Straight to the Point (STTP) Newsletter for the Week of August 3, 2021

Straight to the Point

August 3, 2021

COVID-19 UPDATE:

Church is open for in person services.

Due CDC Covid Guidelines these changes have occured at FCUCC:

Because of the increase of the Covid 19 and the Delta Variant in Woodbury County we Council has decided to put the green tape back up in the sanctuary and require that church members and others that use the building wear face masks when they are in close proximity with others (ie: church services, meetings, etc…). The worship service will continue to be live-streamed on Facebook and You-Tube.

If you have any questions call Pam Ridgway (712-202-8304) or contact the church office.

August 8 - Rev. Del Olivier - Sermon and Communion

We are grateful that the Rev. Del Oliver will be with us again to deliver the sermon and administer communion this Sunday.

He will also be with us on September 5th.

Admiration Series Book Study

We will not be having our Sunday Morning Adult Class at 9:30 a.m. August 8th. Todd will be out of town. We will be back on August 15th at 9:30 a.m. to talk about the 12 Disciples.

Retirement Party for Duane Hoffmeyer

Duane Hoffmeyer is retiring from the Chief Judge of the Third Judicial District and will transition to a senior judge, working part-time. A public reception will be held Thursday, August 5, 2021 from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the Woodbury County Courthouse. A short program will begin at 2:00 in the Lobby of the Woodbury Courthouse followed by a cake/coffee reception on the 2nd floor.

Live Streaming Help Needed

If you are interested in helping with Live Streaming of our Sunday Services or with other parts of our Sunday Services, please give Pam Ridgway a call or text at 712-202-8304. We would love to have more people join us.

Strategy Design Team

An ad hoc Strategy Design Team has been established to develop a 1-5 year organizational plan for the church. Current committee members are Earl Miller, Jim France, Dick Owens and Barb Knepper. They are looking for 1-3 additional business minded members experienced in strategy design. If you are interested please let Michael know and he will pass that information on to the committee. If you have any questions regarding the committee please contact Pam Ridgway or any current member of the committee.

ARC Summer Program

Submitted by Jan Nowlen

The summer program is over and all went well. Thank you to all of you that donated snacks.

The Sanford Center Summer Program

Submitted by Jan Nowlen

The Sanford Center Summer Program will run Monday thru Friday starting June 7 thru August 13. Hours will be 7:30-4:30.

They will be opening a second location at 6100 Morningside Ave. to help serve more children. If you know anyone that might be interested, please have call Gina at the Sanford Center—-252-0581.

They are still in need of crayons, colored pencils, markers, glue sticks, and bottles of glue. If you care to donate any of these, please put them in the grocery cart and we will see that they get delivered.

Moving-On Box Ministry

Submitted by Ginger France

In supporting the 'gift' of moving on, we fill lives with hope and household essentials for those leaving transitional housing at CSADV, Crossroads, Welcome Home, and Women Aware.

MOB Needs:

Towels/washcloths

Saucepans

Calendars

Toasters

Bar Soap

Detergent

Dishtowels/Dishcloths

Dish soap

Dishes/bowls

Glasses (plastic, if possible)

The Warming Shelter

Submitted By Jan Nowlen

The Warming Shelter has closed until winter arrives again. They are open two days a week so laundry can be done and also so people who use the facility to get out of the heat. Portable showers are also open a couple days a week. Donations can be used now or when they reopen. The Warming Shelter now has a list of items on Amazon that you can order and they will be delivered direct to The Warming Shelter. You can go to The Warming Shelter's website and get the direct connection to Amazon.

You can drop donations and gift cards off at the Soup Kitchen or Mail them to:

717 W. 7th Street

Sioux City, Iowa 51103

Donate to the Soup Kitchen Online!

Venmo : @siouxland-soupkitchen

PayPal : [email protected]

All donations can be issued a receipt for tax purposes.

Donna Popp

George Owings and family

Anne Cleghorn

Sharleen Sorum (Michelle Schwerin's mother)

Laura Traum

Lois Darrow

Madison Darrow

Thank You, Volunteers!

A big "thank you" goes out to our volunteers who helped with Sunday Services this week.

Fill-in Minister - Todd Siefker

Worship Leader - Eileen Helvig

Live Stream - John Kiernan/Pam Ridgway

Sound/Lighting - Dave Van Berkum

Screen - Jerrod Kiernan

Directory

Managed by the Office

We are using Instant Church Directory. Printed versions of our directory are available in the narthex or by request. Please inform the office of any directory updates that you would like to include for yourself or your family. You can also pick up one of the directory update forms on the table outside the church office or find it on our website.

To access the directory online visit members.instantchurchdirectory.com and you should be able to create a login using the email listed in the church directory. If you need any help accessing the directory or would like a copy emailed to you, contact the church office for assistance.

Pastoral Search Committee

Submitted by Earl Miller

The committee has been actively receiving pastor profiles since we posted the church profile in early April. Each candidate offers a unique opportunity for us and our goal is to bring forward a candidate that you all can embrace and rally behind. That is a tough goal but one we are committed to in our work. Our committee meets weekly on average as a group and several times a week in smaller groups. The future of FCUCC looks bright and we are carefully discerning who we would like to recommend to the congregation as the next pastor to help lead us. We are optimistic that we will find the right candidate in the time that God determines is appropriate.

Your prayers for our discernment are welcome.

Join Us

We invite you to engage and strengthen your faith with these practices:

THE PRACTICE OF WORSHIP: Live Streamed on Facebook and Youtube, and recorded

We Live Stream our Sunday morning worship service via the church’s page on Facebook and Youtube at 10:30am on Sunday mornings. Every service is recorded and available to play at any time on those platforms. If you have trouble, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the church for help.

THE PRACTICE OF LEARNING: Zoom learning sessions each week 9:30 a.m. each Sunday.

Engage your mind in learning through theological reflection, asking hard questions about God and life, and test your embedded theology to see if that where you want to be.

With Todd Siefker taking over the responsibility of the Sunday sermon and 9:30 a.m. book study, we have temporarily suspended our Wednesday night Admiration Series meetings.

A Closing note about ZOOM:

If you don’t have the ability or the equipment to use Zoom or Facebook to participate in these practices, please call the office. We will be happy to help you find a solution to fully participate in the life of the church.

Link to our Youtube where you can watch our services live and recordings of past services:

Click HERE

FCUCC Finances for July 2021

Updates from Church Treasurer

Giving in June amounted to $13,510, all from mail-in and online giving.

You can help us stay on track by mailing in your check or setting up an automatic payment from your bank. You can also contribute through a simple app called Tithe.ly.

Tithe.ly is our online, app and web-based giving system. It's convenient because it: