Second Presbyterian Church
September 18, 2020
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While we are not able to worship together in person, we are worshiping together virtually! Join us on Sunday morning at 11:00 a.m. for worship by clicking the tab above, or clicking on the "Sunday Live stream" button on the home page of our website, www.2ndpres.org.
Also - if you click the blue button above you will be able to download the worship order so you can follow along at home!
The flowers this week were given by Jan Barber.
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Following the Assurance of God's Love, we will pass the peace by texting one another. Choose a fellow church member, family member, friend, relative, or loved one, have their number ready to go, and send them a text that says, “May the peace of Christ be with you!" |
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The Session of 2nd Presbyterian Church has voted to resume in-person worship and church activities in October in the following manner:
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We will return to in-person worship on Sunday, October 4th. Worship in the sanctuary will be at the usual time of 11:00 a.m. with no numerical limits on attendance. The session has also decided to add a 9:00 a.m. outdoor worship service for those who do not feel comfortable worshiping indoors. Details on this service are listed in a separate announcement below. As we have done the last 4 years, we will continue to stream the service live on Sundays.
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Committees, ministry units, Bible study groups, youth groups, and other groups of the church may resume in-person meetings beginning October 1st with a limit of 25 persons or less and only in rooms where appropriate physical distance can be maintained. We will NOT have Wednesday night dinners this fall, and the Wednesday Night Bible Study will still be taking place online only. Further information can be found in October's Second Edition.
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There are a number of guidelines that we are asking people to follow as we resume in-person activities. These guidelines are ones that we have chosen to impose upon ourselves in order to protect everyone and keep everyone as safe as possible. They are listed in a separate announcement below.
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If you are not comfortable returning to in-person worship activities, please do not feel that you must. The worship service will continue to be streamed and committees that decide to meet in person will take steps to allow members to join the meeting virtually.
Finally, we understand there will be some people who are happy with this decision and others who are frustrated by it. Please know that the Session is doing its best during a difficult situation to think about what is best for our faith community.
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Beginning October 4th we are starting a new worship service at 9:00 a.m.
This informal service will be held outdoors, in the courtyard space between the chapel and sanctuary. The service is for anyone who would like to come, but is especially for those who would like to gather with others for in-person worship but do not feel comfortable doing so indoors. We ask that you still wear a face covering and maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance from others.
The service will be an abbreviated version of the 11:00 service; we will hear the same scripture, sermon, and prayer as the later service. The one difference is that since we are outdoors, we will be able to sing hymns, which we will do joyfully!
The service is BYOC – Bring Your Own Chairs! – and we will not gather if it is raining.
We look forward to seeing you at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, October 4th in the courtyard!
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Guidelines for returning to in-person worship
The Session has voted to implement the following guidelines for in-person worship. Please note that these guidelines were agreed upon by the Session and are self-imposed, not out of fear but out of love and for the safety and well-being of anyone choosing to worship at Second Presbyterian Church.
The following guidelines are requirements for all worship services, indoor and outdoor.
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Wear a face covering. This is not just to protect and show our love for and others, but also allows us to focus on God, which is the purpose of worship. If someone is not wearing a face covering, others will be focused on that person and not on worship.
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Maintain a physical distance of at least 6 ft. Worshipers should observe appropriate physical distancing and refrain from physical contact with those outside of one’s household. Each household is requested to maintain a distance of 6 feet from other households. Again, this is not just for safety but to prevent distractions during worship. The pews in the sanctuary will be marked to help worshipers maintain the proper distance. The balcony is also available for seating at the 11:00 service.
The following guidelines are for the 11:00 service which will be held in the sanctuary.
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There will be no attendance limits for the worship service. The nursery will be open during worship and childcare will be available for children, infant to age 6. We encourage worshipers who fall into one of the high-risk categories for Covid-19 to seriously consider continuing to worship virtually via our live stream on Sunday morning.
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We request that everyone enter and exit the building through the main sanctuary door. Anyone who has difficulty with stairs may be dropped off at the portico and enter through that door.
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We request that worshipers stay in the sanctuary on Sunday mornings unless it is absolutely necessary to visit other parts of the building. Restrooms will be open and available for those needing to use them. Both the sanctuary and the restrooms will be thoroughly cleaned before and after worship, but not during.
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Offering plates will not be passed during the service. Plates will be placed at the entrances to the sanctuary.
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There will be no congregational singing until further notice. There will be a small chancel choir during the worship service who will maintain an appropriate distance from the congregation and each other.
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We will not celebrate the sacrament of communion until further notice.
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Pastors and liturgists will not wear face coverings while leading the service. They will conduct the service from behind the communion table in order to maintain a safe distance from worshipers. Pastors will not greet people at the entrance to the sanctuary following the service.
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Bulletins will be available for those who desire them. For those who do not, communal readings such as the Affirmation of Faith or Prayer of Confession will be projected onto a screen located at the front of the sanctuary.
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Submissions for the October Second Edition are due September 20th! Contact the church office with your submissions! 865-523-2189 or ajohnson@2ndpres.org!
