Ongoing Response to COVID-19
Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-09-18
Friday 18 September 2020
Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Dear Friends,
Have you ever felt like you were in a wilderness? I’ll explore that in my sermon on Sunday.
When I think of “wilderness” it excites and frightens me. I’ve walked a small part of the Appalachian Trail and seen sunsets from beautiful, dangerous overlooks. I’ve explored the Chesapeake Bay on sailboats; an abiding story in my family story book is how Uncle Jim spent the night hanging on to the rudder of an upside down sailboat. Several died in that down-the-bay sailboat race beset by an unforeseen squall before the Coast Guard could rescue the likes of my uncle.
Wilderness.
Been there? Cancer? Fox hole? Pandemic? Do you know a friend in the wilderness now?
Bring your thoughts and your prayer concerns.
See you on Sunday.
* * *
Pay attention to God’s activity in the world around you.
Be amazed.
Tell somebody.
PEACE,
Matt Matthews
864.386.9138
* * *
PHOTO Challenge!
From your Nurture Team — Congrats to Naomi Rempe for being the first to guess last Friday’s
Here’s this week’s photo.
Visit http://fb.com/groups/
Please join in the fun! We would like you to select a photo from your younger years (grade school, high school or early adulthood). Photos need not be professional. Candid shots are welcome. Please send your photos to photos@
* * *
Vivaldi. Autumn!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
* * *
Sailing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
* * *
Friday’s song for the refugee (remembering Jesus’ flight into Egypt): https://www.youtube.
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Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-09-17
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
To Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Dear Friends,
Brandi Lowe wants me to share this letter with you. I’m glad to do so:
Dear Presbyterian Sisters,
As a part of First Presbyterian Church Champaign, you are already a Presbyterian woman with your own unique God-given gifts. Today, I invite you to join me and become a part of our Presbyterian Women’s group.
Presbyterian Women (PW) does a lot to enrich our experiences at the church. We nurture faith, build community, support mission, and bring hope to those around us.
When I first joined PW, as a new member at the church in my early 20s. I was immediately welcomed and made to feel right at home. These women have been my mentors and friends ever since. Sometimes, going to circle is hard for me because of my schedule, but I find that every time I go, I never regret it. I am fed by the knowledge of the group and the love we share together. My prayer is that you all will join me this year.
At our Circles, we socialize, share news from near and far, and spend time learning about the bible through writings and discussion. I especially like hearing different perspectives from the others in the group. Nobody’s life is just like mine and we all bring different experiences and lessons with us. I always learn something.
This year’s study is “Into the Light: Finding Hope Through Prayers of Lament.” Currently, we have three PW Circles that meet every 4th Thursday of the month. We will be meeting through Zoom (an online meeting place). We hope that you can find a time that fits your schedule. The schedule is located on the back of this letter.
Many women find that even though they want to attend a circle, their schedules don’t allow it. Please see the attached page to find a task that you could do that would take a minimal time commitment. Many women find that this is a way to participate even though they can’t commit to a circle. Please return your completed attached page to the church office in care of Presbyterian Women. Each small act of kindness or service is greatly appreciated.
If you wish to support our with with a financial donation, it can be sent to our treasurer, Carol Penka, in ℅ First Presbyterian Church, 302 W. Church, Champaign, IL 61820. Thank you.
Above all, we could use your prayers. Sometimes, that is all we can do. There may be a number of reasons we can’t commit to a task or showing up to a meeting, but we can pray. Your prayers mean the world to us. Please pray for PW to be effective at enriching lives, nurturing faith, building community, supporting mission, and bringing hope to others.
*Pssst…. men can pray for us too.
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Your sister in Christ,
Brandi Lowe
News:
Circle details:
Circles (Groups) meet every 4th Thursday of the month. Our first meeting will be September 24. If you have any questions about PW or how to use Zoom, please contact a Circle leader.
Please join us via Zoom for one of the following times:
Morning Circle of Joy: 9 a.m.
Led by Joanne Walther
Kathy Schoeffmann
Led by Julie Shult
Nancy Pippin
Evening Circle of Peace: 7 p.m.
Led by Carol Penka
Diane Mortensen
** Note: Email zoom@firstpres.church for the links.
Humor (Hard times need godly laughter):
From Dave Hunter: I have a step ladder. I never knew my real ladder.
From Bill Gamble: A flight had just taken off from JFK, heading for London. The PA came on with this message. “Welcome aboard. This the first completely
automated trans-Atlantic flight. There is no one in the cockpit. Just
sit back and relax, as nothing can go wrong…go wrong…go wrong…”
From Gary Peterson: Why did the pony get sent to his room? He wouldn’t stop horsing around.
Good Word:
Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
LET US PRAY:
Use
us
today,
O
God.
AMEN.
Much, much love to you all.
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church
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Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-09-16
Wednesday, September 16th, 2020
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
To Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Dear Friends,
I hope soon to announce officially that the sanctuary will be open for private prayer on Thursday 24 September from 4 to 6 p.m. (I mention it now so you can mark your calendars.) While there will be no organized service, you may come and sit in the space to pray and meditate. Physical distancing, masks, sign in with temperature check, and registration/contact tracing will be operative. Only fifty people at a time will be allowed in. Bring your own Bible or hymnals if you wish, as the pew materials have all been removed as a safety precaution. Come enjoy the light and silence. Final details are still being worked out.
* * *
Robin DiAngelo writes in “White Fragility” that if we don’t know our prejudices (or fail to admit them), we won’t know what to change. I surprised myself when I admitted some of my prejudices. What are some of yours?
waitresses with pierced tongues;
people with a strong accent that I can’t easily understand;
all people of color;
young white men with long hair;
anybody with tattoos;
panhandlers of any race;
obese people;
people who litter;
people who smoke;
people with “all the answers;”
cat lovers;
rude people;
people who lie;
speeders;
people who put down the other team, regardless of the sport;
graduates of Kecoughtan High School, Hampton, VA;
anybody too much like me.
I’m constantly working to change, to grow, and to become the person God wants me to become. “Denying that we have [biases] ensures that we won’t examine or change them.”
* * *
When we work together, we get stuff done. You won’t believe this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
News:
Wednesday Night Vespers: We have some music for you and some time to visit. Be there or be square. 7 p.m. on Zoom.
Email zoom@firstpres.church for the link.
* * *
Humor (Hard times need godly laughter):
Three more classics from Dave Hunter:
1 Why can’t a bicycle stand up on it’s own? It’s just two tired.
2 I couldn’t believe the highway department called my dad a thief. But when I got home,
all the signs were there
3 Have you heard about corduroy pillows? They’re making headlines
From Ruth Craddock: Single man with TP seeks single woman with hand sanitizer for good clean fun.
Good Word:
“HAPPY ARE THOSE WHO OBSERVE JUSTICE, WHO DO RIGHTEOUSNESS AT ALL TIME.” PSALM 106:3
LET US PRAY:
Holy God, continue, by your grace,
to guide our steps and lift our face
to your bright hope and love.
Help us to love others
in word and deed,
indeed with our whole selves.
AMEN
Much, much love to you all.
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church
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Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-09-15
The Heart of Mission
September 15, 2020
Our Fall is filling up with mission opportunities. Please check out all the new things happening in our mission agencies in the announcements below and don’t forget to check out their Facebook pages as well if you are on Facebook. Invite your friends to participate with you in these or other mission opportunities. And, then tell us about it! Send me a summary and/or a picture of what you did. And don’t forget our own in house mission: CYF (Children, Youth and Families), ESL (English as a Second Language), CPJ (Compassion, Peace and Justice) and ESC (Environmental Stewardship Committee)!
Today I am inviting you to an opportunity that just came my way this past week. We have quite a few walker/runners in our congregation so this is a personal invitation to you. This is a great time of year to “step up” and use your feet for mission. October 4 is CROP Hunger Walk day. I am a little late getting the word out on this but I am personally walking and am inviting anyone of you who are interested in being on a “First Presbyterian Church Champaign (FPCC) Mission” team with me to walk with me or virtually join me. Please email me rachel@firstpres.church if you are interested in walking so I can keep you posted on where I am on walk day. Otherwise join us virtually as listed below.
A CROP Hunger walk is a community-based walk event to raise funds to support the global mission of Church World Service, a faith-based organization transforming communities around the globe through just and sustainable responses to hunger, poverty, displacement and disaster. Twenty five percent of the funds raised are returned to the host community to support local hunger fighting efforts at the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen, Eastern Illinois Foodbank, Sola Gratia Farm, and Wesley Food Pantry. Join with me in raising funds to help our neighbors near and far get the meals they need this year. Learn more about it at https://www.crophungerwalk.
I have learned from the organizers that COVID-19 has impacted food insecurity in our local community.
