MINISTER - FRAN HAYES

Do not be afraid, I am with you.
I have called you each by name.
Come and follow me,
I will bring you home.
I love you, and you are mine.

What difference does it make in our lives when we come to believe we are beloved children of God? We worship the one God, who is hope for the hopeless, strength for those who are despairing, healing for those who dwell in shame, the Word that leads all to freedom, the peace the world cannot give. These are words from David Haas, words we claim as truth when we sing them. We will sing them again on GOOD NEWS SUNDAY on September 27.

In and through Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, redeemed, and transformed. This is good news that can make all the difference in our lives! This is good news that is too good to keep to our selves.

On GOOD NEWS SUNDAY we plan to have an especially gracious and joyful worship service, full of good news and wonderful music. Can we be excited to share GOOD NEWS with people we care about?

We are living in a time when many people don't go to church and aren't part of any faith community. Many of them have been hurt or disappointed by earlier experiences. Some may have drifted away. Some have never been nurtured by a loving faith community.

The people who drive past any number of other churches to get to Littlefield know that this is a vital and unique congregation that is, quite literally, a mission outpost in our neighborhood. We're not perfect. God isn't finished with us yet. But this is a community of people with open hearts and minds, a community that welcomes diversity and tries to truly be “salt and light” in our community and the world.

Another song we will sing on Good News Sunday sings the longing of Psalm 42: “As the deer pants for the water, so my soul longs after you.” There are people who long to know God's love and grace, people who long to be part of a loving, accepting community. Also, there are people who long for ways to build bridges with people of other faiths and to find ways to promote understanding and cooperation.

This month we have two special opportunities to invite people to “come and see.” (John 1:39) On September 20, we will be joined by Muslim and Jewish friends, as well as others who care about building interfaith bridges, for our service of Interfaith Prayer for Peace. On September 27 we are hoping to share the good news of Godís love with people who need to hear it.

In the coming few weeks, please embrace in your prayers the people in your life—your neighbors, relatives, and friends—and invite them to come with you. We have good news to share!

Salam • Shalom • Peace.

SCRIPTURE READINGS
(Based on Revised Common Lectionary)

September 6
Old Testament Lesson-Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
Psalm 125
Epistle Lesson-James 2:1-17
Gospel Lesson-Mark 7:24-37

September 13
Old Testament Lesson-Proverbs 1:20-33
Psalm 19
Epistle Lesson-James 3:1-12
Gospel Lesson-Mark 8:27-38

September 20
Old Testament Lesson-Proverbs 31:10-31
Psalm 1
Epistle Lesson-James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Gospel Lesson-Mark 9:30-37

September 27
Old Testament Lesson-Esther 7:1-6, 9-10; 9:20-22
Psalm 124
Epistle Lesson-James 5:13-20
Gospel Lesson-Mark 9:38-50

PRAYER MINISTRY

Christian Love
A word of kindness lasts all day
To light another's heart and way,
And if we add a caring smile,
It adds a joy to traveled miles.
A simple word of kindly care
Or just a smile to ease despair,
It means so much to those who cry
For loves and joys their life denies.
It costs us nothing to be kind
And calm another's grieves of mind
Or to add charity of heart
That Christian love and care impart...
For Jesus preached in days on earth
That we respect each other's birth
And love each other, in His name,
Who live and pray and die the same.

- Michael Dubina


PRAYER
Lord, please fill our hearts with peace as you
release our fears, cares and anxieties. Amen.


THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Your life as a Christian should make
non-believers question their disbelief in God.

TAIZE WORSHIP - SEPTEMBER 1 @ 7:00 p.m.

Light, prayer and music are woven together in a contemplative prayer service. Short, simple songs, repeated again and again, help one enter into a meditative state. Thus, this meditative singing becomes a way of listening to God. All are invited, regardless of faith background and age, to come and renew your spirit. You are invited to dress comfortably and casually. Invite a friend!

FALL SCHEDULE BEGINS ON SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13!

Adult Sunday School
@ 9:15 a.m.

Choir Rehearsal
@ 9:30 a.m.

Childcare
@ 10:00 a.m.

Worship Service
@ 10:30 a.m.

WORSHIP & CHRISTIAN EDUCATION COMMITTEE

We welcome back all our members and friends that have been traveling during the summer. We hope you will make attending worship at Littlefield on Sunday morning part of your fall schedule.

There are many opportunities to take part in the life of the congregation in addition to attending a worship service. The adult Sunday School class always welcomes additional members. They will continue a study of the Psalms on Sunday, September 13, at 9:15 a.m. in the lounge. If you can't be there every week, come when you can. Mary Circle and Men's Group offer small group experiences with Bible Study, prayer, friendship and mission projects.

