Presbytidings – October 2019
The Newsletter of First Presbyterian Church
216 West Third Street, Wayne, Nebraska 68787
(402) 375-2669 + http://www.fpcwayne.com
“Our chief end is to glorify and enjoy God forever.”
From the Pastor….
This Is My Church
It is composed of people just like me.
It will be friendly if I am.
It will do a great work if I work.
It will make generous gifts to many causes
if I am generous.
It will bring others into fellowship
if I bring them.
Its seats will be filled if I fill them.
It will be a church of loyalty and love,
of faith, service and laughter
if I, who make it what it is, am filled with these.
Therefore, with God’s help,
I dedicate myself to the task of being all these things
I want my church to be.
FPC is YOUR church and it will be what the members with God’s help make it. What vision of the future has God planted in your heart for FPC? If we want to be a friendly, generous, faithful, loving and serving community we need to work together to make it so. If we want to be a church known for mission beyond our Coat Closet and support of the Food Pantry and Backpack program, we can make that happen. The level of our energy, imagination, and financial support make a difference in each of us, in Wayne and beyond.
A church isn’t just a building, but a community held together through Jesus Christ. Each member of this congregation has skills and gifts they can share whether musical talents, business knowledge, the ability to teach or rapport with the youth, some have limited time, others have more availability. It takes all of us, from the youngest to the oldest, working together to be the body of Christ and advance the kingdom of God.
The Session is preparing for next year and working on the budget. The Nominating Committee has been activated and will be looking for a new class of Deacons and Elders. If you are asked by the Nominating Committee to serve, please prayerfully consider the request and how you can make a difference by saying yes.
October is Stewardship Campaign month, when we ask you to consider how we share financial support of the church and its mission in Wayne and beyond. It is not just financial support that is needed however, your support and participation in the life of the congregation is important whether mowing the lawn, playing in the bell choir, bringing flowers, serving as an usher, liturgist or fellowship host. It is also about participating with gusto in worship, praying and caring for each other and those beyond our walls. This is your church; let us dedicate ourselves to being the generous, loving, extroverted church of our Triune God.
– CU in church, Pastor Teresa
“DIALOGUE” A CONVERSATION ON REFUGEES AND IMMIGRATION
Refugees and immigration are very much in the news these days. You are invited to join in a conversation helping us learn from people who have experience with refugees and immigration. The First Presbyterian Church and Our Savior Lutheran Church organized an opportunity to enter a dialogue about refugees and related issues.
The discussion is guided by a series entitled Dialogues which offers unique perspectives from experienced authors from renowned organizations such as World Relief and Church World Service that provide insight into refugee stories and experiences. The following are the essays for each week’s discussion:
October 1st – “A People Without a Place”
October 15th – “A Global Perspective”
October 15th – “A Network of Care”
October 22nd – “Facing Our History”
October 29th – “Looking for Home”
November 5th – “Where Do We Go From Here?”
Participants can attend one or all the weekly sessions. The group will meet weekly at Ekeko Blends, 110 Main St., Wayne at 7:00 p.m. There is room for all to join the conversation. For more information or to RSVP contact Pastor Teresa via email tbartlett98@gmail.com or call the church office 402.375.2669.
“LOVE CARVED IN STONE”-2019-2020 BIBLE STUDY
Traditionally our women’s Bible study was part of the Presbyterian Women’s meeting. Beginning this October, the Bible study will be open to all (men and women). The subject of our study this year is the Ten Commandments. We will meet at 2:00 on the first Wednesday of each month, except during Lent. Each lesson will be about thirty-five to forty minutes, depending on the discussion. Our time together is filled with learning, sharing, and laughter (lots of laughter!). We encourage all who want or need this time of spiritual connection to join us. This is an informal group that enjoys the time spent and the insights that we gain from this experience.
We will be meeting on Wednesday, October 2nd at 2:00pm. The discussion will be about the first commandment “I Am Your God; You Shall Have No Others”. Join us and be prepared to have an insightful and enjoyable time. – Karen Johnson
WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6th
We will celebrate the Lord’s Supper together on Sunday, October 6. It is World Communion Sunday, a day when we share the Bread of life and the Cup of salvation alongside Christians in all different traditions, around the world. The communion elder will be Glenda McDonald.
Telling the Story of God’s Love: Stewardship Campaign – October 6th to October 20th
The familiar hymn “I Love to Tell the Story” encompasses the work of the church by telling of “unseen things above,” “of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.” Jesus was a storyteller and as a church we are to continue to tell the stories of our Triune God’s love and grace, to tell of and enact Jesus’ love to members and neighbors near and far.
