first pres
The Impact of Why • 6 God’s Word and the Common Good • 10 Caretakers Among Us • 11
SEPTEMBER 2010 First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs
Dear Friends, In an increasingly secular culture, learning to speak about Jesus in our everyday life remains a huge task. A missional church is always deeply engaged in ministries of social compassion, so we work with the Marian House Soup Kitchen, Springs Rescue Mission, ESM, Compassion International, and other places. In fact, this year we were part of a city-sponsored initiative, joining a host of local civic and government agencies seeking ways to assist our homeless population’s return to self-sufficiency. All of this is part of a call to focus on what has long been called “the common good.” The common good is a concept that flows out of the book of Jeremiah. The Jews were exiles in Babylon, and they did not want to be there. They wanted to be back home and thought they might simply live a disconnected life from Babylon until they could return. But Jeremiah sent them this word from God: “Seek the welfare of the city to which God has called you. . . . Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7 This concept was particularly important to the founding of the Reformation, endeavoring to change the Roman Catholic concept of a split between sacred and secular by looking at all of life as sacred. If all of life is sacred and if part of our call is the common good, then ministry is often what we are doing all day long. Not just the overt Christian conversations, but all that benefits and blesses our city, society, and world. As several members of our church are trying to put together a children’s museum, they are involved in the common good. As some of our members serve in County or City government, they are serving the common good. As people in our fellowship serve on boards of agencies that are not overtly Christian, they are serving the common good. As we work in business, while it not only provides our livelihood, it may also serve the common good as we meet needs which make a city work. What difference would it make if First Pres sought to bless Colorado Springs just by making it a cleaner, friendlier, more beautiful city? Just think what a difference we could make. When a large mass of people begin to see that living in our society with the values of the Kingdom of God is precisely what God intends, it changes everything. In Christ,
Jim Singleton, Senior Pastor First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs
SEPTEMBER 2010
contents
Dumpster Decisions . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Paul Moede The Impact of Why . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Seek the Peace of the City: Photo Feature . 8 Chinks of Light: Alpha at Springs Resuce Mission . . . . . . . . . 12 Pat Dickinson
in every issue 10
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First Pres North: God’s Word and the Common Good . . . . . . Hugh Eaton First Pres Spotlight: Caretakers Among Us . . . . . Dale McClure Love, Grow, Go—Together . . . Events Calendar . . . . . . . .
. . . . . 10
. . . . . 11 . . . . . 14 . . . . 15
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Contributing Writers: Pat Dickinson, Hugh Eaton, Dale McClure, Paul Moede Contributing Editors: Lisa Hughes, Nicole Lowell, Alison Murray, Stacey Smith-Bradfield Proofreading Team: Daisy Jackson, Marty Kelley, Karen Kunstle, Linda Pung, Gretchen Murphy-Bowman Photographer: Alison Smith, Rich Boyle. Thanks to Dale McClure for Archive photos! 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. First Pres Magazine, September 2010, Volume Two, © First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, CO. Published by First Presbyterian Church, a non-profit organization. To contact First Pres Magazine: 719-884-6162 or 219 E. Bijou Street, Colorado Springs, CO 809031392 or magazine@first-pres.org. Printed in the U.S.A.
