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36520 W. Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48331
(248) 848-1750 Fax: (248) 848-1752
Church Web site: northcongregationalchurch.org
NORTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH 36520 W. Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills, MI 48331
Phone: (248) 848-1750 FAX (248) 848-1752
Website: northcongregationalchurch.org
E-mail: [email protected]
Address correction requested
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
P.A.I.D. Farmington Hills,
MI
Permit No. 107
“Thy Will Be Done!”
Matthew 6:10b
36520 W. Twelve Mile Road, Farmington Hills, Michigan 48331
(248) 848-1750 Fax: (248) 848-1752
Church Website: northcongregationalchurch.org
“Gifted in Ministry!”
We are gathered for worship of God and service to humanity.
North Congregational
Church
ORTH
EWS
August, 2014 Vol. 35 No. 8
North Congregational Church Golf Outing
Please join us for the North Church fall Golf Outing at
Farmington Hills Golf Club beginning at 1:00 p.m. on the
afternoon of September 20th. We will play an 18 hole
scramble (beginners welcome) followed by dinner at the
Hawkins’ house. Non-golfers are welcome to join us for
dinner. The cost for golf will be $35, including a cart. That
is payable at the golf course. We will order in dinner for
$10 - $15 per person. A sign up sheet will be outside Fellowship Hall in
August. Please contact Danny Hawkins with any questions.
August is a time when we hold on to summer even as we look
ahead to fall. Days at the pool alternate with back to school shopping and
sports and band practice. Iced tea on the patio is cooling while making
plans for the coming months. It’s no different in the life of the church, as
we are enjoying a less-filled schedule and getting housekeeping and
maintenance jobs done as well as important planning for the coming year.
In the midst of this process, I’m encouraging everyone to remember
that North Church needs you even in the summer! We are always glad
to see folks on Sunday morning, and there are other times and activities as
well. Pick up some school supplies for the Indian Trails boxes. Sign up for
one or more shifts helping with South Oakland Shelter. Come to the Chris-
tian Ed Lake Day and the Music Department picnic. Attend the meetings of
our boards and committees, and take part in the fall planning of those
groups as well as the social fellowships. It’s easy to get out of the “church
habit” in the summer time, but the hour of worship, as well as time spent in
service and fellowship, can “re-charge” your spirit and may be the most
important time of your week!
Take a look at what’s happening at North Church in August, choose
some activities, and join in the summer fun as well as the preparations for
another program year! See you in church!
Rev. Mimi Biedron
From the Minister...
The National Association of Congregational Christian Churches… met recently in
Omaha, Nebraska, with wonderful results, thanks to the hard work of the NACCC staff,
Moderator Neil Hunt, and the ministers, delegates and alternate delegates from participating Congregational churches throughout the country. North Church Delegate, Dottie Kendall,
has prepared an informative article on the NACCC…what it is, what is does for us and
other churches. Look for it in the September issue of the North News!
Stewardship Committee “Worshiping God,
Serving Humanity”
Our church-wide theme for the coming
program year is based on the North Church
mission statement: “We are gathered for wor-
ship of God and service to humanity.” From
these two concepts come most of the ministry
activity of North Church….and stewardship is
what makes it possible for that ministry to hap-
pen. As we share our financial and spiritual
resources, as we join to spend our time and our
talents on projects, we are good stewards of the
many gifts we’ve received from God.
This year’s Stewardship program will fo-
cus on celebrating what we have and what we
are as a congregation, and the ways in which
we can share what we have and what we expe-
rience with our world. These acts of steward-
ship are an important part of what it means to
be committed to the worship and service activi-
ties of the church.
As our program year gets under way,
watch for Stewardship messages and displays
on how our giving makes our worship and our
service possible, in both financial and spiritual
ways!
2014-2015 Stewardship Committee
Mark Payne, Chair; Emily Dye, Steve Lange,
Nancy Battle, Greg Hummon, Jeremy Maurer,
and Danny Hawkins, ex officio
The Chancel Choir
Wants You!
