Headlines
Christmas Gathering is Monday, December 5
After two years without a Christmas play due to COVID, Presbyterian Players are back! Hear what the barnyard animals have to say about what’s going on in the stable.
“I Carry the King,” a drama by Karen Jones, will be performed in the sanctuary on Monday, December 5. Starting at 7:00 pm, we’ll have holiday refreshments in fellowship hall. Around 7:30, we’ll move into the sanctuary for music and the play. All are welcome. Tickets are $5.00. They’ll be on sale at the welcome center table in the narthex before and after worship on Dec 4.
Tickets are also available through Eventbrite via this link: < https://i-carry-the-king.eventbrite.com
Note: If you can’t make it for the Gathering, there will be an encore presentation of the play on Sunday, December 11 during worship.
Transitional Pastor Committee Established
As you know, Session oversees the pastor transition process and is continuing to move forward. Session appointed MJ Floreno to work with pastor supply to provide pastors for each Sunday until a Transitional Pastor is found.
At the November Session Meeting, a Transitional Pastor Committee was established and has already begun meeting, made up of: MJ Floreno, Sally Kirsten, Dorothy Tait, Colleen Tavor, and assisted by MIchelle James, COM Liaison. Colleen will act as Chair and MJ will be Secretary to provide updates to Session.
Following the CAT survey results earlier in 2022, Elders, Deacons, and other church leaders are looking forward to participating in a 3-part leadership training series with Susan Szolgosz of Holy Cow Consulting. The three training dates are scheduled for December 3, January 7, and February 4.
Christmas Services
Christmas Eve we will have a 7:30 pm candlelight service with Lessons and Carols
On Christmas Day we will worship at 10 am with Lessons and Carols
January 2023 FYI Deadline: Friday, December 23
November 2022 Session Meeting Highlights
The Pastoral Transition Process is continuing with MJ Floreno, Sally Kirsten and Colleen Tavor agreeing to serve on the pastoral transition search committee and Dorothy Tait to provide any administrative or financial information as requested. Session members continued working on the 2023 budget. Each ministry area was requested to perform a last review with the goal to finalize the budget in the December meeting.
The following Action Items were approved by the session:
- All church fundraising requests must be approved by Session.
- The 2019/2020 FPCF Financial Review was approved, keeping the church in compliance with the Presbytery.
- The Stewardship Committee reported that (74) 2023 Operating Pledges have been received so far. The total amount of the 2023 Pledges is 90% of the 2022 Pledged amount.
Presbyterian Men’s Gathering Sat., Dec 10 at 7:30 am
Kirk in the Hills, 1340 W. Long Lake Road, Bloomfield Township, 48302
- 7:30 am Welcome
- 8:00 am Communion Celebration
- 8:30 am Breakfast and Fellowship
- 9:30 am Presentation of the George Erwin Service Award
Keynote Speaker: Rev. Kevin R. Johnson
Keynote Speaker is Rev. Kevin R. Johnson, who was born and raised in Washington D.C., and has been running with Jesus all his life. He is a graduate of Colorado State University (Ft. Collins, CO) and the Iliff School of Theology (Denver, CO). He was ordained by the National Baptist Convention (USA) and has been under the care of the Presbytery of Detroit since 1993. He currently serves as a Spiritual Care Provider at PACE SEMI; pastoral consultant to the Knox Presbyterian Church (Baltimore, MD); Volunteer Responder at Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PCUSA); and a Member of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board (PCUSA). For 24 years, he served as Pastor at the Calvary Presbyterian Church (Detroit, MI). He has been married to Jacqueline for 33 wonderful years, and they reside in Detroit.
Registration and admission is $20 per person. Registration and payment due date: December 3.
You can register and pay via Presbytery PayPal account using this link: paypal.me/detroitpby
or use the QR code on the left. Please input your name and “Presbyterian Men.”
No paper tickets required. If you need assistance, please call Chuck Sadler at (586) 303-0024.
A New Church Partnership!
