The Messenger

A Call to Practice Gratitude

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thes. 5:16-18

As the leaves in Northern Michigan turn their brilliant shades of gold and crimson, we find ourselves in the midst of a particularly tense election season. It’s easy to feel swept away by the waves of rhetoric and division that often accompany such times. Yet, amid the noise that clamors for our attention, there lies a potent antidote: Gratitude

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, the Apostle Paul reminds to “give thanks in all circumstances.” You see, gratitude is more than a fleeting emotion; it’s a spiritual practice that grounds us when we’re feeling unsteady or stressed. Gratitude invites us to pause, breathe, and recognize all the goodness that still exists around us—even when our screens are filled with political ads and debates that feel more like theatrical productions than dialogues. Gratitude helps us focus on the connections we share and the love that binds us, rather than the differences that often threaten to pull us apart.

This season, let’s remember to express thanks for our community’s beauty and diversity. Each of us brings a unique perspective, like a tapestry woven with vibrant threads, each contributing to a richer whole. That is something to be celebrated, not feared—for we are all one in Christ.

In the spirit of this season, as we approach Thanksgiving, let us challenge ourselves to find something to be grateful for each day: a phone call from a friend, the companionship of our dog, a simple meal shared with friends. And together, may we give thanks in all circumstances, remembering and celebrating the incredible gift of grace that we have been offered through Christ. May his light be our guide through the fog of this election season and beyond, reminding us of our chief calling is one of love.

May the peace and grace of Christ be with you all,

Pastor Jaime

To say "we aren't ready" doesn't quite put it into words. Bob has shared his gift of music with our congregation for 54 years! His first Sunday was on September 3rd, 1970 with the Reverend Chandler Benton officiating. We will certainly miss him, but also wish him the greatest of blessings in his retirement. He has committed to stay with with us through December and we are working on finding someone to fill the position. Please join us in expressing our deepest gratitude to Bob for his many years of service. Special events will be planned to honor his contributions as we approach his retirement, and we hope that you will participate in celebrating his remarkable legacy. It's not goodbye...it's see you soon!

It's been a great summer and fall!

Homebound Communion is served on Communion Sunday each month. We visit a few families and our Grandvue residents every Communion Sunday to share the Lord’s supper with them. If you, or someone you know, would like to receive homebound communion, let us know. We are also looking for help to serve communion to our homebound!

We had our Meet and Eat in August, September, and October, with about 20-35 people attending each time. If you haven’t yet been, please consider coming! It is so much fun, and the food is amazing. Dinners are held on the second Monday of every month at 5:30 p.m.

Vacation Bible School was on August 12, 13, and 14th. The program was at the Catholic Church and Community Church. It was a smaller group this year but still lots of fun! If anyone is interested in serving on the planning committee for Vacation Bible School, please let Donna Kline know.

Small group bible study classes are in full swing! Join us on Mondays at 10:30 a.m. or Tuesdays at 6:00 p.m. Hanging of the Greens is December 1st and Advent Happening is December 8th. We always look forward to the annual Christmas Pageant which will be held on December 15th. We are planning a “different” Christmas pageant this year, and would like some volunteers to help plan and execute this event. Whether you are an adult or child, if you are interested in creating a moving and beautiful pageant, please let Stacey know. If you want to call or text, my number is 231-459-6552. I am looking for creators, actors, costume creators, and set builders.

Stacey Chipman

Youth and Family Ministries Director

October

10/14 Meet and Eat

10/14 Monday Bible Study

10/15 Tuesday Evening Bible Study

10/21 Monday Bible Study

10/22 Tuesday Evening Bible Study

10/28 Monday Bible Study

10/29 Tuesday Evening Bible Study

10/31 Halloween! We will be passing out candy from the Education Building! If you would like to donate candy or pass it out, contact Stacey or Brooke Hawley.