We know that
you’d like to join the
Choir, but you just
haven’t gotten around
to it, right? Well,
with the fall season
starting soon, this
would be the perfect time!
We rehearse on Tuesday
evenings from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.,
and sing on Sundays, September
through June, as well as for spe-
cial services. If you are interest-
ed in making a special contribu-
tion to worship at North Church,
contact Laurie Meeker at
586/977-1413, or join us at our
first rehearsal on September
2nd.
We will be singing our first
anthem on Rally Sunday,
September 7th.
Lake Outing for
Kids Klub and Pilgrim Fellowship
Sponsored by the Board of Religious Education
When:
Sunday, August 3rd, 12:30 p.m.
Where:
Maurer’s Beach Club House
4375 Borland Str. (house next to gate)
West Bloomfield, MI 48323
What to bring:
Swim suit, towel, sun screen, flip-flops,
water toys & water wings
A dish or beverage to share
Amenities:
Basketball and volleyball courts,
changing area, lots of water!!
We look forward to seeing all of
our friends at the lake!
SOUTH OAKLAND SHELTER St. Alexander’s Servant Church
August 17th – 24th
South Oakland Shelter (SOS) provides homelessness preven-
tion, sustainable housing and career development strategies and pro-
grams for homeless and at-risk people seeking stabilization and self-
sufficiency.
North Congregational will be assisting St. Alexander and St.
Gerald Catholic Churches when St. Alexander hosts SOS the week of
August 17, 2014. Combined we will provide transportation, meals,
housing, entertainment and hospitality for 30 to 35 clients for a week,
from Sunday evening through the following Sunday morning. Mon-
day through Friday, clients spend their days at work or at SOS train-
ing and counseling in Lathrup Village before returning to St. Alexan-
der for dinner. Every task will have a St. Alexander coordinator who
will direct and guide each process.
Sign up sheets are on the South Oakland Shelter tables in the
Link. At this time we are asking only for your will-
ingness and availability. The sign up sheets ask
what you’d be willing to help with, how many times
you’d like to do them and which days you are avail-
able. We will use these sheets to fill in open slots in
coordination with the two other churches. Danny
Hawkins will confirm your final assignments in early August.
Annual Summer Music Department Picnic
at the Kennedys
Date: Sunday, August 17, 2014
Time: After Church until-???
What: Fellowship and relaxing as well as boating, wave running, canoeing, sailing,
and yard games with Brandy!!!!
What to bring: snack, vegetable, salad,
fruit, or dessert to pass, as well as your bathing suit for water events.
(Chicken will be provided)
In case of inclement weather: same day, just
inside with different activities: Ping-Pong,
Telestrations, piano and singing possibly.
Please RSVP to: [email protected] ASAP
August Activities...
Tuesday Lunch Circle Join us each Tuesday for lunch at
11:30 a.m. Reservations are needed,
all women of the church are welcome!
August 05: Rocky’s
August 12: Greek Islands Grill
August 19: Scrambler Marie’s
August 26: Olive Garden
Flick Chicks
The Flick Chicks will meet on
Thursday, August 7th, at the UA Theater
on 14 Mile at Haggerty. We will have din-
ner at Applebee’s following the show.
We'll discuss the movie and share our sum-
mer activities at dinner. Join us during Cof-
fee Hour on Sunday, August 3rd to help
choose the movie and time. All women are
welcome to attend!
Pilgrim Fellowship - Summer Mission Opportunities
Sunday, August 3rd, 12:30 p.m.
BRE Lake Party at the Maurer’s Beach House
The Board of Religious Education is hosting a beach party for all Sunday school students
and their families in West Bloomfield. (See related article in this issue.)
August 17th – 24th South Oakland Shelter at The Servant Church of St. Alexander.
