This week at FSC, 11.25.08

Hey FSC,
here are some announcements for this week.  Hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving!

1) Meals for Catrows.  Jenny Fisher and Ann Douglas Enghauser have been organizing meals for the Catrow’s after the birth of baby Jackson.  If you would like to help out by making them a meal, please either look for the sign up sheet at church or email Ann Douglas Enghauser (memento.ade [at] gmail.com).

2) Mercy fund. This Sunday is the last Sunday of the month, so we will be collecting for the mercy fund as well as our regular offering during this week’s service. Whatever is given to the mercy fund will be kept separate from our general budget and will be used to aid those in our congregation and in our community who have emergency needs. Please prayerfully consider what you might give.

3) Advent Conspiracy. Erik challenged us last Sunday to buy one less gift this Christmas and give the money to some charitable cause. Here are the details on how to do that in a couple ways Erik described:

4) STEP’s Pride for Parents Christmas Store. Drop off an unwrapped Christmas gift with price tag still attached at STEP’s office in Eternity Church (1900 Chamberlayne Ave). Gifts can be for kids aged 0-18. (Needed items include sports equipment, bikes, skateboards, African-American dolls, DVDs, etc.)

5) Tabernacle Baptist Church Christmas Baskets. A $30 donation will provide a Christmas basket delivery to a family in Richmond. We are invited to help distribute the baskets on Saturday, December 20th. Please contact Erik for more information.

6) Good Samaritan Christmas Tree Lot.  FSC will be volunteering again this year at the Good Samaritan Christmas Tree Lot in the West End. All proceeds from the sale of Christmas trees benefit the efforts of Good Samaritan Ministry (http://www.goodsamaritanministry.com). Our shift will be on Saturday, December 6 from 4pm to 9pm. We had a lot of fun last year, so let us know if you’d like to join us! Use the link below to fill out the sign up form or contact Sean (seanrhorer [at] gmail.com) with questions.

Sign up form:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pL104xL2MAsOfb0DcIed2Bg

7) Teacher Position Currently Open. The preschool at West End Presbyterian Church is looking to hire a teacher for our 3 year old class.  The three year old class meets on Wednesday and Friday mornings. We are praying for God’s provision of this by early December.  For more information please contact Casey Zollinhofer at casey [at] wepc.org or 741-6562 ext. 12.  You can also read more about this position on the preschool page of our church website (wepc.org/preschool).

“Work for Its Renewal”

Sermon, 11.16.2008
“Work for Its Renewal”
Rev. Erik Bonkovsky
Revelation 21:1-7

Often we subscribe to the belief of a pristine heaven in the faraway air, with angels and harps and such.  And we focus on that place, giving up on the world around us and placing our hope on what’s to come in heaven.  But Christ invites us to make all things new.  This means the world we’re living in now.  God wants us to work for the renewal of the current world, making his kingdom on Earth a reality.

This includes everyday things.  The people and places around us.  We work to renew these things based on our idea of how things should be.  What you hope for ultimately informs how you live now.  As Christians, we should participate in our culture.  We shouldn’t be cloistered off somewhere making “Christian” breath mints.  A lot of times we define the Christian life all too narrowly, like we’re in some Jesusland theme park where everything that’s Jesus-brand is “good,” and everything that’s not Jesus-brand is “bad.”  If beauty and creativity and kindness come from places other than the Christian bookstore, aren’t those things also from God?  We need to allow ourselves to be blessed by all the goodness we see, not just the goodness from specially-marked boxes.  God and His power are not contained within the term “Christian.”

Everyday things should convey God’s blessings just as much as “churchy” things.  Within your neighborhood and on your block, the cameraderie amongst friends should inspire us.  The books you read to kids.   The songs you sing.  The conversations you have.  In all of our pursuits, if we seek truth and beauty, we are making it our own and making it new.  For example, a musician in an industry that’s all about marketing and entertainment can still seek truth and beauty in spite of the industry, and effectively bless those who hear his songs.

So let’s apply these principals to the city we love and live in.  You don’t need to have your own personal plan for renewing RIchmond, you just need to know and see that God renews you.  And if you’re actively seeking truth and beauty in your surroundings, you can’t help but participate in the renewal of this city.

Recommended reading:
Subversive Christianity by Brian Walsh
Culture Making by Andy Crouch

Fan Feast

This week at FSC, 11.18.08

This week at FSC, 11.11.08

FSC,

We’ve got quite a few great service and learning opportunities coming up…

1. Loaves & Fishes
This Sunday (November 16) is our monthly opportunity to serve at Loaves & Fishes. We will be meeting from 11am to around 2pm to prepare and serve this month’s meal. Please use the link below to sign up. If we have enough volunteers, we should be able to divide the day into shifts. If you have any questions, contact Kira (kmdisse [at] gmail.com).

Sign up form:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pL104xL2MAsNoXPSp3aB9aQ&hl=en

2. RISC Assembly
FSC has agreed to partnered with RISC (Richmonders Involved to Strengthen our Community), an inter-faith multi-congregational organization working to improve our city.  This coming Monday, November 17 there will be a RISC Assembly at Bon Air Presbyterian (9201 W. Huguenot Rd. in Southside) from 6:30pm until 8:30pm.  All from FSC are encouraged to come out and play a part in what RISC will be doing for the coming year by voting on the direction our combined efforts will go in 2009.  Each person who attends will be granted a vote, so the more people from FSC the better.

For more information about RISC and/or this Assembly, please contact  Sean (seanrhorer [at] gmail.com).

3. Mid-month Prayer
We will be meeting on November 19 from 6:30-8:00am for our mid-month prayer. Prayer will take place at Erik’s office: 1205 W. Main Street, room 211.

4. And Who is My Neighbor?
Jake Lyell will be giving a lecture on Thursday, November 20 at 7pm at West End Presbyterian Church. He will be talking about and showing photographs from his recent trips into the developing world, including Peru, Georgia, and Tanzania and discussing the challenges the conditions in these places present to our Christian faith. Please consider coming out to give Jake your support and to learn more about his experiences.

5. Information Meeting
We will have a brief informational meeting immediately after the service on November 23. We will discuss the current state of FSC, talk about next year’s budget, and address a couple other issues. Please plan to stay for 15-20 minutes after the service ends.

6. FSC Basics Weekend
The first FSC Basics Weekend will be December 5-6, 2008. It will run Friday night 7-9:30 and Saturday morning, 9-12. Basics will describes FSC’s history, beliefs, and ministry. It is a necessary step for those interested in membership and a great way to learn more about the church. If you are interested in participating, please contact Erik (erik [at] franklinstreet.net).

7. Good Samaritan Christmas Tree Lot
FSC will be volunteering again this year at the Good Samaritan Christmas Tree Lot in the West End. All proceeds from the sale of Christmas trees benefit the efforts of Good Samaritan Ministry (http://www.goodsamaritanministry.com). Our shift will be on Saturday, December 6 from 4pm to 9pm. We had a lot of fun last year, so let us know if you’d like to join us! Use the link below to fill out the sign up form or contact Sean (seanrhorer [at] gmail.com) with questions.

Sign up form:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=pL104xL2MAsOfb0DcIed2Bg

Have a great week!

-Val

Valerie Catrow
FSC Administrator
val [at] franklinstreet.net | valerie.catrow [at] gmail.com