The Trumpet

Firelands Presbyterian Church

2626 East Harbor Road
Port Clinton, Ohio 43452
419-734-6211
Fax 419-734-5411
www.firelandschurch.org

Rev. Mark Cooper, Pastor

Dave Moore, Clerk of Session
Susan Larcey and Kay McIntosh, Musicians
Darrell Brand, Treasurer
Rachel Johnson,
Preschool Director
Janine Dress,
Administrative Assistant
Mark Owen, Custodian

Table of Contents

November 2016 Volume 33 Issue 11

Community
Thanksgiving
Service
Monday,
November 21
The Port Clinton Ministerial is sponsoring a Community
thanksgiving service at 7:00 PM at St. John Lutheran
Church, corner of Adams and 2nd St. Come and worship
with your neighbors. More details will be in the bulletin
as they come to our attention.

Advent at Firelands begins

Sunday November 27.
Advent Choir
The Advent Singers will hold rehearsals on Thursdays
Nov. 17, Dec. 1, 8 and 15 at 7:30. They will plan to sing
on Sundays Dec. 6, 13 and 20. All singers are welcome
to join us to enjoy the music of the season and to sing
with us on any Sundays you are in town.
We will be preparing for our Advent worship Sundays;
Dec. 4, 11, 18 and Christmas Eve, Saturday December
24th. (Kay will direct, Susan will accompany)

Events & Thank You Notes ..................... 2

Now I lay Me down to sleep ................... 3

Advent Wreath Lighting

Finance and Stewardship ....................... 3

Sally Wahlers will prepare the

wreath to be ready for
November 27, the first Sunday
in Advent. A signup sheet will
be placed in the Narthex for
each of the Sundays in Advent
and Christmas Eve. During
November, friends and families
are welcome to sign up to take
part in this ceremony. Once
again Nila McCollough will
shepherd the families and friends taking part in this
tradition.

Bistro 163 ............................................ 4

Preschool News ..................................... 4
Pastors Page ........................................ 5
Internet Outreach ........................... 6 & 7
Birthdays & Monthly Prayer List .............. 8
Calendar .............................................. 9
Ministry Schedule ................................ 10
Musical Arts 2016-2017 Season ............ 11

Sanctuary Dcor for Advent

We will plan to decorate the Sanctuary for Advent on
Wednesday afternoon November 30. ALL ARE WELCOME
TO ASSIST.

November 2016

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Advent Devotionals
Peace, Hope & Light
This years devotional booklets are written by Dr. Joel
Heck and will feature insights from C. S. Lewis. The daily
quotes, Scripture, reflections and prayers will serve as
faithful fellow travelers accompanying you through
Advent and enriching your Christmas preparations as
you await the Savior who comes with peace, hope and
light.

Donations for the Grau Family

We have been collecting monetary donations for our
neighbors Joyce and Larry Grau, who lost everything
when their house exploded. We have collected over
$300 so far. Donations through our congregations love
offering will then be channeled through first Call for
help. Please continue to pray for their healing and
situation. We are still accepting donations, please make
out checks to Firelands and put Grau family in the
memo line.

No Session Meeting in October

Matthew Ball
Concerts and
Workshop
Matthew Ball, The Motor
City Boogie Woogie Kid,
will be heading in to Port
Clinton Friday November
18, 2016. He will be doing
two programs presented
by Musical Arts Series of
Port Clinton sponsored by
Ottawa County Community
Foundation. Both afternoon
programs are free and
open to the public. He will be playing a program
featuring jazz and blues and boogie woogie at Otterbein
North Shore at 1:30 PM and at The Vineyard on
Catawba at 3:30 PM. on Friday November 18, 2016.
Matthew will also be present a piano workshop for
students interested in playing jazz, blues and boogie
here at Firelands at 1:00 PM on Saturday afternoon,
November 19.

Bistro 163 Community Meal

November 14
Musical Art
Series
Yiddishe Cup
Klezmer Band
November 20,
3:30 PM
Be Klezmerized
by Easter
European folk/jazz
This concert is sponsored by Frederick Agency, Inc.
Following the concert, there will be a reception for the
audience to meet the artists. Tickets are available at the
door for $15 ($12 for Firelands members); students are
admitted free of charge. Season Tickets are available
for $100, and pick-five tickets are available for $65.

