Pastor Connection 3/31/2022

Pastor Connection

Psalm 150

Praise for God's Surpassing Greatness

Praise the Lord!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty firmament!

Praise Him for His mighty deeds;

Praise Him according to His surpassing greatness!

Praise Him with trumpet sound;

Praise Him with lute and harp!

Praise Him with tambourine and dance;

Praise Him with strings and pipe!

Praise Him with clanging cymbals;

Praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

*Preaching for us this week is Rev. David Feltman. Please join us at 10:00 am! *

Easter Flower Orders DUE DATE THIS WED APRIL 6

Our Sanctuary will be adorned with Easter flowers on Sunday, April 17th, 2022. You may order flowers in memory of a loved one, in honor of someone, or as a gift to the church. The flowers will be ordered from Petersen & Tietz Greenhouses:

Easter Lily- $13.00

Hyacinth (3 bulbs)- $19.00

Tulips (5 bulbs)- $19.00

Florist Mums- $19.00

Please write “FLOWERS” in the memo line of your check.

The deadline to order your flowers is THIS Wednesday, April 6th. No orders will be accepted after that date.

Click HERE to access an order form. You may also call or email Amber in the church office.

Saying Farewell to Pastor Pat

As most of you know, Rev. Dr. Pat Geadelmann's last Sunday Worship Service will be Sunday, April 24th. Before she goes, we want to show our appreciation and love.

On April 24th, we will be honoring Pastor Pat at the church fellowship following the service. A brunch will be served, and a card shower basket will be available. We are also collecting a love offering for Pastor Pat.

If mailing a card to the office, we encourage you to send it to the church office by Wednesday, April 20th. If you wish to contribute to the love offering, please send your gift to the church office by the same date with a note indicating what it is for.

RSVPs for the meal are needed. The final day to RSVP is Monday, April 18th. There will be forms in the bulletins. You can also access a copy HERE or call the church office to RSVP.

Thank you for helping us honor Pastor Pat as we send her off with our love.

One Great Hour of Sharing

On Palm Sunday, April 10, 2022, we will dedicate our special offering gifts for One Great Hour of Sharing. Please write OGH in the memo line of your check.

This offering provides relief from natural disasters, food for the hungry, and support for the poor and oppressed. Europe is facing its largest humanitarian crisis since World War II. The United Nations estimates up to 18 million people, both internally displaced and refugees, will eventually be impacted.

According to reports from Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance, Ukrainians are facing reduced or disrupted services in water, heating, electricity, transportation and telecommunications. Health services have deteriorated rapidly due to shortages of medical supplies and personnel.

Refugees, mostly women, children, people with disabilities and the elderly, had to leave their homes and spend days traveling to neighboring countries for safety, with almost nothing with them.

Your gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing allow for an immediate response from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) when emergencies first occur, often responding to crises that never make it into the news.

In this volatile situation, PDA was able to provide urgent funding to trusted, established partners with the expertise to carry out humanitarian aid. Reformed and Orthodox church partners, like the Community of St. Egidio and Hungarian Reformed Church Aid, are working closely with local churches and organizations to provide food, water, clothing, shelter, psychosocial support and other basic items for survival. They are the “boots on the ground,” listening and responding to the needs of those impacted.

To stay informed about the work Presbyterians are doing in and around Ukraine, visit pcusa.org/pda/ukraine. To learn more about One Great Hour of Sharing and the vital ministries it supports, visit pcusa.org/oghs.

In this season of Lent, pray for our siblings in Ukraine. Pray for peace. And pray that all of us will remember that we are the Church, together

Tyler Gajewsky Senior Recital

Our Sanctuary Choir Director, Tyler Gajewsky is having his senior vocal recital on Tuesday, April 12, at 8 pm in Davis Hall. Davis Hall is inside Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center at UNI. The concert is free and open to the public. Please attend and show Tyler our love and support!

First Presbyterian Recognized as a Dementia Friendly Faith Community!

Dementia Friendly Cedar Valley is a program of the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging that trains and certifies businesses, organizations, and individuals in practices which are “Dementia Friendly” (sensitive to and supportive of individuals with dementia).

