“For everything there is a first time…” That includes “last times.” This is the first time I have had this kind of a “last time.” The experience of it continues to be a weird “all of the above” kind of experience: growing anticipation for the next chapter for our family and calling, and growing wistfulness, nostalgia, and grief as we face the change in location and relationship to each of you. Such times are always an opportunity for reflection and inventory, and this one is no exception.

How we will be remembered and what part I have played in your journey as a church, for good or not, will not be easily discernible for many years to come. Certainly I cannot evaluate that in this moment. But I can express what sort of impact I hope we have had in our time here.

I hope that while here, we have shown you an accessible, authentic, loving God, full of grace, not tapping his foot or impatiently sighing when we each blow it (again) in the same way (again) only even worse than before (again). I hope we have shown you we can actually, for-real, come to God in our need and brokenness and know, for-real, God has already forgiven us. I hope we have shown you a God that actually fits the cliché: “there is nothing you can do to make God love you any more, and there is nothing you can do to make God love you any less.” I hope we have shown you glimpses of a God that really does “get it,” and who is a person, not merely a distant heavenly bearded monarch, nor merely a unique a historical figure, nor merely a “force,” but One who, though all-powerful and all-knowing and perfect, knows us and wants to be known by us. I hope we’ve shown you a God that yes, though mysterious, also has not hid from us. I hope we’ve shown you a God who has far more interest in us doing good than being right. I hope we’ve shown you a God who knows the heart, and sees our own self-deceptions, and accepts us as we are anyway. I hope we’ve shown you a God who just wants us to be real with him, others, and ourselves, knowing we can do so securely and confidently because of the cross and the resurrection. I hope we’ve shown you the God of scripture. What all this adds up to is my hope that we have encountered God together in a way that sets us FREE in Christ Jesus, rather than enslaving us with shame and fear. So much of what we deal with and suffer through either comes from or is exacerbated by fear and judgment. These things are always about ourselves, never about God. Yes, God is not content to leave us as we were and will discipline and convict us. No, never will God shame us. Never will God push us away. Never will God lead us to do the same to ourselves or others. Always, always, always God moves toward us, and longs for us to move toward him—and each other. No matter what else may come, or how unpredictable, may you always retain the Hope and Joy of serving a God characterized by Grace and Peace. May it free, inspire, and empower you to be what you never thought you could be, yet which God has known you can be all along. May you more deeply know your savior, and through you, may many others.

“May the Lord Bless you and Keep you….” We miss you already.

from PD’S Pen... 250 W. Huron, Vassar, MI 48768 VassarFPC.org August 2019

NEWSLETTER INFORMATION DEADLINEAug. - 27th

Do you or someone you know need visitation?

In the hospital? Home bound? In a nursing facility? Please let the church office know so that a visit can be arranged. You are also encouraged

to call your care team Deacon.

Financial Notes

God’s Blessings to Pastor Doug and Shelley on their new

adventure in Tracy, California.

Back to School

Supplies

We are collecting school supplies to donate to the Vassar Elementary and High Schools. Here are some suggestions for supplies, but feel free to donate anything

you’d like:

Paper (loose lea, spiral or composition books)

Crayons, Pencils (reg & colored)

Pens, Erasers, Markers

Rulers, Glue Sticks, scissors

Highlighters, Folders, Binders

Pencil Sharpeners (Hand held)

Dry Erase Makers and erasers

Supplies will be delivered to the schools. Thanks for supporting Vassar Public

Schools!

Communication and Publicity Team is looking for 1 person to fill a newly opened

spot. Meetings are once a month on Sunday morning. Please email

baker.nr@gmail.com if this is you!

The Abels’ New Address

4133 Middlefield DrTracy, CA 95377

Emails, Facebook, and cell phones will remain unchanged. While unavailable for specific

pastoral requests, we welcome contact and continued friendship—and visits! :)

If you are in need of Pastoral care, please contact the church office , and/

or Clerk of Session Dan Johnson.

