Upload
farmington-pres
View
223
Download
2
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Church sermon series, the Vermonster, initiative, and a look at the part-time threes day school class. Also, our newsletter is now ad free and downloadable!
Citation preview
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Deepening our Discipleship 1
Germantown Festival ........... 2
Youth ..................................... 3
Elementary ........................... 4
Day School News .................. 7
Yucatan Mission Trip ........... 8
Presbyterians in the News ... 9
Presbytery Events ................ 10
Upcoming Events. ................. 11
Acolyte Schedule .................. 11
Birthdays ............................... 12
Committee Meetings ............ 12
September 2015
Rev. Rebecca Luter
Deepening our Discipleship
T hroughout September we continue taking a closer look at
the symbols and architecture of our worship space and
their relationship to our beliefs. On Labor Day, we will
focus on the Cross. What does it mean to be saved by grace
through faith rather than works? How does predestination aid us
in understanding that our salvation is not a result of our works?
The following week, we will turn our attention to the Hymnal.
What is the role of music in worship, and what about people who
really can’t sing? On the 20th of September, we will explore the
symbolism and grace of God in the Sacrament of Baptism. Finally,
on September 27th we will celebrate Children’s Sabbath. The
children’s choir will be singing and children and youth will be
leading worship.
September is one of my favorite months of the year because school
has begun and the routine is resumed, but we aren’t tired of it yet!
For those who may be beginning to tire by mid-week, those who
just don’t want to cook, and those who like to enjoy time with
friends, be sure to sign up to attend Wednesday Night Dinners!
Not only is the food delicious, the programs will feed your spirit as
well.
The Farmington youth gathered August 30th to devour a massive 20 scoop concoction at Ben and Jerry’s on Poplar.
Read about it on page 3.
Farmington Presbyterian will host 2 booths at the event. One serving nachos
and root beer floats to raise funds for youth summer trips. The other booth
will serve tacos and chocolate covered bacon to raise funds for FPC missions.
Mark your calendars for September 12-13.
O n August 30th, 5 youth, 4 adults, and
1 Nicholas Luter gathered at Ben and
Jerry’s on Poplar for a feast of epic
dairy consumption. The Vermonster is a
bucket filled with 20 scoops of ice cream
covered in brownies, cookies, bananas,
fudge, caramel, whipped cream, and 4
toppings (chocolate chips, Oreo cookies,
sprinkles and M&Ms). It weighed 8.13
pounds, half of which were the toppings! We
were warned to limit the number of ice
cream flavors we added because it does tend
to run together. This advise was wise and we
settled on mint chocolate chip, chocolate, and
vanilla. Towards the end of the battle the
Vermonster was divided into manageable
parts by the finishers of the feast. Michael
Wann took the last helping of Ice cream
while pitching the remaining bananas to
Cydnee Young. Finally Rebecca Luter
stepped in to drink the final “milkshake” left
in the bucket. The Vermonster Bucket now
sits in a place of honor in the Youth Room.
Come see the remains of a worthy and
delicious foe vanquished by the Farmington
youth group.
Youth Schedule
September 6 - No Youth group for Labor Day
weekend.
September 12 - 13 - Germantown Festival.
Join us at Germantown Civic Club
Complex. Sign up to work the Youth
Booth and raise money for our summer
retreats!
September 20 - Big Game Day - We will get
together for a night of BIG games. Big
battleship, Big foosball, Big board games,
and more. 4pm - 6pm.
September 27 - Big Story II - We continue
the story of Genesis with Rebellion. May
we find ourselves in this epic story.
Dinner Provided. 4pm -6pm.
Youth @ Farmington
Christian Education
Doug Barr, Sam Bryant, Rebecca Luter, Camille Young,
Michael Wann, Elizabeth Demaree, Bailey Oiler, Cydnee
Young, and Nicholas Luter.
When you walk into a room and you look around, do you notice what you need to notice? Have you ever wondered why there are some people who can see things that other people just don’t see? It seems like some people just have this knack for looking around a room and noticing things that others don’t. Maybe they notice that there are three crooked pictures on the wall or three people are wearing orange shirts. Sometimes they might even notice that there’s a job to be done—like cleaning up a spilled glass of soda or emptying an overflowing trashcan. Now, what if this ability to notice things has more to do with being trained to open your eyes instead of a simple natural ability? Because when it comes down to it, seeing what needs to be done is not just about training yourself to see what’s around you; rather, it should be more about doing something about what you’ve seen.
