Revised Children and Youth Safety Policies and Procedures for Volunteers

"But Jesus called the children to him and said,
'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them,
for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.'" - Luke 18:16

As a faith community, First Presbyterian Church is committed to providing a safe and secure place where all children, youth and adults are nurtured and protected as they explore and grow in their faith in God. Nurture and protection thrive in a supportive community of acceptance, openness and trust. Abuse and harassment are contrary to Christian community. Therefore, First Presbyterian Church will maintain policies and procedures that will direct the reporting, investigation and intervention for issues of child abuse, harassment and sexual harassment. The Session will review these procedures annually to see that policies correspond to changes in both the civil law and the congregational organization.
(from the By-Laws of the Congregation/Corporation - First Presbyterian Church Of Petaluma)

The Session approved a revised policy and procedures for volunteers who work with children and youth that took effect Jan. 1. A new revision was passed in February. If you have already been background-checked, there is no need to be checked again. However, we have added policies for those who drive children and youth to church-sponsored events. In addition, two new applications take the place of the previous application. One application is for adults who will be working with children and youth. The second application is for minors (under age 18) who will be working with children. We are very grateful to Suzana Weltken and the Child Safety Committee, which has been working throughout 2007 on these revisions.

Please read the new policies and do your part in making our campus a safe place for children and youth to grow in their faith. They are available in the church office and online on our Forms Page.
 

Ash Wednesday Service

Ash Wednesday Service – Feb. 6, 7:00 PM at FPCP with the Choir

Some people only celebrate the happy times in Jesus' life: Palm Sunday, Easter Sunday, and Christmas. As true friends, we should also watch and pray with Him on Maundy Thursday, stand by Him at the cross on Good Friday, and retreat with Him into the wilderness during Lent. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. Lent originated in the very earliest days of the Church as a preparatory time for Easter, when the faithful rededicated themselves and when converts were instructed in the faith and prepared for baptism. By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus' withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days.

Alpha is coming

Alpha .....starting January 8th!
What is it? Alpha is a basic course in Christianity where the meaning of life will be explored is a relaxed, somewhat social setting. Questions like: Who is Jesus? Why did he die? How should I pray and read the bible? Who is the Holy Spirit? How can I resist evil? Does God heal today? Etc. will be discussed in an open, interactive way.
Each meeting will begin with a buffet dinner, followed by live music, speaker or video, and facilitated small group discussions.
Who's it for? Alpha is primarily designed to help seekers to learn about Christianity but it is also for Christians who want to brush up on the basics. FPC regulars are welcome!
Alpha is a key element of our plans to grow our church. The SUCCESS OF ALPHA DEPENDS ON YOU and your willingness and ability to invite friends, family, co-workers and neighbors to attend Alpha. We have a variety of ideas and materials that can help you. Please contact David Coe (dcoe@att.net) for information.

Learn more at www.alphapetaluma.org

A Memorial service for Len Fautley will be held Sun., Dec. 23, 1:00 PM at the church. A reception will follow in Koinonia Hall.

ONE Worship Service, Jan. 6, 10:00 AM, with Moishe Rosen, founder of Jews for Jesus. We will also have Communion and ordain and install our New Officers.
Congregational Meeting – Jan. 6, 11:30 AM, to vote on Louanne Heath to serve an additional one-year term as Deacon, the Pastor's salary, and to receive the Annual Report and budget for 2008.

Jews for Jesus Founder to Speak at First Presbyterian Church
Moishe Rosen, founder and first executive director of the Jews for Jesus evangelistic agency, will be the speaker at First Presbyterian Church of Petaluma, during our worship services, January 6, 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM.

Rosen, was raised in Denver, Colorado, where he, his parents and his brother attended an Orthodox synagogue. When they were both twenty-one, he and his wife Ceil (who is also Jewish) each came to a personal relationship with God through Y'shua. Four years later, in 1957, he was ordained to the ministry through Trinity Baptist Church, Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

Jews for Jesus has permanent branches in eight North American cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Toronto, New York City, Washington D.C. and Fort Lauderdale) as well as over 127 volunteer chapters spanning some 41 states and five countries. The group's international branches are headquartered in Johannesburg, London, Paris, Odessa, Moscow, Essen, Rio de Janeiro, Kharkov, Dnepopretrovsk, and Tel Aviv.

The organization is best known for its creative methods and materials. In the late sixties, Rosen developed a form of evangelistic literature called "broadsides." Broadsides are pamphlets that often use humorous illustrations and eye-catching themes to make a statement about Jesus as the Jewish Messiah. They also use music and drama in a Jewish style with a Christian message to make their point: that being Jewish and believing in Jesus go hand in hand. Says Rosen, "As Jews, we've found it necessary to express our faith in Y'shua (Hebrew for Jesus) in ways that are natural to us as Jews. Our message is no different than that of the rest of evangelical Christianity; it's just that it reflects our culture and heritage as Jews. We write our own songs and drama with the hope that our fellow Jews will want to know why and how we can be Christians and yet maintain our Jewish identity."

Rosen is frequently asked to serve as a consultant in methods and materials for Jewish evangelism. He is considered by leading missiologists to be the key strategist and tactician in his field. He was a special consultant to the Lausanne Committee on World Evangelization's study group on reaching Jewish people, which met in Pattaya, Thailand. He has also served as consultant with many denominational evangelism boards. He has served several terms on the Board of Trustees of Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. His expertise in creative communications is evident in several books he has authored, many of which are required texts in Bible colleges and seminaries. They include: Jews For Jesus, Sayings of Chairman Moishe, Share The New Life With A Jew, Christ In The Passover and Y'shua-The Jewish Way To Say Jesus, Demystifying Personal Evangelism, Overture to Armageddon, and The Universe Is Broken: Who On Earth Can Fix It. He has authored numerous articles as well, published in major evangelical publications such as Christianity Today and Moody Monthly.

