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Alma Thomas, Untitled, 1960, oil on canvas, 40" x 16"
Alma Thomas, Rainbow, 1978, acrylic on canvasboard, 18" x 24"
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Dear friends,
It's the best conversation in town. On Wednesday evenings, "First Talks Race" brings together 15 or more people to tell stories, voice pain and lament and hope. The aim is to deepen understanding of present realities and the challenges of creating change in troubled systems, to listen deeply to one another, and, together, to develop skills in acts of "micro-justice." Over food and drink, with trust that comes from friendship, grounded in Scripture and prayer, "First Talks Race" is ably led by Eric Thomas, Director of Adult Christian Education. If you haven't come by yet, it would be great to hear from you at the last of these gatherings, Wednesday, Feb. 3. Supper begins at 6:30 and conversation begins at 7 pm in the Elliott Room. Stay tuned for more dates and times and dates for this essential and ongoing conversation.
Jesus talks race in the gospel lesson this Sunday. Though not exactly in the same terms we do, Jesus talks about divine justice that breaks through hardened divisions people have constructed. He deliberately antagonizes the congregation in Nazareth, letting them know that God's grace is not only about them, but is intentionally directed to the oppressed, the despised and the invisible. It's a conversation that leaves him more vulnerable – and the heart of his message clearer - than ever before.
The snow's melting! So come to church Sunday to hear God's word and to sing some of your favorite hymns. The choir will sing "Order My Steps" and "His Eye Is On the Sparrow."
After church, the Annual Meeting of the Congregation will be held in the Elliott Room. Its purpose is to offer a chance for all to hear from the various church committees and leaders, to present the 2016 budget, and to elect new elders, officers of the corporation, and members of the next church-wide nominating committee. There will be special presentations from the Pastor Nominating Committee and the Children, Youth and Families Ministry. The Annual Report will be distributed and there will be plenty of time for questions and answers. Food and drink and childcare are provided, of course. I look forward to seeing you there!
Faithfully,
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About the art:
The African-American painter Alma Thomas (1891-1978) spent most of her life in the Washington, D.C., area, to which her family had moved in 1906 in the hopes of finding a better education and a less hostile racial environment than they had experienced in their native Georgia. She worked her entire adult life as a teacher. From 1924, when she graduated with a degree in Fine Arts from Howard University, until her retirement in 1960, she taught art at a junior high school in D.C., where she encouraged appreciation for art both in the classes she taught and in the community arts programs that she fostered. After her retirement, she continued painting, building a large body of works that has finally begun to win the attention of galleries and museums. Ms. Thomas' paintings clearly represent a personal response to major twentieth-century movements in abstraction, expressionism, and minimalism. Her many breathtaking canvases do not need any justification beyond their own considerable merit. However, the new admiration her career is garnering also testifies to the cultural reclamation process of retrieving the works of excluded populations (African-American, Latino, African, Asian, etc.) that has become a focus of institutions like the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney, etc. How grateful I am that this new attitude has resulted in the overdue recovery for the wider public (and for me!) of the beautiful works of this pioneering American artist. --- Jesus' words in the Scripture reading this week from Luke precisely addresses the responsibility to include and reclaim those whom power has pushed to the margins or rendered invisible. Only together, in a community of inclusion, will we find true beauty and the courage to enter the Kingdom. I think this was part of Alma Thomas' message too. (Rob Meadows-Rogers)
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Friday, January 29th
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Holy Mackerels Youth Group
The Gym
6:30 PM
Women's Potluck (see announcement, below)
Elliott Room
Sunday, January 31st
9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
9:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Sanctuary
10:00 AM
Adult Education (see information, below)
Thurman Room
11:00 AM
Sunday Worship: "Liberating the Word" by Reverend Nadine
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Sunday School (K - 7th Grade)
12:15 PM - 12:30 PM
Fellowship for All
Elliott Room
12:30 PM
Annual Meeting of the Congregation in the Elliott Room (see details, below)
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Park Plaza Diner, Cadman Plaza West
7:00 PM
Adult Education (see information, below)
Elliott Room
Thursday, February 4th
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Choir rehearsal
Sanctuary
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Congregation and Community News
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Annual Meeting
The Annual Meeting of the Congregation and Corporation of the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn will be held on Sunday, January 31st, immediately after worship, in the Elliott Room. Plan to stay to hear updates from the Pastor Nominating Committee, to learn about our growing Children, Youth and Families ministry, to see what the session has approved as the 2016 budget, and to elect 5 new elders, as well as members of the 2016 church-wide nominating committee. Refreshments and childcare will of course be provided.
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Focus on Hunger: The Mission and Social Action Committee has a goal to educate the entire congregation on the issues around food and hunger in our country and around the world, and why First Presbyterian is involved in alleviating the suffering associated with a lack of food.
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Almost 9 million children around the world died before they reached their fifth birthday during 2008. Approximately a third of all of those deaths were attributed to hunger and malnutrition.
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First Church in the News: Reverend Nadine's beaming face was featured next to a story in the online version of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. The article was a preview for our recent interfaith services with the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, held over Martin Luther King Jr weekend.
Another story appeared following the service at First Church on Sunday January 17th. The article includes a picture of Eric Thomas preaching. The article describes the service and interfaith planning, summarizing Eric's message and reminding us that "We Are the A-ha Moments."
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Women's Potluck - Friday January 29, 2016 at 6:30PM in the Elliott Room
Join the Women's Ministry for our first Potluck of the year. After dinner, Colette Foster will facilitate a mini Visioning workshop as we consider our intentions for 2016.
Visioning is a spiritual practice that brings prayer and meditation together to help you discern what what is seeking to emerge as the highest possibility for your life, your relationships, your business, your next project. What is Spirit's highest and best vision for your life? Give yourselves a treat. Bring your journals this Friday and lets see what shows up!
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Face the challenge and experience the reward!
The thought of having one more thing to do may feel like an impossible task, yet the experience may bring unexpected joys.
Please, volunteer to greet and welcome friends and meet new ones on a Sunday morning. Being a Greeter is a great opportunity to show new comers why you are part of FPC.
You can also volunteer to host Coffee Hour alone, with your family or with a fellow church member. You can help create a warm environment after service, where conversations that engage mind, body and soul can happen. If you need help figuring out how to do it, there are lots of people willing to show you the way.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our community.
For details or to sign-up to Meet and Greet or host Coffee Hour, please contact Marcia Smith, Annie Solages, or Gladys McNish.
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Adult Education
Sunday January 31 at 10:00 AM, Thurman Room
A while back, a member of our Adult Ed discussion on Sunday morning noted that, in his experience, conservative evangelicals seem to have an affinity for the Gospel of John (e.g. John 3.16). That started me thinking about the place of Jesus and of the Incarnation in the churches that do not bend to the theological right. What do the name and the person of Jesus mean to me and to others in our Sunday gathering? I took the inspiration for today's gathering from "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," a hymn that meant a lot to me as a child and an adolescent; in a way, it still means a lot. We will look at this hymn, as well as a set of Scripture readings and two poems. Since a leopard can't change his spots, I will also bring in some visual resources that pertain to my own experience of Jesus and that the group might find stimulating too. Led by Rob Meadows-Rogers.
Wednesday February 3 at 7:00 PM, Elliot Room
First Talks Race: Adult Ed is taking three Wednesday sessions - (January 20, 27), and February 3 to engage in difficult yet intimate conversations on race in context with Galatians 6:1-10. These conversations allow members to ask questions and hear answers about the assumptions, privileges, and possibilities of unity in difference. As we celebrate our intentionally diverse congregation, these sessions help us to unpack the complexities of what that term means in a safe space. Members bring soup and snacks to share at 6:30 with discussion beginning at 7:00 pm. Led by Eric Thomas.
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Youthful Fellowship - Friday, February 12 from 7:00-8:30 PM, Thurman Room
The Youthful Fellowship (YF) gathering will be dedicated towards the theme of love and the sharing our hopes and joys in the challenges of living into our Christian faith facing Generations X and Y. Bring a snack or beverage to share. Led by Eric Thomas.
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Your Pastor Nominating Committee continues to work diligently and prayerfully to discern whom God is calling to be the next Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn. We are currently in the critical phase of interviewing our final candidates before choosing a nominee. Our process of discernment has been filled with prayerful listening as we work together to get to know our final candidates more fully. Soon, we will start to plan the presentation and introduction of the candidate to our congregation. At the Annual Meeting on January 31st, we will be previewing some of the process so that members will know what to expect in coming months. Please pray for our patience, wisdom and discipline as we continue this work.
