Perspective

A Newsletter of the First Presbyterian Church

of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

Volume XLV No. 8 September 2019

Phone: 610-933-8816

Fax: 610-933-8060

www.fpc-phoenixville.org

email: secretaryfpc145@gmail.com

First Presbyterian Church

Phoenixville, Pennsylvania

1846 – 2019 The Perspective is published 10 times a year by the First Presbyterian Church of Phoenixville. Please

direct information or comments to the Church Office at 610-933-8816 or to secretaryfpc145@gmail.com .

Publisher: Sue Smith Contributors: Church Family; Proofreader: Jeanne Blackburn

Table of Contents

Message from Pastor Doug……………. 2

Presbytery Women’s Circle…………… 3

Deacons Dialogue….………………….. 4

Parish Life…………………………….. 4

Dine Around Phoenixville…………….. 5

Worship & Music Notes………………. 5

Blessing of the Animals service………. 5

Sew Powerful Purse Project…………… 6

Personnel Open Forum… ……………... 7

Clerk of Session report………………… 7

Communications Coordinator…………. 8

Topics In Life Today………………….. 8

Sunday School for all ages……………. 9

September calendar…..……………….. 10

October calendar……………………… 11

From the Pastor

Jeremiah 31 31 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the

house of Israel and the house of Judah.

32 It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by

the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt—a covenant that they broke, though I

was their husband,[g] says the Lord.

33 But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says

the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be

their God, and they shall be my people. 34 No longer shall they teach one another, or say

to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the

greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

What to say at this time? Every day most people are angrier, more afraid, and more

divided. The chance that I, or any preacher, will say something to make someone upset

increases. We hear each other less and share more hot takes. We end relationships

because we just can’t deal with one another anymore. We stop looking because it seems

that the news is always going from bad to worse. Looking into the foreseeable future,

how many of us think things will soon start to get significantly better?

What we could be watching unfold in real-time is the failure of our way of life.

Certainly some parts of our way of life are failing us. But what other way is there?

As some of you know I’ve been hosting an open discussion of the book A Faith of Your

Own by Ronald J. Allen twice a month. Open to anyone in the congregation, it has

brought in some of the usual suspects from TILT and our Sunday Bible Study, and a few

others who are not from those two groups as well. The purpose of the book is to provide

resources, from scripture, church history, and the present, in order for us to think about

what we believe more carefully. In some cases, we encounter things we’ve never

considered before. In other cases, we’ve had long-held beliefs that were both challenged

and at other times reinforced. To me, it’s the kind of discussion that should be going on

all the time in the life of a congregation.

One of the things we didn’t have much time to discuss (covering this book in only six

weeks turned out to be quite a challenge) was what we think the church is called to be.

Coming after the chapter on God’s Ultimate Purposes and before the one on Evil we

have the chapter on The Church. This makes sense to me, since I see important aspects

of the Church as living out what we think God intends for the world, and also

coming together to, in the words of Isaiah from my last sermon, “cease to do evil and

learn to do good.” The church should also be a place we come to for refuge from the evil

in the world that we don’t cause but still have to endure.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the church, to me, is that it is a place where we

live out the world that God intends, as well as we can. It is a proving-ground, a dojo for

practice, a school for study, and what we are proving and practicing and studying is the

way of life that God calls us to live. Like Poppy’s Jiu-Jitsu instructors say to the kids: ‘if

you can’t do this here in practice, you definitely won’t be able to do this out in the

world.’ 2. continued….

But what is it we are to be practicing? Is God’s way of life committee meetings, or

worship services , or having meals together in Fellowship Hall? Is it mission projects

and Bible Study and choir practice?

I just plotted out a sermon series - I don’t have a great catchy title for it (and probably

will never have one) so I’m just calling the series Shalom, which is the word I chose from

scripture to represent the fullness of God’s intentions for our lives. What would this

Shalom look like? What are the key elements? You will get, of course what I think God’s

intentions are, but they are things that I find deeply rooted in scripture from cover to

cover, as well as what I think are the best parts of Christian history.

This is my answer to the question I asked at the very beginning of this Perspective.

What to say at a time like this? That there is another way, a radically different way, that

we are called to live. People knew about this way of life back in the Bronze Age but we

still haven’t figured out how to live it today. But to understand what’s gone wrong, and

what might change, and what needs to change, I think we first need to look closely at

what the alternative is. God’s alternative, if I may be so bold.

In the meantime, and really all the time, I encourage you to live in the Kingdom,

whether the people around you are or not.

