Roots & Wings First Presbyterian Church of Chili

“Rooted in Faith, Growing Together, Caring for the Community”

Our Officers: Session, Board of Deacons, Board of Trustees

Our Committees: Endowment, Finance, Mission Fund, Nominating, Personnel,

Scholarship

Our Season Teams: Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Harvest and Advent/Christmas /Epiphany

Our Music Program: Choir, Glorious Ringers, Chili Worship Team

Mission Support: Cameron Community Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, Open Door Mission, Presbyterian Church special offerings, SWEM, Vision for Camasca, Caring For The Community, and much more.

2020

2020

2020

2020

April 5

Palm Sunday

April 12

Easter Sunday

Communion

OGHS offering

April 18

Spring Cleaning

“Dance For Life” Planned Easter Season Activities

Vital Congregation Adult Study

Continued support of “Keeping Our

Promise– Rochester”

Artisan Works Tour — April 19

Museum of Transportation in Rush in

May

See all the details in this issue of Roots

and Wings!

Watch for e-mails and Facebook posts regarding

possible cancellations of any of the activities that

are listed in this newsletter.

Wooten’s Wonderings

Wow! Things have changed a lot haven’t they? When you receive this, we will have been

without seeing each other for three weeks. When we began the season of Lent with the theme of

Reflecting in the Wilderness, we never imagined that we would be thrust into the wilderness so

deeply and corporately. All of us are in the wilderness.

As we look forward to Easter, we anticipate that this year’s Easter celebration will be different

as well. We may not have in person worship, or big family get togethers; no community Easter

egg hunts or even in person Holy Week services. Yet, while things will look different, the

message of Easter is the same now as it was last year- and every year for that matter- since

Jesus showed his resurrected self to the women on that first Easter morning. This is a message

which no pandemic or situation can take away, lessen or change- that Jesus conquered death to

show us that that no power or trouble on earth can separate us from God’s love.

And because of this, our Easter Season theme (which was created before all this happened

locally) is still so appropriate and maybe even more so. The theme is “The Dance of Life.” We

were inspired by the energy and unexpected joy the women and disciples had when they first

discovered the good news that Jesus was alive. This new joyful energy was the catalyst for their

calling to not sit still but to go forth and proclaim this joyful news to the world in both word

and deed.

Friends, we are Easter people. We are people of the resurrection, people of hope, people of

courage in the face of difficult and anxiety producing circumstances. As we make our transition

this month from the wilderness of Lent to the dance of life and joy, may we hold fast to our true

identity as Easter people.

Stay safe and healthy and may the peace of Christ be with you all!

Vital Congregation Initiative Bible Study Update

In lieu of the in-person Vital Congregation Bible Studies that are mentioned on page

three in the Session summary, we will be setting up a virtual Bible Study using

Zoom, an on-line conference platform. Stay tuned for more information on how to

participate.

Leadership News…..Leadership News…..Leadership News…..Leadership News….. At its meeting on March 10, 2020, Session…

… reflected on a poem, “Reclaiming Wilderness” by Donald Smith. It resonated with our Lent Season theme of “Reflecting in God’s Wilderness” and Jesus’ spending 40 days in the wilderness. We discussed how we often think of a desert or wilderness as being desolate. Yet when we take time to pause, to sit, to observe, we discover things that we may have overlooked. We may discover that the wilderness and desert are teeming with life. The message for us is to make time in our busy world to revisit what we may have ignored and find newness and hope in God’s wilderness.

…VOTED to receive the Treasurer’s report and financial summary for the month ending February 29, 2020.

…made plans for the bi-weekly Bible study exploring the Seven Marks of Vital Congregations. These will be held every other week beginning the week of March 29, 2020. Members of the congregation and church family can sign up to participate. In order to have as wide a participation as possible, each week’s Bible study will be offered on a weekday afternoon (Wednesdays with Geoff Wasmer); a weekday evening (7 PM Thursdays with Tim Engelbrecht and Nancy Huffman); and a weekend option (Saturday AM or Sunday PM with Brian Gerhardt and Barbara Wasmer). …noted that Pastor Brandi has set up the 2020 NY State Sexual Harassment Prevention Training through Armatus. This annual training is required for paid and unpaid employees and is strongly recommended for Deacons, Trustees, and Session members.

