Friday, April 9, 2021
Officer's Column
Our church is so fortunate to be able to have in-person, indoor worship again after so many months of being stuck at home watching from our computer screens and mobile devices! The Easter service was magnificent in its own quiet way. There was no in-person choir, there were not hundreds of people bustling into the CLC for early donuts and coffee. Not everybody was dressed in their Easter finery. We all had on masks. But we were there! Eighty of us in the same room! My favorite part is hearing all the voices joining while we recite the Lord’s Prayer, because you can HEAR them all! We no longer take for granted the little things like being able to sit in the chairs in the CLC and hearing others’ voices during prayer. Sure, it was different, but it was an improvement over last Easter. It was an improvement over last week and the week before that. We are making baby steps to bring back some normalcy at WFPC, thanks to all of the hard work and thoughtful consideration of the reopening task force

But aren’t baby steps hard? I know some wish we would just open up already. Some think we should have opened up months ago. And why can’t we have more people in the CLC, or hold service in the Sanctuary? But the truth is, only hindsight is twenty-twenty. As with any big decision in life, it sure would be nice to know what the future holds, but we never will. We will always have limited information to work with. So sometimes we have to make a decision and stick with it, even if it seems that our progress is too slow. As we move forward, as with any goal you have in life, we make adjustments. Hopefully no steps backward, but always aiming for another baby step forward.

In chapter four of Zechariah, the prophet saw a vision of a lampstand that was directly connected to the source of oil—two olive trees. He was seeing a vision of a time when God’s people would be filled with God Himself in the form of the Holy Spirit. But in their present circumstances, in which the Jews were faced with the difficult (and long-term) task of rebuilding the temple from ruins, this promise seemed inconsequential and far off.

Yet Zechariah’s vision was meant to encourage the Israelites that a better day was indeed coming and to let them know that God was pleased that work was underway on the temple. An angel of the Lord told the prophet, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin” (Zechariah 4:10, NLT).

So whatever goal you may be tired of waiting for, don’t be angry today because you aren’t there yet. Rejoice in the baby steps that you have completed. “And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished.” (Philippians 1:6).

Be patient and don’t lose hope. Wait on God. He will get us back to normal in His own perfect timing.


Prayer:
Heavenly father, help us to remember that what we want right now isn’t always what is best or what You intend. Remind us to rejoice in the baby steps as we do our best to allow Your will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Amen.

Anita Mummert
Elder for IT and Communications
Worship at WFPC
Sundays at 9 a.m. (in-person) and 10:30 a.m. (online)
We are continuing our series on the Lord's Prayer this week. Pastor Rebekah Maul will share her sermon, "Temptation and Evil,” and our Scripture comes from Genesis 3:1-7 and James 1:12-15.


9 A.M. In-Person Worship
We have capacity for up to 80 folks to attend our in-person worship service, held each Sunday at 9 a.m. in the CLC. Guidelines have been established for safety and are all explained on the reservations page for each week. If you'd like to attend, you must have a reservation by 9 a.m. Saturday. We're sorry that we cannot accommodate walk-ups. You can check availability and make your reservation by using the following links:


10:30 A.M. Online Worship
Our 10:30 a.m. worship service is livestreamed on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
In-Person Worship in the Sanctuary Resumes on April 25!
Beginning Sunday, April 25, WFPC will re-open to two modified in-person worship services! The 9:00 service will continue in-person in the CLC; beginning on the 25th, the 10:30 service in the sanctuary will be open to a limited number of in person participants as well. This service will continue to be livestreamed for virtual worshipers.

April 25 will be an extra special Sunday, as it will also be Youth Sunday!

As always, each service will require pre-registering via SignUpGenius; masks, temperature checks and safety protocols will continue to be in place.
Looking for A Few Good Folks
The WFPC Media Team is looking for more volunteers. If you want to know more about how we stream our services every Sunday, if you're interested in learning more about the cameras, the switchers, the sound, and how to piece it all together, we'd love to show you! Or if video is not your thing, we can still use your help making sure the sound is working for both in-person and live-streamed videos. This is a great opportunity to get some hands-on experience with expert training. No prior experience is necessary, but you'll want to have decent computer skills to be comfortable with the software if you are interested in helping with the video piece. Many hands make light work, so please prayerfully consider how you might be able to help our growing Media Team so that we can continue to offer the same quality of streaming services (and more!).