COMMUMION SERVERS 08/04Assist Steve Franko#1 Shelley Abel#2 Bob Strecker#3 Dianne Hackett#4 Dan Johnson

GREETERS4th Bill & Linda Shoop11th B.J. Warle18th Larry & Carole Essenmacher25th Marge Botimer & Margery O’Neill

USHERS4th Ted Gamet, Russ Hubbard, Alex Campbell11th Lynn Childs, Dan Johnson, Bill Shoop18th Sue Campbell, Lor Hubbard, Mary Kennard25th Kevin Haines, Mike Kennard, Mark O’Connor

WORSHIP LEADERS4th Steve Franko11th Dianne Hackett18th Mike Kennard25th Russ Hubbard

VIDEO/TECH4th Linda Shoop11th Mike Kennard18th TBD25th Dianne Hackett

Please call the church office with any updates to the Birthday or Anniversary List!

989-823-7671

8 Alex & Sue Campbell 12 Steve & Lynn Franko 13 Scott & Kim Wegrzyn 14 Russ & Lori Hubbard19 Gary & Dianne Hackett 20 Kim & Debbie Van Wormer20 Kevin & Brenda Haines 23 Mike & Mary Kennard 31 Al & Holly Williams

3 Debbie Van Wormer14 Tim Franko15 Marshall Brightman15 Nancy Zuzula17 Emily Finta21 Jason Jacot24 Lori Hubbard28 Russ Hubbard

WHAT’S GOING ON???

Please note: this calendar is always on the website at

vassarfpc.org/know/view-church-calendar/

and is subject to change.

