May 2021 Issue
Happy Spring blessings from First Community Older Adult Times. In this newsletter you will find current programs and gatherings along with links and emails to help you get connected. If you or someone you know would like a hard copy of the FC Older Adult Times, please contact the editor. You can find out more about the FC Older Adult ministry and view previous OAT editions here.
A Note from the Editor
Happy Spring to you! The season of warmer weather is finally here (kind of). I hope everyone is able to get outside when the sun is shining and feel the warmth of the new season, the season of growing.

Earlier this month we virtually celebrated our 79th Annual Burkhart Luncheon (formerly the Sweetheart Luncheon). On the day of the program, we had sponsors deliver "Brunch Boxes" to many of our Sweethearts, along with goodie bags and roses. I look forward to next year when we can hopefully have the luncheon once again in person. Our luncheon theme this year was "Growing." I want to continue the theme through this month's OAT. I hope that with the new year and new season, we can continue to grow and learn from all the pandemic has brought. Many simple gestures we might have previously taken for granted - a touch, a hug, a smile - can mean so much more than we realized.

I look forward to seeing your smile in person in the months ahead! With the new life growing all around us, I continue to be hopeful for new growth within ourselves. Whether that may be getting outside more, or reconnecting with a friend we haven't seen for a year, there is room to grow in all of us.

Continued peace and blessings with love for you all,

Robin Hood
Congregational Care Coordinator
Prayer Chain
Please let us know of any needed prayers. These prayers are confidential unless specified by you for a call from our clergy.
Parish Registry
Please see the most recent parish that includes member births, weddings, and deaths.
Daily Devotional
There's More
Tony Robinson

Then Paul said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.” - Acts 19:3-4 (NRSV)

At a low point in my life, my pastor said to me, “God is so not finished with you yet.”

In her words I found grace and encouragement. What’s more—they were, it turned out, true.

There are a lot of ways to spin the conversation from Acts 19 between Paul and the people he met in Ephesus. They had been baptized into John, but not Jesus, and not with the Holy Spirit.

What Paul said to them was, “There’s more.”

How often we mistake our present condition for final completion.

What is for what should be or ever shall be.

It’s a message at the heart of the faith. We may think we’ve come to the end of our rope. We see no way. With this God, there’s more. Or maybe we think we are already at the pinnacle of enlightenment and achievement. Sorry, you’re not all that. There’s more. So much more.

It’s also a message at the heart of the UCC. Pastor John Robinson told the Pilgrims as they set sail from the Netherlands, “There is yet more truth and light to break forth from God’s Holy Word.” Ron Buford reframed that for us as, “God is still speaking.”

With this God, there’s more. Hope for the discouraged; challenge to the smug.
There’s more. God gets the last word. Thanks be to God.

Prayer
With you, stone-rolling, tomb-emptying, One, there’s more. Always. Grant us grace to trust your promise. Amen.
Coming of Age
by Reverend David Hett, Dean of The Burkhart Center
A friend introduced me to Stephen Jenkinson during the pandemic; not a moment too soon before I turned the magical age of 70. A farmer-philosopher in the mode of a Wendell Berry, Jenkinson also brings wisdom from years of work in end-of-life care.
 
So I’ve just begun reading his book, Come of Age: The Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble; it’s a slow read for me, filled with big and new ideas in a writing style requiring me to continually re-read sentences to begin to fathom his meaning. I’m enjoying that aspect, and it may well be a strategy of his to enforce a practice of slowing down in order to “come of age.”
 
His central theme seems to be that “there are more old people than ever before, and it seems that there are fewer elders than ever before.” Something has happened to aging, he writes. “Something has happened to what it does, to what it means, to what it asks of us all.” The record will show, sooner or later, he says, that “there are more old people, in number and in ratio of the general population, than ever before in the West, and . . . that these are not coincidental bits of information in a relentless information age.”
 
Another aspect of his writing I love are his etymological discourses. I’m always fascinated with word origins, and original meanings. When he parses the derivation of the word “old,” for instance, he moves from alt to an older Indo-European form, al, which basically meant “coming to fullness,” and “causing to be full.” From there he connects the Old English eald, which in its superlative form becomes ealder, elder. So from this and earlier thoughts arise the following definition only on page 55 of 388 pages:
 
Elder: not the one who grows without end, come what may, but the one who causes depth and fullness by being deep and full, the one who prompts and is prompted by the ebbing, by the failure and the end of growth. Considered in this way, a life lived chafing at limits is a life that thwarts the advent of old, and of its crowning achievement, elder. So we might consider translating al(t) not as ascending or swelling or taking up more of the inner or outer horizon, or taking more, but as something like “deepened by diminishment,” which is a radical restatement of what is usually meant by full. . . . Old may serve most by relinquishing the centre stage of life—the principal seduction of middle age—and in so doing, it may prompt capacity and depth in the younger generation.
 
There’s much more in his thought that intrigues me as I consider what it actually might mean to be an elder, because I am pretty aware I am growing older, but I’ll leave you with the metaphor he uses to amplify this intriguing phrase, deepened by diminishment. And that example is wine:
 
The passage of time doesn’t increase the amount of wine you have. It confers upon some of the wine you manage to make the status of age. Wine does not increase in volume but deepens in richness as time passes. It can bestow a sense of well-being, but it has to be spilled to do its work among us. In its aged form old, the adjective and the noun both describe the function of “nourishing,” “sustaining.”
 
In a brilliant section on “forgetting things,” he finally asks himself a question that strikes me as worth asking as we confront any situation we face while aging: “Now, what might an elder do at a time such as this?”
 
But for me this begs a penultimate question that has been slowly working its way into my conscious contemplation: “What is an elder?” What does it mean to “come of age?”
Older Adult Council Update
From Robin Hood

We have many fellowship opportunities coming up this Summer! All the program areas are taking part in sponsoring different activities for everyone to enjoy. Please see the upcoming events below. Hope to see you there!

  • May 31 – Grandview Memorial Day Flag Display at South by Graham Webb III

  • June 6 – Church Wide BBQ 5 pm (information and registration here)

  • June 7 – Mystic Monday Kick-off

  • June 13 – Park with Pride Festival featuring FC Choir and Youth Movie Night

  • June 18 & 19 – Carpe Diem Pops in the Parking Lot 

  • June 27 – Clippers Baseball Game 2:05 pm 

  • July 4 – Kick-off for Jim Long's American Religious History Online Program 

  • July 10 – Heart to Heart Christmas in July Fundraiser 

  • July 18 – Youth Movie Night 

  • July 25 – Metro-Park Gathering

  • July 28-30 – 1, 2, 3 Akita 

  • Aug 1 – Poptarts on the Playground Program for Young Families 

  • Aug 15 – Akita Sunday and Youth Movie Night

  • Aug 22 – K-5 Kick Off
Congregational Care Council
By Paul Saltz, Chair

The Value of Each Moment

I recently called my maternal grandparents to wish them a happy 66th wedding anniversary. This is a huge accomplishment, especially in our current times. The happy and celebratory call I had expected was instead one of reflection and loss. We spent almost an hour going through a list of their old friends who are now gone and of those friends still living, and realized how my grandmother is the only one with a living husband.

Time stops for no one and loss is a mark of a life lived. I will turn 40 this September, a fact that many have told me I have no business whining about. Yet I don't anticipate ever having a 66th anniversary as my partner Aaron and I met later in life, and I've attended more funerals than I care to count. So when I think about it, I can either envy my grandparents for an anniversary marker I will never have, or I can learn from their pain.

In Ecclesiastes we learn that there is a time to mourn. To mourn the loss of loved ones, of missed opportunities, and of paths regrettably not taken. Yet there is time also to celebrate and to live in joy! That which carries us from one to the other is our memories and our gratitude.

As we move about our daily lives, amongst loved ones, friends, colleagues, it is incumbent upon us to be fully present in each moment. We must savor the time we have with each individual who crosses our path. It is positive memories we make from these moments that sustains our joy, even when the other person is no longer with us.

The same goes for the path we've lived. It is all too easy to focus on the mistakes and regrets. I'll be the first to admit guilt in this arena. What can lift us out of the "funk" is our gratitude; being thankful for the opportunities we've acted on and the lessons we've learned. These make up the journey that has shaped our lives and have made us into the people we are today... into the people our loved ones have cared so deeply about.

We have all had plenty of reason to be stoic as of late. Yet as progress is made with the global pandemic and other areas, we have reason to hope and live in joy. As Christians, we are an Easter people. So I ask you during this Eastertide, to allow happy memories and gratitude guide your thoughts, that you may spend this time of renewal and new life in joy!

Peace,
Paul
Older Adult Trips to Camp Akita
By Jackie Cherry, Church Historian

The segment of our membership that was being served by the new Older Adult Ministry during its early years in the 1970’s were precisely those members of our congregation who had been so actively involved in helping to plan and build Akita and see that dream brought to reality. They had helped with the layout of the camp. They had contributed in material ways by donating equipment for the kitchen or plumbing supplies for the bathrooms. Two Couples Circles had actually built cabins as a group project. One Guild Group paid for the wonderful wicker benches and chairs for the lodge that many early campers remembered with nostalgia. The Men’s Brotherhood and two Guild Groups paid for rowboats while other Guilds purchased kitchen equipment. Even the kitchen sink was donated by one couple. Another family donated the flagpole. Senator John Bricker supplied bass and bluegills for the lake. A lumber company built the tables for the dining hall at cost. Financial gifts from Village Little Theater, profit from the 1948 Book Fair and donations from many Women’s Guild Groups covered the purchase price of practically everything that was necessary to get the camp up and running. In other words, the members of First Community Church felt a true sense of ownership for Camp Akita. Perhaps this was one reason that so many of the people who participated in the Older Adult Ministry loved the idea of taking day trips to camp…….just to check on things and keep track of progress. There were spring and fall retreats for both men and women and occasional open house events or anniversaries when Akita welcomed visitors, but when Nancy Heath began planning day trips just for older adults, they proved to be very popular events indeed.

It was also during these years that the church owned Bluebird and Yellowbird, buses that were utilized basically for transporting our youth back and forth to Akita, but they were also available for adult trips to Akita as well. These day trips were usually planned for fall and included lunch in the dining hall, opportunities to walk to the lake or roam around the camp, or check out the newest cabins that were available for rental by families or groups, or just hang out on the deck of the lodge and take in nature and absorb the wonderful Akita atmosphere. Sometimes a worship service was held on Vesper Hill or in the lodge. It was just a wonderful opportunity for our older members to spend a beautiful fall day in God’s great outdoors and absorb that Akita spirit.

It has been a while since the last older adult day trip to Akita, but it is possible that such an event may occur this fall!! Discussions are underway and there are tentative plans for such a trip on September 14, 2021. Stay tuned, reserve the date and just perhaps there will be an opportunity to once again spend a day at our beloved Camp Akita.
Small Acts – Big Goals
Refugee Task Force
By Mary Buzby, Chair

First Community’s Refugee Task Force is part of an international effort to alleviate the suffering of displaced families from deeply troubled parts of the world. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Church World Service rely on us to be the boots on the ground welcoming refugee families. The UN does all the vetting and arrangements for families to leave the vast camps, but when they arrive in Columbus we are the ones who ease the way for those families who have traveled so far and lost so much. We do everything from helping to furnish apartments to teaching English and eventually preparing folks to take the citizenship exam. Our members help refugee children with their homework. We provide transportation and driving lessons. We assist with finding jobs. We share our culture and learn about theirs.

In recent years political decisions and the pandemic have caused big cuts in the numbers of people resettled. Our members are strong advocates for returning to our role as a leader in resettlement of refugees. At a time when new arrivals were few here in Columbus, we worked with our representatives in Congress to reunite children with their mothers. We nurtured families experiencing hardship because of illness, and we supported local agencies such as the Community Refugee and Immigration Service and US Together.

Throughout the forty year history of the Refugee Task Force, our members have developed friendships with people from all over the world. We have supported their dreams of starting life again in a safe and open society. At the same time we have done our part working towards the United Nations goal of international peace and security. 
Welcome to Creative Connection. This program is intended to be an extra outreach to our members who are not able to get out as much as others, who might be homebound, not able to be online, or who need extra love and attention through these different times. You will find activities and readings below.
What's Happening at FC

  • COVID Resources: Information on what to do after receiving the vaccine and places to register

  • Grief Group : Led by Rev. Jim Long and parishioner Janice Beaty. Meets the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of the month at 7 pm in the Narthex at North.

  • ElderWisdom Book Group: Meets the 4th Thursday of the month at 1 pm via Zoom. Contact Lorelei Lotozo or Robin Hood at
  • (614) 488-0681 ext. 235 to receive the Zoom invite and to be added to the email list.

  • Weekly Bible Study: Contact Rev. Jim Long. Meets Wednesday evenings at 7 pm. Beginning May 19 will meet in person in North Room 101.


Recipe of the Month
Our very own Julie Miles provided the recipe for May! Below is a note from her.

"Hello friends, I’m honored to be asked to submit a recipe for your newsletter. I view cooking as more of an art than a skill so please have fun and vary the below recipe as you like. Full disclosure, this recipe comes from the New York Times Cooking section so it is not original to me but I found it to be very easy and pleasing to the taste buds.

Remember to rinse and prep all your ingredients ahead of time so they are ready when you need to add them. This recipe comes together quickly and you want to serve it immediately."
One-pan Pork Chops
with Feta (I prefer the flavor of Goat Cheese), Snap Peas and Mint
Yields:  3 to 4 servings
Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 (1 1/4 inch thick) bone-in Pork Chops (about 1 pound each)
  •               (bone-in is always more flavorful)
  • Kosher Salt and fresh ground Black Pepper
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted Butter (you can use salted Butter but hold back some of the Kosher Salt)
  • 4 whole Scallions (plus more for garnishing)
  • 2 cups trimmed Sugar Snap Peas
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh Mint or Basil (plus more for garnishing)
  • A pinch of Red Pepper flakes (you can adjust to taste)
  • 1/2 cup crumbled Feta (I prefer Goat Cheese)
  • Lemon Juice for serving

PREPARATION:

Step 1
Season Pork Chops with Salt and Pepper
In a large skillet (I prefer cast iron), heat oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.

Step 2
Add the Pork Chops to skillet and sear, without moving, until dark golden (4 to 5 minutes per side). Lower heat and cover pan with a lid and cook the chops for an additional 3 minutes. Transfer chops to a plate and tint (do not cover tightly) with foil.

Step 3
Return the skillet to the stove and reduce heat to medium. Add the Butter to remaining oil in the skillet, then add scallions and cook until lightly golden (2 minutes). Add Snap Peas, Mint, Red Pepper flakes and a pinch of Salt. Stir all ingredients to coat with pan juices.

Step 4
Move the Snap Peas to the outer edge of the skillet and return the Pork Chops to the skillet (surrounding the chops with the Snap Peas. You can mound the peas on top of the chops but make sure the meat sits directly on the bottom of the skillet). Scatter Feta (or Goat Cheese) over chops and peas. Turn the burner to low, cover skillet and cook everything for an additional 3 to 6 minutes (depending on how well done you prefer)

Step 5
Drizzle or squeeze Lemon Juice over the entire dish. Serve on a platter or individual plates and garnish with more Mint, Scallions and fresh ground Black Pepper (optional as the dish may already be spicy because of the crushed Red Pepper).

Enjoy!
ElderWisdom
ElderWisdom
May book selection:
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Thursday, May 27, 1 pm
Zoom Meeting

Come join our book club! ElderWisdom is a group of people who enjoy reading and discussing a variety of books. This group is perfect for anyone looking to connect with others and for some fellowship. The monthly gatherings are currently meeting on Zoom. We hope you will join us for our next meeting on May 27 at 1 pm. You do not need to have read the book to attend – all are welcome. Please contact Lorelei Lanier Lotozo at (614) 209-7125 or Robin Hood, Congregational Care Coordinator, with questions or to add your name to our email list to receive the Zoom meeting invite.

Click here to get your copy and to read more about the book.
One Final Thought
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation
Week Sixteen: The Contemplative Call to Nature
The Whole Is in the Parts
St. Augustine (354–430) proclaimed in one of his great sermons, “The end will be the one Christ, loving himself.” [1] Paul preceded St. Augustine when he wrote that, in the end, “God will be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28). They saw creation as coming full circle.

Both Augustine and Paul are pointing out that the Eternal One has come forth and has taken on form and manifestation in the whole of creation: humans, animals, plants, elements, the galaxies, and all the endless forms and faces that have come forth from God. Everything in creation is the infinite self-emptying of God, and as such has inherent dignity and deserves respect and appreciation.

As Christ told Lady Julian of Norwich (1342–1416) when he showed her a small thing the size of a hazelnut nestled in her hand, “It is all that is created.” Julian understood that “Everything that is has its being through the love of God.” [2] Contemporary philosopher Ken Wilber puts it this way: everything is a holon—a part that replicates the whole.

St. Bonaventure (1221–1274) taught that to work up to loving God, start with the easier lesson of loving the very humblest and simplest things, and then move up from there. “Let us place our first step in the ascent at the bottom, presenting to ourselves the whole material world as a mirror, through which we may pass over to God, the Supreme Craftsman,” he wrote. And further, “The Creator’s supreme power, wisdom and benevolence shine forth in created things.”

I encourage you to apply this spiritual insight quite literally. Don’t start by trying to love God, or even people. Love rocks and elements first, move to trees, then animals, and then humans. It works. In fact, it might be the only way to love, because how you do anything is how you do everything.

Our job as conscious humans is to awaken early to this innate beauty and goodness in all of creation. Why wait until heaven when we can enjoy the Divine Flow in all of nature now?

Being fully present to the soul of all things allows us to say, “This is good. This is enough. In fact, this is all I need.” We are now situated in the One Loving Gaze that unites all things in universal attraction and appreciation. This is enlightenment and we do not have to sit on a cushion for forty years to recognize and enjoy it. In fact, I can almost guarantee that we will recognize and enjoy it more as we spend more time in the natural world with slow and quiet realization. And then a leap of deep contentment!
Interested in Membership?
To learn more about First Community or to become a member, contact Carrie Schwab, Director of Member Engagement at (614) 488-0681 ext. 161
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Do you have thoughts or comments about the FC Older Adult Times? Please email or write Robin Hood, Congregational Care Coordinator and Editor, at 1320 Cambridge Blvd, Columbus, OH 43212.
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