November

11/3 Serving homebound communion

11/4 Monday Bible Study

11/5 Tuesday Evening Bible Study

11/11 Meet and Eat

11/11 Monday Bible Study

11/12 Tuesday Evening Bible Study

11/18 Monday Bible Study

11/19 Tuesday Evening Bible Study

December

12/1 Hanging of the Greens Service

12/8 Advent Happening

12/9 Meet and Eat

12/15 Christmas Pageant

12/24 Christmas Eve

12/25 Christmas

Greetings! It’s hard to believe autumn is wrapping up, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are quickly approaching. Hopefully, everyone has enjoyed some autumn blessings. Speaking of autumn blessings, we were delighted to plan a fall family activity after worship in early October. Enjoying our new boardwalk, getting acquainted with the Friends of the Jordan building, and eating delicious treats from Royal Farms was a spectacular day. Thanks to our generous congregation, we donated $2000 in the third quarter to the Ministerial Association through loose change offerings to help support individuals and families in our community with essential needs. This will be especially helpful with cold weather on the way. As we look forward to late fall and early winter, Deacons are once again excited to organize the annual Advent Happenings Sunday in December. Please contact any Deacon or Sarah if you would like to host a craft table for the December 8th Advent Happening. Lunch will be provided so we can create and enjoy a meal together. We are truly blessed and grateful to serve our church family. Thank you!

Brooke Hawley and Liz Nachazel

The beautiful fall leaves will soon disappear and winter snow will be falling before you know it! Our church will be supporting quite a few requests for you to open your heart and your wallet. The Moms and Tots Baby Bottle Campaign, which we held over the summer, collected $936.05. Thank you for your generous contributions! We also collected a lot of school supplies for the East Jordan schools. A note of heartfelt appreciation from the teachers and staff was sent to the church. Our church always is ready to step up and give when asked!

The Operation Christmas Child Shoebox program is ongoing until the November 10 deadline. Pick up your box in the back of the church. Everything you need to get it ready to send is in the box. Just find special little gifts to fill it up. Please bring your filled boxes to the bench in front of the church office. Any questions? Call Susan Kinloch (231-599-2077). Checks for postage should be made out to Operation Christmas Child.

We are supporting the community Thanksgiving baskets by collecting donations to purchase Save A Lot gift cards. The deadline for this local mission project is November 10th. Last year our church gave twenty-six $50 gift cards! Let's do even better this year.

Our church will also be supporting Toys for Tots Christmas gifts, the PCUSA Christmas Joy Special Offering (Christmas Eve), and The One Great Hour of Sharing (Jan.).

Please remember that we have been blessed to be a blessing for others!

Susan Kinloch

Elder, Mission and Outreach

Happy fall from finance and stewardship,

The 2024 stewardship campaign has concluded but there is still time to get a pledge in. If you want to make a commitment to East Jordan First Presbyterian Church you can drop a card to the office, in the box in the back of the church, or email the office. Thank you to everyone who committed during the campaign.

As of the end of September we had total expenses of $150,522 and total income of $153,121. A net operating income of $2,599. The income and expenses are within the budget presented in January. Thank you to everyone for your generous financial support of the church and its operation.

Ralph Kooistra, Treasurer

We had a wonderful time on October 6th visiting with everyone, exploring the new nature trail, celebrating Pastor Jaime's birthday, and enjoying some yummy snacks! Thank you to the Deacons for arranging the event and to Susan Kinloch for organizing the birthday celebration! It was a beautiful day to gather together!

Our Meet & Eat has had lots of helping hands throughout the summer which has been very much appreciated. We would like to thank those who stepped up and prepared a meal for our congregation. Special thanks to Tom Hughes, Kay Hughes, Rhonda Brennen, Laurie Sherman, along with George and Dee Small. If you haven’t joined the fun evenings yet, please think about attending in the future, we meet the second Monday of the month at 5:30 in the church dining room. The friendship and food are always something special. Over the past few months we have enjoyed homemade pasties, delicious barbecue ribs, apple crisp, home made bread, delicious home made cherry, blueberry and mixed berry pies, as well as a full Louisiana feast!