First Presbyterian Church of Farmington will soon be the new home of Detroit Chin Baptist Church. The congregation of roughly 100 members has decided to enter into a long-term rental agreement with FPCF and will be using the Sanctuary, Fellowship Hall, and various classrooms during the couple of evenings each week.
Detroit Chin was founded in January 2021 by several refugees from Myanmar and was previously using rented space at another Farmington-area church before deciding on FPCF. There will likely be minimal overlap between FPCF and Detroit Chin activities. You can learn more about Detroit Chin on its Facebook page. Please welcome our new guests and partners to the Church of the Open Hands!
Presbyterian Women 2022 Award Winner
Every year we award a Lifetime Membership in Presbyterian Women to a member who generously gives of herself in faithful service to our church. The 2022 recipient, Ardis Scott, received her pin and certificate in a presentation during worship on Nov. 13. Congratulations, Ardis!
Upcoming Events and Service Opportunities
Lighthouse “Returns”
Traditionally, January has been the month that First Presbyterian of Farmington has hosted Lighthouse — a Pontiac-based social services organization that provided emergency shelter, meals and related assistance on a rotational basis across a number of Oakland County places of worship. We squeezed in hosting in January 2020, just before the COVID pandemic forced Lighthouse directors to end the rotational model. Lighthouse has still not returned to that setup, but the FPCF Mission Ministry Team knows how important Lighthouse is to many of our members.
To that end, for the third year in a row, since we can no longer volunteer for Lighthouse as we once did, if you’d like to make a financial contribution to Lighthouse, please send your payments to the church by Jan. 29. (Make checks payable to First Presbyterian Church of Farmington and include a memo indicating it’s for Lighthouse.) Thank you for your support of this incredible community outreach opportunity.
PW Collecting for Hat and Mitten Tree
Cold weather is here, and the forecast says it will be an “arctic winter.” Hats and mittens are going to be a must for school children. Therefore, it is time for Presbyterian Women’s annual Hat and Mitten Tree collection!
Through Monday, December 12, we will be collecting hats, mittens, underwear, and socks (no scarves, please) for needy children right here in our own community. (These items are distributed through Neighborhood House and the GoodFellows).
We will also collect these same items for adults: hats, mittens or gloves, underwear, socks. (And the adults can use scarves). There is an ever-present need for all three items during the cold, winter months. Adult items will be shared with Calvin East Presbyterian Church, Neighborhood House, and GoodFellows.
Your new items should be placed on or below the dowel tree in the Narthex. Please leave the price tags on the items. Thank you in advance for your generosity. If you have questions, feel free to contact Dale Hawkins, PW Vice Moderator for Justice and Peace, at 248-478-6283.
PWPD Christmas Gathering is December 7
PWPD (Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Detroit) is an organization of women from many different churches in our area. Activities were on hold during the pandemic, but now there’s a wonderful program planned for Wednesday, December 7, from 10:30am – 1:00 pm at First Presbyterian Church of Dearborn at 600 Brady Street.
The gathering includes lunch and a Christmas concert by Dearborn First’s choir. Tickets are $10, and reservations can be made calling Jane Mykytenko at 313-657-2776. If you have any questions about PWPD, contact Sue Carlson.
Congregational News
New Member Reception – Sunday, December 18
We’ve had several New Member Orientations this year and some of you may have missed the New Member Reception that we usually hold soon thereafter during Sunday worship. It’s special time when both you and the congregation can officially express our support of each other in our walk with Christ. We’ll have some good food as well.
If you plan to attend, please let us know by contacting the office ([email protected] or 248-474-6170). We’ll also need a short bio from you to place in the bulletin that Sunday.
We look forward to officially welcoming you to our congregation!
2022 Christmas Poinsettias
Don’t miss the order form at the bottom of this newsletter. < Deadline for ordering is Tuesday, December 13
Church Garden – We Have the Grand Total!!!!
The grand total of the produce from the church garden in 2022 that we shared with area food pantries is 232 pounds!! Thank you, Garden Team!!!! It was truly a team effort across several ministries in the church. We couldn’t have done it without each and every one of you.
