TABLE OF CONTENTS

Deepening our Discipleship . 1

Honor our Veterans .............. 2

Presbyterian Women ............ 2

Stewardship Season .............. 3

Room in the Inn .................... 4

Operation Christmas Child ... 4

Youth Lock In ........................ 5

Pre-K Sunday ......................... 5

Elementary ............................ 6

Thanksgiving Worship ......... 8

Poinsettias ............................. 8

Day School News. .................. 9

Presbytery Events ................. 10

Upcoming Events .................. 11

Report from Session .............. 12

November 2015

Rev. Rebecca Luter

Deepening our Discipleship

Last night I received a treasure. It was a Facebook picture of a

woman I know in a new dress standing on her front porch. Why

was it a treasure? I met her when she was homeless and her

children were in foster care. We have been friends as she has gone

from homeless to housed, to seeing her children on weekends, and

to getting some small part-time jobs. I lost track of her for a while,

and a few weeks ago she friended me on Facebook. What a treasure

it was for me to see her happy and fulfilled proudly showing off her

new dress as she stood by her door.

What are your treasures? For me, they are the moments that warm

my heart and bring me joy and hope. I am excited that we will be

hosting Room in the Inn because of the relationships that we will

build as we provide a warm shelter for homeless persons on

Saturday nights throughout the winter. I know that I will receive

much more than I give.

But, I will admit at first I was reluctant to get involved in housing

homeless people. I didn‖t know how to interact with homeless

people. I had fears about safety. I was nervous. The first time I

volunteered was in Richmond while I was in seminary. I

(Continued on page 2)

Faye McKenzie created bows for the front of the church to celebrate the Thanksgiving season

volunteered to make potato salad and ended up

sitting at a table and having dinner. Then I spent

the night that night because I was having so much

fun, and they needed more help! It turns out that

homeless people are just like you and me.

In twenty-seven years of Room in the Inn in

Nashville, it has been proven that guests are not

unruly. They respond with respect when treated

with respect. As I have come to know homeless

persons individually, I have learned that there is

really only one difference between “someone like

me” and a homeless person. When I have had

hard times, I have had family to catch me. What

about you?

We are hosting Room in the Inn every other

Saturday night from November through March.

We will provide a safe, clean place with a real

pillow and warm dinner for 12 homeless people.

We need 8 people to sign up to help at

Germantown Methodist from 5-9 pm and 2 people

to spend the night. You will receive a treasure.

(Continued from page 1)

November 11 is Veterans Day Join us for a Mid-Week Meal as we honor our

Veterans:

Ray Bendall, USAF, Sergeant, 1951-55

John Bivens, USNR, Petty Officer, 1983-2000

Jim Collins, USA, E-4 (SP 4) 1957-1960

James Millen Darnell Jr., USA, Master Ser-geant, 1987-2000

Danny Davis, USA, 2010

John Hazen, USAF, Captain, 1971-1984

Jerry Hosier, USN, Master Chief, 1958-1988

Loyd Hudson, USN, Petty Officer, 1953-1957

Jack Ingram, USA, Major, Regular Reserves, 1975-2010

Annette Main, USAF, Captain, 1969-1972

Perry Main, USAF, Captain, 1967-1977

Neil Sherman, USN, CW04 Warrant Officer, 1959-88

Robert E. Simpkins, USA, Lieutenant Colonel, 1945-52

Charlie Smithers, USA, Colonel, 1979-2007

Maureen Smithers, USA, Lieutenant Colonel, 1983 - 2013

Billy J. Wann, USAF, Sergeant (E-4), 1964-68

Gerry Wilder, USA, SP 5, 1968-70 Jack Williams, USAF, Major, 1956-58 and 1964-

93

Presbyterian Women met on Tuesday, October

13, 2015, for its stated monthly meeting and

Bible Study. The group is studying the Horizon

Bible Study – Come to the Waters. All women of

FPC are invited to attend and to invite a guest.

Annette Main is the Bible Moderator and the

book provides opportunity for discussion. The

Hostess for the month presents delicious

breakfast foods at 9:30 a.m. in the East Room.

The Bible Study starts at 10:00 a.m.

Prayer Partners cards are drawn and each one

prays for another for the month. The group

finds this very meaningful – to have a sister of

the church praying for you for a month.

The Night Circle meets on the same day as the

Day Circle in the East Room at 6:00 p.m.

Working women are encouraged to attend.