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The Officer Nominating Committee is interested in your suggestions for ruling elders to serve on the Session Class of 2024. Ruling elders in the PC(USA) are defined as "persons of wisdom and maturity of faith, having demonstrated skills of leadership and being compassionate in spirit." They are chosen by the congregation "to discern and guide its fidelity to the Word of God, and to strengthen and nurture its faith and life."
Please click the button below to submit your suggestion.
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The Faith, Science & the Future Sunday School class, led by Lauren Dodson, uses The Wired Word curriculum which looks at current events through the lens of faith. Anyone who wishes to participate is welcome to join. Instructions for joining the class are below:
Start time: 9:30 a.m.
Phone number to call: (712) 775-8972
Conference code: 179021
*Please be advised this is a long distance call for any who
might be using a home phone with long distance charges.
87 Wildfires Burning in 10 U.S. States
Wildfires are especially severe and widespread in the U.S. West right now, partly due to an extended high-temp heat wave and dry conditions. This news gives us an opportunity to think about spiritual dryness, and how that can affect our souls and our experience of faith in Christ. That will be the topic of discussion for this Sunday’s Wired Word lesson, Lauren Dodson moderating.
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Our Wednesday night Bible study will resume on September 23rd at 6:00 p.m. via Zoom. On some Wednesdays we will be discussing a movie that we have all watched. Some weeks we will watch the movie on our own, other weeks we may watch it together outdoors at the church.
On other Wednesdays we will be doing a version of what we did on the 1st Wednesday of the month last year - playing games together and having a Bible study around a theme. The theme for this year is Worship and each season will be focused on a different part of the worship service. Fall is "Gathering Around the Word" and we will focus on praise as the communication of what is real. In the Winter we will look at "Proclaiming the Word", and in the Spring we will focus on "Responding to the Word".
Watch for more details in the October 2nd Edition and in this space in the weeks to come. For now, mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 23rd. We look forward to seeing everyone at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom!
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The September-October Upper Room is available! If you would like one, Sandra Butler has copies that she would like to hand deliver to you!
Please contact Sandra directly by phone (659-4416 or 584-4397)
An electronic version of the devotional should be available soon!
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From the Service & Outreach Committee:
The Volunteer Ministry Center focuses on finding permanent housing for the homeless. They serve over 5,000 people annually through their services. They also provide 40 beds for emergency shelter and offer 57 apartments through Minville Manor. The center also provides dental care and served 1,400 patients last year.
Every year the VMC holds a program called "Carry the Torch". This is usually a luncheon with guest speakers and serves as a fundraiser for their services. Second Presbyterian Church supports the VMC annually as well as through this special program.
This year, because of Covid-19, the event will be offered online, via YouTube, on October 1st at 12:15 and again at 7:15. Krista Tippett, an NPR podcaster, will be the guest speaker. If you are interested in watching this ceremony via YouTube, please click the below buttons that will take you to the online event(s). This will be a very informative, interesting, and touching program on a very important mission.
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Donations to Carry the Torch may be made before, during and immediately after the event by clicking HERE.
Or by texting the code “CTT2020” to 44-321.
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Notes from the Book Lady of Second Pres:
There is a copy of the book mentioned in our last email blast, Good, White Racist by Kerry Connelly. This book has appeared on many lists of books recommended for understanding racism. Another book that speaks to the times is A Letter to my Anxious Christian Friends: from fear to faith in unsettled times by David Gushee. A donation from Christina Young is challenging. The Underground Church: reclaiming the subversive way of Jesus by Robin Meyers that encourages us as Christians to “recapture the spirit of the early church with emphasis on what Christians do rather than what they believe.
On a lighter note, Matthew Rich’s book A Week Next Tuesday emphasizes “joy keeps showing up because Christ keeps showing.” For those who love our singing Bible, our hymnal - Walter Brueggermann’s book A Glad Obedience: why and what we sing will be a way to visit our hymns that we now sing at home in preparation for when we can sing together. Finally, from Jon Meacham a book of reflections on the last words of Jesus from the cross, The Hope of Glory. Jon Meacham is better known for his books about history, but this book does not disappoint.
I have at least ten new children’s books that are waiting to be loved. I would be glad to deliver them to you.
The Second Pres Book Lady
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Our blog is being updated as regularly as possible during our hiatus from in-person activities. It may be a devotion, an interesting story, something uplifting, something silly, or anything else that we think might be helpful. You will continue to get an email alerting you whenever a new blog post is uploaded.
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Welcome Finley Nelson Homer Kennedy!
Finley was born on August 7th, 2020 at 1:35 a.m.
If you would like to assist the Kennedy's with meals, please click here to sign up online!
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Prayer List:
Please keep Dr. Ed Carver, Kathy Thomas, Bill Gosnell, Aggie Bell, Will Pruitt, Dotty Barbour, Mariann Thuesen, Donna Downen, Frances and Mary Johnson, Ken Frazer, Daniel Robertson, and Jennifer Levy-Tatum in your prayers.
Please contact the Church Office (865.523.2189 or ajohnson@2ndpres.org) with prayer concerns to be listed in the weekly email or bulletin.
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Church Office Hours of Operation:
Monday through Thursday
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
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