BISTRO 163 is hosting a free public dinner on Monday,

November 14, at 1848 E Perry Street in Port Clinton.
Serving hours are from 5:00 - 7:00 PM.
This is a free public dinner, open to all neighbors. Chef

Stacy and our volunteers will be serving up a

delicious meal of beef and noodles. See you there!
Firelands Folk will be providing the musical
entertainment.

Thank you for your cards and

inquires of concern
Thank you for your prayers. My recovery from the
surgery has been miraculous. No one in the medical
field, who has worked with me, can explain the rapid
healing. I know it was your prayers that made the
difference. I am very grateful.
May God bless the Firelands family.
John Vardyan

November 2016

Finance and Stewardship

Please keep Stewardship Sunday November 20th in mind
as we approach this important Sunday in our church life
here at Firelands. This is the Sunday at which time we
will be making our financial stewardship commitment for
our 2017 administrative year.
The Finance and Stewardship Committee has shared
with you our current financial concerns and issues
necessary to re-establish a strong fiduciary
responsibility position for our church. We have a strong
history of providing an exceptional amount and quality
of community concern and mission actions.
With Gods continued blessing and our continued
commitment we shall be able to continue to
demonstrate our deep commitment to the community
and to our mission efforts. As you would want, our
finance committee has the responsibility of seeing that
we have strong financial support for our Firelands
Mission right here at home.
Stewardship Sunday November 20th is our date to
reposition ourselves and prepare to be a Mission Leader
here at Firelands and continue to be a Leader in the
Community Mission.
Pledges will allow Firelands to exist! Please turn yours
on November 20th!

Page 3

you to everyone who has supported this mission by their

donations of time and money and to our "delivery
teams": Marilyn and Bill Umlauf, Kay and John
McIntosh, Sally and Dave Wahlers, Shirley and Ed
Carlson, Karen and John Vardyan, and 4 teams from St.
Johns Lutheran Church. We are grateful to all and we
need your continued help.
We have been blessed to have the involvement of other
churches, civic organizations and small businesses in the
community and have also received individual donations
from members and friends of Firelands Presbyterian
Church. Thank you to all.
During the present calendar year, we received donations
of approximately $13,000, including a grant of $4,000
from Portage Resale Center, and $3,000 from the
Firelands Church Mission budget. We have spent
approximately $12,700 so far this year. We see the
need to be ongoing and have requested a grant once
again from Portage Resale Center.
Please continue to help.

Donate, using a "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep"

envelope, available on the opportunity table.
Cost for one set of bedding is $45.00. Cost for a
complete bed, including bedding, is $200. Give
a bed in Memory or in Honor of a loved one.

Donate, by placing loose change or bills in the

"Mini-Beds" found on tables in our fellowship
hall. Money from our Mini-Beds definitely adds
up. We have been able to purchase one
complete bed set, so far, from our Mini-Bed
collection.

Volunteer to help with delivering a bed and

bedding to a family.

God Bless, Bill Sharp, Chair

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep 100 beds

Last year in the November Trumpet we reported that 20
beds had been provided to children in our community
since Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep was reinstated as a
mission of Firelands Church in the summer of 2015. We
can now tell you that by the end of this month we will
have delivered 100 beds to the children who have been
identified to us by United Way. These 100 beds have
been distributed among families in the local area and
have gone to children from the ages of 2-17, living in all
kinds of circumstances; to children living in large
families, living with single parents, living with
grandparents and others providing homes for them.
This mission project is supported by Firelands Church in
partnership with the Portage Resale Center, who
provides the new bed storage and their truck and driver
for bed delivery to the families. Our other important
partners are St. Johns Lutheran Church, A Case for
Smiles, who provide a handmade pillowcase for each
child and A Fine Print Book Store, who give a book bag
and two wonderful childrens books to each child. Thank

The path of life is often filled with unforeseen obstacles.

While all families face challenges, some find themselves
struggling with circumstances beyond their control. We
are helping to show God's love through the Now I Lay

November 2016

Me Down to Sleep church mission in our community.

