February 2025 News and Information

  What's New

What’s New?

The Annual Congregational Meeting of the First Presbyterian Church of Farmington (FPCF), Sunday, February 2, 2025, 11:1

Annual Congregational Meeting Sunday, February 2 at 11:15 a.m.5 a.m. after Worship in person and via Zoom. The purpose of this meeting is to review the 2024 annual reports of the boards, ministries, committees and staff of the church, review the 2024 financial reports and the 2025 budget and elect the Pastor Nominating Committee Members.

There is a small supply of printed copies of the 2024 Annual Report available in the narthex or is available by contacting the church office.

Lenten Study: “Lord, teach us to pray” (February 17 – April 7)

Join us for an 8-week journey through The Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) that will deepen your prayer life during this Lenten season. The prayer course will be held every Monday morning, 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. in the Garden Room /Parlor, from February 17- April 7. The course consists of a video, discussion questions, and practical prayer activities. Registration is required to plan room size.

Please register at:  Sign-up for the 2025 Lenten Study  or contact Sharon Cressman or Colleen Tavor.

“Be cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times, pray all the harder.”
(Romans 12:12, The Message Bible)

FYI Deadline: Friday, February 21

 Upcoming Events and Mission Opportunities

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:
Socks               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).

“Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” (Matthew 25:44,45 NIV)

Spring Craft Fair!!!

We are very excited to have our 8th annual craft show April 26 – 27th. We are looking for crafters of all types. We have been asked by previous crafters to extend the hours so we will need more volunteers and BAKERS. If you have questions please ask Deborah Draper, Leslie Moyna or Sue Cooper.

Souper Bowl Potluck – Sunday, February 9

Need a break from the cold? How about some hot soup? Nurture invites anyone to bring your favorite soup on Sunday, February 9, and we’ll all be in for a warm treat! We’ll also have a free will offering that will be given to Neighborhood House. Neighborhood House is a Farmington Area non-profit agency providing support to help residents in need. A great opportunity to warm not only our hearts but those in need as well.

Cookie Decorating for Valentine’s Day – Sunday, February 16

For kids, grandkids, and “the kid” in all of us!

Bring your kids and grandkids to a fun time decorating cookies!

It’s fun for adults too so bring your creativity and Nurture will bring the cookies and decorations!

“This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!” (Psalm 118:24 RSV)

Calling All FPCF Women

(Sorry, guys. You can plan your own event.)

Let’s get together for a fun afternoon of playing cards with “no pressure” euchre (No pressure means we will not be playing cut-throat.) Always wanted to learn? No problem. We will teach you. Not a euchre player? There also may be interest in playing Bunco. (Needed: somebody with a Bunco game and knowledge of how to play.)

We are considering Thursday, February 20 or Friday, February 21 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Please sign up on the Kiosk in the foyer with your date preference and whether you wish to play Euchre or Bunco. We will publish the date, and the room location will be determined depending on how many are interested. You may bring a friend.

Join the Future Church Prayer Group (we have a new meeting time)

One of the main sails of a Sailboat Church is prayer. The Future Church Prayer Group has been praying weekly for over a year and continues holding the future of our church up to God in prayer as we move forward with our Pastor Nominating Committee and search for a permanent pastor.

We meet every Wednesday, at 2:00 p.m. (instead of at noon) in the Garden/Parlor Room. Please contact Sharon Cressman or Colleen Tavor if you would like to be added to the email list to be notified of any changes in day or time. Although praying individually is wonderful as well, there is special power in gathering in one accord to pray specifically for the future of our church.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Philippians 4:6, NIV)

Do You Have A “God Moment” You Would Like to Share?

If you’ve missed the “God Moments” section of the FYI, please write a couple paragraphs about a time (big or small) that you knew God was with you and email it to Colleen Tavor. Share your blessings with all of us!</span

Recycle Your Old Toothbrushes, and More!

Did you ever squeeze the last toothpaste out of the tube and think “if only we could recycle this,” as you threw it into the trash? Now, thanks to Sharon Cressman, we can add some tooth hygiene products to that list! Colgate has started a program to recycle these oral hygiene hard-to-recycle items. Please start saving your old toothbrushes (NOT the ones with batteries), empty toothpaste tubes and caps, toothbrush outer packaging, and empty floss containers, any brand. Place them in the marked bin in the foyer. Let’s keep these items out of our landfills! Thanks for your care for planet Earth.
Questions? See Sharon Cressman.