Please remember to mark your calendars for the second Monday of each month so you can attend our "Meet and Eat" event. This is an opportunity to come together as a church family and enjoy each other's company along with a meal. You do not need to bring anything, just yourself and a friend. There is always a sign-up sheet a few weeks prior and we ask if you could please sign up so we know how much food to prepare. If you aren't certain if you can attend and haven't signed up, know that you are always welcome to participate at the last minute. Looking forward to seeing all of you there.

This time of year, you just crave those satisfying hot comfort food meals, don’t you? This recipe is so yummy we can’t wait for leftovers the next day! It makes a large amount, so invite some folks for a wonderful meal if you are alone!

Onion Soup Casserole

6 large onions (as usual, I opt for Vidalia), sliced thinly

2 quarts of beef stock

6 T. of butter

½ tsp dry rosemary

½ cup dry red wine

1 T. Worcestershire

French bread sliced ½ inch toasted (I prefer a baguette)

1 lb. Gruyere cheese, shredded

salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 350.

Melt the butter in a large pot. Add all the onions and fold to coat with the butter.

Season with salt & pepper. On low heat, caramelize the onions, folding them over

and over. They should cook down to a deep golden. You really want to take care to caramelize the onions as it is key to the flavor of this dish.

Add the wine and scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the stock, rosemary, and Worcestershire sauce.

Simmer for 30 minutes.

Fill a 13x9 dish with the soup. Float a layer of the toasted bread on the onion mixture

and top with mounds of the cheese...lots of cheese.

Place in the oven until the cheese is melted and golden.

Use a ladle to spoon up this deliciousness into a deep bowl.

This is really one of our favorites for a chilly day. Even though there is no meat involved, Duane is ok with it as it is so filling and delicious. We recently had the onion soup at Cafe Sante, and he said this is much better! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Enjoy!

Debbie Chappuies

August

• No meeting

September

• Approved Pastor Klinger’s vacation days (September 23-29)
• Approved stipend for Stacey Chipman when she preaches

October

Submitted by Clerk of Session, Nancy Visser

Please pray for:

Zila Healey; Boden Vrondran; Bill Olstrom; Denny Jesiek; Sarah's friend, Aiden; Gary Peters; Ken Visser; Stacey Chipman; Lorna Peebles; Bob and Newana Visser; Cathy Stark Hawley; Donna Kline; Vic Patrick; Lou Thumser; Jeff Cook; Melanie McNitt; Tom Reid; John Doidge (brother of Lorna Peebles); Jeff Olstrom; Leslie (Sally Lilak's friend from Florida); Josh Fizer (Paul and Liz's nephew); Ben Wiklanski (Ken Kline’s nephew); Josh Spears; Stacey Vondra (Bob Bryan's daughter); Rich and Wava Dietrich's sister-in-law, Lynda, who is struggling with Dementia; Artie Jones; Stephanie Saad; Kristine Olstrom; Mary Jason; Bonnie Grover; Ken Kline; Our Nursing Home Residents: Jim and Marie Shepard, Gayle Gotts, Nancy LaCroix.

• It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dear Sally Cyr. Sally passed away on October 23, 2024. She was 87 years old. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sally's family through this time. A celebration of life was held on October 31st at the Charlevoix Yacht Club.
• Our Condolences to Richard Allen and family upon the death of Pat in mid-August. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with Richard. If you would like to watch the service you can click on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_yYBvAGK6u4

• Thank you to all of those that have helped prepare meals for Meet and Eat Dinners: Tom Hughes, Kay Hughes, Rhonda Brennan, Laurie Sherman, George and Dee Small, Brenda K. Malpass, Stacey Chipman, Kathy Frake, and Eileen and Nancy Gordon-Haugman!
• Thank you to our basement transformation helpers: Pat McGinn, Jim Provost, Kathy Frake, Ken Schiemann, Connie Hunter, Nancy Gordon-Hugman, and Ted Jeffery!