As a church it is important, we continue to tell the stories of our Triune God and God’s love as well as how our lives are different because of our faith. How has the church played a part in your story, how has your faith impacted your life? We are members of this community of faith, because it is important in our life story. Do you have a favorite Bible story or biblical character that speaks to you which has impacted your life and made you think in new ways? Perhaps your story is like the Apostle Paul’s who had a sudden and powerful conversion experience, or like Mary, the mother of Jesus who submitted with faith and trust to God working through her, or are you a Peter who loves Jesus but makes your fair share of mistakes. The biblical story of God’s love and grace, of our human mistakes, of our repentance and new beginnings is our story and one that a hurting world needs to hear.
The Finance Team asks your help to continue telling the story of God’s love through the sharing of your financial resources as well as your time and talent. With your support we can share the story through worship, supporting ministries of compassion and care such as the Food Pantry and Coat Closet, supporting our youth as they grow in faith, supporting and encouraging each other in times of grief and in times of celebration. We each have a part in the story of First Presbyterian and your support is needed to continue sharing God’s love with one another and our community.
Our Stewardship Campaign begins October 6th and the Finance Team asks you to consider your giving for the remainder of this year and for 2020. You will be receiving information from the financial secretary and each individual or family is asked to prayerfully consider their circumstances and complete their 2019 pledge and determine their pledge for 2020. While you are not required to make a specific pledge, the Stewardship Team appreciates members returning the Intention of Giving for budget planning purposes by October 20th to Anita Fuelberth. Your support helps First Presbyterian Church continue to tell the story of Jesus and his love.
Pastor Bartlett to Participate in Pastoral Leadership Revitalization Program
The Pastoral Leadership Revitalization (PLR) program, made possible by a three-year grant, directed by the Omaha Seminary Foundation has begun. The program seeks to help pastors find a balance between personal and profession life as well as offers support in ministry. The PLR program focuses on first call pastors and those in small and rural settings. Pastors from the presbyteries of Central Nebraska, Missouri River Valley, Missouri Union and Homestead Presbytery have been invited to participate in the 3-year program. Pastor Bartlett was invited by the Homestead Interim Executive, Stephen Earl, to apply for Pastoral Leadership Revitalization Program and was accepted. The purposes of the program are:
- To increase pastoral resilience and adaptive leadership,
especially for newly ordained and or isolated pastors.
- To stem the attrition rate of ordained and lay pastors.
- To create a network of pastoral leadership.
Each participant is assigned a coaching mentor which is a hybrid of a coach and a mentor, who will meet with participants in person or electronically monthly. In addition to regular interaction with a coaching mentor the program includes a variety of retreats. There is no expense to the churches, pastors or presbyteries as all expenses are covered by the grant from the Lily Foundation. The first retreat for Pastor Teresa is October 7th-10th, 2019. Sessions and congregations are encouraged to support their pastors participating in the program. It’s hoped that as a result of pastoral revitalization congregations will also experience:
- Improved spiritual enrichment
- Increased membership
- Increased vitality in the congregation
Please pray not only for Pastor Teresa but all the pastors and coaching/mentors who will be part of this program as well as the executive/general presbyters and the PLR staff as they embark on this revitalization program.
GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP AT PROVIDENCE MEDICAL CENTER
Join a welcoming and kind community of support, where you can learn tools and join others on the journey. We will gather on Thursdays from 6:30-8:15 pm, October 3 to November 7 (six sessions) at Providence Medical Center, in Wayne. There is no cost, snacks and beverages provided. For more information, call PMC chaplain, Pr. Anna Speiser at 402-375-7923.
FALL DECORATING
If you would like to provide pumpkins, gourds or other fall decorations (artificial or real) to use in decorating the sanctuary, please bring those items to church by October 13th and leave them in Fellowship Hall or with Pastor Teresa. If you would like to assist in decorating the sanctuary for fall, please join us on Wed., October 15th at 2:00 p.m.
CHANGES IN FUNERAL POLICY AND FUNERAL LUNCH POLICY
The Session has revised and updated the funeral policy, the previous policy was 13 years old and it was time to update and bring it in line with current practices. FPC desires to offer a ministry of care and compassion to members or non-members so there is no fee building use for a funeral service, visitation or a funeral luncheon held at the church. The entire revised policy is available for review in Fellowship Hall.
Changes in recent years have led to conversations about how best to show hospitality to families of the congregation and those former members or others who ask for FPC to serve a lunch following the service. It seemed appropriate while updating the funeral policy to review and update the church funeral lunch policy, the addendum regarding funeral lunches follows. In creation of this new policy we wanted to clarify the number that could be served at church and when estimates for a funeral exceed what we can seat, what options are available. We have increasingly encountered a challenge in finding enough workers and getting donations for funeral lunches, the policy addresses those issues. Funeral practices have shifted in the last few years and funeral lunches are not as often supported by food from friends and neighbors to supplement the donations of the congregation. All these things were considered in writing this policy. It is no longer uncommon to find funeral lunches that are catered by local businesses and paid for by the family as part of funeral expenses.