Pastor Doug

September 1: Jeremiah 2:4-13; Luke 14:1-14

September 8: Genesis 1:1-13; Genesis 1:14-25

September 15: Exodus 32:7-14; Luke 15:1-10

September 22: Luke 16:1-13

September 29: Jeremiah 32:1-15; Amos 6:1-7

Women’s Circle Book Orders Our Presbyterian Women’s Circle is looking forward to September when

we will begin the Horizon study “LOVE CARVED IN STONE, A Fresh

Look at the Ten Commandments” written by Eugenia Gamble. We meet

in the parlor the third Sunday each month following worship. Please

contact Jewell Baker if you’d like more information and/or to order a

copy of the study guide. (jebaker38@gmail.com or 484-459-3585)

The new email address for the church office is secretaryfpc145@gmail.com .

3.

Deacons’ Dialogue

September already? Summer certainly went quickly! We hope it was a good one for you. It is time to begin our 2019-2020 program year and the Board of Deacons will be starting off with a meeting on September 8th right after church. We will be reviewing our responsibilities to our church, to all of you, our church family, and to our care groups and special members. Remember, if you have needs, concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact your care group deacon. As a review, below is the list of assignments. Contact information for your deacon is in the church directory and the Sunday bulletin, or you can contact the church office.

Kathryn Grocki: Tom Alred to Norma Blouch Gail Landazuri: Pam and Ed Bodam to Nancy and George Cockerill Pam Bodam: Kristin and Frank Craven to Louise Ewing Mona Sabia: Janet and Rob Ferguson to Pat and Fred Guthan Chris Roussey: Jennifer Guthan to Elianne and Brian Josel Chuck Heidel: Kate and Brian Kennedy to Jeff and Amber Majcher Barbie Kepler: Martha and Dave Mandrusiak to Ann Miller Amy Mincavage: Betty Miller to Lucinda Parrish Eileen Naughton: Sandra and Paul Parrish to Bob Russell & Eileen Naughton Sue Shier: Joan Ryder to Barb Small Barb White: Meghan and Adam Smith to Carol and Roger Warwick Ellen Williams: Barb and George White to Peggy Zielinski

See you in church! Blessings to all, Barbie Kepler for the Board of Deacons

Parish Life

This has been a great summer for our congregation! From fun events like Chili Fest and the ever-popular Strawberry Social, to critical hands-on sessions like CPR training, we’ve grown together over the past few months.

Many hands make light work. Please see Becky, Jewell or Lynne – or any of your faithful Parish Life Crew – if you’d like to join us in planning future events. We can guarantee lots of laughs and a sense of fulfillment when you become a ‘Parish Lifer’.

We look forward to sharing these special times with you!

The Parish Life Committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 7PM in the Parlor. Please join us! 4.

Dine Around Phoenixville Plan to join us for our next “Dine Around” event …

Location…Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant…130 East Bridge St.

Date…Sunday, September 8

Plan to dine at Iron Hill anytime on September 8, and 20% of your food bill will be donated to

First Presbyterian Church.

Coupons for this event are available in the church office and narthex.

Please take a coupon for yourself and some to share.

Reservations are recommended…610-983-9333.

Following the “Blessing of the Animals “ on September 8..(after you

take your pets home)…gather with family and friends at Iron Hill.

Enjoy lunch or dinner as you benefit our church. We thank you for

your support.

Notes from

Worship and Music

Many things are happening or starting in September. We start September off with Communion on the 1st . Then the Handbells start their rehearsals on Wednesday the 4th at 7:30 PM. Choir starts on Thursday the 5th at 7 PM. Sunday the 9th is our annual outside Sunday service that includes the blessing of the animals. If you are interested in Rock the Boat, First Brass, or the jazz group, see Diane who will be more than willing to discuss your options.

There will be a very slight change to the serving of Communion. At the children’s message we will not serve grapes. However, grapes will be available on the Communion table for those children who remain in church after the children’s message. When your child comes up with you to take communion, they may go over to the communion table for a bunch of grapes. We feel this is more meaningful as it more closely connects their grapes with our communion elements.

See you in church.

Big Happenings on Sunday, Sept. 8th

What is there to do after Labor Day? How about

getting your pet(s) blessed? On Sunday, September

8th, FPC will host a Blessing of the Animals outdoor

worship service (weather permitting). You're invited

to bring your pet(s), stuffed animals, or just a photo.

Of course all four-legged, winged, furry, or scaly

guests of honor must be properly restrained on a leash or in a carrier.