Last spring it was discovered that in order to remove the very old carpeting in the nursery, we would need to have the asbestos tile underneath it removed as well because the carpet was glued to the tile. The asbestos abatement process occurred in July. Since then, our former “Nursery” area has been transformed into a beautiful multi-purpose room by some very talented people. Thanks go out to Jim Provost, Kathy Frake, Connie Hunter, Ken Schiemann, Ted Jeffery, Eileen Gordon-Hugman and Pat McGinn. Not only has the nursery area gotten a new paint job but also new flooring! The project spilled out into the hallways and small classrooms which have also gotten new paint and will receive new flooring very soon. If you haven’t had a chance to see how this project has transformed our downstairs area, please take a few minutes to wonder over to that area and take a peek. Thanks to all who have participated in this project, many hands make light work. The funds for this project have come from our Memorial account. We think of those that have been honored with memorial gifts each day...they are in our hearts always.

• Congratulations to Jacky Dunlap and Delaney Little on their Personal Records at the Regional Cross Country Meet. Delaney was also named All-Region! Jacky and Delaney, along with their team, will represent Boyne City at the State Meet on November 2nd! Good Luck Ladies
• Congratulations to Ryder Malpass and the EJ Varsity Football team on their qualification for the playoffs. East Jordan will take on Bark River Harris on Friday, November 1st at HOME. Kick off is at 7pm! Good luck, EJ!
• Congratulations to Ethan and Aaron Nachazel for their great races at Ferris State!
• Congratulations to Mya Pofahl for being named "Scot of the Week" at Alma College. Mya recorded her first shutout of the 2024 season as the women's soccer played to a draw against Saint Mary's. Way to go Mya!
  
• Congratulations to Ryder Malpass and Jacky Dunlap for representing their senior classes on Homecoming Court during East Jordan and Boyne City's Homecomings.
• Congratulations to Bristol Skop and the East Jordan Boys and Girls Cross Country Teams for winning the Cross Country Ski Valley Conference Titles! Way To Go!
• Congratulations to Laken Skop, along with his awesome Coach Paul Nachazel, and the Boys Middle School Cross Country team for winning the Middle School Cross Country Ski Valley Conference Title. The girls also did a great job and placed second!
• Check out the NPR Broadcast that aired in early October that focused on the East Jordan Shoe Club! Bristol Skop was one of the students interviewed! Many of our youth have been involved in the Shoe Club and it has made a tremendous impact on our community! https://www.npr.org/2024/10/10/nx-s1-5110063/middle-school-classroom-in-northern-michigan-displays-the-shoes-of-famous-people

Parents...have something you want to be included in the next newsletter? Email the church office with the information!

It is that time of the year again...and we are looking for helpers for Hanging of the Greens and Christmas Eve service. There are sign ups in the back of the church or you can email the office and let us know that you are interested in helping! Thank you!

We are working on updating our Church Directory. If you have any address, email, or phone changes, please let the church office know as soon as possible! Thanks!

This time of the year, we say "See You Soon" to our members and friends who spend the winters in warmer climates! Have a wonderful winter and we will see you in the Spring!

Operation Christmas Child Shoebox campaign will continue through November 10th. Below is a link to learn more about how you can help. Boxes are available in the back of the church.

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/pack-a-shoe-box/

Did you know that you can build a shoe box online and have it sent? This is another great way to support this mission. You can actually follow your box online!

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/operation-christmas-child/buildonline/

Each October, we begin collecting money to purchase Save A Lot gift cards for those in need in our community. These gift cards are included in Thanksgiving Baskets that the Ministerial Association works to assemble and distribute. Our congregation has always been very generous in their giving, and our community benefits greatly. Look for more information in the fall!

If you currently receive and offering envelope box each year and wish to discontinue, please let Sarah know as soon as possible. Likewise, if you do not receive a box and wish to receive one in January, please let her know. Thank you!

