Volume 13 | March 2, 2020
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Greetings!
For the next few weeks, the Evotional will be sent out a day earlier (i.e., Sunday rather than Monday). This will allow you to listen to our virtual service online, since we will not be having live Sunday services.
Stay safe, healthy, happy, and know that you are loved.
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To watch today's service, please click
HERE
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- Please pray for Marilyn MacCaughey, Mary Lou Schuler, Evelyn Vanderheyden, Georgia Hall, Dean LaMarr, Bill Blandford, Kay Mahl, Mary Ralston, Annette Anderson, Louise Shapley, Don & Nancy Tobias, Marlene Wilson, Mary Jane Johnston, Larry & Ellen Cardwell.
- Prayers for Cindy, Chuck & Lynn—siblings & in-law of Ed Lehmann, Samantha—friend of First Presbyterian, Christi— friend of Music & More and our church, Kesney—granddaughter of Andy & Denise Park, Tim—brother-in-law of Sheila Lawrence, Vonnie Massey—mother of Carrie Massie, Mary—sister of Carrie Massey, Betty—grandmother of Jenny Humphrey & Jessica Smith, Charlie—niece of Carrie Massey & Kathi Wilson, Shawn—friend of Denise Park, Gillian and Ben—friends and former pastors of First Presbyterian, an unspoken prayer for spiritual healing.
- Continued prayers for those serving—Lt. Col. Jay Brooke, Nicholas Hansen, Evan Humphreys, Mary Workman, Chad Lawrence, Jared Smith, Jordan Smith.
- Thoughts, prayers and love for all those who have recently lost loved ones; especially the families and friends of Annette Anderson and Gloria Flynn.
- And special prayers for our congregation, our city, state, country and the world, during this chaotic time.
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A letter from Session ...
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Dear Members of First Presbyterian,
The Coronavirus has us sheltering in place but that has not stopped us from continuing the ministry of our church. The Session has met twice via video conferencing and the Deacons have been calling members on our prayer list and using email to check in with one another.
Now it's your turn as the congregation. The Nominating Committee has completed their assignment of submitting names of people to be elected to serve as the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC). The PNC must be elected by the congregation; therefore,
the Session has called for a special meeting of the congregation for Sunday, April 5 at 10:30 a.m. via Zoom audio/video conferencing
. To make sure everyone can participate in the meeting April 5, we have scheduled practice audio/video conferencing as follows:
Tuesday, March 31
st
– 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, April 1
st
– 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday, April 1
st
– 3:30 p.m.
In the next day or two, you will receive an email invite for the above dates and times. Please join us for one of them. Instructions for using Zoom conferencing can be found by visiting:
Video conferencing –
Audio only –
To utilize the video conferencing, find your platform (i.e., Windows, Mac, Android, etc.) and follow the instructions given on the website.
We hope the practice conferencing will help us fix any bugs and make sure everyone can participate in the meeting on April 5.
We have also been working on ways for us to stay connected. Worship services are recorded and can be viewed on our church webpage, YouTube, Facebook, and our new podcast, FirstPresHolyPost.
The links for First Presbyterian Church’s online resources/medial are listed below:
Website –
YouTube –
Facebook –
FirstPresHolyPost –
In addition to our Sunday worship services, we will be offering a daily poem chosen and read by members of our congregation, an online bible study, and virtual dinners for eight. So, check our church webpage often to see what's happening.
Stay safe, stay connected, and the peace of Christ be with us all,
The Session
Debbie Yale, Clerk
Pr Mark McDonough, Moderator
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Pause, breathe deeply and reflect ...
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Oh God, gather me now to be with you as you are with me.
Soothe my tiredness;
quiet my fretfulness;
curb my aimlessness;
relieve my compulsiveness;
let me be easy for a moment.
O Lord, release me
from the fears and guilt which grip me so tightly;
from the expectations and opinions which I so tightly grip,
that I may be open
to receiving what you give,
to risking something genuinely new,
to learning something refreshingly different.
Forgive me
for claiming so much for myself
that I leave no room for gratitude;
for confusing exercises in self-importance
with acceptance of self-worth;
for complaining so much of my burdens
that I become a burden;
for competing against others so insidiously
that I stifle celebrating them
and receiving your blessing through their gifts.
O God, gather me to be with you as you are with me.
Amen.
Ted Loder, Guerillas of Grace
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If you’d like to donate to the food pantry, rather than buying items, consider making a monetary donation. You can send a check payable to First Presbyterian Church and note under memo that it is for FirstPres Food Pantry. Or you can give online (
https://smartpay.profitstars.com/express/288fpc
) and reference that it is for the food pantry. That way, we will be able to purchase what is needed, without putting you “in harm’s way.”
Also, if you are
not
in the at-risk category and are willing to volunteer, please contact LuAnn.
Thank you!
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A note from the office ...
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Dear family & friends of First Presbyterian Church:
Due to the recently announced “Safer at Home” order by Governor Evers, beginning this Monday, March 30th, we are restricting access to the building even further.
We will be working from home, and each of us will be in the office only one day a week. Shelley will be in the office on Mondays from 5:00 to 11:00 a.m. Theresa will be in the office on Thursdays from 7:00 a.m. to 12 noon. Pr. Mark will be in the building, as needed.
Tina has been working on cleaning and sanitizing the entire building, so by limiting visitors to the building, we be able to keep it as sanitized as possible.
If you need to contact one of us, please email us or call the office number – 262.632.1686. The phone is forwarded to Shelley - 24/7. She will handle and/or forward calls as needed.
Thank you for your patience and understanding, as we all deal with the chaos that has been thrust upon us.
Have a safe, healthy and blessed day.
Warmest regards,
Theresa & Shelley
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For direct access to everything from our monthly newsletters to our weekly podcasts, click on the appropriate link below:
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Anxiety doesn't discriminate - against different ages. And coloring is one of the greatest ways to calm oneself. To download a copy of Prayers for When You Feel Anxious Coloring Pages, please click
here
.
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