…VOTED to approve designating Ann Armstrong’s donation of $1000.00 to the Memorial Fund in memory of her parents Helen and Bill Daugherty; her sister, Judith Tobey; and her husband Robert Armstrong as Option 1: “To have contributions place in the Memorial Fund with no restrictions. In this case the Session would determine both use and time of use.”

…placed activity dates on the Master Calendar

April 18, 2020 -- Church Spring clean-up June 14, 2020 – Church Picnic

…heard an update from Elder Engelbrecht that he has had some community email inquiries regarding the Community Labyrinth project on the church property at 3551Chili Avenue (across the street). He will be reaching out to the Town regarding permits. …noted that Pastor Brandi and Clerk Huffman will be meeting March 17, 2020 with Sandy McCauley, Treasurer and Barb Wasmer, Chair of the Finance Team to work on the revision Finance Team description in Manual of Administrative Operations.

…noted that the Valley Neighborhood group will be meeting on March 19, 2020. Under discussion is holding a Valley Neighborhood Mission project. ...noted that churches in our Presbytery participating in the Vital Congregations Initiative will be hosting a Bible Study Group for their congregations. Here at Chili, we will hold a bi-weekly Bible Study Group beginning with the week of March 29, 2020 and continuing every other week through the week of June 21, 2020. A sign-up sheet is in Fellowship Hall.

Leadership News continued…..Leadership News continued…..Leadership News continued…..Leadership News continued…..

…conducted our Annual Review of Membership Rolls as required by the Book of Order. Clerk Huffman

reviewed the categories of membership (i.e. Active Membership, Other Participants-Active, Other

Participants-Inactive). The Book of Order defines “Active Member” as a person who has made a profession

of faith in Christ, has been baptized, has been received into membership of the church, has voluntarily

submitted to the government of this church, and participates in the church’s work and worship. The church

is assessed and must pay Per Capita on each person listed on the Active Membership roll. (We currently

have 101 Active members.) Several years ago, PC/USA eliminated the category “Inactive Member” and

created a new category called “Other Participants”. The Book of Order defines “Other Participants” as

persons who are (1) not members of, or formally affiliated as a member but participate in the life and

worship of this church and receive its pastoral care and instruction. At Chili Presbyterian we call this group

“Other Participants-Active” and, (2) persons who may have ceased active participation in the life and the

work of this church. Here at Chili Presbyterian, we call this group “Other Participants-Inactive”. We created

this listing from our old “Inactive” membership category listing. We are working to no longer have a list of

“Other Participants-Inactive” since an “inactive” membership in no longer recognized by PC/USA.

… VOTED to add Bob Kraus, Nancy Horton, Steve Leasure, Kathy Leasure, Bob Uthman and Welen

Uthman to the Other Participants- Active Roll.

… VOTED to remove Edith Abel from the Other Participants- Active Roll.

… VOTED to move the following persons from the Active Membership Roll to the Other Participants-

Inactive Roll: Daniel Cuffe (#614), Ryan DePaul (#497), Sterling DePaul (#615), and Daniel Gittens

(#583).

… VOTED to remove Nancy Reynolds and Christopher Trenton from the Other Participants-Inactive

Roll.

Remitted by,

Elder Nancy P. Huffman, Clerk of Session

Church Directory

In April, the 2020 Church directory will be

created and distributed. If you have had an

address or telephone number change,

please contact the office (889-9896 or

fpc3600@gmail.com). Thank you

“Dance For Life” The Easter Season Team, Andy Atwater, Jerry Huffman, Roger Willis, Alice Zah, Fred Zah and Co-Facilitators Sandy McCauley and Nancy Huffman met on March 2nd with Pastor Brandi to study the liturgy for the Season. After reviewing the liturgy, Pastor Brandi led us in a number of activities interpretive of the resurrection. We listened to the song “Beautiful Things” while examining a watercolor entitled “What Does This Mean?”. We watched a video, “O Radiant Light” and examined two scrip-

tures for Easter. The theme of light, beautiful things, joy and life were strong in our discussions. We settled on the Season theme “Dance For Life”.

