F irst Pulse
First United Methodist Church Grand Rapids | grfumc.org
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December 2017
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F irst Pulse December 2017
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3rd Grade Bible Sunday
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Youth Choir singing during worship.
On the Cover In the Fullness of Time — join with us on our Christmas Journey! C
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OUR MISSION
INCLUSIVITY
To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
Inclusiveness means openness, acceptance, and support that enables all persons to participate in the life of the Church, the community, and the world; therefore, inclusiveness denies every semblance of discrimination.
OUR PURPOSE To fulfill the call of Christ to be spiritually alive in the city while embracing the world. 2
First Pulse | December ‘17
Come and participate fully in our journey to Christmas. It’s December already? How can that be? The last month of 2017 is soon to be history and we will be welcoming a new year before we know it. After nearly 40 years in pastoral ministry, it has been my experience that people are generally busy, stressed, over-committed, and overextended during the month of December. While those feelings can emerge throughout the year, it seems like every emotion is heightened during December. That is why we need to slow down and find time to ponder anew what the coming of Christ means to us and our world. December is also a time when people seem to have a giving spirit, perhaps more than any other time of year. Somehow the Christmas spirit has gotten in our bones, and most people look for ways to be generous with loved ones, friends, or causes that need financial support. Wouldn’t it be terrific if the December spirit could continue year’round? Generosity among the people of faith is extraordinary in December. Actually, at First Church, giving is quite extraordinary throughout the year, but in December, it is even greater. I’ve never fully understood why that is, but it is true. Maybe we discover that we are behind in our pledge and we use December to catch-up. Maybe we get to the end of the year and discover how blest we have been and decide to share our blessings with others by giving to the mission and ministry of the church. Maybe it is a by-product of the season and we discover a deep need within to be generous. Whatever the motive is or whatever fruit is realized, know that there are ways that you can invest in things that matter through the ministry and mission of First Church. As you ponder the giving that you wish to do during the month of December, think about the ways that you can invest in ministry. Think about special gifts to our general fund, our ministry at Clark Retirement Community, the tutoring program at the Martin
Luther King, Jr., Leadership Academy, The Work Program, Mission and Outreach Ministries, Children’s or Youth Ministry, Music and the Arts, or giving to the Scholarship Fund that was started this year to give scholarships to students pursuing higher education. Thank you in advance for your generosity to the ministries of First Church. In this December issue, you will read about incredible ministry that is offered during December at First Church. Sunday worship throughout Advent will focus on the theme of “Time,” the Blue Christmas Service on December 6 is planned for folks who are struggling after the loss of a loved one, the Sons Of Serendip Christmas Concert will be a highlight of the season, A Jazz Christmas with MacNaughton Blvd., our Christmas Eve breakfast served to our Heartside neighbors, and so much more. This year, Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday. With Casey’s Breakfast early Christmas Eve morning, we are planning one service at 10:00 am that will be our Fourth Sunday of Advent with a Service of Lessons and Carols. Sunday evening (Christmas Eve) will be our three Christmas Eve services with a Family Worship that will be focused on children at 5:00 pm. The 7:00 pm service will be with choir, communion, and dancers. The 9:00 pm service will be a more quiet and meditative service. This year, the three services of Christmas Eve will each be different, so pick which evening service fits your desire and schedule, and join us. Be assured that all of our worship experiences are designed as an invitation for you and your loved ones to make First Church a priority throughout December. Please come and participate fully in our journey to Christmas. And – consider inviting a friend, neighbor, or relative to join us for worship too. A blessed December to you! Pastor Bob
First Pulse | December ‘17
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Radical Hospitality
Time with our Neighbors
people from the community, we welcomed news crews from Fox 17 and WOOD TV 8.
First Church loves the opportunity to invite our neighborhood into community! This October, many volunteers decorated their trunks and put on costumes to welcome hundreds of kids for an evening of fun at Trunk-or-Treat. We had over 400 visitors for this unique ministry opportunity – what a great way to be alive in the city!
On a more joyful note (punintended), The Sons of Serendip are coming back to First Church on Tuesday, December 12, for a Christmas concert! This is another opportunity to open our doors to the community. If you haven’t purchased tickets yet, purchase them online at grfumc. org/sos or from the church receptionist. I encourage Sometimes offering you to purchase tickets hospitality means an Invitational Pack (6 What providing a tickets) and share the quiet space for other ways extra tickets with reflection. On friends, coworkers, can First Church November 6, and classmates. we opened our intentionally invite (Because this sanctuary to the ticket option is our neighborhood neighborhood so discounted, as a place to into community? they are available respond in only for members to prayer to the pre-purchase from the tragic shootings church receptionist, using in Texas. Along with cash/check.)
