first pres magazine : march 2011

Dear Friends at First Pres,Believe it or not, Spring is about to return officially. But in my 6 years here I have learned not to get too excited about spring—for there will be no dogwood trees or redbud trees or azaleas or bluebonnets. Instead, we will probably get more wintery weather than we did back in official winter, but the fact remains—we are emerging into the season of new life.

As the winter portion of Alive to God’s Desire sermon series concludes, we make a turn in the letter to the Ephesians to see more of God’s Desire for our new life in Christ. New life is exactly what the Ash Wednes-day service will be about. Then we will be staying in the book of Ephesians through Lent. In the chapters we’ll be studying, the apostle Paul begins to apply the theol-ogy of the first part of the book to our everyday lives, especially in relationships.

This issue of the First Pres Magazine is also largely about relationships, beginning with an article about Project Family. If you have any kind of guiding or nurturing connection with a young person in your life, you will find something of value at the Project Family event on Sunday, March 13. I hope you’ll come.

Being a community and coming alongside those who are vulnerable in all kinds of ways is a repeated theme in the stories you are about to read in this issue. May we all become more alive to God’s desire to love each other better, that we may love the rest of the world with His heart.

In Christ,

Jim Singleton, Senior PastorFirst Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs

contentsFamilies Under Construction 4 Nicole Lowell

Lent—It’s About Time 7 Hugh Eaton

Security and Serenity 8 Peter H. Martinez

Going Together 12 Francie Brent

in every issueMissions: I Was Hungry and You Fed Me 6 Mary Bauman

Young Adults: Where Everybody KnowsYour Name 10 Adam Holz

Alive to God’s Desire: Go 14

E-News and Worship 15

MARCH 2011

Contributing Writers: Mary Bauman, Francie Brent, Hugh Eaton, Adam Holz, Nicole Lowell, Peter H Martinez, Jim Singleton

Contributing Editors: Nicole Lowell

Graphic Design: Beryl Glass, Mark Rantal

Proofreading Team: Christine Dellacroce, Daisy Jackson, Marty Kelley, Karen Kunstle, Linda Pung, Gretchen Murphy-Bowman

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 March 2011, Volume Three, © 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 80903-1392 or magazine@first-pres org Printed in the U S A

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It’s no secret that raising kids in today’s world is a big challenge. Not only does parenting come in many shapes and sizes, but about the time you think you’re getting

the hang of your children’s ways, they go and get older on you,

changing everything! Fami-lies face a whole new set of

riddles every time they turn around.

We are not in the business of creating perfect families! We just want to come alongside anyone who is raising kids.

FAMILIESUNDERCONSTRUCTION

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Enter Project Family, dreamed up through a partnership between Student Ministries, Young Adults, Marriage, Chil-dren’s Ministry, and a passionate collection of parents of all kinds. More than just a one-time event, the vision of First Pres’s Project Family is to provide a variety of venues to support, equip and encourage Christian parents as they raise their children.

Last fall, a day-long workshop for parents of teens with Mark DeVries kicked off the Project Family idea. Sunday, March 13 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. is the next step. First Pres Magazine sat down with Joe Farrell (Associate Pastor for Marriage and Young Adults), Nate Stratman (Director of Student Ministry), and Danny Shaw (Direc-tor of Children’s Ministry) to find out more.

First Pres Magazine (FPM): Who is this March 13 event for?Joe Farrell: It’s for anyone who is the primary parenting influence in the life of any age child. So it is for married parents, single parents, grand-parents, step parents, adoptive parents, parents of babies, elementary age, middle school, teen age adolescent.

FPM: That’s a wide net! What is this event going to be like? What should people expect?Nate Stratman: Our hope is that those who come will learn a little, share a little and leave with a few new potential friends as well as being encouraged to parent. We’ll have a variety of parenting seminars offered through the afternoon. At the same time in Fellowship Hall, there will be tons of information on all the resources First Pres offers to support families. Whether that’s summer camps or counseling referrals, there’s just a slew of stuff that can help.JF: We really have two main hopes for March 13. The first is that parents would gain some piece of knowledge or insight that will help them be better parents who follow Jesus. The second is that some of

these parents might connect with one another and form relationships with others in a similar point on their life journey.

FPM: It sounds like community-building is one other benefit of Project Family.NS: That’s it. Connect ’em. Encourage ‘em. Stick a few tools in their pocket.Danny Shaw: I’m most excited about having the potential for so many parents to be together and to be able to learn from each other and from the workshop teachers.

