First Pulse March 2017

March 2017 Edition

It is rare when March 1 st is also Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. So it stands to reason that the March Newsletter is focused on Lent. There is so much to write about because Lent of 2017 will be a wondrous spiritual journey for us.

Our journey begins with THREE Ash Wednesday worship opportunities on March 1. All three of the services will include the imposition of ashes for those who wish to receive them.

• There will be a meditative and reflective service at noon in the Upper Room.

• At 3:00 pm we are offering a service at the Clark Community Chapel open to all.

• At 7:00 pm a second reflective service will be held in the Upper Room.

Our worship theme for Lent is Healing.

It is a fascinating and important topic to me. As a follower of Jesus, a long-time pastor and former hospital chaplain, I have some history with the subject.

Because of my journey, I believe that I have some questions to ask and insights to share that may be helpful to those willing to Biblically search, pray, and enter into a discovery process with me.

If you are looking for absolutes or easy answers, then chances are this series may produce some anxiety because I don’t have as many answers as I have questions. Certainly we could agree that Jesus had a healing ministry. There were 31 stories of healing recorded in the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke). There were eight stories that were recorded in all three of the gospels.

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Given the complexities of life today with the hurt or pain that we often carry, the grief that sometimes is unresolved... healing is an important topic to consider for us all. with the hurt or pain that we often carry, the grief that sometimes is unresolved, the fear that often immobilizes, plus many other psychological, physiological, or spiritual wounds that we deal with, it seems to me that healing is an important topic to consider for us all. So – our thematic journey in March will look like this: March 5: Lent I “Healing is a Beautiful Word” Matthew 4:23-24, James 5:13-16 March 12: Lent II “A Legacy of Healing” John 21:24-25, Matthew 15:30-31 March 19: Lent III “Our Prejudices About Healing” Mark 9:23-24 March 26: Lent IV “Be Faithful in Prayer and Let God Do the Rest” Luke 18:35-43

March 3: Stuart Ray, Executive Director, Guiding Light March 10: Marge Palmerlee, Executive Director, Dégagé Ministries March 17: Tendai Masiriri, Executive Director, Heartside Ministry March 24: Richard Johnson, Director of the Work Program of First Church March 31: Jer-Hon Hawkins, MLK Academy Tutoring Center Church and School Coordinator a ministry of First Church.

What a terrific season for spiritual renewal and growth ahead for us. I commend the journey to you and invite you to engage and participate in as much as possible.

I leave you with a historic suggested prayer to be prayed each day from Ash Wednesday to Palm Sunday. Perhaps you could add this prayer to your daily You will also read about a variety devotions after reading the Psalm text of classes during Lent that I believe for the day: are eclectic and engaging. My class on Sunday evenings will be doing You alone O God, bring order to the unruly preparatory work for a Holy Week daily wills and affections of us all: May we love what retreat that we are going to enjoy this You command, and desire what You promise, year with author, Robert Benson. You so that, among the varied changes in our world, can find more details online at www. our hearts may be fixed where true joy is found … grfumc.org/healing.

The Men’s Lenten Breakfast will begin In the name of the One who created us, the on March 3 at 7:00 am. We end by One who redeems us, and the one who guides us 8:00 am. This year we are focusing on and walks with us until we are home. Amen.

Heartside missions. The schedule will Pastor Bob Given the complexities of life today be as follows:

inside

Intentional Faith Development

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Pastor’s Message

Radical Hospitality 1

Risk-taking Outreach and Mission

Passionate Worship 5

Extravagant Generosity 4

3 Congregational Care

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Intentional Faith Development Lent at First Church Lent is the forty days preceding Easter. Lent excludes Sundays because we celebrate the resurrection on each Sunday, like a little Easter. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 1.

Lent is a great time to retreat from the hectic nature of our lives. A time to reflect on our spiritual nature. A time to reconnect with God through our relationship with Christ.

community. As we prepare for the “spiritual retreat” of Holy Week, Pastor Bob will lead a five-week class using one of Robert Benson’s books, The Echo Within.

Books are available in the north lobby office. We will augment the book study with prayers taken from a prayer book by Robert Benson, Venite. Come and journey with us!