Bible Study is on Monday at 10:30 am and Tuesday at 6:00 pm

November 3rd: Congregational Meeting; All Saints Sunday

November 10th: Thanksgiving gift card money due and Shoeboxes due

November 11th: Deacon's Meeting; Meet and Eat 5:30 pm

November 20th: Session Meeting

November 24th: Stay after worship and help us decorate the church! Thank you!

November 27th: No Yoga

November 28th: Thanksgiving

December 1st: Hanging of the Greens

December 8th: Advent Happening

December 9th: Meet and Eat 5:30 pm

December 15th: Christmas Pageant; Bring a snack or treat to share during fellowship!

December 24th: Christmas Eve Service; 5pm

December 25th: No in-person worship

December 25-January 5th: Church Office closed

January 5th: We need volunteers to help after worship to take down decorations!

January 13th: Meet and Eat; Deacon's Meeting

January 19th: Session Meeting

January 26th: Annual Congregational Meeting

RECURRING MEETINGS/EVENTS:

DEACONS MEETING – Every-other month on Mondays

SESSION MEETING – 3rd Sunday of each month following Worship

DEVOTIONAL YOGA – every Wednesday at 10:00am (Fellowship Hall)

CHOIR - Sundays after worship

LOOSE CHANGE SUNDAY – 3rd Sunday of each month. You can also give this via our online giving options (designate “Deacons”).

YOUTH GROUP: Service Project Each Month

MEET AND EAT: Second Monday of every month! 5:30 pm! Sign up if you can in the Sanctuary hallway or by emailing Stacey Chipman.

BIRTHDAYS IN NOVEMBER

1: Aubrey Skrocki

5: Allyson Camiller

7: Gabby Dunlap

9: Whit Armstrong; Ashlee Mumich

10: Shelly Malpass-Raymond

11: Dan Payne

13: Marie Shepard

16: Mary Kraemer

20: George Small

21: Brady Schroeder, Sarah Malpass

23: Natalie Malpass

29: Kelly McGinn

BIRTHDAYS IN DECEMBER

5: David Stone; Ken Kline

8: Elizabeth Kooistra; Mary Patrick

10: Lou Thumser

12: Dee Small

15: Jon Gandelot

25: Abigail Hawley; Donna Kline; Tad Malpass

27: Brenda L. Malpass

29: Cele Malpass

BIRTHDAYS IN JANUARY

5: Everett Malpass

7: Bob Bryan

8: John Broad; Eric Dunlap

11: Christina Kooistra

13: Linda Snyder; Bryson Spence

15: Ryder Malpass

16: Andrew Malpass

19: Wessley Gotts

20: Ted C. Sherman

27: Connie Hunter; Amber Wilson

28: Mason Malpass; Judy Kuiper

30: Stephanie Buckholz; Lily Snyder

ANNIVERSARIES IN NOVEMBER

3: Denny & Marilyn Jesiek

4: Eric & Karyn Dunlap

24: Bob & Judy Bryan

25: Cal & Gayle Gotts

ANNIVERSARIES IN DECEMBER

3: Stacey Chipman and Kathy Frake

ANNIVERSARIES IN JANUARY

8: Rev.’s Jaime Klinger & Jim Porter

SESSION: Brenda K. Malpass, Patrick McGinn, Toni Jeffery, Susan Kinloch, Jen Wilson, Donna Kline, Ralph Kooistra. Nancy Visser is the Clerk of Session.

DEACONS: Kathy Frake, Dee Hawley, Natalie Malpass, Liz Nachazel, Brooke Hawley, and Anne Olstrom.

The look of the Presbyterian Foundation giving page has changed! It is much easier to navigate than previously! Check it out! It's easy to sign up for online giving to First Presbyterian Church of East Jordan! Either scan the code or click on the following link!

https://secure.myvanco.com/L-ZDWE/home

Email: ejfirstpres@gmail.com
Website: ejpresbyterian.com
Location: 207 Williams Street, East Jordan, MI, USA
Phone: 2315362941
Facebook: facebook.com/ejpresbyterianchurch