This is a very unusual year with uncertain times for our nation and our church family. The 2020 Easter Team has plenty in store for you as we explore and live into the theme – “DANCE FOR LIFE” however, the COVID-19 situation may give cause to alter our plans. Here’s what’s planned at the time of this writing.

April 12, 2020

Be sure to be in church to witness a dramatic expression of the energy, beauty, and explosiveness of the resurrection as we as Easter people “Dance for Life”.

In lieu of an Easter Breakfast, there will be an enhanced coffee and fellowship hour following the worship service. Enjoy sweets and savories prepared by the Easter Team.

Children’s Church welcomes all children who will be with their families to celebrate Easter and the risen Christ. (Be sure to volunteer to assist Alice Zah with Children’s Church on Sunday’s throughout the Season. There is a sign-up sheet in Fellowship Hall.

Adult Education

During the week of April 12 and on into Pentecost, the “Seven Marks of Vital Congregations” Adult study, facilitated by Session members, will be offered every other week. In order to have as many of our church family as possible attend, each week’s study topic will be offered/repeated at different times: an afternoon, an evening, and on a weekend. We hope you have signed up to attend at a time convenient for you. [Refer to the note at the bottom of page two of this news-letter for an update]

Fellowship

April 19, 2020 we are planning an outing to Artisan Works (565 Blossom Road, Rochester), a family-friendly venue with a collection of over 500,000 fascinating items -- all kinds of creative objects, items of generational interest, theme rooms, artwork, cars, and other surprises. Check it out at www.artisanworks.net . We will pay at the door Admission is $12 Adults; $8 Seniors 60+ and students; and Children under 5 free. We will meet there at 2 PM and there will be a guided tour. Plans are in the making to have lunch together at a nearby restaurant. Stay tuned!

Another event is in the offering for May --- possibly a visit to the Museum of Transportation in Rush, NY on May 17th. Stay tuned

Easter Outreach

Reach out to neighbors, family members and friends (phone calls, Facebook messaging, cards) to support them as we all deal with restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 situation. In doing so, remember we need to protect ourselves as well by practicing safe hygiene and social distancing.

Reach out to your friends in the community to support the Chicken BBQ when it is scheduled..

The Easter team will continue with the Lent Team’s mission project: Keeping Our Promise- Rochester. Remember to fill the boxes and tubs with products, listed elsewhere in this newsletter, to support individu-als and families who are resettling in Rochester. You can learn more about this organization at the following website - https://www.keepingourpromise.org/

Items needed for the “Welcome Baskets” for these families. Items needed for the baskets are listed below

along with a suggested store where they can be bought at a reasonable price.

oval bucket – Dollar General

mop (Mr. Clean) - Dollar General

broom (Mr. Clean) – Dollar General

kitchen trash basket (11 gal.) – Dollar General or Walmart

bathroom trash basket – Dollar Tree

box of 32 trash bags (13 gal. bags) - Dollar General or Walmart

laundry baskets – Dollar General

kitchen counter cleaner – Dollar Tree

bathroom counter cleaner – Dollar Tree

floor cleaner (all purpose – at least 48 oz.) - Dollar General or Walmart

paper towels (6 rolls) - Dollar General or Walmart

rim scrubbing toilet brush - Dollar General or Walmart

4 pack: Ocello (multi-pack sponges) - Dollar General or Walmart

3 pack Scotch Brite scrubbies - Dollar General or Walmart

dish pan - Dollar General or Walmart

dish drainer - Dollar General or Walmart

children’s shampoo – Dollar Tree

hand lotion (16 oz.) – Dollar Tree

panty liners – Dollar Tree

kleenex - Dollar General or Walmart

band-aids - Dollar General or Walmart

Bacitracin or Neosporin (expiration date in one or two years) - Dollar General or Walmart

Curad brand first aid kit – (Seniors can get 6% off on this kit on the first Tuesday of a month at Tops

Supermarkets)

Gift cards for Dollar General, Dollar Tree or Walmart are also helpful.

