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, sign up to receive it weekly in your inbox, tune in on Thursdays for Pastor Jerry's Facebook Live, or watch the video recording anytime.
February 25, 2021
Book 6, Volume 45
Let me begin by sharing my appreciation for all that Tom Shriver-McGrevy has meant to the youth and our staff at Noblesville First. Tom brought a much-needed energy to our youth program almost seven years ago. Together with Jenell Hadley they formed a tremendous team that has touched numerous lives. They created a program so strong and welcoming that many of our youth brought their friends, enabling our church to bring Christ’s love and grace to new families. Tom and Jenell introduced our church to Give Kids the World in Orlando, Florida. Give Kids the World is a charity that provides a refuge for families of children with life-threatening illnesses. This experience has transformed many lives and has become a must-do experience for all of our youth. That legacy will live on as we will continue this mission trip experience as soon as volunteers are allowed.
Tom has also been a gift to our staff. He always brings a laugh to our meetings. We’ve joked that once Don Smith retired from our staff that Tom became the “coolest” member of our staff. I guess that title is now up for grabs and it certainly won’t be me. Tom was a lifesaver when the pandemic hit and we had to go to online worship. We did not have the necessary skills on our staff to do a livestream, but Tom is a quick-study and he put his affinity for technology to work and helped us figure it out. Tom was an effective director each Sunday and helped us perfect our online worship until we were able to realign our staff and bring in Alivia Dieterlen as our Media Specialist. We all owe Tom a huge debt of gratitude for the impact he has made. Tom will step away from Noblesville First for awhile until our new hire can get established and then Tom hopes to return to his home church at the appropriate time. I encourage you to drop Tom a card at the church and if you would like to contribute to a love gift for Tom we have set up a category “Tom Shriver-McGrevy’s Love Gift” with our online giving or you can make a check out directly to Tom or make it out to the church and put “Tom Shriver-McGrevy Love Gift” in the memo.
Lent has just begun so it is not too late to take advantage of the spiritual tools we have provided to help you prepare for Jesus’ journey to the cross and the celebration of the Resurrection that will come on Easter. The best resource which lists all of these opportunities is the Lent events and activities page at NoblesvilleFirst.com/lent.
Let me quickly remind you what is available. Our own Pastoral Care Team has produced a Lenten Study Guide based on our worship series on The Seven Deadly Sins. Each contributor took a week and wrote up a devotion for each day. This week’s devotions were written by Phyllis Hunter, and today she invites us to consider how hard it is to say, “I am wrong” or “I need advice.”
I am also inviting you join me in a two-meal fast each week during the six weeks of Lent. This Biblical practice helps break our dependency on food and forces us to lean on God for a short while. Use this valuable time you have gained to read some scripture or a book that assists your walk with God. Email me at if you are interested. I am praying each week for those who join me on this journey.
Next week I will share our plans for Holy Week and Easter, but we need your help now to prepare for a new venture Ally Hall came up with to help us turn our traditional Easter Egg Hunt into an opportunity for outreach. With Covid-19 it would not be wise to hold our mass gathering at Teter Retreat & Farm, so instead we will provide everything you need for your very own backyard Egg Hunt! Once you’ve completed your hunt, put your “Egged” flyer on a window or door where others can see it easily. Then it's your turn to share the Good News, Jesus has risen! Egg a friend’s house with the second bag of Easter goodies. Just make sure to “Egg” someone who hasn’t been “Egged” before. Sign up to receive a basket at NoblesvilleFirst.com/lent.
We will need some candy donations to make this new event a success. Please bring in non-chocolate candy, stickers, or small toys that can fit inside the eggs. Simply drop them off in the designated basket on Sundays or in the church office during the week. Thank you for partnering with us to make this Easter egg-stra special! Contact Ally Hall at or call the church office.
