Thank you, again, for your continuing faithfulness to “Journey with God” and each other.

All Saints’ Day is Sunday, Nov. 7

On Sunday, November 7, we will observe All Saints Day during worship. All Saints’ Day is a universal festival of the church. This festival day directs our attention to the richness of Christian history and the varied experiences of the grace of God by lifting up the lives of the saints. All Saints Day celebrates all the people of God, living and who have moved to “More Life,” who together form the mystical body of Christ. We will honor the members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Farmington who have been baptized, confirmed or have “Moved from this Life to More Life” during the past 12 months.

Called Congregational Meeting Highlights — October 17, 2021

A Called Congregational Meeting of FPCF was held on Sunday, 10/17/21, in person and via Zoom technology. The meeting was recorded via Zoom and will be available for viewing. There were 50 participants in attendance (40 in person, 10 virtually), representing a quorum (> 10%) of the church membership. The purpose of the meeting was to share the year-to-date financial status of the church and the following presentations were given:

2021 Accomplishments and Hopes & Dreams –

Sally Kirsten, Chair of Operations – Accomplishments in 2021

• Successfully moved to Live-Streaming Worship Services
• Paid off the old mortgage and secured a new loan at a lower interest
• Mission Outreach is on track to spend almost $36,000, keeping its goal of 12% of pledges
• Excellent promotion of upcoming events of the new digital sign
• Sustaining staff by securing PPP funds and expanding Shari Fiore’s role as Minister of Music

Capital Campaign success (2020-2023) – Significant improvements made to building and grounds

• Converted parking lot lighting to LED
• New roof & gutters on the Sanctuary and Preschool
• New furnaces for second floor classrooms
• New kitchen exhaust fan
• Converted the rest of the Sanctuary lighting to LED
• 61% of the pledges have been received; 42% into the campaign
• As of September 30, 2021, we are “on budget”

Hopes and Dreams

• Return to full in-person Worship Services soon
• Future Growth and Development
• Continue the Family Ministry
• Eliminate deficit spending
• Continue Mission Outreach at current or greater level

Wisdom in the Sandpile – From the 1980’s book All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum

• Share everything
• Play fair
• Don’t hit people
• Put everything back where you found it
• Clean up your own mess
• Don’t take things that aren’t yours
• Say you are sorry when you hurt someone
• Wash your hands before you eat
• Warm cookies & milk are good for you
• When you go out into the world: Watch for traffic, Hold hands, Stick together.

Financial Outlook – Rick Fuller, Treasurer
How 2021 Might Look Overall

• Need $50K in 4Q Pledges plus Loose ID to make 2021 Budget
• May make $336K versus $372K Receipts Budget
• Interest was down – may only make 35% of Interest Budget
• Should almost make Building Use budget
• Expenses under budget
• Bare bones expenses
• PPP of $34.7K helped keep expenses down
• $29K Deficit budget has not been used yet, it will depend on total receipts.

How 2022 Might Look

• Small increase in Receipts Budget with continued deficit budgeted
• Pledging will determine deficit (Possibly $29K)
• Continue bare bones expenses
• PPP funds not expected in 2022
• Use of some Restricted Funds could help
• Merit increases are still a consideration
• Small room for Family Ministry position
• Declining Membership requires attention.

Future Church Growth 2022 and Beyond – Pastor Eddie Jusino

• Hybrid church Worship
• Community Connections (15-mile radius)

• Focus Core Mission
• Stewardship Development
• Endowment Development
• Staff Mix
• Entrepreneurial Spirit/Agility
• Pastoral Care
• Develop and Foster a Spirit of Collaboration, Cooperation & Communication

Time for Q&A was also held. Here is a link to view the video recording of the Zoom version of the meeting.  Please fast forward to 0:16.30 to reach the start of the meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/qpLdpL2uI8T_M7BhIKNeJHnqRsaVPFysQ-A8YNn61nnieY_G48SELFR12RyrGdhb.D2mp4EnUzixuqOzu

Session Meeting Highlights

The FPCF Session Meeting was held on October 21, 2021. The operating budget is positive as of the end of September with an outstanding loan balance of $121,162.24. Here are the updates from the different ministries:

Mission Ministry: Two suggestions were made and will be tested by Elder Colleen Tavor: 1) Request committee leads to send out meeting minutes directly to other leads to distribute information earlier; and 2) Create a list of who to go to (i.e., website changes). The Detroit Presbytery reported that there are various grants available which may be of interest to the church. For more information, contact Colleen Tavor.