By Paul Moede
Sometimes the timeframe for doing good is short. he car echoed with chatter and excitement. My three elementary school-aged sons sat packed in the back seats with their two visiting cousins. We were off to do some serious ice cream eating, but first I needed to stop at the ATM at the grocery store down the street. I entered my card and my code, and the inner workings began to hum. A moment later, a crisp Andrew Jackson dropped into the tray. With money in hand, I jumped back into the car and we were on our way. To get to the drive-in, I made a U-turn at the end of the parking lot, completing my turn by the supermarket dumpster. That’s when I noticed another car with another family in front of the dumpster—but parked there for altogether different reasons. Their car had seen about all the miles it could bear. Two small children sat inside, and one boy, who looked to be about 4 or 5, stood outside, leaning on the door. His dad was busy pulling food out of the trash bin. I had seen people picking through trash before. But this time it was different. The innocence of the small boy arrested me. It came through even as we passed by at 15 miles an hour. In the seconds it took to make the turn, this little fellow spotted my carload of kids, recognized their ages, and greeted us with a genuinely friendly wave and a “Hi, guys!” innocent 4 | www.first-pres.org | 9/10
smile. It was the cleanest, purest expression I’d experienced all week. I completed the turn and continued on. The topic in the back seats turned to what flavor of ice cream each cousin wanted. The topic in my mind was far less sweet. I didn’t feel pity for this boy. He was genuine and unassuming, even while his dad separated edibles from garbage. My thoughts at that point, thoughts that I knew were coming from God, were clear: “Turn around. Go back. Give the twenty that’s in your wallet to this boy’s dad.” I drove on. I didn’t doubt the source of the leading. And I had no qualms about giving away the money. My struggle was how. How could I keep from embarrassing this man? How could I avoid sounding patronizing or rude? And was now the time with a carload of kids? My “hows” fought with God’s “move now.” Within a minute we arrived at the drive-in. As we parked the car, I knew what God wanted. I needed to get back to the boy. Get back to his father. And get back to obedience. I rushed the cousins into placing their orders, piled everyone back into the car, and rushed back to the dumpster. My heart sank. They were gone. It had only taken seconds to spot the boy, turn the corner and wrestle with my thoughts. But the seconds morphed into minutes that robbed that family of a seemingly critical gift. Robbed me of an opportunity to give. And
robbed my children and their cousins of the experience to learn by example. Indecision and hesitancy trashed an opportunity to love. But certainly I could rectify the situation. “Let’s take a drive,” I announced. I’m sure everyone thought we were going to the park. Instead we toured the area’s alleys. We visited the dumpsters at nearby grocery stores, fast food restaurants and shopping centers. But we never found the boy and his family. I thought about him often that night and the next day. In fact, he crossed my mind many times in the weeks that followed. “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire,” Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:19. As I understand the passage, Paul was talking about the leadings of the Spirit in the gathering of the church. But certainly, putting out the Spirit’s fire extends beyond the church and into the alleys. In this instance, His flame flared up quickly and brightly. But analyzing that flame dimmed its brilliance. And ultimately I doused it with the water of hesitation. I did not sugarcoat the experience or my failure when I talked with the boys and their cousins later that night. I took them step-bystep through the events and what I thought God wanted us to do. Surprisingly, they seemed to understand how important it was to have met this family’s needs. They also seemed to understand that the opportunity to do good is often short. It won’t always wait for questions to be answered or hesitations to be comforted. It won’t sit around while we ratchet up courage. The timeframe for obedience was “now.” Yet on that evening, I moved too slowly. My opportunity to give quickly flickered and died. It took me about three weeks to put some practical handles on the experience. While it was healthy to admit to my family that I had failed, I knew that God had more in mind. If the opportunity for good is often short, then I had best be prepared for another encounter. This led me back to the ATM for another quick withdrawal. I wanted the cash folded away in my wallet to be a reminder to obey— and to be handy once I did. A few weeks later on my way home from work, I met another father and his son. This
time the circumstances weren’t as dramatic. On the corner stood a father in his 30s with a little guy perched on his shoulders and resting his chin on his father’s head. “Will work for food” spelled out the need. I eased my car to the side of the road. The father slid the boy off his shoulders and he trotted over with a wide smile while his father approached cautiously. As he came to the window, I told him I had no work for him, but that I wanted to know his circumstances. We talked for several minutes. I listened to his story about a wife who had left, the loss of his night job so he could care for his boy, and the lack of affordable childcare during the day. Was he telling the truth? I know these stories are often well-constructed lies. I’ve even heard of people who refused the work that was offered to them. I couldn’t guarantee that my gift wouldn’t fall into fraudulent hands. But I could ask questions, use discernment and measure my sense of peace. But I had already stopped and in this case the balance seemed to weigh more heavily on the side of trust. Frankly, if the father was working a scam, the accountability left my wallet and fell squarely on his shoulders—an accountability that is ultimately to God. I passed along my gift and drove away to the sound of “God bless you…I really thank you.” The reaction was even better when I got home. “We’re proud of you, Dad!” To be honest, I am more jaded today about roadside gifts and sign-wielding appeals than I was then. But these two events taught me about promptness in responding to God’s leadings. And I’m grateful for second chances. First Pres member Paul Moede leads USA communications at Compassion International. 9/10 | www.first-pres.org | 5
The
Impact of Why Why do we do it?
Smiling and really meaning it when we say “how are you?” to the night shift clerk at the convenience store. Offering patience and a word of encouragement for a young mother in a grocery store check-out line faced with a rapidly disintegrating two-year old in need of a nap. Spending that $1.89 for a can of tuna fish donated to Care and Share Food Bank, a meal for someone whose job doesn’t make ends meet. Showing up at church on Tuesdays to cook grilled cheese sandwiches and be in community with teenagers. Spending a Sunday morning assembling and cleaning communion trays so we can share the Lord’s Supper. Why do we do it? Because each act creates impact. It changes things. It reaches the heart. It demonstrates grace. It takes us somewhere outside of ourselves. Impact makes our faith come alive; it shows Jesus’ love for all of us. It’s what Stewardship 2010 is all about. At First Pres there are literally thousands of stories of impact. There are small acts of kindness, those smiles and personal words of encouragement that make a difference. There is the impact of our teens helping devastated communities in New Orleans. There is the power of our children sending shoe boxes to Afghanistan or unloading the ESM food carts every first Sunday of the month. There is our huge out-pouring of support through One Great Hour of Sharing, a mission trip to Egypt, one person’s decision to serve those in greatest need in Haiti, or a couple’s desire for our community to engage in 40 Nights of prayer. The impact of all these things makes a difference. An eternal difference. So, why do we do it? “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength… and, Love your neighbor as yourself… You are not far from the kingdom of God.” (Mark 12:29-34) That’s why. 6 | www.first-pres.org | 9/10
12,400 grilled cheese sandwiches. Conversations about Jesus. First Pres making a difference in the lives of teenagers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels unaware. Hebrews 13:2
THAT’S WHY. STEWARDSHIP 2010
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FIRST PRES NORTH
By Hugh Eaton
“The servant’s towel is as much an image of the Holy Spirit as the tongues of fire.” —Anonymous
J
esus truly has a servant’s heart. He proved that many times while He was with us. Wisely, Jesus left behind His Helper, the Holy Spirit, to “…teach you all things” (John 14:26). The Spirit’s teaching has led many congregations to understand the meaning of brotherly love, which leads to acts of compassion. Jeralynn Dix, longtime member of First Pres and one of the founders of FP North, has shared her gift of hospitality with First Pres members for years. Now she has added FP North to places she serves. When she recognized her gift of hospitality she was determined to use it. She says, “I don’t want anyone to leave any church gathering without being greeted, affirmed and made to feel welcome.”
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Jeralynn says, “Everyone in the congregation should be part of the hospitality committee.” Her servant’s heart has been a good example for the congregation at FP North. When FP North started a Sunday worship service from scratch, many volunteers were needed for everything from parking, greeting and ushering to setting up chairs and the sound system. Following Jeralynn’s example, volunteers were plentiful and the services successful. A “we are in this together” spirit has developed, and the congregation has grown closer. At the same time the congregation has realized serving others must go beyond the church walls. FP North wants to follow in the footsteps of First Pres, which has been caring for the community at large for many years. FP North has established a relationship with Tri-Lakes Cares, a social service organization. Carrie Oliver at Tri-Lakes Cares says, “We appreciate having FP North in our community. They donate about 500 pounds of food each month to keep our pantry stocked.” FP North also supplied them with enough food, clothing, toys and other gifts last Christmas for six families. Bill Bristol, FP North Mission Coordinator, says, “Our relationship with Tri-Lakes Cares is very good. They have begun to rely on our assistance. For instance, we will supply six volunteers to help them during their big “Harvest of Love” drive this fall.” The FP North congregation continues to look for ways to show a servant’s heart for each other and our northern El Paso community.