Lent is a great time to retreat from • John: The Gospel of Light the hectic nature of our lives. A time and Life (3107 – First Place) to reflect on our spiritual nature. A The Gospel of John is filled with time to reconnect with God through rich images and profound truths, but our relationship with Christ. A time to John notes that his aim in writing the engage the Holy Spirit through prayer, gospel is that readers will not only Saturday, March 11, 2017, 9:00 am fasting, and service. believe in Jesus Christ, but that they 3:30 pm “may have life in his name.” Adam • Be Still and Know That I Am God, First Church’s Lenten 2017 focus will Hamilton’s six-week DVD series, A Workshop with Author Kristen be healing. I invite you to consider follows the life, ministry, death, and Vincent: Participants will learn how participating in an adult education class resurrection of Jesus with a Lenten being still can help them in their or special event that will be offered focus. Books are available in the spiritual formation and how being during Lent. Each option offers a north lobby office. Facilitator: Laure still can help them in their interactions different way to spend time in study Mieskowski with the world. This workshop will and contemplation during this time of include using prayer beads and other spiritual focus.

Sunday Evening, March 5 – prayer tools including the April 2, 5:00 - 6:30 pm Holy Trinity icon to deepen Laure Mieskowski • The Echo Within: The their relationship with God. Director of Faith Development spiritual journey of Lent Register at www.grfumc.

2017 will include spending org/prayerworkshop.

Sunday, March 5 – April 9 at 9:15 am Holy Week with author and • Couples in Faith Class (Chapel): A spiritual sojourner, Robert place for study, prayer, fellowship and Benson. Robert is a prolific community for 30s/40s-something writer with 23 books in couples. print. Whose writing focuses • Beads of Healing (Library): Author on prayer, rest, work and Kristen Vincent shares her personal story of childhood trauma and how Protestant prayer beads helped her find spiritual and emotional healing.

She models how to name feelings of grief, shame, and anger and engage in honest conversations with God. Books are available in the north lobby office. Facilitator: Patsy McGillivray • Faith Link (3109 – First Place): Produced weekly, lessons connect faith to major current news events and life issues in the culture and the church. Topics change weekly so this class is ideal for adults who can’t attend Sunday morning classes on a regular basis or who prefer not to do homework between classes.

Facilitators: Dick Mieskowski and Dick Youells

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Passionate Worship The Music of Healing

Afraid,” or the song from Taizé, “Nothing Can Trouble,” we may also One of the significant themes for our be experiencing physiological signs of worship during Lent will be Healing. relaxation, lowered anxiety, and other Beginning on Ash Wednesday and calming effects. continuing through Holy Week, Pastor Bob will be leading us through various On a broader level, another way that examples of healing with scripture and music is a force for healing has been prayer. Inspired by this exploration, through its influence on social change.

I began to think about other ways in The music of Pete Seeger certainly which we may be participating in healing seeped into the national consciousness acts that may not be as noticeable. For with influential songs such as “We example, does music itself have healing Shall Overcome,” “This Land is Your properties? Is participation in worship Land,” and “If I Had a Hammer.” a healing act? Does silence have healing These songs were outward signs of the properties? Does singing? Current movement for civil rights, peace, and research is beginning to ask these very environmental protection. Interestingly, questions, and the results are positive written on the head of Seeger’s banjo and encouraging. were the words proclaiming that this “machine surrounds hate and forces it On a personal level, and according to to surrender.” That is rather powerful this research, music is being shown stuff, and, indeed, Seeger’s music seems to have significant benefits for those to embody that force. suffering from mental illness, and to have a positive influence on emotional Singing music together in worship healing. Listening to music and also helps to connect us to a larger performing music can be part of an community. Strengthening our effective treatment for mental health connection to each other is a significant issues. Music therapy has been shown outcome of singing together, and to significantly aid in the treatment leads to a sense of unity, a “healing of schizophrenia, depression, chronic of division.” Again, to quote Seeger: pain, and anxiety. There seems to be “Participation. That’s what’s gonna a direct physical connection of music save the human race.” I think that to physiological changes such as “participation” is a critical aspect of blood pressure, heart rate, and levels our worship life; a community of faith of cortisol (the “stress” hormone). requires “showing up.”

Singing repetitive, meditative songs such as the Iona song “Don’t Be

But, perhaps just as interesting as the research on music is the research on silence. It turns out that silence is good for us, with positive benefits for the brain, including our memory, and for our emotions, including the reduction of stress. Increasingly, we are living in a world filled with noise and distraction pollution. Taking the noise and distraction away, and spending some time (as little as 10 minutes) in silence reconnects us to our spirit, reduces stress, heightens our awareness, improves our memory, and stimulates brain growth.

This Lent, let us encourage healing in all that we do or say. Let us be still and know, listening for that “still small voice of calm.”

