Dr. Glen Miles, Senior Minister

Pastor Emily Scott, realizing the little congregation she had helped found was ready to “fly" on its own, decided to step away. The grief she experienced was overwhelming, so she bought a camper van and hit the road. You can read her tale  here . 
 
Her conclusion really touched me: “Here, on the road, between the old life and a new one, we have the opportunity to be remade. Who will we choose to become?” 
 
Ten years ago, Julie, our son Steven, and I were on a cross-country road trip during my sabbatical. Beginning in Kansas City, we visited Mount Rushmore (even more inspiring than I imagined) and Glacier National Park (stunningly beautiful). We also enjoyed several days on Julie’s brother’s farm in Eastern Oregon, a trip over to Salem, and finally back home by way of Yellowstone National Park. Every stop was as amazing as we hoped, but I noticed one of the great joys of the trip was the unexpected discoveries. 

Our time in Yellowstone was totally cool, but if you ask Steven, Julie, or me what we remember, it will be the Mexican restaurant located in an old school bus just outside the park. There, we enjoyed what we are all certain are the best carne asada tacos ever served, anywhere. Steven and I had two orders each, just because we could. 

There are many more stories of great times on the road. But what I recall the most are the unplanned moments, the discovery of some out of the way place that made us feel like we were explorers in a strange and wonderful land. It truly was, in Pastor Emily’s words, an opportunity to be remade.

What does any of this have to with what’s going on in your world and mine right now? Well, maybe what we need to do is pay attention to the little discoveries we have made during the shelter-in-place time. Our church staff found new ways of providing ministry we could not have even imagined five months ago. 

I know things have been tough. In this brief column, I’m simply wondering as we wander along this unknown road if we have the ability to see something surprising God is doing in our lives right now. 
 
These are hard days, long days, but the clear promise of the Bible is God is with us on the road. Whether it was the Hebrews escaping slavery, or the disciples heading home after the crucifixion, the Spirit showed up in new and unsuspecting ways. 
 
As Pastor Emily wonders, between the old life before the pandemic and the new one emerging, who will you become? 
Gifts of Appreciated Marketable Securities

You are probably familiar with the benefits of gifts of long term appreciated securities to First Community Church or the First Community Foundation. You can value the gift based on the value of the security as of the date the security is transferred to the Church or Foundation. You also avoid any long-term capital gains tax on the appreciation.  

As part of the restructuring of our banking relationship, the Church and Foundation have opened new brokerage accounts with First Merchants Bank, replacing accounts we had with Fifth Third.  Your broker will need the following information to complete the transaction: 

For First Community Church :  
For First Community Foundation:  
Please let Liz Compton or Patti Link in the Business Office know if you are planning to make a gift of appreciation securities. That way, we can track the gift and make sure any restrictions are known at the time of the gift. 
Governing Board Update
Camp Akita Cabin Rentals
By Danita Young,  Director of Camp Akita Site and Facilities  
 
Summer is quickly coming to an end, and while we have missed the sound of children’s laughter this year, it has been wonderful to see so many old friends find their way back to Akita to visit. You can continue to enjoy Akita all year. Akita offers a restful, relaxing, and worry-free getaway for you, your family, and friends. 
 
Don’t worry if you are still working from home or your children will be participating in remote learning, all our cabins are equipped with wireless internet. 
 
We are also pleased to continue to offer cabin catering. No more worries about loading the car with groceries - we will do the work for you. Just place an order through our website and all orders will be delivered to your cabin prior to your arrival. We can even provide you with kits to make s’mores over the campfire! 
 
Updated Cabin Rental Info: 
  • Dogwood: Sleeps up to 12 family members, or 6 non-immediate family members/friends. 
  • Sky Valley: Sleeps up to 10 family members, or 5 non-immediate family members/friends. 
  • Cabin in the Glen: Sleeps up to 6 family members or 3 non-immediate family members/friends. 
  • Bent Nail – Sleeps 2 family members 
 
If you are looking for a last minute get-away, cabins are still available Labor Day weekend.  

Enter in Silence…Leave in Peace 
 
Camp Akita News
The Bald Eagle area, including trails in and around the area, will be temporarily closed, effective immediately. As part of our land and forestry management plan, select tree-clearing will be taking place and the area will not be a safe for guests and visitors. 
 
Please note: Bald Eagle will not be impacted by this clearing. We are committed to sustaining the health, diversity, and productivity of the Akita lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. 
 