FPM: So what’s the big deal? Why do we need something like Project Family?DS: There can never be enough emphasis on supporting parents in their pursuit to raise Christian children. Our church has so many different types of parents; grandpar-ents, adoptive families, single parents, blended families, and more. This is a great opportunity to get parents of all types together to talk about parenting. NS: And surprisingly enough, a major focus of both Children’s and Youth minis-tries should be the parents of the kids. We know parents and families come in all shapes and sizes. Project Family brings all the support groups for families together and will hopefully birth a few more support groups. We want all families to know that First Pres is WITH them and FOR them!

FPM: What else do we need to hear about Project Family?DS: This event is not just for the adults. We will have supervised care and activities for kids from infants through age 13. Ulti-mately, Project Family has everything to do with kids by giving parents the tools they need to be the best they can be.NS: We are not in the business of creat-ing perfect families! We just want to come alongside anyone who is raising kids, everyone who is a member of God’s “village” in raising young people.


One cold Tuesday morning in January I went to the Marian House

to see the soup kitchen in action. By the time I arrived at 9:15 some of the 25 volunteers from First Pres, including cooks Larrry McDermed and Alden Birkelo, had been there three hours or more, cooking the main course, chopping fruit salad, and preparing donated dessert items. They were almost ready for a break, followed by a group prayer, before starting to serve up to 600 meals beginning at 10:30.

I was welcomed by long-time volunteers (now supervisors) Nod Mitchell and Iris Lucas who have been coming most Tuesdays for 23 and 20 years respectively. In fact, several of the regulars have been there two decades or more. I asked why they started working at the soup kitchen and why they kept coming week after week.

Many had started while serving on the Board of Deacons and continued because of “a good feeling I’m helping somebody,” as Joe Jones put it. He has been coming almost 20 years. Polly Munson drives 25 miles and says she chose this as a way to serve that had no committee meetings! That got laughing agree-ment from most of those at the table.

Two women, longtime friends, started when they retired from their jobs “to stay

busy.” They also help with Get Set and other programs throughout the church.

Marcy is not a member of First Pres but came because she was invited by a friend who knew she needed an outlet when she was going through a “rough patch.” She said she has become “more outgoing” since joining this group of friends. Others teasingly agreed.

However, the underlying reason these dedi-cated volunteers give their Tuesday mornings week after week is the outreach to the larger community and the fellowship and camarade-rie they find among friends. As one of them said, “It is paying forward and it comes back to us.” These caring volunteers have become a community and have a great time while doing a great service. As Iris pointed out, “Not all individuals are able to feed themselves. They need a meal and we are able to give it to them.”

Paul, the manager of Marian House said, “The program is successful only because volunteers from the ecumenical community, and First Pres in particular, continue to make it happen every week.”

Member Mary Bauman regularly volunteers her time and multiple talents to First Pres.

Missions


I f you think about it, time keeps everything from happen-ing at once. Since God is our role model for orderliness, he created a timely framework for our lives. In between our birth and death we have weeks, months

and years during which God wants us to be obedient to his Word and worship him.

Our worship has evolved into seasonal themes, and Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter are among the most familiar.

We associate these themes with certain months in the year and the Lenten season is upon us. It begins Wednesday, March 9th, and extends through Saturday, April 23. It is an important time of preparation for the glorious Easter Resurrection Sunday on April 24. Since the Bible doesn’t directly mention Lent, an explanation of its worship possibilities could be helpful.

Easter Sunday always occurs between March 22 and April 25. Once the Easter Sunday date is determined, Lent’s begin-ning date is calculated by counting backwards forty-six days from Easter. Six of those days are Sundays and are not included in Lent because of their existing religious signifi-cance as Resurrection Day, making Lent equal the forty days Jesus wandered in the wilderness (Mark 1:12,13).

The first day of Lent is called Ash Wednesday. Its services present worshippers an opportunity to begin a symbolic, vicarious sharing in Jesus’ suffering and sacrifices. Some worshippers have the mark of ashes placed on their forehead, emblematic of expressing repentance and asking forgiveness, highly appropriate Lenten attitudes. (Matthew 11:21)

The last week of Lent is Holy Week. This includes Maundy Thursday, which focuses on (1) Jesus estab-lishing the Communion service as he has a “Last Supper” with His disciples and (2) washing his disci-ples feet as an act of humility and the servanthood He wanted them to follow. Maundy means “command” and Jesus commands all His followers to be servants.