Reach out to Anita Mummert (anita.mummert@gmail.com) or Chad Robertson (m.chad.robertson@gmail.com) for more information.
Thank You!
Thank you for your support with our EGGing promotion for Youth Ministries! In a time where we have not been able to have our typical youth fundraisers, we appreciate your generosity and continued support! And thank you to Yard Party and Shannon Blalock for making this happen! The youth are so grateful to you all!
Sympathy
Please join us in offering love and sympathy to Kent Kirby on the passing of his mother, Thanya Kirby, on March 29.
Mission and Outreach
Estate Sale with a Heart for Missions and Youth
All proceeds from the estate auction of WFPC member Bernie Hardy and his beloved wife, the late Cynthia Hardy, have been generously offered to support our WFPC Missions and WFPC Youth Ministries. A team of volunteers has been working diligently to inventory and photograph items so they can be made available through an online auction platform with eBid local later this month. If you are interested in supporting this estate sale and having the option to bid on items, you may go ahead and register as a bidder now at www.ebidlocal.com. Check back for more information on preview dates and when the auction will be underway.


Doing Anything April 26 - April 30?!?
Help us build a fence for the Giving Garden at WFPC! We’re going to build a permanent fence for our community garden to keep the deer out!! We need several able-bodied (not necessarily experienced) folks to help construct the fence. So, if you can commit to the whole week (Monday - Friday), great; if you can commit to one or a few days, great! You can sign up through SignUpGenius by using this link; https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E4EA8A92EA4FB6-community If you have any questions please contact Randy Parrish at rparrish2146@gmail.com.

Tri Area Ministry (TAM) Donation Collections Return to WFPC Campus
You now have the convenient option to drop-off food donations at WFPC on Sunday mornings while onsite for the 9 a.m. in-person service. A bin labeled Tri-Area Ministry is available by the main entrance to the CLC. If you wish you may also continue to donate directly to the food pantry located at 149 E. Holding Ave. downtown Wake Forest. Donations can be dropped off on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and the second and third Saturdays of each month (same times). A convenient 24/7 drop-off box out is located out front if you can’t drop off donations during the open business hours.
A full list of all requested food and personal care items is on the Tri Area Ministry website at https://triareaministry.com/donate/. They even provide a link to their Amazon wishlist to make shopping even easier!
Another way to support our Tri-Area Ministry is by volunteering for a month to load our donations from WFPC and deliver them to Tri-Area during their normal dropoff hours. If interested in knowing more about this volunteer opportunity, please contact Armin Harrell at alharrell48@gmail.com.

Invitation to Participate in the JOY of Feeding the Hungry
Our WFPC JOY (Just Older Youth) group is posting this early announcement of their drive-
through food drive for the Glory Tabernacle Food Pantry to be held on Friday, April 30. Why so
early? To allow shoppers to take advantage of weekly sales of specifically needed grocery items
between now and April 30.
The Glory Tabernacle Pantry feeds about seventy families a week from Franklin, Wake and surrounding counties. Currently the pantry has enough shelf-stable items to last only until the end of April. WFPC supports this pantry through volunteers, produce from our Giving Garden, and food donations. We invite everyone in our congregation to take part in the JOY of this hunger ministry. Please click here for a list of the specific items needed.
Questions ? Contact Millie Seiler 585-202-4442 or agseiler@outlook.com.


Giving Garden at WFPC
It’s almost harvest time already! The kale, collards, and chard planted in the ground before Christmas and the lettuce and spinach planted in the table planters three weeks ago will be a welcome and nutritious addition to the packaged foods donated most frequently to our local food pantries. To maximize benefit, we harvest multiple times from each plant, taking a few outer leaves each time. Let us know if you would like to help harvest and/or deliver.

Shed users, unite! Pam recently reorganized our communal storage space. Let’s help each other keep it safe and functional! Return tools and supplies to their assigned locations, and notify Pam if you notice something needs fixing, replacing, or refilling.


