Volume 31, Issue 8 | September 2020

Dear friends,

I recently quoted this poem in a sermon by Joan Chittister.

God, scripture assures us, is not in the whirlwind.

God is not in a plethora of anything—

words, places, rituals, ecclesiastical games, or people.

God is simply right where we are.

Which, of course, is why God is hard to find.

We are always looking elsewhere.

“There,” says the church.

“There,” says the society.

But God is here—right here—all the while.

I know there is a lot of searching and questioning right now. As more time passes there is growing sense of impatience in our world as we face multiple challenges. We are accustomed to be able to quickly fix problems. Right now, things we’d like to go fast are going slow, and things we’d like to go slow are going fast. It is hard to know what pace to go!

I find myself taking Joan Chittister’s advice. Stop assuming that God is elsewhere. God is exactly where we are. How does this assurance change our practice for ministry in challenging times? What comfort does this assurance provide us? How does the assurance that God is “right here” compel us to live differently in this moment?

Reflect on this poem with one another. Call someone and discuss the questions listed above. Or call or e-mail me your thoughts to these prompts; I’d love to have this conversation with you. It is vital for our ministry to become more aware of God’s presence “simply right where we are.”

In Christ,

Michael

Christian Education Notes

Stories of Awesome

Prophets listen to God and show the way for the people of God. The prophet Isaiah spoke of a desperate time, his message is as relevant today as it was in his time. Isaiah showed the people of God where to find the Spirit of God, "a child will lead them." So often, children and youth are showing us the way of faithful living. We must be listening, or we may miss a glimpse of God walking with us. To celebrate the faithful living of children and youth showing the way, we will be sharing many "Stories of Awesome" during Circle time over the next few weeks in worship. If you missed the first story about Katie's Krops, watch the message at https://youtu.be/GelDPrX0uUc.

Join the Purple Table online!

The Purple Table online community includes articles, discussion starters, devotional materials, online gatherings, and much more! The hope is for our community to engage together regularly in dialogue, faith practices, and FUN. The possibilities are pretty endless. So far, we've experimented with posting content for "Mindful Mondays", "Wondering Wednesdays", and "Spirit-Filled Saturdays". We also used this space to host content for Compassion Camp in July. Do you have a specific interest to suggest? We can change topics and/or subgroups as the Spirit leads us! Join us in this new form of journeying together by clicking this link.

Tuesday Morning Bible Study

Tuesday morning Bible Study will be resuming soon. Our first study of the fall is going to be on poverty in the Gospel of Luke. If you are not already a “regular” and would like to join the discussion, please e-mail Michael or call the office.

Mission Notes

Back to School Mission

This has been a challenging year for all schools deciding how to open with COVID-19. The Middletown School District, including Highview is no different. It is a very fluid situation and as many of you know, Middletown Schools were going to open in classroom learning but they have since moved to at home online learning to start the year. 

Initially, we were going to provide 100 students with a smaller list of school supplies than in prior years as the need is different for at home learning. However, the CARES ACT has stepped up & will be providing all students with a small bag of supplies to start the year.  Therefore, there is no need to provide supplies for those 100 students.

When the schools change to in classroom learning, there will be additional supplies needed for those 100 students and STEAM supplies required. We are asking for donations now so we are ready when that time arrives. Our annual needs are $3700.00 each school year which includes student and STEAM supplies.  We will be working with Highview throughout the year to assist with their needs.

Please prayerfully consider helping us with this important mission and send a check to the church office.  We request that you mark it “Back to School Mission” on the memo line.

We have already raised $3150 of our goal!

Thank you & Blessings to All,

Kathi Howard & The Mission Committee

Pre-Kindergarten Readiness Program

The Pre-K Readiness Program will be delaying the start of the school year until Session is prepared to open the building.

Worship Notes

Recent Worship

Watch the live-streams on YouTube for August 9, August 16, and August 23.

Upcoming Worship

We are currently following the Revised Common Lectionary in worship during. Here at the weekly readings for September.

• September 6 - Exodus 12:1-14, Psalm 149, Romans 13:8-14, Matthew 18:15-20

• September 13 - Exodus 14:19-31, Psalm 114, Romans 14:1-12, Matthew 18:21-35

• September 20 - Exodus 16:2-15, Psalm 105:1-6 and 37-45, Philippians 1:21-30, Matthew 20:1-16

• September 27 - Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 78:1-4 and 12-16, Philippians 2:1-13, Matthew 21:23-32

Worship Options

We will continue to meet in the West Parking Lot at 9:30 on Sunday mornings for worship. The service will be live-streamed on our YouTube page. We will no longing be pre-recording components of the service. The live-stream is recorded and will be available on the virtual worship page of the website. In the event that inclement weather prevents us from gathering for worship, the worship service will be live-streamed. Keep an eye on the virtual worship page of the website for weather updates on Sunday mornings.

In Memoriam

We give thanks to God for the life of…

• Charles Robertson, who died on August 15.

• Joan Rice, who died on August 17.

• Donna Switzer, who died on August 27.

Odds and Ends

Frank Martindell at MAC

There will be an exhibit of Frank Martindell’s paintings at the Middletown Arts Center from August 27 to September 24. It can be viewed any time during the regular MAC hours and also online.

Online Giving

Online giving is available through the Presbyterian Foundation. Click the button below to give. If you are a regular giver, please consider offsetting the 2% fee for online giving. Contributions can also be sent to First Presbyterian Church, 2910 Central Ave., Middletown OH 45044.