In thousands of congrega-tions the brilliant colors of fall signal the season for annual budgets, stewardship ser-mons and pledge cards. For many churches it’s the only time of year financial stew-ardship is given high visibility. In the best-case scenario, the members pledge enough to meet the church budget, and the congregation is on its way to another year of ministry. Except for budget reports, talk about money is mostly set aside until the following autumn.

However, a growing num-ber of congregations regard financial giving as an im-portant part of Christian disci-pleship that deserves year-round emphasis. “We are moving from thinking about stewardship of fundraising to encouraging lifestyles of gen-erosity,” says the Rev. Karl Travis, pastor of FPC in Fort Worth. “Generosity is a spir-itual virtue that is part of a

larger life of discipleship.” “You have to do the stew-

ardship campaign, but typi-cally that is not enough,” says the Rev. Dan Hans, pastor of Second Presbyterian in Lex-ington, KY. “Congregants need a reminder of the differ-ence their gifts are making and will make. People con-vinced of their church’s com-mitment to ministry are more generous. We must constant-ly remind them what the mis-sion and ministry of the con-gregation are and consistent-ly interpret that.”

Fear is one of the biggest impediments to generosity. “The psychological challenge is to live beyond fear, which is

related to the economic chal-lenge of living a Christian life-style in a society that reduces our worth to what we own and tells us we need things we don’t really need,” Travis says. “The theological chal-lenge is to trust. Do we really believe Psalm 23 when it says ‘I shall not want’?”

Uneasiness about eco-nomic circumstances can con-tribute to tightfistedness, Hans observes. Borrowing from 1 Corinthians 13:13, he says, “In addition to faith and love, you have to have hope.”

Stewardship Season All Year Long?

Mission Opportunities in Advent In 140 plus years, FPC has

done some amazing things and developed some nice traditions. None of which are more cherished than the An-gel Tree, designed to help disadvantaged children have a little happier Christmas. The cost of being an angel is be-tween $50-$100.

Another program the Mis-sion Committee introduced is the Hoodie Program. Started to give disadvantaged chil-dren a warm jacket, it is rapid-ly becoming an Advent tradi-tion. We know, we know, it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet, and we are talking about your sponsoring a child from the

Angel Tree, or buying a hood-ed jacket or sweatshirt for a child in need! We also know that there are countless de-mands during the holidays. So we wanted to give you a heads-up about these two programs.

Thank you, from the Mis-sion Committee.

Our artist in residence during worship on Octo-ber 16, Paul Leddington Wright, was a delight to work with. Paul, the organist and music director at Coventry Cathedral in Coventry, England, was in town performing a series of concerts with my Pla-no Civic Chorus and was honored to be asked to join us in worship. He directed the Sanctuary Choir in two of his own compositions and spoke very highly of our choir’s musicality (I would expect no less!). Paul also played the organ for the opening and closing voluntaries and made quite an impres-sion.

Our Sanctuary Choir has a long association with Paul as they sang in the International Church Music Festival (ICMF) in 2004 in Bern, Switzerland. Paul and the legendary Sir David Willcocks were the artistic directors for the festival and it was a mag-nificent beginning to what has been a long friend-ship. Another great outcome of that festival was the commissioning of a new hymn arrangement from Paul to honor Shirley Latham’s 30th anniver-sary as organist at FPC. We have used that ar-rangement on special occasions over the years and it was nice having Paul here to play it for us.

Paul played a terrific recital on our Reuter Or-gan on Monday evening following worship. His program was diverse and a joy to hear. There were over 100 folks in attendance (not bad for a Monday evening) and all were duly impressed by Paul’s

playing. His comments between each piece were informative and truly showcased his English sense of humor.

As our choir will be touring in 2018, I’ve been thinking through the numerous scenarios for the trip. I mentioned this to Paul while he was here and he immediately proposed the possibility of our choir singing in Coventry Cathedral. Paul directs the Cathedral’s St. Michael Singers and this tour would provide a great opportunity for our choir join with them to perform in one of the greatest and most historic cathedrals in England. Paul and I are now discussing itinerary possibilities and dates that would work for both our groups. Paul also has many connections with other churches in and around the Coventry area that would make their sanctuaries available for additional choral perfor-mances by our choir. Sounds like fun!

Our choral tours are never limited to just choir members and their families. Anybody and every-body who wants to go can join us. Choral music is a great way to experience these magnificent English Cathedrals and traveling with friends from FPC is a great way to travel. I’ll provide updates in future issues of the Newsletter as the details of the tour come into focus.

Grace and Peace, Ralph

This and That

Labels for Education®

is winding down

As of August 1, 2016, only UPCs with the Labels for Education

logo will be ac-cepted and re-deemed for points. We are in the process of removing the

logo and expect there will be a limited number of products that contain these labels in stores through August 1, 2017. Once all Labels for Education logos have been removed from the prod-ucts, UPCs will no longer be ac-cepted. The banked points schools have accumulated will not be affected.

You Are Invited

The Richardson Interfaith Alliance invites you on a discov-ery journey of other faiths at the Annual Thanksgiving Celebration on Thursday, November 17, from 6:30-9 p.m. at the Islamic Associ-ation of North Texas, 840 Abrams Road, in Richardson.

The Richardson Interfaith Alliance is made up of Baha’i, Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jew-ish and Muslim faiths. Through table displays and voluntary small group discussions, we will learn about one another’s faith traditions and how we celebrate Thanksgiving as we build under-standing and friendship. A light reception will follow.

Sack Lunch Event Thanks!

Thank you to all who helped with sack lunches for The Gathering at Thanksgiving Square. On Octo-ber 15, 13 volunteers prepared 110 sandwiches, loaded the pa-per sacks with non-perishable items, and restored order in the kitchen. Sunday morning 6 chil-dren from the elementary class completed the lunches. Many thanks to: James, Nathan, Mai, Emme, Caroline, and Celia. Thanks also to Debbie and Amy, who helped. After worship 8 vol-unteers helped distribute the lunches to the homeless. Thanks also to the FPC congregation which provided funds to buy the supplies.

Now that I have been home for almost a month, I have had some time to do some reflection on my recent travels. As I have said in several re-ports, this trip to Lebanon was a life changing ex-perience. While I have traveled internationally many times, this was my first journey to places mentioned by name in the Bible. At one point in our travels, we walked along a Roman road that the Apostle Paul almost certainly walked upon!

While seeing scenic sights was an enjoyable part of the journey, the most meaningful parts of the trip centered on the people we met and the first-hand accounts that we heard. Everywhere we went, we were welcomed with hospitality and open arms. The partners that we talked to enjoyed the opportunity to share what they were doing in their ministries. Early in those conversations, it became clear that the church (regardless of de-nominational affiliation or nationality) is support-ing life-giving ministry in the Middle East.

We heard how congregations in Germany, Aus-tria and the Netherlands have backed programs to educate the children of Syrian refugees. We heard how congregations in Australia and the United States have helped in setting up community clinics within Lebanese churches. We were also told that the primary identified needs that the churches (either through the National Synod of Syria and Lebanon or the Middle East Council of Churches) need help with is supporting Christians in war zones. This was something that surprised the ma-jority of our traveling group. We did not realize that the church is encouraging those in the war zones to stay where they are, if possible.

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of the people in Syria and Iraq do not want to leave their homes. In most cases, where people have fled, it was to escape hostile forces that were invading whole neighborhoods. We heard from both Chris-tians and Muslims about the Islamic State. We heard stories of families fleeing in the middle of the night to escape armed forces that seemed to have no other plan but to disrupt society and to break down community.

Over and over again, from all of the refugees we talked to, we heard a longing for security. We quickly realized that the people we were talking to didn’t mean security in the sense of a police pres-ence or a safe distance from the tragedy of war. By security, most of the refugees simply meant that they hoped that the day would come when they would not worry constantly about where they would live, where they would work, or where their

next meal would come from. Because of the large numbers of refugees that have flooded into Leba-non, there is an abundance of people who are look-ing for work. Begging on the streets is widespread and there were several times that young children attached themselves to my shirttails and pleaded for money or food. In some circumstances, begging on the streets has become organized by mafia-like en-trepreneurs. Human trafficking has become an issue among the refugee population, as their vulnerability is exploited. There are so many stories and they are all heartbreaking.