Kirsten King is the Moderator.

-Bonnie Blair

Presbyterian Women

K ristie Lively shared with us Sunday that

there are two kinds of joy in the ex-

change of treasure – the joy of receiving

treasure and the joy of sharing treasure. We are

blessed at Farmington Presbyterian with a vi-

brant church family with an enthusiastic spirit

that stirs our hearts. She shared the blessing of

receiving the treasures of the choir and worship,

the talents of the people who teach, the treasure

of fellowship, and more… What treasures have

you received here?

In turn, what treasures will you share here?

How will you be a steward of what God has given

you so that others will experience the treasure of

their heart being stirred?

The stewardship packet this year has 4 parts.

Life in the Farmington Family is a survey

about what you treasure and what dreams

you have for the church. This information

will help session formulate and plan for

ministry in 2016. We will share this infor-

mation in the annual report as well. If

you would like to remain anonymous in

your responses, you may detach the sur-

vey and return it separately to the church

office.

Participating in the Farmington Family is

your invitation to move from knowing the

Word of God to putting your faith into ac-

tion. What are your interests? What are

your gifts and passions? Whatever your

abilities, the Farmington Family has a

place for them. This section should be

filled out individually by each member of

your household (so a husband and wife

will return 2).

Contact Information is vital to our Directory

being up to date! Please check that all of

the information we have is correct and fill

in any missing information.

Financial Commitment indicates your desire

to keep Farmington Presbyterian finan-

cially strong in 2016. Your generosity en-

sures that we will continue to be a church

community where Jesus Christ transforms

lives and hearts are on fire.

Commitment Sunday is November 8th. We will

bring our gifts of time, talent, and treasure and

dedicate them to God during worship. If you will

not be in worship on the 8th, please return your

stewardship packet to the church office.

“And they came, everyone

whose heart was stirred,

and everyone whose spirit

was willing, and brought

the Lord’s offering…”

- Exodus 35:21

Stewardship Season

Missions

Room in the Inn-Memphis is an ecumenical

ministry that serves people experiencing

homelessness. Now beginning its sixth year in

Memphis, the program provides emergency

shelter and meals during the coldest months of

the year—November through March. It is

modeled after the incredibly successful Room in

the Inn program that started in Nashville more

than 27 years ago.

The goal is to share the love of God through

hospitality. Shelter is a basic necessity that more

than 2,000 people in Memphis are living without

each night. Faith communities have warm

buildings and people who can provide this

necessity along with much needed meals and a

good helping hand of kindness and respect.

Room in the Inn-Memphis continues to recruit

more local congregations to become partners in

this transforming ministry.

Farmington will be hosting every other week

beginning November 7 - March 19. Volunteer the

gift of your time Nov. 7, Nov 21, Dec 5, Dec

19, Jan 2, Jan 16, Feb 6, Feb 20, March 5,

or March 19. To volunteer to serve in November

or December, go to

www.farmingtonpres.org/room

There are opportunities to donate needed items,

work behind the scenes, and to act as a host.

Chris Luter is the coordinator for this program.

Please see him for further information. More

information is also available online at

www.roomintheinn-memphis.org/

Operation Christmas Child Pick up your shoe box from Farmington and return

it by November 22nd.

Operation Christmas Child delivers great joy to

millions of children around the world through

shoeboxes lovingly and prayerfully packed with

gifts that will bring delight to a child. In the hands

of local churches, every gift-filled shoebox is a

powerful tool for evangelism and discipleship—

transforming the lives of children and their

families around the world through the Good News

of Jesus Christ! Farmington will be joining the

effort this month. Pick up your shoebox from the

church and fill it with goodies for a child in need.

Label the box for a girl or a boy and deliver the

box on November 22 during worship.

November 13 at 7pm – November 14 at 7am.

The youth event of the year is here! The Farmington

Youth Lock in is an up all night event full of movie‖s

games, and challenges. The evening kicks off with a

trip to Laser Quest for an epic game of laser tag.

Then back to the church for pizza provided by

Laurinda Ingram. Our bellies full, we move on to

youth Gladiator Games. These challenges are not

for the faint of heart; Gauntlet, Marshmallow

Angry Bird, Table Wrestling, and more). The

night continues with every variation of Hide ―n

Seek you can imagine. Late night movies will

begin at 3am. And the dawn is met with fresh

donuts and juice brought by Jayme White. Doug

Barr and Elizabeth Demaree are the overnight

chaperones with Gretchen Burch driving the bus. Join us

for a night of craziness your parents will gladly sleep thru.