The funeral lunch policy has been discussed and reviewed by the PW, the Team leaders, and the Worship team as part of the funeral policy revision which was approved by the Session. Additional changes include that we have moved to two funeral leadership teams which will rotate as per previous practice; however multiple workgroups have been merged into one. A work group with men of the congregation has also been created to assist in the set-up and take down of tables and chairs. The leadership teams will call to line up help for serving and/ or set up whether the luncheon is held at the church or off site.
The entire policy including the luncheon policy will be given to the funeral directors that FPC works with frequently so they can assist families in making decisions regarding luncheons. You are encouraged to read through the addendum and the funeral policy and if you have any questions or concerns speak to Pastor Teresa.
Funeral Receptions and Meals [*]
If a luncheon is desired following a funeral service held at First Presbyterian, Presbyterian Women (PW) and members of the congregation are available to provide/serve lunch given the following guidelines.
Working through the church office and Pastor it will be necessary to know preferably 2 to 3 days prior to the day of the service;
- An estimate of how many will be served.
- The Fellowship Hall at FPC can seat 90 people, for larger groups an alternate location will be needed; such as the Wayne Fire Station or City Auditorium.
- What kind of reception is desired, (see following).
- A lunch of cake and/or bars, coffee and beverages which will be prepared and served by the church.
- All meals other than cake, bars, coffee and beverages must be catered no matter the location. The work group will need to know as soon as possible who will be doing the catering and the location.
In Wayne menu options include sandwiches* or hot meals which may be provided by local business including; Vel’s Bakery, Pac N Save, Quality Foods, The Max, Tacos N More, Fourth Jug. The caterer must supply appropriate staff for serving.
The congregation can provide cake and or bars, to supplement catered meals. The church will provide coffee and iced tea or lemonade for lunches at church as well as paper products, cups, plates, napkins and silverware.
For groups larger than 90 the lunch must be held at an alternate site and must be catered, with appropriate catering staff on hand for serving and clean-up. It is requested the caterer provide the beverages for lunches outside the church. FPC may provide dessert items (cake, bars, etc.) and be available to assist in serving the lunch offsite.
The funeral director can assist the family in coordinating with the caterer and choosing a menu and location based on anticipated attendance and availability and will co-ordinate with the Funeral work group and Pastor for serving.
Payment for the cost of the meal will normally be made through the funeral home. Financial contributions to Presbyterian Women for serving are appreciated.
DEACONS MEETING
The Deacons for October will be announced at a later date.
YOUTH GROUP
The youth group will meet on October: 9th & 23rd at 7:30pm in the youth room.
PINK FLAMINGO NIGHT AT OUR SAVIOR LUTHERAN CHURCH
Plan to join us at Our Savior Lutheran Church for their Annual Pink Flamingo Nite on Thursday, October 10th. Providence Medical Center, Pac N Save and the Women of Our Savior have joined forces again this year to bring a fun and informative evening focused on Cancer Awareness. Tickets can be purchased at the church, area banks, Swan’s, Hair Envy and a few other locations around town for just $5 each. Proceeds going directly to the PMC Oncology Department.
SEWING SOULS
Sewing Souls will meet on Wednesday, October 16th at 1:00pm.
SESSION
The next session meeting will be held on Monday, October 28th at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
COMMUNITY CHAPEL SERVICES
Pastor Teresa will lead chapel services at the following locations throughout October:
- WORD IN FAITH Pastor’s article for the Wayne Herald will appear in the newspaper on October 10th.
- BROOKDALE CHAPEL Pastor Teresa will lead Brookdale Chapel on Wednesday, October 23rd at 3:30pm.
- RADIO DEVOTIONS Pastor Teresa will be giving devotions on 104.9 Big Red Country KTCH the week of October 28th – November 1st at 5:40am.
RUNZA FEEDS THE NEED FUNDRAISER RAISES OVER $31,000, OVER $400 Locally
By Aaron Scheffler (Wayne Daily News)| September 18, 2019 (reprinted with permission)
WAYNE – Big Red County, The City and Runza wants to say thank you for all who supported the Second annual Feeds the Need Fundraiser.
On Tuesday, all Runza locations hosted this event and it was another great success. According to a release from the director of marketing at Runza, the event raised $31,783.71. Locally, $432.74 was raised for the Wayne food pantry and backpack food programs.
All day long, 10% of sales were donated to local programs focusing on youth hunger and food insecurity.
