October 2009

first pres

Relationships: The New Face of Service • 8 Mission Mongolia • 5 Whole-Life Stewardship • 12 OCTOBER 2009 First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs

Dear Friends, You hold in your hands the inaugural issue of First Pres Magazine. This magazine format is our attempt to provide you with more information on what is happening around First Pres. In the past, the weekly Church News was intentionally brief with information of only four types included: a letter from me, a review of one recent ministry, a profile of one of our mission partners, and a weekly calendar. This specific focus was to enable you, the reader, to possibly finish reading the newsletter on the walk from the mailbox. Yet, we found over the years, that more things were happening around First Pres than could be included in such a newsletter. Hence, we want to engage you with more material in this monthly format. It is our hope that the contents of First Pres Magazine will inspire you. This magazine might stay on a nightstand for several weeks as you review exciting facets of the ministry around First Pres, or you might even give it to a friend or neighbor so others can see what First Pres is all about.

This magazine is the product of a huge effort—over 40 volunteers have put their hands on it. Volunteer writers have penned each magazine article. It thrills me to see such broad ownership.

As in the past, October will include a season of stewardship. I will continue to work through John’s gospel in my preaching except for Sunday, October 18, when I will give a more focused sermon on giving. And, on October 25, Commitment Sunday, we will bring our financial commitments to the Lord.

Jim Singleton Senior Pastor First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs

October 2009 contents Beauty Instead of Ashes . . . . . . . .

Lisa Hughes Waking Up to God’s Movement . . . .

Katie Dayton Relationships: The New Face of Service .

Paul Moede When You Need Renewal . . . . . . .

Hugh Eaton

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in every issue First Pres Spotlight: Nursery The Best Care Love Can Provide . . . . . 6 Pam Pryce College/Young Adult's page . . . . . . . 12 Youth page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Children's page . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Events Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

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On the cover: Springs Rescue Mission benefits from the many resources and volunteers First Pres provides.

Cover photo by Vince Petti, SRM Publications Development Officer.

Contributing Writers: Katie Dayton, Hugh Eaton, Lisa K. Hughes, Paul Moede, Pamela Pryce Contributing Editors: Pam Bland, Stacey Smith-Bradfield, Joe Farrell, Alyce Fertig, Deborah Goodale, Lou Ann Johnson, Nicole Lowell, Zola Griffin Paget, Sarah Singleton Photographers: John Foster, Deborah Killian, Vince Petti All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, © 1984 International Bible Society First Pres Magazine, October 2009, Volume One, © First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, CO. Published by First Presbyterian Church, a non-profit organization.

To contact First Pres Magazine: 719-884-6103 or 219 E. Bijou Street, Colorado Springs, CO 809031392 or magazine@firstpres.org. Printed in the U.S.A.

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have always been fascinated by the many forms beauty takes: beauty in torrential rains that bruise delicate flower petals but also nourish summer foliage; beauty in cottonwoods that make allergies flare but also deposit seeds in July that look like snowflakes on the ground; and beauty in struggles that lead to blessings. In July, I visited the summer English as a Second Language (ESL) classes that were held at First Presbyterian Church for legally relocated refugees and saw beauty in the struggle of foreigners learning a new language.

The classes were administered by a grant through the State Refugee office based in Denver which contracted Lutheran Family Services, and the District 11 Adult & Family Education Program working also with First Pres. Twentyfive students from countries such as Bhutan, Gabon, Gambia, Iraq, and Nepal attended eight weeks of classes focusing on workplace English.

The goal for these immigrants is to find employment within eight months.

Volunteers assisted teachers from D-11. First Pres volunteer Elaine Bicking was impressed with the fearlessness and courage the students demonstrated. You see, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services carefully selects refugees for the program, choosing only those who have

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fled their country of origin because of past persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution.

Elaine’s experience meant so much because she learned many things about the students’ cultures.

She said, “I’ve gotten more out of the program than they have.”

I wish I could share with you amazing stories of triumph. I couldn’t communicate with the immigrants well enough to elicit their stories.

Though I do not understand much about refugees, about the challenges they faced in refugee camps, or the ones they have yet to face, I was left with visions of beauty: the smiling faces of foreigners hungry to learn our language, friendships forged across cultures, joy in learning, volunteers pouring out the love of Christ, easy laughter, optimism, and opportunities. I was reminded of the scripture from Isaiah 61:3: “and provide for those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” Someday, the immigrants will be able to share their own stories of triumph. That will truly be a thing of beauty!

Volunteer writer Lisa Hughes is a learning specialist at Gold Camp Elementary in Colorado Springs.

