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Issue: 17 –
Winter/Spring February 2005
Pastor’s Letter
In the bleak midwinter,
frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.
What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what can I give Him: give my heart.
Christina Rossetti, 1872
We have come through our first Christmas together. Thank you
for your many kindnesses in this season. As I write this, the words of
Rossetti ring especially true, early in a cold snap.
In this mid-winter, I pray for you that it may not be bleak; may you have
a sense of expectancy and hope. Perhaps just as important, may we have
the faith and strength to offer hope to a world in need of healing. Most
of all, as we approach the season of Lent, culminating in the Victory of
Easter Sunday, may we give our heart to the Lord of Life and Light.
Spring is just a few months away. With spring comes the return of green
and growing things. We also eagerly await the return of those who have
found a "southern" home for some weeks or months over
winter. The migration of the birds north always includes our "snowbirds."
May God bless each of us in the important season ahead, the season of the
sacrifice and victory of our Lord.
Terry Bobzien,
Pastor
The
Bobzien's thank all in the congregation for their love offering on
Christmas Eve and the many other gifts received for the season. We were
so surprised by them, and count among our many blessings the friendship
and generosity of the people of First Congregational Church.
With love,
The Bobzien Family
Missionary Committee News
The
Missions Committee recently collected donations from our congregation
($340 as of 1/23), to aid Asia tsunami victims. Specifically, money
collected will be sent to the National Association. The NA will then
channel the donations via “The One Great Hour of Sharing Fund” (OGHS), to
our mission in Southern India. Excess funds and donations received for
other countries affected by the disaster will be sent via the American Red
Cross or Church World Service. It is important to note that every dollar
given will go to the missions…NO administrative costs will be taken out of
the funds. Thank-you to all who were able to
help!
Fellowship Nights
Gary and Sharon Stiverson hosted
a Fellowship Night at their home on Jan. 16th. Beverly Borton
entertained us by playing hymns and old songs on her bowed psaltery and
lap harp (or plucked psaltery). Unusual looking instruments, the psaltery
is named in the book of Psalms, so could date back to nearly 3000 years
ago. Thanks Gary and Sharon for an enjoyable evening!
The
February Fellowship Night will be held on the 13th. at 6:30p.m. at the
parsonage.. Host and hostess will be Pastor Terry and Loretta Bobzien.
Please bring a favorite poem
or love song with you. (It will be Valentine's weekend!) The Bobzien's
have misplaced their Death by
Chocolate recipe.
If you have a copy, please see Loretta.
Unique
Women
On Saturday,
February 12th. the Unique Women’s group will once again be sponsoring the
annual Friendship Box project. Approximately 20 to 30 shoeboxes of
goodies (including fruit, homemade and store bought baked goods and other
treats), are put together and delivered to individuals and couples in our
church family and community. If you know of someone you’d like to see
added to our list, please contact Beverly Borton. Donations of treats or
funds to purchase the fruit are always appreciated. If you would like to
help in any way, please contact Beverly Borton, Lynette Brocht, or Cinda
Walton.
In other news, the Unique Women recently purchased new drapes, valances
and traverse rods for the church parsonage. Hopefully all will be
installed within the next few weeks.
The Unique Women’s group
is open to all women in the church. If you would like more information on
what we do, please contact any of the above-mentioned ladies and they will
be happy to fill you in.
LENT
When I think of Lent, I usually gravitate toward the dark, somber,
sullen. After all, it is the season when we know our Lord will be
executed in a cruel fashion, on trumped-up charges, interrupting a truly
great ministry of teaching and healing. I think of the anticipation Jesus
had and the great pain he would endure. So, why wouldn't we think of the
season of Lent as a time of dark remembrance?
I will admit that Lent is not my favorite time of the year. However,
it's the bridge between now and Easter, and Easter is my very favorite
holiday. In the meantime, I--and we--have to deal with the message of
Lent.
I expressed that at a recent Deacon's meeting, and Becky's answer
gave me some excellent insight. I will treat Lent as a season of
self-inventory. Even more than the New Year's resolutions, the season of
Lent should be a time when I evaluate my life, my habits, my
self-discipline and my dedication to the Kingdom of God. Where do I need
to change? What areas of my life represent the shortcomings that grieve
God and deprive my loved ones, my congregation and my community of the
very best that I have to offer?
This year, there will be an Ash Wednesday Service to begin the
season. We will spend a quiet time in contemplation of how to better
serve God and neighbor in the months ahead.
Our Bible Study for Lent will be on the book of Ephesians, and we
will rely upon the faith and wisdom of the Apostle Paul to lead us to new
understanding.
On Palm Sunday we will receive new members into the church and will
mark the beginning of Holy Week with the cheers of 'Hosanna!'
The Maundy Thursday service will remember especially the Last Supper
with the disciples.
On Good Friday, we will join with the folks of
Osseo
United
Methodist
Church
to observe the passion of Our Lord.
This year, with natural disasters, families in crisis and war
weighing on our minds, may I invite you to make a special effort to
worship and learn with the rest of the congregation as we seek God's
leading in our lives?
Terry Bobzien, Pastor
The official website of The First Congregational
Church of Pittsford is now under construction. We’re very excited to be
able to offer this added means of communication, not only to our members
and friends who have Internet access, but also to others in the community
who may be looking for a church. You can access the site at:
http://www.fccpittsford.org/. An additional church “calendar” site
can be found at
http://www.sharefccpittsford.org/ . Pastor Terry has already added
some of our calendar of events to this site. More information on how to
navigate both sites will be in the next newsletter.
If you have ideas for a topic on our website,
let Lynette or Terry know. Send us your pictures of church or community
events! If you don't have a digital camera, we can scan your color
photographs. Also, as we develop the site, please notify us of any broken
links or inaccurate information. This will be an important way for people
from the area to see what we're up to! We certainly want it to offer a
good impression.
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Membership
Invitation
The Board of
Deacons, at its January meeting, decided to sponsor a New Member's
Class. Letters are going out to a number of people who are friends
of the congregation, but who do not have formal membership. If you
were overlooked in that list, first, we apologize! Second, if you
are interested in becoming a member of the congregation, please let
Pastor Terry, Becky Mielke or Marilyn Fansler know. We will be
meeting at 10:00 a.m. in Fellowship Hall on the three Sundays
preceding Palm Sunday. On Palm Sunday, new members will be received
by letter of transfer or by profession of faith. If you have
not
received Christian baptism, baptism will be performed as well. We
will be reading and discussing
selections from The Congregational Way of Life during our
three meetings. |
Youth
Group
NACCC
Annual Meeting
The NACCC Annual Meeting will be
held June 26th – 29th in Kansas City, MO. Those from our congregation
who have attended these annual meetings report they are an enjoyable and
enriching experience. There is a possibility that the State Association
may sponsor a bus to travel to the meeting this year. If you may be
interested in attending, please contact Cinda for details and further
updates as they become available.
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