Pastor Dave Weidlich extends an invitation to all in the Petaluma community to come and hear Dr. Rosen.

FPC Hosting a Tent

First Presbyterian Church of Petaluma is hosting a tent, through
Tents of Hope Petaluma, Dec. 1-16. The tent, an international symbol
of hope and shelter for many, will be incorporated into our worship
services. Our youth groups and classes will be raising funds for
relief work and painting messages of hope to the people of Darfur.
There will be opportunities to learn more about the greatest
humanitarian crisis of our time and what we can do to stop the
genocide. This is the tent that will go to the Mary Isaak Center and
then to churches, schools and other organizations throughout
Petaluma. Next year, the tent will be taken to Sacramento and, later,
to Washington, DC, to join with hundreds (or thousands) of community
tents on the Capitol Mall.
Tents of Hope Petaluma now has an email list so you can stay
up-to-date with upcoming events. Go to the website to sign up:

www.tentsofhopepetaluma.org

Benefit Concert for Hope Counseling

Wings of Glory
Concert for Hope!
Saturday, October 20 at 7pm
in the FPC sanctuary
Joyful music of Black Gospel in a
fundraiser for Hope Counseling

Job Posting: Program Director at Westminster Woods

Westminster Woods is announcing the search for a permanent Program Director for our summer ministry. This is a full-time, year-round, salaried position with a compensation package including salary, benefits, and housing.

Ideally, we are seeking a candidate who:

• Possesses a passionate and articulate faith in Jesus Christ
• Develops spiritual leadership in youth and young adults
• Desires to share a love for nature, God's created world
• Has a Reformed theological background
• Has taken some graduate level courses in theology and ministry

We hope to have this position filled by February 1, 2008. For the job description, click here.
( http://www.westminsterwoods.org/ProgramDirectorJobDescription.htm)

Resumes or PIFs may be sent to:

Sheila Denton
Westminster Woods
6510 Bohemian Highway
Occidental, CA 95465

or sheila@westminsterwoods.org

The Rev. Wendy Komori Stager, our interim Program Director, will continue to serve and to assist with our transition for the foreseeable future.

We ask that you share this announcement with others, and we ask for your prayers as we embark on this process.

God's Grace and Peace,

Sheila Denton
Director of Ministries
 

Upcoming Events

You are invited to a Congregational Dinner and Meeting. Oct. 21, 5:30 PM.
We will begin with a dinner, (sponsored by Congregational Care Commission – look elsewhere for what you can bring). Next we will have our annual meeting to elect new officers for the coming year. Following that, we will have a Forum where you can hear what is being planned for Capital Improvements and progress on the Bridge to the Future campaign and Happy Day Presbyterian School.

Sermons in October:
Oct. 7 – Communion. "When You Are Too Anxious To Pray," Peacemaking Offering.
Oct. 14 – "The Shock and Awe of Peace and Hope" An introduction to Tents of Hope.
Oct. 21 – "The State of the Church: 2007"
Oct. 28 – "A Vision for First Presbyterian Church of Petaluma"
Nov. 4 – Communion, "Stewardship Commitment Sunday.

Announcing: FPCP's LEADERSHIP HUDDLE - OCT 27

First Presbyterian Church of Petaluma
LEADERSHIP HUDDLE
Saturday, October 27, 2007
8:00 AM - 1:30 PM – in the Fireside Room (and outlying rooms)
 
An annual time for orientation and training for
New Elders & Deacons (Come to all)
Continuing Elders & Deacons (please join us at 10 am for Part 2)
Church and School Staff
Ministry Coordinators
Commission & Committee Members
 
What is Planned:
Part 1 – 8:00 AM
Breakfast Together
Worship and Prayer
A Crash Course on Presbyterian Beliefs and Polity - Who decides, How we decide, How we get things done
Skills: The Art of Building & Growing a Team
Q & A
 
Part 2 – 10:00 AM
FPCP's Mission and Vision, Goal-setting
Our 10% Goals & Strategies
Update on Bridge to the Future - Fundraising, Building
Overview of Sexual Misconduct Policy & Procedures
Q & A
Teams Meet Together
Lunch
Closing Worship & Communion Service
 
If you are a leader in our church – in any capacity – you are invited and urged to come. For more information, call Pastor Dave.

Exploration Class

Do you want to know what it means to be a Christian?
Do you wonder what the Presbyterians are all about?
Are you thinking about becoming a member of FPC?

If you answered "Yes," to any of the preceding questions…
Come Be an Explorer!

Sunday afternoons
Sept. 23-Oct. 21
4:00 PM – 5:45 PM, Fireside Room
 
EXPLORATION CLASS provides an opportunity for adults and youth (senior high school and up) to explore your faith, meet new friends and consider a commitment to continue your faith journey as a member of First Presbyterian Church.
Benefits:
·         Get to know new people in a deeper way.
·         Explore what you believe about God in a safe environment.
·         Explore what it means to be a Christian.
·         Explore who Presbyterians are.
·         Explore the Past, Present and Future of First Presbyterian Church.
·         Explore how you can make your best contribution to make a difference in your church and community.
 
The next Exploration Class will meet
Sundays, Sept. 23 – Oct. 21 in the Fireside Room.
There is no cost for the class. Please let us know you're coming. Call the church - 762-8269 or email Dave@petalumafirst.com. Contact Pastor Dave Weidlich for more information. Let us know if you will need childcare.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy Anniversary! FPCP was 124 Years Old on July 22!