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The Word became flesh and made his home among us. (John 1:14a, Common English Bible)
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Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
We have been gaining, over these past several months, a renewed appreciation for our homes. They are locations of safety and rest, inspiration and hospitality, as well as – for many of us – the places where we have been working, studying, connecting and worshipping. Some of these changes are forced upon us by our times and circumstances; and thus – like with many changes – we tend to resist them.
For some people, seclusion is their resistance – failing to take advantage of opportunities to connect with people in new ways because they are not like the old ways. For others, the resistance takes the form of acting out – or going out – in ways that are not healthy for our minds, souls or bodies. If any of these apply to you; have mercy with yourselves, because change is hard.
The gospel of John highlights the miracle that God would come to us – in mind, soul and body – through Jesus Christ. The fullness of God meets us in our homes – as well as our wanderings away from home – because the divine is always with us, wherever we go – or do not go.
And yet, change is hard. We prefer to go where we want to go and to meet God in places and ways that are comfortable and familiar. One of these, for many of us, is the church: in our particular sanctuary, at the familiar time and among those with whom we are comfortable. It is not the same when we cannot be at our home; or, in this case, our home away from home.
While we have had the good fortune to have a number of outdoor, in-person worship gatherings this summer and early fall, and while we will continue to livestream and make available online each of our Sunday services, the change from having worship as we have recognized it for so long is difficult; it should come as no surprise that we might resist it.
Session has been having active discussions about the safety of returning to in-person worship. I hope that you will appreciate that there are a number of health issues to take into consideration; and that while a decision and protocol have not yet been reached, your church leaders are prayerfully working to discern the best course to follow.
We will continue to send information about upcoming worship service plans to you through various platforms: newsletter, email and Facebook. If you would like to receive church communications printed and mailed to you, please contact the church office, and we will do our best to get them to you.
These are challenging times with innumerable changes – large and small – coming at us all at once. I hope and pray that you are discovering God’s presence – the grace, comfort and peace of the Lord – as you are home and as Christ makes his home among us.
Yours in the Peace of Christ,
Pastor John
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Thursdays
7:30 a.m. Men’s Prayer Breakfast in Chapel-in-the-woods
Sundays
10:30 a.m. Worship via Facebook Live or YouTube
11:30 a.m. Fellowship via Zoom
Sunday, October 4
10:30 a.m. Peace & Global Witness Offering / World Communion Sunday
12:00 p.m. Deacon Meeting via Zoom
Sunday, October 11
12:00 p.m. Session Meeting via Zoom
Sunday, October 25
5:00-6:00 p.m. Dougbe River School Virtual Gala
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Peace & Global Witness Offering /
World Communion Sunday
October 4, 2020
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“May the Lord…give you peace at all times and in all ways…” ~ II Thessalonians 3:16
On World Communion Sunday, we celebrate Christ’s peace that extends throughout all creation. We celebrate that we are all together at the table, in God’s house. We celebrate that we are given what we need for the work of building the household of God with peacemakers at home and around the world.
Through participation in the Peace & Global Witness Offering, our congregation is extending Christ’s peace. We begin at the communion table, with our siblings in every time and place, and we celebrate the peace we find there and commit to building a more just and peaceful world. We celebrate the truth found in scripture, “May the God of peace give you peace at all times in all ways".
Christ invites us to join in the ministry of reconciliation and the pursuit to end violence through the Peace & Global Witness Offering. Through it, we offer healing, peace and reconciliation as we serve God’s people in Cameroon, where violence and conflict threaten; in the U.S.A. with ministries of reconciliation inside prison walls; and in Malawi, where peacemakers seek to eradicate diseases like HIV / AIDS and their impacts on the most vulnerable. With the 25% we retain for our own ministries of peace and reconciliation, we will help to heal and reconcile locally as well.
As a community of God’s people seeking to be instruments of peace bearing “peace, at all times and in all ways,” we want to make our commitment and participation in ministries of peace visible to all. May we claim Jesus Christ as Prince of Peace and pattern our lives in the compassion, kindness and grace that he shows us.
