This in the online edition of the November 2023 News and Information (aka FYI*) newsletter distributed to friends and members of First Presbyterian Church of Farmington.
Headlines |
Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday, Nov. 5
The first Sunday in November is when Daylight Saving Time ends, so we’ll “fall back” one hour and return to Standard Time on Sunday, November 5, 2023, at 2:00 a.m.
Remember to set your clocks BACK one hour before you go to bed on Saturday, Nov. 4, or you’ll be an hour early for church on Sunday, Nov. 5!
Consecration Sunday Luncheon – Nov 5, Join us!
If you haven’t sent in an RSVP to attend the Consecration Day luncheon, please call the church office! If you haven’t mailed it in, bring your pledge form with you on Consecration Sunday and place it in the basket to be blessed that God may use our time, talents, and treasure for his work. After the service, please join us for a lovely luncheon with your church family. This is a very special time of year as we dedicate ourselves once again to serving God as the body of Christ.
RSVP for Consecration Luncheon on Sunday, November 5, due Sunday, October 29.
If you haven’t mailed the RSVP card yet, please call the church office: 248-474-6170
Or you can fill out the card at church on Sunday, October 29, and drop it in the collection basket.
All Saints’ Day Celebrated Sunday, November 5
On Sunday, Nov. 5, 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. Below are the names of 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. At this service we will remember them in our prayers, and we give thanks for their lives.
Baptized (Future Generation):
Lukah David Piontek
Moved from this Life to More Life (Past Generation)
Lincoln Avery III
David L. Carlson
Chuck Cozier
Millicent “Mimi” Cramer
William D. Draper
Shirley Kinsey
June Lymperis
Marvellee McEachin
Rosalie Perry
Ardis Scott
Marvin Tisdale, Sr.
Leslie R. Van Hamme
December 2023 FYI Deadline:
Friday, November 17
Upcoming Events and Mission Opportunities |
Fall Clean-up Day on Saturday, November 4
On Saturday, November 4, at 8:30 am, we will have our annual fall clean-up day. The focus will be trimming the trees and shrubs around our property. Please bring saws and pruning tools that day. Cider and donuts will be provided. Any questions: contact Ron Prieskorn.
Christmas Gathering is Wed., Dec. 6 (Daytime!)
“It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” is the theme of the 2023 Christmas Gathering. While sponsored by our PW and by PWPD, this festive daytime event is open to all men and women, including guests. Some women from other churches in our Presbytery will be here too.
The time is 10:00 a.m. Wed. Dec. 6 for coffee and treats in the narthex and foyer; 10:30 for the program in the sanctuary; and about noon for lunch in Knox Hall.
The program will feature an original play by Anne Sebesta presented by Presbyterian Players and the singing of Christmas music, with piano accompaniment by Shari Fiore-Bloom. PWPD will cater the hot lunch.
Tickets, which should be purchased in advance, are $10 (cash, or check made out to PW). They will be on sale at the welcome table the last two Sundays in November and December 3.
Contact Sue Carlson with any questions or to purchase tickets by mail.
Second Mile Center Outreach Opportunity
For the last decade, First Pres benefactors (along with donors from other churches) have provided Christmas gift bags for individual children at the Second Mile Center of Detroit. Last year, our members provided 16 of these large, wonderful bags to kids in need. The bags include a shirt and pants, underwear, socks, a hat and gloves, a toy or two, and a book. The total cost is between $75- $100, so sometimes a bag is put together by more than one person working together. We will receive the wish lists from Ruth Azar from Second Mile Center in mid to late November, and the bags are due December 8. If you would like to sign up to provide a bag to support a child in need, or if instead you would like to donate cash or a gift card to support this effort, contact Sue Carlson.
PW Circles Meet in November
Presbyterian Women invites all women to visit one of our Circles for a November meeting. Our three Circles, ACTS, Deborah/Lydia, and Phoenix, are small groups which offer fellowship, friendship, support, and bible and book study. We would love to have you join us. No reservation or commitment required; just come when you can.
Deborah/Lydia meets second Thursday (Nov. 9) at 10:00 a.m. in room 207. Georgia Roed does an excellent job as study leader for this Circle.
ACTS meets second Tuesday (Nov. 14) in the parlor, with an optional lunch at Leo’s following.
Phoenix meets third Tuesday (Nov . 21) in the parlor and then goes to lunch at a casual restaurant TBD. For both ACTS and Phoenix, the study leaders take turns (but leading a study is not required).
Contact Deborah Draper, Anne Sebesta, Sue Carlson or any PW leader, or just come. There is more info on the PW bulletin board in Knox Hall.