But let’s be honest for a second, sometimes what you end up seeing are jobs that are pretty dirty, huh? Not many people like taking out the trash, cleaning up the yard after the dog has been out there, or those bathrooms that just never seem to clean themselves. But somebody’s gotta do those jobs. If they don’t, life will get pretty messy, pretty fast.
But dirty jobs aren’t just about cleaning the house. Sometimes, we see a relationship that needs to get fixed or someone that needs some encouragement. Are we really aware of what’s happening around us to take notice and take action?
The same goes for our kids. Shouldn’t we train our children to open their eyes, to be aware of their surroundings and get involved? What would happen if we started teaching our kids how to really look at the world around them and actually do something about what they see? What would it be like if our children could begin to notice things that need to be done and do them without being asked? What could happen if they look at the people in their life that need help and take the initiative to help them?
Or what about when it comes to their own life? What if they saw things that needed to be changed and changed them? These don't have to be huge. It could be something simple like brushing their teeth or taking a bath or keeping their room clean. That’s why we’re taking this whole month to discover more about initiative.
Initiative is seeing what needs to be done and doing it. Initiative isn’t just some practical principle; it’s really a spiritual principle that starts with God. Initiative is part of God’s character.
Help your kids see life in a different way. Start asking the question, “What do you see?” When you walk into a room, when you walk by someone and when you’re trying to teach children to see themselves from a different perspective, train your kids to notice things they would not ordinarily notice and encourage them to do something about what they see..
Elementary
Want to keep the lesson going at home?
Cut the next page out of the newsletter and put it in a
frame at home. Work with your children to commit this
verse to memory! Have a preschooler? Use the back of the
page for their lessons for the month.
Gretchen Burch
Day School News
W hat a busy 3 weeks! We have started
back to school with a bang. With 292
kids registered, you know we have kept
busy. From 3 year old part time, to 3 and 4 year
old full time and our before and after care
program, we serve a wide range of ages and
students!
The preschool program has been learning about
the number 1, the color red and about circles.
Their unit is “All About Me”. Students have gotten
to make sponge painted apples with handprint
leaves, learned how to say hello and goodbye in
Spanish and heard how Jesus is their friend in
chapel. The kids are learning their new routines
and are having lots of fun going to art class,
Spanish class, music, science and chapel! They are
making new friends and giving the teachers many
reasons to smile each day.
Assistant Teacher - Karen Smaili
How long have you been
teaching? 17 years
What do you enjoy most about
teaching at FPDS? The feeling of
making a child feel loved and
secure in an environment that is conducive to
learning.
What motivates you to come to work each
day? The love of children and my coworkers.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Movies, being with family, and shopping
What is your favorite vacation spot? The
beach.
Lead Teacher - Karen Dickinson
How long have you been teaching? This
will be my fourth year.
What do you enjoy most about
teaching at FPDS? The Children! I love
their carefree attitude and innocence
What motivates you to come to work each
day? My incredible coworkers! I love being a
part of this teaching family.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Reading and spending time with my husband
and our two boys.
What is your favorite vacation spot? The
beach! Give me a good book, a beach chair and
umbrella by the shore and I am set.
Meet the teachers of our Part time
Threes!
Yucatan Mission Trip
Have you ever wondered what “that mission trip” is all about? Why are we making such a fuss and talking about going to Mexico? Are we ever going to do anything different? I have. I want to go on a mission trip but I am concerned about going to Mexico! As I spoke to Rev. Rebecca Luter, the glow in her eyes and the telling of her story answered it all.
As she put it the trip engenders "gratitude, humility, and love" and not necessarily in that order! When you land in Mexico, it feels like you’re going to Cancun--no big deal. Then you’re in the van driving to Xpujil--it takes a while. There are a few stops, yes, by Mexican police, but then you reach the village in the Yucatan. The Chol people were given this land, in a relocation much like the American Indians experienced. This land is rough. It does rain 6 months out of the year but it does not rain for the other 6 months of the year. When it's dry, and you haven't saved enough rainwater for 6 months, you have to walk miles to get dirty water, carry it home in buckets, and boil it—every day-- just to get a drink of water, shower or wash clothes. Most people run out of water quickly unless you have a cistern which collects rain water.
That's what we get to help build! “It's unbelievable,” Rev. Luter stated, “At first the villagers are shy-they are not sure what to think. Then we start to work on the cisterns for the families and everything changes! The shyness starts to disappear, families make food (sometimes you know they are giving you all the food they have to eat) but they are showing you how grateful they are--they have no one to help them. You feel guilty eating it but you don't want to hurt their feelings and it is definitely from their heart--you can see it in their eyes.”
As the week progresses language is no longer a barrier. This is the poorest of the poor and just to get free rainwater is a blessing. Now all you feel is love with laughter and hugs. As Rev. Luter spoke, it was by far the best vacation I have ever had. I hope that I soon get to go, but more importantly I am excited that I am already a part of this mission work. I hope all of our church members get to go. It will definitely change their lives; my life has been changed just knowing more about it.
Mary Shelley Ritchey
Upcoming Yucatan Mission Trip
Join the effort to build cisterns in
Xpujil Mexico.
January 12 - 19
For more information contact Steve
Demaree
August 11, 2015
MEMPHIS, Tenn. – When St. Therese of Lisieux – the “Saint of the Little Way” – said more than a century ago that people in distress could be saved by small acts of kindness, she may not have been thinking about food and shelter for women who are survivors of trauma and homelessness. But a Memphis non-profit has used the teachings of the Little Flower, as St. Therese is known, as an inspiration to build community with and for women who are looking to rebuild their lives after being on the streets.
And when the Memphis-based Community of St. Therese of Lisieux approached United Housing, Inc. (UHI) in need of space for three women in transition, the message resonated. Thanks to a partnership with the Lisieux Community, UHI, the Presbyterian Women (PCUSA) and Landmark Community Bank, those women now have a safe place to live as they work to get back on their feet. “We participated in the national Community Stabilization Trust program that resulted from the settlement with the major national banks affected by the financial crisis. The banks provided foreclosed properties to non-profits like UHI for use as affordable housing,” said Amy Schaftlein, director of development and communications for UHI, a non-profit affordable housing agency that serves families
in the city of Memphis, Shelby County and West Tennessee. “When organizations like St. Therese have a need, those properties could be fixed up and rented for a dollar a year for two years with an option to purchase, and meanwhile address a critical social challenge.” Lisieux Community President Sandra Ferrell says a grant from the Presbyterian Women (PCUSA) allowed her organization to take the next step, not only purchasing the house but also making needed renovations. Landmark Community Bank in Memphis provided the low-cost loan through a state-level community reinvestment program. “A foreclosed house had been sitting vacant for years, and now these three women have a home. It’s such a wonderful partnership of local and national organizations working together to make a difference on several levels,” Ferrell said. “Many times, people who find themselves on the street never learned to live as part of a family, and we help provide them with education, life skills, employment assistance and other programs. As St. Therese taught, we can do small things that add up to mean a lot to these women’s futures.” Now two of the participants are starting at Southwest Community College, and everyone involved has felt the impact. Landmark Community Bank Senior Vice President Bryan Jones says the bank selects opportunities to support local non-profits each year. “This initiative has such a direct impact on Memphians who desperately need the help and want to get back into society,” Jones said. “We’re blessed to have organizations like United Housing and the Lisieux Community in our midst, and Landmark Bank was honored to play a small role in connecting the dots and offering the financing that provided a stable home.” The home has a capacity for five women to participate in the two-year program. The Lisieux Community has made tremendous strides in helping women transition back into the workforce and community. For more information, visit www.lisieuxcommunity.org.
Landmark Community Bank Offers Low Interest Loan To Facilitate Purchase
Printed courtesy of www.memphischamber.com – Contact the Greater Memphis Chamber for more infor-mation. 22 North Front Street, Memphis, TN 381032100 – (901) 5433500 – [email protected]
UNITED HOUSING, ST. THERESE TEAM TO PROVIDE HOME FOR WOMEN
Presbyterians in the News
Presbytery Events
Presbytery Baseball trip
Wednesday, September 9
Game time in St. Louis – 12:45pm
Depart (place TBA) at 6am Return same night.
$61 per person covers game ticket, transportation, snacks en
route.
Meals on your own
14 tickets available
Contact Lucy Cummings [email protected] or 901.652.4055 OR
Ted Dennis [email protected] or 901.430.3411
Gathering begins at 8:45am
and light lunch will be served.
$25 per person
Register:
OR call (901)878-1247
Acolyte Schedule
Sept 6 Elizabeth Luter
Sept 13 Cole Ritchey
Sept 20 Mia Mittag
Sept 27 Nicholas Luter
Oct 4 Meredith Oest
No Potluck - There will not be a potluck
September 13. Everyone is encouraged to
attend the Germantown Festival and visit
Farmington’s Booths.
Fellowship Coffee - September 20
Eat at Moe’s - Sunday, September 27
Wednesday Night Dinners - will
resume on Wednesday night, September 9.
Enjoy a Mexican Dinner and test your skills in
end of summer trivia.
Upcoming Farmington Events
Men’s Film Study
FPC Men’s group will
continue a study of
redemption and
f o r g i v e n e s s
watching the film
"Unbroken.”
Join us Friday, September 11, at 6:30
am.
We meet at FPC in the youth room and enjoy
McDonald breakfast sandwiches, mixed fruit, and
Ray's coffee. We always enjoy a time of fellowship
and support. This month we will also share
stories from FPC’s Mission Trip to the Yucatan to
build cisterns for families in need of a clean water
source. Plan to come and invite a friend.
This month: Cereal, Oatmeal, and Grits
Each month we collect a different item to
donate to the Feeding Fayette Food Pantry.
September is all about Breakfast foods! Bring
your donation of Cereal, Oatmeal, or Grits and
add it to one of the donation bins in the halls of
the church.
Feeding Fayette Collection
First Annual Day School
Family Appreciation Supper! Thank you for being an incredible part
of the Farmington Church and Day
School Family. Mark your calendars;
we want to show our appreciation for
you by treating your family to a FREE
Spaghetti Supper! All families with
children in the Day School are invited.
September 24th
In the Fellowship Hall
Sunday School Classes
Each Sunday, classes begin at 9:30 am. The chil-
dren gather in the Sanctuary with music and then
proceed to their classroom (A6) for the lesson. The
youth gather in the youth room. Adults choose be-
tween Hosea in the Interpretation Bible Study in
the East Room and Mark in the For Everyone Bible
Study in the room closest to the West door.
Farmington Presbyterian Church and Day School 8245 Farmington Blvd. Germantown, TN 38139
www.Farmingtonpres.org
If you have content for the October edition of New Vision, please email Doug Barr no later than
September 23 at [email protected]
Session Members
Administration – Kirsten King
Christian Education – Laurinda Ingram
Clerk – Melanie Oest
Congregational Care – John Hazen
Fellowship – Mary Shelley Ritchey
Property and Grounds – Jerry Hosier
School Board – Charlie Smithers
Service – Bonnie Blair
Worship – Sandy Wann
Staff Extensions
Rev. Rebecca Luter, Pastor, Ext. 23
Doug Barr, Director of Christian Education, Ext. 29
Cyndi Bevington, Administrative Assistant, Ext. 21
Rhonda Pearsall, Bookkeeper, Ext. 22
Jenny Howell, Executive Director of Day School, Ext. 28
Linda Turner, Managing Director of Day School, Ext. 24
Gretchen Burch, Program Director of Day School, Ext. 32
Anthony Jones, Maintenance Technician
If your birthday is not listed, please contact
the church office to be added. We would
like to celebrate with you.
1 Keith Betsch
3 Paula Patterson
Elizabeth Nagel
5 Hadley Barr
6 Lauren Rushdi
7 Cydnee Young
8 Drew Howard
10 Melissa Still
11 Perry Main
16 Mary Hudson
18 Rev. Rebecca Luter
20 Grigg Schneider
21 Mary Elizabeth Ward
22 Laurinda Ingram
27 Blanche Hamilton
29 Brenda Widner
September Birthdays
Congregational Care
10:00 am Tuesday, Sept. 1
Christian Education
6:00 pm Tuesday, Sept. 8
School Board
5:30 pm Thursday, Sept. 10
Service
7:00 pm Monday, Sept. 14
Administration
6:30 pm Monday, Sept. 14
Session
6:00 pm, Monday, Sept. 21
Committee Meetings
Session Report
Three items of business were approved at
August's session meeting. John Hazen and
Bonnie Blair were elected to be our
commissioners to Presbytery meeting on
August 24th. The purchase of PC(USA)
elder training material from the Being
Reformed series was approved. The use of
Word-Share-Prayer from Vital Churches
Institute and John Ortberg's All the Places
to Go in adult education were approved.