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December Newsletter

Dear Friends,

I am thrilled to tell you that the Advent by Candlelight offering totaled over $1,400 in cash and gift cards which will go to Baldwin Center in Pontiac, Alcott School, Detroit Hunger Coalition, Deacons Food Pantry, and A Place of Refuge (Detroit Presbytery).  I am so thankful for everyone who made the evening a beautiful celebration of faith and friendship.

I had an email from someone in Florida asking about our Advent by Candlelight (she saw our webpage). She wrote that she had been to such an event but it was not a fund-raiser. Her church is thinking of beginning an Advent by Candlelight tradition, and wondered about our funding. At FPC, the cost of Advent by Candlelight has been underwritten by Presbyterian Women (we budget $500 but never spend that much).  I had never thought of ABC as a fund-raiser. It really isn't. Giving in response to God's great gift to us is a part of how we worship God, how we celebrate Advent and Christmas, how we respond to God's faithful love and care for us.


Wishing you a most blessed Christmas and New Year!
Charlotte

November Bible Study - a Brief Summary

Lesson Three: Entry into the Land
Scripture: Joshua 3-5
Key Idea: The Israelites entry into the land of Canaan reveals that through worship and liturgical acts, we may remember and celebrate the deliverance of God.
In Context: Characteristics of Semitic Languages
We began by asking questions:
  1. What is so special about Joshua that people are willing to follow him?
  2. Did the Israelites celebrate the Passover in the wilderness?
  3. The story seems too idyllic - how could that many people gather to invade a country and there was no opposition, no violence?
  4. Are we just imagining the parallels between Moses and Joshua?
Joshua's leadership does parallel that of Moses. There is a little story at the end of Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15) where Joshua meets a stranger who he comes to recognizes as a messenger from God - Joshua is told to take off his sandals since he is standing on holy ground! A little reminiscent of Moses and the burning bush!

In fact we began to see this story in Joshua as the completion of the story that began with the burning bush. Moses led the Israelites out of slavery and into the wilderness where they complained, disobeyed, and were afraid. They became a people divided and fragmented. They did not practice the rituals of faith - an entire generation needed to be circumcised! When they reached Canaan, two tribes actually chose to remain on the east side of the Jordan River, not crossing with the Israelites into the promised land. After the Israelites crossed the Jordan, following the Ark of the Covenent in a very liturgical parade, with the waters of the flooding Jordan river held back in a heap, all of the men were circumcised and then the Israelites celebrated the Passover.  In these rituals, they become again a united people.

And in this we see one of the great leadership qualities of Joshua: he recognized and used the power of ritual to help people understand and remember not only this event but the God who is faithful and ever present in their lives. Throughout these chapters, we realize that the story is actually about God, and the rituals are about helping people remember and tell their children:

  • God is an active and living God, not a statue (Joshua 3:10)
  • God is Lord of all the earth, not just the God of a small traveling tribe of people (Joshua 3:11,13)
  • God is mighty - He can do more than other gods (Joshua 4:24)
As we enter this holy season, it is easy to feel the power of ritual reminding us of all that God has done for us.  And it is through ritual that we teach our children the stories that form our faith.

And in answer to our initial questions ...

  • We don't know if the passover was celebrated in the wilderness - scripture doesn't say.
  • The invasion of Canaan seemed surprisingly easy because Canaan was comprised of many small city-states, with no city-state that considered that part of the Jordan River a border.

Announcements
  • Advent by Candlelight Offering
    Our gifts totalled over $1,400 in gift cards that go to the following need-response agencies: Baldwin Center in Pontiac, Alcott School, Detroit Hunger Coalition, Deacons Food Pantry, and A Place of Refuge (Detroit Presbytery).
  • Christmas Brunch
    Wednesday December 16 at 11:30 AM in Calvin Hall following Third Wednesday Bible Study with Dr. John Judson in the Chapel. Reservations online at http://pw.fpcbirmingham.org/christmas-brunch or in the main office or by calling      Barb Rubel (258.3968) or Ginnie Spurr (363.2161). 
  • Dedication of the Thank Offering at the Christmas Brunch
    Many of you heard about one of the wonderful outcomes of our PW Offerings in circle last month.  More than 50 years ago, Presbyterian Women gave a gift of $200,077 to help build Yodogawa Christian Hospital in Osaka, Japan.  And this fall, a delegation from Yo­dogawa Christian Hospital traveled to Kentucky to formally present a gift to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) - giving $208,577 in return, to be used to support mission work in Asia.  Collected each fall, the Presbyterian Women Thank Offering funds projects that meet the needs of people who are aging, disabled, homeless or displaced, as well as children, youth and women, through educational, health, peace and justice programs. Forty percent of this offering is used to support hospitals and community health programs. The remaining 60 percent is used for new creative ideas for mission.
  • December Bible Study
    Lesson Four: The Land of Promise, or the Promised Land?
    Scripture: Joshua 1:2-3,10-15, 5:10-12
    Key Idea: The land into which Joshua led the Israelites was a gift from God – a land of promise.
  • December Circle Meetings
    There are no Wednesday or Thursday Circle meetings in December. Esther Circle will meet at 7 PM on Tuesday December 15 in Fireside.
 
Upcoming Events
  • Mission Potluck Sunday January 10
  • Lenten Devotions due January 20
    Please consider sharing a thought or meditation by writing a devotion. Ash Wednesday is February 17, and the Lenten Devotionals will be available in print and will begin being delivered daily by email then. This annual offering is a wonderful reflection of the faith life in our church.

Check out our calendar! Or click here to open this calendar in a new window.

 

PW Statement of Purpose

Forgiven and freed by God in Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we commit ourselves

  • to nurture our faith through prayer and Bible study,
  • to support the mission of the church worldwide,
  • to work for justice and peace,
  • and to build an inclusive, caring community of women that strengthens the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and witnesses to the promise of God’s kingdom.