First Pres Magazine : October 2011 by First Pres

Dear Friends at First Pres, This October magazine is devoted to the theme of “Home” and how a congregation can function as “Home.” Home connotes several things to me: 1) a place to live; 2) a place to love and be loved; 3) a place from which we are sent into the world. Because I am a pastor’s kid, I have always lived around a church—the first being Central Presbyterian Church of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In some ways it was my second home. I played in the nursery, slept on my mother’s lap in a pew, and played games in the basement of the church to wait out tornados. I wrestled in the courtyard with friends, and came home with torn clothes because of it. The most trouble I ever got into was at church. Because I was a pastor’s child, I got away with very little at church for there were sets of eyes on me everywhere. Many of my best friends have always been at church. I have moved many places, but in each place I have connected with a church and it has been my natural habitat. It has been home. First Pres of Colorado Springs has been home to many of you for a long time. Some of you have memories here that stretch back to the 1950s and beyond. You have played here, learned here, worshipped here, sung here, married here and grieved here. There is something about a church which has a home-like quality. Yet, beyond the great social institution that a church does provide, most of us can affirm that some of our greatest encounters with Jesus happened right here at church as well. It is most powerfully a spiritual home. It is a place where we learn of the love of Jesus. The first lesson I learned in Sunday School was that God is love—and God loves me. That lesson has planted in me a trust in the love of the God. Soon I learned that the call for us is to love others with such love. Like at home, we begin by receiving love—and then we learn to switch to loving and investing in the next generation—that we might love them. Though many things in this world change, the lesson we hope you will remember this year, is that First Pres is our spiritual home. Yours in Christ,

FIRST PRES M

OCTOBER 2011 contents Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Scott Nilsen We Are Going to Be Very Good Friends . . 5 Bill Lambert My Other Home . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Lois Keffer Friends, Friends, Friends . . . . . . . . . 8 Hugh Eaton What Influences Our Attitude Toward Giving? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Adam Holz

Meet the Elders . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 First Pres Trustees . . . . . . . . . . . 14 E-News and Worship . . . . . . . . . . 15

Contributing Writers: Paul Batura, Hugh Eaton, Adam Holz, Lois Keffer, Bill Lambert, Leah Landolfi, Alison Murray, Scott Nilsen Contributing Editors: Pam Bland, Alison Murray Graphic Design: Beryl Glass, Mark Rantal Photographers: Mark Rantal, Alison Smith Proofreading Team: Mary Bauman, Daisy Jackson, Betty Haney, Marty Kelley, Karen Kunstle, Gretchen MurphyBowman, Linda Pung Cover: Photograph taken by Alison Smith on mission in Egypt with the First Pres Team in October 2009. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, © 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Jim Singleton, Senior Pastor First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs

First Pres Magazine October 2011, Volume Three, © First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, CO. Published by First Presbyterian Church, a non-profit organization. To contact First Pres Magazine: 719-884-6231 or 219 E. Bijou Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-1392 or magazine@first-pres.org. Printed in the U.S.A.

We Are Going to Be Very Good Friends By Bill Lambert By Scott Nilsen

ave you ever found yourself longing for home? This past summer Megan and I spent some time in Ethiopia, and although the trip was filled with many powerful and amazing Holy Spirit moments and encounters, we often felt ourselves longing for home. Ethiopians are some of the most wonderful people you will ever meet and their country is beautiful, but this didn’t settle the disquiet in our hearts, the longing for home. This longing wasn’t for a physical house necessarily (although I have to admit, I did look forward to my own bed and a cheeseburger), but rather for our community. . . a community comprised of our children, extended family, friends and the neighborhood that we’ve grown to love. Much of this community is represented by First Pres where many of our deepest friendships began. We moved to Colorado Springs five years ago and in that time First Pres has taken hold of our hearts, it has become our spiritual home. Our children attended First Pres Preschool, thrive in Sunday School programs and look forward to summer camp every year. Megan has been able to answer several Holy Spirit nudges through involvement with MOPs and Women’s Ministries. I’ve had the opportunity to get involved with several committees, and together we have enjoyed the many great relationships that have come 4 | www.first-pres.org | 10/11

out of this mutual service. Marriage retreats have given us a great foundation as a couple. And Sunday Services give us the opportunity to drink deep from the living water that flows freely, filling our hearts overflowing with the love and grace that comes from Jesus. Surely we have an eternal home prepared for us (Ecc. 5:12), and I am most thankful for the home the Lord has provide for me and my family now at First Pres. As we look to October and ahead toward 2012, I would like you to take a moment and consider what First Presbyterian Church means to you and your family. Do you consider it your spiritual home? If you don’t consider it home, I encourage you to get off the sidelines and become involved with the community in such a way that you become a participant. If you are one of the families who call First Pres home, then I encourage you to think through your role as a steward of this church that so many of us call home. In the next couple of weeks you will read more about our Stewardship Campaign. You will hear from folks who call First Pres home, and we will ask you to get involved financially so that we can make sure we take care of the needs our church… our home.

