"In the beginning was the word and the word was with God..."

This opening line from the gospel of John is one of the most theologically intense writings you will find in the pages of the Bible. We are meant to think of Genesis 1 and the creation of all that is, but John rises to an even grander level as he philosophizes about light and dark, good and evil.

Later, continuing his theological contemplation of Jesus he declares, "We have seen his glory...full of grace and truth." This word is a sermon in a sentence. In the light of Jesus' life, his teaching and preaching, truth and grace have been revealed.

At the heart of this large and theologically intimidating text, we find the simple promise of God's gracious presence with us. It is as though John is saying, "Yes, life is hard. Life is difficult. There are ugly things, terrible things, awful things that happen, yet God has been revealed to you in the person of Jesus. In him, we have seen love made real and forgiveness offered unconditionally."

God moved into human experience and life through the incarnation of Jesus. John writes, "And the word became flesh and dwelt among us." This is an invitation to see God revealed in the life of Jesus. When I am asked to explain this, I often quote St. Irenaeus who said, "The glory of God is a human being fully alive." In Jesus, we see an in the flesh illustration of a human being fully alive. No wonder we came to see him as divine.

This is a lovely picture, but it is one that comes with a challenge. Do you want God to come to you? Do you want the Spirit that roamed the primordial chaos, calling creation into being to do the same thing in your life?

The Bible continually tells the stories of men and women to whom God has come with an invitation to lead the world toward grace. Abraham was called to leave a life of comfort and wealth to be a blessing to all peoples. Esther was invited "for such a time as this" to save her people from persecution and death. The disciples of Christ, men like Peter and women like Martha and Mary, were summoned to share the good news of God's love for all, a task filled with danger.

What about you? Where in your life is God calling you next? What in your heart and soul needs attention now more than ever? Where is your love needed? Your forgiveness desired? Your graciousness called to spring forth? What is the next right thing for you?

I know, this may sound like a lot. Maybe you just want to try and ride out this new year in the easiest, most comfortable way possible. Trust me, even on my best days, I do too. But God keeps showing up. Whether on a Silent Night in the middle of a barn or on a hill far away, God continues to be present in the middle of our lives.

Tony Robinson, a United Church of Christ pastor, writes, "We do often seem to think of the Christian faith as our human search for God, our feeble attempt to get close to God. The Bible tells us a different story...the story of the God who keeps showing up, intruding refusing to leave us alone, searching for us. A God who won't take 'no' for an answer."

The message of Christmas is the good and yet challenging news that God has come to us. God has moved into the neighborhood. It is a beautiful thing. It is a wonderful promise made real. But it is also a call to be ready for something new, to be challenged to give your life to the world and to God in some new way.

There is no better time than the New Year to make room for things that matter most in life. That is the joy and the challenge of making room for God.

Yesterday Is History, Tomorrow Is Mystery 

What Matters Most Cannot Be Taken Away

A Place Brave People Visit

Now What?

by Jodi Patton, Governing Board Chair

Happy New Year First Community!

In this new year, many are speaking of the dawn of a new day as though it is a holy welcoming, and rightly so. But I wonder if this dawn is concurrently an inscrutable mystery forcing us to face the very thing we’d never know we’d see?! This pandemic is not what we planned, not what we wanted, but it is what is here, and it continues to course through our world. Unprecedented. It has torn into us, broken us wide open to frightful extremes. And, it has also given us an opportunity to receive the gifts it offers; the brilliant light of healing, love, and hope. We never know what we can do until we try... and try we have in a way we have never tried before.

We seem to be living life in forward motion... surging full speed ahead, eyes aimed at the horizon in anticipation. Labor and sacrifice have never felt more worthwhile as we offer it up as a down payment on the future. This future is now. First Community is ready. Please join me in counting the many gifts 2020 has bestowed upon us: a vibrant online ministry, deliberate financial responsibility with sound accounting and reporting processes, confirmation of the value we place on innovation and creativity in ministry, the ability to be nimble, concise and functional, a proficient governance system that reflects best practices in church business, the courage to investigate new ways of doing stewardship, and learning how to make warm connections with one another when we are unable to be together in person. Join me in a bow of gratitude for such abundance.

Soon, we will gather virtually as a congregation at the 2021 Annual Church Member Meeting. For safety reasons, this annual meeting will be different as the location will be a web-based video conferencing tool called Zoom. The 2021 Online Annual Church Member Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, January 30, 2021 at 10 am.

The notice for this meeting includes special instruction details. Here is the link to our dedicated webpage. If you plan on attending, please review these details thoroughly so you will be better prepared to join in this meeting of our members. All information will be posted by January 6.