FIRST PRES SPOTLIGHT
Caretakers Among Us: The Heritage of Deacons By Dale McClure
Deacons have had a huge impact on the church community for the entire history of First Pres. We dove into the church archives this month to see first-hand the kinds of people supported by our Deacons over the decades. Our Board of Deacons was authorized on April 12, 1912. Nine men were elected to that first board to oversee “the collection and distribution of all benevolence funds.” Funding came at the specific direction of church members. During The Great Depression our archives record a father asking for shoes for his children so they could attend school. The receipt dated March 16, 1932, shows the price of each pair of shoes: $0.24, $0.29, $0.99 and $0.79. Deacons also made loans of cash to members for temporary needs in the amounts of $3.50 to $10.00. The Deacons directed funds to pay for coal in the winter, doctor and hospital bills, buying a bed, finding jobs, and distributing clothing after the Memorial Day Flood of 1936. One great example is of a boy who needed a bicycle to earn money from his paper route for his family. The church was able to provide two bicycles. The benevolence was contagious--a grocer contributed over a dollar’s worth of groceries himself as the Deacons bought food. Even as prices climbed they strived to provide for those in need. As the Church has grown, the work of the Deacons has changed. This group provides baskets of food to those in need at Thanksgiving and Christmas. At one time or another Deacons became involved in providing transportation to worship services, counseling after worship
services, employment search programs, communion set up and clean up, handy man services, hospital and recovery equipment, cards and notes to those who were ill, as well as looking to the needs of people outside of our church through such programs as the Soup Kitchen, the Golden Circle and ESM. Today, every First Pres member has a Deacon assigned to them when they join the church and that deacon makes periodic contact looking and listening for needs and concerns. In addition, each deacon is given one or more of the following responsibilities: hospital visitation, blood bank arrangement at church, bereavement receptions, greeters before and after church, a party for those members who are at least 80 years old. Poinsettia and Easter Lilies during the holidays for those who lost loved ones in the previous year, and special care/communion. Some Deacons have special care person—someone who is elderly or not able to attend the regular church activities. The deacon makes frequent contact with them and offers in-home communion if requested and a special service once a year. Deacons are a special group with our First Pres community; they are our caretakers, our community supporters, and they are in the very fabric of our community to keep us all connected, loved and supported. A special thank you to these special people. Dale McClure, First Pres Archivist, can be found digging through boxes of papers and photos relishing all the wonderful stories that make First Pres such a special place. 9/10 | www.first-pres.org | 11
By Pat Dickinson of the men. We, however, had not anticipated what God was doing in the hearts of the men. When we arrived for the next session, we were apologetic about the length and intensity of the day. Our Alpha course team members had quite a different reaction. The day had been a turning point. We began to see real changes, curiosity and greater discussions about the Lord. During the last night of the first Alpha course, Sara Singleton spoke about the meaning of the church, explaining that the church is not a building or place, but rather the people of God. She said that Jesus spoke of the church as His Body, His Bride. To illustrate, she told the story of a woman who was a prostitute for over fifty years to support her addiction to heroin. At 67, through the work of a missionary in her city, she came to Christ and for the first time in 50+ years, she was able to give up her heroin addiction. As if that were not blessing enough, the Lord brought her a man who fell in love with her. At their wedding, the groom waited for his bride, radiant and dressed in white. And this, Sara explained, was what it meant to be Christ’s bride. All her past was forgiven and she was clothed in white, radiant and beautiful in the eyes of her groom, just as we are in the eyes of Christ. This message of hope was imparted to men who had at one time had no hope. Testimonies from men who had just finished the course followed. Those very men, plus four more, now form the leadership team of the Alpha course that began on May 20th. Their joy was displayed clearly that first night of the second course. The transforming light of our gracious God is now evident at the Springs Rescue Mission. Hallelujah! What a Savior.
Alpha at Springs Rescue Mission
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n May 20, a new Alpha class began at the Springs Rescue Mission, an alcohol and drug recovery center. I was the only woman on this occasion, accompanying other members of our church there because I would later pray while the men were in their discussion groups. I was reminded of the first Alpha program at the Mission and how different this night was from the one in February when the program began. Let’s flash back to that night in early February. Our team from the church arrived to find twenty-four residents sitting silently in rows. No one spoke. No one joked or laughed. These men did not want to be there, angry about having another evening taken up with religious nonsense. Discussions that night were strained, difficult. The prayer team, sensing the hostility, prayed fervently for these men. We did not see results that night but little by little hearts began to open, questions began to be asked, hope began to break through. At first there were only little chinks of light. The table leaders reported that conversations were easier. Then the spiritual retreat day came. Alpha’s intent is to have a weekend retreat, but we had to cram all talks and discussion groups into one day. At the end of the day, everyone was exhausted. Our planning team surmised that we had packed too much into the day and was sure we had not met the needs 12 | www.first-pres.org | 9/10
Pat is grandmother to 12 little ones and passionate about bringing the gospel message to others.
