November 2000

REV. DAVIS LEAVING AT END OF CONTRACT

Interim Pastor Harrell Davis is leaving Old First at the end of his contract, October 31.

The search for a new  Interim Pastor is already under way.  In the meantime, the Revs. Susan Ashton and Erwin Barron will provide leadership. See below for details.

--- 

Pastors’ Letter

Here we go again.

We know many of you must be thinking that.  It seems like only yesterday that we took over in a previous transition of leadership.  Like us, you are probably wondering why things at Old First Church always seem to be up in the air lately?

We think this is a healthy and exciting time, and we're glad to go at it again!

Over the next few months we will be serving as temporary, interim co-pastors. We will provide pastoral leadership while the session searches for an interim pastor who will guide Old First as we further discern what we really want and need in a new permanent  pastor.   The personnel committee has included our job descriptions elsewhere in this issue of Shared Life.

We are so pleased to be able to serve Old First during this "in between" time.  We know Old First - good and bad!  We know the rhythms and patterns of this community. And you know us - good and bad.  Because of that, we expect to step in immediately and be fully functional as your temporary, interim co-pastors.

But most important, we all know and serve Jesus who took many short journeys and made many brief stops as he traveled the path that God had asked him to travel.  His ministry was filled with many detours and interim periods.  We can trust that God is with us not just for the long haul, but also in the times when we feel as if we're having to stop and ask for directions at every turn.

We are already hard at work planning for Advent and Christmas.  Ken Matthews, the worship committee and many others are sharing their creativity and energy in these plans.  We pray for your support as we work toward a season of meaningful service, education, and celebration.

Feel free to call on either of us during any time of this transition if you have questions, worries and fears, or joys to share.  

We treasure our relationships with this loving community and know that you give back to us at least as much as we can ever give to you.  Thank you for your love and your trust.

Yes.. here we go again! 

               the Rev. Erwin Barron           and the Rev. Susan Ashton

---

Dear Friends at Old First:

Beginning November 1, 2000, the Reverends Susan Ashton and Erwin Barron will again lead our congregation until we find a new  interim pastor. Susan will be the Temporary Supply Pastor and will moderate Session, provide pastoral care and take the lead in worship. Erwin will be Head of Staff, continue his duties in Christian Education, and fully share in worship leadership with Susan.

Susan will work with the Deacons, Congregational Care and Evangelism Committees, and with Ken Matthews’ able assistance, the Worship Committee. She will be responsible for our church’s relations with Presbytery and for communication with the Pastor Nominating Committee. Jeanne Choy Tate will do the Wednesday morning Bible study, with Susan’s assistance.

Erwin will be staff liaison with Christian Education, Finance, Stewardship, Personnel and the Community Ministries Task Force. He will be assisted by Tom Kearney with the Operations Committee and by Kathy McAdams with the Mission Committee and the Hunger Task Force.

Please direct any questions or concerns according to the list above. You can reach Susan and Erwin at the church office (776-5552) or their home phones.

We thank God that such wonderful and talented people are willing and able to help us through this transition period.

                                                            Jean Olson

                                                            Moderator, Personnel Committee

NEW PEW CUSHIONS -- AT LAST! AT LAST! AT LAST!

We did it! Our spontaneous, grassroots, please-give-just-a-little-more campaign raised enough money to finish the pew cushions in the sanctuary AND on the chancel chairs AND on the benches in the narthex! Thanks to the Concerned Pew-Sitters -- Sara Barrios, Mary Culp and Steve Taber -- who gave our congregation the kick in the pants we needed and to everyone who chipped in! You may all now indulge in a brief display of un-Presbyterian emotion.

One Sunday before the end of November we can walk into the sanctuary and feast our eyes and rest our posteriors on all-new cushions!

SESSION APPROVES CHURCH INFORMATION FORM

At a special meeting on October 8, Old First’s Session of Elders approved the Church Information Form developed by our Pastor Nominating Committee. This is a vital step in the calling of a new pastor; it defines the church to prospective candidates and lets them know what qualities we are looking for.

After the CIF has been approved by the Presbytery’s Committee on Ministry,  (expected late October),  the denomination offices in Louisville will begin sending the PNC applicants by doing computer-matching of our CIF and the candidates’ Personal Information Forms. 

