Our Sunday Worship begins at 11:00 am Sunday School for youth and children begins with the worship service. The church office is (usually) open Monday through Thursday 9-2. Dear Saints and Friends of First Presbyterian Church of Medina, Has this ever happened to you? You have a brand new car, it has all the “bells and whistles,” and it has a powerful V-8 engine. You get in it to go somewhere, but the car doesn’t move. You sit and wonder what could be wrong, then you pop the hood and look at the engine, hoping to find something obviously amiss that you can fix and that’ll get the engine started, but there’s nothing wrong that you can see. The engine won’t start and still the car does nothing. All that power, all the capabilities of taking you places, but the car won’t run. All the things you could see and do if only you could get this new car running. And you think: what good is this thing I’ve invested so much into? It doesn’t improve my life at all! But then, just out of idle frustration, you turn on the ignition. The car starts! The engine roars to life! You put it in gear and start driving towards unlimited opportunities and possibilities. And you think: this is how it’s supposed to work! Well, if you’ve ever driven a car, you know enough to turn on the ignition to start the engine. You’re probably thinking: I’m smart enough to know the ignition has to be turned on in order to get the car to operate properly. It’s a small thing to do, but it produces tremendous results. But what about your faith? Have you ever wondered why your faith only produces minimal results, why it seems to drain you instead of energizing you, why it seems to take so much effort and yet produce so little joy or deep satisfaction? If you’re feeling that way, it’s probably because you haven’t found the ignition switch to make it run properly. Do you know where the ignition switch is to get your faith to produce the tremendous results that Jesus promised? It’s found in prayer . Every time you get in your car to go somewhere you turn on the ignition to start the engine. And that helps you to be more productive. But how many days have you tried to start out without prayer? Yes, you can scrape by without prayer, but with prayer , your faith and life can produce even more wonderful results. Jesus taught us to pray for a reason – to tap into the matchless grace, the magnificent promises, and the marvelous resources of Almighty God. Why? Not only are we equipped to fulfill God’s call upon our lives, but we are fulfilled . Don’t go another day without assessing your prayer life and making changes. Even if you are thriving spiritually, no person ever prayed too much or experienced “too much of God!” Yours in Christ, Rev. Ron Sumption P.S. Starting Sunday, January 22, we will begin a six-part series of messages on prayer. Prayer is a powerful way to help you to obtain greater fulfillment from your faith. In nursing homes : Orren Roberts Rehab at MMH , Laverne Ehrenreich at Orchard Manor, Mildred Baker at North Wing . Donna Riemer at Willows . Pete Amos at Applegate . Our military and their families. On-going concerns: Peg Pearce foot surgery , Ginny Messore, Alice Martin, Jason Anderson cancer- David Anderson’s nephew, Roy Plummer cancer , Karen Curtin, JANUARY Bruce Blanc, Ron Holbrook, Kenny Johnson, Ida Cook, Dawn Pat Rizzo’s sister , and Jimmy Ambrose. 10 Session Meeting, 6:30pm 12 PW Meeting, 7:15pm Thank you! For Coffee Hours 17 MAAC General Meeting, 7pm, FPC (December) Pat Crowley, Lilia Bunnell, and Amanda 18 Deacons’ Meeting, 5:30pm Pollard FEBRUARY 5 Annual Congregational Meeting Treasurer’s report Dish to pass December Men’s Breakfast, 8:00am The pledge offering: $12,385 9 PW Meeting, 7:15pm The Building Fund offering: $70 Christmas Joy: $587 14 Session Meeting, 6:30pm Thank you for your continued support. 15 Deacons’ Meeting, 5:30pm 21 Articles for the March Visitor due 26 Men’s Breakfast, 8:00am William and Sue Martin` 1/8/83 MARCH David and Nelda Callard 1/28/78 1 Ash Wednesday 2 Lenten Lunch, noon 3 World Day of Prayer Donna Johnson 1/1 Ben Litchfield 1/24 5 First Sunday in Lent, Holy Communion Lillian Hagood 1/1 William Cotriss 1/28 Guillermo Contreras 1/5 Nelda Toussaint 1/28 8 Lenten Lunch, noon Tom Dotts 1/6 Marilyn Hiwiller 2/3 9 PW Meeting, 7:15pm at the church Dave Schwert 1/10 David Bushover 2/4 Patricia Crowley 1/15 Donna Bushover 2/5 14 Session Meeting, 6:30pm David Callard 1/16 Michael Cardone 2/9 15 Deacons’ meeting, 5:30pm Trudi Schwert 1/18 Virginia Messore 2/11 Frank Messore 1/23 Spencer Ferra 2/11 16 Lenten Lunch, noon Andrew Incho 1/24 Jeff Gay 2/21 18 Pork Dinner, 5-7 23 Lenten Lunch, noon 26 Men’s Breakfast, 8:00am 30 Lenten Lunch, noon The Joys of Christmas Past… … began with the Advent season and the good food and fellowship of the Advent Dinner. The deacons thank all who attended and contributed so generously to this successful event, which this year included a pair of surprise guests! (Who are those red- garbed folks?) Next came anticipation as the deacons received the poinsettias to be placed on the chancel to honor or memorialize loved ones, thus completing the decorating of the sanctuary. Music, fancy cookies, and generous giving were all big parts of the Christmas holidays. Mittens, hats, scarves and sox were created and donated for MAAC to distribute. The Presbyterian Women sang carols to folks all over the U.S. and then enjoyed holiday cookies and ice cream with Virginia Messore as their hostess. The choir sang on Christmas Eve, joined by family members home for the holidays. And now all are wished a new year full of happiness, good health, the love of God, and peace on earth. VIPresbyterians If you have learned of something of interest (achievement, wedding, trip, service rendered ...) that you would like included in this column, please tell Anne Albone 798-0639 or email it to the church [email protected]. Grandma Nicki is bragging again. Her studies at GCC. After their semester breaks granddaughter, Emily, received a 4.0 at they are both looking forward to getting back LeMoyne College for her freshman first to their studies. semester! Brother Zach received a 3.2 for his Used Clothing Drop-Off Shed Behind the church (to benefit FPC) Items Accepted: All clothing, shoes, sneakers, belts, purses, blankets, sheets, pillowcases, drapes and stuffed toys. (Please...NO rags, fabric scraps, pillows, toys or household goods, please understand that they are an expense to dispose of) Help us keep your donation clean and dry by putting your items in plastic bags. School Kit • One pair of blunt scissors removed from the package (rounded tip, only) • Three 70-count bound notebooks or notebooks totaling 200- 210 pages (no loose-leaf or filler paper) • One 30-centimeter / 12” ruler Presbyterian Women will be organizing • One hand-held pencil sharpener removed from the package Church World Service school kits and • One large eraser (no pencil cap erasers) health kits at our March 9 meeting. PW • Six new, unsharpened pencils with erasers removed has a supply of the school kit tote bags • One box of 24 crayons (only 24) that hold the school materials. These Place the items in one of the bags available in the fellowship hall. kits are distributed in areas that have been hit with natural disasters such as Health Kit flood, hurricane, or tornado. If you • One hand towel measuring approximately 15″ x 28″ to 16″ x have purchased items for school or 32″ (no fingertip, bath, dish towel or micro-fiber) health kits, please have them at Church • One washcloth prior to April 14th. For the school kits, • One wide-tooth comb removed from the package PW has a supply of the canvas bag to • One fingernail or toenail clipper removed from the package hold the school supplies. • One bath-size bar of soap in the wrapper Thank you for your help. • One toothbrush in the package • Ten standard size Band-Aids There is a $2 fee per kit. Seal all items in a one-gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure. Saturday March 18 5:00-7:00pm Medina First Presbyterian Church 522 Main St Dinner includes: Boneless Roast Pork Loin, Potatoes Au Gratin, Green Bean Almandine, Applesauce, Rolls, choice of beverage, and strawberry shortcake. $10 Advance sale tickets available at A Kut Above, the Book Shoppe and Bank of Castile. $12 at the door, ages 10 and under—$5 Take-outs available at 4:30. First Presbyterian Church 522 Main St, PO Box 213 Medina NY 14103 Phone & FAX: (585)798-1264 Email: [email protected] The Annual Meeting of the Congregation/Corporation of the First Presbyterian Church of Medina is duly called by the Session for February 5, 2017. The meeting will be in fellowship hall immediately following dinner. The purpose of the meeting is to hear the annual reports of all committees, review the 2017 Operating Budget and to hear any other business of the congregation. Annual reports due Mon Jan 23. The report will be completed for the congregation Sun Jan 29.