One-on-One with Pastor Jerry is a weekly report on family news and church and community activities, events, ministries and missions. Visit this page each week or sign up to receive it weekly in your inbox. Archive issues can be viewed at NoblesvilleFirst.com/one-on-one-archive.
January 13, 2022
Book 7, Volume 39
Let me begin by celebrating your generosity. We didn’t get the final numbers for the 2021 giving until this week and we ultimately met our $425,000 goal for the Seeds of Hope Campaign for the last quarter of the year.
We chose to conduct a different type of approach to our Generosity effort this year believing it is hard for people to think right now that far into the future. Instead of pledging for 2022 we chose to set a goal of finishing 2021 strong by increasing our last quarter giving by 10% over last year. We ended up with $428,264 for the last quarter. In addition, we finished with $14,000 more giving in 2021 than in 2020. Thank you for your generosity! As I said, this does not solve all of our financial challenges, but it does provide a strong start to 2022.
The RSVPs are coming in for the Florida Snowbird Trip. Both gatherings will be held outside, the first at Pier 22 on Tuesday, January 25 in Bradenton and the second at the Marco Island Yacht Club on Thursday, January 27. Both luncheons begin at 11:30 am. Thus far we have 13 registered for Bradenton and 16 for Marco Island. Please RSVP for either luncheon by emailing me at jrairdon@noblesvillefirst.com or call 317-420-5915. And if either of those times don’t work for you, I would love to still meet up at another time at your convenience.
This Sunday, bring your Snowballs of Hope to 9:45 Traditional Worship. Purchase winter hats, gloves, and socks for adults and children in need this winter. Then ball them up and "deliver" them to the pastors with your best shot during worship. Ally Hall will bring up the children from Noblesville First Kids near the end of the service for the pastors to receive their pelting. Donations benefit Dinners On Us guests, recipients of our "Ugly Quilts" for the homeless and the Good Samaritan Network of Hamilton County.
Also this Sunday, our youth will gather for Outside In from 5:30-8:30 pm. Bring your friends and plan to have fun doing outdoor games inside our Celebration Hall. They have lined me up to teach the kids Pickleball. In addition, we will have Italian food, fellowship and fun. For more info contact Pastor Jill Moffett at jmoffett@noblesvillefirst.com or new Student Ministry Director David McKenzie at dmckenzie@noblesvillefirst.com.
The Noblesville community will be gathering to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this Monday, January 17 here at the church at 7:00 pm in Celebration Hall. We encourage everyone to arrive early and contribute to two community art installations created by North Elementary teacher Lisa Fritz. A creative presentation by Noblesville High School students explaining the new We Are Human mural will be part of the program. Other highlights will include music from a community choir ensemble, the West Middle School choir, a presentation organized by Norm Williams on Dr. Martin Luther King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail and guest speaker Karrah Herring, the Chief Equity, Inclusion and Opportunity Officer for the State of Indiana. Mayor Chris Jensen will share some comments and introduce our speaker. Indiana’s Senior Senator Todd Young will share some comments and our Bishop Julius Trimble will be in attendance as well. We are requesting people to wear masks and we will spread the crowd out in Celebration Hall to reduce the chance of Covid transmission. We should have a livestream in place that will be accessible from a link on our church website.
Noblesville First's Care Ministry is deploying a new army of volunteers. Prayer Buddies are stuffed animals that will carry prayers of hope and comfort to those in need. Our call to action is two-fold ... First, you can purchase new or gently used stuffed animals and drop them off in the church office. Second, you can take a Prayer Buddy if you know someone, regardless of age, who would appreciate a tangible reminder that our church is praying for them! Questions? Contact Pastoral Care Coordinator Bonnie Zickgraf at bzickgraf@NoblesvilleFirst.com or 317-773-2500.
All 3rd-5th graders are welcome to join us as we learn how to use our Bibles through the study of Scripture, personal Observation, Application discussion, and Prayer at our first annual S.O.A.P Event. Our 3rd-5th graders will learn how to incorporate the Bible into their daily lives and have a whole lot of fun in the process. Simply drop 3rd-5th graders off like usual at 9:45 on Sunday, January 30 and they will work through SOAP stations in Stephenson Hall. They will be presented with their own Bibles at the end of the event. Kids are welcome to invite friends to this wonderful event. Email Ally Hall ahall@NoblesvilleFirst.com to let her know if your 3rd-5th grader plans to attend.
We'll be hosting this winter's Blood Drive on Monday, January 24 from 2 to 6PM. Due to the low blood supply, all donors get a $20 e-gift card and a free pair of branded socks as a thank you for donating. Sign up at NoblesvilleFirst.com/BloodDrive.
The DivorceCare support group launches again this month. DivorceCare is a 13-week faith-based support and educational program for those experiencing divorce or separation. The next session begins on Tuesday, January 18, from 6:30 to 8:30PM in the church parlor (Door 1). Participants can register online at NoblesvilleFirst.com/DivorceCare or at the time of walk-in and can begin at any time.
The GriefShare support group is a 14-week non-denominational program featuring Christ-centered, program that focuses on grief topics associated with the death of a loved one. The next session will meet on Sunday afternoons from 3:30 to 5:30PM beginning January 23 in the church library (Door 1). Learn more and register online at NoblesvilleFirst.com/GriefShare.
Phyllis Hunter asked me to thank our wonderful and generous congregation as this year's Layette Project was hugely successful. Priscilla Circle members last night sorted the items and filled thirteen 13-gallon bags of layette items. They will be delivered today to PregnancyChoices and Riverview’s Touch of Love.
In tonight's Thursday Worship at 6:30 on Zoom, Pastor Matt Hantelman will continue his Question series. This week’s question continues the discussion from last week surrounding the primary theologies around God’s plans for our lives. Last week, Matt explained how Calvinism works and this week you will learn about Arminianism. Find the Zoom link at NoblesvilleFirst.com/ThursdayWorship.
This Sunday, the Noblesville First Kids program, which starts at 9:45 in Stephenson Hall, will look at 1 Samuel 24 at a crucial moment in David’s life. He’s been anointed as the next king of Israel, but King Saul is still around, and he’s out to get David. As David is on the run from King Saul, he discovers the perfect opportunity to take out King Saul and be done with their feud. David paused and realized that taking matters into his own hands was not what God wanted for him. He didn’t let anger control his actions. Bottom Line: Don’t be controlled by your anger. As we learn to trust God no matter what, we discover how we can control our anger and not let it get the better of us.
In Sunday worship we continue our series Trick Questions: And Jesus’ Enduring Answers. This week, we explore the Sadducees' attempt to trip Jesus up by asking a strange question about marriage and heaven. Jesus makes his case for the afterlife and reminds that God is not the God of the dead but of the living. In preparation read Luke 20:27-38.
Share prayer requests and check out the week's opportunities to connect at NoblesvilleFirst.com/NextSteps or on the Noblesville First mobile app. And share your pastoral needs by emailing care@noblesvillefirst.com or calling the 24/7 Care Line at 317-773-2590.
See you tonight or Sunday,
Pastor Jerry Rairdon