Editors Note: When we were putting this issue together we reached out and asked our writers to tell a story or share a thought around the idea that First Pres is our spiritual home. Bill writes . . . hat is it that makes First Pres Special? Is it the people, the teachers, the preachers, the groups, the staff, or the spirit? Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes and yes. It is a joy, and not just a pleasure, to share worship with people who have the joy of our Lord in their hearts. They may show and share that joy, even though they are going through their own trials and challenges and pains of their own. You see their showing of that joy through faith, faith that Jesus Christ is alive in them. Is it because Jesus really is alive within them, or because they have the faith that he is? Either way, it shines through and you feel they have found the keys to the kingdom. I recently saw a delightful film titled Enchanted April. Lotte, a frustrated English housewife sees an ad for an Italian villa for rent for the month of April. She talks with a friend and together the two ladies make a reservation for the villa for the month, leaving their husbands at home. Lotte and her friend blossom in the Italian spring and sun, and Lotte says to a difficult older woman who joins them to share expenses, “I can see inside you and I know we are going to be very good friends.” Isn’t that what Jesus does when we really meet Him? And isn’t that what we might really do when we meet someone else? Of course in the film, their husbands join them and all ends in a wonderful renewal and rebirth. First Pres is indeed our place for that Italian spring where God’s love blossoms and blooms. Let’s meet our spouses, children, friends, our neighbors, and our visitors and like Lotte look inside them and know that we are going to be very good friends. Let’s also know that Jesus has already looked inside each of us and declared, “we are going to be very good friends.” Bill Lambert attends the Pathfinders Sunday Community and has found very good friends at First Pres.

Scott Nilsen & Jim Martin are the Co-Chairs of the 2012 Stewardship Campaign.

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By Lois Keffer

’m gonna’ tell you something, but you have to promise not to tell anybody else. Okay? This is the kind of secret I keep tucked close to my heart and I wouldn’t want anybody to laugh about it. Right when you come inside the entrance of our church, there’s this cool statue of Jesus. You know the one I mean. He’s not standing on the hillside preaching. He’s not carrying the cross. This is a statue of Jesus sitting with his arms open, laughing, ready to welcome children onto his lap. Not just children, either. I bet adults would fit on his lap if they weren’t chicken to try it. Well, here’s my secret: I’m in sixth grade and I still love to sit in Jesus’ lap. I know it’s just a statue, but I like to lean my head on his shoulder and tell him everything that’s going on with me. Like how I stink at spelling and how I always get in trouble for picking on my little sister and how it’s so hard for me to sit still at school. Once I told my mom this, and she explained that talking to Jesus like this is a way of praying. That’s pretty cool, I guess. Anyway, I would never want anyone to see me, a sixth grade boy, curled up with the statue of Jesus. No way. I’d get laughed off the planet. So I don’t mind coming to church when my parents have meetings on weeknights or Saturdays. I bring my homework and sit at the tables down there. And when no one’s looking, I spend as much time with Jesus as I want to. Other times I wander around my old Sunday school rooms and think about how much fun I had there as a little kid. I mean, who has cooler Sunday school than we do? More than anything I’ve loved being in children’s choirs with Miss Joy. (I guess she’s Mrs. Joy now, but that sounds kind of funny to say.) Did you know that we got to go to camp every fall to start getting the Christmas plays ready? 6 | www.first-pres.org | 10/11

Oh, man—that was the best. We had treasure hunts where we got to find chocolate—right before bed! That rocked! We learned a bunch of new music, auditioned for parts, had devotions around a campfire, heard stories, roasted marshmallows… Whoa. Telling about this is making me hungry. I’m gonna’ go nuke a couple of marshmallows. ‘Scuse me. Oops. News flash: don’t nuke marshmallows on high for 30 seconds. Don’t worry—I got it cleaned up. Didn’t get much to eat though. I’ll have to ask Mom how she does that. Anyway, do you remember the year we got to do the Christmas musical about pirates, and they built us a ship that went way out into the sanctuary? We all wanted to be bad pirates but I got picked to be a good pirate. I was pretty bummed about that. Anyway, we all got to sing the yo-ho-ho songs. Then, the captives led some of the pirates to believe in Jesus and they all got away on Christmas Eve! I guess I’m leaving out the biggest part of why 1st Pres really feels like my second home. It’s the people. When you’re really little, all you notice about people is their knees. Like, you’re packed on one of those slowest elevators in the world and it feels like you’re lost in a sea of knees. But soon people squat down to your level and look you in the eye. And they’re all friendly. And they all remember you name. And they teach you songs like Jesus Loves Me and The B-I-B-L-E. And they say, “Goodbye, little friends!” And some of them even scoop you up and tell you funny things that make you laugh. And one day you know that even though you’re in this great big church with lots and lots of people, they all love you. Church has this special kind of glow and I know exactly what that glow is: Jesus’ love. By the way, if you’ve never sat in the lap of the Jesus statue, go ahead. I’ll never tell! Lois Keffer is an award-winning author who loves to write stories for children of all ages.

My Other

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Friends, Friends, Friends W

hen I was a lad of about five or six, our Sunday school teacher taught us a very simple song, and I still remember the words. “Friends, friends, friends. I have some friends I love. I love my friends and they love me. I help my friends and they help me. Friends, friends, friends. I have some friends I love.”

Little did I know how meaningful those words would be as I progressed through these seven decades. They were never more important than on June 1, 1998. My wife, Dee Dee, and I joined First Pres in 1992. The sheer size of the congregation made us realize we had to find a smaller group within the church if we were going to make some new friends. We joined the Becomers Sunday school class, and the members were so gracious we felt “at home” right away. We had a three-year-old son, Josh, who loved being involved with all the kids programs, especially Marge Killick’s music program. Josh learned he and John Stevens, the senior pastor, shared July 14th as their birthday, and he always wanted to wish John a

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happy birthday. One year Josh gave John a Lego. He knew how important Legos were to him, so he thought John would be impressed with his choice. In 1996 Josh began having fainting spells. Despite the best pediatric cardiology and neurology care, the doctors couldn’t diagnose the cause of Josh’s illness. In March 1998, he spent three hours on the catheter table at Children’s Hospital undergoing a thorough heart examination. The cardiologist came out and said, “You’ve got a normal little boy with a funny heartbeat, so take him on home.” We felt additional relief when the neurologist told us Josh was a fairly typical case. He gave Josh a prescription and predicted by the time he got to high school he would be normal. But sometimes the future arrives before you are ready for it. On June 1, 1998, I mowed our lawn and rode the tractor around to the garage where I saw Josh laying on the concrete. The Flight for Life helicopter took him to Memorial Hospital. When Dee Dee and I left our driveway six of our neighbors were standing on our front stoop praying. (“Friends, friends, friends”)

Dee Dee and I stood in the corner of the treatment room while the emergency medical team worked feverishly over Josh. Rev. Jim Smith was there with us, and the doctor called him over. They turned and walked over to us, and I remember Jim had the saddest look on his face. He uttered the words no parent ever wants to hear. “Josh has gone to be with the Lord.” In our shock Jim took us into a small private waiting room and to our comfort there were about 25 Becomers waiting and praying for us. After hugs and condolences, Marv Bowers and the late Miles Boardman volunteered to drive our car to Ed and Sally Ward’s home where we were to spend the night. (“I love my friends and they love me.”) That was only the beginning. During the next two weeks the Becomers literally took over our home. They brought food and paper goods, cooked, cleaned, answered the phone, and made appointments for us while Dee Dee and I sat on the couch and consoled each other in our protective cocoon. (“I help my friends and they help me.”) The Becomers stayed in touch as the weeks turned into months, and we began to cope on our own with the help of the extremely valuable First Pres Grief Workshop. This

By Hugh Eaton

workshop was so critical to our recovery; we decided to serve as small group leaders in six Grief Workshops. In 2003 Dee Dee and I were both diagnosed with Lyme disease that prevented us from attending church for several years. This resulted in the loss of our connection with Becomers, but we still remember how they blessed and supported us in our severe adversity. Many other members could write similar stories. “We are not human beings here on a temporary spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings here on a temporary human journey.” —Anonymous Next Sunday look around with fresh eyes and see anew the friends with whom God has blessed us at First Pres, First Pres North and Inn at Garden Plaza. Look closely at those sharing these spiritual stops on our human journey. Greet them warmly with Christian love. (“Friends, friends, friends, I have some friends I love.”) Hugh and Deedee Eaton wanted to share this most personal story with all us as an illustration of the great hope and renewed faith, and as an example of the kind of support good Christian friends with servant hearts can give during adversity. Our church family is our home.