Eric Strand Director of Worship and the Arts

Loaves and Choir Robes?

It ended up much like the sharing of the loaves and fishes at Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Last year, the Chancel Choir purchased new choir robes. Not wanting to just discard our old robes, there was a discussion of how best to handle moving them on. First, the old robes were posted for sale at a reasonable price on Craigslist. No bites. A Work Program worker noticed us boxing them up and soon his pastor was there to pick up a dozen robes for his church choir. Recently, the robes were reposted to Craigslist – this time for free. In two hours, our robes mysteriously “multiplied” to serve four additional churches. We had enough robes to fill the needs of two churches in Grand Rapids, a church in Flushing and in Flint. A total of five church choirs were robed from our Chancel Choir robes. Some would call that a miracle!

Deborah May

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Risk-Taking Outreach and Mission Kenya Project Summary Ngoswani, West Narok District Dr. Martin and Hollee Graber are medical missionaries in Kenya, Africa.

First Church has supported their work for many years through special mission offerings, individual gifts, and the Bill Kastner Medical Education fund.

Together, Marty and Hollee have over 70 years of experience in the medical profession, 50 of which are in medical mission.

The Grabers’ missionary work is focused in Kenya where they work with the Maasai Tribe in the West Narok District, located near the SW border of Kenya and the NW border of Tanzania. The West Narok District is adjacent to the Massai Mara and the National Game Park. Their backyard hosts zebra, giraffe, wildebeast, gazelles, hyena and other wild animals at any given time. The specific area of their focus is a small rural community called Ngoswani.

Since 2003 the Grabers, with the support of churches and Lion’s Clubs, have completed the following multifaceted plan to support the health and well being of the people of Ngoswani.

The Grabers’: • found and developed clean water sources • built Phase 1 of a preventive and curative medical hospital, inclusive of a maternal/child facility • instituted community health programs

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Dr. Martin and Hollee Graber are medical missionaries in Kenya, Africa. Together, Marty and Hollee have over 70 years of experience in the medical profession, 50 of which are in medical mission.

• built school classrooms • educated medical personnel to staff the medical facilities • provided medical equipment and supplies for the proposed buildings • created an agricultural demonstration plot and training program

• • • • • •

immunizations dental care x-ray surgery treatment for TB, HIV, and malaria training of traditional bir th attendants (TBA) • 24/7 hospital center with full-time Both children and adults are sponsored medically-trained staff performing in their schooling processes. Some daily, urgent, emergency and past sponsorships include elementary overnight care students, pastor training schools, Bible • housing for staff colleges, trade schools, and a select few at university level classes. They Donations to the Kenya Project can had chosen three young Maasai men be made through the church office. to train as physicians. These physicians Please mark your gift “Kenya Project.” graduated in 2013, 2014 and 2016. Your generous contributions will help A graduate pharmacist, three clinical provide better health and welfare for officers, a community developer, and the people of Maasai. five KRCHN nurses have also received education.

Laure Mieskowski Director of Outreach and Mission The Grabers’ current focus is on Stage 2 of the maternal child health care building. This health care center will provide • maternity care • eye care

Radical Hospitality

more to clothe me and provide How is First Church “Welcoming all me with all that I need. In terms of people in an active manner and inviting politics, there is so much that plays them to discover God and to connect a role, but nevertheless, a person in in life-changing ways?” (This is one of need is a person in need. There’s a our strategic goals.) difference between fear and hatred.

Hope and unity destroys fear and all Nine years ago, First Church negativities that follow.” partnered with Bethany Christian Services to help Bonito and his family With Bonito’s response, I am again move to the U.S. as refugees from reminded of the life-changing Burundi. Because they are an active importance of hospitality that part of our First Church family now, you and I can offer. And that you may have forgotten that they hospitality especially needs to continue began here as refugees. With the to be offered to people who look and recent travel bans, I asked 18-year-old sound different from ourselves.

Bonito to share his thoughts about living here as a refugee. Here was his From Sharon Sorensen: reply: “On Christmas Eve, my granddaughter, Lexie (not quite 3 “All I can say years old) and I walked down the is that when art gallery ramp to go to the church I was hungry, office. I took care of what I needed you (the refugee to in the office and then met Ken and program) gave Emily Mol; in the north lobby. Lexie me something met little Emma Mol, no words were to eat, when I spoken between the two girls. Emma was a stranger just took Lexie by the hand and the with no place two little girls walked hand in hand to call home, through the gallery to the sanctuary. you invited me We parted ways. When Lexie got back in and gave me to her seat Lexie told her daddy, “I got a home, much a new friend at Gamma’s church.” It

Extravagant Generosity There is the story about a church with a serious financial problem.

