Paul Crosson
Area of Service: Chancel Choir
I had the privilege of being a Minister of Music for 48 years. After retiring in January 2014, my wife and I chose to split our time between Cincinnati and Florida and began attending First Church. When Sandi Patty gave her concert here, we were invited to sing in the backup choir, and it was a wonderful experience. Then one day when Jeff Faux was at our New Horizons Band rehearsal, he looked at me and said, “Your chair [in the choir] is still empty.” I took that as an invitation to be a regular member of the Chancel Choir.
I try to be committed to everything in which I am involved, so just as I did when I was working, I take my music home and practice it. I mark my music to alert me to problem spots, unfamiliar or unusual texts, dynamics, or any other issues; I want to be as prepared as possible before we start group rehearsals. I appreciate how Director of Sacred Arts Jeff Faux emphasizes the meaning of each text and the fact that we are always singing for our Lord Jesus Christ.
John & Sally Myers,
Areas of Service: First Thrift Shop, Ushering, Communion Prep
Serving as volunteers is our way of honoring God, who has loved and blessed us so greatly. We believe that service is a form of worship. Scripture tells us that we are to love our neighbors, not just to help those we serve but to set an example for others to follow, as Jesus did. There are many avenues for volunteer involvement at First Church; one we have chosen is First Thrift. This enables us to spend time with Christian friends, interact with our community, and witness to those we serve.
One of the greatest impacts on our faith and our motivation to serve came from our Great Banquet weekend experiences. We learned much about what it means to be a true disciple of Christ. We learned that each of us has different gifts and can use them as God directs, but we don’t have to worry about accomplishing monumental tasks. “Not all of us can do great things, but all of us can do small things with great love.” This quote is often attributed to Mother Teresa.
Dianne Wilkins
Areas of Service: Bulletin Crew, Mailings
Being a part of the Bulletin Crew at First Church is one of the great joys of my life. My husband and I had tried various Bible study groups looking for a place to fit in that felt right. The Bible studies were large groups and we were not finding the connection we needed. We tried summer potlucks and preparedness talks and came to the forums and the concerts.
Eventually it occurred to us that preparing bulletins might be a fun activity to try. Collating the worship bulletins is a one-hour task on Friday mornings. The Communications team prints the Sunday bulletins and, with the help of the facilities team, has everything set up and ready to go when we arrive. On any given week we are joined by eight to 16 others. The group of people we have met there regularly volunteer at First Church and we have found ourselves blending right in.
As time passed and people missed a Friday or two, we started checking in on each other. The group has grown close; we pray together and laugh together. It is the perfect place for me to serve.