Calling All Ringers and Singers:
Have you had a burning desire to ring a handbell or sing somewhere other than just in the shower? Well, we have a place for you, and no experience is necessary! Beginning September 1 on Thursday evenings the Handbell choir and Chancel choir will begin their weekly Thursday rehearsals. For our first year, the handbell choir did an outstanding job of ringing for the church (and we had a lot of fun doing it). They will meet at 6:00-7:00 p.m. And the anchor of the church, our Chancel choir, meets from 7:30-9:00 p.m. Hope to see you there!
Our Church Directory is on the Universal Church Directory App
Annual Meeting scheduled; annual reports due soon
The Annual Congregational Meeting will be held on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Knox Hall or via Zoom following worship at approximately 11:15 a.m. Reports to be included in the 2022 Annual Report should be emailed to the church office by no later than Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2022.
The 2022 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 2022 Annual Report will be available at the welcome center on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2022. Or contact the church office to arrange for one to be provided to you.
Important year-end information regarding contributions
Please be aware that the last bank deposit for contributions for the tax year 2022 will be made on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. This means contributions must be received in the church office before Monday, Dec. 26, 2022. 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 2023 contributions. Please note these dates so that you will know in advance how to plan your year-end giving.
2023 offering envelopes
Those who have used numbered envelopes in 2022 will automatically receive envelopes for 2023, 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 mailed to you. If you have any questions, please call the church office at (248) 474-6170.
COVID 19 or Flu Symptoms
Please be extra mindful of any symptoms that may be associated with sickness. Fever, sore throat, cough, shortness of breath, congestion, and fatigue are some of the early symptoms associated with many viruses spread in the community. Please be extra cautious and stay home if you are feeling under the weather or feeling any of the symptoms mentioned above. Thank you.
2023 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 $24.50 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 sign up on the flower calendar 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.
The Wired Word – Applying the Bible to the Headlines – Join us!
Consider joining our Adult Discussion Class as we apply the Bible to stories in the headlines. It makes for some lively, interesting, and insightful discussions among friends. The class is led by Tom Neal and Rev. Craig Aue.
We meet on Sunday mornings from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. You can attend in person in Room 208/210 or by Zoom. Contact Tom Neal for more details and the Zoom link. Many of us join early just to chat and catch up. Please join us! All are welcome!
Congregational Concerns
We keep in our prayers
Please check your email for details of our prayer requests. For privacy reasons they are withheld from the web-version of this newsletter.
Thank you!
Thank you to everyone for all your prayers, well wishes, cards, and gifts. Our twins were born very early via emergency C-section at 32+5 weeks on November 2, 2022. Amanda delivered with an extremely bad case of COVID, with baby B in distress. We are happy to share that both babies and Mom are home after only a two-week NICU stay and doing great! God sure worked miracles for our little family and we are so grateful. We are so blessed!
Love, Amanda and family
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
2022 Christmas Poinsettias
Deadline for ordering is Tuesday, December 13
Please complete and return this form to the church office along with your payment. The cost for a red or white eight-inch double Poinsettia plant with gold foil cover is $16 each. Poinsettias are available for you to take home after the 7:30 p.m. Christmas Eve service or the 10:00 a.m. Christmas Day service. Contact Eddie Matteson or the church office to arrange to pick up your poinsettia at another time, have it delivered to your home or to donate it to one of our homebound members.
Please make checks payable to First Presbyterian Church and mark it for poinsettias or Christmas flowers. For last-minute orders, please contact the office at 248 474-6170 and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
Please PRINT the following information so that it will be published accurately.
NAME: _________________________ PHONE No:(______)_____________
Number of red poinsettias: ______ Number of white poinsettias: ______
Amount due to First Presbyterian Church: $ _____
Payment Enclosed: Yes ____ No ____
From: __________________________________________________________
In honor of: _____________________________________________________
In memory of: ___________________________________________________
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The First Presbyterian Church of Farmington
wishes you a safe and blessed Christmas!
Want to get this newsletter in your email inbox?