Waking Up to

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God’s Movement

bought a new alarm clock this summer. My old one had been faithful since college, but her days were numbered.

After my trip to Mongolia, my purchase seems fitting.

Somewhere between boarding a plane in Colorado Springs and returning two weeks later, God provided a deep awakening in my life. It wasn’t a shrieking alarm clock disrupting my sleep.

My stupor was broken by God’s incredible movement in and through the people of Mongolia.

Their stories tell it all. Stories of God using young people to pour out his salvation over Mongolia after the fall of communism. Stories of healing and redemption. Stories of Kingdomsize dreams. Stories of God’s movement.

Enkhee is a young doctor new to Campus Crusade. She dreams of opening a Christian hospital in Mongolia.

Ganaa’s story began with a school friend telling her “Jesus is real.” Years passed before she knew this herself, but Ganaa is now following Jesus no matter what persecution she might face. The Lord is moving.

A few years ago, Aggie felt led to pray for China-controlled Inner Mongolia. When she later decided to visit there, she met her future husband. After they marry, she will join him in leading a house church there.

Do you see God’s movement?

There are many more stories. Desires and visions the Lord has placed deep within hearts. Opening their eyes to his movement; inviting them to come along.

You see it everywhere. In the lives of the people, in the streets of the capital city, in the nomadic countryside, there is a movement. Deep in my heart, there has been a movement.

It’s his movement, and I long to follow. I long to put myself in a position of vulnerability—a place where the emphasis is not on what I control or possess, but on the God who moves mountains. I long to dream beyond myself, risk beyond myself, and move beyond myself.

In Mongolia. I saw that God is bigger, more worthy, more glorious than I ever imagined. He loves to wake us up, to open our eyes so that we can see more of him until that day when our gaze is fully filled with his glory.

So he says open your eyes to my movement, catch the vision of my heart, and step forward. Follow me around the world to Mongolia and out the door into your community.

Open your eyes. Dream big. Follow HIM.

Katie Dayton, a Stevens Fellow at First Pres, accompanied a team of seven that went to Mongolia to serve the Campus Crusade for Christ staff. Attending their national conference, the team had the opportunity to teach, build relationships, provide counseling to the staff, and prayerfully encourage the Church in Mongolia which has only been in existence for one generation.

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oes your toddler dream of being an elephant or a roaring lion? Does your crawler love watching fishies swim around? Or perhaps your babe in arms just wants to be cuddled. All these activities are not only possible, but probable in our state-of-the-art nursery. While Mom and Dad are in worship or a Sunday School class, or while Grandma and Grandpa are singing with Big Blue, their wee one will be lovingly cared for by trained specialists, with the desire to share God with our little ones.

First Pres is blessed with outstanding facilities for these precious lambs. Seven rooms, each serving a different segment of the birth to kindergarten population, are beautifully decorated and equipped to both stimulate and delight children. Three additional rooms are available if needed. Even though the nursery serves over 300 children throughout the week , the teacher to child ratio ensures individual attention: 1:3 for infants; 1:4 for toddlers; and 1:5 for 3 years and older. A better preparation for life within our congregation is hard to imagine.

A hallmark of First Presbyterian’s nursery is its nurturing care of special needs children. Recognizing that we are all “special needs” children of God, the staff simply opens its arms wider to envelop and Jenny Jarman, nursery worker love those who require extra care. Beyond the caring hearts of the staff, however, is their expertise. Staff are skilled in making children with any type of need feel at home, whether their need is temporary or long-term.

Denise Campbell and her staff of 35 are quick to encourage volunteer support. There are probably many souls in the congregation who feel a tug on their hearts to help but may not know where they are gifted. Someone may have just sent their last child off to college and feel a need to rock a baby! Others may have a particular talent they could share with the kids. Loving on our youngest congregants can reap eternal rewards. Stop by and talk with Denise and learn how you can partner with this vital ministry.

Volunteer writer Pamela Pryce is a Project Manager for HDR, Inc. in Colorado Springs

Vickie Whitley, a preschool special needs teacher “by day,” lends her particular skills to our nursery the rest of the time. Her loving heart was particularly touched by Cameron, a 4-year-old child with Sanfelippo Syndrome. Cameron’s parents were unable to worship as a family before learning about First Pres because many nursery facilities or staff simply are not equipped to deal with children requiring such special care. Cameron now has fun and hears about how Jesus loves him while his parents enjoy regular worship and fellowship.

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Editor’s Note: The following article introduces a three-part series that explores the vital connection between willing hands that give and willing hearts that serve. As we enter the Commitment season at First Pres, prayerfully consider how God is leading you to become involved.