The adult choir will begin on Sunday, September 13, with rehearsal at 9:30 a.m. and welcomes everyone who wishes to praise God with their voices. Thank you to all who shared their musical talents with us during the summer months.

Please join us for the special Sundays in September and invite your friends to attend the Interfaith Sunday Prayers for Peace service on September 20 and the Good News Sunday on September 27 followed by the Fall Brunch. Everyone is welcome!

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN

The PWPD (Presbyterian Women of the Presbytery of Detroit) will hold an All Cluster Gathering at The New Life Presbyterian Church in Sterling Heights on Wednesday, September 9, from 9:45 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The program is entitled “Girl Talk, Part III, Christian Living.” Renee Warman, who was our guest speaker at the All Cluster Gathering last year will return to discuss and motivate PWPD in the area of Christian Living. Renee is known for being a motivational speaker, involved in women's ministries, and has recorded many Christian songs with her family and kid's ministries as well. There will not be a luncheon so reservations will not be needed. Light refreshments will be served instead.

The Mary Circle will meet on Monday, September 14, at 7:30 p.m. This month we will begin our Horizon Bible Study.

The PW of the First Presbyterian Church of Farmington are sponsoring a fundraising luncheon on Monday, September 28, at 11:30 a.m. to benefit the Second Mile Center. The luncheon will feature a “Death by Chocolate” dessert buffet (non-chocolate available too!) and a boutique featuring hand crafted and specialty items including Stella and Dot Jewelry. Tickets are $15. To purchase a ticket contact Sue Carlson (248- 737-1398).

The Littlefield Presbyterian Women will be sponsoring a brunch after worship on Sunday, September 27, (Good News Sunday). Members and friends are all invited to attend!

Please mark the evening of Monday, October 5, on your calendars. This is our Annual Mission Night and Baby Shower. Diane Agnew, the new Presbytery of Detroit Hunger Action Coordinator will be our speaker. She is doing some reorganizing of the hunger program and adding some new partners, so her message should be very informative. Men and women are invited to attend this program.

MARY CIRCLE - SEPTEMBER 14 @ 7:30 p.m.

If you have an interest in this Women's Circle, please contact the church office. The study will cover the first chapter of the New Horizons study guide. This circle normally meets the 1st Monday of every month and shares a devotional, study and dessert. All women are welcome!

CHURCH & SOCIETY COMMITTEE

Another successful Peace Camp: From July 28 -30, 2015 we held our 17th annual Peace Camp for children ages 6-12. This year 20 children, 4 youth leaders and 17 adults shared an evening meal, sang songs, played games and learned tools for living peacefully in the community. This year Littlefield leaders provided a background story of a town being destroyed by natural disaster to get the children thinking about what was really needed for the town to rebuild. This setting of the scene proved to be a good motivator for the children to think about what is really important and needed rather than just what they might like to have. The construction, painting and decorating of the buildings in our town took on a deeper meaning this year. We had a rally in front of the church on the last night, followed by an ice cream social for the children and their parents. The children enjoyed talking about their buildings and why they built them and singing songs about what they learned about peacemaking for their parents. A successful Peace Camp involves contributions from many people and we are ALWAYS THANKFUL for the time and energy our members and friends give.

2-Cents-a-Meal Collection: Our next collection will be Sunday, September 13. It has been 91 days since our last collection. At 3 meals/day x $.02/meal we should have collected $5.46 in our containers. Realizing that many of us eat more than 3 times/day and that food prices have increased, donations of any size are always welcome. Our portion of this offering will be given to the Detroit Presbytery Hunger Program. Please give generously!

Interfaith Prayer Service for Peace: On Sunday, September 20, we will gather with our interfaith friends in the sanctuary for our annual interfaith prayer service. It will be followed by refreshments and a fellowship time. As in the past year or two, this is times to coincide with the International Day of Peace which is on Monday, September 21. You are encouraged to invite friends to this special service.

Peace & Global Witness Offering: The Peacemaking offering has received a new name and is now part of A Season of Peace which begins on September 6 and culminates on World Communion Sunday, October 4, with the collection of the offering. A Season of Peace is a four-week pilgrimage designed to deepen the pursuit of peace for congregations, small groups, families and individuals. Through daily peace reflections, family activities such as peace cards, Bible studies and other online resources we are invited to define and deepen our calling as a peacemaker.

