Newsletter - First Presbyterian Church of Aurora

THE ANCHOR
A monthly publication of First Presbyterian Church
November 2016
Volume 5 No. 11
OUR VISION: First Presbyterian Church is sent to Aurora so that hundreds of families
will KNOW Jesus Christ, GROW in faith, CARE in His love and SHARE His hope.
OUR MISSION: First Presbyterian Church exists to glorify Jesus Christ, growing Christ-following,
Kingdom minded ambassadors and missionaries, going to the City of Aurora and beyond.
What Now Shall We Do?
Throughout this tumultuous, profane and scandal-ridden Presidential election cycle, I have had many conversations
with fellow believers who are trying to figure out how we can faithfully and responsibly exercise our right to vote
as citizens of this nation. In the face of very less than optimal candidates, and political discourse that has
continued to degenerate into absurdity, many are wondering which way to vote—or even whether to vote at all!
My purpose here is not to answer that question, for “each one should be fully convinced within his own
mind” (Romans 14:5). My hope is that you will exercise your right to vote, because it is your right as a citizen.
My aim here, however, is to make some observations and a note of encouragement.
First, our nation will receive the President we deserve. Could it be that the two major candidates reflect the moral
disintegration of our culture? We have been undergoing a cultural shift for many years, which has accelerated in
the area of the sexual revolution, which has resulted in an antinomian morality. Anything goes. It is no wonder,
therefore, that those vying for the chief executive office have demonstrated their disregard for the law and for
Judeo-Christian morality. What is astounding is that we, as a people, seem to be accommodating, or at least
dismissive, of this evidence of moral decline in our would-be leaders. I am reminded of what the Prophet Samuel
said to the people of Israel when they wanted a king to rule them: “And in that day you will cry out because of
your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the L
will not answer you in that day” (1 Samuel 8:18).
Second, followers of Jesus don’t fit well into political categories. Have you noticed that the teachings of scripture,
especially those teachings that guide our interactions with the culture, don’t fit into any particular party? God’s
truth is always counter-cultural! The Word of God speaks truth to culture and political party. Early Christians,
driven by the Word of God, loved the stranger, adopted babies given up for dead, fed widows and orphans, loved
their neighbors as themselves, funded the efforts of evangelism and worked for their bread. What party is that?
Neither and both. My point here is that whenever we clothe the cross of Jesus in the flag, we are on shaky ground.
The kingdom of this world is, and will be, and is not yet the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. As believers,
we are still resident aliens in our culture. We don’t fit well, and if we do, we need Jesus to search our hearts with
His truth.
Last, remember that Jesus is our only hope—not presidents. If you are tied in knots over this election, take heart.
Jesus isn’t fretting. Jesus is on His ruling on His throne. That will never change—not even on November 9, 2016.
He is the One in whom we place our trust, for it is His kingdom that is an everlasting kingdom. Remember the
words of the Psalmist:
Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
Psalm 146:3-4
FPC Anchor, page 1
Discipleship Corner
Resources for Renewing the Mind
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you
may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12.2)
As a complement to my sermon on October 16, on loving the Lord our God with our thinking, I wanted to share
some resources to help us all think well as Christians.
First, we love the Lord by yielding, or giving up, our thinking to the Holy Spirit. There’s a battle going on in our
minds between the flesh – our old, sinful nature, and the Spirit. In Christ we are a new creation, the Bible says that
“we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2.16), but it takes intentionality to give the Spirit control in shaping and
forming our thought life. How do we do this practically? I find that when my mind begins to go down a rabbit
trail of sinful thinking, it’s helpful to “interrupt” my thinking with a short prayer that brings me back to God and
helps me to break out of that sinful thought pattern.
Two prayers in particular have been beneficial to me, both of which are easy to memorize. One is adapted from
Psalm 70.1 and was used by the church fathers:
“Come to my help, O God, Lord, hurry to my rescue”
The other is called the “Jesus Prayer”:
“Jesus Christ, Son of God, Have mercy upon me, a sinner.”
Second, we love the Lord by filling our thinking with the Holy Spirit. In a world of information and entertainment
overload, it’s easy to fill our minds with trash, but the Bible tells us to “set our minds on the things of the
Spirit” (Ro. 8.5). What are the things of the Spirit? Philippians 4.8 gives us a good idea: “Finally, brothers,
whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” What are
some ways we can fill our minds with this good stuff?
