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Newsletter of The First Reformed Church of Cary 555 SW Maynard Road

Pastor: Rev. Dr. Charles A. Wiessner (919-469-0678) Mailing Address: P.O.Box 4373 Email Address:

info@caryreformedchurch.org Web Address: http://www.caryreformedchurch.org

Editor: Clair Coddington

As we begin the month of February many members and friends of First Reformed of Cary are beginning their second month into this year of reading the Bible. If you take a look at the calendar on page 4 you will see the various times classes are meeting to discuss the various readings as we move along. As a member and Elder of FRCC, I must confess that although I am familiar with many sections of the Bible, and have memorized various verses, this will be my first time reading the entire Bible and so far, with the help of Pastor Chuck, I am finding it quite interesting. In order to assist with this church-wide reading Sandi Torrent and Nola Boeseman are also leading various groups in discussing the various readings. We are also using “The Year of the Bible” a comprehensive, congregation-wide program of Bible reading by James E. Davison, PhD. In using this book it splits each reading with Old Testament, with the New Testament; the lessons for February include readings from Exodus, Matthew, Acts, Psalms, Leviticus and Numbers. Along with this book everyone is using their personal Bibles. For example the lesson for February 1 is Ex. 15, 16/Ps. 15, 16 and the lesson for February 2 is Ex. 17, 18 Matt.24. If you have not signed up to join in this undertaking, it is still not too late to catch up and I’m sure you will be grateful for the opportunity to accomplish something that you have thought of your entire life and something that will enhance your spiritual life.

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Clair Coddington, Editor

FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK

Normally, February is a time when I write down a few thoughts about Lent. But this year Ash Wednesday (and thus Easter) is later than in decades. Thus, I will share with you Pastor Chuck’s TOP TEN LIST of things we have learned about God so far in reading through the Bible.

1) God is the creator and he shows amazing power, planning, and purpose in creating the world and the universe.

2) God brings life – whether through creation, after Noah, for Abraham and Sara, for Jacob and Rachel.

3) God doesn’t always act according to our human ways of thinking and doing (thank goodness).

4) God is the God of promise and the future, and is faithful in fulfilling these promises and is trustworthy to control the future.

5) God works in and through the events of history; God is in control of nations, leaders, and people.

6) God often chooses to work through humans, even imperfect ones. 7) God’s Word is powerful, bringing into existence that of which it speaks. 8) God hears our cries, God is concerned, and God responds. 9) God brings freedom and salvation. 10) Jesus is and does all of these things; Jesus is God.

THE PASTOR’S HOURS One thing I have learned over the years is that being a pastor is not a 9-5 job. Evenings, Saturdays and Sunday all are part of the job on any given week. I have also learned to write things on my calendar in pencil, because from time to time someone will have a hospitalization or some other urgent need that takes precedence over whatever else is on the calendar. That being said, I thought I’d fill you in on when Nola and I are most likely to be in the office. In the last 1 ½ years I have been trying to regularly stay out of the office on Mondays. I do usually check my church email from the home computer once or twice during the day, and usually check the voice mail at least once. I am also more than happy to talk on my home phone with you 838-8428. Tuesday through Friday I usually get to my desk between 8:30 – 9:00, and unless I have a meeting, an appointment, or a pastoral call will be in the office until close to 5:00. Saturday mornings it is about 50/50 whether I am at church for some activity or at home. I am always open to set a time to get together with one of ya’ll if you give me a call. Otherwise you can just stop by church and takes your chances. Nola’s “office day” is Wednesday. She usually beats me there and stays until about 5:00. She is more than willing to make an appointment to meet with you on another day – although keep in mind that Tuesdays and Thursdays are generally class days for her. Stop by; give us a call; meet us for lunch. We are happy to see you and talk with you!

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NEW MEMBER’S GATHERING If you have been attending First Reformed Church of Cary and have been thinking about becoming an official member, we are having a gathering on February 8. We will meet at 6:15 for desert and an informal opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the church. Pastor Chuck will be leading the discussion. The Consistory will arrive for their monthly meeting at 7:30 and will meet with the group for a few minutes, introduce each other, and deal with the official ecclesiastical paperwork. We plan on having you on the way home by 8:00Please plan on coming to this meeting. If you have any questions, please give Pastor Chuck a call.