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t’s dinner time during one of the two weeks a year that First Presbyterian Church opens its doors to the Interfaith Hospitality Network. Instead of a meal at home, First Presbyterian volunteers are here serving—and loving—the four families who will live for the next seven days in the elementary Sunday school rooms in Stevens Hall.

The folks who will move in aren’t the kind of people many expect to be homeless. They aren’t the addicted, the mentally ill, or the lazy. Many are simply under-employed and waiting to be placed in longterm housing assistance. Others have lost jobs and the threat of being one paycheck away from homelessness has now come home. For them, taking their families to a homeless 8 | www.first-pres.org | 10/09

shelter isn’t a healthy option.

As one teenager of a volunteer family looks over the room, she is shocked to see a high school classmate arriving with her family to live at the church.

On another occasion, a volunteer encounters a player he coached on one of his high

school athletic teams. And in both cases, the surprise at who was in need was ultimately replaced by the renewed relationships and love that were shared during the week.

That’s why if you ask Susan Buenger, Director of Missions at First Pres, about “missions,” you won’t get a theological treatise. Instead, you’ll hear stories about the person sitting in the pew next to you who has discovered that missions can simply mean service—and what’s more, relationships.

First Pres volunteers are doing more of both these days.

Buenger says that church members want to be involved in what they fund. “We can fund a lot in India, but we can’t send a lot of people. In Colorado Springs, though, we can join with other people and volunteer.”

In the case of the Interfaith Hospitality Network, Buenger said that 100 to 150 First Pres volunteers make the week happen. Breakfasts are served,

lunches are packed and dinners are prepared. Volunteers play with children and roll-out special events. Of course, there is laundry to be done. But most of all, there is time to get to know families who need to know what compassion looks like.

“If you have a heart for anybody who is hurting,” Buenger says, “you can make a difference.”

On the local front, Buenger says that service is increasingly focused on the growing needs of housing, food, family care and medicine. All of these areas are receiving funding through the church budget, which is supported by tithes and offerings, as well as other personal gifts designated for specific projects.

“This congregation is very generous,” says Buenger. “When you work in this office, you are constantly thrilled by what people are willing to do.” These days, the involvement is more than financial, and people are overcoming fear to become personally involved.

The call of relationships “It is hard to see someone else suffer. We are afraid that it will rub off and stay with us,” Buenger says.

But Buenger says that fear matched with personal involvement is a dynamic indicator of God’s leading.

“If we have fear,” Buenger says, “we should ask, ‘What is it that God is calling me to do through that fear?’ When we listen to the Spirit, he moves you out of fear and into humility and compassion.”

Sometimes God’s promptings come in the smallest of ways.

One member of First Pres was scanning the announcements in the Sunday morning bulletin when she saw a mission trip highlighted by the word MonGOlia. GO was the key.

According to Buenger, the woman said, “I don’t know why, I just think God wants me to do this.” She had never been on a trip to serve others and it wasn’t on her radar. What’s more, her family’s personal finances were stretched as her husband faced a period of unemployment.

“It took courage to answer,” Buenger said, but the woman signed up for the trip, was able to raise her support, and ultimately her husband even regained employment.

When members of one First Pres family wanted to make a memorial gift, they came up with an innovative solution, affirming one of Buenger’s observations that “complex problems require practical solutions.” That’s why this family applied their gift toward the church’s partnership with Greccio Housing, a low-income housing provider. With the funds, First

Pres is able to provide an apartment on an on-going basis to be used in one-month increments.

Because of their generosity and practical mindset, the apartment was there to meet the immediate housing needs of a mother and her young daughter who had just delivered a baby.

“Where would this infant have gone?” Buenger asked.

Experiencing God With the investments of time and money, Buenger sees First Pres members experiencing God in ways only He could orchestrate.

“When people are willing to move into relationships, things happen,” Buenger says. “We limit God by our perceptions of our own worth.

“I hear somebody say ‘I know how to drywall.’ But those skills that we may think are insignificant can lead to personal connections we don’t expect.”

As a result, Buenger says, volunteers say “I got more than I gave. Why do they say that?

It’s because God gives them the opportunity…and He thrills and surprises them.”

Paul Moede is a member of First Pres and a Product Marketing Director at Compassion International.

Ministry Opportunities Marian House www.ccharitiescs.org Ecumenical Social Ministries www.ecusocmin.org Greccio Housing www.greccio.org 10/09 | www.first-pres.org | 9

hen You Need Renewal [in the best way]

hen my wife, Dee Dee, hung up the phone, my curiosity got the best of me. We were invited to a Cursillo renewal weekend. Right then, a retreat was the last thing I wanted. We had suffered a severe personal tragedy, and I felt like someone had gone back in the holy of holies and sewed up the curtain. I was in a monumental dry spell.

