24 October, 2023
Parents' Corner Blog
Parents Night Out
This two events will serve as a fundraiser for our students attending MIX and MOVE Summer Conferences 2024.
This is a great time for a date night or to get some Christmas shopping done. FPC Youth Group will offer babysitting services for parents and guardians wishing to find some alone time in the midst the holiday season. (Supervised, of course, by background checked and Child Safety trained adults.) Parents can drop off their kids and hit the town.
Children ages 12 months–Grade 5 are welcome to attend.
(6mo-5th grade for FPC church members)
Cost is $15 per child with a family maximum of $45.
(Families of more than three age-appropriate children will be charged a maximum of $45.)
RSVPing is required, no walk-ins.
Register by Dec 6 for Dec 8
Feel free to bring your kiddos favorite blanket and pillow for movie time.
Drop Off: 5-6 PM
Pick Up: 8:00 PM (late pickup fee may apply)
Dinner: Kids should come having eaten dinner.
Snacks: A snack will be provided.
Location:
302 N Maxwell
Corner of Ashley & Broadway
Contact:
Dri Bayer
dri@fpcsiloam.com
02 May, 2023
Reverend Reflections
May 2023 Reverend Reflections
Hello First Presbyterian Church,
This is my last Reverend Reflection before my family and I depart for Ohio, and I want to use this space to simply say, “Thank you.”
I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve you and to know you these past five years. It has been a great privilege of mine to have served as your pastor, and I am thankful that you gave me this opportunity. You took a risk in hiring me as your pastor. I had never served as a pastor on staff at a church before First Presbyterian Church. My only experience had been as a chaplain in a hospital or as a pastoral intern, but by God’s grace you took a flier on me. For that I am profoundly grateful. This experience has changed my life.
It is my most sincere prayer that I have served you and our God well. I know my faults all too well, and I know that you also witnessed them in me. It is my comfort that God deals with me according to his grace and love, and I thank you for dealing with me in the same spirit. You bore with me and showed me love during my time at First Pres. I can only hope that I have honored your love through my labor on your behalf.
May you continue to grow in the likeness of Christ long after I am gone and may the next pastor benefit from having served here as much as I have. I am confident of this hope, because I am confident of Christ’s work in you.
You will always hold a special place in my heart and story, and you will always be in my prayers. I hold much love in my heart for you, First Presbyterian Church. Thank you.
The Lord bless and keep you, now and forever, world without end.
In Chirst,
Jonathan +
22 March, 2023
News & Updates
This Week at FPC
Spring Break Meet Up
For those around during spring break, we are going to have a bring your own picnic at the Bob Henry Park on March 22 at 5:00 p.m. We will meet at the pavilion by the main playground. All are welcome!
Church Information Survey
If you haven’t already, please fill out our brief survey, which includes questions from the CIF. This is the last day to complete the survey.
Adult CE Survey
The Christian Education (CE) Committee has sent out personalized emails to the congregation to participate in the Adult CE survey. If you did not receive an email, you can still participate at fpcsiloam.com/adultcesurvey and be sure to check with the church office to update your info. All surveys are anonymous.
Holy Week
Sunday, April 2 – Palm Sunday
Wednesday, April 5 – Stations of the Cross (6-7:30 p.m.)
Friday, April 7 – Good Friday Service (6 p.m.)
Saturday, April 8 – Easter Eggstravaganza (10:30 a.m.)
Sunday, April 9 – Community Sunrise Service at Chautauqua Amphitheater (6:30 a.m.); FPC Easter Sunday Service (10:30 a.m.)
Spring Break
No Sunday School, Youth Group, Family Gathering, or Evening Office from March 19-26.
Hidden Word Class
A 6-week scripture memory class for children 3rd grade and above, including middle schoolers on Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m. April 29 – May 3. Students will be challenged, as Psalm 119:11 says, to hide God’s word in their hearts. There will be prizes and an opportunity for students to share their word with the congregation. Please pre-register your students at fpcsiloam.com/hiddenword so we know how many to expect. High School students who want to be helper-teachers can sign up there as well.
Easter Eggstravaganza
Mark your calendars for our annual Easter Eggstravaganza on Saturday, April 8 at 10 a.m. We’ll have fellowship, refreshments and an egg hunt for the kiddos. In the case of inclement weather, the egg hunt will be inside. We have many empty eggs from last year, but you can bring candy donations and place them in the gray baskets at each entrance now through April 2.
Stations of the Cross
Wednesday, April 5, we will have an Experiential Stations of the Cross downstairs in the classrooms for all ages. Walk through at your own pace anytime between 6-7:30 p.m. This will be the Family Gathering activity for the evening. The Hidden Word Class and those attending Evening Office are encouraged to go with their families after their class/office.
Youth Rummage Sale
As you do your spring cleaning, set aside and box up your donatable items for our youth’s final fundraiser! The youth will collect donated items to sell the week of April 23 and have a rummage sale during the Dogwood Festival.
01 June, 2021
Parents' Corner Blog
Looking for children and youth activities?
For more information about our regularly scheduled children and youth classes and events, check out our Christian Education page.
11 February, 2025
Parents' Corner Blog
March note from Dri: Preparing for Lent with Kids
Welcome to the Lenten Season! This year, March 5th is Ash Wednesday, and the start of the season of Lent. It’s a 40 day fast from Ash Wednesday until Easter, not counting Sundays, because Sundays are feast days, always and in every season. The purpose of Lent is to help us get ready to enter the mystery of Easter. We have put together this Lenten Guide to help the congregation walk through this season. We also have printed copies of this guide by the bulletins each week. But how do we include children in what is one of the most somber seasons of the church year?
In her book, Sacred Seasons: A Family Guide to Center Your Year around Jesus, Danielle Hitchen says, “Obviously, expecting children to fast for forty days from anything is unrealistic and potentially unhealthy, especially if they don’t have a proper theological understanding of what they are doing and why.” But she goes on to explain that there are still ways to practice the three pillars of Lent (fasting, prayer, and giving) if we set them up well. It can be tricky to include them in what is often a deeply personal season of introspection, but we’ve found some great resources for you. Be sure to grab our Lenten Guide by the bulletins this Sunday and let’s begin!
Ideas for Observing Lent with kids:
Lighting Lenten Candles – There is something about fire that is particularly appealing to kids (and many adults too). This is not just for kids, so you enjoyed the Advent Wreath, give this a try! Use a purple tablecloth or table runner or a rough fabric like burlap. Undyed linen is also commonly used during Lent. Use a dish or tray you already have. I used a cake stand with a lip. Fill it sand, dried beans, or even rice. I used rice because our sandbox was quite wet. Place five violet candles in the shape of a cross, with the pink candle in the center of the cross, as shown below. Like the Advent Wreath in reverse, we start with all candles lit on the first Sunday and slowly extinguish one each week, starting the second week, in the order show below. For example, on the second week you only like candles two through six; the third week, light candles three through six, and so on. As the darkness deepens, we are reminded of Christ’s journey to Golgotha. For your convenience, we have ordered these candles in bulk and will make sets of these candles available for pick up this Sunday for $4 (cash/check) or $4.25 (online) just to cover costs.
Jesus Storybook Bible Paper Chain – Read through the Jesus Storybook Bible using this paper chain and reading guide. Each day, tear off a link and read the story on the back as you count down to Easter. If you don’t have access to a printer, that’s ok. Pre-printed copies will be available this Sunday by the Children’s Worship Guides. (The calendar linked is 2024, but the chain is the same and will be updated if/when JSB updates to 2025.)
One-Day Fasts – As a family decide on six one-day fasts, one each week, during Lent. These could be desserts, screens, drinks other than water or whatever your family chooses. Be sure to remind your kids about the fast the night before and why you’re fasting. When they inevitably begin asking for the fasted thing, pray with them and gently redirect them.
One-Week Fast – Similar to the one-day fasts, fast from one thing each day of the week for one week of Lent. Again, remind them each night of the next day’s fast and gently redirect when the hunger for that thing sets in.
Make Pretzels – Soft pretzels are a tasty treat traditionally eaten during Lent since the fifth century. They were initially only enjoyed between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday each year. Being made up of primarily of water, salt, yeast, and flour, pretzels adhere to the rules of the traditional fast. Pretzel comes from the German bretzal, which is from the Latin bracellae, meaning “little arms.” Indeed, the pretzel looks like arms crossed in prayer or to receive a blessing. Click the image for a delicious recipe from Alton Brown to try at home.
Observe a Friday Fast – Abstaining from meat on Fridays. This is in remembrance of Christ being crucified on a Friday.
Observe a Sunday Feast – Enjoy delicious dessert on Sundays with your family. Some easy options are ice cream sundaes or fresh berries with a large dollop of whipped cream.
Fast of the Eyes – It’s typical for churches to cover crosses, crucifixes, statues and icons of Christ with purple or black cloth. If you have any of these items on display in your home, consider covering them during Lent. Or simply pair down your regular decorations and wait to put up spring decorations until Easter.
Memorize Together – Choose a passage, like Psalm 51 or 121, the Lord’s Prayer, the 10 Commandments, or the Apostles Creed and commit to memorizing it together. You can say it together in the morning, or evening. Be sure to set a realistic goal appropriate for the age of your child(ren) and your family’s activity level. If every day isn’t possible, shoot for 2-3. If an entire Psalm isn’t age appropriate, select a single verse and add if you see fit.
Giving Jar – Make a giving jar to collect change to give away. You can offer extra chore opportunities to earn more money.
Give It Away – Take the opportunity to clean out unused toys and clothes in good continue to donate to a local charity like Manna Center or Potters House.
For more ways to help your family center your year around Jesus, check out the Sacred Season: A Family Guide to Center Your Year Around Jesus by Danielle Hitchen. It’s a wonderful resource for parents to know the history and background of the church year, as well as practical ways to observe the different seasons with your family. Click the button below for a direct link to Catechesis Books for this book and other resources. Also available on Amazon.