As soon as our form is approved, it will be posted on the denomination’s website, Old First’s site, and the Covenant Network Site. The PNC is also advertising in  denominational publications.

DEACONS’ SPAGHETTI DINNER NOVEMBER 4

Join the Board of Deacons for a very special event on Saturday, November 4: the Old First Spaghetti Dinner.   The doors open at 5:30 p.m. for all the pasta you can eat.  Forget Italy;  Presbyterian deacons really know how to make spaghetti.  There will be lots of fun, fellowship, and surprises.  The suggested donation is $5.00 for adults, $2.50 for children.  Don't miss it!

THANKSGIVING SERVICE

The Rev Susan Ashton preaching

Calvary Presbyterian Church

Thursday, November 23, 11 am.

FALL STEWARDSHIP DRIVE

The annual fall Stewardship Drive kicked off the week of October 23rd, with a theme of "Behold we are doing a new  thing."  We need everyone's support to do all the new things we want to in God's name.

We have successfully raised the funds needed for all the pew cushions; many thanks to all who helped. Now the task is bigger and no less important.

Please read your stewardship letter carefully and  thoughtfully, envisioning a new phase in the long history of Old First, and return your pledge card by  November 12.

We will have a celebration of what is sure to be a successful campaign after church on November 19 in the Fellowship Hall.

                                                                   Your Stewardship Committee

LARKIN STREET THANKSGIVING

Our traditional Thanksgiving meal for the clients of Larkin Street Youth Center will take place Thursday, November 23, at noon at Old First. As in years past, our role will be to host the feast in our building and to contribuate side dishes that go well with turkey and the usual fixings. Food should be delivered to the church by 11:30 am.

Around a hundred homeless young people, ages 12-17, usually attend this feast.

HOMELESS MINISTRIES REPORT by Kathy McAdams

The Welcome Center has been very successful lately, its ministers offering God's presence to an average of 50 people each Tuesday and Thursday. Some come to eat; some to chat; some for socks, toiletries, or non-perishable foods; some for referrals to shelters, treatment centers, or other social services. In each case, we try to enter relationships with our guests, learning their names and sharing a bit of ourselves with them. The ministers and guests are like mirrors, holding up for each other the image of God. Once we are able to recognize God in each other, we come to care for each other very deeply. This journey that we travel together is an intensely spiritual one, on which God is ever-present.

The Welcome Center ministry team had its first regular meeting for reflection and information sharing. Future meetings will include such topics such as Conflict Resolution, Health Codes and Communicable Diseases, and Street Drugs and Their Effects. These meetings also offer the team an opportunity to reflect upon what this ministry means to our own spiritual growth. If you are involved with the Welcome Center or Saturday dinners, please attend future meetings: October 29, December 17, January 28, and March 18 from 1-3pm at Old First.

I hope that each of you will find a way to join us on this journey. We especially need Welcome Center ministers on Thursdays, from 2-4pm, to serve lunch, share table fellowship, and conversation over coffee. In addition, we can still use help with shopping, baking, and cooking. And we can always use donations of practical clothing, socks and shoes, blankets, and travel size toiletries.

The next Community Dinner is on Saturday, November 18 at Old First, and is hosted by Old First's Evangelism Committee. We begin preparation at 4pm, and have several seatings between 5:30 and 7pm. At the suggestion of one of the guests, we've started a Birthday Club to celebrate that month's birthdays at the Saturday dinners. Please join us if you can.

Old First will host a men's shelter from January 21 - February 4, 2001 then it will move to First Unitarian/Universalist till March 17. Please contact me if you are interested in helping with this. We'll need people to spend the night, and to help with meals, as well as other details.

As soon as the shelter is over, we'll offer an Adult Education series entitled "What Are the Boundaries of Christian Hospitality?" This will be a 4-week series with speakers and discussion, on all the Mondays in February, from 7-9pm. Mark your calendars now, and we'll have more information available next month.