A box will be placed in the main entrance, fellowship room and sanctuary to collect your contributions. Any help you can give to Keeping Our Promise – Rochester during the Easter season is greatly appreciat-ed.

On going ministry by our

Youth……

WIC participants are invited to complete a form

to indicate the items that their family could use.

The following FULL SIZE items are offered:

tooth brushes tooth paste deodorant shampoo garbage bags

condi�oner combs & brushes bar soap body wash razor

foot powder detergent toilet paper �ssues shaving cream

dish soap baby wipes diapers Paper towels

The Board of Trustees are good stewards of our facilities. Besides our church

committees, Boards, youth and music department - many outside groups and

community organizations use our building almost every day. As a result, our

facility use calendar gets pretty full and occasionally we have some conflicts. We

ask that if you are needing to plan a meeting or event, you call the office to be

sure that the space you want to use is available. Thanks for your help.

- Board of Trustees

We recently received the following letter from St. Pauly Textile, Inc:

Dear Friends at First Presbyterian Church of Chili,

Thank you for continuing to partner with us on the clothing drop –off

shed program! In 2019 roughly16,491 garments of clothing were

donated to your shed. This was enough to clothe an estimated 1,999

people all over the world.

Based on this volume of clothing your organization received $4,800 in

2019.

Thank you for continuing to spread the word about the clothing shed

to other community members. We truly appreciate all the support you

have given this program.

Sincerely,

The Team at St. Pauly Textile, Inc.

Please share your prayers of Please share your prayers of Please share your prayers of Please share your prayers of joy and concern by joy and concern by joy and concern by joy and concern by Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday Tuesday morning each week so that we morning each week so that we morning each week so that we morning each week so that we can include them in the video can include them in the video can include them in the video can include them in the video

worship.worship.worship.worship.

Either call or eEither call or eEither call or eEither call or e----mailmailmailmail

889889889889----9896 9896 9896 9896 fpc3600@gmail.comfpc3600@gmail.comfpc3600@gmail.comfpc3600@gmail.com

The volunteer schedule will be created in

late spring to take affect July 1.,2020 to June

30, 2021. If you already know dates that

you will not be available, please contact the

office. If are not presently a greeter or

child care provider and would like to be

added to the schedule, please let us know.

April

6 Andy Atwater, Ken Milner

Jane Schulitz

7 Barb Wasmer

15 Judie McGaffick

21 Dodi Kasiske

30 Carrie Horton

each other…….

April Worship Volunteers April 5

Greeters: Alice & Fred Zah

Jr. Greeter: Harry Gernhardt

Childcare: Sue Atwater & Gail McArthur

Children’s Church:

Fellowship Hour:

April 12

Greeters: Sharon Breeze & Judie McGaffick

Communion: Sharon Breeze (juice),

Carrie Horton (bread),

Judie McGaffick

Jr. Greeter: Brooke Wilson

Childcare:

Children’s Church: Alice Zah

Fellowship Hour: Easter Team

April 19

Greeters: Ashleigh & Brenda Naugle

Jr. Greeter: Mira Wooten

Childcare: Linda Enright & Sharon Breeze

Children’s Church: Alice Zah

Fellowship Hour:

April 26

Greeters: Jean Bartholomew & Pat Jones

Jr. Greeter: Harry Gernhardt

Childcare: Grace Engelbrecht & Vicky Leahy

Children’s Church: Alice Zah

Fellowship Hour:

SWEM News…..

Thanks to everyone who donated

food to SWEM in March. A total of

sixty four food items were delivered

to SWEM.

