Friday 4 September 2020
 
Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois

Dear Friends, 
 
            Happy Birthday to our pastor friend Dale Tutje! He’s 93 today! O, Happy Day!
 
* * *
 
            When I think of the teachers who most nurtured me in my education at all levels, at first blush there are dozens that stand out (Harriet Chapel, Jim Wilson, David Bartlett, Sib Towner). When I think more deeply, more stand out (Mrs. King, Mrs. Parish, Donald Dawe). When I think grade by grade and semester by semester, language by language, subject by subject, more step forward (Manuel Bejar, Ray Jones, Stanley Mitchem). Some great teachers were never my teachers: Rev. Louie V. Andrews, John Warren, Rick Hardwick, Les Grady, Roger Gravatt, Billy Ricketts, Mark Stanley, Jon Willinger, Jim Burrows, Paul Rundberg, Jan Hottinga. The list goes on. Praise God, the list goes on.
 
            Every teacher made a positive difference—a few by negative example, but most because of some special gift they brought to me and my peers. How grateful I am. What would I have been without them? 
 
            The school year has begun and our students and teachers are digging in for a new year. They’ve strapped on their wings and are ready to fly. This won’t be the easiest year during pandemic but that’s why we’re all prayer harder than ever, and we just might find other ways to lend our caring support. Tell me about the teachers who most influenced you. 
 
            I’ve told you this story before: a king wanted to have a man or woman represent the kingdom at a big, world event. He called upon the people of his land to come present their case so he could pick the worthiest of representatives. Astronauts, athletes, scholars, great leaders, brave servants, generals, chefs, and others all came forward. These were the most acclaimed people of the land. Finally, a little old woman came forward. The king asked her, given all the stellar applicants who came before her, why he should chose her. Humbly she said, “I was their fourth grade teacher.”
 
            This is what Bob Kirby wrote about a teacher who influenced him: My high school sophomore English teacher was Ruth Lichenstein. She told me, “Robert, you can succeed at any university you choose and then you can do anything you want to do.”  For a timid teenager in a small school in a small town these were big words. I have never forgotten them or Ms. Lichenstein. 
 
            Who are the teachers you’ll never forget? Let me hear from you.
 
* * *
 
            Sad news: I lost about 25 important emails this week. One of them might have been yours. If you wrote me and I’ve not written back, please be in touch. It’s maddening to recreate lost mail from memory. 
 
* * *
 
            I’ve preached about 500 more times on “love” than I have on “sin.” It’s because of sin, however, that one needs to talk all the time about love. Tune in on Sunday as I talk about, you guessed it, love. I’ll also make some very important observations about pizza, meatloaf, Republicans, and Democrats. 
 
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 Judi Geistlinger for being the first — of MANY — to guess last Friday’s photo was of Matt Matthews! 

Here’s this week’s photo. 

 Visit http://fb.com/groups/firstpreschampaign to make your guesses, or email them to photos@firstpres.church.  
 
We are getting low on photos, so 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@firstpres.church.
 
* * *
Lots of music today. We all need more songs than usual. Sing out. Sing loud.
 
The Storm is passing over
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3jgPsGQSdQ
 
Bluegrass masters
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPkDz4T2eVE&list=RDiPkDz4T2eVE&start_radio=1&t=98
 
Jesus can you help me now?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_-sskQWfK4&list=RDiPkDz4T2eVE&index=13
 
The writers are Jack Rhodes and Joe “Red” Hayes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmhDJBjJR6k
 
A song for pandemic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AkGk5maD8Q
 
A Friday song of thanks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EORbL8N-R8&list=RD76x2pVGsaME&index=15
 

Thursday, September 3^nd, 2020
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
 
To Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
 
Dear Friends,
 
Evening prayer was beautiful last night. Join us next week for an insight into our Mission Program. We meet via Zoom every Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. The Zoom link is always in the Wednesday morning emailer that you get from me. (This email.)
 
Among the prayers we lifted up last night was a prayer for endurance. Bless you all as you. This prayer from last night may encourage you:
 

A prayer from St. Francis of Assisi

You are holy, Lord, the only God, and Your deeds are wonderful.
You are strong. You are great.
You are the Most High. You are Almighty.
You, Holy Father are King of heaven and earth.
You are Three and One, Lord God, all Good.
You are Good, all Good, supreme Good, Lord God, living and true.
You are love. You are wisdom.
You are humility. You are endurance.
You are rest. You are peace.
You are joy and gladness.
You are justice and moderation.
You are all our riches, and You suffice for us.
You are beauty. You are gentleness.
You are our protector.
You are our guardian and defender.
You are our courage.
You are our haven and our hope.
You are our faith, our great consolation.
You are our eternal life, Great and Wonderful Lord, God Almighty, Merciful Saviour. Amen.
 
News:
 
You are invited to a congregation-wide book study on race.

• WHAT? White Fragility: Why Is It So Hard for White People to Talk about Race? by Robin DiAngelo (Beacon Press, 2018).  
• WHEN? The study begins on the week of September 14 (either on Monday night at 7:00, or Thursday afternoon at 11 a.m. Exact times TBA). 
• HOW? Sign up by emailing or calling Patty Farthing in the church office. We will meet on-line via Zoom. 217.356.7238 /  Patty@firstpres.church
• WHO? Everyone in our congregation and community is invited. Pastor Matt Matthews will facilitate. Our Compassion, Peace, and Justice Committee will host.             
•  WHY? Having conversations about race may open us to whole new ways of being “neighbor” and give us ideas about how we can help heal the divisions that divide our nation along racial lines.

A twenty-minute video, Deconstructing White Privilege with Dr. Robin DiAngelo produced by the United Methodist Church, introduces the author and some basic concepts about white fragility. View it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7mzj0cVL0Q&feature=emb_title
 
I’m eager to be challenged by this book and by our conversations around it. I have a lot to learn about race, about myself, and about our complicated, beautiful human family. I’m eager to grow. Join us!
 
Those who have studied the book say this:

• It is not a fluff book.
• It is thought provoking.
• There will be uncomfortable parts. 
• It will challenge us to think about things we’d rather not think about. 
• It is a journey of learning and awareness. I became aware of little things in daily life I never noticed before. 
• It gives an understanding of our white culture I never had before. 
• It is an opportunity to consider cultural blind spots that might inhibit how fully we live out Christ’s call on our lives as His disciples.

Together we can identify and practice ways to build our capacity to listen and to speak about race, faith and justice in a manner that builds up the Body of Christ. 

Humor (Hard times need godly laughter): 
 
Why was the weightlifter upset? She worked with dumbbells.
 
What is the Pope’s favorite scent? Pope-pourri.
 
Good Word:
PSALM 88

¹ O Lord, God of my salvation,
    when, at night, I cry out in your presence,
² let my prayer come before you;
    incline your ear to my cry.

 
Let us pray:
Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child
Make thee a bed, soft, undefiled
Within my heart, that it may be
A quiet chamber kept for thee.
 
AMEN
 
A Child’s Prayer by Martin Luther (1483-1546)
 
Much, much love to you all.
 
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church

Wednesday, September 2^nd, 2020
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
 
To Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
 
Dear Friends,
 
I’m inspired by the articles, posts, and blogs you suggest I read. There are too many suggestions with which to keep up. Here’s a blog from my pastor friend in Cincinnati, Kevin Murphy. 
 
Let’s remember to keep our teachers, administrators, staff, students, and families in our prayers. Tell me about some of your memorable teachers. I’ll print your responses in this space in the coming days.
 
* * *
 
 As schools have reopened this week, I’ve had the students, their teachers and staff in my prayers – mostly the teachers and staff. After all, the students will be there. They have little choice and many of them enjoy learning or at least they enjoy being with their friends. But for the most part, the teachers and staff are there because of a deep desire to work with young people. It is a job like few others. They are not paid particularly well and many times they use their own money to buy needed supplies because the school is underfunded. They spend hours outside the classroom preparing lessons, grading assignments, doing administrative tasks and meeting with students and parents. This year there is the added anxiety over staying safe and keeping the students safe from COVID-19. But the classroom time is why they do what they do. It’s there they come alive. Those who are really good at teaching find new and exciting ways to engage the curriculum and empower the students to learn. It’s amazing to watch a student blossom and come alive simply because a good teacher found the right angle to get through to her or him. I have to think of that kind of teacher is one who has discovered their gift, has honed their skill and employed that gift for the common good. 

Paul is pretty convinced that whenever we express a talent or skill for something, we do it well and we love doing it because of God’s Spirit moving in our lives. I have to agree with him on that. God gifts each and every one of us with unique skills and talents. Some excel in math and become great engineers. Some are great in biology and become nurses, therapists and doctors. Some are really good with their hands and become chefs, mechanics and carpenters. Some are gifted with artistic talents and may become great musicians, dancers or painters. Some possess the gift of nurturing and become super parents, teachers or caregivers. Whether or not someone uses their gifts to provide for their livelihood is not important. The sharing of those gifts for the common good is. Whatever our gift God is the giver of them all and the Spirit activates them in our lives. We are the happiest and most productive when our passion and our gifts meet the world’s great needs and we use those gifts for the common good. 

Teachers are at the heart of all this, coaxing, nurturing, instructing and helping students discover their gifts. Teachers are usually the first to recognize these gifts in their students and are the first to see them bloom. I am very thankful for the good teachers in my life and I am very thankful for all the good teachers in our community today. May God bless them as they use their gifts to be a blessing to their students.

News:
 
Sign up for our congregation/community-wide book study on “White Fragility” by emailing or calling Patty Farthing in the church office. 217.356.7238 /  Patty@firstpres.church

Humor (Hard times need godly laughter): 
 
These are jokes. Really.
 