Now, I have seen other cultures and conditions in other parts of the world that made me want to help out, from a church ministry standpoint. This trip, however, convinced me that we are in the middle of a war of ideology. And the church in the Middle East knows this better than we do. While there is un-doubtedly a lot of international politics in play, the church there has focused on one primary calling: Service. Participating in Chris-tian service (the care of oth-ers) has become the primary focus of the church in Leba-non and Syria and the de-nominational leaders that we talked to shared that this is the ideological hill that they are prepared to die on. In reality, most of the Middle East does not understand the type of Christ-like service that the church is engaging in. It is countercultural, but this Christian service is providing new life to those congregations and even transforming communities.

Often when we think of world mission, we as-sume it will be “us helping them.” In this case, I be-lieve that it may truly be the other way around. One of the touch points we returned to throughout the trip was a phrase from the Belhar Confession (which the PCUSA adopted earlier this summer). I share it here in hopes that it will both comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable: We believe that the church, as the possession of God, must stand where the Lord stands, namely against injustice and with the wronged; that in following Christ the church must wit-ness against all the powerful and privileged who selfishly seek their own interests and thus control and harm others.

My prayer is that God will help us to do just that. Blessings, Pastor David

If it’s true that the U.S. is a mission field, then the Rev. Gisonga “Aaron” Ruvugwa is a man on a mission. Ruvugwa—who experienced the horrors of war in his native Congo and subsequently of refugee camps in Rwanda and Burundi—immigrated to the U.S. with his family as refugees in 2003. On settling in Columbia, Missouri, and affiliating with Trinity Presbyterian Church, Ruvug-wa found himself hungering for the familiarity the kind of church he knew in Africa. “I was called to serve God a long time ago,” said Ruvugwa. “We knew God. But here, everything was new for us. That’s why we began the fellowship in our home.”

Not long after the small group of immigrant families began meeting in his home, Ruvugwa reached out to PCUSA. “I knew Presbyterians when I pastored 10 years in Rwanda,” he said. “Presbyterians were people of their word—they took action.” The budding fellowship immediately received a visit from the Rev. Angel Suarez-Valera, former associate for New Immigrant Congrega-tional Support for the Presbyterian Mission Agen-cy, who then connected Ruvugwa with Missouri Union Presbytery. In 2009, the Agape African Fel-lowship became a new worshiping community.

According to Ed Hander—a ruling elder mem-ber of First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, and moderator of the African Immigrant Fellowship Mission Team—the purpose is to provide a “home” for Christian refugees and immigrants from Africa

to enable them to worship in their native languages, maintain aspects of their culture in or-der to strengthen their families, and allow them to inte-grate in the U.S. culture without diminishing the

faith and worship traditions that sustained them through their trials in Africa. “With their back-ground—spending 30 years in refugee camps and having everything they own taken away from them, in many cases having their whole village killed—making sure that they have a home and a sense of community is our goal,” said Hander.

“My two mission trips to Kenya were the turn-ing point as far as my mission involvement,” he said. “Over time I began to see that God had not forgotten my love of Africa and the church there. While I could not go to Africa, God brought Africa

to Columbia. He was just waiting until the time was right. You don’t have to go to Africa to be a mis-sionary. Just look around you—God will bring the world to you right where you are.”

Because many of the families speak little or no English, lack a basic education, and don’t have cars or can’t drive, Ruvugwa spends much of his time providing transportation, helping them with their interactions with various social support agencies, schools, and medical services. He also provides mediation when conflicts arise within families or the congregation. “The first place these families go is to their church to have problems resolved,” Hander said. “To them, the church is the center of their community. It’s a different lifestyle, a differ-ent way of looking at life and of being a Christian.”

