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FIRST NOTICE OF A CALLED CONGREGATION MEETING SUNDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2022
A Congregation Meeting is being called for the First Presbyterian Church of Farmington to be held on Sunday, October 16, 2022, following the Worship Service at approximately 11:15 a.m. The purpose of this meeting is for the congregation to review and vote on the Dissolution Agreement to dissolve the pastoral relationship that exists between Pastor Eddie Jusino and the First Presbyterian Church of Farmington. The Dissolution Agreement Document will be available prior to the meeting once it has the approval of the presbytery’s Committee on Ministry. Information for joining the meeting via Zoom will also be forthcoming.
Pastoral Transition Update #2 – 9/21/22
Last day in the Pulpit & Congregational Meeting
Hello church family, this is Pastor Eddie,
At the last Session meeting, Wednesday, September 21st and after much prayerful discussion, it was best determined that Pastor’s last day in the pulpit will be Sunday, October 16, NOT November 20.
Also, the Congregational Meeting to formally dissolve the pastoral relationship is scheduled for Sunday, October 16 immediately following worship followed by a farewell celebration in Knox Fellowship Hall.
The reason for moving the dates early had to do with the up-and-coming 2023 Stewardship Campaign. Understanding that I will not be involved in the 2023 Stewardship Campaign, it was determined to move the date earlier. Please save the date and attend the Congregational Meeting to listen and vote on the Terms of Dissolution. The Terms of Dissolution will be distributed via electronic mail and hard copy a week in advance of the Congregational Meeting scheduled on Sunday, October 16.
I believe this can and should be a very exciting time for the church family. God is obviously doing something unexpected, but new. The church family has a great opportunity to make this transition well, in a way that honors Christ, and be stronger for it in the end. But if that is to happen, it is important that everyone guards themselves against the devil’s tactics of fear, suspicion, doubt, and division. As the church family stands in faith as one, the LORD will be faithful to reveal God-sized plans for this circumstance.
Pam and I look forward to worshipping with you and celebrating six years of laboring alongside in preparing FPCF into its next expression, becoming The Church of the Open Hands. We look forward to hope filled conversations on Sunday, October 16 to where God is calling to go and serve.
Thanks for your understanding and prayers.
Pastor Eddie Jusino
*** November 2022 FYI Deadline: Friday, October 21***
September 2022 Session Meeting Highlights
The First Presbyterian Church of Farmington (FPCF) Session met on 9/21/22. Guest Rev. Michelle James gave an update from the Presbytery Committee on Ministry (COM) on the status of the pastoral transition process. Pastoral Transition Communication #2 was sent out to the congregation with the updates including a call for a Congregational Meeting on 10/16/22 after the Worship Service.
Key Action Items approved by Session:
- Stewardship Committee’s request for a review of the COVID-19 Guidelines. The item “Kitchen open to make coffee only (sanitation protocols apply)” will be discontinued, allowing for the full use of the kitchen following sanitation protocols. A copy of the updated “COVID-19 Guidelines – Effective 9/21/22” will be communicated to the congregation.
- Stewardship Committee’s request that the 2022 Stewardship Kick-off Letter come from Session this year. The letter will be sent out to the congregation in October.
Pastor Transition: Elder MJ Floreno gave an update on the pulpit supply schedule through the end of the year.
Stewardship 2023 – God’s Garden
“The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.” (Isaiah 58:11)
Nothing teaches us God’s life lessons quite like a garden.
Walk into a home improvement store, and there it is — a big shelf of seed packets promising SPECTACULAR BLOOMS! and AMAZING COLOR! The illustration on the packet conjures up images of magazine-caliber landscaping. You find the seeds best suited for your own garden and add them to your shopping cart. A botanical bonanza is just a heartbeat away! Well…not quite.
First step — you’ve got to clear out the intended flower bed of the deadfall, stones weeds and trash tatters that have collected in that spot over time. Who knew the weed roots went so deep? And how did the wind manage to collect every brown, soggy leaf into that exact spot, anyway? It’s a fight — lots of delicate pruning as well as pure grunt force. The scorching sun traces a path across the sky as you transform this little patch of Planet Earth.
Eventually, you’ve got a picture-perfect strip of soil as dark as charcoal and ready for the seeds … which turn out to be various slivers and specks that closely resemble the contents of a dustpan.
You read the directions — plant seeds one-half inch deep in soil…cover and dampen…seeds will germinate in 21 days…water regularly thereafter…
Now you have to wait three weeks before ANYTHING happens? You look back at the illustration on the packet. Gorgeous red blooms and verdant green foliage spills off the picture but just not yet. You drop the tiny speck into the tiny trench you dug with your finger and repeat the process three dozen more times and water everything.
Three days later, you inspect the spot. No change …10 days….18 days and NO change!
And then, just as you were ready to surrender to the notion that your crimson-and-emerald vision would never be anything but a vision, you see it: a tiny green bud, poking through the surface, smiling at you with its cotyledon — those first two miniature leaves, announcing the arrival of new life — new life you were promised and new life you’ve now seen.
Finally, that great and glorious day arrives when the brilliant red blossom shines onto the scene like a fiery paint droplet on a canvas of clover.
I just needed faith. I just needed to believe. I just needed to hang in there.
We could write pages about the lessons we can learn from this garden story. As COVID limitations have lifted and we’ve slowly returned to church and fellowship with each other, it reminds us of the diligence and patience needed as we work and wait for more “blooms” to appear in our garden – our church, our fellowship – but even more importantly – God’s Garden.
The theme for Stewardship 2023 is God’s Garden – planting, tending, growing, weeding, believing, supporting, sharing – working together in patience, kindness, and love to embrace each other, those in our community and around the world. Will we open our hearts to those around us by giving of our time, treasure, and talents?
Four lay speakers are scheduled to speak on the two Sundays October 23 and 30, leading up to Consecration Sunday on November 5. Karen Spica and Jerrold Lee will speak on October 23; Karl Cressman and Colleen Tavor will speak on October 30.
Karen Spica is a former Elder, former chair of the Worship Ministry Team and recently named Co-Chair of the Worship Ministry Team with Jim Tubbs. She is a child of the church (the Stewart family started attending First Pres in 1965) who returned her via a letter of transfer from Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church in downtown Detroit. She was two months from completing her second three-year term as an elder when she resigned to take on the position of Office/Communications Manager for the church, a post she held for five years before retiring last April. She is deeply devoted to her church and faith, and looks forward to remaining active here as she transitions into retirement with husband Paul and her families locally, in Baltimore and Los Angeles.
Jerrold Lee is a soloist and section leader at First Pres. With his beautiful baritone voice and collaborative spirit, he’s a great asset to our choral program and enhances members’ worship experience. He is a Detroit native whose journey into Classical music began at the age of 12. He majored in Vocal Music at Cass Technical High School, and after graduating, Jerrold went to Wayne State University where he studied voice. His musical experiences span from being a chorister in Michigan Opera Theater to winning 2nd place gold in the World Choir Games (Cincinnati). Jerrold has been a long-time member of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), and the Tuesday Musicale of Detroit.
Karl Cressman is an Elder and Chair of the Nurture Ministry Team. Karl has been a member of First Pres Farmington since his family arrived in the area in 2002. Sharon and his two adult sons, Daniel and Mitchell, spent their formative years in Sunday School, Logos and the Scouting programs. Karl was raised in the Mennonite Church before finding common ground in the Presbyterian tradition with his wife Sharon. We have thrived in FPCF since 2002 and seen many changes and found new opportunities to serve our neighbors in the Detroit area. I’m active in the JOY study, choir, Session (of course) and working on a new education idea called “Life Hacks” aimed at younger people. My sense of stewardship is driven by stepping up to acknowledge that all that we have is really from God. Our gifts and our talents that God has given to us are also opportunities for God to stretch us into a better imitation of Jesus. Working together as a congregation, we can experience God’s work in the world around us and within us – you really can’t buy that any other way.
Colleen Tavor is an Elder, Chair of the Mission Ministry Team, a member of the Stewardship Committee and a member of Presbyterian Woman. She been an elder for three years and has signed on for three more. Colleen began attending FPCF in 2016 and “started out” helping bake the communion bread to meet others and get involved. Today she also helps Karen Spica with the monthly FYI and attends the Phoenix Circle. She believes she’s right where God wants her to be and that it doesn’t get better than that.
Getting to Know You
Elder Lisa Hayes
I grew up at Pebble Hill Presbyterian Church in DeWitt NY, a suburban church very similar to First Presbyterian. The music, order of worship and traditions are deeply comforting to me. In High School, I served as a youth Deacon (and made some truly awful coffee).
My early career took me to southern California where I met my husband, Kurt Schmidt. After a decade spent out west, we moved with my eldest son, John to Michigan. My sister had attended U of M, and was living near Monroe, and this area was a good place for an automotive engineer to be. We’ve lived in Farmington Hills since 1998, and both of my younger children were born here.
My children have all been scouts, both Kurt and I have supported both the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts. I am a Committee Member with Troop 179 and attend meetings once a month or so.
At church I’ve been involved in the Nursery School, Logos and Handbells, among other activities, and I’ve encouraged my children to share their musical talents with the church as well. Throughout the years I’ve spent many hours supporting school music, theater, and other community activities. Now that I’m an ‘empty nester’, I’ve adopted two cats, Terror and Shredder (they’re not as bad as it sounds), and often fill the role of Pet Sitter/Pet Grandma for my kids’ fur babies. (No human babies yet.)
About a decade ago, I served as an Elder at First Presbyterian, and I am very happy to do so again. Pastor Faile used to remind us that ‘change is inevitable, progress is not’. So, in the midst of uncertainty, I am reminded of the comforts of traditions, the inescapability of change, and the persistent call from God to trust Him, and grow.