Good Friday reminds us of the extreme anguish Jesus suffered one Friday afternoon as He took a brutal beating and died on a cross for us. The worst of it was he was momentarily separated from His Father. Our giving up chocolate or a daily latte for Lent is a nice symbolic gesture, but hardly a good substi-tute for an intense renewal of our relationship with the Lord.

So Lent leads us toward the miracle of the Easter Resur-rection Sunday by reminding us we can become more “Alive to God’s Desire” by our repentance, spiritual discipline, obedience, moderation and a servant’s heart.

Once again, it’s about time.

Hugh Eaton is a regular contributor to First Pres Magazine and a founding member of First Pres North.

Lent—it’s about time

“There is an appointed time for everything.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1

By Hugh Eaton



Security SerenityPete Martinez is one of the G4S Custom Protection Officers who watches over First Pres’s downtown campus. He was named the G4S Custom Protection Officer of the Year for the state of Colorado for 2010, largely because of his work at the church. We wanted the congregation to know a little more about one of our “guardian angels,” in his own words.

Most of my adult life was spent in the service of

our country as a member of the United States Marine Corps. I retired from active duty in May of 2000. After working a few years as part of an auditing team responsible for physical and financial audits of Wal-Mart stores throughout the West, I transi-tioned into the Security Services field in 2006 and went to work for Group 4 Securicor (G4S) which forms the largest global network of security operations worldwide. While with G4S I have gained experi-ence in Industrial, Business, Hospital, and now Church security.

A typical day on duty at First Pres is comprised of mostly routine duties inher-ent to any type of security


work. However, each day is a unique experience because of the people I come in contact with. The church parishioners and staff are the finest people I have ever had the pleasure of coming into contact with. Never have I ever come across a more caring, kind, compassionate, and generous group of people in my life.

I always thought I was leading a good Christian life. Being at First Pres has taught me what real devotion to God is. Every-where as I walk through the church, I am reminded of God and have become closer to Christ than I ever have been in my life. At G4S, we are trained that people come first and property is secondary. Although my contractual mission is the safety and security of the employees and members of the church, my resolve to ensure that I carry out those duties has been enhanced by the environment I come into each day. I am grateful to have the opportunity to work in your church.

My favorite part of being at First Pres is my interaction with the children. When G4S was awarded the security contract for the church, it was clear that the safety and well being of the children was to be our number one priority. I developed our security program to ensure that security would always be present whenever the children were outside of the church, coming to or going from school, or out in the playground.

To many of the children and their parents, I have come to be known as Officer Pete, a title I fondly relish and am proud to be known by. The children have caused me to carry myself with distinction. Knowing that they are the future, I want to instill in them a respect for people who wear a badge and a uniform.

My most flattering experience was when one child, little Miss Madison as I call her, brought in a Teddy Bear for show and tell and the children in her class were trying to come up with a name for the Teddy Bear. They elected to call the bear Officer Pete. I asked Madison why they had named the bear after me and she replied, “because you protect me during the day, and he will protect me at night.” Her sincerity and innocence were beyond anything I have ever experienced. At that moment I promised myself that I would never let any harm befall any child.

As I patrol through the church Plaza I will hear some child

say “Hey there’s Officer Pete” and suddenly I am greeted by a group of children on the preschool level yelling down “Hi Officer Pete”. (Pastor Singleton once said that I knew every child in Get Set by name. Pastor, I occasion-ally get confused with the children’s names, but I’m working on it!)

In December, I was honored with the G4S Custom Protec-tion Officer of the Year Award for the state of Colorado. While returning from the awards banquet, the enormity of what had just transpired struck me. I thought to myself, am I truly worthy of such a high honor? Walking through God’s house every day has caused me to reflect on my life and try to remain humble. I often find myself thinking, Lord, do I offend you by bringing deadly weapons into your home. But I remembered something I had read. A calm feeling came over me and the words “Be still and know that I am with you” entered my mind. I thought to myself, the glory is truly yours, Lord, but thank you for the answer to my fears. God truly does work in mysterious ways. That’s all I have to say about that.

Peter H. Martinez is one of the great G4S team keeping First Pres secure. His favorite snack is tortilla chips and homemade salsa.

Security Serenity By Peter H. Martinez

Being at First Pres has taught me what real devotion to God is.


Young Adults

Community. If there’s a word that gets more traction in Christian conversations

these days, I’m not aware of it. Maybe that’s because in our relationally fragmented world, the promise implied by community seems like an oasis. Everyone is talking about this concept, and everyone wants it.

But what is community? And why does it sometimes seem that the oasis we see in the distance turns out to be a mirage?

Community, in the most basic sense, is a place where we share relational connection and common ground that binds us together. And when we ruminate on why our hearts seem instinctively drawn to community, I think it’s because God has created us with an inborn need for relational contact. We long to know others and to be known, to experience a place where we belong.

The “Cheers” theme song distilled this ideal to its essence: “Sometimes you want to go/ Where everybody knows your name/And they're always glad you came.” That’s it, isn’t it? That’s really what we’re longing for when we talk about community.

In theory, finding genuine community should be easier for Christians. After all, we

share so much common ground as believers in Christ that the Bible calls us brothers and sisters. And yet, sometimes church feels like a place where no one knows our name, where the connection we hoped to find proves elusive. Or, worse, where people we hoped would treat us better than those in the world let us down in similar ways. What then?

I spent 11 years (from age 23 to 34) helping to lead three different groups of young, single adults before I got married. I watched lots of people grow disenchanted with the idea of community in those groups (and sometimes wrestled with my own temptation to punt on my own hopes in this area). Disappointment, rejection and hurt in the church can easily yield aloofness and cynicism when it comes to our heart’s desire to find belonging.

Looking back, though, I see one surprising common thread in the people who would eventually say that they experienced commu-nity: They stuck around.

Seems almost too simple, doesn’t? Even clichéd. But the people who experienced deep and lasting relationships—community where people really knew them—were the ones who kept showing up, even when they were tempted to believe that the community pastures were greener somewhere else.

And that, I think, is one simple but profound key to experiencing real community. When we just commit to keep showing up—to worship, to serve, to fellowship, to play together—I've learned it gives God the space to slowly weave our lives together with others in ways we might never have expected.

Adam Holz is Dad to Henry, Annabeth and Maggie. He also writes for Focus on the Family’s Plugged In.

K N O W S Y O U R N A M E

By Adam R. Holz


By Adam R. Holz

40 Days of Lenten Reflection and Holy Week Experiences

At the end of his ministry on earth, Jesus willingly experienced the helplessness, suffering, and even hopelessness of being human in a fallen world. This Lent, we are invited to walk with Christ on his journey, following his light through the reality of darkness in ourselves and our world.

Jesus did not turn away from the painful reality of suffering. Committed to his Father’s heart for absolute restoration, he faced fully into the experience and transformed it into the fertile ground of God’s new beginnings.

Ash Wednesday ServiceMarch 9, 7 p.m. in the SanctuaryWorship and imposition of ashes

40 Days of ReflectionMarch 9–April 23

Online scripture meditations and practical activities to engage in the journey.Sign up for the daily e-mail at

first-pres.org/journey, Or pick up hard copies at Congregational Care

Journey to the Cross Holy Week Experiences

April 18–23Many people in our city suffer in the ways Jesus suffered during

his journey to the cross. Through guided experiences at specific

locations, pray and reflect on this shared suffering.

The full Holy Week Schedule will be available online and around the church.

Through reflection and experience, Jesus invites us to follow him on his Journey to the Cross.

For more information, visit first-pres.org/journey or call 884.6108


hen my husband Greg and I came to First Pres, Greg had

already gone on a couple of mission trips to Nicaragua spon-

sored by the presbytery. He liked doing home repairs to improve the lives of disadvantaged people, but he was not involved in any on-going work that made use of the skills he’d learned growing up with a “do-it-yourself ” father and working on our house over the years. Greg has the ability to share Christ’s good news with others through action; he has the spiritual gift called “craftsmanship.” So when Hurricane Katrina hit, while we were just visitors to First Pres, Greg joined one of the church’s groups headed to Ocean Springs, MS.

Even though we were not members of First Pres at that time, Greg was given a very warm welcome from everyone on this trip. And although I did not go along, so many people in the group who’d met Greg took an interest in us as a couple. In the months that followed, First Pres no longer seemed so overwhelmingly large.

But this isn’t really a story about my husband’s mission trip experience. It’s about what we have been blessed to be a part of—the wonderful formation of a true community that has gradu-ally come together from our church’s rebuilding efforts in the Gulf Coast area.