Please remember purchase food

for SWEM as you shop for

groceries in the uncertain days

ahead. The recent panic buying

and fear of the Covid-19 virus

could make it more difficult to

keep the shelves at SWEM stocked.

Protein items, pasta, canned fruit,

soups and milk that does not need

refrigeration are still needed.

Thanks again for your continued

support of SWEM and please

remember bring food on Commun-

ion Sunday, April 12.

- Jane and Fred Schulitz

“Peace is not something you wish for...

it is something you make, something

you are, something you do, and

something you give away.”

- Robert Fulghum

From: Presbytery of Genesee Valley

March 19, 2020

Dear Pastors and Churches of the Presbytery of Genesee Valley,

The book “Canoeing the Mountains: Christian Leadership in Uncharted Territory” by Tod

Bolsinger, is particularly poignant at this critical moment that we, church leaders and

congregations, find ourselves in. Perhaps gleanings from the story of the Lewis and Clark

expedition can help us navigate in the uncharted territory of social distancing. Consider the

following quotes in light of the reality of Covid-19:

“Lewis and Clark’s expedition to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase was built on a

completely false expectation. They believed, like everyone before them, that the unexplored west

was exactly the same geography as the familiar east.”

“They planned on rowing, and they thought the hardest part was behind them. But in truth

everything they had accomplished was only a prelude to what was in front of them. Lewis

and Clark and the Corp of Discovery were about to go off the map and into uncharted territory.

They would have to change plans, give up expectations, even reframe their entire mission. What

lay before them was nothing like what was behind them. There were no experts, no maps, no

“best practices” and no sure guides who could lead them safely and successfully.”

“How do you canoe over mountains? You don’t. If you want to continue forward, you change.

You adapt. Meriwether Lewis looked at the miles and miles of snow-covered peaks and knew

that to continue his journey he would have to change his entire approach. The same is true for

all who are called to lead beyond the boundaries of what is known. We go through a

personal transformation of identity and mission intention. We go from being river rats to

mountain climbers. We keep on course with the same goal, but change absolutely every-

thing required to make it through this uncharted territory. We ditch the canoes, ask for

help, find horses and cross the mountains. And when the time comes, we make new boats out of

old trees. You let go, you learn as you go and you keep going, no matter what.”

Friends, the ministry reality we face now, and the realities that are unfolding but not yet upon

us, are certainly not the same landscape that we have known. We are in a very unfamiliar place

and time. This is uncharted territory that will require of us new learnings and adaptive

responses. Even so, the Good News of the Gospel will continue to be proclaimed, albeit in

different forms.

(continued on the next page)

Furthermore, Christianity has been in the midst of a 500 year re-formation for decades prior to

the emergence of Covid-19. The synopsis on her website says this to us.

“Rooted in the observation that massive transitions in the church happen about every 500 years,

Phyllis Tickle shows readers that we live in such a time right now. She compares the Great

Emergence to other “Greats” in the history of Christianity, including the Great Transformation

(when God walked among us), the time of Gregory the Great, the Great Schism, and the Great

Reformation”.

Indeed, Covid-19 is not the beginning of the next great reformation. Instead, it is a pressing of

the fast-forward function on the reformation period we were already immersed in. As God was in

the past reformation moments of the Church, God is present with us in this moment, too. We

are reformed and always reforming!

The Presbytery of Genesee Valley and its congregations are finding our way “off the map”. We,

your Leadership Team, commit to the following, and encourage you to do as well:

Pray often.

Be Spirit-Led.

Connect with other pastors and congregations (and presbyteries) in order to find our way,

together.

Discern and take whatever faithful first steps that will be life-giving for your congregation and

our Presbytery.

Make friends with failure as everything you try will not “work.”

Celebrate the new connections and the new skills you are given the opportunity to learn. Our

creative new attempts at communicating will draw new people into the communion and

conversation.

Try and try again.

Pray some more

May the peace of Christ enfold us, uphold us, empower us and flow through us in these

challenging days.

