I
don’t think
Connecticut
takes football
as seriously
as other states
in our nation
(think Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas),
but I know more than a few of us
are passionate about “our team.”
Baseball may be the “national past-
time,” but football seems to be the
Fall obsession. I do like games with a
time clock – but I wish there weren’t
so many commercials and time outs.
After four quarters and sixty minutes,
we always know that a game will be
decided – unless it’s tied and goes
into overtime! Coaches and players
will tell you that football tactics are
tied to “situational awareness” -
"where are we on the field, which
way is the wind blowing if we have
to kick or throw, do we have another
half to try for a score or are we 4th
and 1 with 2 minutes to go in the
fourth quarter?" There are countless
situations and each demands a
carefully considered approach based
on the needs and the talents of the
team.
Life can be a lot like a football game
– especially when we think of our
span of life in terms of four quarters
where we try to play our best in each
quarter until the last seconds tick
off the clock. The optimism of the
first quarter can turn to pessimism
in the third quarter if we fall too far
behind. The first quarter mistakes
won’t matter if we finish strong in
the fourth quarter. A superb third
quarter followed by a disastrous
fourth quarter can wipe out any
gains. Based on our own “situational
awareness,” we make different
choices at different stages of life.
While no one is guaranteed 80 years
on this earth, most of us operate as if
we will live that long. Have you ever
seen your life span as four – twenty
year quarters? Does a 20-40 year old
(someone in the second quarter of
life) focus on the same projects with
the same energy as someone 60-80
(in the fourth quarter)? Aren’t the
quests and questions of the first two
decades of life (the first quarter in
our analogy) vastly different from the
final quarter questions we have (age
60 and beyond)? The successes and
set backs in the second quarter (age
20-40) and third quarter (age 40-60)
can be some of our most defining
moments in life. I believe that our
spiritual questions change in each
quarter of life. “Thirty-somethings”
aren’t asking the same questions
as seventy-year-old saints. Will the
The Spire
October 2014
Noroton Presbyterian Church
n
2011 Post Road, Darien, CT 06820
n
203-655-1451
What “Quarter” Of Life
Are You In?
Worship Schedule
Chapel - 8:00 a.m.
Sanctuary - 9:00 & 10:30 a.m.
Open Doors - 5:00 p.m.
Upcoming Preaching Schedule:
10/5/14 -
Confirmation Sunday
Pastor Greg Doll
Sermon Series
“A Faith Game Plan for the
4 Quarters of Life”
10/12/14 -
Pastor Sam Schreiner
Mark 10:13-16 “A Strong Start in
Life’s First Decades”
10/19/14 -
Pastor Sam Schreiner
Matthew 13:1-9 “Finding Focus in
Your 30’s and 40’s”
10/26/14 -
Pastor Sam Schreiner
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 “Reaching
Your Stride in Your 50’s and 60’s”
Upcoming Baptism Dates:
10/19, 11/16, 11/30 & 12/21 at
the 10:30 a.m. Sanctuary Service
To schedule a Baptism please call
Leslie Ezzo at 203-309-5618.
Table of Contents
Foundations for the Future
.......................3
Adult Spiritual Formation.................4-5
Caring &Women’s Ministry.................5
Children’s &Youth Ministry..............6-8
NPNS........................................................9
Tot Drop................................................ 10
Congregational Life Ministry............. 11
Membership Ministry.......................... 12
Music & Fine Arts ............................... 12
Mission Ministry............................. 13-14
NPC Calendar of Events.................... 15
Small Groups ................................. 16-17
NPC Deacons ..................................... 18
continued on page 2...