PW In Gathering – Online Giving Again in 2022
Due to COVID concerns, we’ll be doing the same thing as we did the past two years – donating online. If you have already collected items for this year or have been knitting or sewing, please contact Colleen Tavor, Vice Moderator of Missions, who will make sure that items get delivered to a needy agency. Colleen sent out the list of agencies to the PW Circle Leaders to distribute to their members. If you need a list of agencies mailed to you, please contact Colleen at 248-302-9396.
SAVE THE DATE! Nativity Play is Monday, December 5
I Carry the King
After two years without a Christmas play due to COVID, the Presbyterian Players are back! Hear what the barnyard animals have to say about what’s going on in the stable!
I Carry the King will be performed in the Sanctuary on Monday, Dec. 5.
Tickets will be $5.00, and all are welcome. Feel free to invite guests. Holiday refreshments will be provided.
FELLOWSHIP, FRIENDSHIP and FUN on Sunday, October 23 3:00-5:00 P.M., Knox Hall
Come out for an afternoon of games! We will start with a few rounds of BINGO and then move on to other types of games.
There is a supply of board games at church, or you may bring your favorite. All ages are encouraged to participate. Bring a friend if you wish.
If you don’t feel like playing games, feel free to come just to “hang out” and visit with others. Mixing and mingling makes magic!
Water, lemonade, and light snacks will be provided, or you may bring your own. Contact Dorothy Tait or Nancy Prieskorn for additional details.
Universal Church Directory – Everyone’s Updated Info Just a Click Away!
If you have a smartphone, you can download the Universal Church Directory App that will show you a photo, address, phone, and email of everyone in our church!
If you want to call them or text them, just select the appropriate logo in their profile. Click on their email address to send an email.
If you select their address, a map directly to their home will appear on your phone and direct your way.
There’s even a Bible link with easy access to read the Bible in virtually any version!
If you missed out on the workshop offered by Tom Neal and Karen Spica on September 18, don’t worry. You can still get it on your phone. To get started, call the office to get a unique identifier and a handout with directions.
If you want to change your listing (address, phone #, etc.), email the office at [email protected].
If you want to change your photo, email a new digital photo to the office.
Deceased member listings are being updated to show “deceased” in place of the address section.
If you need assistance, ask Tom Neal, Karen Spica, or Colleen Tavor. We’ll be glad to help!
Almost 50 Pounds of Produce Delivered in September!
Summer may be over, but our garden warriors delivered another 48.3 pounds of produce to the Pontiac Food Pantry in September! It’s been a real team effort this summer from preparation to planting to faithful watering to harvesting to delivering to Pontiac. Thank you to all who participated! Vegetable delivery day (every Wednesday) was much appreciated by the pantry clients!
Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities
JOY Study returns on Tuesdays evenings
In his letters, John expresses delight at believers who are “walking in the truth”: behaving with that integrity which reflects the gospel.
In this book by N. T. (Tom) Wright,), “Christians who are just learning about their faith will experience new discoveries and fresh views on life, and seasoned Bible readers will find themselves challenged to reconsider old perspectives.” Scot McKnight, author of The King Jesus Gospel. Join in this Zoom study on Tuesday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m. by contacting Sharon Cressman.
Social Justice Book Club – our 3rd Year, 5th Book
The Social Justice Book Club is starting up again after our summer break. We meet by Zoom on the last Monday of each month, 7:00 – 8:30 pm. We have about 17 regular attendees, most from First Presbyterian Church Farmington, but from other parts of the country as well–even India!
Our next book is White Fragility by Dr. Robin DiAngelo, The New York Times best-selling book explores the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality. Please join us! Contact Deb Hemmye or Colleen Tavor for details.
Resume Writing & Interviewing Workshop
The Mission Ministry Team partnered a second time with Danika Community Development, Inc (DCDI) to put on a Resume Writing & Interviewing Workshop held on 4 consecutive Saturdays, September 17 – October 8. This time we had 2 enthusiastic participants who were amazed at how they were able to effectively update their resumes so they could apply for positions related to their area of study but in which they had little experience. Two participants in the spring workshop were able to move to positions more in line with their education and better pay! Their enthusiasm is so rewarding!“When we engage mission with a desire of partnership, rather than a giver-receiver mentality, we allow God to be vast.” (Presbyterian Outlook, January 31, 2022, pg. 34).
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 am. 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!
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! On Thursday evenings the Handbell choir and Chancel choir meet for their weekly rehearsals for Sunday Worship services. 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!
Caregiving Clusters
You may know that the Deacons oversee a group of Cluster Leaders, each of whom touches base with a small group of members, usually about six or seven. They may call, send a card, note, or email occasionally to make sure everyone knows they are thought about and valued. Now that we have some wonderful new members, we find we are in need of a couple more Cluster Leaders. If this is something you think you could do from the comfort of your home, please let us know this week. Contact Mary Carson, Sue Andrews, or Sue Carlson to volunteer for this important ministry.
