Straight to the Point (STTP) Newsletter for the Week of July 20, 2021

Straight to the Point

July 20, 2021

Attention all Choir Members

If you are interested in joining the choir again this fall please let Michael Danner know. He will keep a list so we know if we have enough to get it rolling again. We are hoping that COVID stays under control so we can enjoy having our choir back.

Live Streaming Help Needed

If you are interested in helping with Live Streaming of our Sunday Services or with other parts of our Sunday Services, please give Pam Ridgway a call or text at 712-202-8304. We would love to have more people join us.

Help in the Library

Please join us on Thursday, 7-22 at 3:00 PM to sort out the children’s library and adult library. If you have boxes, please bring them!

Thanks,

Barb Knepper

Pride Prom

Pride Prom will be held at Girls Inc (500 Main st.) this Saturday July 24th from 7-10pm.

They are in need of people to help set up (chairs, tables, backdrops, decor, etc.) from 4:30-6pm on Saturday.

Pastoral Search Committee

Submitted by Earl Miller

The committee has been actively receiving pastor profiles since we posted the church profile in early April. Each candidate offers a unique opportunity for us and our goal is to bring forward a candidate that you all can embrace and rally behind. That is a tough goal but one we are committed to in our work. Our committee meets weekly on average as a group and several times a week in smaller groups. The future of FCUCC looks bright and we are carefully discerning who we would like to recommend to the congregation as the next pastor to help lead us. We are optimistic that we will find the right candidate in the time that God determines is appropriate.

Your prayers for our discernment are welcome.

Strategy Design Team

An ad hoc Strategy Design Team has been established to develop a 1-5 year organizational plan for the church. Current committee members are Earl Miller, Jim France, Dick Owens and Barb Knepper. They are looking for 1-3 additional business minded members experienced in strategy design. If you are interested please let Michael know and he will pass that information on to the committee. If you have any questions regarding the committee please contact Pam Ridgway or any current member of the committee.

Admiration Series Book Study

The Sunday morning admiration series will be reviewing the book:

Twelve Ordinary Men

John F. MacArthur

(Copies are available on Amazon)

Fall Festival

Submitted By Jan Nowlen

Plans are being made for fall festival. The only definite activity at this time is the rummage sale. We have a lot of items already and will continue to accept items over the summer. Plans are to hold the sale the first weekend In October.

Discussion will continue on holding the bake sale and Children’s Closet.

It’s going to take a lot of volunteers to put this together so please be thinking about what you can do to help.

Covid could change all of this but hopefully won’t.

ARC Summer Program

Submitted by Jan Nowlen

We are happy to welcome the ARC summer program to our church.

ARC of Woodbury County is a non-profit organization founded in 1954 and affiliated with ARC of Iowa and the ARC of the United States. ARC of the United States is the nations largest non-profit,volunteer organization devoted to improving the lives of people with disabilities. ARC of Woodbury County is driven be a single goal---to do our part in making the world a better place for all.

The Sanford Center Summer Program

Submitted by Jan Nowlen

The Sanford Center Summer Program will run Monday thru Friday starting June 7 thru August 13. Hours will be 7:30-4:30.

They will be opening a second location at 6100 Morningside Ave. to help serve more children. If you know anyone that might be interested, please have call Gina at the Sanford Center—-252-0581.

Our church will once again be providing juice boxes, snacks (no peanuts), and water bottles. We will need to do a bit more this year to cover both locations. Cash donations or gift cards are also welcome. You can drop your donations off at the Sanford Center or at the church.

They have about one month left for the program and a few more snacks will be needed. They are also in need of crayons, colored pencils, markers, glue sticks, and bottles of glue. If you care to donate any of these, please put them in the grocery cart and we will see that they get delivered.

MIDYEAR MOVING-ON-BOX REPORT

Your donations to MOB have helped us donate 19 sets of Moving-on-Boxes so far in 2021.

We are very low on bath towels and toasters. In addition, we need bar soaps and detergent. Your continued donations are greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Your MOB Committee

Ginger France Julie Ducommun Ruth Koster

Moving-On Box Ministry

Submitted by Ginger France

In supporting the 'gift' of moving on, we fill lives with hope and household essentials for those leaving transitional housing at CSADV, Crossroads, Welcome Home, and Women Aware.

MOB Needs:

Towels/washcloths

Saucepans

Calendars

Toasters

Dishtowels/Dishcloths

Dish soap

Dishes/bowls

Glasses (plastic, if possible)

The Warming Shelter

Submitted By Jan Nowlen

The Warming Shelter has closed until winter arrives again. They are open two days a week so laundry can be done and also so people who use the facility to get out of the heat. Portable showers are also open a couple days a week. Donations can be used now or when they reopen. The Warming Shelter now has a list of items on Amazon that you can order and they will be delivered direct to The Warming Shelter. You can go to The Warming Shelter's website and get the direct connection to Amazon.

Warming Shelter Wish List

Juice Boxes

Fruit Cups

Ramen Cup-o-noodles

Granola Bars

Individual Wrapped Snacks

Styrofoam Cups

Plastic Cutlery

Napkins

Paper Towels

Socks (All Sizes)

Foot Powder

Hand Warmers

Shampoo

Body Wash

Shaving Supplies

Laudry Soap

Bleach

Floor Cleaner

Toilet Cleaner

Disinfectant Wipes

Air Fresheners

The Soup Kitchen

Updates from Jan Nowlen

You can drop off donations between 12-4pm Mon-Fri at the back door. There is a doorbell if It's Locked. The Soup Kitchen now has a list of items on Amazon that you can order and they will be delivered direct to the Soup Kitchen. You can go to the Soup Kitchen's website and get the direct connection to Amazon.

Current Soup Kitchen Needs:

Shredded cheddar cheese

Sliced american cheese

Lettuce

Beef broth

Black pepper

Gravey mix

Sliced mushrooms

Cream of mushroom soup

Egg noodles

Hotdog buns

Canned goods(Bulk/Jumbo Prefered)- peas, peaches, pears, mixed vegtables,chicken, and tuna

Erik's Closet Needs:

Hats

Gloves

Jeans

Underwear

Tennis Shoes

Shampoo

Conditioner

Lotion

Deodorant

Toothpaste

Kleenex

(Travel Sized Toiletried Preferred)

You can drop donations and gift cards off at the Soup Kitchen or Mail them to:

717 W. 7th Street

Sioux City, Iowa 51103

Donate to the Soup Kitchen Online!

Venmo : @siouxland-soupkitchen

PayPal : [email protected]

All donations can be issued a receipt for tax purposes.

Donna Popp

George Owings and family

Anne Cleghorn

Sharleen Sorum (Michelle Schwerin's mother)

Laura Traum

Lois Darrow

Madison Darrow

Thank You, Volunteers!

A big "thank you" goes out to our volunteers who helped with Sunday Services this week.

Fill-in Minister - Todd Seifker

Worship Leader - Anne Shaner

Live Stream - Jim France/Pam Ridgway

Sound/Lighting - John Kiernan

Screen - Jerrod Kiernan

Directory

Managed by the Office

We are using Instant Church Directory. Printed versions of our directory are available in the narthex or by request. Please inform the office of any directory updates that you would like to include for yourself or your family. You can also pick up one of the directory update forms on the table outside the church office or find it on our website.

To access the directory online visit members.instantchurchdirectory.com and you should be able to create a login using the email listed in the church directory. If you need any help accessing the directory or would like a copy emailed to you, contact the church office for assistance.

COVID-19 UPDATE:

Church is open for in person services!

Due CDC Covid Guidelines these changes have occured at FCUCC:

Masks are no longer be required in the building for fully vaccinated people. Please be respectful of those who chose to continue to wear a mask.

The green tape has been removed from the pews and people are allowed to sit wherever they choose.

We have resumed Joys and Concerns during the church service. Since we are live streaming we will request that only first names be used.

Fellowship will begin again soon starting with only beverages being served.

The worship service will continue to be live-streamed on Facebook and You-Tube.

If you have any questions call Pam Ridgway (712-202-8304) or contact the church office.

Join Us

We invite you to engage and strengthen your faith with these practices:

THE PRACTICE OF WORSHIP: Live Streamed on Facebook and Youtube, and recorded

We Live Stream our Sunday morning worship service via the church’s page on Facebook and Youtube at 10:30am on Sunday mornings. Every service is recorded and available to play at any time on those platforms. If you have trouble, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the church for help.

THE PRACTICE OF LEARNING: Zoom learning sessions each week 9:30 a.m. each Sunday.

Engage your mind in learning through theological reflection, asking hard questions about God and life, and test your embedded theology to see if that where you want to be.

With Todd Siefker taking over the responsibility of the Sunday sermon and 9:30 a.m. book study, we have temporarily suspended our Wednesday night Admiration Series meetings.

A Closing note about ZOOM:

If you don’t have the ability or the equipment to use Zoom or Facebook to participate in these practices, please call the office. We will be happy to help you find a solution to fully participate in the life of the church.

Link to our Youtube where you can watch our services live and recordings of past services:

Click HERE

FCUCC Finances for June 2021

Updates from Church Treasurer

Giving in June amounted to $8,584, all from mail-in and online giving.

You can help us stay on track by mailing in your check or setting up an automatic payment from your bank. You can also contribute through a simple app called Tithe.ly.

Tithe.ly is our online, app and web-based giving system. It's convenient because it: