THE PILGRIM VISITORTHE PILGRIM VISITOR

December 2017-Vol. 42, No. 12

Published Monthly

First Congregational Church of Royal Oak 1314 Northwood Boulevard, Royal Oak, Michigan 48073 248.288.4220—fccro@fccro.org—www.fccro.org

Return Service Requested

FCCRO CALENDAR of EVENTS

Sun. Dec. 10 Christmas Workshop, everyone is welcome! 3-5pm crafts, 5-6pm caroling, 6-7pm dinner Tues. Dec 12 Board Meetings, 7pm Wed. Dec. 13 Red Cross Blood Drive, 10am-4pm Sun. Dec. 17 Youth Christmas Pageant, during worship service!

Sunday December 24

Worship Service, 10:30am

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service, 7pm

A MESSAGE FROM

REV. DR. MARK JENSEN

From the fifth century comes the

Christian tradition of celebrating Advent.

It was created as a time of preparation

for the birth of Jesus, the gift of

Christmas. From the medieval period,

Advent wreaths and candles were added

to the season. Over the years Santa

Claus or St. Nicholas from Asia Minor,

the Christmas tree from Germany, the

hymn “Silent Night” from Austria and a

number of traditions from our personal

family histories have been added.

Through it all Christians are called back

to the gift of the birth of the Babe of

Bethlehem.

In our Meeting House worship and fun

Advent and Christmas will be times when

we plan to be together as a Church

family. Acknowledging changes in

church, community and the world, we

honor the steadfast relationship we have

with our faith and one another. In a time

of increased secularization let us be

present as we hear the Word, sing the

carols and light the candles. Every

Sunday and Christmas Eve, if you are

able, let your presence be your gift to

our church family. Our journey to

Bethlehem can bring strength to each

one of us.

Mark Jensen

THE PILGRIM VISITOR

BOOKS ON WHEELS

The library team would

like to lend church library

books to those who are

recuperating at home, or

are otherwise unable to

get to church. Anyone who is

homebound, regardless of age, can take

advantage of this lending program. You

can give us suggestions on the type of

book you would enjoy borrowing, or our

team can select some for you based on

your interests. We have books for all

ages and on all subjects. We even have

a selection of large print books you can

borrow.

If you, or someone you know, could

benefit from this lending program, please

contact Anne Hoyt. Anne will be the

Books on Wheel contact person, and

deliveries/pickups will be provided by

other library team members at our

church.

A message for Mark can be left in the office, or email him at

mpjfccro@gmail.com.

OFFICE UPDATE Our new internet service is up and

running faster than ever!

NEW WIFI PASSWORD: NORTHWOOD

WEDNESDAYS AT ONE will sell nuts (pecans, cashews, mixed

nuts—no peanuts!) in the hallway after worship service.

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A Message from TINA

the Director of Family Ministries

It’s here! December, that joyous month

that is often all hustle and bustle, with

hardly a moment to slow down! It can be

hard to focus on the real reason we

celebrate Christmas! I found that the

article from Parenting Christian Kids, our

new newsletter for parents, hit the nail on

the head in terms of the struggle with

balancing consumerism and faith. In the

article, it says “Despite Christians’ efforts

to honor the true meaning of Christmas,

each December we must do battle with

our consumer-oriented culture.” I try to

balance that in my own household, and it

is hard! The article offers some good tips

for maintaining that balance, check it out!

You can find the newsletters on the

bulletin board next to the social hall, or

outside my office. I also post it online on

our new FCCRO Kids Facebook page!

The newsletter also has a monthly

calendar of events within the church!

Speaking of hustle and bustle, there is a

lot of activity happening here at FCCRO

this month! We will be having a Classical

Christmas Bells performance on Sunday,

December 3rd

at 4pm to kick off the

month, then Sunday, December 10 is our

Christmas Workshop from 3-7. We will

have many different craft stations for

families to enjoy from 3-5, then an hour

of caroling and dinner to end the night! It

is going to be a perfect family event, and

I hope to see you there!

Sunday, December 17, is our Christmas

Pageant, during service! We have a very

special play picked out this year and

some fantastic young actors to fill the

roles! Don’t miss it!