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By Adam Holz

What Influences

Our Giving? M

y dad became a Christian when I was six years old. And though I don’t have many memories about what he was like in his “BC” days, I do remember some of the habits he forged in his early days as a believer. Many mornings, I saw him reading his (gigantic!) Bible. And I can still see him faithfully writing out a check to drop in the offering plate at church each week. I also remember him telling me about his conviction that if we are faithful to give, God will bless us. While it’s theologically thorny business to figure out how, exactly, our giving might relate to God’s blessing, the Bible does include some passages that support this idea. One of my dad’s favorites was Ecclesiastes 11:1, which in the NIV reads, “Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.” I share these two stories about my father’s convictions because they profoundly affected my own attitudes toward tithing. When I got 10 | www.first-pres.org | 10/11

serious about my relationship with Christ in college, giving to the church was not something that I struggled mightily to do. I don’t think that was because I was particularly spiritual, disciplined or naturally generous. But it was natural for me to imitate the habit my father had modeled for me. If you’ve been a Christian long, at some point you’ve likely been challenged—either in church, from God’s Word, or both—to consider what you should be giving financially. Jesus didn’t offer an exact prescription in this area. But he assumed believers were giving (“But when you give …” Matthew 6:3, emphasis mine), and he affirmed the Pharisees’ practice of tithing 10% in Luke 11:42 (even as he chastised them for their hardhearted legalism). Meanwhile, according to the latest research on the subject (published in Christianity Today earlier this year), Americans gave 2.43% of their income to the church in 2008, down from 3.11% in 1968. A variety of factors influence our attitudes toward giving, as my own story illustrates. And given Jesus’ emphasis on this subject, I think it’s worth spending some time considering the factors that have shaped our attitudes in this arena. As our congregation focuses on the subject of stewardship this month, I’d encourage you to ponder the following questions: How would you describe your attitude toward the subject of giving to God’s work? How has your upbringing shaped your perspective toward financial generosity? What people or experiences have influenced your convictions toward giving— whether positively or negatively? What hurdles, if any, would you identify that make giving a challenge for you? The subject of money will always be a sensitive one—and even more so in these tumultuous economic times. But given the emphasis that Jesus placed on the connection between our treasure and our heart (Matthew 6:21), I think it’s well worth our attention. Adam R. Holz is the Senior Associate Editor for Focus on the Family’s Plugged In Online.

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MEET YOUR 2011-2012 ELDERS AN ELDER, SOMETIMES CALL A RULING ELDER, to differentiate between

those ordained and called to preach and minister, serves on the body called the Session and their role is to watch over the business of the church. Within the body of Elders, some of the Elders serve specifically as Trustees and on the First Pres Foundation. An Elder serves a three year term. First Pres has 21 Elders with seven Elders turning over each year. The Elders in partnership with the Senior Staff Leadership determine the path of our church. We met four Elders in our September issue of FPM, here we meet four more! For information and updates from our Elders, meeting notes and Elder news go to first-pres.org/elders.

T R AC Y E L P E R S

J E F F F R E YS CH L AG

Tracy and his wife, Shannon, have attended First Pres for six years. Tracy says they chose First Pres because their kids “absolutely fell in love” with the ministries, and the Lord confirmed that this was their new church home. In addition to his elder duties, Tracy is involved in the DawnTreader Sunday School community, GTW, and shuttling his girls— Morgan (12) and Micah (7) to and from their various church programs and activities. Tracy and Shannon also have extended family who attend First Pres. Tracy works as a business analyst for a software company. Given a couple hours of free time, Tracy likes to play golf. His favorite movie is Hoosiers because he is a Hoosier. Tracy loves sports, he loves his wife and daughters, and loves the Lord.

Jeff has been attending First Pres since he was in high school—meeting teens from all over the city was a big attraction. After moving back to the Springs in 1986, Jeff has continued to call First Pres home. Jeff is married to Kathy, who is the administrator for the Youth Department. They have three grown daughters, but haven’t abandoned parenting. Jeff and Kathy are “house parents” for the GreenHouse ministry, a group of young adults that learn, grow, and serve God together at First Pres and in the community. Jeff spends a lot of time with the high schoolers on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights; he attends the 11:10 service. He admits that you’re more likely to find him hanging with high school kids than with people his own age. Jeff works as a defense contractor on ballistic missile defense (yes, it is rocket science!). In his free time, he loves to golf.