It would be great to have the children participate by singing a song about animals. If interested,

please bring your child to the elementary Sunday school room at 9:15 on September 8th. Jeff

McLaughlin will teach all the little critters a special song.

In case of inclement weather the service will be held the following Sunday (Sept. 15). We will

still plan on singing our animal song on September 8th.

Set-up and take-down help on the 8th would be greatly appreciated.

5.

The Sew Powerful Purse

Project

‘Adopt-a-Purse’

Back in the spring, the Women’s Fellowship group shared with the congregation a

new project we were beginning. It’s called the “Sew Powerful Purse Project”. The

mission of the Purse Project is to combat extreme poverty in a very challenging

place called Ngombe Compound in Lusaka Zambia. They do this by equipping

community members with jobs as well as training, tools, and technical skills to

make what they call “Purposeful Products”. Products that can bless local children

and empower their academic success.

The Problem: In Lusaka’s poorest areas the cultural practice is for girls to stay

home from school when it’s their time of month. This is because there is no

access to feminine hygiene supplies. The poorest girls who need to excel

academically to escape poverty are dramatically hindered by the problem of

missing, on average, 6 weeks of school each year. If they don’t pass their 7th

Grade Exam, then they are unable to enter Secondary School (what we call High

School) and their academic career is over.

The Solution: Sew Powerful has an innovative solution that they believe is

sustainable, dignified, and knits women together from around the world in a

collaborative way without creating dependency or a sense of lowered self-worth

on the part of the recipients.

They ask seamstresses around the world (that’s us) to sew a beautiful purse and

give a small financial gift in support of the program. The Women’s Fellowship

has been busy cutting and sewing and has created many purses, each one unique.

The girls take a ‘Sew Powerful Pledge’ when accepting a purse - they pledge to

stay in school all month long, not stay home, and work hard on their academic

achievements.

Your Help: On September 22, after worship, you will have the opportunity to be

a part of the project. The purses will be on display in Fellowship Hall, each one

waiting to be adopted by you. Our plan is to have each purse adopted for $5 and

to include a kind greeting written by you. You can write something special to the

girl who will receive the purse you adopt. Maybe a poem, scripture verse, prayer,

or a word of encouragement. These cards are an important part of the program

and each girl looks with anticipation in the purse to see what the sender has

written - it makes it special.

Please consider adopting a purse as your part of the Sew Powerful Purse Project.

We look forward to seeing you in Fellowship Hall on September 22, and sharing

the joy with us as we prepare to send our purses to Zambia.

6.

Open Forum at Personnel Meeting Everyone is welcome to attend the next Personnel

meeting to be held on Tuesday, Sept. 10th from 7:00-7:30 p.m. in the parlor.

You are encouraged to come and let us know how you feel about the job perfor-mances of the church staff. We’d like to have you share your experiences with us.

From the Clerk of Session Average Sunday morning attendance for July was 75.

Session Meeting o Session will meet on Tuesday, August 27th.

Life of the church o There were no changes in membership in July.

Information from the June 25th Stated Session Meeting will reviewed/approved at the August 27th meeting and will be in the next Perspective.

Jewell Baker, Clerk of Session

People to People Flea Market

The next flea market will be held on Saturday, September 28th

from 8:00 am – 1:00 pm

in Fellowship Hall. The last date to drop off donations will be Thursday, September 19th

.

We accept just about anything you can think of except furniture. So now that the kids are

headed back to school why not clean out their closets and bring over your donations for

the church to sell. All proceeds go toward feeding the homeless. See you at the sale!

We need your help with the flea market.

Even if you can only give one hour of your time…we’ll take it!

The days we need the most help are on Wednesday, Sept. 25th

setting out all of the sale

items, (9am-3pm) and on the day of the sale, Saturday, Sept. 28th

. (8am-1pm)

Contact Bob Russell at 610-405-1362 if you can help.

Prayer Chain & Prayer Requests

You can fill out a card in the worship service, drop a note or email us

at secretaryfpc145@gmail.com and we will be lifting you up in prayer.

You can also call Sue Smith in the church office at (610) 933-8816.

7.

By: Maggie O’Malley

COMMUNICATIONS REQUEST FOR HELP Keeping it simple –

Like us on

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/FirstPresbyterianChurchOfPhoenixville/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrmNs7JdvZNJpsNjs0Ds8vg

Follow us on

Twitter - https://twitter.com/fpcphoenixville Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fpcphoenixville/

Watch and Share for us on Patch - https://patch.com/pennsylvania/phoenixville/calendar

Review for us on Google

Taking a few moments to write a Google Review about any church event (weekly services, book study, fellowship gatherings, etc.) would help FPC’s online rankings. Simply search on First Presbyterian, Phoenixville. In the results on the right side, Click on Reviews. In the pop-up window, click on the “Write a Review” button in

the upper right corner. Thanks!

T.I.L.T. Class Begins The TILT group will be discussing the book Loving Your

Enemies, How Decent People Can Save America from the

Culture of Contempt by Arthur C. Brooks. You don’t need to

read the book to participate. Simply stop by the parlor and

share your opinions, experiences, and love. TILT begins

again on Sept. 15 at 9:15 a.m., see you then.

8.

Sunday School Begins Our Sunday School classes will begin again on Sunday,

September 15, for the young and not-so-young. Please join us at

9:15 am upstairs in the Sunday School rooms.

During the worship service Pastor Doug will be

leading us with a Blessing of Backpacks as our

children start the new school year. Please bring your

school backpack to church on the 15th

to have it

blessed.

In addition, the younger students will be presented with brand new

Bibles as they begin their new church school year.

We look forward to seeing you all on the 15th of September.

Communion to You Pastor Doug is happy to bring Communion to you or a loved one at home, in the hospital, or anywhere else. This can be Communion for an individual, or even a simple Communion service for a small group. Call the church office to let us know if this is something you would like, and to set up a time. 610-933-8816

Used/Empty Ink Cartridges Please remember to save and bring to church, any used

computer ink cartridges to be recycled. The church receives

credit from Staples which is then used to purchase office

supplies. Please also ask friends and relatives to donate used

cartridges and place them in the box by the church office.

Ever wanted to share your thoughts on one of Pastor Doug's

sermons, or ask questions?

On the last Sunday of each month, after worship, Pastor Doug

hosts “Sermon Talk” in his office. Come by after he's greeted

everyone at the end of worship, to sit down and ask questions or

give feedback.

Clubhouse Cards Do you like to play cards? So do we!

Join us to play card games on the 2nd

and 4th

Wednesdays of

the month from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. We’ll be playing at the

Clubhouse Villas at French Creek, 300 Village Way,

Phoenixville. For more details, you may contact either Sue

Shier (610-917-2576) or Pat Guthan (610-933-4838).

9.

September 2019 First Presbyterian Church of Phoenixville

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Communion 1

Offering: Ken Brown

10:30a Worship

2

Church office closed

Labor Day

3

3:00p Organist rehearsal

4:30p Brass ensemble

5:30p Rock the Boat

6:30p Zumba class

7:00p MAC

7:00p Praise Team

4

6:00p Women’s

Fellowship

6:45p Merry Ringers QT

7:30p Merry Ringers

5

9:00a People to People

9:00a WIC

10:00a Food ministry

7:00p Choir

6

9:00a WIC

1:00p Organist

Rehearsal

7

8

Offering: Amy Myers

10:30a Worship Outside

Blessing of the Animals

12:00n Deacons

12:00n Worship & Music

12:00n Iron Hill Brewery

Dine Around PHX

9

6:30p Zumba class

7:30p Property

10

3:00p Organist rehearsal

4:30p Brass ensemble

5:30p Rock the Boat

6:30p Zumba class

7:00p Praise Team

7:00p Personnel –

Open Forum

11

1:00p Clubhouse Cards

6:00p Women’s

Fellowship

6:45p Merry Ringers QT

7:30p Merry Ringers

12

9:00a People to People

10:00a Food ministry

6:00p Staff meeting

7:00p Choir

7:30p Compassionate

Friends

13

1:00p Organist

Rehearsal

14

9:30a Zumba class

15

Offering: Bob Russell

9:15a Sunday School

Begins!

9:15a Coffee Hour

10:30a Worship

12:00n FPC Men’s

Group

12:00n Women’s Circle

16

6:30p Zumba class

7:00p Finance &

Stewardship

17

3:00p Organist rehearsal

4:30p Brass ensemble

5:30p Rock the Boat

6:30p Zumba class

7:00p Praise Team

7:15p Church Growth

18

6:00p Women’s

Fellowship

6:45p Merry Ringers QT

7:30p Merry Ringers

19

9:00a People to People

10:00a Food ministry

7:00p Choir

20

7:00a Food ministry

1:00p Organist

Rehearsal

Perspective articles

due.