Nurture Ministry: Elders Karl Cressman and Colleen Tavor and Clerk Dorothy Tait met on October 18 to brainstorm ideas for new membership orientation/class(es).

Operations Ministry: A discussion was held on the preparation of the 2022 Budget. The goal is to complete the 2022 Budget by the end of the year. The revenue portion of the budget is dependent upon the results of the Stewardship Campaign.

Clerk of Session: There were 54 people in attendance at the September 9 Communion Worship Service and 52 people at the October 3 World Communion Worship Service. The number of virtual attenders is not available.

Clerk Dorothy Tait met with the Covenant Presbyterian Church for the first step of the annual reading of the Session minutes, as required by the Detroit Presbytery. The next step will be a review of the results with the Presbytery on October 30. The last reading of the minutes was held virtually on November 7, 2020 with zero exceptions reported for the FPCF Session minutes of 2019.

The next Session Meeting will be Wednesday, November 7, 2021 at 7 p.m.

Mission and Nurture Committees: We Need You!

The Mission and Nurture Committees are seeking new members to join us as we assess and plan to meet the needs of the communities around us and worldwide, as well as our own congregation. The two committees are active throughout the year on a variety of projects big and small. Join others who are fired up to serve others and be the hands and feet of our Lord! Some projects under consideration: a temporary clothes closet providing free clothing to those in need, a resume writing and interview workshop (in cooperation with Danika Community Development Inc.), creating a life skills curriculum for the community, plus more.

If you are looking for a rewarding and meaningful way to spend some time, even a couple hours, we invite you to join one of these committees. For more information, contact Colleen Tavor (Mission) and Karl Cressman (Nurture).

Mission Co-op Selects Next Project

The Mission Co-op is a joint venture of FPCF, Crossroads, Northville, Faith Community and South Lyon Presbyterian churches. We met on Tuesday, October 26, in Northville and decided on our next joint project. We’ll be assisting with the Crossroads Soup Kitchen Lunch that FPC Northville signed up for on Jan.16, Martin Luther King, Jr weekend.

Our next meeting will be on January 9 at First Presbyterian Church Farmington to plan our joint participation. Stay tuned for more news on how you can help!

Crossroads of Michigan seeks new volunteer counselors. Help be part of Crossroads’ mission to connect those in need with the resources that empower them and give them a hand up and a gift of hope.

New Volunteer Counselor Training
Thursday, November 11, 9:00 – 4:00 pm
Crossroads Main Office, 2424 W. Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI 48208

No experience necessary! Contact their volunteer coordinator:
Lucy Avery-Walk, [email protected], 313-831-2787

For the health and safety of all, visitors to Crossroads are asked to wear a face covering over the nose and mouth. Visitors’ temperatures will be taken upon arrival.

JOY Study invite you to join them as they start a new book

Social Justice Book Study

It’s not too late to join in the Social Justice Book Study group for our third book – How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith, “a beautifully written, evocative, and timely meditation on the way slavery is commemorated in the United States.” Some have called it “a work of moral force and humility … engaging and wise.” On Monday, November 29 from 7:00-8:30 p.m., the group will discuss the final two chapters (New York City and Goree Island) plus the Epilogue and About this Project. Please join our friendly group of church friends!

Advent Study – Advent in Plain Sight: A Devotion Through Ten Objects

Advent is, above all else, a season of hope – a virtue that is all too rare in our world.

