Pastor Connection 7/14/2022

July 14th, 2022

Pastor Connection

Behold the flowers of summer! how fair

And bright their buds appear,

As, opening to the summer air,

Our eyes and hearts they cheer!

Who would have thought there could abound

Such beauty and delight

Beneath the cold and wintry ground

That hid those flowers from sight?

That power which made and governs all--

The mighty power of God--

Alone could life and beauty call

Out of the lifeless sod.

And He, who from the Winter's gloom

Can Summer thus disclose,

Shall one day make the desert bloom,

And blossom as the rose.

~Author Unknown

Pentecost Offering

Thank you all for your generosity in giving to the Pentecost offering. The total offering amount was $806. 60% goes to the Presbytery to support children and youth in need, and 40% stays with First Presbyterian. The Missions committee has chosen to donate this portion to Grin N Grow daycare. A check for $322.40 will be given to assist their program for local children.

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.

Piecemakers Quilters Plan "Sit and Sew"

Have you ever wanted to enjoy a day sewing without all those pesky interruptions at home (like house cleaning, laundry, and cooking)? The Piecemakers have scheduled a "Sit and Sew Day" on Thursday, July 21, from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm in Calvin Hall. Bring that project you'd like to finish or spend time cutting out a new one. Ham salad, egg salad, and a variety of breads will be provided to make sandwiches; you're invited to bring a salad, chips, or dessert to share. Also bring your thoughts and ideas about what projects you'd like us to consider for next year's schedule. Don't forget your "sew and tell" for after lunch!

Irish Fest Fundraiser

Irish Fest will be coming to Lincoln Park, right across from the church, August 5-7. We plan to take advantage of our location and again use our parking lot as a fundraiser for the Buildings and Grounds Committee. We need volunteers to help park cars and collect the fee. Each volunteer time slot will last about 2 1/2 hours. We will need volunteers for Friday afternoon and evening, Saturday afternoon and evening, and Sunday morning. Someone will be in the hall on Sunday mornings to sign up volunteers. To volunteer you can also call Mary Mumm or Jackie Bass to pick your volunteer spot. The money will be spent for building maintenance. The Building and Grounds Committee appreciates your help.

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!

Have you moved? Do you know someone who has? Would you like to register to vote? There are voter registration forms on the counter in the office, or you can click HERE to access a digital copy. Please take and fill out. Then send to this address:

Black Hawk County Courthouse

Courthouse Room 210

316 E. 5th St.

Waterloo, IA 50703

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.

Tuesday Morning Bible Study

Please join us this Tuesday, July 19th, 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, and August 14, 21, and 2. 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

With Our Sympathies:

Doug Newhoff's mother, Jackie Newhoff, passed away on Thursday, July 7th. We pray for peace for the family as they grieve her passing.

Ongoing/Continuing Prayers:

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