From the US Bureau of Labor Statistics:
the C-U Unemployment rate –
Feb 2020 2.7%
Mar 2020 2.4%
Apr 2020 10.9%
May 2020 10.0%
From the Eastern Illinois Food Bank – More than 100,000 people rely on them for food due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Unless it is raining, I will be physically walking on a “classic” CROP walk route. You can walk with me or you will be able to join the walk virtually on Oct. 4, 1:30pm.
Peace,
Rachel Matthews, Temporary Mission Coordinator
Background for the CROP walk – The Crop Project was organized in 1947 when farmers were asked to donate food and seed crops to our hungry neighbors in post-World War II Europe and Asia, a program that soon became known as the Christian Rural Overseas Program – CROP. In 1969 in Bismarck, North Dakota, and in 1970 in York, Pennsylvania, the first walk events were organized to raise funds to support CROP. Since then, CROP Hunger Walk events have been held in hundreds of communities large and small raising millions of dollars to eradicate hunger and poverty.
https://www.crophungerwalk.
CROP WALK – https://www.crophungerwalk.
Sunday, October 4, 2020 at 1:30 PM
·
Zoom Gathering
By Computer:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
By Phone:
Phone Number: (312) 626-6799
Meeting ID: 861 6190 3170
Our Mission Agency Announcements
World Mission Committee – September 15, 4:30pm, zoom.
Community Mission Deacons – September 22, 4:30pm, zoom.
Cuba Partner Network Virtual Gathering 2020 – The PC(USA) Cuba Partners Network Virtual Gathering: Celebrating our Connections in the Time of COVID, will be held via Zoom webinar, September 25 -26, 2020. Registration is $20 for all three days. If you are interested in attending, please contact Rachel@firstpres.church for the registration link.
CU at Home – Again, upcoming Event Highlighting Men’s and Women’s Emergency Shelter, Sept. 30, 12pm. Register with Rob@cuathome.us or Rick@cuathome.us
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26
- Would you join us in prayer for two of our friends who relapsed earlier this week? We pray for their hearts to remain humble and open to receive help.
- Please pray for all of our staff and friends on the street that they would remain healthy as we move towards fall and flu season.
- Would you also pray for a friend whose father passed away a couple weeks ago? We pray for comfort and God’s peace as this family deals with this unexpected loss. Thank you God that one of our friends without an address who is working towards housing as well as going back to school at Parkland this fall!
- Praise the Lord for the cooler weather which brings relief from the heat and motivation for some of our friends as we are reminded that winter is right around the corner.
- Praise to Jesus for the men’s and women’s shelters which continue to see high attendance each night! To date, the men’s shelter has seen over 470 different men while the women’s shelter has seen over 120 different women since October 31, 2019! The need is great and we appreciate your prayers and continued financial support!
DREAAM – University of Illinois is offering a free course regarding our pandemic on Sunday nights from 8-9pm. This is a very informative course. One of the speakers on December 6 is Tracy Dace, the director of DREAAM. You do have to register. https://covcourse.web.
COV-Course: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Understanding the Pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented public health crisis. In this course, created by provost Andreas Cangellaris and other campus leaders, you will gain a comprehensive, multidisciplinary understanding of the pandemic. The course will guide you through past, present and future perspectives on the pandemic, with weekly topics that range from history, biology and business to data security, racial disparities, mental health and more.
This non-credit course is free of cost and open to all. Classes will be held online from 8:00–9:00 p.m. every Sunday evening during the fall semester. See the course schedule for details about the instructors and topics covered.
12/06 – Social Life: COVID-19 and the CU Community
Introduction: Antoinette Burton (Professor of History and Director, Humanities Research Institute)
Speakers: Julie Pryde (Champaign-Urbana Public Health District), Tracy Dace (DREAAM)
Environmental Stewardship Committee – The Faith in Place Green Team Summit is happening this week, September 13-17, connecting the dots between climate change, COVID-19 and racism and all the other environmental crises we seem to be facing right now. This Summit is sponsored by the Interfaith Power and Light organization. Several of our own Environmental Stewardship Committee “Green Team” members will be attending this virtual summit. You can still attend by registering at
https://www.greenteamsummit.
Frontera de Cristo – Coffee & Conversation Continues/Café y Conversacion Continua
- Sept. 17 de Septiembre: Clase de Cocina: Come Los Tamales Casi Dividio la Iglesia Cooking Class: How Tamales Almost Divided the Church
- Sept 24 de Septiembre: Loteira de Frontera de Cristo: Play Virtual Mexican Bingo with us: Have Fun and Learn About the Life and Ministry of Frontera de Cristo
Email “conversation” to office@fronteradecristo.org to get the Zoom link
Other Mission Opportunities around town –
Twice is Nice Thrift Store is
Open for Porch Sales
607 W. Elm St.,
Urbana
Saturdays August 22, 29, Sept.12, 19, 26
From 10am-2pm
Featured Items:
Sept 19 Puzzles, Games, Toys, Books Stationery
Sept 26 Winter apparel, Holiday
Let us keep all our mission partners in our prayers, those who are waiting to go back to their place of ministry and those who are able to work where they are. Listen for God’s call to you in their ministry.
Our PC(USA) Mission CoWorkers:
Mark Adams and Miriam Maidonado Escobar (Mexico)
Farsijanna Adeney-Risakotta (Indonesia)
Jeff and Christi Boyd (Central Africa)
Jo Ella Holman (Carribean and Cuba)
Bob and Kristi Rice (South Sudan)
Our regional and global mission partners:
Kemmerer Village (and Camp Carew)
Lifeline Pilots
Marion Medical Mission
Mission Aviation Fellowship
Opportunity International
Friends of Presbyterian Education Board in Pakistan Presbyterian Cuba Partnership
Special Offerings of the PC(USA)
Theological Education Fund
Young Adult Volunteers
Here in Champaign – Urbana:
CU Better Together
CU at Home
CANAAN S.A.F.E. HOUSE
CANTEEN RUN
COURAGE CONNECTION
DREAAM
eMPTY TOMB, INC
FAITH IN ACTION
JESUS IS THE WAY PRISON MINISTRY
THE REFUGEE CENTER
RESTORATION URBAN MINISTRY
SALT & LIGHT
Here at First Presbyterian Church
FPCC Amateur Preachers
FPCC Environmental Committee working with Faith in Place
FPCC Presbyterian Women
FPCC ESL
FPCC Children, Youth and Families
FPCC Mission Possible/Go and Serve
302 W. Church Street
Champaign, IL 61820
217-356-7238
info@firstpres.church
Attachments:
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Weekday Email to Members and Friends — 2020-09-14
Monday, September 14th, 2020
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
To Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Dear Friends,
Yesterday about 30 of us met at Hessel Park with lawn chairs and masks. That sounds like the set up for a joke, doesn’t it? In another age, it would be.
We divided into three circles, but few of us sat down. We just wandered around and mingled, laughed, caught up, told each other about our summer, and generally enjoyed one another’s company. It was amazingly good to see your faces.
At one point, I got hit in the head with an acorn. I turned around and thought for a second that Vern Snoeyink threw it at me. While I was looking at him, trying to read his masked face, another hit my shoulder. The oak tree was tossing the acorns.
The Nurture Committee will arrange another social like this again. Stay tuned.
In the meantime, please keep your guard up. This virus is pesky. Don’t get it. Don’t share it. We’ll be on the other side soon enough. Every day we are a day closer.
News:
Wednesday Night Vespers:
1st Wed is our monthly prayer meeting.
2nd Wed is presented by our Mission Team
3rd Wed is presented by our Worship Team (often a concert!)
4th Wed is Study Night sponsored by our Spiritual Formation Team.
5th Wed is social time.
Join us each Wednesday at 7 pm…
Email zoom@firstpres.church for the link.
Tuesdays Men’s Bible Study 8 am
Email zoom@firstpres.church for the link.
* * *
| HOLY IMAGINATION + RACE: How the Church Can Be a Healing Force in America’s Racial Divide September 15 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT 90-minute Presbyterian Outlook webinar Presented by Kerry Connelly Sponsored by Presbyterian Publishing — Free of charge to participants Registration is at the bottom of the page at this link: https://pres-outlook.org/2020/ |
Humor (Hard times need godly laughter):
Three classics from Dave Hunter:
1. A dog went to college. when he got home his master asked what did you learn? The dog said I studied foreign languages. His master said okay, say something in a foreign language. The dog said “meow”.
2. What did the Buffalo say when his male child left for school? Bison
3. Where do doctors learn how intestines work? In alimentary school.
Good Word:
Colossians 3:14
And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Let us pray:
Holy God, don’t make us ready for the coming fall.
We don’t need help facing the winter.
We need help savoring this moment.
O God of all good gifts,
help us live fully in this
present.
AMEN.
Much, much love to you all.
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church
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