“Dee Dee, I don’t want to go. Most retreats are all the same. They sing 17 verses of Kumbaya and promise to always keep in touch.” But since it was important to her, I reluctantly agreed to go.

The renewal weekend begins late afternoon on Thursday and goes until mid-afternoon on Sunday. It is held at a beautiful nearby retreat center and is planned and staffed by lay (nonordained) people.

The aim is a renewed relationship with the Lord. By Friday morning a sense of community has been established. You wonder, “What’s next?”

What’s next is three days of spiritual reawakening fostered by laity talks, discussions with your table group, a lot of food, snacks and music.

And there are a few surprises along the way!

In a closing service on Sunday afternoon you may express your feelings about the weekend, if you feel led. The important thing is that

your spiritual energy, life and relationship with God have been renewed and refreshed like you never thought possible.

In Colorado alone, six hundred fifteen participants from thirteen different churches have experienced this mystical reunion with our Lord over nineteen different weekends. The twentieth weekend occurs October 22-25, 2009.

The previous weekends were known as “Cursillo retreats,” but the affiliation is changing to the “Pilgrimage” movement, with no change in content. While Cursillo participants had to be Presbyterians, Pilgrimage allows people from other Christian churches to attend. The cost of lodging and meals is $200, but no one should miss for lack of funds since scholarship money is available.

On our Thursday, Dee Dee dragged me to the car, leaving my heel marks on the garage floor. Then a miracle happened. By Friday night the veil in the holy of holies once again was torn. God’s overwhelming presence assured me of His love, and the faces of those around my table reflected the same feeling.

I make two promises to invitees, which have always proven true. You will be glad you went, and your spiritual life will be changed. Come and see.

Note: Hugh and Dee Dee Eaton attended CPC2. Hugh was Moderator of CPC7 and is a former Chairman of the Colorado Cursillo Council. Dee Dee is a former Chairman of the National Cursillo Council. (www.coloradocursillo.com)

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Whole-Life Stewardship

What comes to mind when you hear the word stewardship?

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s young adults, our associations with this word aren’t always positive. We may associate it with strong-arm requests for money. Or, maybe we have a nagging feeling that we should be giving, but… well… funds are often tight.

These are real concerns for many of us.

Perhaps what we need most when it comes to the subject of stewardship is a bigger understanding—coupled with a deeper experience—of what Scripture says about it.

The root of the word stewardship is steward.

In Bible times, a steward was someone a landowner chose to manage his affairs. He was a trusted servant, a person invested with both authority and responsibility to act on his master’s behalf. Take Joseph, for example, who acted as Potiphar’s steward: “So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate” (Gen. 39:6).

In Luke 12:42-48, Jesus also describes the steward’s responsibility: “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?” (v.

42). Jesus then teaches that these servants— who represent you and me—are accountable to the Father: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded”(v. 48).

Our stewardship as Christians, then, includes but extends beyond our money. As

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stewards, we are managers, not owners, of all the gifts that God has entrusted to us: • Material things • Time • Relationships • Our bodies • Our gifts and talents The list could go on. And when we see that everything we have is a gift from God, we realize that there isn’t a single sphere of our lives that we can legitimately claim as our own.

Personally, this truth both encourages and challenges me. That God would entrust us with so much is humbling … and a bit intimidating.

With those thoughts about stewardship in mind, here are a couple questions to chew on as you consider your own experience as a steward: • Where do I find it easy to give of myself, my gifts, my resources, and why?

• What barriers hinder me from living as a faithful steward of my life?

• Where might God want me to redirect or refocus my stewardship efforts this year?

• Where do you think giving financially fits into the overall picture of our stewardship?

No matter where we are in life—young, prime time, in college, single or married—we are always called as stewards of what God has given us. The challenge is to live it.

