What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?

Share your time and talents for the benefit of our church, our community and God’s world.

*Help feed the hungry! Volunteer your time to prepare or serve a meal at New Covenant House in Stamford. Shifts are only 2 hours, and the return on this modest investment of your time is priceless. Ask anyone who’s been there! FPC serves on the first Saturday of the month, September to June. Contact Elizabeth Tolla at etolla@optonline.net to volunteer.

*Help Make our Church Even More Welcoming
Provide a sweet or savory snack for Coffee Hour. A small commitment of a baked good or savory item for two dozen just once a year is a great way to get involved in the fellowship of our church. We need a Hospitality Coordinator and volunteer families.

*Are You a Shutterbug?
Anyone with a knack for photography is encouraged to snap away! Photos are needed for Tidings, local press and our Bulletin Boards.

*Designing Women (and Men) Needed!
Individuals with graphic design skills are needed to help Committees with ongoing campaigns and special events. Whether you have a little time to spare or a lot, your talents will help re-brand our Stewardship effort and showcase Music, Youth and other ministries.

*Tina’s Helpers
Office help is needed from time to time to answer phones, assist with mailings, etc.

*PR and Publicity
Help spread the word in our community about the wonderful happenings at FPC. If you can write a press release, the rest is easy!

These are but a few of the many ways to connect to your church family. Call Tina in the office at 966-0002 or email the Membership Involvement Committee at membership@fpcnc.org.

“As you sow, so shall you reap.”

Dear Friends:

The Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) continues to work diligently towards finding a nominee for Pastor and Head of Staff. We have moved as quickly and prayerfully as possible through the initial stages of the pastoral search process established by the Committee on Ministry (COM) within the Presbytery of Southern New England.

As you may have learned from Jim Ely’s “minute” on Sunday 6/14/09, the COM approved our specific pastoral job solicitation (also known as our Church Information Form or CIF) at its monthly meeting on 6/10/09. The CIF is intended to represent the vision and personality of our church as well as our requirements for a called pastor; it is the basis for matching Personal Information Forms (PIFs) from interested pastors. CIF’s are only few pages in length, are highly condensed and follow a format proscribed by the Presbyterian Church (USA).

The foundation for the FPCNC CIF was our recent Mission Study, approved by the COM in May and based upon our Congregational Survey and Cottage Conversations, as well as our prayerful deliberation. The Mission study includes chapters on Who We Are (history / vision); Community Demographics; About the Congregation (demographics and programs); Financial/ Budget Information; Goals, Priorities and Challenges; Concluding Thoughts; and Maps and Appendixes. The Congregational Survey synthesizes the notes from both the Cottage Conversations and the results of the quantitative survey of our congregation. The CIF and Mission Study documents were carefully reviewed and approved by both our Session and the Presbytery’s COM in order for our church to be permitted to formally solicit and interview pastoral candidates. Our CIF is available for all to see on the church website (www.fpcnc.org) and is posted on the Presbyterian Church (USA) website.

Potential matches are being forwarded to the PNC for review. In addition, for increased exposure, we will be placing ads in church publications. Perhaps most importantly, if you know of a pastor who might be a strong candidate for consideration, please contact anyone on the PNC with his/her contact information.

Upon initial screening of candidates, the PNC will begin to conduct telephone interviews. Final assessments will include personal interviews as well as the sharing of our Mission Study and other relevant information to assure a mutual fit. A final nominee will be presented for approval by the congregation and the presbytery. Ultimately, our called pastor will enter into a binding three-way relationship between him or herself, FPCNC and the Presbytery.

The PNC thanks you for your recommendations, support, feedback and, perhaps most importantly, for your prayers as we help our church call a new Pastor/Head of Staff.

Dede Trefts McEvoy & Jim Ely, Co-Chairs,
PNC

Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC):
Jim Ely (co-chair) Jsely3rd@yahoo.com
Randy Ferguson   rferguson17@optonline.net
Jim Graham   jim.graham@areamktg.com
Allison Gray (co-secretary)   alligray@yahoo.com
Dede McEvoy (co-chair)   dtrefts@yahoo.com
Julie Reeves   julie.reeves@alumni.duke.edu
Candace Schafer   cs441@aol.com
Bob Spangler   Bob.Spangler@rbccm.com
Steve Van de Graaf   SVanderGraaf@OdysseyRe.com
Barbara Wentzel   Barbarwentzel@mac.com

Pastor's Forum Presentation April 19, 2009

2009 Congregational Study

This note is being written as I depart for Geneva and the International Conference, Calvin and His Influence, 1509-2009, sponsored by the University of Geneva. I will be returning to New Canaan on June 6 and be with you in worship on the following day. Yesterday was another full but exciting day as the Presbytery Committee on Ministry approved our Mission Study and the new session met with dedicated commitment to tackling the many challenges before us. We are blessed with some wonderfully committed servants!

Let me say here a word of thanksgiving for the ministries of Jamie Harris Martinez and Joan Withers Priest. I will truly miss them as staff colleagues as they move on to new callings. Each
has touched so many lives with compassionate witness and faithful ministry. I thank God for their loving spirit and their caring friendship.

Here is an old chestnut, but it contains an important reminder to all of us in this “time of transition.”

An out-of-towner drove his car into a ditch
on a rural road. Luckily, a local farmer came
to the rescue with his big strong horse name
Buddy. He hitched Buddy to the car and
yelled, “Pull, Nellie, pull!” Buddy didn’t
move. Then the farmer hollered, “Pull,
Buster, pull!” Buddy didn’t respond. Once
more the farmer commanded, “Pull, Coco,
pull!” Nothing. Then the farmer called out,
“Pull, Buddy, pull!” And the horse dragged
the car out of the ditch.
The motorist was most appreciative and curious.
He asked the farmer why he called his
horse by so many different names. The
farmer relied, “Oh, Buddy can’t see, and if
he thought he was the only one pulling, he
would not even try!”

Probably all of us know that feeling. If we had to support the work of the church and felt no one else was feeling the same commitment we feel, soon our commitment would lag, would it not? But the good news at First Presbyterian Church, New Canaan is that we are surrounded by people who feel as strongly as we do about the ministries in and through our church. I see involvement increasing with the Americares mission day, the Spring Clean-up day, and so much more.

I know that many of you are making a great commitment to FPC, New Canaan. Thank you!

And for those who are thinking over their commitment, I say: “Pull, Buddy, pull!”

Charlie