The congregation knew the roof was leaking and needed replacement, but they kept putting it off. Finally some areas of the ceiling in the sanctuary began to sag. They called a congregational meeting to address the problem, and a wealthy member of the congregation rose to say that he would pledge $1,000 toward fixing the roof.

Just then a small piece of the ceiling fell and hit him on the head. Somebody in the back of the church exclaimed, “Hit him again, Lord!”

of faithfully providing generous financial support. We don’t need glitzy campaigns and we don’t spend money on professional fundraisers like many other churches.

Rather, we work hard to nurture our faith, knowing that everything comes from God. This is what drives the generosity of our congregation.

We also are blessed that our generosity exists across our whole congregation.

Rather than encouraging God to “hit him again”- referring to the more wealthy members of the While we are regularly discussing how congregation, we at First Church our faith can inspire our gifts, none of seem to be encouraging God to “hit us needs to have the ceiling fall on us ME again Lord!”. All of us together to put our faith into action. At First are bringing the love of Jesus Christ Church, we have a wonderful tradition to many people.

was absolutely adorable. Little Emma really made Lexie’s Christmas Eve special!”

Isn’t it amazing to see even our children modeling active hospitality?

How have you seen hospitality alive at First Church? Please send your stories to SamiM@grandrapidsfumc.org.

Sami Marasigan Director of Hospitality

Indeed these are uncertain times.

It seems that every day, instead of getting better, the turmoil of our time gets worse. Many wake up each day wondering if they will be deported, lose their health care, find themselves ostracized because of their faith, or face the continuing scourge of poverty.

Our calling, as God’s people, is to rise up and be in ministry to all- regardless of how much some might tell us that some are better than others or that some are more deserving than others.

Thankfully, First Church is living out this call. We have not needed the ceiling to fall on our heads to know that God needs us right now, right here. Thank you for the generous gifts that enable our bold witness for Christ here at First Church.

Chris Hawkins Finance Committee

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Congregational Care I thought I had everything covered – I really did think that! I wrote articles and agendas ahead of schedule. I had specific Congregational Care Assistant (CCA) coverage for our members who would be having surgery while I was away. I had Marlene Terpstra taking any after-hour emergency pastoral care calls and Pastor Tim Tuthill lined up for a funeral if one happened that week. I had my brothers checking in on our 89-year old father. I changed my phone and email messages. I even bought extra food for my husband, Arn, and extra cat food for Milo, our 20-year old kitty. I was packed and as ready as I could be to head to Haiti for an 8-day mission trip. Nothing could happen that I didn’t already have covered, right?

Wrong! The unplanned, uncovered thing did happen. Four days in Haiti and I received a message that my brother-in-law, Ken Timmerman, had suddenly passed away while taking a late morning nap. Ken was only 60 years old and hadn’t been ill. The email from my husband urged me to call right away as the paramedics needed to know whom to notify to take Ken’s body from the house. I tried calling but couldn’t get through, even by going further up the mountain to try to get more “bars” on my phone. I felt numb, sad, and too far away. I went to my room and cried.

Shortly afterward, Diane Gedris (who was also on our mission team) came in and sat next to me on the bed. She listened as I told her the little I knew about what had happened, about Ken

For God will send angels to help you and protect you wherever you go. Psalm 91:11 and our niece and nephews, and then worked through the possibility of going home early versus staying in Haiti as scheduled. Her quiet presence was just what I needed at that time.

Next came the letting go part that I’m not usually very good at doing. I had to trust our friends, my family, and our church family to care for Arn while I was so far away – and I had to let our team care for me. When I was busy As the word spread throughout our caring for patients, it was fairly easy team, we gathered in a circle on the to not think about home, but when porch and Iain Charnley led us in the lights went out at 7:30 pm and prayer. A sense of peace and love there wasn’t much to do, that is when settled over me. Our team of five someone would give me a hug or rock went to the community center that with me on the porch, making sure I evening so I would have a better was as okay as I could be. phone connection to talk with Arn and his family. Lois Walker volunteered to Upon arriving home, Arn told me of leave Haiti with me early if that was the number of phone calls and cards what needed to happen. It ended up he had already received, most of them being a mutual decision for me to stay from you, our church family. He felt in Haiti and come home as originally very cared for as he began grieving the scheduled, even though there were sudden loss of his brother. people willing to work on getting me home sooner.

