TABLE OF CONTENTS
Deepening our Discipleship 1
Letter from Charles ............. 2
Day School News .................. 3
Youth Fellowship ................. 4
Service Committee Report .. 5
Mellow Mushroom .............. 5
Pool Party ............................. 5
VBS ........................................ 6
Redbirds Game ..................... 7
Committee Meetings ............ 7
Session Report ...................... 8
Acolyte Schedule .................. 8
Birthdays .............................. 8
Rev. Rebecca Luter
Deepening our Discipleship
I recently read an article about scientific research on awe. Defined as "a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder," awe is a feeling that is inspired rather than caused. Jordan Rosenfeld, the author of the article in New York Magazine, says awe is that experience when "you temporarily blur at the edges, feeling a connection to something greater than yourself....In 2003, researchers Jonathan Haidt and Dacher Keltner published a landmark study on the social and emotional functions of awe, reporting that it appeared to increase people's feelings of connectedness and willingness to help others."
What inspires feelings of awe in you? For many of us, awe is our response to the magnificent beauty of the natural world: the clear water pouring over the edge of Niagara Falls, the bright colors of layers of rock adjacent to dark shadows as the sun's rays play across the Grand Canyon, the power and expanse of the ocean as tidal waves crash on the beach, the mid-afternoon hoot of a nearby owl, the agility and speed of chasing squirrels, the trust of an infant drifting to sleep on your shoulder... What inspires feelings of awe in you?
Scientists are learning that experiences of awe alleviate the feeling of being rushed in our lives. People who experience awe are less impatient and feel that they have more available time. Groups who experience awe are more cohesive, cooperate better, and are more effective.
Why not seek to be awe-inspired? Keep an "awe journal" and write down one awe-inspiring moment each day. Or challenge your family to be awe-inspired and share your feelings of awe around the table at mealtime.
(Continued on page 2)
June 2016
Farmington Presbyterian Day School says thank you to Ed Patterson for 17 years of dedicated service
to the church and school. Ed retired from FPDS at the end of May.
W hen I began my "God Ordained Sabbatical"
back in January, I had no idea what was in
store. What was in store was a silent lesson
of God's amazing grace. There are not words, and this is
very rare for someone who talks all the time, to express
my humble thanks for all of the cards, the calls, the
visits, the continual meals, and the fervent prayers that
have been bestowed on me.
Now there are stories. One cannot stay seven weeks in
rehab and not have stories, but I will save those for
private conversations.
Also, to all involved in making my house a safer place
by adding new steps at the back door, I say thank you.
They are now called The Farmington Steps, and (you
know me) a plaque has been ordered.
Over and over again I have said to friends that I don't
understand what people do who do not have a church
family like mine at Farmington. May they somehow
experience a showing of the grace of God that does pass
all understanding.
Know that my heart is grateful, always.
-Charles Billings
Letter from Charles Billings
Dear Friends in Christ,
German cosmonaut Sigmund Jahn said this of the awe-inspiring view of earth from space:
"Before I flew I was already aware how small and vulnerable our planet is; but only when I saw it from space, in all its ineffable beauty and fragility, did I realize that humankind's most urgent task is to cherish and preserve it for future generations."
As you prepare for summer parties, keep the earth in mind.
Your waste will outlive you—plastic can take up to 600 years to break down in a landfill, and Styrofoam never breaks down. When planning parties and events, keep the environment in mind by using reusable dinnerware. Start small with reusable utensils, since they can be easily collected and washed, supplemented with recycled-content paper and/or biocompostable dinnerware: www.worldcentric.org .
Eco-tip provided by GreenFaith: www.greenfaith.org
End of the School Year
Day School News
F armington Families,
What a great school year we have had! A
special thanks to all the parents from the
FPDS staff. We greatly appreciate all of the
support and kindness that you have shown. We
would also like to thank our staff for an
incredible year of teaching, leading, and guiding
the children of FPDS.
Ryan and his Sports Team, the Missouri State Razorbacks. On the black top, Ryan teaches good sportsmanship.
FPDS congratulates our staff members graduating from the University of Memphis! Cortney Mills, Bachler of Art in Art History and Kelsey Whitaker, Bachler of Science in Exercise Science.
T he Fellowship Hall was covered in artwork and
the building reverberated with the sounds of
singing children at the Farmington Day School
Music and Art Show, May 23-24. But you may not be
aware that the art lining the hallway was a product of
Susan Ossario’s devotion to the children and the arts.
With the help of other teachers and staff, and supplies
furnished by Susan herself, children worked together
to create beautiful collaborative works to accompany
their individual pieces for the Art show.