Although providing for the fellowship financial-ly will always be a priority and a challenge for the presbytery, Hander identified a related goal—the community, which now worships every Sunday from 4:00-6:30 p.m. in a commercial building, would like to have its own place to worship. “Having a space which is theirs would give them a sense that they are in a final home,” said Hander. “Remember that everything they had was taken from them, and they have been dependent upon the charity of others ever since. They fear that eve-rything will fall apart again. Having never experi-enced that in our lives—at least to the extreme degree to which they have—we can’t imagine how important it is to have something of your own.”

The benefits of the association between Agape, the presbytery, and the wider church are profound and far-reaching. Agape is helping U.S. Presbyteri-ans to see themselves and the world through different eyes. “What Agape is really teaching us is humility,” Hander said. “Not only do we not have all of the answers, we don’t even know what all the questions are.” And while some of the questions the groups uncover are hard ones, Ruguvwa doesn’t hesitate to ask them. “Our people wonder how you can just worship for one hour on Sunday,” he said. “When they go to an American church—one hour—they say there’s no time to sing or to praise God. We are like missionaries here. When people come and see us, through our singing and our praying we can change the way Americans see church.”

This is excerpted from an articleby Emily Enders Odom, Presby-terian News Service. Ed Hander is the brother of Dianne Long.

God brought Africa to Columbia, Missouri

The Rev. Gisonga “Aaron” Ruvugwa, pastor of Agape African Fellowship. (Photo by Betsy Garrett)

Appointments have been made for two General Assembly created bodies charged with helping the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) chart a way forward as a denomination.

Twelve people have been named to the Way Forward Com-mission and fifteen individuals have been named to the 2020 Vision Team, both of which were actions of the 222nd General Assembly (2016). “We are pleased that these individuals have accepted the invitation to help the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) discern what God is call-ing it to be in the future,” said Co-Moderators Denise Anderson and Jan Edmiston. “We are confident that each person will work to innovatively and creatively help guide the church where it needs to be.”

In response to an overture on merging the Presbyterian Mis-sion Agency (PMA) and the Office of the General Assembly (OGA) into a single entity, the 222nd General Assembly (2016) approved creating the Way For-ward Commission. The commis-sion will: ... study and identify a vision for the structure and func-tion of the General Assembly agencies of the PC(USA). That vision shall take into account the ministries of the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) and the Office of the General Assembly (OGA), but shall not be bound by the current configuration of those ministries, except where mandated by the church’s Consti-tution. …

The 2020 Vision Team, which came to the 222nd General As-sembly (2016) as new business

from the Assembly Committee on the Way Forward, is charged with developing:

... a guiding statement for the denomination and make a plan for its implementation with all deliberate speed. The process of developing such a guiding state-ment will help us to name and claim our denominational identi-ty as we seek to follow the Spirit into the future.

The moderator of the Way Forward Commission is Mark Hostetter, a teaching elder from the Presbytery of New York City. The 2020 Vision Team is being led by Co-Moderators Berna-dette Coffee, a ruling elder from the Presbytery of Tres Rios, and Lisa Juica Perkins, a teaching elder from the Presbytery of Grace.

Out of Chaos—Hope

Way Forward Commission and 2020 Vision Team

Hurricane Matthew caused death and destruc-tion across the Caribbean and southeastern United States—more than 800 dead, thousands injured, and the destruction of communities and crops, especially in Haiti. Many impacted areas were still recovering from previous flooding and other disas-ters. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is sup-porting the delivery of emergency aid, working with our partners and local staff who had been monitoring the completion of prior earthquake and hurricane projects.

In Haiti, PDA is leveraging church partnerships to assess damage and to develop long-term disas-ter recovery and rebuilding strategies. Ecumenical partner ACT Alliance has issued an appeal for over $1 million to assist relief efforts in Cuba, and is working with partners throughout the Caribbean to evaluate needs in Jamaica, the Bahamas, and beyond. After immediate needs are addressed, PDA will remain, drawing upon its strong relation-ships and effective prior development efforts in the region.