21

6:30a Food ministry

22

Offering: Kevin Carrabine

9:15a Sunday School

9:15a Coffee Hour

10:30a Worship

12:00n Adopt a Purse

Event

23

6:00p Mom’s House

Board meeting

6:30p Zumba class

24

3:00p Organist rehearsal

4:30p Brass ensemble

5:30p Rock the Boat

6:30p Zumba class

7:00p Praise Team

No Session

25

10:00a AARP Board

1:00p Clubhouse Cards

6:00p Women’s

Fellowship

6:45p Merry Ringers QT

7:30p Merry Ringers

Set up for flea market

26

9:00a People to People

10:00a Food ministry

7:00p Choir

Set up for flea market

27

1:00p Organist

Rehearsal

Set up for flea market

28

8a-1p People to

People Flea Market

29

Offering: J. Osterhoudt

9:15a Sunday School

9:15a Coffee Hour

10:30a Worship

12:00n Sermon Talk

7:00p Pub Theology

30

6:30p Zumba class

Rev Hagler study

leave

10.

October 2019 First Presbyterian Church of Phoenixville Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1

3:00p Organist rehearse

4:30p Brass ensemble

5:30p Rock the Boat

6:30p Zumba class

7:00p Praise Team

7:00p MAC

Rev Hagler study leave

2

6:00p Women’s

Fellowship

6:45p Merry Ringers QT

7:30p Merry Ringers

Rev Hagler study leave

3

9:00a People to People

10:00a Food ministry

7:00p Choir

Rev Hagler study leave

4

Rev Hagler study leave

5

World Communion 6

Offering: B Sinapius

9:15a Sunday School

9:15a Coffee Hour

10:30a Worship

12:00n Deacons

7

6:00p Women’s

Outreach Board

meeting

6:30p Zumba class

7:30p Property

Shelter Meals →

8

3:00p Organist rehearse

4:30p Brass ensemble

5:30p Rock the Boat

6:30p Zumba class

7:00p Praise Team

7:00p Personnel

7:00p Parish Life

Shelter Meals →

9

1:00p Clubhouse Cards

6:00p Women’s

Fellowship

6:45p Merry Ringers QT

7:30p Merry Ringers

Shelter Meals →

10

9:00a People to People

10:00a Food ministry

7:00p Choir

7:30p Compassionate

Friends

Shelter Meals →

11

1:00p Organist

Rehearsal

Rev Hagler vacation

Shelter Meals →

12

9:30a Zumba class

Rev Hagler vacation

13

Offering: G Cockerill

9:15a Sunday School

9:15a Coffee Hour

10:30a Worship

12:00n Worship & Music

Rev Hagler vacation

14

6:30p Zumba class

15

3:00p Organist rehearse

4:30p Brass ensemble

5:30p Rock the Boat

6:30p Zumba class

7:00p Praise Team

7:15p Christian Educ.

16

6:00p Women’s

Fellowship

6:45p Merry Ringers QT

7:30p Merry Ringers

17

9:00a People to People

9:00a WIC

10:00a Food ministry

7:00p Choir

18

7:00a Food ministry

9:00a WIC

19

6:30a Food ministry

20

Offering: K Brown

9:15a Sunday School

9:15a Coffee Hour

10:30a Worship

12:00n Women’s Circle

12:00n FPC Men’s Group

Perspective articles due.

21

6:30p Zumba class

7:00p Finance &

Stewardship

Rev Hagler cont ed

22

3:00p Organist rehearse

4:30p Brass ensemble

5:30p Rock the Boat

6:30p Zumba class

7:00p Praise Team

7:30p Session

Rev Hagler cont ed

23

1:00p Clubhouse Cards

6:00p Women’s

Fellowship

6:45p Merry Ringers QT

7:30p Merry Ringers

Rev Hagler cont ed

24

9:00a People to People

10:00a Food ministry

7:00p Choir

Rev Hagler cont ed

25

1:00p Organist

Rehearsal

Rev Hagler cont ed

26

Reformation 27

Offering: A Myers

9:15a Sunday School

9:15a Coffee Hour

10:30a Worship

12:n Choir Fundraiser

12:00n Sermon Talk

7:00p Pub Theology

28

6:00p Mom’s House

Board meeting

6:30p Zumba class

29

3:00p Organist rehearse

4:30p Brass ensemble

5:30p Rock the Boat

6:30p Zumba class

7:00p Praise Team

30

6:00p Women’s

Fellowship

6:45p Merry Ringers QT

7:30p Merry Ringers

31

9:00a People to People

10:00a Food ministry

7:00p Choir

11.