Eric Jacobsen, Senior Pastor, FPC Tacoma

Here is some additional information you might find useful:

Location? The retreat is at FPC’s own Camp McCullough, 20665 SE 264th St., Covington, Washington 98042; 425-432-9470.

Allergies? If you have food allergies please call by Feb. 1st so we can make accommodations. Call Carol Heath 253-537-7980.

Transportation? If you need transportation, we will make a bus or van available but you must reserve a seat in advance. In an attempt to make the retreat accessible to everyone, we will make arrangements for transportation departing from and returning to the church parking lot. Friday: Depart at 5:15pm, return at 9:30pm. Saturday: Depart at 8:30am, return at 7:00pm. To make a reservation for a seat please call Carol Heath 253-537-7980 no later than Wednesday Feb 1, 2012.

What time should I be there? Retreat starts on Friday evening. Dinner will be at 6:30pm. Arrive anytime after 4:00pm. Saturday dinner will be at 5:30pm and the retreat will conclude after dinner.

What to bring? Sleeping bag or twin bed sheets and blankets, Pillow, toiletries, towel , Bible, pen, notebook, flashlights are handy. Your favorite movie snack to share.

Where will I sleep? Cabins sleep 10 in a room on cozy, fun, bunk beds. Every cabin room has its own bathroom. There are some rooms in the main building that are a little more comfortable that we would like to reserve for our… women who need to be a little more comfortable. If you call Carol Heath before Feb 1, she will try to make everybody happy and assign friends together otherwise you will sign for a space when you arrive. Some cabins will be designated for women who want quiet.

What if I don’t want to spend the night? That’s OK. Camp is only about 30 minutes from Tacoma. You can leave Friday evening after our main activities are over at 9:00pm, drive home and return in time for 8:30am breakfast. If you need transportation call Carol Heath.

FPC Women’s Ministries: Purposely connecting women to God, each other, and the community.

The Art of Marriage: Starts Sunday, Jan. 8
Sundays from Jan 8-Feb. 19 @ 9:50 am (South Chapel)
Strengthen your marriage skills in this interactive video class featuring experts, ordinary couples, mini-dramas, and practical strategies for dealing positively with stress, disagreements, changing feelings, and your need to leave a living legacy. Cost is $35 for the workbook. Childcare and Sunday School for infants through high schoolers provided during each session. For more information, contact coordinator Carolyn Havel at 253-272-3286, ext. 110 or chavel@fpctacoma.com. Meets in South Chapel.

Letters to Churches of Revelation: Starts  Sunday, Jan. 8
Sundays from Jan 8-Feb. 19 @ 9:50 am, Middleton Parlor
In the book of Revelation, Jesus sent special messages of encouragement and challenge to seven churches in Asia Minor. Although communicated nearly 2,000 years ago, these messages hold powerful lessons for our church today about love, truth, integrity, and how to discern God’s will for ourselves and for our congregation. Join John and Sonja West as they lead this in this in-depth and interactive Bible Study of a fascinating section of the Bible. Meets in Middleton Parlor.

Plus… join us for the special “Drive thru History” screening on Wednesday, Jan. 18th @ 7:00 pm as we tour (via video) the sites of three of the churches mentioned in Revelation 1-3: Sardis, Smyrna, and Laodicea. You won’t want to miss this entertaining and insightful look into a part of the New Testament that remains strikingly relevant for us today.

Wednesday Nights, Starting Jan. 11 @ 6:00 pm
On Wednesday nights, join us for a family- style buffet dinner at 6:00 pm (only $6 per person or $18 per family!) followed by kids’ activities, adult education classes, chancel choir practice, and youth handbell choir.

Annual Congregational Meeting, Jan. 11th
Join us as we approve the terms of call for our pastors, celebrate what God has been doing through FPC during the past year, and previewing what will be happening in 2012. Meets in Stone Hall at 7:00 pm.

Financial Peace U: Preview Class on Jan. 13
Take control of your greatest wealth building tool: your income. Learn the lessons millions of people are using to dump debt, build wealth, and live the life of their dreams through this 13-week course featuring personal money management expert and national radio talk show host Dave Ramsey, author of the bestselling books Financial Peace and The Total Money Makeover. Come to the free preview class on Friday, Jan. 13. For more info., contact Charles Wilcox, cnbwilcox@comcast.net. Class starts on Jan. 27

Silent Prayer Retreat
Saturday, Jan. 14 @ 9:00 am-Noon
Do you know what God wants you to accomplish in 2012? Have you thought about your priorities for the coming year? Have you talked to God about them? Join us for a silent prayer retreat as you seek God’s will for your life in the coming year. The retreat ends with a light lunch. For more info., contact Prayer Ministry Coordinator Betty McCartney at bettyrgmc@comcast.net.

Men’s Breakfast
Saturday, Jan. 14, 8:30 am

Women’s Ministries
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and More
Our active women’s ministry includes weekly Bible studies for women on Tuesday nights and Wednesday mornings, an active MOPs (Mothers of Preschoolers) group on two Thursdays a month, a women’s retreat on Feb. 3-4, and a mother-daughter tea in May. For more information about our programs for women, contact Pastor Becci Curtis at 253-272-3286, ext. 131 or bcurtis@fpctacoma.com.

Advent Devotional  
Free Books Starting Nov. 27
Connect with God this Christmas by committing to set aside a few minutes each day to read, reflect, and pray. To help out, we are offering each family a free copy of the wonderful devotional, The Journey: A Season of Reflections. Get your copy of this book at the church library in Stone Hall on Sunday mornings as long as supplies last.

Family Advent Breakfast
Saturday, Dec. 3 @ 10:00 am-Noon
Start your Christmas season with our annual Family Advent Breakfast on Dec. 3 in Stone Hall. Features a hot breakfast, carol singing, and the making of a family advent wreath (and other crafts for kids). $5 per person or $20 per family at the door; or $12 per family if bought by Dec. 1st in the church or school office. For more info., call Carolyn Havel at 253-272-3286, ext. 120.

Witness to Jesus  
Sundays @ 8:28 & 11:00 am and Christmas Eve @ 7:00 pm
Pastors Eric and Becci will be presenting a special Advent sermon series on how each gospel supplies a unique witness to Jesus: Mark—Jesus as servant (Nov. 27); Luke—Jesus as the perfect human (Dec. 4);  Matthew—Jesus as expected King (Dec. 18); John—Jesus as the Son of God (Dec. 24). Don’t miss this fresh exploration of the character and mission of the Savior whose birth we are celebrating this season.

The Journey
Sundays, Dec. 4, 11, 18 @ 9:50 am
Travel with best-selling author Adam Hamilton as he leads us from Nazareth to Bethlehem in this fascinating new book and DVD series about the birth of Jesus.  Filmed on location in the Holy Land, the series draws on historical information, archaeological findings, and personal reflections to illuminate what happened, and more importantly, to show what it all means for your life right now. You are invited to follow in the footsteps of Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds in order to gain insight into your own journey with Christ this holiday season. If Christmas feels stale this year, you definitely need to attend this special series of videos, fellowship, and discussions. You won’t view Christmas in the same way again! (South Chapel)

Dickens Festival
Saturday, Dec. 10 @ 11:00 am-5:00 pm
Come to the Stadium District and FPC on Dec. 10 for a full day of family fun featuring roving entertainers, stage performances, horse-drawn carriage rides, and more at the 7th annual Dickens holiday festival. Featured performers this year include the Pike Place Juggler, the Fabulous Filucies, Mr. Mario’s Secret Circus, the Stadium High School Jazz Band, the Tacoma Revels, the Jason Lee Middle School Strings, Kaimiola’s Polynesian Dance, and Clay Martin’s Puppet Theater. For the full schedule, visit here.

Christmas Pageant
Sunday, Dec. 11 @ 11:00 am
Experience the first Christmas thru the eyes of children in our traditional annual Christmas pageant, featuring carols, bells, and the story of the birth of Jesus. (Note: There will be no 8:28 am service on this day.) (Sanctuary)

Dickens Carolers Family Celebration
Sunday, Dec. 18 @ 9:50 am
Join us the Sunday before Christmas for a special video filmed in Bethlehem, a craft project for kids, and a concert presented by the wonderful Dickens’ Carolers, who will be dressed up in full Victorian costume. After their concert at 9:50 am, the Carolers will also sing at the 11:00 am worship service. (South Chapel)

Senior Friendship Luncheon
Monday, Dec. 19 @ 11:45 am
FPC members and friends 55+ are invited to our annual Senior Friendship Lunch on Dec. 19, a time for great food and great fellowship.

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
Saturday, Dec. 24 @ 7:00 pm
Celebrate the birth of Jesus at our traditional candlelight Festival of Lessons and Carols service on Christmas Eve (patterned after the famous service at King’s College, Cambridge University). Starts with bells playing carols from our Tower, and features dramatic readings, chancel choir, bell choir, pipe organ, instrumentalists, hundreds of candles, and a special message by Pastor Eric. A Tacoma area tradition. (Sanctuary)

Christmas Morning Celebration Service
Sunday, Dec. 25 @ 10:30 am
Celebrate the true meaning of Christmas on Christmas morning, with carols, prayers, and a special message by Pastor Eric about the “good news of great joy” described in Luke 2:8-14.  (Sanctuary)

Have questions or need more information? Call the church office at 253-272-3286. We would love to be able to help you.

At our meeting on Oct. 11th, the Session of First Presbyterian unanimously voted to request the Presbytery of Olympia to form an Administrative Commission that will help determine the future of our church. The purpose of this commission would be to negotiate the specific terms that would ensue if we were to disaffiliate from the Presbyterian Church USA. Once those terms are agreed upon, the congregation will be asked to vote on whether to accept those terms and be officially dismissed to another Reformed body.

The Session vote this past week is not the last step in this process, but it represents a significant moment in determining the future of First Pres. and it was not taken lightly. As you may recall, this process began back in May when the Elders of eight churches in our Presbytery gathered for a joint meeting to discuss the implications a significant theological drift in our denomination as evidenced by recent changes in ordination standards.

At this meeting, our Elders decided it was time to call a Congregational Gathering in June to find out how the members of the church were feeling about these issues. At this meeting, about 180 members and friends gathered and many people shared their thoughts on these important matters. Everyone who spoke was in favor of First Pres. formally beginning a process of discernment to determine whether we should pursue disaffiliation with the Presbyterian Church USA. Based on this gathering, the Session decided to enter into the discernment process at this time.

With help from our Presbytery, we entered into a formal discernment process that lasted from June until October. During this time, we encouraged prayer and reflection on pertinent Biblical passages. We sought theological and historical considerations that would best inform our decision. And we identified some of the most compelling arguments on both sides of the issue.

Additionally, we researched some of options if we were to go to another denomination. If we decide to disaffiliate from the Presbyterian Church (USA), we must be dismissed to another Reformed denomination. Right now, we have two good prospects. One is the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, which has been in existence since 1981. And the other is a New Reformed Body that is being formed by a coalition of Presbyterian churches that are in a similar situation as First Pres. This body will be officially formed in mid January 2012. You can read more about these options on our website.

We encouraged members and friends to read all the materials and discuss them with one another. And then in September, we hosted a series of four Congregational Gatherings to draw those conversations together. At the fourth Congregational Gathering we held an advisory vote and almost 90% of the 169 people in attendance voted in favor of moving forward in the disaffiliation process. About 5% voted against and 5% were undecided.

As the elders worked through the pros and cons of disaffiliation, one of the greatest concerns was for maintaining unity within the congregation. Because of this, we were pleased to discover that there was such a clear mandate from the congregation. There is nothing easy about making a change of this magnitude and we move forward with heavy hearts. However, at the same time we are excited to see the leadership of the church and the congregation come together to make a clear decision about our future.

As I have mentioned many times in the past, one of the greatest challenges facing First Pres is not how to go back to some golden era in our past, but how to move forward responsibly and faithfully to be the church God is calling us to be for the 21st century. This decision is not only about making a choice among two options, it also represents our willingness to take some ownership over the future that God has in store for us.

As I mention above, this is a significant step, but there are still a number of steps that we will need to make before we make our final decision. We will make every attempt to share with you the pertinent information as it becomes available. But there may be some stretches of time when we don’t have anything new to report. Please be patient with this process, but also don’t hesitate to let us know if you have questions or new thoughts you have as this process moves forward. And please continue to keep First Pres in your prayers in the coming months.

I am so excited about what God has been doing and will continue to do at First Pres. I feel so privileged to have been called to serve in this church and am especially glad to be surrounded by so many faithful co-workers in the Lord.

Blessings,

Pastor Jacobsen