Throughout the southeastern United States, PDA has reached out to pastors and presbytery

leaders in areas impacted by the storm. Extensive flooding and storm surges have damaged many homes and churches. National Response Team mem-bers are mo-bilizing to visit affected presbyteries and to sup-port local disaster re-sponse and recovery plans. In the coming weeks, PDA will begin deploying teams into as many as seven presbyteries and providing assistance to congregations mucking out as the waters recede.

The needs for the response are great. God’s people are once again called on to stand in the “GAP”—Give. Act. Pray.

Women’s Circles

The Thursday Evening Circle meets November 10, at 6:30 p.m. in the church library. All women are warmly encouraged to attend. For more infor-mation, contact Ginger (Bob) Anderson.

The Wednesday Morning Circle meets again on December 7, at 9:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. Host-esses are Sarah Wright and Darlene Sircily. Susan Johnson will convene the meeting at 10 a.m., with Mary Jo Grimes offering the devotion and Anne Healy leading Lesson 4: Who Is Jesus: According to John. The Annual Christmas Luncheon follows the meeting. For more information, contact Anne Hea-ly or Susan Johnson.

Retire-eze

Let us entertain you! The Dallas Dazzlers will en-tertain you on Wednesday, November 16, with tap dance and song. Shirley Bridges will entertain your taste buds with pork loin and all the fixings. The cost is $5 per person for food—the fun is free! Call

Shirley with your RSVP. See you there!

Sunday Book Club

We meet on November 13, at 5 p.m. in the church library to discuss A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman. For more information, contact Ginger (Doug) Anderson.

Shufflers

The Shufflers play on the third Wednesdays in No-vember and December due to the holidays. Play begins at 1 p.m. on November 16. Reserve a seat with Barbara Chapman or Frankie Markham.

Monday Book Discussion

Our next selection is Anthony Doerr's All the Light We Cannot See, long on The New York Times Best-seller list, which takes place during World War II. Suzanne Katz leads a discussion on November 28, at 2 p.m., in the church library. Future reads: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, and The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt. Questions? Contact Anne Healy.

News You Can Use

Fun Facts for Thanksgiving

When the guests around your Thanksgiving table are busy eating, dazzle them with some tasty turkey trivia. We bet you they'll eat them up!

* In 1953, someone at Swanson misjudged the number of frozen turkeys it would sell that Thanks-giving -- by 26 TONS! Brilliant Idea! Why not slice up the meat and repackage with some trimmings on the side? Thus, the first TV dinner was born!

* Black Friday is the busiest day of the year for plumbers, according to Roto-Rooter, the nation's largest plumbing service.

* There are four places in the U.S. named Tur-key. Louisiana's Turkey Creek;Turkey, Texas; Tur-key, North Carolina; and Turkey Creek, Arizona. Oh, and two townships in Pennsylvania are named Upper Turkeyfoot and Lower Turkeyfoot!

* When Abe Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday, it was thanks to the tireless efforts of magazine editor Sarah Josepha Hale. (She also wrote the nursery rhyme, "Mary had a Little Lamb." )

* Gobble, gobble? Only male turkeys, called toms, gobble. Females, called hens, cackle.

* If Ben Franklin had his way, the turkey would be our national bird. An eagle, he wrote in a letter to his daughter, had "bad moral character." A tur-key, on the other hand, was a "much more respect-able bird."

* Thanksgiving is not just an American holiday. Canadians celebrate it too on the second Monday in October.

It is hard to believe it, but it’s almost to time to order poinsettias that deco-rate our Sanctuary and Chapel during the Advent and Christmas season. Plan now to donate poinsettias in honor or in memory of someone special in your life. Cards will be in the church office and in the narthex in the next few weeks. The deadline to order is December 5; the cost is still $10 per plant. They will be in worship for three Sundays this year and you are free to pick yours up after worship on Christmas morning. Our Sanctuary always looks so beautiful during this season. Please help us continue that tradition.

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November/December 2016

November 2, 2016

Bees bring food—one out of every three bites of food in the world is made

possible by these hardworking insects. You could provide the tools and materials

for a hive—and a community—to thrive.

Bring positive change to a community today at presbyteriangifts.org