Q: Why was the road nervous?  It was getting graded.
 
Q: Why did the dinosaur refuse to wear deodorant? It wasn’t interested in becoming x-stinked.

From Tanya Deckert…

 
 
 
Good Word:
First Corinthians 12:4-7                    
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 
 
Let us pray:
 
Bless our teachers, Holy God,
in the name of the Christ
who taught us how to pray,
live, and serve. 
 
Unswerving is your grace.
Help our students lean upon you.
Strengthen their resolve.
Guide their steps.
 
Grant us all humility and grace,
and, above all things,
love.
 
AMEN
 
Much, much love to you all.
 
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church

Monday, August 31^st, 2020
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
 
To Members and Friends of 
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
 
Dear Friends,
 
Here’s an important message from Kathy Kinser: 
 
Dear Friends, On behalf of my family, I am writing to express my deepest gratitude for your comforting cards and letters following the recent death of my husband, Dave. I have been lifted in body and spirit by your prayers and your loving kindness. It has been a great joy for me to be part of our Presbyterian Congregation as well as having children with high-tech ability to guide me wade through a stack of paperwork!  Blessings to everyone.
 
Hugs with Much Love,
 
Kathy Kinser
 
* * *
 
Remember, HELPING HANDS: The Presbyterian Women at First Presbyterian has a committee called “Helping Hands”.  The committee’s goal is to check with people in the congregation that might need help with meals or errands for a period of time due to personal or other family events.   Examples might be:

• Meals needed after surgery or during an illness.
• Help with meals while family is visiting for a funeral service.
• Assistance with grocery or pharmacy pick-ups.One of our biggest challenges is knowing about those who might need our services.  

Please help us out by passing on referrals to Marcia or Patty in the church office or to Clemmie Ackermann at coletta.ackermann@gmail.com or at 217-377-7901.  The other members of this committee are Lola Rutmansdorfer,  Claudia Kirby and Marty Edwards.  
 
News:
 
A message from Sandy Carr.            
“I am ashamed to say how oblivious I was to the many examples of oppression in America. Yes, I knew slavery was wrong. And yes, I knew segregated schools and housing were wrong. But  the day-to-day struggles of Black Americans was not a part of my daily life. Through my reading on the Compassion, Peace, and Justice Committee at church, NOW I know.  And the question is: what am I going to do about this oppressive inequality?”
 
* * *
 
You are invited to a congregation-wide book study on race.

• WHAT? White Fragility: Why Is It So Hard for White People to Talk about Race? by Robin DiAngelo (Beacon Press, 2018).   
• WHEN? The study begins on the week of September 14 (either on Monday night at 7:00, or Thursday afternoon at 11 a.m. Exact times TBA).  
• HOW? Sign up by emailing or calling Patty Farthing in the church office. We will meet on-line via Zoom. 217.356.7238 /  Patty@firstpres.church 
• WHO? Everyone in our congregation and community is invited. Pastor Matt Matthews will facilitate. Our Compassion, Peace, and Justice Committee will host.             
• WHY? Having conversations about race may open us to whole new ways of being “neighbor” and give us ideas about how we can help heal the divisions that divide our nation along racial lines. 

I’m eager to be challenged by this book and by our conversations around it. I have a lot to learn about race, about myself, and about our complicated, beautiful human family. I’m eager to grow. Join us!
 
Those who have studied the book say this:

• It is not a fluff book.
• It is thought provoking.
• There will be uncomfortable parts.  
• It will challenge us to think about things we’d rather not think about. It is a journey of learning and awareness.
• I became aware of little things in daily life I never noticed before. 
• It gives an understanding of our white culture I never had before. 
• It is an opportunity to consider cultural blind spots that might inhibit how fully we live out Christ’s call on our lives as His disciples.

Together we can identify and practice ways to build our capacity to listen and to speak about race, faith and justice in a manner that builds up the Body of Christ. 

Humor (Hard times need godly laughter): 
 
I’m looking for some intellectual humor. Until then, answer me this:
Q: Why was the road nervous? 
Q: Why did the dinosaur refuse to wear deodorant?
 
(Answers on Wednesday! Email me directly if you’re dying to know.)
 
Good Word:
Philippians 2:3-4       
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others
 
Let us pray:
Holy God, 
you call us to venture where 
we cannot see the ending;
Forgive us for not trusting 
you to lead us.
 
You call us to venture by 
paths as yet untrodden;
Forgive us for not 
following you.
 
You call us to venture through 
perils unknown. 
Forgive us for allowing 
fear to paralyze us.
 
Give us faith to go out 
with courage, not knowing 
where we go, but only that
 your hand is leading us 
and your love supporting us. 
 
When we lack trust in you, 
have mercy and patience,  
and help us to be your light 
in the world. 
 
We ask this in Christ’s 
holy name. 
 
AMEN.
 
Much, much love to you all.
 
 Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church