Page 4

November 2016

Page 5

Bistro 163 is
booming.
We had expected a fall off
in business after Labor
Day, or certainly in
October, and that has NOT
been the case. The third
week of October we had
our highest daily average
of customers yet - 54 per
day. And on Tuesday, October 25, we set a new daily
record - 76 patrons fed in 3 hours!
Chef Stacy has produced a new fall/winter menu with
several new seasonal items, and a second "soup du
jour" offering each day, including
apple/chicken/vegetable Mulligatawny, with just a touch
of curry. We are seeing food insecure persons on a
regular basis now, and several are routinely
volunteering or actually working for the Bistro on an
hourly basis. We are building relationships with the food
insecure, and with our social service agency partners.
The after school program on Wednesdays attracts 12-16
children, and several of our volunteers for this are
retired school teachers.
With the advent of cooler weather, the fireplace is now
lit, which just makes a cozy space even more
welcoming. There are days when it seems that
everyone dining in the bistro knows everyone else who
is dining in the bistro, such a sense of community!
More volunteers are always needed, whether you can
volunteer one day a week or one day a month!
Volunteers are also needed to help with the snack and
study program on Wednesdays. Please call the Bistro
at 419.734.9887, or send an email message to
volunteer@bistro163.org, if you would like to give some
time serving your community at Bistro 163.

Preschool News
October has been a fun and exciting month in preschool!
We learned about Fire Safety, Spiders and Bats,
Pumpkins, and Halloween! During Fire Safety we had a
special visit from the Port Clinton Fire Department. They
taught us what to do in case of an emergency and we
got to "play" on a fire truck. We also spent a whole
week reading and learning about Spiders and Bats! The
kids loved singing the song "Spider on the Floor" and
pointing to different body parts while the spider
"crawled" on us! Pumpkins were a theme this month.
We learned the life cycle of pumpkins, pounded golf tees
into a pumpkin, and cut a pumpkin open to feel the
inside. The faces the kids made while scooping out the

guts were pretty funny! During Halloween week we had

fun with witches, ghosts, skeletons, jack-o-lanterns, and
Frankenstein! We ended the month with a Halloween
Party!! The kids dressed up, went trick-or- treating
around the church, played games, and had delicious
treats!! Thank you to everyone that came to help out
and sent in treats for the party!
I think the best part of the month
was our field trip to Jason's
Pumpkin Patch in Oak Harbor.
During our visit we went on a hay
ride and we got to see and learn
about pumpkins, cows, turkeys,
ponies, donkeys, pigs, goats,
bunnies, and chickens. The kiddos
had a great time running and
playing together in the kids zone!
We can't wait to go back next
year!!
Thank you to Banjo Bob for
sharing your musical talents with
us. The kids loved listening to and
dancing to the Banjo!
Our Little Caesars Pizza Fundraiser was a huge success!!
We reached our goal of selling 100 kits as a class...and
made almost $600!! We will be having our PJs, Pizza
and Movie Party on Monday November 21st!! Thank you
to all who supports and sold pizzas!!
Rachel Johnson
Firelands Preschool Program Director and Teacher

November 2016

Page 6

Internet Outreach
The Firelands Presbyterian Church Facebook page has had a busy six weeks since the last report at our church annual
meeting on October 2nd. Entries reaching the highest number of people include:

Yoga and Potluck Lunch 70 people

Sunday School New Hours 68 people

Preschool Pizza Kits 110 people

Musical Arts Series Steve & Lisa Ball 96 people

Darrell Brand & Port Clinton Lighthouse 125 people

Steven Keizer Presbyterian Foundation 131 people

Our Firelands Presbyterian Church web site, www.firelandschurch.org, has been consulted by 102 people during the
month of September. 74% of viewers were looking at our web site for the first time, and an average of 2.46 pages
was viewed in each session. Pages most commonly visited include preschool, about us, contact us/newsletter, and
worship/sermons.

POINSETTIA ORDER FORM CHRISTMAS 2016

Name____________________________________________

In Memory of_______________________________________

In Honor of_____________________________________
Please put the number of plants you want in sizes & colors below:

Pot Size

Red White Pink Marble

6 1/2 (5-7 blooms) @ $8.75

7 (8-12 blooms) @ $16.00

*All orders must be placed by Sunday, December 5

**Payment is due at the time of order.
Please make checks payable to: Firelands Presbyterian Church

Total

November 2016

Page 7

Pastors Page

The last few weeks were very busy ones for Jill and me. We flew to Germany, spent a little time there, flew off to
spend a few days in London, then back to Germany, then a couple of weeks driving around Germany. We saw some
beautiful country, especially Bavaria, and marveled at wonderful Medieval towns. We had a GPS, which essentially
made the trip possible, since most of the time I had no idea even what highway I was on. I learned I didnt hate sour
kraut as much as I thought I did. Mostly, though, I learned the truth of the statement, Theres no place like home.
That has to be the biggest joy of traveling. Coming home.
One of the things I was struck by as we barreled down the autobahn was the quaint villages we passed. In those
villages, always the most prominent structure was the church. We visited some of them, and they were always
interesting and beautiful. It was easy to think of all those churches had witnessed over the centuries wars, the
Reformation, Counter-Reformation, social changes of all kinds. Those churches, over all those many years, had been
the center of those communities, and the citizens had poured much labor and treasure into building, maintaining, and
protecting those church buildings. These days, though, they are mostly empty on Sunday mornings, and are
maintained for their historic and artistic value.
Church attendance is in decline in virtually all Western nations. It is hard to find accurate data, but in the United
States estimates range from 22-39%. This compares to other countries claims such as 20% of Canadian Citizens,
15% of French citizens, 10% of UK citizens,[4] 8.8% of Australian citizens and 5.6% of Dutch citizens. While US church
attendance is currently much higher than many other countries, it is dropping rapidly and consistently here as well.
Younger people especially are largely staying away from churches, so perhaps it will not take many years before
church attendance here is in line with what is seen in those other countries. While new churches seem to crop up
pretty regularly, already 4,000 US churches close every year.
That is all very troubling to those of us who care about our faith and the well-being of our churches. We wonder what
we can do to reverse such trends. The answer may very well be, Not much. It is a huge matter, far larger than
something a local church task force could tackle. What we can do, though, is realize that it is Gods church, not our
church. We dont know what God may be up to, what new thing God may be doing. What we can do is continue to live
out our faith as best we can. We can continue to worship and serve, doing our best to share the love and compassion
of Christ. We can continue live hoping to hear the words, Well done, good and faithful servant, and trust the future
to God. It is, honestly, out of our hands. We can, though, live with the trust and confidence that the church has lived
through many changes in the past and it will withstand a few more. We can believe that because The Churchs one
foundation is not societys approval but Jesus Christ our Lord.

Mark

November 2016

Page 8

November
Celebrations
Susan Rogers

Bob and Anne Butcher

16

Sally Wahlers

Jim and Betty Layton

24

Mark Cooper

10

Bob Black

11

Tyler Brand

25

Is your birthday or anniversary missing or

incorrect? Contact the office so we can make
the changes to the list!

Ongoing Prayer Concerns

For those receiving medical treatment or therapy, or undergoing medical tests:
Debbie Ballinger, Jenatha Boose, June Gahris, Harold, Kim Hudson, Craig Kaiser, Arlene Kakareka, Stephen
Kessler, Angjuli Lele, Judy McCollough, John McLaughlin, Ele McLaughlin, Simon Mercurio, Michael, Jordan Moore,
John Rick, Sarah, Sue, Jack Schmidt, Justin Waugh, Ann Wagnitz.
For those facing the infirmities of age:
Carolyn Doane, Tom Gahris, Clara Maag, Shirley Ohles, Jamie Petty, Betty Rodwancy, Bob Rodwancy,
Gordan Wahlers, and Irene Wilson
For those seeking freedom, security, and hope:
Bobby, Justin, Sara, Val, and CASA Families
For those in the service of our country:
SMGT Jeff Bundy, Steven Coffin, FBI; Brant Crandall, USA; Cole Daniel, USCG; Mathew Devries, USAF;
Stu Gliwa, USMC; Aaron Haynes, USA; Andrew Hogue, USA, Ted Livingstine, USMC; Sanju Shinde, USMC;
For those in mission for our Lord:
Our missionaries in the Middle East; Phillip and Elizabeth Prasad in India;

The National Presbyterian Church of Mexico, Berea Presbytery;

The Rev. Hazael Compuzano, Dios es Amor congregation in Mexico City;
The Christian Community of Restoration and Renewal(CCRR) in Maumee Valley Presbytery.
To add or delete someone from this list, please contact Janine Dress in the church office.

