Mid-Week Meet-Up: Prayer for Hope

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up. As we progress through this pandemic, the new habits we are learning are becoming normal for some of us. Probably for many more of us, this all still feels stifling, alienating, and saddening. Yet, as Christians, we know that God's plans for the world transcend what we can see with our eyes. In the New Testament, "hope" or "hoping" is mentioned 82 times. In a letter to his young ministry partner Titus, Paul refers to the future return of Jesus to the earth as "the blessed hope" (Titus 2:13). In Christ, there are reasons to look forward with joyful expectation. I offer this pray for us today as a way to acknowledge the feelings that many of you have and to pray for faith that God is bringing us into a better future. Let us pray:

For all that we have lost and are missing so greatly during this pandemic, Lord hear our prayer.
For the sadness that grows because of missing our closeness as a community, Lord hear our prayer.
For the fear of wondering what may have permanently changed as a result of all this, Lord hear our prayer.
For the hope that this will all come to an end soon, Lord hear our prayer.
For the joy of knowing that we will one day be able to embrace our brothers and sisters in Christ again, Lord hear our prayer.
For the yearning we have to lift our voices together in song again, Lord hear our prayer.
For the faith to know that you are always with us no matter our circumstances, Lord hear our prayer. Amen.

Because of Christ, we know that the darkness gives way to the light, despair gives way to hope, and weeping gives way to laughter. Jesus said that “you who weep now” can feel blessed, because you know that laughter awaits you (Luke 6:21). Jesus said that “those who mourn” can feel blessed, because they know that comfort awaits them (Matthew 5:4). When our current view of the world is bleak, that it when we must rely on the gift of faith. Better days are coming. Trust that God is faithful and will fulfill all God’s promises. And remember these words of Jesus: “I told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33)

Peace to you,
Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Book of Ruth

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! The Wednesday Evening Bible Study group is in the middle of studying some of the women of the Bible and how God is revealed through their stories. We finished up the Book of Esther last week, and tonight we begin the Book of Ruth (you’re welcome to join us!).

As I’ve been thinking about the Book of Ruth, I cannot help but see the similarities between it and the Book of Esther. Specifically, there is an apparent “happenstance” or “random” nature to their stories. That is most clearly expressed in Esther through the words of Mordecai: “Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). And in Ruth, we read: “As it happened, Ruth came to the part of the field belonging to Boaz, who was of the family of Elimelech” (Ruth 2:3). Of course, both of these books of the Bible encourage us to see some instances of “happenstance” as the providential hand of God fulfilling God’s purposes in the world. For Ruth, her “random” encounter with Boaz led to their marriage, to their having a child, to that child becoming the grandfather of King David, and to King David becoming the recipient of God’s promise to send us Jesus. Wow! What are some ways that the seemingly randomness of life these days are actually God’s purposes being worked out in your life? I hope to explore that in our study of the Book of Ruth.

In other news, I wanted to pass along some news from the Visiting Team, who is hosting a weekly social event on Thursdays at 4 pm over Zoom. It’s called “Pour at Four.” This is an opportunity for you to socialize with some of your church friends. The Visiting Team says: 4 pm is “early enough for afternoon tea, and yet late enough for a glass of wine!” Bring your beverage and catch up with your friends, starting October 29th at 4 pm. Here is the meeting information:

Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85155574738

Meeting ID: 851 5557 4738

Peace to you,

Pastor Neff

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Church Tagline

Hi First Presbyterian,

For many months now, the Strategic Communications Committee (SCC) has been hard at work trying to ensure the clarity and effectiveness of our church’s communication with its members and with the wider community. One of those efforts has been to create a tagline for our congregation. Sometimes people confuse a mission statement for a tagline. A mission statement is an expression of a shared goal; it’s what we believe our purpose as a congregation is. A tagline is different. A tagline is a short, pithy, and memorable expression that summarizes our mission statement and is useful for “telling our story.” It accompanies our name on our website, our official letterhead, on social media, and everywhere else our name is known. The SCC went through various iterations of a tagline before settling on one. Last night, the Session adopted the following tagline: Embracing and Sharing Christ’s Love. Let me explain the message behind this tagline.

Jesus said that the most important things God asks of us are to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Everything we do as a community of faith, from interpreting scripture to the way we organize ourselves as a community, should be viewed through this lens of love for God and love for one another. That’s why First Presbyterian Church is about embracing and sharing Christ’s love.