Congregational News

Christmas Bags for Second Mile Center

Presbyterian Women again sponsored a Christmas outreach project for the children of Second Mile Center in Detroit. The response from our congregation was excellent. Sue Carlson delivered 17 large gift bags to Ruth Azar, the Director of SMC. Each bag included an outfit, socks and underwear, a hat and gloves, a book, and a toy or gift from the child’s wish list. In addition, several hundred dollars in cash and gift cards were donated to supplement the items in the gift bags.

Mission Ministry Delivers Christmas Bags to Farmington Public Schools

Do you remember way back in November picking a “bulb” or two off the small Christmas tree in the narthex? Each bulb identified a specific teen with their request for specific gifts. The response of the congregation was, as always, immediate and loving. In early December, Karen Linnell and Colleen Tavor delivered Christmas bags to Farmington Public Schools with gifts for seven needy teens. Unfortunately, we don’t have a photo, so you’ll just need to believe us! Thank you for making someone’s Christmas brighter!

Hospitality Training Held by Pastor Bruce – “Welcoming All”

Pastor Bruce held Hospitality Training for 15 attendees after coffee hour on January 19 and 26. He referenced Genesis 18:1-10, Exodus 23:9, Matthew 25:34-40, and Romans 12:13 in our discussion of who are today’s strangers, what does hospitality involve, and why is it important?
Part of our new vision statement says, “Welcoming All,” which challenges us to think about what that means in today’s world and ask ourselves, are we truly welcoming in our words, our actions, and our demeanor to all?

If you are interested in joining a Hospitality Team, please contact Tom Neal or Colleen Tavor. We are already building quite a dynamic team! Come be part of the action in serving God’s Kingdom!

Game Night was a BLAST!

Congregational Concerns

FPCF Session Meeting Highlights – January 15, 2025

• The 2024 financial year ended with a positive balance of more than $52,000. This was great news and is a result of the congregation working together to meet the financial goals, volunteering time, making donations or cutting back where possible.
• The February 2, 2025, Congregational Meeting is being planned. The purpose of the meeting is to review the 2024 annual reports of the ministries, committees, boards and staff of the church, review the 2025 budget and elect the Pastor Nominating Committee Members. 
• There was only one motion made where Session approved holding the Ash Wednesday Service on March 5, 2025, at 7:00 p.m., and the Maundy Thursday Service on April 17, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.
• The Mission Study was approved by the Presbytery Commission on Ministry and FPCF has the go-ahead to continue with the next steps, which starts with electing a Pastor Nominating Committee.
• There are many activities that are being planned in our congregational life. Watch the weekly bulletins, monthly FYI, Narthex video screen and social media for more info.
• The Nominating Committee will start looking for nominations for Elders and Deacons to replace those leaving in 2025. Anyone interested should contact Martha Countegan for more info.

The next Session meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19, 2025, at 6:30 p.m.

Dorothy Tait, Clerk of Session

Pastor Nominating Committee

If you are interested in being considered for a member of the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC), please contact Martha Countegan.
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. The PNC members will be elected at the Annual Congregational Meeting to be held on Sunday, February 2 after the service.

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.

Please pay your 2025 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 2024, the Per Capita amount is $37.00. We ask that you contribute $37 for each member of your household confirmation age and above to help offset this amount. Checks may be made payable to the First Presbyterian Church of Farmington; please note “Per Capita” on the memo line.

2025 offering envelopes and electronic debit

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 this 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.

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.

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.

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, 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.

Thank You

From FPCF
A big thank-you to Nancy Prieskorn and Lois Caito for their hard work organizing the Geiger Library! It was not an easy task but they worked diligently on planning, sorting, organizing, reviewing – all to make it easier for us to access the wonderful materials in our library. Your dedication is much appreciated by all.

Lighthouse
“Thank you for your generous donation! Your gift of $1,500 will provide help and hope to local families who turn to Lighthouse for support. Times are hard for the families we are serving and we are seeing the need in our community continue to grow. During these difficult times, when so many are struggling, your generosity is allowing us to do a world of good. Your donation will help us provide food, emergency shelter, housing assistance, and so much more to our neighbors in need. With your help, we are becoming a beacon of hope for more families in our community. On behalf of Lighthouse and all those we serve, thank you for your generous support. We could not do this important work without you.” Ryan B Hertz, President & CEO, Lighthouse

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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 
The office is open Mondays through Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and is closed on Fridays.

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 with your phone’s camera and follow the prompts!

Regularly Scheduled Committees & Activities 

2025 Church Holiday Schedule for
First Presbyterian Church Farmington

Winter Calendar

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