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First Pulse | December ‘17
What other ways can First Church intentionally invite our neighborhood into community? I would love your suggestions! Please email samim@grfumc.org. Sami Marasigan Hospitality & Invitation
PASSIONATE WORSHIP Music and Arts Ministry
Time is important. O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come, Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home. Time is important. We are all intimately connected to time, whether we like it or not. The question of how we use our time and what is our relationship with time gets answered in one way or another, even if we don’t ask. We humans do a lot to try to understand time, and a lot to try to control time. The subject of time is pervasive in popular culture. Witness the countless movies such as Back to the Future, The Time Traveler’s Wife, About Time, endless shelves of self-help books and strategies such as Stephen Covey’s “Time Management Matrix,” and countless popular songs about time. Bragging about how busy we are and how little time we have has risen to the level of an art form. Stephen Hawking, in A Brief History of Time, ends the book with this bold statement: “If we find a unified theory of time, it would be the ultimate triumph — for then we would know the mind of God.” Before the hills in order stood, Or earth received her frame, From everlasting Thou art God, To endless years the same. Time is an integral part of the Christian faith. We speak of God’s saving acts throughout history – actual moments in time where God has acted, and through which God is known. God’s acts take place in time, within the same calendar that we use to plan and describe our daily life. Notice some references from the Bible that can be found on a calendar: “In the days of King Herod of Judaea…” (Luke 1:5); “This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.” (Luke 2:2). The ancient Greeks had two words for time: Kairos and Chronos. Kairos refers to the right moment in time, whereas Chronos is a particular time in the quantitative sequence of time. “The time has come; the kingdom of God is upon you” (Mark 1:15) is an example of Kairos. We encounter both in the life of Christ. It was “in the fullness of time” that God is made manifest in the birth of Christ, and yet, the life of Christ has a very specific time and place referenced in the Bible: “At that time the festival of the Dedication took place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon.” (John 10:2223). Christ is put to death on a particular day near the Passover that year, and rises on the third day.
A thousand ages in Thy sight Are like an evening gone; Short as the watch that ends the night Before the rising sun. Recollection is a form of looking back in time, and we do it quite often in worship. The book of Acts is a collection of stories that are historically based, that “look back.” When we celebrate Holy Communion, we look back to God’s saving acts in history, and look back to the circumstances surrounding the institution of the sharing of bread and wine. “And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.” (UMW Hymnal, page 10, 14, 16). Calendars are very ancient things, with researchers identifying methods of timekeeping dating back to prehistoric times, possibly even as early as 15,000 BC. In the early Christian church, calendars were also developed to best represent our understanding of God and to structure the worship life of the church. By the fourth century, the “Christian Year” was largely in place, as we know it today, with the principle feasts and days that are connected to them of Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. The “Christian Year” parallels the life of Jesus. Time, like an ever rolling stream, Bears all its sons away; They fly, forgotten, as a dream Dies at the opening day. St. Augustine had this to say about time: “What then is time? If no one asks me, I know what it is. If I wish to explain it to him who asks, I do not know.” May this Advent be for you, a time of renewal and reflection. May you find time for that which brings you peace and joy. Eric Strand Director of Music and the Arts
First Pulse | December ‘17
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December 2017 Sunday, December 3 Communion Sunday Blood Pressure Sunday 8:15 am – Nursery 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:00 am – Nursery 9:15 am – Birthday Party for Jesus 9:15 am – Church School for All Ages 10:15 am – Coffee & Connections 10:45 am – Nursery 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 4:00 pm – Couples in Faith Potluck 5:00 pm – Jr & Sr High Youth Group 5:30 pm – Disciple II Monday, December 4 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study Tuesday, December 5 7:00 am – Work Program 10:00 am – Advent Study at Clark (Franklin Campus) 5:30 pm – Staff/Parish Relations Committee Wednesday, December 6 12:30 pm – Staff Prayer Service 1:00 pm – MLK Gift-Wrapping 3:00 pm – Blue Christmas Service at Clark 5:15 pm – Legacy Committee 6:00 pm – Young Adults Group: Bible Study at Cottage Bar A