Yours in Christ,
Joyce Abernethy (co-chair), Edna Asknes, Nate Dudley, Richard Greene, Aluko Hope, Kara Maguire, Willy Norton (co-chair), Jane Quinn, Patty Watwood
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Connect to New York City Presbytery
Stay connected with the latest news and opportunities in and around the presbytery by subscribing to Happenings In & Around the Presbytery, the Presbytery's electronic newsletter. Click here and fill out the Contact Information Form to add your email address to the subscribers list. Once completed, return the form to the presbytery office or email it to Yzette Swavy-Lipton.
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Thank you from the Stewardship Committee!
Our 2016 Pledge campaign is nearing completion, and we want you give you a heartfelt thanks for the many pledges of support to FPC. We have a record number of new pledges this year, and have very nearly met our commitment goal. A few more pledges will push us over our goal and ensure the budget for the important year ahead. Thank you for the commitment and love and offerings you have given to our church.
If you still wish to make a pledge, here's the link: (link)
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Worship services are streamed live over the Internet. On our website we provide the worship bulletin so that you can follow along. Tune in to worship at 11:00 AM Eastern time.
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Like us. Follow us. Visit us.
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Last Week at First Church
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Videos featuring some of the music from recent worship services are available on YouTube and on the Church's Facebook page. ("Like" us there, too!)
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Reminders and Looking Ahead
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After the Sermon
Each Sunday after worship, you are invited to discuss the sermon and other topics of interest in the Elliott Room after the service. This informal time is an opportunity to explore themes, ask questions, and/or share experiences relevant to the worship service and the practice of our faith. Led by Eric Thomas.
Note: There will be no "After the Sermon" session January 31 due to the Annual Meeting. Post-church talks will resume February 7 and Sundays following.
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The next Inquirers' Class will be held on Sunday, March 6 right after church, in the Thurman Room. New members will be welcomed by the Session before church on the following Sunday, March 13, and by the congregation during worship on March 13.
Find out what church membership means, what the Presbyterian Church is about, what First Church's unique mission is and how you can be part of it. Since only church members may vote on the candidate to become the new pastor of the church, whom the PNC will present to the congregation later this spring, now's a great time to join First Church.
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First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn Social Action Committee
Criminal Justice Activities in concert with The Church of Gethsemane
A Presbyterian Church in Park Slope, Brooklyn, founded in 1986, which was created by and for formerly incarcerated men and women, their families, neighborhood people and people who are called into ministry with the poor. Reverend Diane Lacey is the pastor.
Overview of Project Connect – A successful, 25 year-old program of The Church of Gethsemane that connects men and women who are incarcerated to the Church of Gethsemane while they are still inside the prison system. Project Connect uses a four-pronged approach to join in ministry with people who are incarcerated and then helps in the transition back into the home and the community upon release. Minister Chibueze Okorie is the Project Connect Director.
Service Opportunities for FPC members with Gethsemane
- Preparing and Serving Lunch after Sunday worship service (typically 40 people)
- February 21 Criminal Justice Sunday
- March 6
- Making Prison Visits with Gethsemane staff to Project Connect members
- Sign up for orientation training
- Donating clothes, food and other items
- Can drop off at Gethsemane Mon-Thurs 10AM-4PM
- Or contact Dave Ehlke for delivery
- Metrocards for job and job interviews
- Contributing words of encouragement in monthly group letters
- Administrative support for special projects
- Employment assistance for formerly incarcerated men & women
- Mental Health consultation ( if qualified)
- Housing assistance
- Project Connect Peer group participation & individual support
- Legal assistance, computer training, conduct seminars
- Volunteer Sunday afternoons as mentors- helping people with resumes, budgeting, organizing appointments and listening to needs & issues and praying with them.
Want to get involved?
For more information or to volunteer for any of the highlighted opportunities to serve, contact either
Jane Ehlke (email), Phone 781-572-6201 or
Dave Ehlke (email), Phone 617-512-5780
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This week's e-newsletter was edited by Mark Elsenheimer, who also happened to provide the photos.
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Online Donations: Set up a recurring gift to the church through a secure online account. To set up an account or to edit an existing gift, go to First Presbyterian Church's website.
Flower Donations. We welcome flower donations of $30 or more in memory or in honor of friends and loved ones. Call Annie Solages in the Church office at 718-624-3770 or see Barbara Cummings during fellowship hour on Sundays.
Appointments with Ministry Staff may be arranged by calling the Church at 718-624-3770, or via email.
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