Yes, it’s back, GTW! Growing opportunities for the entire family begin
Wednesday, September 15, 2010 Information coming to your mailbox soon
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Love, Grow, Go—Together. It’s a journey. It’s a state of mind. It’s who we want to be here at First Pres. For more details about the serving communities mentioned in this issue of First Pres Magazine, read on. Alpha. Are you interested in providing meals or learning more about what it means to facilitate a table group for Alpha? Contact Pat Dickinson at 884.6108. Compassion International. Contact Susan Buenger at 884.6.109 for more information regarding our church-to-church partnership with Presbyterian Free Church of Kalimpong, West Bengal, India. Connecting Ministry. A missional community is a welcoming community. If you have the gift of hospitality, if you love people, our Connecting Ministry is for you. For further information, call Mary Frieg at 884.6189, or mfrieg@first-pres.org. Deacons. Connect with your Deacon and thank him or her for their service. Get in touch by calling Caring Ministries at 884.6145.
Ecumenical Social Ministries (ESM). Located on the corner of Weber & Bijou Streets, First Pres is one of eight downtown churches supporting this front line ministry for the working poor and homeless. For further information, call Michelle Swanson, 884.6111 or online www.ecusocmin.org First Pres North. There are many places to volunteer at First Pres North. Whether its spending time with children, greeting visitors, setting up for the band or bringing the brownies, First Pres North welcomes you to this special community. For information call 884.6141. Habitat for Humanity. Help build our eighth Habitat House for the Greathouse family! Call Michelle Swanson at 884.6111 or mswanson@ first-pres.org. Marian House Soup Kitchen. To help prepare or serve food on Tuesdays, call Michelle Swanson 884-6111 or mswanson@first-pres.org. Springs Rescue Mission. To learn more about the Springs Rescue Mission and opportunities to volunteer, go to www.mysrm.org.
Other opportunities to serve? www.first-pres.org/volunteer Nicole Lowell 884-6162, nlowell@first-pres.org
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Events Calendar SEPTEMBER
week of 1–5
Wednesday, Sept 1 Women’s Lunchbreak Thursday, Sept 2 Prime Time
Sunday, Sept 5 Bible Reading Brunch
week of 6–12 week of 13–19
Monday, Sept 6 Labor Day, Church is Closed
Tuesday, Sept 7 Top Gun begins
Saturday, Sept 11 Habitat Build Day
Monday, Sept 13 Grief Workshop begins
Wednesday, Sept 15 Growing Together Wednesdays Men’s Lunchbreak
Friday, Sept 17 MOPS begins
Tuesday, Sept 14 Women’s Life begins Men’s Life begins Divorce Recovery Workshop begins
week of 20–26
Wednesday, Sept 22 Growing Together Wednesdays
week of 27–30
Wednesday, Sept 29 Growing Together Wednesdays
Thursday, Sept 16 MOPS begins; Prime Time
Saturday, Sept 18 Habitat Build
Saturday, Sept 25 Habitat Build Day
Join us in Worship on Sundays
Downtown Campus – 219 E. Bijou Blended Worship with Choir, Sanctuary, 8:20 a.m. & 9:45 a.m. Contemporary Worship band-led, 9:45 a.m. Fellowship Hall and 11:10 a.m. Sanctuary Contemplative Worship, Sanctuary, 5:30 p.m.
First Pres North – da Vinci Academy Contemporary Worship, 11:00 a.m.
First Pres Online – first-pres.org Sanctuary Services live broadcast beginning at 8:20 a.m.
For church information, call 719-884-6144 or mail@first-pres.org 9/10 | www.first-pres.org | 15
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
219 East Bijou Street Colorado Springs, CO 80903
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Non Profit Org. U. S. Postage PAID Colo. Spgs. CO Permit No. 419
first-pres.org/adults or 884.6144 for further information.
Women’s start dates: Women’s Life 9/14; MOPS 9/16 & 9/17
Men start dates: Top Gun, 9/7; Men’s Life 9/14 & 9/15