From the pastor’s study By Murray Richmond

In the season of Lent, we are invited to look at ourselves and try to see how we could be better. Using the traditional lan-guage of Lent, we look at our mortality and our sinfulness. As we focus on that, with the hope that we will also see Jesus, His resur-rection and call to discipleship come into greater focus.

To do that however, we need a keenly sharp imagination. Imagination is the ability to see what is and look beyond to see what could be. Using our Lenten imagination, we can see our-selves realistically--our weaknesses, our vices, and our sinfulness.

That is hard to do. We like to think we are better than we really are. Ironically, it takes some imagination to see ourselves as we really are. We must look beyond what we

want to see, and into a deeper reality. But then we use our Lenten imagination to see ourselves as we were created to be. Imagination is the abil-

ity to see a future that has yet to come, and to see it so strongly you are able to work (and pray) hard to bring it about.

I’m not talking about creativity here. Creativity is the ability to do things differently. That is sometimes helpful and sometimes a hinderance. And I’m not talking about fantasies. Fantasies are visions that are not re-ality based.

Imagination helps us envision our potential future, and it gives us the ability to work toward that future. For example, we see areas where we need to grow, and we can see what we will look like when that growth occurs. We can see areas where we need to change, and we can see what we will look like after the change oc-curs. If we can see those things, we can grow into those things.

I think one of the failings of the church at large, and of our society, is a lack of imagination. We tend to fall back on standard and predictable responses that require no imagination. Whether we are talking about how to deal with gun violence, or about how to draw people to Christ who are apathetic or even downright hostile to religion, the standard responses do not work.

When I interviewed with this congregation four-and-half years ago, one thing I could see is that there was imagination at work at First Presbyterian. I pray and hope that imaginative spirit will take us well into the future God has for us!

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& Holly newsletter First Presbyterian Church 85 South Holly Street Medford, Oregon 97501

Got tomatoes? Please bring cans of whole or diced tomatoes to replenish our Food Bank inventory. There’s a shopping cart in the Narthex for the cans. Great volunteers and our part-nership with ACCESS lead to a very successful and effective way to help many hungry people in our community. However, there are some items people al-ways want and we never have enough. So this month, our re-quest is for whole or diced toma-toes. We’ll have a featured food each month and ask you to bring the item to church. Thank you

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&Holly

Our 133rd

year

The monthly newsletter of First Presbyterian Church of Medford, Oregon March 2018

Address service requested

St. Patrick’s bunco and finger food Join the fun at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 17 in the Fellowship Hall. Bring finger food to share and learn Bunco. Bunco is a social dice game involving luck, not skill (there are no decisions to be made). The object is to accumulate points and to roll certain combinations. The winners get "prizes" for accomplishments such as the highest score, the lowest score, or the most buncos. Three of a kind are a bunco . Come to learn more, and sample some swell snacks.

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. Postage paid Medford OR 97501

Permit No. 383

Jazz Vespers

Thor Polson plays Thor Polson, who came to the Rogue Valley eight years ago to study classi-cal piano, presents a tribute to Herbie Han-cock at the March 11 Jazz Vespers. Backing him will be Steve Davidson on saxo-phone, Dave Miller on bass and Theresa McCoy on drums. Davidson teaches jazz performance at Southern Oregon University. Miller and McCoy are members of the Rogue Valley Sym-phony Orchestra.

Polson

Finding joy while coping with dementia Debbi Rayburn, Pacific Retirement Service’s chief health officer, will share with our congregation a new program which enables people with dementia — and their families — to find joy and meaning in their lives. Sign up for this March 18 luncheon presentation at the Connecting Point table. Lunch starts right af-ter the 10:30 a.m. worship service. The presentation follows.

March at First

4 Sunday First Food Sunday Worship Informal 8:30 a.m. Traditional 10:30 a.m. 3 p.m. Once Upon a Mattress, Craterian Theater 5 Monday 10:30 a.m. Fellowship commit-tee, Library 4 p.m. Mission committee, Li-brary 7 p.m. Covenant Bible study, Fellowship Hall 6 Tuesday 4:30 p.m. WNL committee meet-ing 6:45 p.m. Shepherd’s Bells 7 Wednesday 10 a.m. Food Bank set up 1:30 p.m. Food Bank 4:30 p.m. Wed. Night Live, Fel-lowship Hall 7 p.m. Choir practice

11 Sunday Daylight Savings Time Worship Informal 8:30 a.m. Traditional 10:30 a.m. 11:45 a.m. Worship Committee, Library 5 p.m. Jazz Vespers, Thor Polson quartet, Sanctuary 12 Monday 5:45 p.m. SonShine Singers, Fel-lowship Hall 7 p.m. Covenant Bible study, Fellowship Hall 13 Tuesday 6:45 p.m. Shepherd’s Bells 14 Wednesday 10 a.m. Food Bank set up 1:30 p.m. Food Bank 4:30 p.m. Wed. Night Live, Fel-lowship Hall 7 p.m. Choir practice