Finally, we will have a morning service

on Christmas Eve, since it falls on a

Sunday, and at 7 pm, our beautiful

candlelight service, my favorite! I look

forward to sharing in the joy of the

season with all of you!

Tina Sherban

BOARD OF CHRISTIAN

OUTREACH (BCO)

MONTHLY UPDATE

BEACON OF HOPE FOOD PANTRY

The next food pantry is Saturday,

December 16, with help

needed any time from

10am to 1pm. Also, help

with setup is needed on

Friday, December 15, at 7pm. This is

held at Good Shepard Lutheran Church.

Any time you can devote is greatly

appreciated and helps the pantry to run

smoother. It reduces long wait times for

guests receiving the food as well as the

volunteers. Please consider helping if

you haven’t before. Thank you to

everyone who has volunteered in the

past as well as those who have provided

butter and cheese.

CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR

JIMMY’S KIDS

Jimmy’s Kids provides gifts on Christmas

morning to children in Detroit who may

not otherwise receive any presents.

Please consider donating unwrapped

presents by

December 17.

They can be placed

under the tree in the

narthex. Five Below

across from

Oakland Mall will

eliminate sales tax

when you mention

Jimmy’s Kids at the checkout. Gifts for

older kids, especially girls, are needed.

Other ways to volunteer for this

great cause is to help sort

presents on December 2 and

December 9 any time between

9am and 1pm as well as

delivering gifts on Christmas day,

starting at 9am. Please see Emily

Forster if interested in more details. You

can reach her through email at

forsteremily@gmail.com or by phone at

313-268-4633.

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE

The Board of Christian Outreach

donated $400 to Church World Services

for relief efforts in Puerto Rico.

SALVATION ARMY BELL RINGING

We have scheduled bell

ringing dates of Saturday,

December 9, from 12-8pm

and Saturday, December

16, from 2-8pm. Please sign up during

coffee hour.

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CALLING ALL BLOOD DONORS! FCC will be hosting a blood drive Wednesday, December 13th, from

10am to 4pm. Volunteers are needed for check in and canteen area. Please

contact Marian Kahn if you would like to help! 248-686-9730 or

marian.b.kahn@gmail.com. Thank you for your support!

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KIVA REPORT

Two new loans have been made, one for

$100 and one for $75. Both loans are to

business women in the Solomon Islands,

a country we have not loaned to before.

Below are profiles of the new recipients.

FCC LOANED ROSE $100

Rose is a fifty-year-old woman who is

married with four children and lives in a

rural community in Honiara, capital of

Solomon Island. She runs a housing

business providing houses for rent in her

community to earn a living. She has

been doing this for 3 years.

Rose has requested a loan to pay for

housing materials like cement, nails,

bricks and conduct rolls and fittings to

make improvements to her house, so

that her tenants can have a good

standard of living. She hopes to use her

profits to support her family and build a

new house for them.

Rose became a member of SPBD in

2015 to gain access to financial services

for her business.

FCC LOANED JOSEPHINE $75

Josephine is a forty six-year-old woman

who is married with three children and

lives in a rural community outside

Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands.

She has a garden where she grows

pineapples that she can sell in her

community and at the market to earn a

living. She has been doing this for one

year.

Josephine has requested a loan to pay

for gardening tools and fertilizers to

assist her with her gardening activities in

order to increase her production of

pineapples and thus earn a good profit.

She hopes to use the profits from her

sales to meet her family's weekly

expenses and help pay for her children’s

school fees.

She has been a member of SPBD since

2015.

THE PILGRIM VISITOR

the Christian Century and The

Congregationalist. Our goal is to find,

with God's guidance, the right minister

for FCCRO. In addition, the PSC will

reach out to seminaries that may have

appropriate candidates.

If ultimately the search ends with the

call of a minister outside of the NA, the

NA can offer us guidance as to how

best to integrate that individual into

Congregationalism.

Although there are aspects of the

search that must remain confidential,

the PSC welcomes your comments and

questions, which we will address to the

best of our ability, within the confines of

keeping confidentiality a priority.

AN UPDATE FROM YOUR PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE

The Pastoral Search Committee (PSC) is

fortunate to have three ministers to give

us advice as we continue the search

process: The Rev. Dr. Mark Jensen, The

Rev. Charlie Hall, and Dr. Michael

Chittum, Executive Director of the

National Association (NA). We are told

that within the NA, FCCRO has a very

good reputation; Royal Oak is considered

a desirable location; and we have

created a strong profile document. (This

profile document is on the NA website. It

describes many aspects of FCC and

allows a potential candidate to

understand FCC before they apply. )

However, we are facing a demographic

challenge within the NA that has led the

PSC to decide that we must search

outside of the National Association, as

well as within the organization. Like

most denominations, there is a shortage

of ministers in Congregationalism. Dr.

Chittum shared with us that, over the last

two years, there were only four CFTS

(Congregational Foundation for

Theological Studies) graduates. Combine

this information with the rate of retiring

Congregational ministers and the number

of NA churches currently seeking a Sr.

Minister (a moving target, but averages

25), and it is clear that we need to do

some thinking outside of the box!

Charlie, Mark, and Michael support us in

broadening our search and feel it is

necessary in order to ensure a strong

pool of candidates.

Dr. Chittum recommended placing ads in

CHRISTMAS POINSETTIAS The poinsettias decorating the sanctuary at Christmastime are donated by church members and friends. A minimum donation of $8 is suggested to cover the cost of each plant. There is a box and a donor list in the Narthex for donations. Your gift may be given as a memorial or in honor of someone. A list of donors will be printed in the bulletin on December 24

th. Some of the

poinsettias will be given by the Deacons to those on their care list. Others will remain in the Sanctuary until the end of the year.

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6 Reasons to Sit in a Different Seat at Church This Weekend

By Chuck Lawless—November 9, 2017 on churchleaders.com

I know some readers won’t like this post. Most of us have a habit of sitting in the same place in

church on Sunday, and I realize that nobody else is calling for changing this pattern.

Nevertheless, I press on with my reasons that you and I should sit in a different place at church

this weekend.

Most of us get too comfortable at church in general. We develop all kinds of habits, like

parking in the same area, going in the same door, following the same route to our small

group room, sitting in the same place, and often going to the same restaurants after the

service. Nothing changes—including, frankly, the depth of our walk with God. We

also don’t expect God to do anything different when we gather, and we then get what we

expected.

You’ll get to know different people. You might already know everybody in your church,

but sitting among different people will give you opportunity to get to know somebody

more deeply. If you don’t know everybody, moving your seat will allow you to know

somebody new. You’ll appreciate better the Body of Christ.

You’ll see and hear the service differently. It’s strange, actually, how changing your seat

alters your perspective on the service. You look at the preacher from a different vantage

point. You hear the music and the singing differently. You notice things about the building

you had never seen before. You’ll often even listen to the sermon differently, simply

because everything feels new (and, if you think I’m nuts here, at least try it…).

Somebody else might need your current seat. For example, too many people sit toward

the back of a worship center, thus forcing latecomers and guests to walk to the front.

That’s not the most loving or wise way to welcome these folks to the service. Why don’t

you sit toward the front this week and free up space for others?

You’ll learn to be more comfortable with change in general. Here’s my crazy

suggestion: Sit in a different place every week. Don’t let yourself get stagnant in your

approach to church, beginning with the simple decision of where you sit. Change your

place each week, and you’ll likely be more open to change as your church moves forward

in the future.

If you completely refuse to change, you might reveal a negative side of your

heart. I understand there are reasons to sit in a particular place (e.g., for access to

hearing devices, seating for handicapped, etc.), but most of us have little reason not to

change—except for stubbornness. If that’s your reason for not even considering this

suggestion, you may need to check your heart.

(Chuck Lawless currently serves as Professor of Evangelism and Missions and Dean of Graduate Studies at Southeastern

Seminary. You can connect with Dr. Lawless on Twitter @Clawlessjr and on at facebook.com/CLawless.)

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF ROYAL OAK 1314 Northwood Boulevard, Royal Oak, Michigan 48073

(248) 288-4220 fccro@fccro.org www.fccro.org

The Rev. Dr. Mark P. Jensen, Interim Senior Minister mpjfccro@gmail.com

Melissa Ambrose-Eidson, Minister of Music Tina Sherban, Director of Family Ministries

Alissa Gorman, Administrative Assistant Lori Dixon, Bell Choir Director

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