THE WEEKLY First Christian Reformed Church of Detroit February 1, 2015 WORSHIP SERVICES February 1 Preacher: Walter Ray Hudson II Text: Luke 2:22-39 Title: A Liturgy of Praise Celebration of the Lord's Supper Offering: Mission Partners February 8 Series: Church 101 Text: 1 Peter 2:9-12 Title: Holy Nation! Choir Offering: Community Assistance Partners February 15 Series: Church 101 Text: 1 Peter 3:8-16 Title: How Not to Love Your Neighbor Baptism and Welcoming New Members Offering: Crossroads February 22 Series: The Water and the Blood: God’s Covenant of Grace Text: Genesis 6:11-13, 17-18; 9:8-17 Title: The Storm is Passing Over Choir Offering: Habitat for Humanity – Grosse Pointe Partners Have something for The Weekly? Please submit it to [email protected] no later than 5:00pm Wednesday. NEWS AND EVENTS Names and Faces: This Sunday, February 1, we would like to take your picture for our Names and Faces board. Please report with your family to the photo booth in the Gathering Space for your photo. In order to help us all put names to faces, we will be posting the photos of all regular church attenders in the gathering space. Thank you! Community Assistance Program would like to thank everyone for your prayers and support throughout 2014; we couldn't do it without you! This past year over 4600 individuals were assisted with food and clothing. The Thanksgiving baskets First Church collected, along with other churches and individuals, provided meals for 300 families. There is always a need for food and clothing. We have a basket in the rear of the sanctuary where you can place non perishable food items. For January and February we will be collecting canned meats (Vienna sausages, sardines, etc.), crackers, peanut butter, and jelly. If you have any clothing you would like to donate please contact John R. Thanks again for all you do to support CAP and thank God that He has blessed us to be a part of helping others in need! CAP is looking for a new treasurer. Our current treasurer is ready to retire and looking for someone with an accounting background to pass the torch to. If you feel like this could be you please contact John R. New Date: The new Annual Chili Cook-Off date is Sunday, March 1, after the morning worship service. We have room for one more chili maker. Let Helen M. know if you are interested in entering the competition! MINISTRIES AT FIRST Special Offering: Our special offering today is for First Church’s Mission Partners: Wayne State University InterVarsity, Larry and Mary Harris, the Arab American Friendship Center, and MACC LIT. InterVarsity is a Christian organization working to reach students at colleges across the United States. We support the mission at Wayne State University in Detroit. Larry and Mary Harris serve in Mexico where they are striving to give the people of Oaxaca a copy of the New Testament in their native tongue. They have spent 24 years working with those in Oaxaca to take God's word to the common person. They hope to have the whole New Testament translated along with a dictionary within eight years. The mission of the Arab-American Friendship Center is to provide quality education and lifeenhancing services to Arab immigrants in order to ease their integration into American society. They use their center as a platform for teaching about Christ. Mack Avenue Community Literacy, or MACC LIT, is a community-based literacy clinic which offers one-on-one tutoring to eligible students and literacy education to the community. Their mission is to bring forth renewal in our community through literacy. This is run by Mack Avenue Community Church. Part of their tutoring program involves bringing the families into the center where they can experience the family of Christ. Current Sermon Series: We begin the New Year with a Sermon Series and Bible study entitled, "Church 101". We'll spend five weeks re-learning the meaning of church: who the church is and what the church does. Bible Study group meeting times and locations are Mondays, 7:00am, at Higher Grounds; Tuesdays, 10:00am, at Higher Grounds; and Tuesdays, 8:00pm, in Pastor Ben's study. Bible Survey Class: Join Pastor Ben for a bi-weekly discussion of the major themes of the Bible and the basics of the Christian faith. Held on the first and third Sundays of the month at 9:00am in the Pastor's Study. Please note that class is cancelled on February 1. Support for People in Job Transition: First Church is a member of "Eastside Take Control", a local organization devoted to equipping and supporting those recovering from job loss and looking for work. If you are looking for support during your job transition process, or want to know more about ETC, please contact Pastor Ben (313-443-5446; [email protected]). Inquiries about Facility Use: Any individual or committee that would like to use the church building for a one-time event can send a request to the church email account ([email protected]). Place "Building Use" in the subject line, and include in the body of the email the following details: event purpose and participants; event date; and facilities needed. PRAYER CONCERNS Will G.'s father, Peter G., passed away suddenly on the morning of January 29. Please pray for Will and his family as they grieve this loss. Remember Kristin K. as she prepares to be the donor in her sister, Jocelyn's, kidney transplant. The surgery is scheduled for February 4, and we pray for the procedure itself, as well as healing and restoration for both Kristin and Jocelyn. Please remember those in our congregation who cannot worship with us regularly because of health concerns. We especially want to remember Marge F. JANUARY COUNCIL HIGHLIGHTS The following is a summary of the items covered at the most recent Council meeting. If you have questions or comments please contact an Elder or Deacon. Administration: 1. The December financial reports, which indicated receipts were very close to being on budget, were received with gratitude. We were reminded that typically receipts are ahead of budget at this time and of the important on-going need for faithful giving. 2. The deacons plan to share the planned 2015 giving causes with the congregation in the next few weeks. This will also include clarification regarding how best to give to support the overall church budget. 3. Committees were reminded to prepare and submit their 2015-2016 budget requests by March. 4. Repair on the church organ will begin in January and is expected to extend through the summer. Building & Grounds: Several projects around church have been or will be completed soon. These include carpet cleaning in the Gathering Room, labeling the new church mailboxes, and installation of new speakers in the sanctuary. A ‘work evening’ is also being planned for January 22 to complete several church maintenance items. Church Life: Appreciation was expressed for this past Sunday’s Mission Partners lunch. The next Church Life event will be our annual Easter morning breakfast. Education: A Young Children in Worship training session will take place the last weekend in January. Mission Focus: An informational Congregational meeting is being planned for Sunday, February 8, to discuss the materials pertaining to the possibility of changing the name of our church. This will be part of a broader discussion regarding our congregation's identity, mission, and vision for our future together. Materials providing Council's rationale, an outline of the process, and a timeline for the various stages in the process will be emailed to the congregation later this week. A followup survey is also being planned. Worship: A five-week Lenten Series on the ‘Covenant’ is being planned once the current ‘Church 101’ series is complete. Luminex: Plans are moving forward to begin the Luminex church plant this spring. An offer has been extended to a potential pastor, funding has been committed, and a location is being determined. Additional Items: 1. Pastor Ben reported that he has been in contact with Dave Wagner regarding an organ concert. The concert is being planned when work on the organ is complete, which is anticipated to be late summer or early fall. 2. A Classis meeting is scheduled for March 7, 2015 in Ann Arbor. Volunteers are needed to represent our church. VOLUNTEER SCHEDULE Greeters Ushers Nursery Scripture Reading Offertory Prayer PowerPoint Refreshments Children’s Worship February 1 February 8 Pearl V. Sandy M. Nancy M., Alicia N., Emily P. Diane D. Mary K. Tim M. Jack and Mary K. Katie C., John R. 27: The Great Pearl Jane S. Bev N. Katie C., Keltie N., Allison S. Heather D. Larry M. Paul M. Congregational Meeting Jen P., Kerrie N. 28: The Sower CALENDAR Week of February 1 – February 7: Sunday Adult Sunday School Worship Service Monday Discussion Group Tuesday Discussion Group Discussion Group Wednesday Choir Rehearsal 9:00am 10:00am 7:00am 10:00am 8:00pm 7:30pm Week of February 8 – February 14: Sunday Adult Sunday School Children’s Sunday School Choir Rehearsal Worship Service Monday Discussion Group Council Meeting Tuesday Discussion Group Staff Meeting Discussion Group Wednesday Choir Rehearsal CONTACT US First Christian Reformed Church of Detroit 1444 Maryland Ave, Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230-1018 • 313-824-3511 www.grossepointecrc.org • [email protected] Pastor: Rev. Ben Van Arragon 313-443-5446 [email protected] 9:00am 9:00am 9:00am 10:00am 7:00am 7:45pm 10:00am 12:00pm 8:00pm 7:30pm