Gleaners Volunteer Morning: We will be volunteering at the Gleaners Distribution Center in Taylor on Saturday, October 10, from 9 a.m. – 12 noon. We never know what we will be doing until we arrive, but the tasks are not back breaking and usually involve enough variety to accommodate everyone's abilities and physical limitations. In the past we have put together weekend bags of food that children take home from school on Friday, sorted potatoes into plastic bags, measured rice into plastic bags and sorted canned foods and checked for expired cans. Directions to the Gleaners Taylor Distribution Center will be on the library desk when we get closer to the day. Everyone is encouraged to join our Littlefield group at Gleaners.

Bread for the World Sunday: On Sunday, October 18, we will have an Offering of Letters, as we did last year.

INTERFAITH PRAYERS FOR PEACE: SEPTEMBER 20

On the Sunday before the International Day of Peace, we will be joined by neighbors from the Muslim and Jewish communities, as well as some Christians who care about building interfaith bridges.

People of faith and goodwill need to come together to strengthen bonds of friendship, to increase understanding, and to find ways to pray and work together for peace in our communities, in our nation, and our world. During the 10:30 worship service, we will practice respectful presence as we share the wisdom of our various traditions and pray together.

May we make new friends and leave with greater hope and resolve to meet again and to work together for peace in our communities and the world.

GOOD NEWS SUNDAY

Be sure to join us on September 27 for Good News Sunday and the Fall Brunch. This is a good Sunday to invite friends, relatives, and acquaintances to worship with us. The theme of the liturgy, scriptures, message, and music will be particularly inviting to a newcomer or someone coming to church after a time away. Our Fall Brunch will follow worship, and guests are invited to stay and enjoy a meal and fellowship with us.

We hope you'll think and pray about whom you would like to invite to Littlefield. Offer to provide a ride for them if they need one or if it would encourage them to come. You can promise them that they'll hear some good news and have a good brunch!

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts. 1:8)

EVANGELISM AND MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

About 50 Littlefielders and guests attended our morning worship service and church picnic in the shelter at Hemlock Park on July 26th. The weather was beautiful and the message, music, food and fellowship all contributed to a special summertime spiritual experience. Thank you to all who helped make it a special occasion, including the cooks for the day. We were especially grateful that the train decided to wait until after our service finished before it went through the park blowing its horn! We plan to rent the same shelter next summer, so if you weren't able to attend this year, we hope to see you then.

Be sure to join us for worship on September 27 for “Good News Sunday.” This will be a good Sunday to invite friends and acquaintances to worship with us. Pastor Fran will offer “good news” from the pulpit and other portions of the service will be particularly inviting to a newcomer. Our annual Fall Brunch will follow worship that day, so guests can stay and enjoy a meal with us. Be thinking now about who you would like to invite to Littlefield. Offer to provide a ride for them if they need one. “...for we cannot keep from speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:20

One last word — We are in the process of creating a new Church directory. It won't be long before we will be taking your picture for this new publication. Say “CHEESE.”

MEN'S BIBLE STUDY GROUP - SEPTEMBER 28 @ 6:30 p.m.

The group will continue the study of “The Spirituality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer” and will meet for dinner at 6:30 p.m. with the lesson/discussion to follow at 7:00 p.m. If you have any questions, please contact the church office. All men are invited and more information will appear in the Sunday bulletins starting in September.

PRESBYTERY OF DETROIT
HUNGER MINISTRIES PROGRAM
FOOD PANTRY COLLECTION

During the month of September the Presbyterian Women will sponsor a food collection to benefit the Food Pantries supplied by the Detroit Presbytery Hunger Ministries Program. A special collection bin will be in the library for your donations. Canned or boxed non-perishable items, including paper products are preferred. These include canned meats, vegetables and fruits, boxed cereal (low- sugar), oatmeal, powdered milk, peanut butter, and bags of beans or rice. A more complete list of suggested items can be picked up in the library. Diane Agnew, the newly hired Hunger Action Coordinator, will be speaking at the Littlefield PW Mission night on Monday, October 5, and we want to present her with our food donations that evening.

OCTOBER MISSION DATES:

Sunday, October 4
World Communion Sunday and Peace & Global Witness Offering

Monday, October 5
Mission Night and Baby Shower at 7:00 p.m.
All men and women are invited to the program!

Saturday, October 10
Presbytery of Detroit Mission Breakfast at 8:00 a.m.

Saturday, October 10
Littlefield Church at Gleaner's Food Bank in Taylor
from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.

Sunday, October 18
Bread for the World Sunday

Monday, October 19-Wednesday, October 21
POD PW Ingathering at Westminster Church.