REMINDERS FROM PASTOR CHUCK I have discovered one problem with living alone – there is no one to blame when the house gets messy. When I ask the question “Who left that glass in the living room?” the answer is pretty obvious. At the church there is always someone to blame for things getting left out or moved to a new place. We have even witnessed the miracle of the office stapler growing feet and walking away on its own. To keep things reasonably neat, and to have some hope of finding something when you need it, each of us needs to be sure we clean up after ourselves. If we moved some chairs from another room for a meeting, bring them back to where they originated when the meeting is finished. If you borrow the scotch tape or the scissors or the stapler from the church office, if you don’t put it back the next time you need it you won’t find it there, also please return the pen to the sign in book for visitors, it’s really embarrassing when you invite a visitor to sign the book and…no pen!! Spring cleaning time is coming, let’s all make sure to keep the church building looking attractive. ******************************* A few years ago we spent some time working on a program called Natural Church Development (and we may take up that task again in a year or two). One of the key 8 characteristics of a healthy and growing church is “Holistic Small Groups.” This characteristic is described as follows: “Growing churches have developed a system of small groups where individual Christians can find intimate community, practical help and intensive spiritual interaction. These are exactly the elements of the biblical concept of holism. In these groups people do not only discuss Bible texts or listen to interesting explanations by experts, but they apply biblical insights to the everyday issues of the participants.” Are you part of a small group? Should you be?

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Despite being the only male in the Wednesday Mid-Day small group studying Word from Heaven, I find it satisfying, instructive and not too structured. It is wonderful to revisit the Old Testament narratives with the tribal wanderings, multiple wives and many begats. I find it impossible to limit myself to the recommended daily reading and continue way beyond the daily assignment. Matthew is more familiar and the Psalms less so. The discussions (only two up to this writing) are wide ranging, but Nola gently herds us back. The only deficit is on the male side. Please, guys join us! Warren Schmidt

Join  in  this  church  wide  adventure  in  Reading  through  the  Bible  in  the  Year  2011.    (And  if  you  haven’t  started,  it’s  never  too  late  to  begin!)    In  addition  to  the  daily  readings  found  in  the    guide  there  are  several  discussion  group  opportunities.    These    discussion  groups  offer  a  chance  to  share  insights  and  pose  questions    about  what  God’s  Word  means  for  us.    As  we  focus  on  God’s  Word,  let  us  open  our  hearts  to  his  direction  for  each  of  our  lives,  and  for  our  congregation.          

FEBRUARY 2011 DISCUSSION GROUP OPPORTUNITIES

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

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2 @ FRCC w/ Nola Bozeman

12:00 noon

3 4 5

6 Sunday School* 9:30 a.m.

7 8 9 10 @ FRCC w/ Pastor

Chuck 7:00 p.m

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13 Sunday School* 9:30 a.m.

14 15 @ home

w/ Sandi Torrant

7:00 p.m

16 @ FRCC w/ Nola Bozeman 2:00 p.m

17 18 19

20 Sunday School* 9:30 a.m.

21 22 23 24 @ FRCC w/ Pastor

Chuck 7:00 p.m

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27 Sunday

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“Words from Heaven in 2011”

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School* 9:30 a.m.

*Three  opportunities  for  discussion

• High  School  Sunday  School  Class  at  the  end  of  the  education  building  • Adult    Sunday  School  Class  led  by  Melissa  Matson,  in  the  3rd/4th  grade    classroom  • Adult  Sunday  School  Class  led  by  Pastor  Chuck,  in  the  classroom  near  the  library.  This  group  is  

reading  one  week  ahead  of  the  daily  reading  

Sometimes we wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or

"Why did God have to do this to me?" Here is a wonderful explanation!

A daughter is telling her Mother how everything is going wrong, she's failing algebra, her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving

away. Meanwhile, her Mother is baking a cake and

Asks her daughter if she would like a snack, and the daughter says, "Absolutely Mom, I love your cake".

''Here have some cooking oil," her Mother offers. Yuck" says her daughter. "How about a couple raw eggs ?" "Gross, Mom!" ''Would you like some flour then?

Or maybe baking soda?'' "Mom, those are all yucky!" To which the mother replies:

"Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are put together in the

right way, they make a wonderfully delicious cake! God works the same way. Many times we wonder why

He would let us go through such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things

all in His order, they always work for good! We just have to trust Him and, eventually, they will all

make something wonderful!" God is crazy about you.

He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning.

Whenever you want to talk, He'll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe,

and He chose your heart.

Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are

here we might as well dance!

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HAPPY NEW YEAR Dear Friends, One of the most wonderful beliefs we have is that God is always ahead of us beckoning us to move on into the future, ready to try again, looking to make the best of the past and in anticipation that the best is yet to come. Living with the “great recession,” high unemployment, and that great number of people who have given up on church attendance make us question a positive outlook on the health and future of our churches. We must use a good amount of caution not to let the present moments of our lives convince us of anything. With that in mind, I appreciate the advice given by E. Stanley Jones, Many teachers of the world have tried to explain everything – they have changed little or nothing. Jesus explained little and changed everything. He simply calls us to follow him – to live as He lived, to trust the goodness of God, to be kind to others, to forgive the sins of those who sin against us, and to count one’s own desire to be generous a gift of God. As we face the future, let the core of our being be that we are followers of Jesus. The seasons of life come and go – good times and difficult times, sickness and health. In all times we are called to do our best to be known as Christians. Friends, today, as always, Jesus stands in front of us calling us to follow after Him. And, in spite of our logical fears of this spiritual direction, let us not give up hope, but stand firm in believing in the love of God for us and all His creation. It is in answering this call that we find our true strength, our purpose. It is God’s will for us all in this new year and always. Yours faithfully, Jon N. Norton, Executive Minister, RSNY

Encourage One Another

“For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. Romans 12:4-8 “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:11 The following are items that actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced during church service; Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands. Don’t let worry kill you off – let the church help.

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Miss Charlene Mason sang “I will not pass this way again.” Giving obvious pleasure to the congregation. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir, they need all the help they can get. The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon. Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10am. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done. Spiritual gifts are not magical. We are not instantaneously perfected in them the moment we are cleansed in the baptismal waters. It takes time, prayer, and experimentation to even know what our spiritual gifts are in the first place. Once we start discovering them, it takes a lifetime of practicing and nurturing them in order for them to reach maturity. We will most likely stumble a few times along the way. Our brothers and sisters in Christ will see us when we trip up because spiritual gifts cannot be practiced in the privacy of our own homes. Our gifts are meant to edify the Church so that’s where we exercise them – in the Church, with each other. As Christians, we are called not only to use our spiritual gifts, but to encourage and build up one another. I think this encouragement and building up is essential to developing our gifts. Since I’ve been a part of First Reformed Church of Cary, I have witnessed this being done numerous times for members of our church family, by our church family. Kind words spoken. Opportunities given. Open-mindedness to trying out new ideas. Warm hugs. Pleasant smiles. Encouraging words. Patient attitudes. Non-judgmental statements. A gentle sense of humor. I have not only observed others who receive such compassion and encouragement I’ve been on the receiving end of it myself. As I develop my pastoral and leadership gifts, there will be times when I will stumble along the way. The first time I served as a leader in celebrating Communion, I was about half way through the liturgy (which I knew without hesitation just before the service!) when I completely blanked out on the next sentence. As I looked out into the congregation I didn’t see anyone rolling their eyes or giving me a critical look. What I saw, instead, were encouraging smiles that portrayed a “you can do it!” attitude and sympathetic eyes that demonstrated a “we all make mistakes” kind of understanding. I am thankful to be in a church that is so faithful about encouraging and building up one another. If you are unsure about what your spiritual gifts might be, then I hope you will ask trusted friends what gifts they see in you – and then test them out. Or, if you know what your gifts are but have let them get a little rusty from lack of exercise, then I encourage you to give them a workout. And, as the apostle Paul says, “Encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you have been doing”! Nola Boezeman

FELLOWSHP PROGRAMS FOR 2011 February Friday 18th Game Night – Bring a game of your choice and cookies to share March Saturday 12th Mardi Gras Celebration with Pastor Chucks’ Gumbo along with fun sing-a-long

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April Saturday 16th Progressive Dinner May Saturday 14th Mini Golf June Sun 5th or 12th Sunday School Picnic More to follow

A few years ago a group of salesmen went to a regional sales convention in Chicago. They had assured their wives that they would be home in plenty of time for Friday night's dinner. In their rush, with tickets and briefcases, one of these salesmen inadvertently kicked over a table which held a display of apples. Apples flew everywhere. Without stopping or looking back, they all managed to reach the plane in time for their nearly missed boarding ... ALL BUT ONE !!! He paused, took a deep breath, and experienced a twinge of compassion for the girl whose apple stand had been overturned. He told his buddies to go on without him, waved good-bye, told one of them to call his wife when they arrived at their home destination and explain his taking a later flight. Then he returned to the terminal where the apples were all over the terminal floor. He was glad he did. The 16 year old girl was totally blind! She was softly crying, tears running down her cheeks in frustration, and at the same time helplessly groping for her spilled produce as the crowd swirled about her, no one stopping and no one to care for her plight. The salesman knelt on the floor with her, gathered up the apples, put them back on the table and helped organize her display. As he did this, he noticed that many of them had become battered and bruised; these he set aside in another basket. When he had finished, he pulled out his wallet and said to the girl, 'Here, please take this $40 for the damage we did. Are you okay?' She nodded through her tears. He continued on with, 'I hope we didn't spoil your day too badly.' As the salesman started to walk away, the bewildered blind girl called out to him, 'Mister.......' He paused and turned to look back into those blind eyes. She continued, 'Are you Jesus?' He stopped in mid-stride, and he wondered. Then slowly he made his way to catch the later flight with that question burning and bouncing about in his soul: 'Are you Jesus?' Do people mistake you for Jesus? That's our Destiny, is it not? To be so much like

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Jesus that people cannot tell the difference as we live and interact with a world that is blind to His love, life and grace. If we claim to know Him, we should live, walk and act as He would. Knowing Him is more than simply quoting Scripture and going to church. It's actually living the Word as life unfolds day to day. You are the apple of His eye even though we, too, have been bruised by a fall. He stopped what He was doing and picked you and me up on a hill called Calvary and paid in full for our damaged fruit. OFFERING COUNTERS: David Francis FELLOWSHIP: Committee Chairman: Bob Olson We always need volunteers to supply goodies for our Fellowship Time after worship. If you haven’t signed up recently, then PLEASE sign up on the list posted by the entry. USHERS: Nancy Dey Feb. 6 - Ellie Clark, Zandt Johnson, Pete & Barbara Nickel Feb. 13 - Barbara Araromi, Hank Barnes, Nancy Dey, Liz White Feb. 20 - Carole Angrilla, John Ferris, Warren & Audrey Schmidt Feb. 27 - Matt, Ruth, Doug & Chris Den Dulk GREETERS: Barbara Nickel Feb 6 Kevin and Kelly Joldersma Feb 13 Jacques and Sophia Overdiep Feb 20 Warren and Audrey Schmidt Feb 27 John and Sandi Torrant NURSERY: Melissa Matson Feb 6 - Ed & Melissa Matson Feb 13 - Zandt & Brooke Johnson Feb 20 - Andy & Katherine Hoyt Feb 27 - Nancy Dey & Barbara Nickel

REGULAR MONTHLY MEETINGS The Empty Nester’s Group will be meeting on Tuesday, Feb 1st at O’Charley’s at 6:30PM Meals on Wheels takes place on the 4th Friday of every month 11AM at Resurrection Lutheran. Consistory Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month at 7:30PM at the Church. The Women’s Group will be meeting on Monday, Feb14th at 7PM We are studying Luke this year with a video and related workbook by Dr. James Efird. All women of the church are welcome The Men’s Group meets at 7:00PM on the third Thursday of the month.

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THE DEADLINE FOR PLACING ITEMS IN THE FAMILY TIMES FOR THE MARCH ISSUE WILL BE

FEB. 20TH.

Sunday Feb 6 Worship Service @ 11:00AM Sunday School @ 9:15AM Sermon: Bible Readings & Comments from Exodus, Matthew & Psalms Nursery available during worship Children in Worship Program Fellowship Time follows worship Sunday Feb 13 Worship Service 11:00 AM Sunday School @ 9:15AM Sermon: Bible Readings & Comments from Exodus, Psalms, & Acts Nursery available during worship Children in Worship Program Fellowship Time follows worship Sunday Feb 20 Worship Service 11:00 AM Sunday School @ 9:15AM Sermon: Bible Readings & Comments from Leviticus, Acts, & Psalms Nursery available during worship Children in Worship Program Fellowship Time follows worship Sunday Feb 27 Worship Service @ 11:00AM Sunday School @ 9:15AM Sermon: Bible Readings & Comments from Leviticus, Numbers, Psalms, Acts Nursery available during worship Children in Worship Program Luncheon after Worship

Become a beacon of light

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to those Seeking a ray of hope……