This is my last firstnews article as chair of the Governing Board. My heart is filled with deep gratitude to serve our beloved church in this way.

Gratefully,

Jodi Patton, Chair Governing Board

The people below are nominated for the 2021 Governing Board, Board of Deacons, and Nominating Committee. They will be voted on by the members of First Community Church congregation at the Annual Meeting on January 30 at 10 am. If you are a member of First Community Church, please plan to attend this once-a-year meeting to vote on the slate of the Governing Board, Board of Deacons, and candidates for the Nominating Committee.

Tricia Baxley

April Howe

Deborah Humphrey

Doug Torrance

Andrew Wildman

Lisa Bueche

Terry Davis

Martha Livingston

Rachel Mushrush

Chris Stanley

Kylie Stanley

Angie Andujar

Carolyn Barger

Joy Barney

Amy Baughcum

Steve Brown

Anne Clifford

Liz Condos

Dawn Costin

Tracy Dickens

Laura Elliott

Bob Fenner

Mary Gossard

Loretta Heigle

Ron Johnson

Susanne Kondrake

Martha Livingston

Andrew Norelli

Beth Ratajczak

Paula Russell

Lenny Smith

Chris Stanley

Kylie Stanley

Kathy Tagliaferri

Susan Westbrook

Every year First Community Church presents one of our Sweethearts with the first rose. The red rose has been a symbol of caring and blessings at First Community Church. The First Rose of Advent began when Dr. Roy Burkhart became Senior Minister in 1935. He would deliver roses to our “Sweethearts” during the season of Advent. This year, Senior Minister Dr. Glen Miles presented the first rose to Jean Verwohlt. Jean has been a member of First Community since 1950. She was a member and Chair of the Congregational Care Council (formerly Service Board) for many years and also served on the Older Adult Council.

Our Board of Deacons and Program Staff delivered roses to all our Sweethearts over the Advent season. These socially distanced visits, phone calls and letters were enjoyed by all. Even if you are out of town, we sent a note letting you know we are holding you in our hearts. If you would like to be a part of our Sweetheart tradition, please contact Robin Hood at (614) 488-0681 ext. 235

Disney fans and Disney-fans-by-proxy (parents) know that the film Frozen II (2019) includes a song called “The Next Right Thing.” In perhaps the darkest moment of the franchise, our hero Anna mourns the loss of a beloved friend (spoiler alert: he’s not dead). But in an Easter Saturday moment, Anna believes he’s gone forever and sings a mournful song that includes the lines, “I won't look too far ahead / It's too much for me to take / But break it down to this next breath, this next step / This next choice is one that I can make.” Realizing the power in moving just one step at a time, Anna rises from the empty cave she’s in. (Wait…is Frozen II an Easter allegory? Let’s revisit this in the spring!) For now, many of us are greeting 2021 like Anna: overwhelmed, carrying grief, and peeking out at the world with new eyes.

This year I read Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg. In it, Fogg suggests ways to set small-but-powerful goals. He also discusses “pearl habits”: reframing uncomfortable moments by adding something calming or positive. Everyday activities, chores, and interactions can cause worry, fear, and sadness. I think of how anxious I become at the grocery store these days, and how those early evening hours make me homesick for gathering with friends. Fogg provides bite-sized solutions: before you leave your car, can you take one deep breath? When you notice the sun setting, can you close your eyes and count to five? Like grains of sand that find their way into a clam’s shell, these moments are uncomfortable, yet we have the power to surround them with positivity. We can make pearls.

Sometimes the “next right thing” is to take a physical step, like Anna. Sometimes it’s to hit the emotional pause button. Other times, it’s to invite the Spirit to the place where we are. One “tiny habit” I’ve made is to begin a prayer when I’m feeling lonely. “Dear God,” I will say, either aloud or in my head. Sometimes I say more, and occasionally I finish with “amen.” But more often, I stop there. Those two words are all I need to acknowledge God’s presence wherever I am.

Perhaps this year we’ll find the ones we’re missing were never gone after all. Maybe our next right steps will lead us up a mountain. More likely, we’ll complete a lot of barely seen, mustard-seed-sized tasks. The world will become more beautiful in our wake and that will be more than enough.

Like many of you, I miss having a connection to the wider group of people who are important in my life. I feel lucky to have a core group of people I can see, people I can hug and talk to. Unfortunately, because of the current risk many of our older adults have spent these months being more isolated than ever before.

One of the main goals of Midweek Missions is to practice putting faith into action. Our faith calls us to love our neighbor, and right now our older adult neighbors need our love. The first four weeks of Midweek Missions projects this winter will involve our kids “adopting” an older adult. Each participant will be assigned a specific older person who needs some extra love. Over a month, we will make four small gifts for them that will be delivered in time for Valentine’s Day.

We are asking you to commit to this important outreach by registering here so we can assign you a specific older adult.

Packets of materials will be prepared with directions and a time to work on the projects. Packets can be picked up at First Community North beginning January 12 inside the Rose Wing doors between 9 am and 5 pm. Each packet will be labeled with the participant’s name. The name of your adopted older adult will be listed inside.

The program will run weekly on Wednesday evenings from January 20 to February 10 at 6:30 pm via Zoom. We will do one project together each week. Please join me in making a connection to these important people. Contact Julie Richards with questions.

Join us for a time of connection and growth for parents with children of all ages. In this monthly Zoom gathering, we will share a video session from the Fall 2020 Happily Family Conference. This conference featured nationally known authors and parenting experts who covered a variety of important topics faced by all families. Topics include managing behavior and emotions, understanding current social issues, and encouraging autonomy.

The group will meet on the third Monday of each month, January through May at 8 pm. Click here to register for this free event.

This event is sponsored by the K-12 and Early Childhood programs in conjunction with the Burkhart Center. Questions? Contact Julie Richards, Director of K-5 Ministry.

When I was a kid, I always looked forward to the next season, the next holiday, the next “big thing” on the calendar. I was pretty good at living in the moment, but as soon as that moment was over, I was already eager for the next exciting event. I think that’s natural, especially for children.

As we grow up, we become almost conditioned to spend our energy preparing for what is ahead on our journey. For example, students look forward toward the degree they’ll receive on graduation day. Adults might hope for a promotion at work. Relationships are marked by milestones like engagements and anniversaries. Each of these occasions is worth anticipating and celebrating.

But let's not forget the little moments that help us get there - the many next right “in-between” choices.

A student earns their degree only after years of studying. People seeking a promotion at work spend time developing new skills and perfecting their craft. And no relationship is healthy until those in it choose to spend time together and provide genuine care for one another.

The same is true for celebrating important events within our faith. Before we could celebrate Christmas, we went through the meaningful ritual of observing Advent. We intentionally spent four weeks meditating on God’s hope, peace, joy, and love. And when Christmas arrived, we celebrated the birth of Jesus not merely because his birth was miraculous, but also because every moment leading up to it in the stories of our sacred texts is important. Likewise, when we celebrate Easter, we marvel at Christ’s resurrection because it was emblematic of his entire holy life – his healing, his ministry, his extraordinary grace. And if we look closer to home, at something more recent – consider what happened at the end of November, when our own Block of Wood Confirmation students confirmed their faith and joined the membership of First Community, but only after weeks of choosing to learn more about our traditions and beliefs.

In the cold, often gray, Ohio winter, it is easy to find ourselves looking forward to the next bright spot on the horizon – whatever it may be. I imagine for many of us, that bright spot is the end of this pandemic and the return to some kind of normalcy. But today is an important part of our journey to that moment; we can only get there if we choose to do the next right thing today.

I believe we will get to the other side of things that plague us with important, holy work we choose to do now.

I am faithful that we’ll come to the other side of this COVID-19 pandemic after many of us have chosen – day after day – to responsibly wear masks, keep our distance, and follow the guidelines of health officials. As I reflect on the racial and social inequities that continue to harm God’s people, I believe we will one day build the Kin-dom of God and experience justice and righteousness – but only after we’ve made it a daily practice to truly love our neighbor.

I realize these are not glamorous daily choices. In fact, they are difficult. But collectively, choosing to do the next right thing in-between now and our next big celebration – well that’s the only path to get there, anyway. We might as well continue the work, and pause to revel in the little moments of healing and joy we experience on the journey.

We were pleased to welcome the following members into membership at First Community on December 20, 2020:

If you are interested in learning more about First Community or considering membership, the first step is to attend Coffee with Glen. This is an opportunity to learn more about the church, get to know Rev. Glen Miles, and explore ways to get connected to First Community programs. Email Carrie Schwab to learn more and to register.

Join us on Saturday, February 6, from 11-11:30 am for a Virtual Pajama Storytime!

Feel free to sing and dance right along with your child or snuggle, sip your coffee, and watch the magic happen. Featuring members of the Early Childhood Council, this program will be a mix of stories and songs and will include a real live hedgehog sighting! We will also offer a chance to give back by collecting new pajamas and books to donate to Pajama Program.

Please join us! Watch for a registration link in the Wednesday Stay Connected email.

Join youth choir director Sally Beske on Zoom at 6:30 pm on the last Wednesday of each month.

Children show drawing or piece of art work they have made, read a poem or story they wrote, sing a song, or play an instrument.

Topics for our January meeting include a check-in to answer the question, “What music do your play to help you get through the stress of the pandemic?” Additional topics we will explore: themes for the Christmas Musical 2021, your favorite musical costumes and characters and Youth Choir Party Planning for the 2021-22 season.

To receive updates, reminders, and links to our Zoom gatherings, register for Youth Choirs here.

We often hear the words "Do the Right Thing!" It is a popular phrase for an ethical imperative. Discerning the right thing in the present is not always easy or clear. However, the message in the pandemic has been very clear: wearing masks, social distancing, and avoiding large crowds are imperative.

Discerning "the Next Right Thing" in the pandemic is more difficult as we look to the new year. In pastoral care, we have not been able to visit in hospitals and nursing homes. We have used telephone calls, conference calls, zoom calls, letters, e-mails, and virtual programs to stay connected. Some of these things will continue. Others will change.

What will not change is the need for human connection. People miss interaction with one another, particularly as they get older. We feel more isolated, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic.

Our "phone tree" created by Carrie Schwab as an outreach to older adults was very successful at keeping in touch with people and their needs, especially during the staying in order last year. We need to work at continuing this type of outreach to one another even when the pandemic recedes. We are learning new ways to connect. What remains the same is the need to connect with one another as a community of faith.

Updates on the blog this month from:

For more detailed information please visit our website or email us.

Thank you to the donors, the First Community staff, and everyone who volunteers to help make these blood drives possible. The most recent blood drive collected 33 units, which could save up to 99 people. In total this year, FC blood drives collected 295 units, potentially helping 885 patients! That’s something to be thankful for in the year 2020!

We have not yet confirmed the date for our next blood drive, but you can always register online at redcrossblood.org and enter our sponsor code: FCCSC or contact Robin Hood at (614) 488-0681, ext. 235.

You can also use the free Red Cross Blood Donor App by texting “BLOODAPP” to 90999 or by downloading it from the App Store^SM or the Google Play^TM store.

The Burkhart Center has produced its own newsletter which includes:

You can read the publication by clicking the button below.

Timothy Egan, a New York Times columnist I respect, had a recent Op-Ed piece entitled “The Next 3 Months are Going to be Pure Hell:” that is, winter is here and the pandemic and its effects are far from over.

Actually, the pandemic allowed me to do what many people in the country were not able to do this Christmas, to be with my family in my hometown of Aurora, Illinois, during actual Christmas week, for the first time in maybe 25 years.

I am fortunate. We all quarantined ahead of time. I tested negative for COVID after being compromised due to a hospice visit, and so felt safe to not be carrying the virus. Because I was busy up until that time, my oldest daughter volunteered to have my presents delivered to her home, and to even wrap them, a gift from heaven. The mother of my three children, and her husband, a longtime friend of mine, hosted us all on Christmas Day with food and celebration. I could watch musicals with the teenage granddaughters, play on the floor with the five little boys, and hold 4-month-old granddaughter Aria, all unmasked.

But, you know, there were many Christmases, when we were first divorced, the children were young, and I was living in Columbus and all of them in Illinois, when those visits were so incredibly heart-breaking, when there was still so much tension between their mother and me, when it hurt so much to say goodbye that I’d be crying as soon as I left their driveway. Meanwhile, and the three kids developed a ritual of all running down the sidewalk with me as I drove away, and my heart heaves and I tear up even in the memory.

Although it was wonderful to be with them, it was also pure hell. But it was a deep pain worth having, hard as it was to keep going back, to keep going back again and again. And so I did. And there is nothing heroic about it. I just couldn’t keep away from those little loves, much as it hurt to leave them.

What does this have to do with “the next right thing?” Just showing up is often the most difficult thing anyone can do. Exemplifying this in my January 3 sermon I use this portion of John Blase’s poem, the bravest thing:

maybe the bravest thing

is opening your eyes in the

morning and placing your

two feet on the cold floor and

rising up

against the gravity

of the night.

maybe that's the brave thing

from which all other bravery flows,

the bravery to seek ye first.

maybe that's the single thing

God requires of you,

the spiritual discipline

that takes all your will to muster.

Maybe the next right thing is just placing your two feet on the cold floor in the morning and rising up against the gravity of the night.

Timothy Egan ends his essay by offering this advice to get through the next three months: “Hibernation—taking a cue from our fellow warm-blooded mammals. Looking inward, discovering the nuance and overlooked dimensions of things long neglected.”

This is a natural mammalian move in winter: to hunker down, to take the inner journey—not as a road to feeling sad and depressed—but to go deeper than that to discover the “nuanced and overlooked dimensions of things long neglected,” like the mysterious treasure trove of riches at the center of our being.

The next right thing could be do to nothing at all. Just show up. Just be.