Sign up at www.farmingtonpres.org/event/youth-lock-in/

Youth @FPC

Each week the preschool children of

Farmington Day School gather in the

sanctuary for chapel. They sing, move,

and listen to a message from the Bible

about how our big God has big plans for

us. This month, the students of

Farmington Day School are invited to

sing, move, and worship with the

Farmington Church Family. Join us for

Worship, November 23 as the Day

School kids sing songs from chapel as

we celebrate the school and the good

work God is doing through it. Singers

will need to arrive by 10:30 in the

Fellowship Hall to prepare for worship.

Day School Children will sing the prelude in worship.

Pre - K Sunday - November 22

A s God‖s Son, Jesus deserved a palace with a throne, complete with servants waiting on His every need or desire.

Yet for Jesus, it wasn‖t about the lap of luxury or the fame. Jesus came for a different reason. He came to save us and rather than being served, He chose to serve others.

The Book of Mark records it this way—Jesus said, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served. Instead, he came to serve others. He came to give his life as the price for setting many people free” (Mark 10:45, NIrV).

For us, we often think of service in terms of our experience with a waiter at a restaurant or the phone call we make for technical support. But as we lean into God‖s heart and discover what it means to reflect His character to the world around us, we soon discover something more about service. It‖s not just what people do for us, but rather what we need to be doing for the people around us.

It‖s like our definition for service: lending a hand to help someone else. There‖s something pretty great that happens when we decide to take the focus off of ourselves and lend a hand to help someone who needs it.

When we start to serve others we begin to

realize that God is up to something big in this world. The amazing thing is that He wants us to be part of it. This month as we learn what it means to lend a hand and serve others, we pray kids are inspired to use what they have to join in the work God is doing and make a difference in the world.

I think that we all want our children to grow up and recognize that the world doesn‖t actually revolve around them—that often life is about what can do for the people around us. We hope that kids start to understand that they really do have an important role in this world to give, to help, and to serve others.

Our memory verse is Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine so others can see it. Then they will see the good things you do. And they will bring glory to your Father who is in heaven.” The purpose of serving others isn‖t so people will see how good you are. Rather, when you serve others, they see a reflection of God, which brings glory to Him.

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Thanksgiving Service of Worship

Wednesday, November 18th Immediately following Mid-week Meal

This is a special Thanksgiving Service led by

Rev. Rebecca Luter

Poinsettias for the Advent Season

Placing a poinsettia (s) in the sanctuary for the Advent Season is a lovely way

to honor or celebrate the life of loved ones and/or friends. Please fill out this

form and place in the offering plate or turn in to the church office. The

poinsettias will be $8.00 each, cash or check made payable to Farmington

Presbyterian Church with “poinsettias” noted on memo line.

Given by

How many?

In Honor:

<or>

In Memory:

If you would like to place a poinsettia(s) in the sanctuary for Advent in honor or in memory

of a loved one, please use the form below or contact the church office (754-2794, ext 21), or

Sandy Wann(901-481-9266). There will also be sign-up sheets in the bulletin. After the

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service on December 24th, you may take your Poinsettias.

Fire Department Visit

Day School News

Teacher Feature

Elizabeth Demaree

How long have you been teaching?

Teaching for 11 years

What do you like most about teaching at FPDS?

Getting to know the kids and their families

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Reading, watching TV, shopping

What is your favorite vacation spot?

Going to the beach or Heber Springs

Autumn Borrego

How long have you been teaching?

Teaching for 1 year

What do you like most about teaching at FPDS?

Working with the kids

What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

Watching TV

What is your favorite vacation spot?

Florida

Last month the children at Farmington Day

School were visited by the Germantown Fire

Department. Children toured the Fire Truck,

tried on the fireman gear, and spoke with real

firemen about fire safety.

Presbytery Events

All are welcome at these retreats

which center on personal

reflection and stillness. Receive a

thought to ponder and sit quietly,

write, draw, or explore nature as

you contemplate and pray.

Communion served.

Gathering begins at 8:45am

and light lunch is served at noon.

