Newsletter "First Things": January 2008

Dear Members and Friends:

I pray you had a blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I found it refreshing to spend time with family and friends and to take a break after a busy holiday season and year.

The month of January promises to bring with it 4 unique Sundays in the life of the church.  On Sunday, January 6, we will celebrate the epiphany of the lord - it comes 12 days after Christmas and marks the visit of the Magi, or Wise Men, who recognized Jesus as King of all people.  Sunday, January 13, we will celebrate the baptism of the Lord when Jesus was baptized by His cousin, John, in the River Jordan.  Sunday, January 20, has been deemed "Race Relations Sunday" as we look to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday the next day (January 21).  And then Sunday, January 27 is "Christian Unity Sunday," the Sunday following a "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" that runs Friday, January 18 - Thursday, January 24.

Some history about the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" - this year marks the 100th anniversary, first being observed in the chapel of a small Atonement Franciscan Convent of the Protestant Episcopal Church, on a remote hillside fifty miles from New York City.  This new prayer movement caught the imagination of others beyond the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement to become an energetic movement that gradually blossomed into a worldwide observance involving many nations and millions of people.

What were some of the important historical antecedents of this week of prayer?  Certainly, in the 19th century the desire for Christians to pray together was part of the spirit of the age among those alarmed by the divisions, which weakened the power of Christian witness.  In 1846, for instance, the Evangelical Alliance was established in London and had developed both international and inter-church connections.  Ruth Rouse noted that it was "the one and only definite ecumenical organization... which arose out of the Evangelical Awakening in the 19th century" (A History of the Ecumenical Movement: 1517-1948).

Rev. Spencer Jones, an American Episcopalian priest, in 190 came up with the idea to set aside a day for prayer for Christian unity that extended to a week and now Christians across the glove pray for the reconciliation of Christians to one another.  It was Jesus Christ who prayed His high priestly prayer in John 17 that "all may be one."  Just think what we can do together that we cannot do separately.  Pray for the church universal that we truly might be "the body of Christ" that works for the greater good for Christ's mission and that the world truly might know.  Hope to see U in CH_RCH this New Year.

Yours in Christ,

Well, it's that time again when many Americans will attempt to make a new start by making a New Year resolution.  The word resolve suggests that the effort is more than a "give it your best shot", rather its intention is more binding.  Resolution is more than a suggestion, it is a declaration of commitment to a goal.  The need to set worth goals that truly mean something has never been greater.  We live in a culture that often lives by the code "live and let live".  By this they view themselves as a victim of their world rather than the thermostat that sets the temperature or pace of their world.  Proactive people are more productive and happier than reactive people who allow others to control their life.  Therefore I would like to submit some resolutions that each of us that call Akron First Presbyterian our Church family will commit to.

That each of us will prayerfully resolve to help our Church grow by intentionally building relationships with two unchurched people this year and invite them to be our guests in worship.

We resolve to think of creative ways to bridge friendships with people in our church that we do not know thus broadening our circle of friends.

We resolve to commit to a ministry in the Church and serve faithfully and cheerfully.

We resolve to choose one organization apart from the church to invest our time and energy.  Perhaps it will be a school, or a big brother or big sister organization.  Regardless of where it is, I challenge each of us to give our life away to a worthy service in the real world where life happens.

My prayer is that you have a profitable New Year and that it will be the best one yet.

Easter Lenten Series

You are invited... to participate in a period of spiritual inventory and renewal during Lent.  Historically the Christian church has observed the 40 weekdays between Ash Wednesday and Easter as a time of personal examination and preparation for Holy Week culminating in the celebration of Jesus' resurrection on Easter.  This year Ash Wednesday comes very early -- on February 6 -- when we will worship together.

The Wednesday following, February 13, we will start five weeks of small groups in various homes scattered around the Akron area.  For many of us this may be the first time we have taken advantage of the benefits of a small group format that Pastor Ruppert preached about last Fall.  Whether you have experienced a small group in a home before or not, you will find mutual encouragement and a chance to explore the richness of spiritual disciplines.  We all can become careless about our relationship to God and the practices that position us to experience God's abundance and presence in our everyday lives.

Watch for more details on a location convenient for you and plan to sign up during January.  Sign-up sheets will be provided in both Fellowship Hall and in the Sunday bulletins.

Acolyte Training

Calling all cooks.  Time to dig into your recipe books and boxes.  Our Deacon's and Youth are collecting recipes for the FPC cookbook.  We are asking that each family submit at least two recipes.  All recipes can be placed in the recipe box in our church coat room when completed.  The cookbooks are to be ready just in time for Mother's Day.