Kathy McAdams

KATHY McADAMS TO BE ORDAINED EPISCOPAL DEACON ON DEC. 2

God willing and the people consenting, The Rt. Rev. William E. Swing will ordain Kathleen A. McAdams to the sacred order of Deacons in the Episcopal Church, on December 2, 2000, 11:00 am at Grace Cathedral. Kathy, our Interim Director of Homeless Ministry, says, “I hope you all will attend or hold me in prayer on this day.”

In the Episcopal church, Deacons are go-betweens, bringing the Word of God to the people, and the needs of the world to the Church. In the liturgy, they read the Gospel, set the table, and dismiss the people for mission. Priests, on the other hand, are responsible for the spiritual wellbeing of their congregation, and for gathering the people to worship.

When asked to explain this similar-but-different office to our congregation of Calvinists, Kathy said, “It gets confusing: Some people are called to be Vocational Deacons, perpetually. Others are called to be Priests. Unfortunately, there's an old system which needs to be changed which requires those called to be Priests to first be ordained as Deacons (transitional). So, I'll be a Deacon in December and a Priest next June. Unfortunately, this use of the Diaconate as a stepping stone to Priesthood is demeaning to those truly called to such ministry.”

Lectionary

Nov. 5     Ruth 1;1-18; Ps. 146; Heb. 9:11-14; Mark 12:28-34

Nov. 12    Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17; Ps. 127; Heb. 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44

Nov. 19    1 Sam. 1:4-20; 1 Sam. 2:1-10; Heb. 10:11-14 (15-18) 19 -25;

               Mark 13:1-8

Nov. 26    2 Sam. 1:4-20; Ps. 132:1-12 (13-18); Heb. 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-                        25;  Mark 13:1-8

Dec. 3      Jer. 33:14-16; Ps. 25:1-10; 1 Thess. 3:9-13; Luke 21:25-36

NEW BOOKS IN THE NEW CHILDREN'S LIBRARY

The Al Barrios Children's Library is now open!  We invite you to use it, exploring some of these wonderful new children's religious books:

"Whaddayamean" by John Burningham - "You have spoiled my lovely world. You must go and tell the grownups to change the way they are living."  This is wonderfully illustrated ecological tale of creation and redemption of the earth, led by children at God's command.

"To Every Thing There is a Season"  by Leo and Diane Dillon - This book takes the familiar passage from Ecclesiastes and illustrates it with the most amazing array of artistic interpretations imaginable.  The artists use the artistic styles and people of fifteen different nations to show the meaning of the verses. 

"The Lord's Prayer for Children" by Lois Rock and Liz Pichon - Each line of the Lord's Prayer is illustrated with everyday pictures from children's lives and with inspirational words from a child's experiences.

"Mama God, Papa God: A Caribbean Tale" by Richard Keens-Douglas - This creation tale from the Caribbean portrays Mama God and Papa God talking together as they add new elements to the heavens and the earth.  It's a creative and fun retelling of the traditional Biblical creation story.

CHRISTMAS GIVING TREE FOR EDGEWOOD CENTER

In 1850 our church founded the Protestant Orphans Asylum, which still exists as the Edgewood Center for Children and Families. This holiday season we will celebrate our shared history of 150 years with a Christmas Giving Tree for the residents of the center.

Starting November 19, the Giving Tree will “take root” in the Fellowship Hall with your offerings of gifts and cash donations. With the help of the children and Santa, Betsy Chiao has made a gift list for every child at Edge-wood. She will be happy to provide you with gift suggestions and volunteer opportunities.

SESSION NOTES - SEPT. 26 MEETING

The Interim Pastor Search Committee will consist of the Personnel Committee plus two members from the congregation - Buddy Tate Choy and Ed Klitsch. The Personnel Committee consists of Jean Olson, Moderator;

Cindy Burt, Lori Yamauchi, Sidney Hollar (who is now on the PNC and will not serve on the IPNC), and the Moderator of the Operations Committee (a position not yet filled following the resignation of Bill Moss from Session).

A draft of the Mission Statement for the Congregational Care Committee was distributed. Session members were requested to submit their comments to co-moderators Doris Bebb and Libby Klitsch.

A revised schedule of wedding fees for non-members of the church was approved.

There was a discussion of the need for a procedure to handle medical emergencies in the sanctuary during worship.