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"Happy Anniversary" Virtual Concert –
Presented by John Kautzman
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It has been my incredible joy to create this musical tribute video. We are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the dedication of our Rodgers/Ruffatti hybrid digital/pipe organ (April 2, 2000). In tribute to that day I have recorded three hymn settings by Dan Miller, who was our recitalist on that day. I have also included settings by Paul Manz. Born in Cleveland Ohio, Dr. Manz was one of the towering figures of sacred organ music in the 20th century. (I got to go to two of his hymn festivals – exciting presentations!).
Also, by use of a serial number look-up page on Steinway’s website, I discovered that our grand piano was manufactured 100 years ago. I pay tribute to that wonderful instrument with music by Ludwig van Beethoven, who turns 250 years old on December 16 of this year.
Add to that, you cannot have an organ concert without J. S. Bach, and you cannot have a piano concert without Frederic Chopin, and throw in Scott Joplin for a happy ragtime piano ending.
Our thanks to John Kautzman for the time and talent he gave to this project. You can view the concert on John's YouTube page below:
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North Church Mission Partnership
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As we all know, this year’s health and economic crisis has been especially challenging for the homeless and housing insecure. Ministry at North Church continues to be a challenge as many of their members and attendees have been dislocated during these months. Without online access, virtual worship was not a good option; so North resumed in-person worship and meals in June.
October is normally our partnership month at North Church with volunteers going weekly to worship and help with meals. Because of health and space considerations, they are not currently hosting partner church members, but are still providing box lunches for worship attendees. The mission commission has elected to provide a donation to help cover this cost, as well as to make box lunches in Valley’s kitchen on two Saturdays in October to then be delivered on the following Sunday morning.
If you are interested in either helping to make the lunches on Saturday (October 10 and 24 at 11 a.m.) or to drive them to North Church on Sunday mornings (October 11 and 25 at 10 a.m.), please contact the church office. Thanks for your continued support!
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For his Eagle Scout Project, Henry Cregar of Troop 102 in Auburn chose to erect a flagpole in the church’s front lawn with landscaping, solar lights  and a dedication plaque. On Sunday, September 27, the new flagpole was dedicated in honor of Tom Bulanda. Here is Henry’s message of thanks:
Hello Everyone,
 Thank you so much for coming out to support my Eagle Scout project. With all of the help from church members, family, and friends, this project was possible and I raised over $3,000. This is for my Eagle rank first of all, but it is also for my friend and mentor Tom Bulanda. He was a member of Valley Presbyterian Church, a Marine and an Eagle Scout. I really wanted to memorialize him and I hope I did a good job with that and captured a little bit of his passion for life and  pride of his country, traits I strive for everyday.
Once again, thank you to everyone here, this would not have been possible without you.
Henry Cregar |
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"For Where Love is There is God"
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The Music Department of Valley would like to thank everyone who shared their talents through May and into September this year by providing special musi  c each Sunday. It is a blessing to have so many who are willing to prepare, and then offer their musical gifts in a variety of ways. (Chip, this includes your poetry reading, too.) Special thanks to the Set -Up Crew for Chapel in the Woods and the Portico. "Many hands make light work" was the motto as speakers, amps, microphone stands, music stands, keyboard and sound checks were handled each time we worshipped there. Since worship was handled differently this summer, adjustments were made to provide the service virtually, pre-recorded sometimes and projected to the congregation. Thank you to those who helped make this possible each week. |
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Please consider donating the following food items to help stock the shelves at Chagrin Falls Park Community Center:
Any seasoning, hot cereals (grits, oatmeal), any hot drinks, ramen noodles, egg noodles.
CFPCC is receiving donations at your car. Someone will come out and retrieve donations as you remain in your car.