Opportunities every day, especially both Sundays for set up and break down, to aid South
Oakland Shelter (SOS) which works with partner congregations to provide temporary
lodging and supportive services that help homeless individuals and families break the cy-
cle of homelessness and live independently. Contact Danny or Mimi to sign up or if you
have questions.
Men’s Breakfast CLUB A group of North Congre-
gational Church men has begun
meeting for breakfast at Moe’s
on Ten Mile (just west of
Haggerty) every other Tuesday
morning at 9:00 o’clock. If you
eat and are interested in a little
lively conversation, please join
us on August 5th and 19th. If
you would like to receive up-
dates on the schedule, please
contact Steve Lange at ste-
CHAOS
The ladies of CHAOS met on July 9th to plan for the fall. As part of ur fall project,
we are asking church members to submit a favorite short prayer. Bible verse or saying
that could be used to comfort someone who is ill. You may place these in the collection
tray on Sunday or give them to any CHAOS member. The finished product will be a
small booklet that can be taken to members in the hospital or confined to home.
We will not meet in August, but will gather again on Wednesday, September 10th
at 6 p.m. in the Middle School Room. Please bring your dinner and beverage and join us.
All women of the church are welcome. We’ll be watching for you!
BOOK
GROUP
The book group meetings will resume on
Wednesday, August 20 at 1:00 p.m., when we'll
gather and share our "What I read this summer"
lists! Many members of the group will be making
a point to read mysteries by Louise Penny and
invite you to read and join in the conversation.
The book for the September 17 meeting
is a "big" book to spend time on over the summer:
His Excellency George Washington by Joseph
Ellis. A great narrative historian ("Founding
Brothers") offers a biography of our first Presi-
dent, with so much to discuss that we know it'll be
a great gathering!
Copies are available at libraries, book-stores,
and e-reader editions.
DROP EVERYTHING AND READ!
School Supplies Needed! Help kids succeed! The school supplies you bring in will go to
CROSSROADS. Items needed are: backpacks, erasers, calculators,
folders, markers, ink pens (red, blue, black), highlighters, colored
pencils, bigger pencils, loose leaf paper, hand sanitizer, Kleenex,
scissors, pencil cases, crayons and binders.
Card tables, along with containers to hold the school supplies, have been set up
in the main hallway, the Sunday school wing and outside of Fellowship Hall. Any-
thing that does not fit in the containers may be left on or under the table. Donations
may be brought in before, or the morning of Rally Sunday, September 7.
Rally Sunday Sunday, September 7
We’ll be welcoming the Chancel Choir and our Sunday
School back from Summer vacation on Rally Sunday, with a
worship service followed by the Rally Day Picnic. Sign up to
be part of this fun afternoon, with hamburgers and hot dogs
on the grill, and potluck sides and desserts! Back by popular
demand, there will be face painting and a bounce house.
Check out the sign up sheet outside Fellowship Hall if you’d
like to bring a dish to share*; if you can’t bring a dish, don’t
worry! Come and enjoy an afternoon of food, fun and North
Church friends of all ages. Invite a friend or neighbor to
come and learn more about our church!
*Note: Please refrain from using tree nuts or peanuts in
your recipes, so that everyone can enjoy them.
Sunday School cont’d.
well as other “specials” such as the Living Christmas Card and the
Christmas Pageant. Following the church service, parents are encour-
aged to pick up younger students from the Music/meeting room; older
students can meet their parents in coffee hour.
Should you have any questions or concerns about Sunday School or our Christian
Education program, please talk to Rev. Mimi Biedron or Michelle Sibley, chair of the
Board of Religious Education.
See you in Sunday School!!
SHARE YOUR E-MAIL: If you are receiving this letter via hard copy, it’s because we
don’t have your e-mail address; if you have and use e-mail, please send an email to the
church at [email protected] so that we can add you!
September 7th, 2014, Rally Sunday,
begins a new year in our Sunday School. We
are looking forward to welcoming our students
back from summer vacation, and grateful for
everyone who helped out in Summer Sunday
School and Vacation Bible School!