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6:00 pm – Disciple I 7:00 pm – Blue Christmas Service at First Church Thursday, December 7 9:00 am – MLK Gift-Wrapping 12:00 pm – MLK Clean-Up 5:30 pm – Moms’ Group Makeand-Take 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Rehearsal Saturday, December 9 3:00 am – Methodist Connection Caroling Sunday, December 10 8:15 am – Nursery 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:00 am – Nursery 9:15 am – Church School for All Ages 10:15 am – Coffee & Connections 10:45 am – Nursery 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 12:00 pm – All-Church Caroling 5:00 pm – Jr & Sr High Youth Group 5:30 pm – Disciple II
Monday, December 11 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study 5:00 pm – Trustees Tuesday, December 12 7:00 am – Work Program 10:00 am – Advent Study at Clark (Franklin Campus) 5:30 pm – Finance Meeting 7:00 pm – Sons of Serendip Christmas Concert Wednesday, December 13 12:30 pm – Staff Prayer Service 5:00 pm – Moms’ Group Christmas Party 6:00 pm – Young Adults Group: Christmas Party at Well House 6:00 pm – Disciple I 6:30 pm – Church Ensemble Thursday, December 14 9:00 am – Moms and Muffins Date 9:00 am – Fixin’ ‘n’ Fellowship 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Rehearsal Saturday, December 16 8:30 am – Feeding America 6:00 pm – A Jazz Christmas with MacNaughton Blvd.
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First Pulse | December ‘17
Sunday, December 24 Christmas Eve 8:00 am – Casey’s Breakfast 9:30 am – Nursery 10:00 am – Worship 10:00 am – Shine: Sensory Room 5:00 pm — Interactive family story-telling service 7:00 pm — Candlelight and Communion Service 9:00 pm — Contemplative meditative service with candlelight
Sunday, December 17 8:15 am – Nursery 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:00 am – Nursery 9:15 am – Church School for All Ages 10:15 am – Coffee & Connections 10:45 am – Nursery 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 11:50 am – Puerto Rico Mission Trip Meeting 4:00 pm – Couples in Faith Potluck 5:00 pm – Jr & Sr High Youth Group 5:30 pm – Disciple II
Monday, December 25 Christmas Day Church Building and Offices Closed
Monday, December 18 11:00 am – Adult Bible Study 5:30 pm – Building Committee 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry
Tuesday, December 26 Church Building and Offices Closed
January 4 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Rehearsal Sunday, January 7 Communion Sunday Blood Pressure Sunday 8:15 am – Nursery 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:00 am – Nursery 9:15 am – Church School for All Ages 10:15 am – Coffee & Connections 10:45 am – Nursery 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 5:00 pm – Jr & Sr High Youth Group 5:30 pm – Disciple II
Friday, December 29 Church Building and Offices Closed
Tuesday, December 19 7:00 am – Work Program 10:00 am – Advent Study at Clark (Franklin Campus)
Sunday, December 31 9:30 am – Nursery 10:00 am – Worship
Wednesday, December 20 9:00 am – Caring Connection 12:30 pm – Staff Prayer Service 6:00 pm – Disciple I
Monday, January 1 New Year’s Day Church Building and Offices Closed January 2 7:00 am – Work Program
Thursday, December 21 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 6:30 pm – Living Nativity at Clark 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Rehearsal
January 3 12:30 pm – Staff Prayer Service 5:30 pm – Christmas Clean-Up Party 6:00 pm – Disciple I
Choir at the Methodist Connection Service on November 5. A
Performers from the Stewardship Skit on November 12. B
A gathering for dessert and fellowship following the Methodist Connection Service on November 5. C
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First Pulse | December ‘17
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Intentional Faith Development The Most Important Space in the Church What is the most important room in the church? The sanctuary? The church office? Wesley Hall? The bathroom? All wrong. The most important room in the church is the nursery! Tucked away down a hallway and behind a secure door, most church folks don’t know how to find the nursery, let alone have ever seen it in action. Let me paint a picture of our two nurseries on a Sunday morning: In one, baskets of toys line the low shelves; at a toddler-size table and set of chairs, hungry 2- and 3-year-olds munch on cracker; one child sits in the tee-pee tent to quietly read; at a toddler-size kitchen area, many chefs work to make “lunch” for their “restaurant”; and on a colorful rug, the children sit to sing and hear the morning’s lesson.