GARDEN EMAIL ADDRESS: wfpcgivinggarden@gmail.com

POINT OF CONTACT: Pam Schulze, 919-522-3146

MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
Garden Leadership Team meeting: Monday, April 12, 7pm (Zoom)
First warm-season planting: April 17 (tomatoes)
Wednesday evening work sessions: starting May 12, 6 p.m. - dark


If you are interested in more information about how to get involved with any of our mission opportunities, please contact your Mission and Outreach elders with questions. Contact Randy Parrish at rparrish2146@gmail.com and Sabrina Patton at sabrinapatton10@gmail.com.
Children's Ministry News
Prep For Worship
Do you have a child currently in 3rd grade? Or perhaps your child missed out on our Prep for Worship Class in the past? If you have not already received an email about this class, please read below!! Please complete the attached form by April 8!

Details:
DAYS:  Sundays, April 25-May 23 (we will talk about an alternative meeting date for Mother's Day)
TIME: 11:30-12:30 -- kids may bring a lunch to eat during our time together, and we will provide prepackaged desserts each week! (bring your own chair, masks will be required when not eating).
PLACE: We will meet in the field by the rose garden in good weather, in the breezeway in rainy weather, or in the CLC if it's storming.


SHINE resumes Wednesday, April 14! 
Click here for the SignUpGenius for Wednesday SHINE activities through April and May!

As always:
  • Registration is required
  • Mask is required
  • Drop off and pick up in front of CLC
  • 5-6 p.m.
  • Games, devotion, crafts and mission projects!! 

VBS 2021... Cracking the Code on Jesus’ Parables: learning about God’s love for us! 
Get ready to be a PI for the week... a Parable Investigator!!
June 21-24...MODIFIED SCHEDULE AND LIMITED CAPACITY THIS YEAR! Registration will open for participants in late April, so stay tuned!!


Katherine Peiper
Youth Ministry News
Youth Group
See you at Youth Group this Sunday! Middle school 4:00 - 5:00 and high school 5:00 - 6:00! We will be doing a lot of prep work for our Youth Sunday service so please join us!


Youth Sunday
Youth Sunday is coming up on April 25! Stay tuned to the weekly email for more details in the coming weeks.

Janet Briley
Titles and Offerings
2021 Annual Budget...............................$902,500.00
2021 Year-to-date Actual........................$240,082.75

Year-to-date Budget (March)..................$221,100.00
Year-to-date Actual (March)....................$221,208.75

April 2021 Budget....................................$73,700.00
April MTD Offerings.................................$18,874.00
April Debt Elimination Budget..................$5,000.00
April MTD Debt Elim Gifts........................$505.00

April 4, 2021
Tithes and Offerings................................$18,874.00
Designated Gifts.....................................$602.00
Debt Elimination Gifts.............................$505.00

9:00 In-Person Worship Attendance........80
10:00 Online Worship Attendance...........196+
Sunday School.........................................n/a
Prayer List
Please keep the following members of our church family in your prayers:
Jody Alston
Jennie Banco
Roger Craig
Jean Futrell
Betty Hay
Genie Hunt
Joan Jones
Don McCorkle
Ed Ray
Charlene Shaffer
Will Siler
Dave Telep
WFPC Calendar Highlights
Friday, April 9
6:15 am Friday Morning Men's Bible Study

Saturday, April 10
7:15 am Iron Sharpens Iron
8:00 am Giving Garden Workday

Sunday, April 11
9:00 am In-Person Worship Service
10:30 am Online Worship Livestream
4:00 pm Middle School Youth Group
5:00 pm High School Youth Group

Monday, April 12
7:00 pm Boy Scouts
7:00 pm Durham VA Food Pantry Meeting

Tuesday, April 13
7:00 pm Praise Team Rehearsal
7:00 pm FFF Meeting
7:00 pm Stephen Ministry
7:00 pm WOW Bible Study

Wednesday, April 14
9:30 am Mornings With Christ
4:00 pm Grief Share
5:00 pm SHINE Children's Ministry
6:30 pm Iron Sharpens Iron
7:00 pm Choir Rehearsal
7:00 pm Fathers Who Aren't in Heaven
8:00 pm NAPTIME

Thursday, April 15
7:00 pm Session