Mid-Week Meet-Up: Living Through Giving

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Later this week, you’ll see my newsletter article is about the stewardship sermon series I’ll be leading starting this Sunday. The focus of the series will be on the Vital Congregations Initiative, specifically the 7 Marks of a Vital Congregation. Picking up on both the topics of stewardship and vitality, the theme of the campaign this year is “Living Through Giving.” Many organizations need to raise funds. I’m reminded of this every time I hear an NPR pledge drive on the radio, my favorite podcasts asking listeners to support their Patreon page, or I receive a letter from one of my alma maters asking for donations. The church is no different, and yet it is. For Christians, there is actually a deeper motivation for the act of giving than just supporting organizations they value. Generosity is one of the fruits of the Spirit. It is a virtue that the Holy Spirit helps to create in us. Paul says in Galatians 5:22: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” It makes sense when you think about it, because generosity is about selflessness and faith. When we practice generosity, we are cultivating a spiritual discipline. In other words, generosity helps to make us more like Jesus.

In my newsletter article, I say that, as a church, I believe many of our transitions are behind us, and there are opportunities ahead of us to start building up momentum for the journey ahead. The Nominating Committee is seeking people to serve as Elders, Deacons, and Trustees. Volunteering as one of these church officers is a great way to take a leading role in our exciting future, while also, with your time, practicing the spiritual discipline of generosity. I hope you are looking forward to the stewardship sermon series just like I am, and I pray for discernment as all of us listen for how God is calling us to help build the kingdom of God here in Pittsford and beyond.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Faith Lessons from the Pandemic

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! We held our first indoor, in-person worship service last Sunday, which went really well. We wore masks, sat distanced from one another, did not pass an offering plate, and refrained from congregational singing. It was different than any other worship service I’ve attended or led, but it truly was an experience of worship in God’s presence. As a result, I was uplifted and encouraged, and I hope those in attendance were, too.

I’ve been thinking a lot about mask-wearing lately and how strange it still feels for me. I’ve talked with many other Christians and clergy about this, and I’ve realized how uniquely Christian the act of wearing a mask is. The explanation from the CDC and other health organizations is that wearing a mask is mostly for the benefit of other people and not yourself. You may have seen some of the helpful illustrations that exist showing how the risk of transmitting the virus from an infected person to a healthy person changes depending on whether one, both, or none of them is wearing a mask. Wearing a mask works best at protecting others, not necessarily yourself.

In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul wrote: “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:3-5). Over the last 6 months, my risk tolerance of being out in public or around groups of people has increased slightly. Every time I go out, I wear a clean mask. I find it inconvenient, annoying, and even frustrating to wear my mask. Although I have contact lenses, I prefer to wear glasses, which means my glasses are constantly fogging up. If I have to talk while wearing my mask, I’m constantly adjusting it from sliding above my chin or below my nose. I don’t like the feeling of my breath collecting on my face under my mask. Nevertheless, I always wear my mask. I’ve even left home without it, realizing my mistake halfway to my destination, and turned around to go back to get it. While I wear a mask for my own benefit, I primarily wear it for the benefit of others. It’s the Christian thing to do.

There may be people like me in our congregation whose risk tolerance has increased over the last six months. They may be willing to go out in public in limited ways, perhaps even to come to worship with us. Imagine with me a hypothetical woman in that situation who also has a loved one in hospice care. When I wear a mask to our worship service, it sends a clear message to her that she is welcome in our worship. It sends a clear message to her that I want her to be able to have an in-person worship experience with God and, at the same time, that I want her to be able to continue to safely visit her loved one in hospice care without worrying that she has been exposed to the virus in church. In that moment, my wearing a mask is not about me but about her. Wearing a mask is a way, as Paul put it, to “look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.” In other words, wearing a mask is a unique way that Christians can obey what Jesus taught us: to love our neighbors as ourselves.

In this pandemic, God is helping me to encounter my faith in new and different ways. I hope that is true for you, too.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Book of Esther Bible Study

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! The Wednesday Night Bible Study is beginning a series looking at women in the Bible, and tonight we start with the Book of Esther. This part of scripture has been on my mind recently, and I’d like to share some of my thoughts with you now.

Using the NRSV version, there are over 5,000 English words in the Book of Esther, and not one of those words is a word for “God.” God isn’t named once in the book. God isn’t even alluded to in the book. If the book wasn’t in our Bible, there is no reason why anyone would assume that it is even religious literature. Yet it is in our Bible, and we must keep in mind the words of the apostle Paul that “all scripture is God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16). God is still somehow revealed to us through the Book of Esther. God still somehow comes to us through the Book of Esther. Despite the fact that God appears to be conspicuously absent in the book, God is indeed there and can be encountered.  Perhaps it’s good to add on to that last sentence a phrase that Jesus often said: “Let anyone with ears listen!”

