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Head Manager in Charge of…Me
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Happy New Year First Church Family and Friends!
Although we are weeks away from the worldwide celebration of the new year, we are smack dab in the middle of the church's new year that began with Advent. While I'm not a fan of new year's resolutions, I do appreciate opportunities to recalibrate the management of my attitudes and behaviors, and to live a life more aligned with the teachings of Jesus. As people of faith who believe in space at God's table for all people, we need to periodically reconsider the management of our old lives and push into lives that are new. The new year is a great time to up our game, to think about the management of me.
Management is another way of saying stewardship and stewardship is much bigger than money. Stewardship is the management of me. God calls each of us to be the head manager in charge of ourselves. All of ourselves. Our time. Our gifts. Our work. Our play. To lean into something new, reach for something higher, commit to something bigger. To manage ourselves.
We have been reading texts in this new year that remind us to live our lives with urgency, because we the future is uncertain. To live our lives dripping wet with the waters of baptism, because loving and healing creation is what we were made for. To live our lives answering the call to be God's faithful servants until our lives end, because faithful service is the stuff of life. The management of me is stewardship 101 – living all of life in faithful and intentional service to God's vision of hope, love, joy, and peace.
The task of managing ourselves takes on new urgency in this new year when incidents of hate and harassment are on the rise. I've asked you to take exquisite care of your minds, bodies, and spirits, because when the call comes to show up on behalf of our neighbor, we want to be a church that is ready. Some of the ways that we have and are living out the management of me:
· We stood and were counted with the 250+ New Yorkers who rallied at Gracie Mansion this past Sunday to #CLOSErikers. The Vigil received significant media attention. It was broadcast on multiple news outlets such as Fox5, NY1, Pix 11, News12 and 1010 Wins. Thus far, DNAinfo, Fox 5, andNY1 have run print articles as well. Links to these and other articles will be posted on the CLOSErikers Facebook & Twitter pages as they come in.
· Many of us attend events that deepen connections with members of our First Church community like our Grown-up Christmas Party, scheduled for this Saturday evening from 6-8 pm. $10 gets you world class music, good food, good people, and good conversation. Join us in the Elliott Room!
· We show up for worship on Sunday mornings to support one another and receive bread for our own journeys of faith. This Sunday we will enjoy the beautifully creative work of our young people as they offer us the gift of their artistic talents. Bethlehem: A Christmas Musical is a story of the Christ-child told by First Church children. How cool is that?!
The gifts you offer First Church Brooklyn, and the church universal, change hearts and minds about the revolutionary power of love. You matter. And the way you manage the entirety of your life matters to your church and to the God who breathed the breath of life into you. Come hang out with us Saturday night and get to know some new folks. Bring a new unwrapped toy on Sunday for the toy drive supporting our partners at the Eastern Farmworkers Association. If you haven't signed up to teach Sunday school, there is a spot with your name on it. The light of the world is about to be born anew. I can't wait to see you Sunday when we light the Advent candle of joy.
You are loved,
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Friday, December 9th
Saturday, December 10th
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Grown-Up Christmas Party
Sunday, December 11th
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Nursery is open on the second floor.
9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Choir Rehearsal in the Sanctuary
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
Youth Band in the Rose Room
10:00 AM - 10:45 AM
11:00 AM
No Sermon: Children's Christmas Pageant
BETHLEHEM: A Christmas Musical
12:15 PM
Coffee Hour follows worship in the Elliott Room.
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Park Plaza Diner, Cadman Plaza West
Thursday, December 15th
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Food Pantry
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
6:30 PM potluck, 7:00 PM music and prayers.
An Advent of Water and Light
Saturday, December 17th
9:30 AM & 11:00 AM
Breakfast with Santa | 9:30 AM and 11 AM
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Congregation and Community News
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BETHLEHEM: A Christmas Musical
(to be presented in the style of HAMILTON)
Get ready for some Christian Christmas Hip-Hop!
Pageant dates for your calendar:
Sunday December 4th
11:15-12:15 pmRehearsal (During Sunday School)
12:15-1:00 pm Potluck Lunch
1:00-2:00 pm Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
Saturday December 10th
12:00-2:00 pm Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
Sunday December 11th
10:15 am Arrival for Pageant Participants
11:00 am Pageant Presentation during Worship
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Hello First Church Family - It is nearly time for our 8th annual Breakfast with Santa event on Saturday December, 17th!
This fun and fabulous event with St. Nick is a major fundraiser for the Children, Youth, and Families programming and we would love your support.
First - Come! Whether you have children or just a kid at heart, come eat pancakes and have a good time.
Second - Invite a friend! or hang up our attached flyer in your child's school, in your building or on a community bulletin board.
Third - Volunteer! We can always use more hands.
Here are the event details:
WHAT: Pancake Breakfast, Christmas Music, Crafts & a Picture with Santa!
WHEN: Saturday, December 17th. Two Seatings - 9:30 am and 11:00 am
WHY: Enjoy a family friendly, stress-free visit with Santa!
WHERE: First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, 124 Henry St. @ Clark St.
TICKETS: $10 per person or $40 per family
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Sunday School Volunteers Needed!
It takes a Brooklyn Village to raise our children in the faith. Contact James and Elizabeth to express your interest.
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Blankets and Winter Coats
Please donate any coats you feel you can give away so we can provide them those in need. We are also asking for donations of blankets. We ask for new or slightly used coats and blankets. Please donate what you can.