Please also note, until further notice, due to Covid-19 restrictions, only registered guests are permitted at Camp Akita. Rockstalls Nature preserve is open to the public, but we encourage all guests and visitors to wear masks and practice social distancing. 
A Letter from Virtual Camp Akita
By Rev. Sarah Kientz,
Minister to Camp Akita and Young Adults

As you know, we called off all in-person Camp Akita sessions in May. Instead, we invited campers to embark on a new journey: virtual summer camp. I had never been on this journey. I forced a smile and said (to myself and in promotional material) the only thing I knew for certain: this would be an “unforgettable summer.” Meanwhile, I wondered how campfire songs would work without a campfire, and how cabin time would feel without cabins. 
 
On the first day of online camp, former counselor Kenz Cummins led a craft tutorial via Zoom, a video conferencing app. Kenz logged on from her apartment in Los Angeles; the beauty of going digital was no distance stood between today’s campers and yesterday’s counselor all-stars. Sure enough, despite not setting foot at Akita in 10 years, Kenz still had Craft Cabin magic up her sleeve: she taught campers to make banjos out of bottle caps and harmonicas from popsicle sticks. We laughed as we played our new instruments as a band. 
My smile turned genuine and stayed that way for the three-week session. For one, I began to see my recycling bin differently: salsa jars became terrariums-to-be. Also, I giddily celebrated the talents of former campers and counselors as they led virtual morning devotions, cabin discussions, dance lessons, and baking how-to’s. Finally, I was inspired to dust off my own creativity, not just to lead, but also to learn. 
 
In John’s gospel, Jesus refuses to send a crowd away hungry. The disciples turn out their empty pockets before a boy comes forward holding five loaves and two fish. Jesus uses this offering to feed the 5,000, not because the food is abundant or fancy, but because it is available. And because the boy is willing to share it.  
 
My heart aches thinking of the campers who did not get to attend Camp Akita in person this summer the trails they didn’t hike, and the cabins they didn’t sleep in. Those losses are worth grieving. But Camp Akita happened. A crowd gathered, from near and far, to make sure it did. It wasn’t abundant or fancy, but we all arrived with a little joy and compassion and saw them multiplied. Turns out that what we already had, from our salsa jars to our alumni, was more than enough. It was unforgettable.
Akita Sunday will be entirely virtual this year. Most elements will be filmed from Camp Akita so worship takes place in our sacred outdoor spaces. There will be participation from campers, counselors, and families, who will provide liturgy and share how Akita has been important during this unusual year. We will also have a short video celebrating our awesome virtual camp programs.
Congregational Care
Thanks to you - the donors - Red Cross was able to collect 32 units of blood during First Community’s last blood drive on July 1. Your efforts helped boost the community blood supply and ensure hospital patients have the lifesaving blood they need. 
Our next blood drive will be at South in Brownlee Hall on August 6 from 12 - 6 pm.  

Call 1-800-RED CROSS
(1-800-733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org  and use sponsor code FCCSC.  You can also use the free Red Cross Blood Donor App by texting “BLOODAPP” to 90999 or by downloading it from the App StoreSM or the Google PlayTM store.

Contact Robin Hood at
(614) 488-0681 ext 235 or  rhood@FCchurch.com  if you need help signing up. 
By Sally Beske, Director of Youth Choirs 

“It’s Choir Time!” will continue through August with special guests, instrument crafts, songs, and movement. Tune in to our  Facebook page  on Friday mornings at 10 am as youth choir director, Sally Beske, presents an online choir rehearsal and music lesson for children.  Archived lessons are available for viewing  here. 

For more information, or to share pictures of your children participating in the lesson, contact Sally at  sbeske@fcchurch.com  
Greg Lashutka and Catherine Adams stopped by Heart to Heart to donate 135 lbs. of wonderful zucchini and cucumbers from their farm in Holmes County. 
On a Mission! Blog
  1. News from Refugee Task Force 
  2. Upcoming events at the Trading Post 
  3. Updates on our efforts for Back Bay Mission 
  4. Share and Learn Garden update 
Upcoming Events
Archives from the Dust Clouds
By Jackie Cherry, Church Historian

So often, Roy Burkhart referred to First Community as a “living laboratory.” One of the best examples of that definition was the Ministers’ Seminars offered for so many years by our church during the week following Easter. The thought was most ministers were tired by the busy schedules of their churches during Holy Week, and this was a perfect time for a bit of rest, renewal, and perhaps inspiration, to enhance their ministries. I was reminded of this important part of our history during a recent phone conversation with Rev. Al Newby, a pastor in Temple, Texas, who used to attend these seminars and had a fondness for Dr. Otis Maxfield who had given his ordination message in 1963. 
 
The Ministers’ Seminars engaged the attention of the entire church. Once the speakers and programs were set, a committee began phoning church families to obtain housing and breakfast for our guests who came from across the country, numerous cities in Canada, and even the British West Indies. Others were recruited to provide transportation to and from the church. It took the efforts of all the clergy, program, kitchen, and office staff to create an enriching experience for those who came. Attendance averaged just below a hundred pastors. In addition to planning programs for the ministers, we also provided activities appealing to their wives. Lunch and dinner meals were prepared by our fully staffed church kitchen. Daily programming included talks by featured speakers, opportunities to meet with First Community ministers or staff members, role playing, counseling sessions, demonstrations of various counseling strategies, worship, and group discussions. Each evening there was a talk by a featured speaker to which our congregation was also invited. 
 
Over the years, we were honored to host a number of well-known speakers who provided much food for thought. Among them were Gerald Heard, British-born author and philosopher; Father William McNamara, founder of Spiritual Life Institute of America in Sedona, AZ; psychotherapist Harmon Bro; astronaut Edgar Mitchell, and Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Dr. Victor Frankl who visited twice, in 1957 and 1968 for the 25th anniversary seminar. 
(To be continued.) 
Thursday Meditation Group Weekly on Zoom  
11:45 am – 1 pm 
August 6-27  

The  Contemplative Way Group  meets weekly over the noon hour on Zoom, for a time of sacred reading and discussion, followed by a 30-minute silent group meditation. While we are meeting online, we follow the daily meditations from Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation (sign up for Father Rohr’s Daily Meditations at  www.cac.org ). 
In our spoken contemplation time from 11:45-12:25 pm, we follow the theme of the week which begins with the previous Sunday’s daily reading. 

Participants log in to the Zoom link around 11:40 am each week and begin with a reading from one of the daily meditations, giving time for anyone to respond from their minds and hearts. The 30-minute meditation begins around 12:25 pm each week.  Register for this ongoing group  here . 
Much Matters Zoom
Book Discussion  
Thursday, August 20
6 – 8 pm 

New York Times   best-seller,  On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous , is the August Much Matters discussion via Zoom. 
Longlisted for the 2019 National Book Award for Fiction, Poet Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a shattering portrait of a family, a first love, and the redemptive power of storytelling. 

With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers this debut novel.  

This discussion will be facilitated by Burkhart Center board member Rose Konrath. To receive a Zoom link for this event, register by contacting Dr. Shah Hasan at  shahmhasan@gmail.com  
Progressive Spirituality Zoom Discussion Group, 
Saturday, August 15
9:30 – 11:30 am  

Professor of Theology Linda Mercadante’s important book on the deeper attitudes of what have been called the “Spiritual But Not Religious” (SBNRs), give an idea of the discussions that take place each month in the “Progressing Spirit” Zoom class. This group might be better called the “Spiritual and  Religious” because they incorporate a progressive spirituality and Christianity into an emerging movement both within and outside the traditional church.  
 
Participants read and react to weekly columns from   www.progressingspirit.co m   
 
These articles often come from young progressive thinkers and activists. We also review other articles chosen by facilitator Rev. David Hett and those offered by class participants.  Oftentimes special video lectures accompany the reading material as further discussion starters. Register for this ongoing class   here . 
Tuesday Morning Theology   
Zoom Discussion Group  
Weekly, Tuesdays, August 4-25
9:30 – 10:45 am  
 
During August Tuesday mornings, the Zoom version of “Tuesday at Ten” finishes their 7-week excursion through the important issues for religions of “God Intoxication” and “God Manipulation” that can subtly force religious institutions into morally unethical positions, as proposed by Rabbi Hartman in his work,  Putting God Second. Connie Johnston and Rev. David Hett facilitate the weekly discussions during August. Register for this ongoing class  here .  
Trading Post is Open and Planning a 50% Off Sale  

By Beth Hanson 

The Trading Post is now open three days a week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 am to 4 pm. Volunteers and shoppers must wear a mask and observe social distancing, but an appointment is no longer required.  
Our next sale is scheduled for August 3, 5, and 7. All clothing with a yellow tag will be 50% off on those days.  We hope to see you soon! 
First Community