This interesting feature about the Book of Esther reminds me of life, especially the way life has been for many of us recently. In the last 6 months, so much about life has been chaotic and troublesome. You would not be alone if, during this time, you’ve asked yourself: Where is God in all of this? Yet, just like the Book of Esther, we know that God is present and active, even when it feels like God is absent. As Christians, we are asked to view life through the lens of faith. When there is reason to despair, faith compels us to have hope that a different reality is possible. When there is reason to worry, faith compels us to find peace in the midst of our circumstances. When God feels absent, faith compels us to believe that God is indeed with us.

Be encouraged today, my friends! God is with you. If you would like to journey with some of the women of the Bible, let me know, and I’ll make sure you get the Zoom link.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Live at Lunchtime with Pastor Aaron!

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for the Mid-Week Meet-Up! I really like having these opportunities to reach out to you every week, and, based on the responses I’ve been getting from you, it seems that you like having them, too. In another effort toward better communication, I’m starting another weekly point of connection. Every Thursday from 12:00-12:30 pm, I’ll be live-streaming from my home onto our church’s Facebook page. The content of these live videos will vary. One week, I might be leading a prayer or devotional. Another week, I might be interviewing someone. The purpose of these weekly live videos is to create another opportunity for me to engage with you and with the broader community. The first of these live-streams will be this Thursday (September 3rd).

You don’t need to have a Facebook account to go our church’s page and watch the live-stream. Simply go to https://www.facebook.com/pittsfordpres at 12:00 pm, scroll down on the page, and you’ll see the video. If you want to comment on the video during the live-stream, you would, however, need to have a Facebook account. In tomorrow’s video, I’ll be making some introductory remarks and leading a prayer. If you can, I hope you’ll join me.

I also hope you’ll join us for worship this Sunday, either the outdoor service at 8:30 am or the live-streamed service at 10:00 am. Pastor Erin will be assisting me in the 10:00 am service, so you won’t want to miss that!

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: New Temporary Supply Associate Pastor

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s Pastor Aaron, and I’m back again with my weekly checking-in email. I thought I should give a name to these emails; so I’m calling them the “Mid-Week Meet-Up.”

I said last week you could expect this week’s email to include my thoughts about an exciting new development at the church. I hope you saw the announcement that went out yesterday about our hiring of the Rev. Erin Schubmehl Jacobson as our new Temporary Supply Associate Pastor. I am thrilled about this news, and I wrote about it in September’s edition of The Good News. Please make sure to read my article or watch my video when you get the newsletter at the end of this week.

Pastor Erin will begin with us in September, which is another way of saying that Pastors Carol Anne and Steve will end their time with us at the end of the month. If your life and faith have been touched at all by their ministries, I encourage you to please reach out to them before the end of the month to express your gratitude. Much of pastoral ministry takes place outside the public eye; so, even if you haven’t had a personal interaction with them, please also reach out to express your thanks. They have been such a blessing to us, and I give thanks to God for bringing them to us to help lead us in our transition.

You are all in my prayers this week. Talk to you next week for our “Mid-Week Meet-Up!”

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Weekly Check-In

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s Pastor Aaron, and I’m back with my weekly checking-in email. (I’m actually on a long-scheduled vacation, so I prepared this email before I left!) These emails are a way for me to communicate directly with you every week. They may contain updates about the church, a short devotional thought, or something else entirely! Beginning my time as your Pastor in the middle of a pandemic has been challenging. It has been challenging for me to try to get to know you. I can only assume it has also been challenging for you to try to get to know me! So, for this week, let me pull the curtain back a little and describe some of the things I’ve been up to since arriving in May. Next week, you can expect to hear my thoughts about an exciting new development at the church.

As I mentioned in my email last week, I believe worship is the most important thing we do as a congregation. I believe the pulpit (for better or for worse) drives the church, and so planning for and leading worship is my top priority as your Pastor. At the same time, I have been grateful to Pastor Steve Michie who has been sharing with me the responsibility for preaching this summer, availing me of much-needed time to focus on learning the other important aspects of pastoral ministry here with you. The learning curve of making my transition into FPCP has been steeper than it would have been under normal circumstances, but, after almost three months, I am feeling very good about the progression of that transition.