Compassionate Congregational Care took on a new meaning for me, actually for both of us! Thank you for your prayers, cards, calls, and care. What you do in caring for each other truly makes a difference!

Grace and peace, Marj Timmerman, RN Director of Congregational Care

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PS: Look for an article in the April First Pulse about our Haiti Mission Trip!

Wednesday, March 1 12:00 pm – Ash Wednesday Worship 3:00 pm – Offsite Ash Wednesday Worship at Clark Retirement 5:30 pm – Jesus in the Gospels 6:00 pm – Disciple I 6:00 pm – Young Adult Dinner and Ash Wednesday Worship 7:00 pm – Ash Wednesday Worship Thursday, March 2 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, March 3 7:00 am – Men’s Lenten Breakfast Sunday, March 5 Communion Sunday Blood Pressure Sunday 8:00 am – Infant/Toddler Nurseries 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:15 am – Church School for all ages 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 5:00 pm – The Echo Within, Disciple II, Jr High and Sr High Youth Group Monday, March 6 11:00 am – Retiree Bible Study 1:00 pm – Executive Team 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Training 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Tuesday, March 7 7:00 am – Work Program 5:30 pm – Staff/Parish Relations Committee Wednesday, March 8 12:00 pm – Staff worship 6:00 pm – Disciple I 6:00 pm – Young Adults: Lent 101 6:30 pm – Jesus in the Gospels

Thursday, March 9 9:00 am – Fixin’ ‘n’ Fellowship 9:00 am – Moms and Muffins Date 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:30 pm – BachFest: Cantatas – Grand Rapids Symphony and Chorus, tickets required Friday, March 10 7:00 am – Men’s Lenten Breakfast Saturday, March 11 9:00 am – Bead and Prayer Workshop Sunday, March 12 Daylight Savings Time Begins: Spring Forward 2nd Floor Open House 8:00 am – Infant/Toddler Nurseries 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:15 am – Church School for all ages 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 5:00 pm – The Echo Within, Disciple II, Jr High and Sr High Youth Group Monday, March 13 11:00 am – Retiree Bible Study 1:00 pm – Staff Meeting 5:00 pm – Trustees 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Training Tuesday, March 14 7:00 am – Work Program 5:30 pm – Finance Meeting Wednesday, March 15 9:00 am – Caring Connection 12:00 pm – Staff Worship 6:00 pm – Disciple I 6:00 pm – Young Adult Kids’ Food Basket 6:30 pm – Jesus in the Gospels

Mark your calendars Thursday, March 16 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, March 17 7:00 am – Men’s Lenten Breakfast Saturday, March 18 8:30 am – Feeding America Sunday, March 19 New PK-6th Room Assignments 8:00 am – Infant/Toddler Nurseries 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:15 am – Church School for all ages 10:15 am – Summer Camp Promo 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 11:45 am – Summer Camp Promo 12:00 pm – Unplugged: 3rd-6th Grade Adventures 5:00 pm – The Echo Within, Disciple II, Jr High and Sr High Youth Group Monday, March 20 11:00 am – Retiree Bible Study 12:00 pm – 60+ Luncheon 1:00 pm – Executive Team 5:30 pm – Building Committee 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Training 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Tuesday, March 21 7:00 am – Work Program 6:00 pm – Social Concerns Wednesday, March 22 12:00 pm – Staff worship 6:00 pm – Disciple I 6:00 pm – Young Adults: Lent 102 6:30 pm – Jesus in the Gospels

Thursday, March 23 9:00 am – Fixin’ ‘n’ Fellowship 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, March 24 7:00 am – Men’s Lenten Breakfast Sunday, March 26 8:00 am – Infant/Toddler Nurseries 8:15 am – Sunday Worship 8:30 am – Children’s Chapel 9:15 am – Church School for all ages 10:45 am – Sunday Worship 10:45 am – Children & Worship and Shine: Sensory Room 5:00 pm – The Echo Within, Jr High and Sr High Youth Group Monday, March 27 11:00 am – Retiree Bible Study 1:00 pm – Staff Meeting 2:30 pm – Blood Drive 6:30 pm – Stephen Ministry Training 7:00 pm – Leadership Council Tuesday, March 28 7:00 am – Work Program Wednesday, March 29 12:00 pm – Staff worship 6:30 pm – Jesus in the Gospels Thursday, March 30 6:00 pm – Jubilation Ringers 7:15 pm – Chancel Choir Friday, March 31 7:00 am – Men’s Lenten Breakfast

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