NEWCOMER CONVERSATION

If you're a relative newcomer or anyone who isn't an official member of Littlefield, you will be invited to join us for a simple lunch and conversation in the Littlefield Lounge in the very near future. Included in this conversation will be some other newer people, the pastor, and a few other Littlefield folk. We'll start with a light lunch on a Sunday at 1:00 p.m. and plan to be done by no later than 3:00 p.m. (The date will be determined soon.)

We look forward to conversation that helps people get better acquainted and learn from one another. People who have been members for a very long time need to hear new perspectives, as we seek ways to reach out to new people. We'll talk about worship and what kinds of learning, fellowship and service opportunities people are interested in. Our leaders need feedback on how we're doing at being inviting and welcoming. We'd love to hear about where people are on their spiritual journeys and how they're experiencing Littlefield.

Nobody is going to twist your arm to try to get you to become an official, on the roll member of Littlefield. That's not the purpose of this meeting. We hope this time of listening and learning will be enjoyable for all who attend. Please watch for more information about this opportunity in the very near future.

STEWARDSHIP AND FINANCE COMMITTEE

Well, here it is, nearly September 1. Where has the summer gone! It seems like just yesterday we were seeing new buds on the flowers and trees. The day before, we were shoveling snow.

Session enthusiastically adopted a theme for this fall's stewardship campaign, “Generations of Generosity.” This theme is based on Psalm 145 and encourages us to share our stories of generosity and listen to others sharing their experiences as well. Celebrating the generous support Littlefield has enjoyed through the decades is particularly appropriate to commemorate our eighty-five years of mission in East Dearborn. We all realize that continued generous support by our membership is vital to continuing to deliver the mission. You may look forward to hearing a lot more about “Generations of Generosity” this fall.

In a note of good news, we have a prospective tenant for our preschool space. Greater Sonora Early Learning Prep, a faith based pre-school program, has initiated an advertising and enrollment campaign and hopes to sign a lease and begin their program at Littlefield this fall. We will support their efforts any way we are able, since income from this rental contract will ease our financial burden.

ON BEING PRESBYTERIAN

Being a member or minister of the Presbyterian Church (USA) means you are part of a much larger connectional church. In order to carry out the connections, many offices and employees serve us to provide vital resources. We are part of the family.

The offices of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) are located in Louisville, KY on the banks of the Ohio River in a building donated by Presbyterian David Jones, the founder and CEO of the Humana Corporation. The decision to go to Louisville came about when the northern (UPCUSA) and the southern (PCUS) branches of the churches reunited in June of 1983. Until 1988, the two separate staffs worked in the former offices (New York City and Atlanta) as plans for merging the staffs were completed and the Louisville building renovated.

Housed in the offices in Louisville are the many employees working for the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) and the Office of the General Assembly (OGA). They oversee the implementation of the actions of the biennial General Assembly, plan General Assembly meetings and conduct mission and ministry on behalf of the entire church. If you want to see more of the church structure and the various offices, please check out the annual PC(USA) Planning Calendar or go to the church web page at www.pcusa.org.

Over the last many years, and aided by the boom in methods of communication, congregations and presbyteries have taken responsibility for more and more of the mission of the PC(USA). This has reduced rather dramatically what is being overseen by the Louisville offices and reduced the staff accordingly. However, there will always be work that will need to be done at the GA level that cannot be done by congregations and/or presbyteries; these include mission personnel across the globe; young adult volunteers (YAVS); Peacemaking Program; Disaster Assistance; Hunger Program; 1001 New Congregations; curricula for all ages; the Mission Responsibility Through Investment Committee (MRTI); the Committee on Social Witness Policy (CSWP); teaching elder ordination tests and placements; judicial process; constitutional issues; ecumenical relations; stewardship; theology; racial ethnic and women's ministries and more. The Office of Public Witness in Washington and the Ministry at the United Nations are not housed in Louisville but provide vital ministry. (www.pcusa.org)

Finally, another part of the family met for its triennial Churchwide Gathering from June 18 – 21 in Minneapolis. Some 1500+ Presbyterian Women from all over the world gathered with the theme One Body, One Spirit as it was carried out through speakers, worship, music, movement, workshops, mission tours, and the exhibit hall containing PC(USA) resources and the Presbyterian Hunger Program Global Marketplace (including Pal Craftaid). Two Littlefielders were among the 20 or so women from Presbyterian Women in the Presbytery of Detroit who attended.

Next month, we will look at other Presbyterian connectional bodies at work to serve us both in Louisville and other locations.

CHURCH MISSION STATEMENT

Who we are:
We are a community of ordinary people
committed to growing together as disciples of Jesus Christ
through worship, fellowship, learning, prayer, and mission.

Why we exist:
To love God, one another, and all people.
To show God's love in our work for peace and justice.