In Christ,

Rev. Sue Thaine, Convener of Big Picture Team

Elder Roger Estes, Moderator of Presbytery of Genesee Valley

Rev. Colin Pritchard, Moderator-Elect of Presbytery of Genesee Valley

Elder Susan Orr, Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Genesee Valley

Worldwide Pandemic

So here we are, amidst one of the most uncertain time in our lives - Coronavirus (aka. Covid 19). I think

each one of us is handling this new way of life differently. Some are in disbelief, while others are making

the most out of being stuck at home. Some are living in fear and hoarding supplies, and still others are

praying and trusting God. We have entered uncharted territory and everyone is handling it as best as they

can.

Yet when you look back at our history, our society has handled these uncertain times before. From the

Flu Pandemic of the late 1800s, the Spanish flu of 1918-1920, the Asian Flu of 1957-1958, the Swine Flu of

2009, or even Zika in 2016, these uncertain times have come and gone over the years and can give us

perspective. I will say above all, we live in much different times now than 100 years ago. The advances in

medicine have been large, and I know in time God will help us understand how to fight this virus like the

many others we have fought in the past. And imagine being in cooped up without the advances in

technology we currently have. We have access to endless things through the internet. Some can still work at

their jobs from home, and students are learning how to do school from home. We can watch virtually

anything on the television, shop for our needs and wants to be sent to our homes within a few days, and we

can even worship online as a church community! You are not alone, and we can still function as a society in

these temporary changes.

Now having said all that, I won’t diminish the fact that we all have our thoughts and limits to this new

way of living. It is not easy, there are new challenges, and some have hard times. It is also easy to get

wrapped up in the overwhelming information we are hearing each day which can heighten our anxiety and

fear. You have to step back from it at times and know that God has a plan for all of this. Maybe God is

trying to bring you closer together with your family. Maybe God is trying to give you rest and rejuvenation

that you wouldn’t get otherwise. Maybe God is calling you to lean in to His presence like you never have

before.

Philippians 4:6-7 is the prayer I have for each of you in this new normal. It states, “Do not be anxious

about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to

God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in

Christ Jesus.”

Let me remind you again that you are not alone. Please contact any of us at the church if you need

anything. We are a community together and we are here to serve you all. If you need someone to talk to,

seek us out. Continue to check in with neighbors and our church community. Find new ways to feel purpose

in this time, and keep seeking God in the times of the great unknown. Worldly things will not define us and

we will come out of all this as a better society.

Be blessed and continue to let the music play. -Adam

CHILI PRESBYTERIAN YOUTH GROUP

THIS IS CRAZY!!!

It has definitely been a life-changing month for everyone! We started off the month doing things – we

went bowling! It was a great time of social interaction for all of us… Little did we know that the world

would shut down by the end of the month!

So this is what I know from our youth this week: The Mathewsons are home and stocked with supplies,

The Snovers are saying the Lord’s Prayer to completion while washing their hands, and the Naugles

have 80 rolls of TP. And the Scoville’s have been watching Frozen 2 on Disney Plus on the regular.

Couple things: Our church services will be video recorded for our congregation. Look for email blasts

and Facebook posts to these online resources. Also, if anyone needs any hygiene items, including toilet

paper, we do have some available at the church in our stock. Please feel free to raid the cupboard for

what you need!

So in the midst of all this chaos, we can find comfort in our families, in our home, in our church family,

and with God. If anyone needs anything or just someone to talk to feel free to contact us, we are here to

serve you in any way we can. We are all in this together - do not fear and be at peace!

Our schedule is on hold! Stay safe everyone!

Adam, Whitney and McKenlee

Leader: Adam Scoville

cpministerofmusic@gmail.com

585-269-8746

Bio: Junior High and Senior High Youth looking to strengthened

their faith in Christ and build lifelong relationships with others.

St. Pauly Box ScheduleSt. Pauly Box ScheduleSt. Pauly Box ScheduleSt. Pauly Box Schedule

Mar 30 – Apr 12th - Wooten’s

Apr 13 - 26th – Andy Atwater

Apr 27 – May 10th – Leahy’s