The best way is to read, memorize and study Scripture on a regular basis. Here are some helpful resources*:
To get a big picture overview of the storyline of the Bible:
•
Vaughn Roberts, God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible
To learn how to study the Bible well on your own:
•
Gordon Fee and Douglas Stewart, How to Read the Bible for all it’s Worth
•
Howard and William Hendricks, Living by the Book (see especially the Living by the Book Workbook)
•
Great free online videos on themes of Scripture and books of the Bible: www.jointhebibleproject.com
Good study Bibles to help you as you read:
•
ESV Study Bible (ed. J.I. Packer)
•
The Reformation Study Bible (ed. R.C. Sproul)
•
NIV Zondervan Study Bible (ed. D.A. Carson)
Another way to “fill our thinking with the Holy Spirit” is to read great Christian classics. We’ve had many who
have gone before us in the faith and can help us in our walk. R. Kent Hughes surveyed many prominent pastors
and found that their favorite books were J.I. Packer’s Knowing God, C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, and Calvin’s
Institutes. Gary Thomas has a good online list of some additional classics: http://www.garythomas.com/freeresources/other-christian-classics/.
Third, we love the Lord by testing our thinking by the Spirit. We live in a world filled with all kinds of ideas, and
we need to test our assumptions, test our ideologies, and test our ways of life to see if they conform to the will of
God. The first test is simple in theory but challenging in practice. As St. Augustine says, right thinking produces
love. Jesus says the whole law is summed up in the commandment “Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.” If this is true, we always need to ask the question “Is
this making me love God and love my neighbor more?” If it’s not, it’s not worth your time.
FPC Anchor, page 2
Resources for Renewing the Mind - Continued
I also referenced Bloom’s taxonomy, an education concept that
talks about the “levels of learning.” To become good Christian
thinkers, we must advance up the scale of Bloom’s taxonomy.
Many of us have memorized verses or know some Bible trivia, but
we haven’t allowed that knowledge to really shape our thinking.
What might it mean for us to understand our Christian faith well
enough that we can evaluate everything else in relation to it?
If you’re interested in engaging your faith with cultural issues,
here are a few good resources:
Websites:
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www.gospelcoalition.org
•
www.christianitytoday.com (and the magazine)
•
www.qideas.org
Podcasts:
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The Gospel Coalition Podcast
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Signposts Podcast with Russell Moore
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The Phil Vischer Podcast (yes the Veggietales guy – insightful and funny commentary)
These are just some of the resources that can help us to love the Lord our God with our thinking. Always feel free
to contact me with any resources that you find helpful, or to ask questions about other resources. Let’s work
together to renew our minds by the power of the Holy Spirit!
* Note: Our recommendation of resources doesn’t mean we fully endorse everything these resources say! The
Bible says to all of us: “Test everything, hold on to the good” (1 Th. 5.21)
J-Walk Ministries
I want to tell you a story about the picture below. The boy on stage is Carter Solgos. He
has been attending our youth group since the beginning of the semester. We were
playing the “train game.” The person up front says something that they have done, and
the rest of the people that have also done that thing get up and have to shuffle to a
different seat. Last one standing goes to the front, and on goes the game.
Can you guess what Carter said?... “I have a pacemaker!” and he busted into laughter,
and no one got up. What a brave little man! This showed me something about Carter.
He is not ashamed of his condition. He understands Psalm 139:14 better than most of us, “I praise you, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” We get to see this boy be
joyful in his life of craziness.
The J-Walk Staff has the wonderful privilege of seeing
kids like this every week. Parents, I want to thank you
for letting us be part of your children’s lives. As we
continue in our endeavor please keep us in your prayers.
My hope and vision for these students is to see them
grow in the knowledge of scripture, so that they sit and
read it daily; because we know that His word does not
return void.
FPC Anchor, page 3
Session Minutes
Highlights of the October 4, 2016, Session Meeting are:
CLERK’S REPORT
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A motion was made, seconded and passed to approve Susie Starrett for active membership upon a letter of
transfer from her Presbyterian church in Dallas, TX.
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A review was made by the Session of the absentee list for September 18 through October 2.
DOC REPORT
•
Dan Wegehaupt gave a handout on 2016 Worship Attendance – Offering Statistics. Attendance has ranged
from 236 (Labor Day Weekend) to 478 (Easter Sunday), with typical Sunday worship attendance of
approximately 290.
•
Potential staffing of the leadership team that will implement and enforce the Church protection policy was
discussed by the Session.
LEADERSHIP FACILITATION REPORT
Mark Campbell reported on the status of filling the Elder and Deacon positions for 2017. A motion was made
and passed to accept the slate of officers for 2017 as follows: Diana Prange, Dawn Pulgine, John Vincent, and
Dan Farnum (2-year term) for Elder positions, and Mary Lynn Cerutti, Holly Dyer, Barb Secor, Susie Starrett,
and subject to Leadership Facilitation finalization, Sharon Dunham and Ray and Carolyn Green for Deacon
positions.
