Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2021-02-11
Thursday, February 11th, 2021
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
To Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Friends,
ESL “Café” is TODAY. This Zoom gathering enabled our immigrants to have conversation partners. When you want to speak a new language, you should practice, right? So please don’t underestimate you ability to help brothers and sisters better learn and speak English. Join us for a conversation. Our fantastic ESL director, Jeanette Pyne, will lead us; last time, she had a funny game we played. Let’s BE the church together.
If you have any questions, please email the ESL Director, Jeanette Pyne, at jeanette@firstpres.church.
* * *
Please sign up for the book study. (Call the office.) It’s a serious topic, but I hope we’re going to have fun. Is that all right? To have fun talking about serious stuff? I hope so. There’s nothing wrong about holy laughter. See you at the book study.
BOOK STUDY! You are invited to a congregation-wide four session book study on race.
- WHAT? Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates (One World, 2015). A father talks to his fifteen-year-old son about the realities of inhabiting a black body.
- WHEN? Thursdays, February 18 and 25 and March 4 and 11 at 11:00am to 12:00 noon.
- 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 . Borrow books from our public library in paper, digital or audio form.
- WHO? Everyone in our congregation and community is invited. Pastor Matt Matthews will facilitate. Our Compassion, Peace, and Justice Committee/ Spiritual Formation Committee will host.
- WHY? Jesus asks us to love “the other. A first step is listening to understand “the other”.
* * *
News
Our Annual Meeting is THIS Sunday February 14th at 10 o’clock. Join us for a quick report. We’ll also vote on the pastors’ terms of call. Thanks for joining us. Here’s the link…
https://firstpres.church/
* * *
Hard copies of the Annual Report will be available in the plastic holders outside the door at the alley entry of the Education Building on Friday. If you want a hard copy, you may drive by the alley, and find hard copies there. Also, PDF copies are available on our website at this link: https://firstpres.
* * *
Everyone is welcomed to a “drive-by” imposition of ashes from noon to 1 p.m. on Ash Wednesday, February 17th. Those who feel safe driving through the alley will receive ashes imposed upon their foreheads leaned through open car windows. Matt will be double-masked and will sanitize a gloved hand between congregants. While everyone is warmly invited to drive by, if you are at-risk or otherwise feel unsafe, please stay at home. Come at your own risk. We’ll be as safe as is humanly possible. Why ashes? They remind us who and whose we are. We will gather for a live Zoom service that evening at 7 p.m. led by Eric Corbin.
* * *
In-person Worship begins on February 21st at 10:15. After careful discussion and prayerful deliberation, the COVID-19 team and the Session have recommended that we resume limited in-person weekly worship on the First Sunday of Lent, February 21st at 10:15 a.m.
For those of you who feel safe to attend, please pre-register by calling the church office at 217.356.7238. Registration will run from Monday morning to Thursday noon the week before each service. (We are preregistering not only as a means of contact-tracing, but also to keep attendance at or under fifty [50] people, including worship leaders and ushers. That is the limit prescribed by state public health guidelines.)
Remember, your Session is doing everything it can to keep everyone safe during this season of pandemic. While the end may be in sight with local and statewide numbers trending downward, not everyone is vaccinated yet and Covid-19 is still deadly. Some experts guess our nationwide death toll due to Covid may total over 600,000 by later this Spring.
The best way to safeguard against getting Covid is to limit one’s exposure to it and to get vaccinated; while we have prepared as safe a worship environment as possible, and all participants will be required to check in, wear masks at all times, and sit at a distance of six feet from other families, we cannot guarantee that somebody won’t get sick. Those who come to worship come at their own risk.
These in-person services will be, essentially, services of welcome, scripture, prayer, and preaching. These brief—40-minutes, or less—services will include no spoken liturgy, no congregational singing, and no choir. The preacher will speak from behind a plexiglass barrier. There will be no indoor fellowship, and no coffee or food service before or after the service.
This may not sound like a very welcoming or, even, friendly invitation, does it? You know what I mean. So, make wise decisions for you and your family, stay away if you are high risk or don’t feel well, and know that I look forward to “seeing” some of you online at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday (FirstPres.Live), and others of you face to face at 10:15 a.m.
God is good.
* * *
What do these folk have in common? If you guess right, I’ll buy you Jarling’s Custard Cup!
- Astronaut Buzz Aldrin,
- the musical genius Ludwig von Beethoven,
- the football quarterback Terry Bradshaw,
- Winston Churchill,
- the singer Judy Collins,
- Monica Seles the tennis pro who holds the longest undefeated streak—33 matches—for the Austrailian Open,
- Abraham Lincoln.
* * *
Humor (Hard times really need godly laughter):
What did the beach say as the tide came in?
Long time, no sea.
(I need jokes!!)
* * *
Good Word:
The 23rd Psalm
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Let us pray
Holy God
In
your
wide mercy
f
o
r
g
i
v
e
and redeem what I have been,
help
me
amend
what I am,
and
direct
what I shall be,
so that I may
delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of
your
holy
name.
* * *
Much, much love to you all.
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church