Adam R. Holz is senior associate editor at Focus on the Family’s Plugged In Online.

y mom and I went on the high school trip to New Orleans and as we have been reminiscing about the trip we have realized that there have been small blessings hidden in even the hardest or most unpleasant occurrences on the trip.

n Working with childre was an sp ion nt te whose at non-existent 20 hour A hot, uncomfortable bus ride t sick One girl on our team go lots We visited a swamp with fe li ld wi py of cree og legs Eating alligators, fr ds da aw and cr n that is Seeing the destructio ina tr Ka om fr e er still th HEAT!!! l got sick The Virginia team alsta rted we e the night befor S the VB

Hopefully getting to sh are the love of Jesus with ki ds who ma y be having a hard time We had time to build rel and get to know our tea ationships m better God protected the rest of us from sickness We got to see alligators in their natural habitat We now have bragging rig

hts Seeing the improvement been made since after Kas that have trina We got to eat lots of sno (a delicious combinationwballs! cream and flavored syrup of ice ) The people that were he althy and available had just the ta we so desperately neede lents that d

other’s We missed my little br birthday

She was a great cook to and also a big help to mehave around when she wasn’t runnin during VBS g the games We bought him lots of didn’t necessarily allcandy that make it home ;)

l’s room The AC broke in the gir

The room we switched to had less bugs!

of a My mom took the part sly and iou ser ry ve e on chaper d on time made sure we got to be

It was a great experience and I’d do it all over again if I could. We have a great time getting to know everyone better and we got a taste of New Orleans culture while helping out the church, some of the schools and people living in the Lower Ninth Ward.

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hands-on setting for children in grades K-4.

The Connection is a multi-dimensional Christian learning experience delivered in a

K SNEAK E PE

OCTOBER MEMORY VERSE: Lord Jesus.

“We must remember the words of the to receive.'" than give to ed bless He said, 'It is more Acts 20:35b (NIV)

for homebound First Pres members and our This month, some children in the Connection will be making Christmas ornaments enjoy receiving an ornament, please missionaries and military who are serving abroad. If you know of someone who would contact Ina in the Children’s Ministries office at 884-6126 or imeyer@first-pres.org.

Creation Station is a place where preschoo lers can begin to explore God’s Word throu gh hands-on experiences that fit the unique needs and interests of children in this stag e of development. We strive to be a mod el of Christ’s love by creating a nurturing environment where children can learn and grow as they begin the first steps of their faith journey. Our desire is to partner with parents as we lay this foundation together.

SNEAK PEEK

In October, children in Creation Station will learn how they can show God’s love throu gh an age-appropriate study of David’s life before he was King. Key Scripture passages are selected from 1 Sam uel 16–26.

OCTOBER MEMORY VERSE: “A friend loves at all times.” Proverbs 17: 17

T GIF EA

Creation Station uses “God’s Story for Me Bible Storybook” in every classroom. The Children’s Ministries Depa rtment would be excited ID to order a copy for your family to use at hom e. Cost is around $14.00 each, depending on the number ordered.

If you wou ld like to order a copy as a gift for a special child, please contact the Children’s Ministries office at 884-6125 . Orders must be paid by October 27.

Touch the Water, Taste the Bread Our fall sacraments class will conclude soon with Welcome to the Table Sunday on October 3. Children and their families participate in a two-part class to learn more about our two Sacraments, baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The next class will be offered in January, 2010, and is open to any elementary-age child who would like to learn more about our Sacraments.

Children must be accompanied by a parent or other caring adult. To sign up, call or email Ina in Children’s Ministries at 884-6126 or imeyer@first-pres.org.

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Events Calendar October week of 1–3

Thursday, Oct. 1 Make a Difference Month Begins Prime Time Morning Gathering – 9 a.m.

week of 4–10

Sunday, Oct. 4 World communion Sunday ESM Food Collection Day Compassion Sponsor Christmas Card Making Party –2-4 p.m.

CORE – 6:30-8 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 7 Women’s Lunch Break – 11:45 a.m.

Wednesday Night at First Pres 6-8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 10 Soul Care Day – 9 a.m.

STAR Soccer begins – 8 a.m.

Habitat Build Day – 8:30 a.m.

week of 11–17

Sunday, Oct. 11 Flu Shot Clinic – 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Cairo Prayer – 3:30-5 p.m CORE – 6:30-8 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 14 Flu Shot Clinic – 4-8 p.m.

Wednesday Night at First Pres 6-8:30 p.m Impact India Prayer – 5-6 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 15 Prime Time Morning Gathering – 9 a.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 21 Men’s Breakfast – 6:30 a.m.

Men’s Lunch Break – 11:45 a.m.

Wednesday Nights at First Pres – 6-8:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 22 Pilgrimage Renewal Weekend – 5 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 28 Southern Egypt Medical Trip leaves Wednesday Nights at First Pres – 6-8:30 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 29 Healing Service – 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 13 Engine Room Prayer Meeting – 5:30 p.m.

week of 18–24

Sunday, Oct. 18 CORE – 6:30-8 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 20 Egypt Habitat and Wheel Chair trip leaves

week of 25–31

Sunday, Oct. 25 Commitment 2009 Sunday CORE – 6:30-8 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 17 Blessing Day (Missions) 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. off site

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