We had a good start to the relaunch of our in-person worship. We had 41 at the 8:30 worship in spite of some ice to contend with and 57 at the 11:00 worship. We had four families at the 9:45 Family Worship. No reservations are required, and we expect those numbers to grow so be prepared just in case we surpass our maximum numbers for safe, social distancing to enjoy worship in the overflow space in Whitcomb Chapel where the service will be livestreamed. There was a different spirit felt by those who came this time because we can see light at the end of the tunnel for this pandemic and our in-person worship does provide a dimension that cannot be experienced fully on a screen.
Today our UIndy intern Hanna Rose and I will be getting our picture taken for an upcoming newspaper feature in the Current on our upcoming Respite Nights for families with children who have special needs. Hanna’s goal was to demonstrate a need for an ongoing respite ministry to parents and caregivers in our community and it appears she has accomplished that goal. She has seven participants lined up for March 6 and already has eight registered for the April 3 evening with that deadline still a few weeks away (March 18). She could still use some volunteers whom she is able to train before next Saturday’s event. Contact Hanna at or call 765-748-7215.
Chef Mike Cowart is thrilled with our response to the First Wednesday Take-Out Lunch. 70 persons have ordered meals they will pick up next Wednesday. This is a great way to support Mike, who has done so much for us in the past and during this pandemic, and it helps connect many who are used to gathering once a month for enrichment and fellowship. I understand a short prayer video has been put together that you can watch before or during your meal. That video will be available beginning at 11am next Wednesday, March 3. Just click the First Wednesday Lunch graphic at NoblesvilleFirst.com or watch on Facebook.
Don’t forget to make your Mission Outreach pledge (formerly Faith Promise). This extra mile giving supports so many vital agencies that assist persons in Hamilton County and beyond. It helps encourage our partnerships with Janus Developmental Services, Prevail, United Methodist Children’s Home, our Teter Organic Farm and many more. You can make your pledge online at NoblesvilleFirst.com/MissionOutreach. For more information, contact Pastor Jill Moffett at .
In Thursday Worship tonight at 6:30pm on Zoom, Pastor Matt Hantelman will begin the Lenten series on The Seven Deadly Sins with a message and discussion on the sin of Pride. This is a unique interactive worship experience where you can speak up or just listen in as they apply and even debate the message. There are no bad questions with this group and Matt is not afraid of being challenged if you don’t quite agree with his thoughts. Find the Zoom link at NoblesvilleFirst.com/ThursdayWorship.
In Sunday’s 9:45am Family Worship, we finish the month with a familiar parable found in Luke 10:25-37. When the religious leaders tried to make themselves look good, they try and trick Jesus with a question. If we’re supposed to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, who exactly is our neighbor? Jesus answers with the parable of The Good Samaritan. Jesus used this story to completely change how people who follow Him should look at showing kindness to others— it’s not just for people we know or like, but for everyone we meet. This week's Bottom Line is: Be kind to people who are different from you. Everyone is deserving of our kindness, whether they look like us or not. We hope kids learn from a young age that God’s love is for everyone. Jesus modeled a love and kindness that included everyone. We should do the same! Family Worship meets in person in Celebration Hall (Door 2,7) or watch on Facebook or at NoblesvilleFirst.com/livestream.
This Sunday in Traditional Worship at 8:30 & 11:00 we will continue our series on The Seven Deadly Sins by talking about envy. At first, I didn’t think of envy as a sin that gives me much trouble, but when I look deeper I realize envy can rear its ugly head in unexpected ways. As you will hear, even pastors can be guilty. Pastor Jill and I will share this message. She will offer a video of a woman who went a year without looking at a mirror, even during her wedding. We hope to see you in-person in the Sanctuary (Door 1) or watch at NoblesvilleFirst.com/livestream or live on Facebook at 8:30 or anytime after.
Share prayer requests and check out the week's opportunities to connect on the Connection Card at NoblesvilleFirst.com or on the Noblesville First mobile app. And share your pastoral needs by emailing or calling the 24/7 Care Line at 317-773-2590.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Jerry Rairdon
