in joining these teams.

Other:

• An abbreviated youth confirmation program is being developed to provide an updated path for youth to join the church as members.

The next Session meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.

Dorothy Tait, Clerk of Session

Mission Study Completed!

The Mission Study Team has completed the Mission Study Report on schedule! Our last meeting was on Tuesday, December 17 and the report has been submitted to Rev. Michelle James, our COM (Committee on Ministry) Liaison. After approval by COM and the Presbytery, likely in January, then Session will give a final review and approval. We will then be able to put together a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) and begin our search for a permanent pastor.

Many thanks to the Mission Study Team: Alvine Cooper, Becca DeSloover, Ginny Hubbell, Katie Malisow, Tom Neal, and Colleen Tavor, and a special thanks to Pastor Bruce for his wise and gentle leadership in moving us forward and not letting us get sidetracked!

Pastor Nominating Committee

If you are interested in being considered for a member of the Pastor Nominating Committee, please contact Martha Countegan. The PNC is the committee elected by the congregation to conduct the process of finding and evaluating candidates and eventually selecting our new pastor. 2025 will be an exciting and pivotal year for our church. Please pray about what God is calling you to do.

New Vision Statement Selected for FPCF

A vision statement is preferably short and should describe why the First Presbyterian Church of Farmington exists. At the townhall gathering in November, we asked each table to submit their choices for our new vision statement from a list of examples that other churches have used and had already been narrowed down to about 30 examples by the First Pres Sailors Committee last year. The Mission Study Team tallied, sorted, and prayed over the selection from the town hall. The selection was narrowed down to the final three and the congregation was invited to vote on their choice.

Our new vision statement is: Welcoming All; Sharing Christ; Serving Others

Annual Meeting scheduled; annual reports due soon

The Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday, February 2, 2025, in Knox Hall or via Zoom following worship at approximately 11:15 a.m. Reports to be included in the 2024 Annual Report should be properly  formatted Word documents and emailed to the church office by no later than Tuesday, January 14, 2025.

The 2024 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 via email ( to sign up for the newsletter and electronic communications, please go to www.farmington-pres.org ). A few printed copies of the 2024 Annual Report will be available at the welcome center on Sunday, January 26, 2025. Or contact the church office to arrange for one to be provided to you.

2025 offering envelopes

Those who have used numbered envelopes in 2024 will automatically receive envelopes for 2025, unless you inform us otherwise. If you have NOT used envelopes this year, but DO wish to have them for next year, please contact the church office at 248-474-6170 to make your request known.

Numbered envelopes facilitate the speed and accuracy of the data entry process for our offering counters, 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 automatically submit your pledge electronically from your bank account monthly, please call the church office to have the forms sent to you.

If you have any questions, please call the church office at (248) 474-6170.

2025 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 for our Sunday worship is $25.00 and enhances our in-person and livestreamed worship services. More than one arrangement may be ordered for any Sunday and will be displayed on plant stands near the pulpit during the service. Your donation will also be acknowledged in that Sunday’s worship bulletin. Please complete an order form for 2025 flowers located on the kiosk or order through the church office at least one week in advance. You may take home the flowers after the service, ask to have the flowers delivered to you or request to have them delivered to one of our homebound members or friends.

Custodian Needed!

We at First Presbyterian are actively seeking a permanent part-time custodian. The candidate should have a good background in building maintenance. The job is 18-20 hours per week. The pay for the position is $20 per hour. Please refer any candidates to Bob Van Hamme.

Join us for Coffee and Treats after In-Person Worship

We’d love to have you join us for Hospitality Time in Knox Hall after our worship service! Stick around for a few minutes and chat.

If you can’t join us in person, watch our livestream:

Directory Updates

Please contact the church office if you have a change to your contact information, including address, phones, and email.

If you haven’t yet added the church pictorial directory app from Universal Church Directory to your smart phone, you’re missing a great resource. Contact Tom Neal to receive your family’s unique identifier and simple installation instructions for convenient access to up-to-date names, photos, addresses, emails, and phone numbers of your church family.

News from the Church Office

Office and Church Donations
Please note, regarding dropping off items and or donations to the church office, prior approval is requested for ANY donations. If you leave something on the desk of Pastor Bruce and/or Liz’s desk, kindly leave a message of what the item is, what needs to be done with it, who is leaving the item and whom to contact.

Current Office Hours and Special Closings
The office is open Mondays through Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and is closed on Fridays. The office will be closed on Wednesday, January 1^st in observance of New Year’s Day and Monday, January 20^th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Contacting Pastor Bruce
If you’d like to connect with Pastor Bruce, please use this email: [email protected]. His information is also on the UCD app.

Church Security
Please be sure to take just a few extra seconds and make certain that all doors are locked if when leaving the church during off-hours. That includes removing any doorstops, returning toggle switches to “lock mode” and giving each door a tug to ensure they’re locked. Thanks for keeping the building and our church staff safe.

Need to request a bulletin announcement?

All announcements for the worship bulletin must be turned in the week prior by no later than Tuesday at 12 noon or they will not go in the bulletin until the following week. The announcement request must include the dates on which it should be placed and the date I should be removed from the bulletin. Font Size: Arial Narrow, Size 14. It is best if the announcements are included in a Word document attached to an email.

Additionally, as a reminder, you will need prior approval for inclusion of an activity on the church calendar. Contact the church office at [email protected] with any questions and/or submissions.

QR Code for Donations!
If you ever forget to go to the ATM, or simply don’t carry cash on you, we’ve decided to include the church QR code for a more streamlined donation process. To donate, just scan the QR code and follow the prompts!

We Keep In Our Prayers

We pray for members and friends who are sick, homebound, in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, those who are grieving or heavy at heart, and those serving in the military or as first responders.

To protect individuals’ privacy, we do not list them on the online version of our newsletter.

Regularly Scheduled Committees & Activities 

2025 Church Holiday Schedule for First Presbyterian Church Farmington

The church office will be closed on these dates in observance of the designated holidays. Session Approved December 13, 2023

Winter Calendar

You can view our monthly calendar at https://farmington-pres.org/events/.

     Newsletter Editors                                    Colleen Tavor & Karen Spica