From the Pastor
Dear Friends,
“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But truly God has listened;
he has given heed to the words of my prayer.”
Psalms 66:18,19
“. . . for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”
Isaiah 56:7b
How is your prayer life? Too often we pray only when we are in crisis, begging God to make things right. We are missing much from this communication vehicle if we only use it to petition God when things seem bleak.
Is there a right or a wrong way to pray? I don’t think so, as prayers are to come from the heart. We are to approach prayer with the assurance that as we share all that is in our hearts, God will hear us. Our prayers can be for help, inspiration, repentance, gratefulness . . . for any number of things. God wants for us to pray, and for our faith to grow and be renewed, it is critical for us to spend time in prayer.
During the upcoming weeks of Lent, I invite you to spend more time in prayer. In Sunday worship we will be looking at the Lord’s Prayer, the prayer that Jesus gave to his disciples when they asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” Also, a Lenten Devotional will be available to those who would like to spend some time in prayer each day leading up to Easter. The devotional will include prayers of confession that have been used in our worship services for the last few years, along with a scripture passage and a question upon which readers may reflect.
I hope you will join me and others as we pray, not only for ourselves during this Lenten season, but for our church, our community, our city, our nation and the world. Let us pray for neighbors, friends, family and those who we do not know. Let us pray . . .
I hope to see you in church
Nancy
Challenge Offering
John Gloucester House
A mission center supported by the Presbytery of Philadelphia, the John Gloucester House has served Point Breeze’s 26,000 residents since 1968 with assistance and direct services that improve the quality of life in the community. It offers a wide range of programs including Head Start Learning Tree, Benefit Bank, an after school program and a summer day camp.
One very important program that began in 2006 is “Presbyterians Building Community: The Point Breeze Habitat Project. Working in partnership with Habitat for Humanity and eight Presbyterian churches, the John Gloucester House shared in the goal of creating simple affordable housing for families in Point Breeze.
Please give as generously as you can to this exciting and vital outreach ministry. Checks should be made payable to First Church and marked John Gloucester House.
$1,319 was received in support of the Christmas Joy Offering,
the December Challenge Offering.
In Case of Snow
In the event of inclement weather or lack of heat in the building it may be necessary to cancel our worship service. Such a decision would be made at the last minute and announced on KYW Radio (1060 AM) and local television news programs. During the week if the Philadelphia Public Schools are closed the church will be closed.
Session Meeting - Wednesday, February 13 at 7:00 PM
New Members
20 January 2008
Delores Amanda Adams (Mandy)
Karima Bouchenafa
Hortense Kennedy
Henry and Natalie Collins
Rudolph Sutton
Marc Trexler
Bread and Cup Coffee House
Sunday, February 10 at 7:00 PM
The centerpiece of the February Bread and Cup Coffee House will be the screening of the Germantown High School student produced documentary, All We Ask Is That You Listen. The video, shown at the Philadelphia Film Festival, documents the students’ impressions of violence in our city. As of press time, we hope to have the video-grapher and some of the students here to share their thoughts with us. As always we will have open microphone time and refreshments for you to share and enjoy.
Lenten Series
This year’s Lenten Series will focus on the theme of Violence, Criminal Justice and Reconciliation. It all begins at the February 10th Bread and Cup with the screening of All We Ask Is That You Listen. On the following Wednesdays we will examine these topics
02/20 The Trials of Darryl Hunt
HBO documentary of a man accused, tried convicted and jailed for rape and then exonerated by DNA evidence.
02/27 Victims’ Rights: Support in Crisis
03/05 Ex-Offenders: Challenges to Re-Entry
03/12 Restorative Justice: Healing the Community
Pearlington Mission Trip
Kevin and Christian will take a group of FPCG members and friends to Pearlington, MS during Holy Week. Participants will fly to New Orleans on Saturday, March 15 and return on Friday, March 21. If you would like to join the group or find out how to support those who are going, please contact Kevin or Christian.
Do You Know This Member?
Chris Scott will represent The First Presbyterian Church in Germantown and the Presbytery of Philadelphia as a Youth Advisory Delegate (YAD) to this year’s General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Young people from the 139 churches of our presbytery applied to be considered to serve as the presbytery’s YAD to the 218th General Assembly in San Jose, CA, June 21-28, 2008. Chris was notified January 18th that he was chosen to attend the assembly and participate in the discussions and decisions that will be made on behalf of Presbyterians throughout the United States.