On Monday, March 21, elders and deacons and several members of the congregation completed training offered by Megan Zimmerman on behalf of Dementia Friendly Valley, a program the Northeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging and a part of Dementia Friendly America. On Sunday, March 27, several members of our congregation were also able to complete training during Adult Forum. First Presbyterian Church is the first faith community in the Cedar Valley to receive the training and certificate of recognition. Note the Certificate of Recognition on the bulletin board.

Easter Egg Hunt

The church is holding an Easter egg hunt on Saturday, April 9th from 10:00 am to noon. We still need lots of donations of wrapped bite sized candy especially please! You can drop off in the office or bring to Amber during the week. Flyers will be put up at the Boys and Girls club and other locations to invite local children. The Christian Nurture and Fellowship team is asking the congregation to please donate plastic eggs and bite sized candy for this community outreach project. Please contact Terry Sage with any questions.

Volunteer Help Requested

Do you have a few hours free on Thursday mornings? Do you like doing easy tasks that will greatly help someone else? We have a place for you. Each Thursday morning, Amber sends out the Pastor Connection and the weekly bulletin. She could use some expert help in folding, stuffing and sealing envelopes. Come at 9:30 a.m. It should not take more than a few hours and you will be done by 11:30 or before. If you are willing to commit one Thursday morning a month to help, please contact Jean Seeland, 319- 493-2015 or sign up in church office.

Hy-Vee Receipts

Have you been saving Hy-Vee receipts and wonder if they are still being collected? Well they are! Please drop them off to the church office before April 30 to benefit Cunningham School (our partner in education) this year. The school with the highest total in receipts will receive a monetary prize. Thank you for saving your receipts!

Lenten Lunch and Learn

Our church will hold our annual Lenten Lunch and Learn from noon to 1 pm, every Wednesday through April 13. This year, we will be learning from Adam Hamilton’s 6-weeks series on the Lord’s Prayer. Participants are invited to bring their own lunch to eat as we engage in discussion. We hope to see you there!

Antique Quilts Wanted

We have been showing off new quilts in the hallway and keeping members updated on modern patterns or methods of making quilts. Starting in March and continuing for several months, we will be displaying in the hallway antique quilts belonging to members. Each quilt will be displayed for one month. Do you have a family heirloom quilt you would like displayed? Contact Mary Mumm. We are looking for quilts that have a story.

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. If you need one mailed, please reach out to Amber in the church office, 319-233-6145, or amber@1stpresby.org.

Tuesday Morning Bible Study

Please join us this Tuesday, April 5th, 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 10:00 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 this week's 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 10:00 am.

Pulpit Flower Volunteers Needed

We are once again accepting donations of flower arrangements for our Sunday Services. We currently have openings April 10, April 17 (Easter Sunday), and May 1, May 22, and May 29. 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!

Pastor On Leave

Pastor Pat will be on leave out of the office Mon. Mar. 28 through Sat. Apr. 2. She will return on Sun. Apr. 3.

Upcoming Church Meetings

Christian Nurture: Mon. Apr. 4, 2:30 pm

Missions: Tue. Apr. 5, 4:00 pm

Stewardship & Finance: Mon. Apr. 11, noon Church Office

Deacons: Tue. Apr. 12, 3:30 pm

*All Meetings Held in Calvin Hall unless otherwise noted

Thank You

Thank you for helping me celebrate my 85th birthday. I appreciated the many cards and special greetings. It is a blessing to be a part of such a caring church family.

~Ann Sage

Church Prayer List

Ongoing/Continuing Prayers:

Lorraine Baker, recovering from heart surgery; Pat Narey, Kari O. Narey's husband, recovering at home from a bone infection in his foot; 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; Pat Koenig, dealing with back pain; 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 at Northcrest; Joann Lockard, health issues; Barbara Benskin's brother, Bill Brenton, who is in hospice care; Joe Fernau, son of Marie Fernau, who has been diagnosed with lymphoma; 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.