•
A motion was made, seconded and passed to set the date of the election meeting for the slate of 2017 officers
for October 23, 2016 following the 8:00 a.m. worship service.
•
REPORT OF THE ASSISTANT PASTOR
Pastor Isaiah provided a handout and led a discussion concerning a proposed monthly after-church gathering
for guest assimilation, the purpose being to create a regular opportunity for guests to meet and connect with
church leaders and members, hear about the vision/mission of First Pres, and receive intentional follow-up.
•
REPORT OF THE PASTOR
Pastor Jeff shared on the pastoral care demands he has faced over recent weeks.
•
PERSONNEL COMMITTEE REPORT
Peter Grometer gave a very brief update on the work of the Personnel Committee. This led to a discussion of
the vision for a Director of Worship and Music.
•
Pastor Jeff expanded on the vision for a full-time Director of Worship and Music at First Presbyterian Church,
including three qualities: (1) a developer of worship: a broad love and knowledge of the music of the church in
various styles and varieties with the ability to use all in the crafting of worship to the glory of Christ under the
primacy of the Word of God; (2) a developer of people: a skilled musician who loves people and sees this role
as mentoring, equipping and training up all our musicians to be better, not only in their craft, but in their
relationship with Jesus; and (3) a developer of mission: evangelistic in the sense of seeing music as a primary
means of engaging our culture and sharing the gospel in our community.
•
Jeff Whitt
Clerk of Session
Deacons Thanksgiving Collection
Thank you for helping the Deacons provide food to
families in need this Thanksgiving. Please bring the
following items to your Sunday School class or leave
them at the Deacon bench (near the nursery).
Date
October 23
October 30
These items will be distributed at a mobile food pantry
event. We are also accepting monetary donations to
go toward the cost of the food pantry. Please write
Deacons Thanksgiving in the memo line of your check.
FPC Anchor, page 4
Food Item
canned fruit, soup,
or vegetables
potatoes (box or
pouch)
November 6
peanut butter
November 13
cereal
Kingdom Kids Club (KKC)
Family Open Gym - Come and have a great time with your family and friends on Saturday,
November 5, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the Harkness Center. We will have board games, coloring
paper, some crafts and skating.
“CHRISTMAS GIVING TREE”
I’m excited for our CHRISTMAS GIVING TREE which makes it possible for us to share
God’s Love for our Kingdom Kids Club Kids, our Community and Our Sister Church in Monterrey, Mexico.
Option # 1
Choose a child from the CHRISTMAS GIVING TREE to purchase gifts that will specifically match that child’s
needs. Once you receive your packet: *Check your list for what the Child would like. (PLEASE, if possible,
enclose gift receipts with your purchases) *Wrap the gift. *Please put all gifts inside the supplied garbage bag,
with the child’s name on the tag.
Option #2 (No gift purchases on your part.)
If you wish, you can donate the money for us to buy the gifts for a child locally, either from our Kids Club or the
surrounding community. We are asking for a $35 donation. We will purchase a gift for the child. If you write a
check, please make it out to FPC and put in the memo line “Aurora Giving Tree”.
Option # 3 (No gift purchases on your part.)
We are asking for a $35 donation that will go to a Kids Club child in MONTERREY MEXICO from Pastor
Salvador Lona’s church. They will purchase a gift for the child. If you write a check, please make it out to FPC
and put in the memo line “Monterrey Mexico Giving Tree”.
I will be in Murray Commons on November 13th with our “Christmas Giving Tree”. Feel free to contact Brenda
Bustamante with any questions or concerns at 630-844-0050 ext. 255 or bbustamante@firstpresaurora.org. Thank
you in advance for your support.
The first thing that I always think of in November is Thanksgiving – how about you? It certainly is one of my
favorite holiday times, when we can intentionally focus on how God has blessed us and our families. To help our
children understand the vast abundance that we have, we can involve them in thankfully giving to others who
have much less. Here are some ways to have your children engage with you this month:
Operation Christmas Child - Shop for the items with your kids, and help them to write a letter to
include with your box. Shoeboxes need to be returned to the church office by November 6. If you
write a note, you may even get a reply from the recipient.
Thanksgiving Baskets - The Deacons are collecting food items to be distributed along with the Food Truck that
will be at the Harkness Center Nov. 21. Include your children in purchasing these items. Let them pick out their
favorites to give to someone who does not always have enough to eat. Please bring the requested items to church
by November 13. Kids can bring them to their Sunday School classes, also.
