Pastor Connection 7/7/2022

July 7th, 2022

Pastor Connection

Luke 10:25-37

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself." And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live."

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"

He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Church Picnic

First Church is planning a "Bring Your Own Picnic" THIS SUNDAY July 10, following the Worship Service. This will be held at a shelter in Exchange Park in Waterloo. We are planning on the furthest shelter in the park, past the softball fields at the end of the road.

Waterloo Bucks Game

Take me out to the ballgame! Join us Saturday, July 16, at Riverfront Stadium for an evening of fellowship and fun at Bucks baseball! Cheer on the Waterloo Bucks as they battle the Eau Claire Express. Game time is 6:35 pm. The Christian Nurture Team will be covering the cost of all tickets. If you want to join us, sign up in the office no later than Sunday, July 10. There are also fireworks scheduled for after the game. Come out and enjoy an evening of fun with your First Church friends with Bucks baseball!

Christmas in July

The Mission and Outreach Team invites you to participate in a Christmas in July event that will benefit our Partner in Education, Cunningham School. From July 3 to July 17 you will have an opportunity to donate funds that will purchase school uniforms, socks, and underwear for students at Cunningham. After consulting with the staff at Cunningham, it was determined that those were the items most needed by the students. There is a Christmas gift bag in the church office. Simply drop your check or cash into the bag. You may also mail a check to the church office. Please write "Christmas in July" in the memo line.

The Mission Team thanks you for your kindness.

Tools for Caregivers Classes

Feeling stretched caring for a family member or friend? Powerful Tools for Caregivers is a class to provide you - the caregiver - with skills to take care of yourself. This series of six classes, held once each week, offers tools and support to help you reduce stress, solve problems, and communicate confidently when faced with tough decisions. Class participants are given the Caregiver Help book to accompany the class and provide additional caregiver resources.

When you take care of yourself, everyone benefits.

Six Tuesdays, starting Aug 2 through Sep 6. 10:00-11:30am, here at First Presbyterian. No cost to attend.

Registration deadline: July 27. These classes are through the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging.

For more information contact:

Anne Marie Kofta a kofta@nei3a.org

Brittny Brown bbrown@nei3a.org

Or call 1-800-779-8707

National Night Out

This year's National Neighborhood Night Out is August 2 and the Walnut Neighborhood is already making plans. Last year we had wonderful volunteers from First Presbyterian who helped make the evening a success. We are beginning again to solicit volunteers for the event. Volunteers are needed for:

Set up - 4:30 pm - 8 people needed
Servers - 5:10-6:10 pm - 6 people needed
Clean-up - 8-10 people needed

(We do not need to provide all the volunteers, but we would like First Presbyterian to again be represented)

There will also be a talent show. Brush up on your jokes, songs, and dances and sign up to perform. We know we have lots of talent at First Presbyterian!

A sign-up sheet for volunteers will be in the office. Thank you!

Quilt Display: Stories

The quilt handing in the hallway this month was made by Tom Campbell's mother, Gladys Campbell, to celebrate Tom's birth in 1940. Tom is pictured standing beside the quilt.

Tom remembers his mom coming home from work, making dinner, cleaning up the kitchen afterwards, changing into nightgown and house coat, and then sitting down with some handwork to spend the evening with family watching, or in her case, listening to TV.

The quilt is hand appliqued, hand embroidered, and hand quilted. This quilt was also made from a kit. Quilters will know that a kit is a prepackaged gathering of a quilt pattern and all the material needed to make that quilt pattern. In this case, it included the white background material that is preprinted with blue dots to show the quilting design. The individual colors for the pansies were preprinted with the shape of all the individual pieces ready to be cut out. This is unusual because, at this time, kits were just beginning to show up in stores. Tom's mom spent many hours constructing this beautiful quilt.

Updated Church Directory

An updated church directory is now available! There are printed copies available in the church office, or click HERE to access a copy. Updated April 2022. If you need one mailed, please reach out to Amber in the church office, 319-233-6145, or amber@1stpresby.org.

USPS Postage Rate Increase

Make sure and buy some Forever postage stamps! The 1st class mail rate is increasing THIS Sunday, July 10th, from $0.58/stamp to $0.60/stamp.

Tuesday Morning Bible Study

Please join us this Tuesday, July 12th, at 9am in Calvin Hall. All are welcome! Coffee will be provided. We hope you can join us!

LIVE STREAMING WORSHIP Now Available!

We are now live streaming our Worship Services EVERY Sunday! The stream will start at 11:00 am on Sundays, and you can view it live on our YouTube channel wherever you have internet access!

If you are unable to watch the service live, the video will be recorded and you can watch at any time by clicking on the video on the YouTube page. The link is (Click Here) bit.ly/1stpresby.

You can also find the link to the YouTube page on the church website.

Click HERE for the bulletin.

We look forward to worshiping with you every week!

PLEASE NOTE: We will continue to meet IN PERSON at the church every week on Sunday at 11:00 am.

Pulpit Flower Volunteers Needed

We are once again accepting donations of flower arrangements for our Sunday Services. We currently have openings July 17, 24, and 31. If you would like to donate, please contact Amber in the office to find a date that works for you. You can call the office or email Amber directly. 319-233-6145 or amber@1stpresby.org. Alternatively, you can let Nancy Valentine know on Sundays after service and she will relay your information to Amber. Thank you!

Birthday Card Shower and Coffee Hour

Barbara Benskin is turning 89 years old! Her children and grandchildren are throwing a card shower, as well as a coffee hour celebration on Sunday, July 24th before the Worship Service. If you would like to mail a card to Barbara, her address is: 2711 E. 4th St., Waterloo, 50703.

Church Prayer List

New to the Prayer List:

Sue Albright had her left shoulder replaced Tuesday July 6th, with 4-6 months of rehab to follow

Ongoing/Continuing Prayers:

Dan Davis, who fell and broke his femur, followed by surgery to repair it, undergoing rehab therapy at Waterloo ProMedica (was Manor Care), room 217; Marsha Muir, who had back surgery and is recovering at home; Joe Fernau began strong chemotherapy treatments Thursday, June 23rd, in preparation for his bone marrow transplant. Joe had his stem cells collected 2 weeks ago. This Thursday, the stem cells were given back to Joe. He will be in isolation throughout this process and for 3 weeks following the stem cell transplant; Pat Narey, Kari O. Narey's husband, recovering at home from complications from his foot surgeries in February; Betty Wexter, dealing with health issues; Don Broadston recovering from shoulder surgery; Don Broadston's friend, Jean Singer, struggling with lung health problems; Richard Gajewsky, Tyler's grandfather, who was recently diagnosed with cancer; Sam Christensen, recovering from a severe fall at the Med Center in Friendship Village; Janice and Paul Graham, Jennifer Lightbody's parents, who are dealing with health issues- especially Paul who recently fell and severed a vertebrae; Sara Wexter, Betty's daughter-in-law, recently diagnosed with a severe health condition; Gloria Frerichs, recovering from a stroke and settling in to her new home at Friendship Village; Mable, great-granddaughter of Skip and Judy Mulock and their family, struggling with health issues; Steve Miller, ongoing health issue

Add to the Prayer List

Click HERE to submit a prayer request online. Our pastors will be praying for you and sharing concerns with the congregation as requested.