$25 a person

Register: lucygc@bellsouth.net or

(901) 878-1247

Congregational Care

10 am Monday, Nov. 9

Administration

6:30 pm Monday, Nov. 9

Service

7:00 pm Monday, Nov. 9

Christian Education

6:00 pm Tuesday, Nov. 10

School Board

5:30 pm Thursday, Nov. 12

Session

6:00 pm, Monday, Nov. 16

Committee Meetings

Sundays at Farmington

Sunday School is at 9:30 am and Worship

is at 11:00 am. Join us!

For Sunday School, the children gather in the

Sanctuary with music and then proceed to

their classroom (A6) for the lesson. The youth

gather in the youth room. Adults choose

between Hosea in the Interpretation Bible Study

in the East Room and Mark in the For Everyone

Bible Study in the room closest to the West

door.

Fellowship Coffee after Worship—November

1, 15, 22, and 29,

Potluck—THIS SUNDAY, November 8.

PreK Sunday— Day School Chapel kids sing in

worship, November 22.

Eat at Moe’s after Worship—November 29

FPC Men’s Ministry News

FPC Men‖s group will continue a study of

redemption and forgiveness watching the film

"Unbroken.”

Join us Friday, November 13, at 6:30 am.

We meet at FPC in the youth room and enjoy

McDonald breakfast sandwiches, mixed fruit, and

Ray's coffee. We always enjoy a time of fellowship

and support.

This month: Thanksgiving dinner

Each month we collect a different item to

donate to the Feeding Fayette Food Pantry.

November is all about Thanksgiving! Bring in

boxed potatoes or stuffing and canned

cranberries or yams to add to one of the

donation bins in the halls of the church.

Feeding Fayette Collection

Nov. 4 - Meatloaf Quiz Time Game Show Challenge

Nov 11 - Ham Programs for Adults and Children

Nov 18 - Thanksgiving Dinner Worship in the Sanctuary

Nov 25 - (Holiday) No Mid-Week Meal

November 22nd, 3:00 p.m.

Let's all join together on Sunday afternoon,

November 22nd, 3:00, to decorate the church for

Advent and Christmas! Rebecca Luter will have

activities for the children! After decorating the

church, we will all sit down together for a light

meal (around 5:00 p.m.). The menu will be Baked

Spaghetti, Salad, Bread and Dessert. Everyone is

invited to join in on the fun. If you would rather

be an “observer”, that‖s great too. The more the

merrier! Mark your calendar for this day filled

with excitement as we prepare to celebrate the

Birth of Baby Jesus!

-Sandy Wann

Hanging of the Greens

Farmington Presbyterian Church and Day School 8245 Farmington Blvd. Germantown, TN 38139

www.Farmingtonpres.org

If you have content for the November edition of New Vision, please email Doug Barr no later than

December 16at Doug@farmingtonpres.org

Acolyte Schedule

Nov 1 Julia Lively

Nov 8 Mia Mittag

Nov 15 Cole Ritchey

Nov 22 Elizabeth Luter

Nov 29 Nicholas Luter

Session Members

Administration – Kirsten King

Christian Education – Laurinda Ingram

Clerk – Melanie Oest

Congregational Care – John Hazen

Fellowship – Mary Shelley Ritchey

Property and Grounds – Jerry Hosier

School Board – Charlie Smithers

Service – Bonnie Blair

Worship – Sandy Wann

Staff Extensions

Rev. Rebecca Luter, Pastor, Ext. 23

Doug Barr, Director of Christian Education, Ext. 29

Cyndi Bevington, Administrative Assistant, Ext. 21

Rhonda Pearsall, Bookkeeper, Ext. 22

Jenny Howell, Executive Director of Day School, Ext. 28

Linda Turner, Managing Director of Day School, Ext. 24

Gretchen Burch, Program Director of Day School, Ext. 32

Anthony Jones, Maintenance Technician

If your birthday is not listed, please contact

1 Charlene Still

6 Deborah Aleman

9 Nadine Oest

10 Eliza Schneider

Chris Luter

11 Meg Sweet

Max Egan

13 James Brandon Wann, Jr. (J.B.)

17 Nicholas Luter

18 Kirsten King

19 Rachel Barr

Cyndi Bevington

24 Lauren Thomas

November Birthdays

1. Session approved the 2014 Financial Compilation Report

provided by Brundige, Payne, and Company PC.

2. A Congregational Meeting was called following

worship November 1 for the purpose of hearing the Elder

Nominating Committee Report.

3. Mary Shelley Ritchey and Sandy Wann were elected to be

FPC's commissioners at the November 10th meeting of

Presbytery.

Report from Session