Chris joined First Church just a few years ago and has been an active member ever since. He was a member of “Da Belz” (handbell choir), is a participant in the Young Adult group, serves as an usher and is the coach of one of the church’s basketball teams, where he serves as a mentor to some of our young men.
Congratulations Chris!
Prison Ministry
by Larry Elliott
In December volunteers from First Church, Ambler and Flourtown Presbyterian participated in the Graterford Holiday Project. On the first day we packed and distributed 3100 gift bags for inmates at Graterford State Prison. Church members were joined by several cordial, mannerly and hardworking inmates.
Male volunteers returned to the prison on the second day of the project to distribute the bags. As we entered the cellblock I noticed that actually being in a prison is totally different than seeing the inside of a prison on television. It is sad to see human beings locked in spaces smaller than most bathrooms and forced to peer out through a small window in a cell door. As guards unlocked each door we were able to hand each inmate a gift bag, offer a handshake and a holiday greeting. Most of the inmates were young and many far away from home. Our brief visit provided the only contact with the outside world. What contributions these men could be making to society if they had only taken a different road in life! As the second day of the project ended, I was glad to have participated and would like to do so again next year.
I would like to thank volunteers Kevin Porter, Jim Thompson, Peter Smith and Christian Heyer-Rivera, Eugene Gardenhire who drove the church bus both days, Rudi Stroh for helping to organize the volunteers and Eileen Jones for bringing this project to the attention of the Mission and Outreach Committee.
IHN
The Interfaith Hospitality Network, “the shelter that is not like a shelter” provides shelter, food and other assistance to our neighbors in need. Our next hosting period begins Sunday, February 24. Look for the sign up table in coffee hour to learn more about this program and how you can help this vital outreach mission.
Let’s All Sing Like the Choir
There are at least a half dozen wonderful voices, male and female, out in the congregation every Sunday morning that belong in the choir. Although you are needed “out there” to support and encourage congregational singing, we could always, OR from time to time, use your voice up front with the Chancel Choir. You can talk with David Daughtery about singing with the choir on a regularly scheduled part time basis, such as Lent through Easter Sunday. Full time or part time, your talent will be gratefully accepted.
Ring a Bell
There are some adults interested in forming a bell choir and we could use your talent as well. Bell ringing is a great physical activity for the upper arms; it provides wonderful mental stimulation and challenge and provides a most pleasing opportunity to socialize with a dozen like-minded people who enjoy making music together. No previous experience is necessary; however, being able to read music–either treble or bass clef–puts you at the head of the line. Rehearsal will begin in mid February. Give David Daugherty a call at 215-843-8811, ext. 21, to sign up or for more information.
Soup and Bread Sale
The Annual Bread and Cup Coffee House Soup and Bread Fund Raiser will be held Sunday, February 17 following the worship service. Anyone interested in making homemade soup or bread should contact Susan Mills Farrington. We are looking for your secret specialties to make our fund raiser a resounding success.
Loaves & Fishes Auction and Dinner
The auction and dinner, benefitting the neediest in our community, will be held Saturday, May 10 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM in the Longstreth Auditorium. Proceeds will support the Germantown Avenue Crisis Ministry, Northwest Interfaith Hospitality Network, Whosoever Gospel Mission and the St. Catherine Laboure Medical Clinic. Put this date on your calendar now! It is an evening you do not want to miss–plan to come and bring some friends!
We need you help with items and services for auction. Is there an item, service or craft you would be willing to donate? Is there a company or someone you could ask for a donation? If yes, please call Rosy Walkenhorst or Martha Drusedum by February 10.
Congregational
Brunch
Sunday, February 24
Philadelphia Urban Ministry Institute
PUMI (Philadelphia Urban Ministry Institute) is going to Washington DC on Saturday, February 23. We will leave the church at 8:00 AM and our first stop will be for lunch at the Potter’s House, a ministry of Church of the Savor. We will hear from leaders of Potter’s House and view a video about the unique ministry of Church of the Savior. Then we will travel to another section of Washington where we will meet with staff and members of Luther Place, a small congregation that has done dynamic and life changing ministry in its community. If you would like to travel with us, please call the church office to reserve a spot on the church bus. There will be a charge of $20 for transportation and lunch
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