Oh, to hell with it.” That’s an interesting phrase. We use it when we feel like quitting – like giving up. We use it when we don’t feel like it’s worth giving an honest effort at a particular task and of course, we know hell as that “place” where there is no hope. Life in general, let alone during this pandemic lifestyle, is full of challenges and obstacles that can often lead us to despair – to an “Oh, to hell with it” attitude. Advent is the antidote to this sentiment. Because of Emmanuel – God with us – we are compelled to never give up and to always have hope because we are not alone.

At Christmas God came into our ordinary world in the form of a child, and still today, God is at work through the ordinary stuff of life. Through ordinary objects like gates, trees, cloth, light, and water, participants will discover new meaning in the biblical story of Jesus’ coming. By connecting everyday objects with biblical text, Advent in Plain Sight by Jill. L. Duffield will prompt you to see the near kingdom of heaven on earth and ponder what that divine proximity enables and asks you to do and be. Each daily devotional features a Scripture reading, prayer, and reflection, reminding us Christians and curious minds that God still dwells among us, even in the most ordinary places.

Instead of speed dialing into the Christmas rush, slow down and join, in-person, Pastor Eddie every Tuesday morning for four weeks (November 30 and December 7, 14, and 21), in the warmth of Room 208-210 (upper level), from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.

Advent in Plain Sight: A Devotion Through Ten Objects, is a prayerful attempt to invite us to pay attention to a particular object – see, hear, feel – and allow that tangible item to point to the sometimes-ineffable work of God in our ordinary lives and world. Save the dates: Tuesday mornings from 10:00 – 11:00 a.m., November 30 and December 7, 14 and 21. Copies of the book are available in the Church Office at $10.00 each.

May this Advent season be one where your anticipation of Jesus’ birth and your expectation of Christ’s return allow you to always see God in all things and, as we continue to navigate this pandemic lifestyle.
 

America is a vast land of many cultures dating back to the original inhabitants of the land. November is Native American Heritage Month and we are encouraged to celebrate the vibrant cultures, traditions, and heritages and to recognize the many contributions Native Americans have made. Some Native American inventions commonly used today include: corn, rubber, kayaks, snow goggles, cable suspension bridges, raised-bed agriculture, baby bottles, anesthetics & topical pain killers, syringes, hammocks, oral contraceptives (stoneseed), and mouthwash
(https://www.history.com/news/native-american-inventions).

Have you ever wondered who previously lived on the land where FPCF is located?  Or where you live or grew up? You can find out by going to https://native-land.ca/ and typing in either a zip code or town/city (American or Canadian). For example, the Farmington/Farmington Hills area, including our church location, was once home to the Mississauga, Potawatomi, Anishinabewaki, and Peoria peoples. It’s a moving and sobering experience to do this for yourself, to see the map of all the tribes that once inhabited the land before us and left unwillingly. The interactive map pulls up the area’s indigenous history, original language, and tribal ties. Perhaps a sobering look at this land through the indigenous perspective is a fitting way to commemorate Native American Heritage month and something to keep in mind as we expand the meaning of Thanksgiving this year. Rev Irv Porter of PC(USA) stated that “we are encouraged to be mindful of healing past harms while moving forward with awareness and respect, celebrating and embracing the contributions of the original inhabitants of this country.”                 Presbyterian Outlook, 09/23/2021

Presbyterian Women – Join Us on Sunday, November 21

Each year Presbyterian Women has conferred an Honorary Life Membership in Presbyterian Women, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) upon an outstanding individual in recognition of faithful service in one or more areas of the church’s work. Each life member receives a pin and certificate and recognition during the worship service. A reception is held after church to meet and greet the honoree.
                    
On Sunday, Nov. 21st we will again bestow this award. This recipient was selected in 2020, but church services and all other activities were shut down due to the pandemic. Therefore, this is a much overdue award presentation.

Presbyterian Women hope that you can be present in-person or will watch the live-stream and offer your congratulations to this outstanding and worthy individual.

Thank you, and please join us.

PW Hat and Mitten Tree

The Presbyterian Women’s Hat and Mitten Tree goes up in the Narthex in mid-November. And this year our church is a Matthew 25 church. Outreach is the heart and soul of being a Matthew 25 church. We, at First Pres, want to continue helping those less fortunate than ourselves in Farmington/Farmington Hills.

Even in this time of masks, social distancing and virtual school, the need is there in our community for donated goods to distribute during the cold winter months. Again this year, PW will help out by collecting hats, mittens, underwear and socks for children, teens and adults — handmade and new items are welcome.

Since with quarantining, we know some of you may not wish to come by the church to drop off donations. So, we are ready with new ways to continue PW outreach:
Items can be brought into the church building and placed on the dowel tree near the Information Table in the Narthex during normal business hours.
We will place a covered plastic bin (clearly marked) outside the main church entrance where you can place items without entering the building. Or we can come to your home to pick up your donations.

Please leave price tags on items. Handmade items are also welcome. This year the collection time will be from November 12 through December 6. Donations will be distributed though Neighborhood House, Goodfellows, and Second Mile Center.Please call Dale Hawkins or Sally Kirsten for more information and to arrange contactless pick-up.

Join us for Coffee and Treats after In-Person Worship

The Wired Word – Applying the Bible to the Headlines

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 or by Zoom. Contact Tom Neal for more details and the Zoom link. Many of us join early just to chat and catch up. Join us! All are welcome!

2021 and 2022 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 videotaped 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 the Sunday worship bulletin. Please 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.

Congregational Concerns

We keep in our prayers

Prayers for the grieving:
To the family of Marvalee McEachin, a longtime member who moved out of state but will be interred in Cope Garden at a yet-to-be determine date. She passed from life to More Life on October 10.

To the family of William Stewart who passed from life to More Life on October14 at age 50. A memorial service and Cope Garden interment is planned for Saturday, November 13 with Pastor Eddie Jusino presiding. Bill was the grandson of Bill and Joanne Zimmerman and the son of Sharon and Albert Stewart III.

We hold in our prayers: Lynette Breslin, Dave Carlson, Jan Kneisel, Nancy Thurston. Gwen Tomkow, Michael Tomkow and Leslie Van Hamme.

We also remember members who are homebound, in nursing homes, and assisted living: Lincoln Avery, Louise Bumb, Mimi Cramer, Charlotte Fallis,  Bill Ford, Marge Gordon, Mary Kinney, Shirley Kinsey, Mary Larson, Barb Madany, Yuvonne Stevens, Neva Sutton and Betty Tell.

And those serving in the military or as first responders: Police Officer Chris Clew, City of Lansing, MI; Army National Guard Pvt. Hunter Patterson, Fort Jackson, SC; and Pvt. Tim Rogers, Fort Benning, GA.

News on and from Members and Friends

Milestone Birthdays: Congratulations to Charlotte Fallis who celebrates her 90^th birthday on November 28.

November birthdays: Congratulations to Martha Attah, Prill Brouillette, Martha Countegan, Chris Davis, Ellen Ely, Charlotte Fallis, Emma Forbes, Jo-an Hatch, Dale Hawkins, Kim Kucharski, Steve Kucharski, Lori Beth McDaniel, Dan McKinnon, Tyler Mitchell, Sean Moyna, Siobhan Moyna, Don Prieskorn, Brenda Rogerson, Emily Schwartz, Yuvonne Stevens, Asa Turkmani and Bud Williams.

2021 Directory

The new little directory arrived last week. They are available for pick up in the narthex. If you are unable to stop by the church, please call the church office so we can arrange to get a copy to you.

Directory updates: Please correct the apartment number for Louise Bumb at Waldenwood Twelve Oaks in Novi; it should read Apt. 338.

Barbara Madany recently moved to Apt. 316 at Pomeroy Living Northville.

Karen Linnell is settled in at Fox Run and has a new landline: 248 956-7166; her cell phone is unchanged.

Thank you notes

Thank you, thank you, thank you to my church family. For your prayers, your get well cards & words of encouragement, your yummy food and messages of caring. After what some days seems like forever, my “bionic” knee is finally feeling more like a part of me and allowing me to get closer to “normal” activity. We are so grateful to have found First Presbyterian Church of Farmington and its caring, loving congregation. Jan Kneisel