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10/1
Avah Foster
10/5
Sue Doughman
Chris Huff
10/6
Quentin Laupan
10/9
Alan Gurd
Virginia Stilson
10/10
Jon Cechner
Tanya Fouts
Danielle Osborne
Marilyn Rodenhausen
Shaylor Steele
10/14
Elora Crawford
10/17
Emily Pagano
Madison Spicuzza
10/19
Sam Cregar
10/20
Nancy Krueger
10/21
Will Belew
Larry Graham
10/25
Jordan Fouts
Scott Izzo
Evelyn Laupan
10/27
Dottie Batchelor
10/29
Craig Hatch
10/31
Karen Winn
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Dougbe River School –
Virtual Gala
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This year’s annual fundraising event for the Dougbe River Presbyterian School in Liberia will be held on Sunday, October 25, from 5 – 6 p.m. During this hour, there will be an opportunity to hear from board members about the current operations and future plans for the school, as well as an online auction. The mission commission has purchased a “virtual table” of eight. If you are interested in attending, please contact the church office.
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And so begins our 19th year at Heart of Valley! I can honestly say that the start of this year has been like no other! Masks, lots of hand washing, temperature taking, hand sanitizer, social distancing, more hand washing – these are all just a normal part of our day now!
As I stop by the classrooms, I marvel at the children – they have adjusted to new policies and procedure without hesitation – sometimes I think we can learn from them! Hearing their voices, their enthusiasm and their laughter reminds me that there is so much to be thankful for!
As always, thank you for your continued support at HOV – God’s love is strong, and we are so fortunate to share that love with our children here every day!
Heidi Cregar,
Director
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McClure Lectures –
Pittsburgh Theological Seminary
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“Jesus Christ and the ‘Dividing Wall’: Race and God’s Mission.”
Presenters: The Rev. Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove; The Rev. Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil
The 2020 McClure Lectures at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary will grapple with this question and the consequences of racial injustice. These free lectures will be held in a virtual online venue on four Wednesday evenings in October. The lectures are open to all, but registration is required. Register for the McClure Lecture series here:
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 The Pass-It-On mission continues to bear great fruit at Valley. This summer and fall, the store has been able to resume operations and has been bursting at the seams. Clothing, furniture, household goods, holiday items, collectibles…you name it! Thanks to the volunteers who make this ministry possible and to the church and community members who support it.
In addition to sales, Pass-It-On supports other ministries and missions, including:
Chagrin Falls Park Community Center
The Dougbe River School in Liberia
Edwin's Leadership and Outreach Institute
FDR Academy
Geauga Faith Rescue Mission
Geauga Job and Family Services
Hands, Hearts, Homes Outreach
Hands Up Cleveland
Homeless Hookup
North Church Ministry
Presbyterian Disaster Relief
Salvation Army
Valley Presbyterian Youth Program
Volunteers of America
If you would like to help with special projects or pickups, contact the office.
The store is currently receiving donations with pick-ups on request. Call the office for more information.
The store will be open to customers, again, on:
Friday, October 9
(10 a.m. – 4 p.m.)
Saturday, October 10
(10 a.m. – 2 p.m.)
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Valley’s Youth Group is open to all church members and friends in grades 6-12. Sadly, we were unable to participate in a summer mission trip, although we are thankful for the youth participation with our virtual Vacation Bible School and Food Fight against hunger.
We are planning to, again, offer safe and distanced opportunities for youth at the church during the fall, including:
• Helping to clean out the Faith Garden and help in the Pass-It-On Store on Sunday, October 4, from 3:30-5:00 p.m.
• Packing box lunches for our North Church partnership on two Saturdays: October 10 and 24, at 11:00 a.m.
• Meeting for an outdoor costume party / bonfire / s’more roasting on Sunday, October 25, from 6:00-7:30 p.m.
If parents have any ideas, questions or concerns about Youth Group, please contact Pastor John. Thanks, hope to you see soon!
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Valley Presbyterian Church
17560 Chillicothe Road
Chagrin Falls, OH 44023
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