Giving Tree - There are children in our Kingdom Kids Club who will not receive gifts for Christmas like our
children do. The Giving Tree will launch November 13. Partner with your children to choose a name or two, and
shop together to purchase gifts. Be generous, because we each have been richly blessed in many ways.
Coming in December…
Sunday, December 4:
Wednesday, December 14:
Family Caroling, 5:30 p.m.
Kids Christmas Crafting, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m.
FPC Anchor, page 5
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Beth Ortiz
John Ross
Debbie Dumdie
Bob Greshaw*
Betty Browder
Beth Vickery
Jean Diehl*
John Wallbaum Sr.
Butch Watgen
Julia Moore
Paul Farnum
Hannah Pavey
Barbara Ammer*
Diane Renner
14 Marion Wallbaum*
Peter Young
15 Gladys Abens*
Dick Fisher*
16 David Bain
Dawn Pulgine
17 Holly Dyer
19 Jan Diehl
Mary Faye Vasen
20 Vera Arnold
Barb Fatout*
Bob Porter
21 Sue Johnson
23 Jeff Whitt
23 Nathan Juneau
26 James Brown, Sr.
Janet Hall*
Stephanie Moore
27 Laura Hagie
29 Mark Benoit
Joe Carr
Keith Dixon
Crystal Owens
* 80+ MEMBERS
Stewardship Report
Average Weekly Need: $16,617.30
Received on September 4, 2016
General Fund
$ 13,513.76
Total Attendance
236
Received on September 11, 2016
General Fund
$ 17,962.22
Total Attendance
311
Received on September 18, 2016
General Fund
$ 11,401.65
Total Attendance
321
Received on September 25, 2016
General Fund
$ 9,515.04
Total Attendance
287
Financial Report - September 2016
Actual income and expenses for year to date
September 2016 are as follows:
Income
$ 569,896.98*
Expenses
$ 606,105.48
Net Shortfall
$ 36,208.50
*Includes $21,000 beginning cash balance on 1/1/16.
*It’s important to note that expenses are actually well
under the year’s budget. Unfortunately,
contributions happen to be further under budget.
Birth
Santino Salinas
Born on October 7, 2016
Proud parents are Joseph and Adrianna Salinas
Proud grandmother is Arcela Arredondo
Just Moved
Jacklyn Richard
58 Paddock St.
Montgomery, IL 60538
David & Melissa Hill
1065 Gore Rd.
Morris, IL 60450
Just Married
Jeremy Turner and Jana Hohm
October 8, 2016
Daughter of John and Marcia Hohm
In Memoriam
Sam Fatout
5/11/1932 - 9/25/2016
Husband of Barb Fatout
In Memoriam
Patty Fitzgerald
8/1/1951 - 10/10/2016
Thank You
Thanks for all your cards and prayers after the
passing of my mother. Thanks also for prayers and
support from Pastor Jeff. May God bless all of you.
Jim Schelling
I want to thank all of you who have been so kind to
our family. Thanks to Pastors Jeff and Isaiah, Sarah,
Karen and the men of Praise and to Melissa. We had
a beautiful home going service for Sam. We
appreciate all of you who worked so hard to prepare
the wonderful dinner after the service. Everything
was so delicious. I also want to thank you for all the
hugs, words of comfort, cards and memorial gifts.
God bless all of you. You are very special people.
Barb Fatout and Family
FPC Anchor, page 6
Notes from the D.O.C.
We don’t always talk about the facilities of our church, but we certainly do use them! Without planning and
intentionality on the part of many individuals, we would not have near the caliber of facilities as we’ve become
accustomed to.
Remember the remodeling of our sanctuary a few short years ago? You may be interested to know that we
recently needed to bring in people to affect repairs on many damaged areas of the pews that were completely
refinished with that remodel. Each of us can help keep this need to a minimum by using care when entering and
exiting pews during worship, and by informing the office when you come across an area of small damage, making
it possible to repair the problem before it becomes more substantial.
Volunteers are important to a B&G (Buildings and Grounds) program, and while our volunteer base has been
growing, there is still room for more! Ken Van Kley works hard to keep up with repairs and maintenance issues,
but he can’t accomplish it alone. He has put together an on-going list of projects throughout each of our three
buildings and opened it up to volunteers he’s aware of, that have the time and abilities to sign up for tasks and help
check them off our list. A big thank you to each of you that has been participating in this way, including Ray
Green who has been painting the garage! Anyone who wants to be included in this email list please contact Ken or
the church office with your email address. Another way to help coming up soon is the fall cleanup day scheduled
for November 12th. If you would like to assist in any way between 8:00 and noon, inside or out, contact Mike
McCann for further information.
