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October 2008 Pastoral Letter

 
Dear Members and Friends of First Church,

This Fall greeting comes to you from your church home in Florida. I pray that this message finds you well and enjoying the fall season wherever you are. Many of you are beginning to notice the changing of leaves and the dropping of temperatures. Here in Bonita Springs we are also noticing the seasonal variations, though much differently from most parts of the US … daytime temperatures are "plunging" into the mid-80's (from the low 90's the past four months), and we are counting down the days to the end of the rainy season and the start of the long dry season.

Our life at First Church has continued to experience the Lord's blessings. The first phase of our renovation project is nearly complete with the transformation of the former Youth Room into a two-room Nursery and Daycare area. This will allow us to move all of our weekday and Sunday children's programming into the Preschool wing. We will have a special dedication of the new facilities in worship on October 12, with tours of the rooms and an opportunity for the congregation to talk with our Preschool and Children's Ministry staffs. This has the added benefit of opening up the classrooms adjacent to McClure Hall for adult meeting space. The next stages of our renovation work, to begin this month, are the enlarging of our library into a new BookCenter, and the enhancement of our Thrift Shop.

If you are among those fortunate ones who will be returning to Florida in the fall (October or early November), let me highlight a few things that may be of interest to you. Our Sunday morning adult classes include an excellent 6-part video series by author John Ortberg (a Presbyterian pastor in California), based on his book, When the Game Is Over, It All Goes Back in the Box. This book was the 2008 "summer reading challenge" selection and is a powerful and insightful look into God's principles for successful living. The DVD was just released; we will watch 20-minute segments and discuss them on Sunday mornings in the Chapel, 8:45-9:45 a.m. At the same time, and as another option, Pastors Paul and Steven will be co-teaching a class in the Great Room on Genesis: The Book of Beginnings.

Also this fall we will resume our Wednesday evening program, The Pastor's Study, for adults. Beginning October 15 we will gather in McClure Hall weekly for an interesting program or presentation at 6:30 that I will lead, followed by a delicious dessert. Of special interest to any of you who have been Presbyterians for awhile is the Panel Discussion we will host on Wednesday, November 12. Guests will include two of our members (Bob Howard and Lee Gery) who serve on the board of the Presbyterian Lay Committee (publisher of the church newspaper The Presbyterian Layman).

Those of you who are early risers might like to try our new Sunday morning early-bird worship service, which we are calling First Light. It will be held in the sanctuary each Sunday beginning October 26 at 8:00 a.m. The service will last about 40-45 minutes, and will consist of some music and the same scripture reading and message that will be presented at the 10:00 service. This is a casual "come as you are" time of worship, with coffee and refreshments to follow in McClure Hall. If you like to get started early on Sundays, or you have something to do later in the morning, you are welcome to worship at First Light.

It has certainly been a confusing and unpredictable year on the national scene. Who could have foreseen the unprecedented developments in presidential politics or in the Wall Street financial system? Christians everywhere are motivated to pray for our nation in these times of change and flux. That beloved hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness, has never been more relevant: "Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not; as Thou has been Thou forever wilt be."

Until I see you face-to-face, I would love to keep in touch with you by electronic technology. If there are any prayer requests for yourself, your family or someone you love, please feel free to reply to this message or call the church office. Be sure to visit the other pages of this website to keep connected to First Church. You can access recent messages (in print or audio forms) as well as read up on the latest programs and news.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Doug Pratt