August 2019Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

2810:00 AM Worship

29 308:30 AM WIC

31 16:30 PM Discipleship & Growth Team7:00 PM Cancer Sup-port Group

2 3

4COMMUNION

10:00 AM Worship

5 6 7 86:00 PM Deacons

9 10Eid al-Adha

1110:00 AM Worship

12 13 14 157:00 PM Cancer Sup-port Group

16 17

1810:00 AM Worship

1910:00 AM Book Club

208:30 AM WIC

216:30 PM Mission & Outreach Team7:30 PM Communica-tion & Publicity Team

22 23 24

2510:00 AM Worship

26 278:30 AM WIC

28 297:00 PM Session

30 31

2810:00 AM Worship

29 308:30 AM WIC

31 16:30 PM Discipleship & Growth Team7:00 PM Cancer Sup-port Group

2 3

4COMMUNION

10:00 AM Worship

5 6 7 86:00 PM Deacons

9 10Eid al-Adha

1110:00 AM Worship

12 13 14 157:00 PM Cancer Sup-port Group

16 17

1810:00 AM Worship

1910:00 AM Book Club

208:30 AM WIC

216:30 PM Mission & Outreach Team7:30 PM Communica-tion & Publicity Team

22 23 24

2510:00 AM Worship

26 278:30 AM WIC

28 297:00 PM Session

30 31

2810:00 AM Worship

29 308:30 AM WIC

31 16:30 PM Discipleship & Growth Team7:00 PM Cancer Sup-port Group

2 3

4COMMUNION

10:00 AM Worship

5 6 7 86:00 PM Deacons

9 10Eid al-Adha

1110:00 AM Worship

12 13 14 157:00 PM Cancer Sup-port Group

16 17

1810:00 AM Worship

1910:00 AM Book Club

208:30 AM WIC

216:30 PM Mission & Outreach Team7:30 PM Communica-tion & Publicity Team

22 23 24

2510:00 AM Worship

26 278:30 AM WIC

28 297:00 PM Session

30 31

2810:00 AM Worship

29 308:30 AM WIC

31 16:30 PM Discipleship & Growth Team7:00 PM Cancer Sup-port Group

2 3

4COMMUNION

10:00 AM Worship

5 6 7 86:00 PM Deacons

9 10Eid al-Adha

1110:00 AM Worship

12 13 14 157:00 PM Cancer Sup-port Group

16 17

1810:00 AM Worship

1910:00 AM Book Club

208:30 AM WIC

216:30 PM Mission & Outreach Team7:30 PM Communica-tion & Publicity Team

22 23 24

2510:00 AM Worship

26 278:30 AM WIC

28 297:00 PM Session

30 31

Page 1/1

Vassar First Presbyterian Church Ministry Team Summaries

If you would like to be a part of any of these ministries, please contact the chairperson.Come find your place with us as we build God’s Kingdom together!Administration (Scott Wegrzyn)This team has two sub-teams: personnel and finance. It oversees these and other general administrative concerns of the church. It crafts a budget proposal each year for Session to approve, oversees staff, considers staffing structure, crafts job descriptions, and recommends building use policy. Buildings & Grounds (Alex Campbell)This team handles all things related to facility and property, such as routine maintenance, small repairs, facility or equipment upgrades, tech needs, or large projects as approved by Session. The church owns not only the church building and grounds, but also the upper parking lot and the pastor’s manse, as well as the equipment and appliances inside them.Communication and Publicity (Nicole Baker)This team’s focus is providing for and managing communications and publicity, with internally and externally, by prioritizing and appropriately timing these things and implying the most effective method for them. This is not only so that any given need gets the best exposure appropriate to it, but so that key events or initiatives don’t get “lost in the noise.” The team will work closely with the church secretary to execute communication and publicity, but will curate what, how, and when any communication publicity is done, and help establish processes and strategies for easy management of the same.Discipleship & Growth (Open)This team’s stated mission is “Inviting you on a Journey with Jesus.” It oversees, enables, resources, and supports the person-inviting, disciple-making and disciple-growing aspects of the church’s ministry, from nursery to families to ecumenical Youth Group and VBS, to adult professionals, to retirees. It is concerned with education, but not merely as knowledge transfer, but heart changing: helping people of any age or stage meet Jesus, grow in faith, and become committed followers of Jesus. This team also oversees and resources any small groups that form, from study groups to affinity groups to service/mission groups. Mission & Outreach (Lynn Franko)This team concerns itself with supporting mission efforts that do not typically fall under our own congregation’s ministry. These may be local, regional, statewide, national, or global in nature. In many cases that support is financial, such as perhaps funding a missionary abroad. It may also sometimes be more personal, like forming a work trip to a devastated area of our nation.Worship & Music (Alex Campbell)The worship & music team concerns itself with providing for the worship and music aspects of our congregation, and considers not only present needs but future directions for forms of and tools for worship. There are practical matters like making sure ushers and greeters are covered, resourcing our choirs and accompanists, making sure candles are stocked, etc. It also, in collaboration with the pastor and music staff, considers weightier matters like the practice and philosophy of worship.

(Note: Nominating team is not listed because at-large members of this team are nominated by previous nominating team and elected at the congregational meeting. Dan Johnson is the chairperson this year)

CONTACT PERSONSAngie Ayotte, Church Office: (989) 823-7671

EldersDan Johnson (Clerk) (989) 823-2525............

Nicole Baker (917) 776-9546 Scott Wegrzyn (989) 529-1147...................... ......................

Alex Campbell (989) 823-3848 Winona Williams (989) 823-7696.................... ...................

DeaconsKirk Atkins (989) 297-7731 Brenda Haines (989) 871-3293.......................... ......................

Louanne Campbell (989) 823-3624 Cheryl Sholty (989) 823-2438............ ........................

Carole Essenmacher (989) 823-7813 Carol Swaffer (989) 823-3756......... ........................

PRAYER CHAINSTelephone Chain: Louanne Campbell….(989) 823-3624

Email Chain: Angie Ayotte (office@VassarFPC.org)

Contact PersonsSession Ministry Teams: Administration (Finance & Personnel) Scott Wegrzyn (989) 529-1147 ..................... Buildings & Grounds Alex Campbell (989) 823-3848 ............................................... Discipleship & Growth [contact session] ............................................. Communication & Publicity Nicole Baker (917) 776-9546 ..................................... Mission & Outreach Lynn Franko (989) 823-7590 ................................................. Nominating Dan Johnson (989) 823-2525 .............................................................. Worship & Music Alex Campbell (989) 823-3848 .....................................................

Deacons Carole Essenmacher (989) 823-7813 ....................................................................

Choir (Shared with First UMC) Pat Middlin (989) 545-0948..................................

SESSION HIGHLIGHTS

First Presbyterian Church

P.O. Box 117

Vassar, MI 48768