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Adult Education
Sunday Adult Education
10:00 AM - 10:50 AM, Thurman Room
(Traditional bible study in relation to issues and questions of our times)
Wednesday Adult Education
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM, Elliott Room
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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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Even with tens of millions of Americans on food stamps there are still large numbers of Americans that go hungry each night. According to the BBC, 15% of all U.S. households experienced a shortage of food at some point during 2009.
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On Thursday, December 8th, our Food Pantry served 106 guests
with the help of 18 volunteers.
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Men's Fellowship Breakfast
Meets Wednesday morning at the Park Plaza Diner, 220 Cadman Plaza West, 7:00-8:30AM. We are reading Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J.D. Vance.
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Worship services are streamed live over the Internet. We provide the worship bulletin on the website so that you can follow along. Tune in to worship at 11:00 AM Eastern time.
We have an audio podcast of our Sermons. Click the "Sermon Podcast" icon below to subscribe to audio versions of all the sermons since July, 2016.
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Like us. Follow us. See us. Hear us.
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Members of our congregation joined hundreds of other New Yorkers at the #CloseRikers Vigil at Gracie Mansion on Sunday, December 4th. The First Church Brooklyn team joined in to demand Mayor DeBlasio close Riker's Island Jail because of inhumane conditions.
December 4, 2016
December 4, 2016
December 4, 2016
Photos From Installation Sunday
All photos from Reverend Thorne's Installation are now available here!
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Reminders and Looking Ahead
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Youth Fellowship
On December 9th, at 7:00 PM, we invite those in their 20s and 30s to come together with food and drinks with Eric Thomas in the Thurman Room.
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Advent and Christmas at First Church Brooklyn
December 10th: Grown-Up Christmas Party | 6-8 PM $10 per person
Good food, good people, and good music. RSVP by Dec. 5th to info@firstchurchbrooklyn.org
December 14th: An Advent of Water and Light |6:30 PM potluck, 7:00 PM music and prayers. The holidays are not easy for everyone. Come light a candle, say a prayer, sing a song in a community.
December 17th: Breakfast with Santa | 9:30 AM and 11 AM
Call or e-mail the office for tickets - $10 per person and $40 per family
December 22nd: Carol of the Bells: An Interactive Music and Light Installation |6-7:30 PM
Join us at the front entrance for this annual Christmas delight. Composed by Chris Neuner. Ken Thompson, saxophone.
December 24th: Christmas Eve Worship | 7:00 PM
Plan to be with your First Church community for worship at 7 PM.
December 25th: Christmas Day | 11:00 AM
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Call For Artists
Many people experience the Holy in the beauty of our Sanctuary, the sound of our musicians and choirs, and the poetry of our prayers. If you are intested in helping the First Church Brooklyn community to experience God with movement, puppetry, dramatic presentation, fabric, flowers, writing, set design, and more, please share your interest with Pastor Adriene or call the church office. A meeting will be organized this fall to plan art for the coming year. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.
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Worship Leaders
Interested in taking part as a reader during Sunday service? We welcome volunteers from the congregation to sign up as Worship Leaders. Please contact Annie Solages in the church office at 718-624-3770 or speak to Worship Committee Co-Chairs Edna Asknes or Barbara Cummings.
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First Presbyterian Church Social Action Committee
Criminal Justice Activities in Concert With the Church of Gethsemane
First Church continues to be active with the Church of Gethsemane.
We are looking for volunteers to serve lunch after worship on Sunday Dec. 9th. Please contact Jane Ehlke if you are interested.
Project Connect Family Support Program With NYU School of Social Work
Gloria Sellers is spending one day each week managing a Masters student intern from the School of Social Work at NYU to help provide support services to families of incarcerated Project Connect members.
This is a new program and expands the scope of Project Connect. A special thanks to Gloria Sellers for taking on this responsibility.
Prison Visits
Jane Ehlke, Dianne Hutchison, Diane Grimes and Mary Lynn Fiske, along with Rev Lacey and 3 women from Second Presbyterian Church visited women at Bedford Hills Prisons on Dec 3rd.
Dave Ehlke is still looking for volunteers to visit men in prison on weekdays.
Close Rikers Vigil
Eight members of FPC participated along with approximately 250 other people in the Close Rikers vigil at Mayor diBlasio's house at Gracie Mansion on Sunday, Dec 4th. Those participating included Dave Ehlke Jane Ehlke, Wlily Norton, Linda Norton, Mark Dollar, Aluko Hope, Steve deFluiter and Lexie Lovell.. Rev. Adriene was one of the faith leaders that helped organize the event along with "JustLeadershipUSA". Dave Ehlke also attended a panel discussion for the Lippman Commison discussing solutionsa on how to close Rikers at BMCC on Monday evening.
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Children, Youth and Families
Donations sought
Children, Youth, and Families (CYF) have compiled a wish list of items that could help maximize our programming capabilities. If you have any of the below items lying around in storage, or would like to gift the CYF program by making a purchase, your donations would be greatly appreciated!
COMPUTER:
A new mac like this (we don't need a monitor), or any type of mac computer (all in one, pro tower, mini etc) made any year 2012 or later. We're looking for a fast, modern computer to do video editing, music production etc...)
PROJECTOR:
A new projector like this, or any type of projector with at least one HDMI input made 2012 or later.
PROJECTOR MOUNT:
WII CONSOLE:
Preferably an ORIGINAL (not WII U) WII console. WII remotes, accessories etc.
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This week's eNewsletter was edited by Caleb Heidebrecht. Photos were provided by Christina Adorno and Colin St. Rose.
There is an opening for eNewsletter editor! If interested in this one-week-a-month ministry, please contact Mark Elsenheimer.
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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.
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