From that original trip, a number of folks have stuck with this mission, investing their hearts, building relationships, and continuing to return to the Gulf Coast year after year. As they’ve made many trips to Mississippi, New Orleans, and worked their way through other parts of LA, they have become a strong core group. Recently, they’ve worked in several places in the Galveston area to help people affected by Hurricane Ike. Their hearts are dedicated to the people in these unglamorous places where so many are still hurting.

I’m not that handy with a hammer, but as an observer of this remarkable group, I see a like-minded and similarly-gifted, caring home-rehab team, sharing the love of Christ among people still suffering in an area that’s no longer

By Francie Brent Going Together


the hot spot for news or mission activity. They have continued to return there several times a year and now have a smooth system of working (and travelling) together while taking on differ-ent projects every time.

Sometimes they’ve worked on plumbing problems (ick!), sometimes they’ve hung drywall, sometimes they’ve laid floor tiles for four or five days straight. And usually their

living situations on these trips have been spartan. It seems like a lot of inconve-nience for a group of mostly retired or semi-retired people. But the stories I hear when they return are always about the people they’ve served and how hard those

peoples’ experiences have been as they’ve waited for years to return to their homes. The members of this group have gotten so much joy out of helping in the Gulf, and they’ve come together as a true community, enjoying each

other’s’ company and the way they’ve learned to work together.

I’ve watched the camaraderie of the team develop over the last five years. They have great road trip stories! When they get together they are always laughing, but I can see they get their strength from the love of God. What else but a supernatural love could keep you friends while riding in a noisy First Pres van that’s not really built for long distance travel? Just ask Don Drobeck, Ralph Gaeke, or Pam Steele and you’ll get colorful stories about the Armadillo Grill and the abundance of fried food on every trip. But most of all, these friends are alive to God’s passion: their favorite stories are always about displaced Gulf residents finally coming home.

These days, Greg and the group organize and mainly fund every trip by themselves, but they are always thrilled when the congregation prays for them while they’re away. And we regularly get together to celebrate after their trips! They’re such a fun group, loving others seriously, but taking themselves and all their hard work quite lightly.

I’m so grateful that Greg has been blessed to be part of this wonderful community. Even the spouses who can’t go along get hugs when the group takes off on their journeys in the

early morning hours. When I think of what’s possible when the Holy Spirit creates a community, when I think of what “love, grow, go—together” looks like in flesh and blood, this is exactly what I see.

Francie and Greg Brent have reinvested their love for commu-nity by facilitating a sermon-based group studying Ephe-sians this winter.

Going Together

These friends are alive to God’s passion


“Christ came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.” Ephesians 2:17. Here are a few opportunities to go serve with others and become alive to God’s desire to go together.

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.ecusoc-min.org

English as a Second Language (ESL). First Pres hosts an ESL class for political refugees identified through the Lutheran Family Services and District 11 Adult & Family Education Program. We work alongside teachers from D-11. For further information, contact Michelle Swanson, 884.6111 or [email protected].

Springs Rescue Mission (SRM). This local non-denomina-tional faith-based ministry reaches out to the homeless and addicted of Colorado Springs, providing for physical needs while ministering to their spirit, soul, and body. To find out about their volunteer opportunities, go to mysrm.org.

Alive to God’s Desire to Go

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Every corner of First Pres is alive with opportunities to discover God’s desire. The magazine only scratches the surface of all the places we can build relationships, serve, grow, and worship.

Dig deeper with our many specific e-newsletters. Find them all at www.first-pres.org/enews.

Children’sMissionsMOPSWomen’s MinistryCommunity Life

If you don’t have access to a computer, call Congregational Care at 884.6144 for further details about these ministries.

First Pres Downtown—219 East Bijou

Worship with Choir—Sanctuary, 8:20 a.m. & 9:45 a.m.

Band-led Worship—Fellowship Hall, 9:45 a.m. & Sanctuary, 11:10 a.m.

Contemplative Worship—Sanctuary, 5:00 p.m.

First Pres North – daVinci Academy, 1335 Bridle Oaks Lane

Contemporary Worship—11:00 a.m.

First Pres – Inn at Garden Plaza – 2520 International Circle

Traditional Worship—10:15 a.m.

First Pres Online—first-pres.org

Live streaming broadcast of Sanctuary services beginning at 8:20 a.m.

For church information, call 719.884.6144 or [email protected]

E-News

Join us in Worshipon Sundays


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first pres magazine : march 2011

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