Finally, we’re grateful for the collaborative effort of Communities in Schools and Mary Gerhart for providing the
needed materials to replace the PTL House failing rear porch. With their generosity, and the time and skills of
volunteers, we were able to accomplish a safe and complete replacement on this much used facility. Our thanks to
Ron Pieper who did the demolition work, the new framing, decking, and railing, and to Evan Wegehaupt who
contributed the stairs and stair railings.
We have plenty of opportunities for more projects like these around our campus, so let us know how you would
like to be involved.
Our next day to pray across from Planned Parenthood is Friday, November 11.
Respect Life News
Save The Date: Sunday, January 15, 2017, MARCH FOR LIFE CHICAGO!
This March for Life is easy to attend! Last year, we took the Metra to Chicago and walked to Federal Plaza for the
2:00 p.m. rally and then the march. The temperature was in the single digits and yet 5,000 people showed up to
take a stand for Life! It was very encouraging! Dress for the weather! We can carpool to the train station from
church. Plan now to attend this one afternoon event.
March for Life in Washington, DC will be Thursday and Friday, January 26 and 27, 2017.
Please consider attending this event. Obviously, this is a time and financial commitment. Going a few days early
makes is possible to tour a number of places in DC. The pro-life exhibits are held at the Renaissance Downtown
DC Hotel. It makes it convenient to stay there. We were able to walk to everything from there when we went two
years ago. We are planning now to attend. Please contact John or me if you are interested.
God is touching people and new churches are getting involved in prayer outside Planned Parenthood in Aurora.
God is on the move making more people aware of the murder of over 100 babies in our city every single week!
Please keep praying for an end to abortion. Thank you!
Mary Ann Vincent
FPC Anchor, page 7
Considering Membership? - Want to
know more about First Pres? On
Saturday, November 12, from 9:00
a.m.-1:00 p.m., we will be hosting
Discover First Pres. This one day class is a part of our
requirement for membership. Lunch will be provided.
For more information, contact Pastor Isaiah at
inordhagen@firstpresaurora.org.
Annual Thanksgiving Day
Breakfast and Turkey Hike - will
take place on Thursday, November
24, in Graham Hall. The hike starts
at 6:00 a.m. and breakfast is served
from 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. You do not
need to hike to attend the breakfast. A free will
offering will be taken. This year, our Turkey Hike
may look a bit different than in the past. For now,
save the date! More information will follow.
Wendy’s Family Night - Our next
Wendy’s Night is Tuesday, November 15,
from 5:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Orchard Road
location. Remember, 15% of the total goes
to help the future church camp fund.
An Evangelical Presbyterian Church
325 East Downer Place, Aurora, Illinois 60505
Sunday Morning Worship
8:00 & 10:30 A.M.
Christian Education 9:15 A.M.
Jeffrey B. Moore, Senior Pastor
Isaiah Nordhagen, Assistant Pastor
Phone: 630-844-0050
Fax: 630-844-8070
Email: office@firstpresaurora.org
Website: www.firstpresaurora.org
Office Hours
Monday - Thursday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Friday 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Christmas Choir - “Agnus Dei - Lamb of God, Born
to Us”, A Concert of Worship for Christmas, will take
place on Saturday, December 17, at 7:00 p.m. and
Sunday, December 18, at 10:00 a.m. We are looking
for singers of all ages for our Christmas Choir.
Rehearsals take place every Sunday starting on
November 6 and ending the week before our Christmas
program. Join us on Sundays from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m.
Next Newsletter Deadline is
November 20th
Dates to Remember
Fall Festival
Oct
Deacon’s Meeting
Nov
J-Walk Cares
Nov
KKC Open Gym
Nov
Communion Sunday
Nov
Operation X-Mas Child Ends
Nov
Session Meeting
Nov
Prolife Prayer
Nov
Friendship Bible Club
Nov
Presbyterian Women
Nov
Pray at Planned Parenthood
Nov
Jr. High Lock-In
Nov
Salvation Army Bell Ringers
Nov
Membership Class
Nov
KKC Christmas Giving Tree Launch Nov
Wendy’s Family Night
Nov
No Food Pantry Volunteers
Nov
Mobile Food Pantry
Nov
NO KKC
Nov
Turkey Hike
Nov
Family Caroling
Dec
Kids Christmas Craft Day
Dec
Concert of Worship for Christmas Dec
Concert of Worship for Christmas Dec
One Combined Service
Dec
One Combined Service
Jan
FPC Anchor, page 8
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