November 2016

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November 2016

October

Sun

Mon

Tue

9:15 Sunday
School
10:30 Worship

5:30-7:30
Meditation &
Yoga

10:00 AM
Mission
Committee

12-5 Kessler
Baby Shower

10

11

12

7 Session

10 Bible Study
At Magruder

5:30-7:30
Meditation &
Yoga

18

19

25

26

14

15

16

17

9:15 Sunday
School

4 MAS
Committee

9 Quilting

10 Bible Study
At Magruder

5:30-7:30
Meditation &
Yoga

10:30 Worship

9:15 Sunday
School

10:30 Worship
3:30 MAS
Concert

27
9:15 Sunday
School
10:30 Worship

Sat

13

20

Fri

10 Bible Study
At Magruder

9 Quilting
1:30 Sanctuary
Dcor
Meeting

December

Thu

Wed

12:00 Literary
Guild Lunch

21

22

24

10 Bible Study
At Magruder

7 Community
Thanksgiving
Service at St.
John Lutheran
Church

28

23

29

30

9 Quilting

10 Bible Study
At Magruder
1 PM Decorating
the Church

Notes:

November 2016

Page 10

Dont Forget Your Time to Serve!

Monthly

Ministry
Deacon of the Month
Communion Steward

Names
Merissa Jagucki
Joyce DellaSantina & Sarah Hartley

Nov. 6

Greeter(s)

Wilsons

Reader
Communion Assistant
Servers
Nursery Volunteer
Pianist

Ed Bettendorf
Heather Stouffer
Jim Wagnitz, Bob & Maxine Wilson, Marilyn Umlauf
Janet Gray-Moore
Susan Larcey

Greeter(s)
Reader
Communion Assistant
Servers

Douglass
Nic Stouffer
Ernie McCullough

Nov. 13

Nursery Volunteer
Pianist

Joyce DellaSantina, Joyce Jagucki, Heather Stouffer, Connie Brand

Lily Stouffer
Kay McIntosh

Nov. 20

Greeter(s)
Reader
Communion Assistant
Servers
Nursery Volunteer
Pianist

McCooks
Ernie McCullough
Nila McCullough
Karen Coffin, Dick Coffin, Marsha Bordner, Sally Walter
Merissa Jagucki
Kay McIntosh

Nov. 27

Greeter(s)
Reader

Wahlers
Connie Brand

Communion Assistant
Servers
Nursery Volunteer
Pianist

Joyce Jagucki
Dave & Sally Wahlers, Bob & Maxine Wilson
Nila McCullough
Susan Larcey

November 2016

Page 11

The Musical Art Series / Port Clinton, OH

2016 2017 Season
Sunday, October 9, 2016
3:30 PM

Sunday, November 20, 2016

3:30 PM

Saturday, December 10, 2016

7:30 PM

STEVE & LISA BALL

Exploring music & stories of the American Civil War
Sponsored by Neidecker, Leveck & Crosser

YIDDISHE CUP KLEZMER BAND

Be Klezmerized by Eastern European folk/jazz
Sponsored by Frederick Agency, Inc.

MOSA STRING QUARTET

CLEVELAND INSTITUTE OF MUSIC
We salute talented musicians at this annual concert
Sponsored by Bassetts Market,
Stouffer Family & Catawba Island Club

Sunday, January 15, 2017

3:30 PM
Sunday, March 12, 2017
3:30 PM

Sunday, April 23, 2017

3:30 PM

GAVIN GEORGE PIANO

12 year-old Ohio native performs to international acclaim

AUSTRALIAN CLASSICAL GUITAR

Dynamic Duo from Down Under
Sponsored by Dubberts Outdrive Service,
1812 Food & Spirits
Otterbein North Shore

EARL E. WARNKE MEMORIAL CONCERT

CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA BRASS TRIO
Factory Seconds but second to none
Sponsored by Crown Battery,
Miller Boat Line

Sunday May 7, 2017

3:30 PM

Saturday, June 10, 2017

7:30 PM

CLEVELAND BLUEGRASS ORCHESTRA

The classics go down home
Sponsored by Jet Express,
Arbys
Shumaker Loop & Kendrick and Jack Hilbert

THE HIRED HANDS

Celtic harps, fiddle, concertina & penny whistle
Sponsored by Dr. Jay M. Mann in memory of Margaret N. Mann

All concerts at Firelands Presbyterian Church, 2626 East Harbor Rd., Port Clinton, OH
Tickets $15 at the door; students and children admitted free.
For information or season tickets, call 419-734-6211, go to WWW.MUSICALARTSPORTCLINTON.COM,
or find us on Facebook (The Musical Arts Series/Port Clinton).