Mission Opportunity – Crossroads of Michigan
The final date in 2023 to help serve lunch at Crossroads of Michigan is Sunday, November 5. You can help with 1 or 2 shifts in the morning, depending on whether you are an early bird or not. The link for the Sign-Up Genius for the Crossroads Meal on November 5 is:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090A4EAAAF23A2FB6-44490287-crossroads#/
Sunday doesn’t work for you? On Friday morning, November 3, we need to bake 1000 cookies (using premade cookie dough). We can even use extra help after 10:00 am to bag up the cooled cookies. Do you prefer a sit-down job? We need onion slicers too on Friday. Crossroads serves 45—500 people every Sunday. Here is your chance to be a part of it!
Adopt-A-Teen for Christmas
The Mission Ministry is once again hosting an Adopt-A-Teen gift buy for Christmas for 7 teens from families in Farmington Public Schools. On November 26 and December 3, we’ll have a small “tree” set up in the narthex with suggested gifts written on “bulbs” that are on the tree for you to select what you will buy for a teen. You can select as many “bulbs” as you wish, from a variety of price points. All the gifts must be delivered to the church by Sunday, December 10, to be delivered to the families in time. It was so rewarding last year to be a part of this Christmas giving. We hope you’ll join us once again.
CARES November “Suggested” Donation
Holiday time means family time. Baking something for or with your family members can make cherished memories. The November “suggested” donation for CARES is: “all about baking”. Consider donating a bag of flour or sugar, a brownie, muffin or cake mix, nuts, dates, or a can of pumpkin. Perhaps a spice, baking powder or a package of yeast is something that interests you. Our neighbors will enjoy baking up some warm holiday memories this year. Thank you for your generous response to our October CARES collection of soup, crackers and more. Mmm, Mmm, Goodness!
Troop 179 Wreath Sale – November 19
S
couts BSA Troop 179 are selling wreaths for the holidays. They will be for sale Sunday, November 19, before and after Church.
The small wreath is $27, the medium wreath is $37, 25 feet of roping is $30, and stands are $6 each.
If you would like one, but cannot be at church on that Sunday, please contact Katie Malisow at [email protected] or by cell at 248-202-3411. We will happily deliver! We take checks, cash, Venmo or Cash App.
Here is the link to the flyer: Wreath sale flyer
“Salad Sunday” on November 19
Your Nurture Team works more diligently for you than many may know. We are always trying to come up with new ideas to foster our fellowship time.
On November 19 we will be having what we are calling Salad Sunday. I admit the idea was born from MJ saying that she had a craving for Spaghetti Salad, but it makes such a large portion it would just go to waste at my house. Light bulb goes on… So we are going to ask anyone, who would like to bring a salad of your choosing, to share with all. More importantly, let’s talk and share, not just with the usual folks, but with some new faces… We all have a story.
Looking Ahead to Advent and Christmas – Worship Ministry
Avent begins this year on Sunday, December 3, and we will gather on Saturday, December 2 to decorate our worship and fellowship spaces for the Advent/Christmas season. Please plan to join the Worship Ministry for decorating!
4th Annual JH Burns Beloved Community Conference, November 3-5
Join the Beloved Community Initiative for the 4th Annual JH Burns Beloved Community Conference, where we’ll gather in person at Nardin Park United Methodist Church, 29987 W. 11 Mile Rd, Farmington Hills or Zoom and/or Facebook Live. “The Respect You Give”!
Friday, November 3: 5:30 – 8:00 pm, Dr. Joy DeGruy + small table discussions
Saturday, November 4: 10:00 am – 1:30 pm, panel, luncheon, small table discussions
Sunday, November 5: 4:00 pm, Respect from a Faith Perspective, Pastor Carter Grimmett, Sr Pastor, Nardin Park. Register via Evenbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/4th-annual-jhburns-beloved-community-conference-tickets-732906562257
Future Church Planning Taskforce Meeting Plan
Please save the dates for these sessions. We will hold them in 208/210 and use the Owl for online participants.
Helping Our Church: Rethink Its Mission and Practice
[Please purchase the book: Sailboat Church by Joan S. Gray. This will be the reference material for this meeting plan.]
First Meeting, Sunday, November 12, 2:00pm
· Read Introduction plus the first 3 chapters
· Discussion: Difference between a Rowboat and Sailboat church; Sailing with The Wind
Second Meeting, Sunday, November 19, 2:00pm
· Read chapters 4 & 5
· Discussion: Our boat the church; The church’s mission
Third Meeting, Wednesday, November 29, 6:30pm
· Read chapters 6, 7, & 8
· Discussion: Willing sailors raising sails; moving with the wind
Fourth Meeting, Wednesday, December 6, 6:30pm
· Read chapters 9 & 10
· Discussion: Preparing for conflict & problems; charting course by discernment
Congregational Concerns |
Session Highlights
October 2023The October Session Meeting was held on 10/18/23. The meeting began with excellent news with the Treasurer reporting that the year-to-date revenue versus expenses continues to remain positive. The 2024 budget planning process has begun, so all ministries and committees should be working on that.Session approved the following
Action Items:
1) A request for Christmas Eve Service to begin at 4:00 p.m., with no fellowship time after the service. This will allow time for the Detroit Chin Baptist Church to set-up for their service, and
2) A request from the Worship Ministry to have a “Chili, Christmas Crafts and Hot Chocolate” fellowship time following the Worship Service on 12/10/23.The following individuals will fill the Corporate Officer position:
- President-Sally Kirsten
- Vice President-Anne Fuller
- Treasurer-Susan Cooper (transitioning from Rick Fuller)
- Financial Secretary-Jerry Scheel
- Secretary & Clerk of Session-Dorothy Tait
Session events include: 10/21-Leadership Meeting with Elders and Deacons, 10/22-Town Hall, 10/25-Healthy Clergy Transitions Webinar, December TBD-Full Congregational Workshop on Communication.
There are many activities being planned right now and the church calendar is filling up. This is a reminder for Ministry Chairs and others to work with other ministries and the Church Office to make sure there are no overlaps.
he next Session Meeting is on Wednesday, 11/15/23.
Transitional Pastor Search Committee Update
The committee continues to meet and work, but the list of referrals is quite small. Please continue praying for God to lead us to the right candidate. Rev. Michelle met with the Committee on Ministry (COM) to ask if there are any alternatives for us since we have been without a pastor for a year. They provided Michelle with a list of about 8 names that we can approach to see if they would be interested in perhaps “bridging” the time until we get a transitional pastor. This would provide us with some continuity of leadership and preaching until we find a TP. We will be contacting the people on this list and see what develops. Please keep this in your prayers
All-Congregation Communication Workshops
Two All-Congregation Communication Workshops, led by our consultants Beth Buelow and Dorsey Sherman, are scheduled in early December.
Zoom meeting: Sunday, December 3, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
In Person Meeting: Saturday, December 9, 12:00 – 2:00 pm in Knox Hall.
You may attend either session or both. These are the final meetings of this engagement. The results will then be compiled and presented to FPCF and the next steps will be determined based on the results. We thank those who have participated in this so far and hope to have a full house at these upcoming workshops.
Third Quarter Financial Update for FY 2023
With three quarters of the year under our belts, Operations can report that we continue to operate “in the black.” This means our revenue continues to exceed our expenses at the end of September. Church revenue is running ahead of what would be expected with 75% of the year over. Committees continue to be judicious with expenses; therefore, expenses are running at less than 75% of the budget currently.Our investments with Merrill/Lynch and Vanguard (Endowment) have seen rises and falls each month. August saw growth, but September saw substantial drops in both places. (That may be no different than you see with your personal investments month to month.) Both accounts are still above where they were at the beginning of the year.
All in all, this is a positive picture as we have entered October. Again, we appreciate everyone’s efforts to keep pledges coming into the church in a timely fashion. Our rentals of space have proven to be a real boon to the budget. Your Operations Team
Pray-A-Thon: A Special Experience
The Pray-A-Thon for a Transitional Pastor was held in the sanctuary on Tuesday, September 26, 8:00 am – 6:00 pm or participants could choose to pray at home or wherever they were. The sanctuary was dimly lit with soft music, making the atmosphere conducive to contemplative prayer. We heard many heart-warming comments from the participants.
Here are a few:
“Praying for our beautiful church made me feel closer to the entire spiritual journey we all experience through the power of grace.” ~Vicki Najjar
“Thank you for organizing this pray-a-thon for an interim pastor. It was so nicely organized, the ambience was perfect – very conducive to prayer, and I was greeted with such warmth and friendliness it made me glad I took time out of my morning routine to come. The time went so fast, I could have stayed another half hour. A great way to start my day.” ~Deb Hemmye
“Praying in the quiet church, was very soothing. I hope that we get good results from this special time.” ~Shirley Morse
“It did take me a few moments to quiet the distracting thoughts I had, but the atmosphere with candles and lighting soon gave me the peaceful feeling I needed. When the ending chime sounded, I was surprised and not really ready to leave! I had a doctor appointment immediately afterwards, and the nurse remarked how low my blood pressure was- meditating has many benefits!” ~Mary Carson
We’ll, for sure, plan additional Pray-A-Thons in the future!Candles
Along the Way – Sharing Our God Moments
by Vicki Najjar
I wish to share with you one of my moments of communion with the Holy Spirit. It was a life-giving moment which I cherish.
As many of you may know, I married at the age of 19 when my husband was in college. We worked together to create a life and were blessed with two beautiful children. The years passed by. I was active in our church and attending night school to fulfill my dream of becoming an English teacher. I persevered for eleven years and was able to achieve my goal; however, teachers with 14-15 years experience were being laid off in droves. There was no work.
The marriage wasn’t working, and we divorced. I needed work and, thankfully, I had retained my shorthand and typing skills. I was hired to work for the prosecutor in Oakland County. It was the only employer at that time which would offer medical coverage for my children.
I learned a great deal about the law and worked with wonderful people but the aching in my heart continued. One day, I remember I had a document to deliver and, shunning the elevator, I opted for the stairs. Alone, feeling sad, I hesitated on the landing to compose myself. I said to myself, “You’re never going to be able to help children. All those years preparing to be a teacher and you’re right back where you started, doing secretarial work.” I was in tears. I was alone. Not for long.
The immensity of the moment was amplified by an overwhelming sense of an aura which is indescribable. It held me motionless, comforting me. The message: YES, you will.
I knew then, right at that moment, I was not alone, and I would have a future teaching as I had dreamed I would. Six years later, I achieved my goal and became an English teacher, a career I enjoyed immensely. What a gift.
I haven’t shared this private story with all that many people but I’m sharing it with you.
The Sailboat Church
The Stewardship Committee had fun planning out 3 short skits (Oct 15, 22, and 29) about the Rowboat Church and the Sailboat Church that were superbly played by our local talent! If you missed any of the skits, be sure to watch them online. They are fun to watch and spiritually uplifting as we approach Consecration Sunday, November 5.
Prieskorns Win PW Award
The Prieskorns with their daughter Katelyn Prieskorn and niece Jennifer Harbaugh
Congratulations to Ron and Nancy Prieskorn, the 2023 recipients of the award bestowing Lifetime Membership in Presbyterian Women. Ron and Nancy were selected based on their dedicated and faithful service to the work of our church. After PW Moderator Deborah Draper read their biographies separately, the couple received pins and certificates.
Many worshippers, including 23 previous recipients of this award, celebrated with Ron and Nancy at a reception.
Some previous recipients of the PW Lifetime Membership Award
Fall Office Hours
New fall office hours are in effect. The church office is open Monday through Thursday. The hours are as follows: Monday, Tuesday & Thursday 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Wednesday: 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. As a reminder, please contact the church office via telephone at (248) 474-6170 or email at [email protected]. It will be a very good idea to call ahead if you need to come into the building.
The Wired Word – An Adult Curriculum
All are welcome to join our Bible study Sundays at 9:00 a.m. The class meets in the library and ends in time to join in Worship at 10:00 a.m. Every week there is a new topic selected by The Wired Word staff based on current events and ideas. An advance copy of the weekly lesson is sent via email to each of the class members and friends requesting a copy. These meaningful discussions are a great way to share and get to know church members. Sign up by contacting Tom Neal.
Join us for Coffee and Treats after In-Person Worship
We’d love to have you join us for Hospitality Time after our worship service in Knox Hall! Stick around for a few minutes and chat.
If you can’t join us in person, watch our livestream
1. Go to our Worship Services page at: https://Farmington-Pres.org/worship/sermons.
2. Click on the image that looks like this:
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.
Thank You Notes 
From Ron and Nancy Prieskorn
Thank you, Presbyterian Women, for presenting us with the Honorary Lifetime Membership award. When we read through the list of previous honorees, we recognize what an esteemed and inspiring group of people have been honored in past years. It is awesome to be included in such a group!”
With much appreciation, Ron and Nancy Prieskorn
From Marcia and Bob Van Hamme
We want to thank our church family for all the love and support you showed us after the death of our sweet daughter, Leslie. We truly appreciated the many cards and notes that fed our wounded souls and broken hearts and the food that sustained our bodies. Thank you so much.” Marcia and Bob Van Hamme
Sneaker Collection
The Mission Ministry sends a big “thank you” to the congregation for your generosity to the Sneaker Collection for the Farmington Public Schools. The congregation donated $660, and the Mission Ministry matched that donation with another $660 for a total of $1,320!!!
From Neighborhood House
On behalf of Farmington/Farmington Hills Neighborhood House, we would like to thank you for your generous donation. In order to achieve our mission of providing year-round aide for F/FH residents in need, we depend upon the kind support of others. We are very grateful for your ongoing generosity that slows us to continue to provide to so many others in our community.”
Newsletter Editors: Colleen Tavor and Karen (Stewart) Spica