This space is the beating heart of our church. The nursery is where children get their first taste of First Pulse | December ‘17
It has nearly been a calendar year since GRCC’s Lab Preschool moved out and FUMC hurriedly cleaned, replaced furniture and toys, and “reclaimed” the Infant Nursery and Toddler Room on the first floor. Over the summer, the almost 30-year-old wallpaper came down in both rooms and fresh paint made the two rooms seem almost new. Hours and hours of hard work, planning, and training have gone into making our nurseries a clean and inviting space for our youngest church members and their families.
The nursery is where children get their first taste of what church is like: a place where we learn about Jesus and share God’s love with one another.
In another room, it’s quieter; two babies snooze in swings while two others babble to teddy bears and one another; one staff person sings to a baby as she changes his diaper and another prepares a bottle for the little one who will certainly want it soon; and the babies quiet down when they hear the worship service begin and the music play over the speaker system.
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what church is like: a place where we learn about Jesus and share God’s love with one another.
I am thankful for the skilled work of our nursery staff, for the detailed cleaning of our custodial staff, and for the support of our families who use the nursery on Sunday morning. If you’d like to see the most important space in our church, I hope you’ll join us for an Open House on Sunday, January 7 after the 10:45 am worship service. Audrey Kawel Director of Children’s Ministry
Risk-Taking Outreach and Mission A friend of mine has a brother who lives in Ireland. He is a Brother in a monastic order, an order which does not allow him to travel to visit his siblings here in the States. He cannot drink, eat to excess, or smoke. He is celibate, and he and the nuns of the order have all taken vows of poverty. They lead very simple lives of worship, prayer, and service to the poor. When I found out how strict his order was, I asked my friend if he thought his brother was happy. “Oh, yes!” he answered enthusiastically. He then went on to describe how he and his family had traveled to visit his brother in Ireland. While there, they attended a celebration at the monastery. During the festivities, all of the brothers, priests, and nuns were laughing and dancing. Meanwhile, the couples and families who were visiting sat rather glumly along the margins of the hall. “My brother,” he went on, “is one of the happiest people I know, and he owns virtually nothing.” All year long, but especially at Christmas time, our consumptionobsessed society tries to convince us that our happiness lies in our life circumstances. If we only obtain that shiny thing we desire, we will be joyful. If we give others the perfect gifts, they will like us. If we host the best parties, people will be impressed. We operate under the fallacy that we can plan, work, and spend our way to contentment. Unfortunately, the Christmas shopping frenzy feeds this myth one blockbuster sales special at a time.
challenge the notion that joy is a future state of being or that it comes with a price tag. We know that Jesus came into the world so that we might have life and have it abundantly. This is one of the reasons our annual Christmas offering is one of our congregation’s largest and mostutilized means of supporting missions and ministry, locally and globally. As we celebrate the gift of Christ, we give out of the abundance God has given to us, both in time and resources. The good news is that we don’t need to take vows of poverty or celibacy in order to spend a little
extra time this holiday season asking what we might do for others. We don’t need to ban our holiday travel plans or give up on desserts to realize that what makes any time of celebration truly special is connection with God and others. Look for your invitation to give generously toward this year’s Christmas offering in the mail. Contributions can also be made online at www.grfumc.org/ missionoffering. May you find the joy of simplicity and generosity this Advent and may your Christmas be filled with the abundance of God’s love! Pastor Amee
Within Christian community, we actively First Pulse | December ‘17
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EXTRAVAGANT GENEROSITY Resource Development
Joy to the World, Amazon Has Come! If you are like me, you hate shopping! For me, the Christmas season, while being a joyous time of the year, has always been dreaded a bit because it meant that I needed to maybe actually go to a mall or some other equally foreboding place! Unlike many, I have never been shopping on Black Friday. I’d rather have a root canal! Then along came online shopping! For the last few years, and not only just at Christmas, shopping has become a breeze! Within just a few minutes, a task that used to take hours to complete can be done in minutes. Searching that used to involve going from store to store is now accomplished with a few mouse clicks or smart-phone taps. Joy to the World, Amazon Has Come! Satisfying our needs for material goods has never been easier. But feeding our materialistic urges is now dangerously easy as well. Pop-up ads entice us with “great deals.” The itch can be satisfied with one click! Before this technological revolution, there was effort involved. At least you had to perhaps read a flyer, then get dressed, and go the store. It can be pretty easy to forget about Jesus’ call to serve the least and the lost. Acquiring “stuff ” has become so easy! During this Advent Season, each time we click the “PLACE ORDER” button, let us also remember those who simply need something to eat, or a place to