I have been working closely with the Re-opening Task Force, who has been studying the ever-unfolding situation with the Coronavirus and making recommendations to the Session about re-opening, which led to re-opening the sanctuary for memorial services in July, holding in-person outdoor Sunday worship as of last Sunday, and re-opening the sanctuary for in-person Sunday worship starting in mid-September. I have been developing relationships with our staff, and, in particular, trying to learn as much as possible about FPCP from Jim Widboom, Carol Anne Strawbridge, Steve Michie, and Tyler Logan before their time with us ended or will end. I have been working closely with the Personnel Committee and the Session in their search for a Temporary Supply Associate Pastor. (Stay tuned for exciting news about this!) I have been moderating the Session and staffing various committees, learning about all the important and exciting work the church has been and will be doing. I have been getting to know members of the congregation through phone calls and Zoom conversations, which helps me to learn about people personally and to learn the values and traditions of the congregation. I have been making pastoral calls to congregants, mostly over the phone. I have been leading discussion groups and participating in Bible studies. I have been building relationships with local area clergy. I have been working on the Grants Working Group of our Presbytery during our busy time of year as we review grant applications and fund missional and transformative work of congregations and community agencies within our Presbytery. As I have been doing all these things, the rest of your church staff and lay leadership has also been actively continuing the work of the church. Our lives have all been changed by the pandemic, and the church is no exception to that, but the ministry of the church goes on, even as the way we do that work is changing.

In many ways, I feel as though my transition into First Presbyterian during a pandemic has been like jumping onto a treadmill that was already moving at 10 MPH! Nevertheless, I am loving every part of it! I look forward to continue working alongside you as we live out the Gospel in Pittsford and beyond. By the way, don’t forget to reserve your spot for outdoor worship this Sunday (50 spots available) by emailing connect@pittsfordpres.org no later than Friday at 4:30pm or by calling (585) 586-5688 Monday, Wednesday, or Friday from 8:30am-12:30pm. Pastor Steve Michie will be leading the service.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

First Outdoor Service - August 16

Hi First Presbyterian,

 It’s Pastor Aaron. In these days of COVID, communication is difficult but more important now than ever. I am trying to improve the clarity and effectiveness of my communication all the time, just as all of our staff and church leadership are trying to do. Toward that end, you can expect to begin receiving a weekly email from me. The purpose of the email will be to keep in touch with you and to keep you updated on church news, whether that’s about the status of re-opening or anything else relevant. The last few weeks, I have been focused on learning the ropes here at FPCP, working with staff, and helping to continue the development of our online worship, and trying to get to know as many of you as I can. Church leadership and I have also been working to lay the plans for re-opening.

 Today I’d like to update you on an important development about re-opening. The Session met last evening and decided to hold outdoor worship services. Our first outdoor worship service will be this Sunday, August 16, at 8:30am. I know this is short notice, but once we made the decision, I wanted to make this service available as soon as possible. Social distancing and masks will be required at this outdoor service. It will be a simplified version (including some hymn-singing) of the live-streamed 10:00am service. It will take place on the church’s front lawn, and each person will need to bring her or his own chair. If it will be difficult for you to bring a chair, there will be some at the church for you to use. Per the Town of Pittsford, only 50 people can attend a gathering of this type. If you would like to attend the outdoor worship service this Sunday, please reserve your spot by emailing connect@pittsfordpres.org no later than Friday at 4:30pm or by calling (585) 586-5688 Monday, Wednesday, or Friday from 8:30am-12:30pm. I am looking forward to beginning to gather together again!

 In addition to that decision, the Session also decided to re-open for worship in our sanctuary on Sunday, September 13 at 8:30am. To keep each other as safe as possible, we will all be wearing masks and social distancing at this indoor morning service as well. This service will replace the outdoor service that would have been held at that time. You can expect more details about the indoor service soon.

The 10:00am live-streamed service will continue as usual for everyone who would like to continue to worship from home.

 These have been and continue to be difficult days, because of the coronavirus pandemic. I realize that not everyone has been satisfied with forgoing in-person worship for as long as we have. I also realize that not everyone is comfortable with the idea of returning to in-person worship already.

The decision-making process that has brought us to this point has been grounded in prayer, in closely following the ever-developing research on COVID-19, and in the careful deliberation of the Session. In my own thinking, two guiding principles have influenced me: the primacy of worship and maintaining solidarity with our whole membership. You and I exist to worship God. We must continue to worship, and, indeed, we have been continuing to worship online for the past five months. Make no mistake about it - worshiping online during a pandemic is real and acceptable worship to God. I am proud of all of us as we have learned to use this new technology in order to continue worshiping while keeping each other safe.

 Showing solidarity with our whole membership is also an important (and I would go as far as to say a necessary) part of our faith. James 1:27 says, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” When James refers to “orphans and widows,” he means “the weakest and most vulnerable among us.” Our faith must always prioritize the most vulnerable and at-risk among us. Think of it this way: Christianity is never just about “me;” it is about “us.” If some among us are vulnerable, then all of us must move at their pace. It is a distinctive aspect of our faith that we set aside our own desires to better care for our vulnerable sisters and brothers.

 I am pleased that we have been able to worship God in heart-felt honesty (cf. John 4:23) these past two months I have been with you, and I am confident that we will be able to continue to include equitable access to worship for our most at-risk members in the plan to re-open the Session has adopted.

 Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron