Easter 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. |
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I hope you all had a blessed Easter and were able to find time to enjoy the sun. Along with the message of Easter and new life, we also have renewed energy in the church and world, allowing us to be together again in person with loved ones. What a wonderful gift after a year of separation!
My own family was able to be together this Easter. We enjoyed a meal sitting around the table and then an Easter egg hunt for the kids. This simple act made my heart full, just to be together and feel the warmth of the sun.
There is still a lot of uncertainty, even with the availability of the vaccine. We will need to continue to be smart and safe, but this past year is a good reminder of how much we can take for granted. A hug, a handshake, a smile; these are all things we will be grateful to be doing again.
Continued peace and blessings with love for you all,
Robin Hood
Congregational Care Coordinator
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Prayer Chain
Please let us know of any needed prayers. These prayers are confidential unless specified by you for a call from our clergy.
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Parish Registry
Please see the most recent parish that includes member births, weddings, and deaths.
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Daily Devotional
The Courage to Love
Marchaé Grair
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life. - Psalm 143:8 (NIV)
(The following devotion has spoilers for the HBO show Watchmen.)
On Watchmen, the most powerful being in existence, Dr. Manhattan, falls in love with Angela, a woman who has no superpowers.
When Dr. Manhattan and Angela first meet, he explains that he experiences time in a non-linear way, living in the past, present, and future all at the same time. He tells Angela they will only be together for ten years until their relationship will end in tragedy.
By the time the audience learns how the couple met, we’ve already witnessed the couple’s relationship in the present and feel a sense of the relationship’s impending doom. The audience views time as if we are Dr. Manhattan—learning about the couple’s beginning while experiencing frequent flash-forwards to their present danger.
In the Watchmen universe, Dr. Manhattan is a superhero, but I wonder if Angela is the one with emotional superpowers. Her life has been full of loss and heartbreak. She meets someone who tells her that their romance will end tragically in ten years, yet she falls in love with him anyway. For her, the ecstasy of love is worth the grief that their love will inevitably end.
It’s human nature to try to evaluate the quality of a relationship by our ability to hang on to that love as long as possible. It’s difficult not to hold back from loving deeply in order to protect ourselves from tragic endings through breakups, sickness, or even death.
But if we try to guard ourselves from unavoidable heartbreak, we’re inevitably denying ourselves of the most passionate, unexpected types of love. All great love requires great risk.
Prayer
Loving deeply is a risk my spirit needs me to take. Let my most vulnerable love be a blessing. Amen.
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Spiritual Beings
by Reverend Jim Long
This spring has brought renewed hope after a year of pandemic with the availability of vaccines, the opportunity to do more outdoors, and a gradual opening up of many activities. Last weekend, I had my first wedding in the new sanctuary with masks and social distancing, and we had our first in-person worship service with reservations and other conditions. It certainly felt good to see many familiar faces under their masks, but coming to church. Of course, there are concerns, but we are moving towards the new normal.
And yet, there have been aspects of the past year that have brought some needed changes in my own life. Perhaps you experienced this as well. I have found new ways to organize and engage in my work. I use my time better by eliminating some unnecessary trips and activities. We also have eaten more meals at home and eaten healthier. My prayer time in the mornings has been deeper and more regular, while I have regularly walked the ten thousand steps a day that Dr. Fauci recommends. I do not say this with any personal pride, as I have attempted to do this many times in the past and failed to maintain it. I think the reality of the pandemic combined with my wife Clare retiring after 33 years in federal and state government gave us the opportunity to make some of these changes we have wanted to make.
As I am approaching my 70th birthday and retirement this coming December, I have experienced more fully the movement of the spirit in my life. In Falling Upward, Richard Rohr distinguishes between the tasks of the first half and second half of life. Both are necessary, but in the second half, we have the opportunity to perhaps go deeper and more fully into life itself. I remember Dr. Richard Wing, our former senior minister, saying the second half is “all spiritual.” This does not deny the physical realities, but embraces them. It also says we live fully in the present moment whatever the circumstances. In the words of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” May God bless you in your journey of faith in the days ahead.
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The Power of Extravagant Tenderness
by Reverend David Hett, Dean of The Burkhart Center
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Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries and our Burkhart Center Spiritual Searcher virtual guest April 23, says in a recent interview with last year’s Spiritual Searcher Mirabai Starr, that “tenderness is the highest form of spiritual maturity.”
“If love is the answer,” Father Gregory says, “and community is the context, then tenderness is the methodology.” And he goes on to give examples of tender moments his “homeboys” and “homegirls” have both given and received, these ex-gang members who make up the staff of Homeboy Industries. Just hearing these stories is enough to make you laugh, cry, and have hope for the world, and the recognition of redemption for any human being, even the most damaged…even yourself, in my case.
In his talk and stories, you begin to understand his own tender heart, and his deep theology rooted in the unconditional love and acceptance by God. In fact, my experience is you recognize in these stories your own complete acceptance the exact way you are, with all your flaws and limitations and mistakes and wounds, and realize these are only a small part of the beauty and elegance and grace and goodness of each one of us.
I have been personally aware of feeing more tender in my own being, and toward the world, something that feels more like a possibility of a lived-way of live rather than fleeting moments of vulnerability. In fact, I’ve begun to trust in living more open-heartedly, and to redefine being “vulnerable,” not as being weak, but as being fully alive, present, open, and also firm and confident and courageous. I trust this is growing. I’m thinking as I age, what have I really got to lose with engaging the world with my full presence?
“You want,” says Father G., “to find the things that even death is afraid of.” One of those, as he subtitles his new book is “the power of extravagant tenderness.”
As the early father of the church, Irenaeus said, even death is afraid of “the human being fully alive.” Perhaps that’s why death could not end the full human life that was in Jesus.
Father Boyle’s April 23 event is “The Power of Radical Kinship.” Register here. |
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Older Adult Council
From member Jennifer Short
Hello to the Older Adult members of First Community. I hope this newsletter finds you looking forward to a new year. I say a ‘new year’ not because it is January, but because after receiving my Covid vaccine things are going to feel very ‘new’ again. Going out to eat with friends—new! Going to a movie with family--new! I have a fresh appreciation for those everyday events that connect me with family, friends and the community. Over time I won’t remember most of these everyday events in great detail, but each event is a link in a chain that leads to connection. In my past 10 years as a member, First Community has been an integral part of making those connections. I’ve had the pleasure of serving on Mission Council, participating in service projects with Guild A, serving on Older Adult Council, and last year, leading the Women’s Guild “We Love You” luncheon. Now that we are moving past this challenging year, I am looking forward to attending many more of those “everyday events” that will lead to making more connections with the members of First Community.
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Congregational Care Council Update
From Robin Hood
The CCC is busy with preparations for the Burkhart Luncheon. Last year would have marked the 79 th Annual Burkhart Luncheon, but in the midst of the pandemic we had to cancel. So, this year will be the 79 th Annual Burkhart Luncheon with a twist - we will be offering a virtual program. This luncheon has always been for our Sweethearts (65+ years young), but anyone can join us online on May 1 at 11 am to watch the program at FCchurch.com or on Facebook. There will be a special message from Dr. Glen Miles and music from Sally Beske, featuring Noelle and Gloria Griffith singing In a Bulb There is a Flower, accompanied on piano by their mother Abbey Jo Griffith. Audrey Swad will also sing Let It Grow from the film The Lorax, edited and arranged by Sally Beske.
We want to thank our sponsors who will be delivering Brunch Boxes and goodie bags, along with the traditional rose to our Sweethearts (those who RSVP'd) on the day of the event. Our sponsors this year providing Brunch Boxes are Brookdale Trillium Crossing, Dublin Retirement Village, First Community Village, Forum at Knightsbridge, Wesley Glen, and Westminster-Thurber. Our sponsors providing roses include Heartland Home Health and Hospice, Clear Captions, and Capital Health.
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The History of Heritage Sunday
By Jackie Cherry, Church Historian
When Nancy Heath assumed the newly created post of Director of Older Persons Ministry in February 1973, plans were already underway to honor the 156 members of First Community Church who had joined in 1932 or earlier. The church staff had agreed that it was important to demonstrate to our members of long standing that they were valued as individuals as well as for their contribution to the life of our congregation throughout their many years of membership.
Plans for the special recognition of forty-year members during the 11 am worship service were outlined in that week’s edition of First Community News. The handbell choir from First Community Village was scheduled to play the prelude, Dr. Arthur Sanders, Director of Pastoral Services, was responsible for the congregational prayers and long time member Peggy Andrus would deliver the opening prayer. Peggy’s recollections of the role the church had played in her life since her first day in Sunday School as a third grader were to be published in the next three Issues of the church paper. A reception in Brownlee Hall was to follow the service.
In 1974, Heritage Sunday was moved to November and ever since it has been observed annually on the last Sunday before Thanksgiving, except for 2020 when churches weren't holding in-person worship services. Responsibility for Heritage Sunday arrangements used to rest solely in the hands of the Older Persons Ministry, but in recent years the Older Adult Council has shared in planning for this special occasion. Initially, Nancy Heath reserved the parking lot solely for our special guests and even arranged for Deacons to provide rides to the church for anyone without transportation. Invitations are mailed to everyone who has been a member for forty or more years. Some older people come to church for this occasion who may not attend any other Sunday of the year, but this is an opportunity to visit with old friends. For a long time now the list of 40 year members has included more than 500 names, an amazing number in today’s mobile society and a testament to the importance of First Community Church in the lives of our members. Photos, scrapbooks and other memorabilia are displayed in the library or Brownlee Hall. A lovely reception is hosted by the Older Adult Council while photos supplied by our honored members flow in a constant stream on the TV monitors. This is truly a special day in the life of our congregation.
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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.
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COVID Resources: Information on what to do after receiving the vaccine and places to register
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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.
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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.
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Weekly Bible Study: Contact Rev. Jim Long. Meets Wednesday evenings at 7 pm (will not meet April 14 or 21). Beginning May 5 will meet in person in North Room 101.
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Recipe of the Month
Below is another great recipe from Debbi Wood. She says, "This is a wonderful recipe when we have grandchildren overnight. It is simple and since it is made the night before, it's easy in the morning and a real hit! BUT, I have served this with fresh fruit as a light dessert for luncheons. It is different and my friends have loved it. Again, having it done the night before makes it stress free."
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Creme Brulee French Toast
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 6 (1 inch thick) slices French bread (from a wide 1-pound loaf)
- 5 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
Directions
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking dish and arrange bread slices over it in a single layer. Whisk together eggs and remaining ingredients. Pour over bread and chill covered, overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring dish to room temperature. Bake, uncovered, until puffed and lightly browned, 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired.
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ElderWisdom
April book selection:
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Thursday, April 29, 1 pm
Zoom Meeting
Are you looking for a 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 April 29 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.
A sneak peek of this month’s book: “In the small village of Edgecombe St. Mary in the English countryside lives Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson’s wondrous debut... But then his brother’s death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and regarding her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?” -amazon.com
Click here to get your copy or to read more about the book. |
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HEART TO HEART’S POP-UP PANTRY |
With food insecurity continuing to grow in Central Ohio during the widespread pandemic, Heart to Heart expanded its mission last year by reaching out to serve clients and their families directly in their local communities while continuing to provide its current drive-through service.
Known as the Pop-Up Pantry, food distribution sites were established working in partnership with local community agencies, such as supportive housing and other community-based organizations. Food from our pantry is bagged and delivered to an agency’s site location for distribution to clients and their families.
The Pop-Up Pantry currently operates once a week with a small team of volunteers. We are currently planning to add new sites and additional volunteers. Our work is done primarily outside and follows current COVID 19 guidelines, including social distancing, face covering and hand hygiene, to ensure a safe environment.
Through the Pop-Up Pantry, Heart to Heart continues to further the mission of First Community in serving others as God calls us to do and in meeting the needs of our local community during a time of a serious pandemic and increased food insecurity.
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One Final Thought
Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation
Week Eleven: An Expanding Love
God's Love is Evolutionary
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Ilia Delio, a Franciscan sister and scientist, and a friend, reflects on love as the heart of the universe.
To see the universe through the eyes of love helps us make sense of evolution, not as a process of cold, blind chance or randomness, but one of passion, yearning, novelty, union, gift, suffering, death, and new life. Love is the faithful heart of the cosmos, the constancy of all life; yet love seeks to become more being-in-love and hence is the energy of change. . . . The name “God” points to this mystery of love in its unlimited depth, the center of all that is; love that overflows onto new life. God is not a super-natural Being hovering above earth, but the supra-personal whole, the Omega, who exists in all and through all (RR-emphasis mine). God is love—eternal, divine, overflowing, personal love. Love goes out to another for the sake of the other and manifests itself in relationship. Divine love is personally relational—Trinity: Lover, Beloved, and the Breath of Love. Divine Love, breathed forth into Word incarnate, marks the history of evolution. . . . Every star, every galaxy, every leaf and bird breathed forth in Divine Love, reveals the Christ who is the personal unity of divine being-in-love. From all eternity, God has sought to love another, to be love in another, and to be loved by the other forever—this other is the Christ who is the aim and purpose of this evolutionary universe.
. . . Evolution is not only the universe coming to be, but it is God who is coming to be. Divine Love, poured into space-time, rises in consciousness and erupts in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, becoming the pledge of our future in the risen Christ: “I am with you always until the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). We can read the history of our 13.7-billion-year-old universe as the rising up of Divine Love incarnate, which bursts forth in the person of Jesus, who reveals love’s urge toward wholeness through reconciliation, mercy, peace and forgiveness. Jesus is the love of God incarnate, the wholemaker who shows the way of evolution toward unity in love. . . . In Jesus, God comes to us from the future to be our future. . . .
Christian life is a commitment to love, to give birth to God in one’s own life and to become midwives of divinity in this evolving cosmos. We are to be wholemakers of love in a world of change (RR emphasis).
This is why I (Richard) say we need to switch our thinking from “Jesus came to fulfill us” to “we have come to fulfill Christ.” We are a part of this ever-growing cosmic Christ that is coming to be in this one great big act of giving birth described in Romans 8:22. [1]
[1] Richard Rohr, Christ, Cosmology & Consciousness, (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2010), MP3 download.
Ilia Delio, “Love at the Heart of the Universe,” “The Perennial Tradition,” Oneing, vol. 1, no. 1 (Center for Action and Contemplation: 2013): 21‒22 . No longer in print. See the Center for Christogenesis for more on Ilia Delio, https://christogenesis.org.
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Interested in Membership? |
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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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If you would like to make a gift to First Community, you can click the buttons below to make your pledge or to give. |
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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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First Community | FCchurch.com |
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