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First Pulse | December ‘17
live, or a job, or medical treatment, or simply a friend to talk to. Is God guiding you through the temptations to go overboard during this holiday shopping season? Do your financial priorities put God first, or does God get the last mouse click? Did you know that the First Church website offers the opportunity for online giving? One click and you can make a difference at www.grfumc.org/give. In the coming year, our First Church family will once again boldly march forward in faithful ministry, due not only to our faithful participation, but also driven by our generous financial support as we put God at the center of everything we do. So as you are bombarded with the “great deals” this holiday season, remember those that we reach in the name of Jesus Christ. May God keep us focused on the true meaning of Advent as we become an ever more Extravagantly Generous congregation! Chris Hawkins Finance Committee
Congregational Care A Blue Christmas? Joy to the world, the Lord is come! And fa-la-la-lalas fill the air. Brightly wrapped packages with big red bows, holiday parties, shopping, and upbeat holiday music playing everywhere you go. All this joy and excitement surrounds you, yet you don’t feel like celebrating much of anything and may even be dreading the coming holiday season. Face it, there are years when we hurt at Christmastime. The hurt may be due to the loss of employment, financial concerns, depression, loss of a relationship or a dream, illness, or the death of a loved one. And this year has been especially difficult with what we see and hear on the news. Hurricanes, fires, and tragic shootings affect not only how we feel but also the psyche of our entire nation. It is at such times we need to make space, acknowledge how we are feeling, and to know that we are not alone. If you are feeling down this Christmas or know someone who is struggling, consider attending our Blue Christmas Service which will be on Wednesday, December 6 at 7:00 pm in the Upper Room at First Church. It will be a service of light in the midst of darkness and will include readings, music, and candles as we acknowledge our losses, disappointments, and hurts together. After the service, a small reception will be held and you will be able to speak with a pastor, Stephen Ministers, and each other if you choose.
The “After People” Who is there for people after they return the last casserole bowl? After the doctor says there is nothing more that can be done? After the nursing home director shakes their hand and says “welcome to your new home?” After the funeral is over and their emotions come crashing down on them? After divorce papers are served and the bottom drops out of their life? The answer to all of the above is A Stephen Minister! Stephen Ministers are trained to walk along side people who are experiencing all sorts of struggles and provide comfort and support for as long after they are needed. After undergoing 50 hours of training in boundaries, prayer, confidentiality and more, a Stephen Minister is assigned to walk with one person at a time, meeting with them for an hour each week to listen, support and pray. Have you ever thought about becoming a Stephen Minister? We will be holding another training class this winter. Let’s talk! Grace and peace, Pastor Tim Tuthill and Marj Timmerman RN, Pastoral Care
If you are finding the coming holiday season tough, please join us. Or, think of people you know who might find this Christmas season difficult and bring them! We have space for all to come and sit quietly and worship, making room for grief and frustration and memories, putting words to those while remembering we are never ever alone. For questions about Blue Christmas or Stephen Ministry, please contact either Pastor Tim or Marj at 451.2879 or by email at marjt@grfumc.org or timt@grfumc.org. First Pulse | December ‘17
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Join with us on our
! y e n r u o J s a m t s i Chr Christmas Eve is a long way away … or … it will be here before we know it. But the truth is, how we spend our time getting from here to there is what this season is all about.
Worship Sundays at 8:15 & 10:45 am Sunday, December 24 at 10:00 am
Blue Christmas Service on Wednesday, December 6 at 7:00 pm — A service for those who have experienced loss
Sons Of Serendip Christmas Concert
Tuesday, December 12 at 7:00 pm — Tickets at www.GRFUMC.org/sos. Save $5 with “Advent17” code.
A Jazz Christmas with MacNaughton Blvd.
on Saturday, December 16 at 6:00 pm — This seasonal “swing” features music and readings for the season.
Christmas Eve Services
Sunday, December 24 5:00 pm — Family story-telling service 7:00 pm — Candlelight and communion 9:00 pm — Meditative service