When you think about an embrace, it’s something that should involve two people. It is about allowing yourself to be embraced, while also embracing the one who embraces you. Just think about how awkward a hug would be if only one person was actively engaging in it! We believe that God is reaching out to embrace us and, indeed, does embrace us. God’s love for us is unconditional and without limit. Our purpose in life is to reciprocate God’s embrace of us with our own embrace of God. We do this at First Presbyterian in our worship. The purpose of worship is to celebrate and embrace God and God’s love of us in Christ. This is the most important thing we do as a church.

There’s another important aspect of this embrace of God. All 8 billion people alive on the earth, as well as those who ever lived and those who ever will live, are made in God’s image. In other words, whatever is in us that is good and kind and faithful and loving is the fingerprint of God in our lives. It is a reflection of God’s own self. It is evidence that we are made in God’s image. By embracing Christ’s love, we are not only embracing that love as it is expressed to us directly from God but we are embracing that love as it is expressed to us through one another. We seek to treat one another with dignity, respect, humility, and love, because we see the image of God in each other and desire to embrace it. We do this at First Presbyterian in our prayer groups, Bible Study groups, Presbyterian Women circles, Sunday School, youth group, fellowship times, and other small group meetings. We are a community, which means we believe that everyone belongs together. Our embrace of Christ’s love in each other allows us to have unity despite our differences.

It is a fundamental part of our faith to also share Christ’s love. 1 John 4:19 says that we love because God first loved us. Once we become aware that we are recipients of Christ’s love, we cannot keep it to ourselves. Every time we show mercy and compassion, we share Christ’s love. Every time we serve those in need, we share Christ’s love. Every time we tell someone about their inherent value, we share Christ’s love. We do this at First Presbyterian through our care-giving groups, our missional efforts, and our evangelism.

At First Presbyterian Church, embracing and sharing Christ’s love is the way we follow the teaching of Jesus to love God and to love one another.

Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Prayers of the People with Pastor Erin

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! I hope that you have been able to find the Live at Lunchtime livestreams I’ve been making on our church’s Facebook page every Thursday at noon. Just in case you missed it, I’m livestreaming a video every Thursday at lunchtime. The content is different every week, but I always aim for it to be interesting, informative, and edifying. If you miss the video while it’s live, you can always visit the Facebook page to see a recording of it afterwards.

Apropos of Live at Lunchtime, tomorrow’s livestream will include both Pastor Erin and me. As you know, Erin’s leadership covers the areas of pastoral care and youth ministry. In an effort to help you get to know her as a pastoral care-giver, tomorrow’s livestream is going to follow the structure of Prayers of the People. In other words, Erin and I are going to spend our time lifting up prayers for the congregation. Having said that, I’m asking that, if you would like to have us lift a prayer up for you tomorrow, please respond to this email to send me your prayer request.

Would you like prayers of strength, healing, or help offered for yourself? Send them to me. Would you like prayers of gratitude offered for ways that you have seen God’s love and faithfulness in your life? Send them to me. Would you like prayers offered for other individuals, families, or communities? Send them to me. Please only send requests that are not confidential and can be mentioned publicly during the livestream. Otherwise, please specify that your request is confidential.

I hope you will spend some time with Pastor Erin and I tomorrow, as we grow in our faith and prayer for one another!

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

Mid-Week Meet-Up: Partnership for Peace

Hi First Presbyterian,

It’s time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Today I want to let you know about an opportunity coming up in a couple weeks.

Over the summer, Rev. Carol Anne Strawbridge, Rev. Rod Frohman, Rev. Mack Smith, and I helped to facilitate an 8-week conversation on the topic of racism. As the word “conversation” implies, those 8 weeks were not designed as lectures or studies but were an opportunity for people in the conversation group to talk with each other. As the 8-week conversation came to an end, there was a clear desire from the group to see our conversation develop into action, specifically to try to form relationships with black churches and neighborhoods in Rochester. Rev. Mack Smith is going to help us create a strategy to make that happen.

Mack is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and his 30+ years of experience in intercity and black churches enables him to lead our strategizing. He will be leading an initial strategizing meeting with us over Zoom on Sunday, October 11 from 7-9pm. He will be using the books of Deuteronomy and Joshua to lead us through a workshop he’s titled, “It's Time to Move from the Pews of Praise and Worship to the Neighborhood.”  The focus of the workshop is to help us (with scripture as our basis) to think about strategies to form partnerships with other churches and neighborhoods in Rochester, specifically black churches and neighborhoods.

This workshop on October 11 will not be the only meeting of its kind, but, as the initial meeting, I encourage you to attend to check out the ideas that will be discussed. Please let me know if you would like to be a part of this important effort, and I’ll make sure you get the Zoom link.

Peace to you,

Pastor Aaron

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