Due to class sizes, we've changed some
of our class divisions this year. We're pleased to
have most of our regular teachers returning to
teach again. The classes and teachers are:
Nursery (babies up to 18 mos.): Greg and
Alexandra Ricketts; Abby Turner, helper
Toddler Room (18 months thru 3 years.):
Jane Meredith; Cobian Gleason, helper
Preschool/Kindergarten (4 years & up):
Judy Campbell; Kendall Murray, helper
1st - 3rd grades: Mari Mortsfield 4th - 6th grades: Emily Dye
7th – 8th grade: Justin Hornburg and
Tom Straith
High School: Carrie Cooper
We will be using the GROW PROCLAIM
SERVE curriculum which emphasizes learning
the stories of faith in the Bible and then
applying their lessons to our own lives
(learn more about these lesson materials
on the curriculum website:
www.GrowProclaimServe.com.
In addition to Bible stories, students
in the Sunday School will enjoy crafts,
special days, games, and more. Because
of allergies, we’ll avoid foods and crafts
containing any kind of tree nuts or pea-
nuts; parents are encouraged to fill out
the Sunday School registration form to
indicate any allergies or other special
considerations. Also an important re-
minder: if your student has a cell phone,
an ipod or other electronic device, he/she
should leave it with you or plan to put it
in the electronic box during class to avoid
distractions.
Sunday School students in Preschool
and up should come to the worship ser-
vice each morning (babies and Toddlers
can go directly to their classrooms at
10:30), and then go to their classes during
the second hymn. At the end of the morn-
ing classes Pre-K through 5th grades will
gather in the Music Room for a short time
of singing, collection of the Sunday
School offering and celebration of birth-
days. At this time, students will prepare
for songs to be presented in church, as
Diaconate Benevolences…
for the month of August
Congregational Library,
Habitat for Humanity -
National Office,
Methodist Theological School,
Michigan Conference of CCC
HYGIENE KITS
While you’re traveling this sum-
mer, please remember our
need for hygiene items to
take to CROSSROADS
on Sunday, October 19th.
Items needed are: soap,
shampoo, hair conditioner, deodorant,
Kleenex tissues, toothbrushes, tooth-
paste, shaving cream and razors, pens,
socks. We’d like to take as many hy-
giene kits with us as possible... thank
you for you donations.
INDIAN TRAILS BOXES
Indian Trails boxes have long been a Christmas tradition at North
Church, loading up the boxes with school supplies, personal items and
small gifts.
Continuing with the changes made last year, we are focusing on the
school supply aspect of the boxes and taking advantage of back-to-school
sales by collecting the white boxes in September. Your help is needed to
pack these boxes. Please take a sticker for the age group and gender you
want, and purchase the necessary supplies. The boxes will be available on
Rally Sunday, September 7th and will be dedicated on September 28th in
preparation for shipment to Arizona. We’d like to send as many boxes as
possible to the kids at the Indian Trails Mission, so let’s stock up on the
items listed below:
PLEASE INCLUDE:
FULL SIZE toothbrush and toothpaste
Barrettes
Hand towel (NO bath towels...they are too large.)
Comb and/or brush
Bar soap
Paper in notebook form (no loose leaf paper)
Coloring books
Markers
Colored pencils
Crayons
A small toy, such as a Matchbox car, or a small stuffed animal.
DO NOT INCLUDE:
Battery operated toys or toys with numerous small pieces.
Food, candy or liquid items.
A
U
G
U
S
T
GREETERS
Would you like to be a North
Church greeter on Sunday morning
for the worship service?
If so, please call Audrey Poese
at 248/960-481.
August 3
Nancy Scott, Kevin Gromley
August 10
Jim and Nancy Wilking
August 17
Bob and Margaret Plummer
August 24
Art and Mary Voisin
August 31
Lee Poese
LAY READERS
August 03 - Matthew Shand
August 10 - Tom Modick
August 17 - Lys Kennedy
August 24 - Kim Marlinga
August 31 - Sherel Shand
COFFEE HOUR HOSTS
August 3
Jack Cooper, Jon Verdun
August 10
Kevin Gromley, Veronica Noye
August 17
Lisa and Steve Ficker
August 24
Pete and Sherel Shand
August 31
Sara Lange, Al Turner
Our Sympathy to... Helen Roberts and family, on the
death of husband Bill Roberts, on
Tuesday, July 8th, 2014. A Memorial
Service was held on July 12, 2014,
with Rev. Mary E. Biedron officiating.
Congratulations to:
Noah Bruce Bryant and Elizabeth
Clark Barrows, who were married by
Rev. Mary E. Biedron in Douglas,
Michigan on July 5, 2014.
SUMMER SOLOISTS
August 03 - Gregory Stinson
August 10 - James Wilking August 24 - Brandy Nicole Adams
August 17 - Paul Duling August 31 - Tracey Turner
August 1, 2014 - Friday
Consent Agenda Minutes/reports for Council are due
August 3, 2014 - Sunday
10:30 a.m. Worship, Summer Sunday School
Lay Reader: Matthew Shand; Soloist: Gregory Stinson
12:30 p.m. BRE Lake Party - Maurer’s Beach House, W. Bloomfield
August 4, 2014 - Monday
7:30 p.m. Executive Council Meeting - Middle School Room
August 5, 2014 - Tuesday - Primary Election
9:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast CLUB - Moe’s on Ten
11:30 a.m. Tuesday Lunch Circle - Lunch at Rocky’s
August 6, 2014 - Wednesday
9:00 a.m. Wednesday Morning North Church “Open” Bowling - Country Lanes
August 7, 2014 - Thursday
Flick Chicks - Movie/Dinner
August 10, 2014 - Sunday 10:30 a.m. Worship, Summer Sunday School
Organist: Pat Butler; Lay Reader: Tom Modick; Soloist: James Wilking
11:45 a.m. BRE Meeting - Library
August 12, 2014 - Tuesday
11:30 a.m. Tuesday Lunch Circle - Lunch at Greek Islands Grill
August 13, 2014 - Wednesday 9:00 a.m. Wednesday Morning North Church “Open” Bowling
7:30 p.m. Trustee Meeting - Middle School Room
7:30 p.m. Diaconate Meeting - Plymouth Room
August 17, 2014 - Sunday
10:30 a.m. Worship, Summer Sunday School
Organist: Pat Butler; Lay Reader: Lys Kennedy
Soloist: Paul Duling
12:00 p.m. Music Department Picnic - Mark and Lys Kennedys’ house
Pilgrim Fellowship to SOS - St. Alexander’s
August 17- 24, 2014
South Oakland Shelter - North Church to assist at St. Alexander’s Church
August 19, 2014 - Tuesday
9:00 a.m. Men’s Breakfast CLUB - Moe’s on T en
11:30 a.m. Tuesday Lunch Circle - Lunch at Scrambler Marie’s
August 20, 2014 - Wednesday
9:00 a.m. Wednesday Morning North Church “Open” Bowling
1:00 p.m. Book Group - Library
August 24, 2014 - Sunday
10:30 a.m. Worship, Summer Sunday School
Lay Reader: Kim Marlinga; Soloist: Brandy Nicole Adams
August 26, 2014 - Tuesday
11:30 a.m. Tuesday Lunch Circle - Lunch at Olive Garden
August 27, 2014 - Wednesday
9:00 a.m. Wednesday Morning North Church “Open” Bowling
August 31, 2014 - Sunday
10:30 a.m. Worship, Nursery and Toddler Care
Lay Reader: Sherel Shand; Soloist: Tracey Turner
Calendar (Current version of our calendar can be found on
our web site: northcongregationalchurch.org)
September Newsletter... Newsletter articles are needed by the 10th of each month. Please e-mail your
article to Debbie at [email protected]. Thank you!