Farmington Youth Fellowship (FYF)
A s crowds gathered on the shore, Jesus
stepped into a boat and asked his future
disciples to row out a ways. The people
stood on the shore and listened as he taught
about the Kingdom of Heaven. Suddenly, Jesus
turned to the men in the boat and said for them
to cast out the nets.
“Beg your pardon, Rabbi.” they must have said,
“We have not caught anything all day. You teach
well enough, but a fisherman you are not. Fish
do not like a noisy crowd and lots of yelling from
a boat. But, we will dirty our nets, waste our
time, and embarrass ourselves in front of this
group of onlookers, if you say so.”
The next moment, the disciples are participating
in a miracle they will not forget. The people on
the shore stood listening to the commotion but
only saw fishermen, being successful fishermen.
Next month, Elizabeth Demaree, Cydnee Young,
Camille Young, Madison Lewis, Michael Wann,
and Joanna Andrews will be heading to the
mountains of North Carolina for Montreat Youth
Conference. There, alongside hundreds of other
Presbyterian churches from around the United
States, we will hear from dynamic speakers,
participate in challenging conversations, and
witness God’s miracles and wonders. We invite
you to stand on the shore and listen in.
We are offering “shares” in this retreat. For $10
you can stand on the banks and hear what God is
doing while the youth experience the amazing
and miraculously unexpected work of God in
their lives. Each day on the retreat, I will be
writing an update to the parents and “share-
holders” about the day’s events. But the
witnesses have a roll to play as well. The youth
will be writing a post card to all those that helped
get them in the boat.
Be a part of this Retreat by purchasing your
share from the youth or in the church office.
Thanks for supporting and encouraging this
generation of young disciples.
Youth Will Try To Escape On June 8
The youth of Farmington will try to escape at a
new time, June 8 at 7:45pm. We will gather to
eat at Las Delicious at 6:15pm. The address is
5707 Quince Road. Space is limited so sign up
ASAP. Youth age 12 and up are invited and
admission is $13. We will have dinner afterward
at Las Delicious. If you would like to attend,
contact Doug Barr at [email protected].
Museum Heist
A new museum
exhibition is in town
showcasing a multi-
million dollar Faberge
Egg and you're planning
to steal it. You and your
group are sneaking in
after hours. You will
have to get the codes, solve the puzzles from the
art gallery, and not to mention having to
navigate through a laser trap to get to your prize.
Your task is to get to the egg and get the code to
escape the room in 60 minutes. Be careful, it
won't be easy!
The Luters are hosting their summer pool parties again!
Bring an appetizer or dessert, camp chairs, your family,
and invite friends. Burgers and hot dogs will be grilled at
noon.
*Kids need suits, towels, goggles, etc...
Great acts of service
Service Committee Report
We are an active, vibrant, and service-driven
church to the Germantown and Memphis
communities. The Service Committee would like
to share its year-end report, demonstrating our
efforts to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and
shelter the homeless in 2015-16.
Room in the Inn hosted 168 homeless guests
over the cold months of winter. Members
laundered bedsheets, served meals, stayed
over night, and transported our guests from
downtown on 12 separate nights.
62 children, youth, and adults packed 10,000
meals in one hour through Stop Hunger Now.
Our mission team installed 4 cisterns in
Xpujil, Mexico as part of the Clean Water Task
Force of the Presbytery of the Mid-South.
Through Fayette County Food Bank,
Samaritans Purse, and our Undie Sundays we
collected 1366 items.
A whopping $10,550 was collected for efforts
like Stop Hunger Now, the Mexico Cistern
Mission, Room in the Inn, Soup Kitchen, and
more.
The full report can be viewed from our website.
www.farmingtonpres.org/wp-content/
uploads/2016/05/SERVICE-COMMITTEE-END-OF-
YEAR-REPORT.pdf
D ine in at the Mellow Mushroom on
Forest Hill Irene and a percentage of
your food bill will come back to
Farmington for our Cistern Mission in Mexico.
This year’s trip is June 28th-July 5th.
Gives back!Gives back! June 6th
on Forest Hill Irene
Summer Swim
June 18, 11am—3pm
Upcoming Events
Vacation Bible School
June 13—17 from 9am—12pm.
W hen you arrive for church on June 12,
you may want to wear your flip flops
and swim trunks. We are converting
the church into a hot sunny beach for this year’s
Vacation Bible School. We have 120 children of all
ages registered for Vacation Bible School and they
will be deciending on the building June 13—17.
Each day, kids will rotate through stations of
crafts, music, science, recreation, bible story, and
snack. Each station has a lesson connected with
the story for that day. We are going to do
separate rotations for preschool and elementary
this year. It is going to be an exciting week so
please be in prayer for the volunteers and
students as we take part in Surf Shack VBS: Catch
the Wave of God’s Amazing Love.
Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser
The Service Committee will host a spaghetti supper during VBS on Thursday
night, June 16 at 6:00 p.m. for the purpose of raising funds for the Mexico
Cistern Ministry. Come enjoy a delicious meal and give what you can to the
Mexico Mission Trip.
T his year we have ordered our VBS shirst
from Agape North. For every three VBS
T-shirts we sell, Agape North will
purchase a school uniform for a local school!
Not only do students and volunteers get an
incredible shirt they can wear all summer long,
but they also provide for the needs of a student
next school year. If you would like a VBS t-
shirt for you or your child, visit the shirt shack
outside the sanctuary during the week of
Vacation Bible School.
Worship
12:30 pm Sunday, June 5
Christian Education
12:30 pm Sunday, June 5
Administration
6:00 pm Tuesday, June 7
Congregational Care
10:00 am Tuesday, June 7
Property and Grounds
7:30 am Friday, June 10
Service
6:30 pm Monday, June 11
Session
6:00 pm Monday, June 13
This year, with the help of Farmington Day School
families, we have collected 911 items for the food pantry.
Well done! Thank you all for helping feed those in need.
Throughout the month of June we will be collecting cans
of Tuna Fish for the Feed Fayette Food Pantry. Donation
bags are located in the hallway at either end of the
building.
Sunday School is at 9:30 am and
Worship is at 11:00 am. Join us!
Children gather in the Sanctuary with music and then
proceed to their classroom (A6)
Youth gather in the youth room at 10 am for The Story:
Finding yourself in the narrative of the Bible.
Adults choose between Hosea in the Interpretation Bible
Study in the East Room and a study of John Ortberg’s
Faith and Doubt in the room closest to the West door.
FPC Men will meet on June 10 to continue their study of key
sermons by Billy Graham. Join them at 6:30am in the Youth
Room. Coffee and McDonalds breakfast are available.
Men’s Prayer Breakfast
Friday, June 10 @ 6:30am
Feed Fayette Food Pantry
The Farmington Family is invited to attend the
Redbirds game against the Colorado Springs Sky Sox
June 11 at 6:35pm. We will take our seats behind
3rd base under the awning. Tickets are $16 and
include a Hot Dog and Soda. To get this special rate
and to sit with the Farmington group, please order
tickets no later than
Memphis Red Birds Game
Saturday, June 11 @ 6:30pm
Committee Meetings
Farmington Presbyterian Church and Day School 8245 Farmington Blvd. Germantown, TN 38139
www.Farmingtonpres.org
If you have content for the June edition of New Vision, please email Doug Barr no later than June 27
Acolyte Schedule
June 5 Jack Ritchey
June 12 Lorelei Phillips
June 19 Ethan Simpson
June 26 Elizabeth Luter
July 3 Olivia Mittag
Session Members
Administration – Kirsten King
Christian Education – Laurinda Ingram
Clerk – Melanie Oest
Congregational Care – John Hazen
Fellowship – Mary Shelley Ritchey
Property and Grounds – Jerry Hosier
School Board – Susan Bryant
Service – Bonnie Blair
Worship – Sandy Wann
Staff Extensions
Rev. Rebecca Luter, Pastor, Ext. 23
Doug Barr, Director of Christian Education, Ext. 29
Cyndi Bevington, Administrative Assistant, Ext. 21
Rhonda Pearsall, Bookkeeper, Ext. 22
Jenny Howell, Executive Director of Day School, Ext. 28
Linda Turner, Managing Director of Day School, Ext. 24
Gretchen Burch, Program Director of Day School, Ext. 32
Anthony Jones, Maintenance Technician
If your birthday is not listed, please contact
the church office to be added. We would
like to celebrate with you.
June Birthdays
Session Report
We welcome into the Farmington Family Bert and Susan Phillips
by Reaffirmation of Faith and their daughter Lorelei. Lorelei will
be a 4th grader at Farmington Elementary in the fall.
A Congregational Meeting was held on May 29th to hear the
report of the Elder Nominating Committee. Charlie Smithers was
elected to serve a one-year term in the Class of 2017. Susan
Bryant, Kirsten King, and Lance Palmer were elected to the Class
of 2019. Alicia Hoggan was elected as a parent representative to
the Farmington Day School Board in the Class of 2019.
6 Anthony Jones
6 Susan Ossario
10 Nathan Williams
12 Walker Ward
12 Mary Collins
13 Vesta Andrews
13 Kathy Doelling
14 Sandy Wann
18 Dawn Dia
21 Leah Douglas
22 Brandon Wann
23 Jerry Renfrow
23 Lorraine Howarth
24 Jean Wiseman
27 Rhonda Byrne
30 William Ingram
30 Shelley Wann
30 Simone Bourgeois