15 Thursday 9 a.m. Personnel committee, Li-brary 10 a.m. Finance committee, Li-brary 17 Saturday 6:30 p.m. St. Patrick’s Bunco, Fellowship Hall 18 Sunday Noisy offer-ing Worship Informal 8:30 a.m. Traditional 10:30 a.m. 9:40 a.m. Missionary report, Fire-place Room 11:45 a.m. Changing the Demen-tia Experience, Fellowship Hall 20 Tuesday 4 p.m. Church Growth commit-tee, workroom 6:45 p.m. Shepherd’s Bells 21 Wednesday 10 a.m. Food Bank set up 1:30 p.m. Food Bank 4:30 p.m. Wed. Night Live, Fel-lowship Hall 7 p.m. Choir practice

25 Sunday Palm Sunday One Great Hour of Shar-ing offering received Worship Informal 8:30 a.m.

Traditional 10:30 a.m. 11:45 a.m. Deacons, Fireplace Room 26 Monday 5:45 p.m. SonShine Singers, Fel-lowship Hall 27 Tuesday 1:30 p.m. Book Nook, Library 6:45 p.m. Shepherd’s Bells 7 p.m. Session, Fireplace Room

28 Wednesday 10 a.m. Food Bank set up 1:30 p.m. Food Bank 4:30 p.m. Wed. Night Live, Fellowship Hall 7 p.m. Choir practice 29 Thursday 7 p.m. Maundy Thursday worship 30 Friday Noon, Good Friday ecumenical wor-ship, Sanctuary

Birthdays 3 Cathy Ullrich 4 Rev. Barbara Haddon

Samantha Lowe 5 Kathryn Adams 8 Ted Pepple 9 Elizbeth Mahan 12 Lynda Morgan 13 Elaine Bernard 14 Jane Blomquist 15 Bud Fowler 16 Jack Jones 21 Cindy Bursk

Barbara Moore Bobbe Sinner

23 Ginni Peterson 25 Sofia Marks 26 Dan Johnson 27 Sarah Ullrich

Kristy Denman 28 Mary Walter 29 Roxanna Jones

First Presbyterian Church 85 South Holly Street Medford, Oregon 97501 Phone: (541) 779-1711 Email: fpcm@firstpresmedford.org

Office hours Mon-Thurs 8:30 am to 3:30 pm

Pastor …Rev. Murray Richmond Associates for Visitation and Pas-toral Care …..Rev. Mary Wright Gillespie ….Rev. Barbara Haddon Administrative & Financial Assis-tant……….…….Elizbeth Mahan Sarah Corson Childcare & Learn-ing Center……….....Jaime Snider

Session Committee chairs

Building & Grounds—Scott Harrison (541) 890-0767

Christian Education— Bill Silfvast Josie Metz (541) 857-6137 (541) 301-1417

Church Growth — Bob Frey Tom McDermott 1-(503) 779-5558 (541) 734-4675

Fellowship—

Finance — Dwight Sinner (541) 770-5720

Personnel—Dan Johnson (541) 826-7736 Mission— Tyler Johnson Evonne Hubbard 1-(971)-244 2762 (541) 778-3501

Worship & Music— Marg Funch Doris Sjolund (541) 857-6173 (541) 857-6646

You are invited to join with Presbyterians around the world in sharing God’s love with our neighbors in need. Your gift to One Great Hour of Sharing pro-vides relief from natural and human-caused disasters, food for the hungry and support for the poor and the oppressed.

Your gift answers God’s call. You are a repairer of the breach. Isaiah 58:10-12 (CEB) 10 if you open your heart to the hungry, and provide abundantly for those who are afflicted, your light will shine in the darkness, and your gloom will be like the noon. 11 The LORD will guide you continually and provide for you, even in parched places. He will rescue your bones. You will be like a watered garden, like a spring of water that won't run dry. 12 They will rebuild ancient ruins on your account; the foundations of generations past you will restore. You will be called Mender of Broken Walls (or repairer of the breach), Restorer of Livable Streets.

Your newsletter team

Paulette Avery Vickie Reierson Barbara Moore

Tam Moore (541) 608-0171

Copy deadline: 4th Monday of the month prior to publication email: newsletter.firstpresmedford@gmail.com

March 4 theater party Fellowship Committee is spon-soring a trip to the Craterian The-ater at 3 p.m. for the musical Once Upon a Mattress. It’s based on the Princess and the Pea, a fairy tale. Sign up at the Connect-ing Point table after worship.

Holy week events Worship at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. The One Great Hour of Sharing offering will be re-ceived. March 25 Maundy Thursday

Worship and communion at 7 p.m. March 29

Good Friday Ecumenical service in the Sanctuary,

noon. Participating congregations —United Methodist, St Mark Episcopal, Medford Congregational United Church of Christ March 30

Easter Sunday

Worship at 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. April 1

Heroes living next to us The March read for our Book Nook group is Heart in the Right Place, a memoir of Washington D.C. attorney Car-olyn Jourdan. She’s called home by her mother’s heart attack. She fills in for her mom as reception-ist in her dad’s medical office located in a Tennessee Mountain town. “This is one of the best books I’ve ever read,” wrote one reviewer. “A high-powered lawyer comes home to help out….” Book Nook meets at 1:30 p.m. Tues-day, March 27 in the church library. Eve-ryone is welcome.