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LEAH L ANDOLFI

ANNIE MOORE

Leah and her husband, Doug, were first attracted to First Pres in 1997 because of its powerful preaching and worship experience. It also appeared to be a great place to help them raise their children, who were hypothetical at the time. No longer hypothetical, Mark (13) and Anna (11) consider First Pres their “other home”, as do their parents. Leah was actively involved in the MOPS Ministry for many years, and now participates in Women’s Life, in addition to elder activities. She and Doug attend the 9:45 service in the Sanctuary. Before having children, Leah worked in marketing and public relations; she is now a substitute teacher in District 11. Leah loves to read, cook, garden, and ski with her family. Among her favorite books are The Chronicles of Narnia, novels by Jane Austin, and historical fiction.

Annie loves First Pres because it has what she longed for in community: Bible-based teaching, warmth, laughter, and a sense of caring. She and husband Chuck have attended since 2002. They have three young children, Will (7), Claire (5), and Garrett (3). Annie is most likely to be found facilitating the MOPS ministry team Bible study, volunteering in her kids’ Sunday school classes, and attending Session meetings. Given some free time, Annie loves to have dinner with her husband in “peace and quiet” or ski—weather and time permitting! It’s pretty easy to remember Annie… she is one of the few Asian Americans roaming around First Pres, and she has a deep “radio” voice that is hard to forget! Annie’s all-time favorite movie is The Sound of Music.

2 011 - 2 012 E L D E R S Dorothy Alvarez Paul Batura Howard Brooks Randy Case Tracy Elpers

Craig Engelage Larry Entwistle Jeff Freyschlag Carol Galambos Ralph Gates

Lindy Keffer David Jenkins Leah Landolfi Annie Moore Cindy Sparks

Dick Schultz Peter Teets Mike Trapp James Warmack Meredith Yorkston

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First Pres Trustees

E-News

s we covered last month, the First Pres Session is comprised of 21 ruling Elders. Of those 21 Elders, seven Elders serve in addition as First Pres Trustees. The Trustees meet once a month with our Senior Pastor, Jim Singleton, and senior staff, Alison Murray, Leader of Staff; Brenda Smith, Treasurer; and Kathy Achenbach, Director of Finance. This group meets monthly to discuss detailed budget planning and oversight, facilities management, congregational needs, and other business items. It is the Trustees that watch over the church budget and spending, our facilities and the business of our church. In order to perform this function, at various times of the year, the Trustees review and advise on maintenance and upgrades to our facilities ensuring efficient financial application of funds to the buildings as well as ensuring that the buildings are supporting ministry and mission at First Pres. The Trustees review the annual financial audit and on a monthly basis, they review a detailed budget report that includes expenses incurred by the church making sure that the ministry expenditures track with the budget anticipated for the year. In addition, the Trustees ensure that the church carries adequate insurance and is following normal risk management policies and procedures as would be required by any other business. As the Session continues to discern our decisions regarding denominational issues, it is the Trustees in particular who look at the impact of Session decisions on the finances and property of the church. Due to the breadth of business and facilities needs of our church, the Trustees have a number of committees which have the ability to oversee a more detailed aspect of a business area. These committees include:

Trustee Committees

Art and Aesthetics Building and Facilities First Pres Foundation

Food Service Human Resources Life & Safety

Connecting to your community within First Pres is just a mouse click away. Access our website to sign-up for our regular e-newsletters, and to find our Facebook sites, www.first-pres.org/enews to locate e-newsletters for the following areas:

Children Route 56 (5th & 6th Grade) I-78 eBlast (7th & 8th Grade) 912 eBlast (High School) Community Life

Men’s Ministry Missions Women’s Ministry

Click on the tab on the First Pres Home page to access our First Pres Facebook page. For the Student Ministries Facebook page, click on tab on www.first-pres.org/students. http://vimeo.com/firstpres for First Pres Videos. If you don’t have access to a computer, call Congregational Support at 884.6144 for further details about these ministries.

Join us in Worship on Sundays First Pres Downtown—219 East Bijou Worship with Choir—Sanctuary, 8:20 a.m. & 9:45 a.m. Contemporary Worship—Fellowship Hall, 9:45 a.m. & Sanctuary, 11:10 a.m. Contemplative Worship—Sanctuary, 5:00 p.m.

Current Trustees

First Pres North—Discovery Canyon High School, 1810 North Gate Blvd.

Cindy Sparks, Chair

Contemporary Worship—11:00 a.m.

First Pres—Inn at Garden Plaza – 2520 International Circle Randy Case, Vice Chair

David Jenkins

Peter Teets

Traditional Worship—10:15 a.m.

First Pres Online—first-pres.org Live streaming broadcast of Sanctuary services beginning at 8:20 a.m. Craig Engelage

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Dick Schultz

Mike Trapp

For church information, call 719.884.6144 or mail@first-pres.org

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219 East Bijou Street Colorado Springs, CO 80903

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