During the afternoon remote from the Wayne Runza location, Jodi Pulfer talked about the programs. Pulfer, a volunteer, said 100% of donations that make up these programs are from the community. “It’s pretty amazing when you start looking at other food pantries around the area,” said Pulfer. “Many of them will receive grant funding or funding from other sources. Every time we’ve asked or we’ve had a need, you all have been fabulous with supplying that need for us.”
The Wayne Public Schools backpack program began in April of 2013 to assist families with children who experience food-scarcity on the weekends who may have kids home alone. Each bag contains two breakfasts, two lunches, two snacks and two servings of fruit.
Volunteers will come in and pack an entire month of food. “So, we’ll pack about 120 bags for each week,” Pulfer added. “So, we’re going to be packing about 480 bags in a night. Those volunteers have ranged from the Wayne State students, to 4-H clubs, to church groups; all those types of individuals have been greatly appreciated.
The backpack program is estimating it costs about $1,000 a month to put the bags together for nine months of the school year.
The Wayne County food pantry is made up of a group of non-denominational volunteers who are housed in the basement of the First Presbyterian Church. Pulfer mentioned their goal is to help individuals and families through rough spots in life by supplying them with approximately a months’ supply of food and the pantry may be used up to three times per year for each client.
“In 2012 we had 107 households that included 450 people that utilized the food pantry,” Pulfer mentioned. “Last year, in 2018 that grew to 298 households and we served 1,119 people.”
And from this time last year, the food pantry is up about 75 people.
For those in need of food or would like to drop off food can stop by the First Presbyterian Church Tuesday – Friday from 9 a.m. until noon or call 402-375-2669. Also, the Wayne County Family Coalition, which is housed at the Northeast Nebraska Public Health Department, can get you arranged to receive food if you need it.
Like Wayne Food Pantry & School Backpack Program on Facebook for more information. The food pantry is still in need of several items as they’re running low on their canned vegetable shelves and they’re continually having to buy food these days.
DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
Daylight Saving Time will end on Sunday, November 3, at 2:00am. Don’t forget to set your clocks back one hour, or you’ll have plenty of time for solitary meditation in the sanctuary!
Lector/Greeter Schedule for October 2019
| 10/6/2019 | Glenda McDonald | Pat & Glenda McDonald |
| 10/13/2019 | Jeryl Nelson | Jeryl & Rochelle Nelson |
| 10/20/2019 | Candyce Peitz | The Peitz Family |
| 10/27/2019 | Kevin Peterson | Kevin & Shannon Peterson |
October 2019 – First Presbyterian Church
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Each Sunday Morning:
o Handbell Practice 8:45 o Worship 10:00 o Fellowship 11:00
|
1
7:00pm Dialogues at Ekeko Blends |
2
2:00pm Bible Study 3:30pm Girl Scouts 5:00pm Confirmation 5:30pm Stewardship Meeting |
3 | 4 | 5
|
|
| 6
World Communion Day (Communion Elder – Glenda McDonald) |
7
(Pastor out – retreat) 6:30pm Scout Den Meeting |
8
(Pastor out – retreat) 7:00pm Dialogues at Ekeko Blends |
9
(Pastor out – retreat) 3:30pm Girl Scouts 5:00pm Confirmation 7:30pm Youth Group |
10
(Pastor out – retreat)
|
11
(Pastor out – vacation)
|
12
(Pastor out – vacation)
|
| 13
(Pastor out – vacation)
Pr. Anna Speiser, speaker
|
14
9:30am Wayne Family County Coalition Meeting 6:30pm Scout Den Meeting |
15
7:00pm Dialogues at Ekeko Blends |
16
1:00pm Sewing Souls 3:30pm Girl Scouts 5:00pm Confirmation
|
17
|
18
|
19
|
| 20
|
21
|
22
11:00am Northern Covenant Pastors meet 7:00pm Dialogues at Ekeko Blends |
23
3:30pm Brookdale Chapel 3:30pm Girl Scouts 5:00pm Confirmation 7:30pm Youth Group |
24
10:30am Pastor at Salvation Army Mtg.
|
25 | 26 |
| 27
|
28
*5:40am KTCH 104.9 Moment for Living 7:00pm Session meets |
29
*5:40am KTCH 104.9 Moment for Living 7:00pm Dialogues at Ekeko Blends |
30
*5:40am KTCH 104.9 Moment for Living 3:30pm Girl Scouts 5:00pm Confirmation
|
31
*5:40am KTCH 104.9 Moment for Living
|
1
*5:40am KTCH 104.9 Moment for Living
|
OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS
(Would you like to see your birthday listed here?
Just contact the church office 402-375-2669 or fpcwayne@gmail.com)
5 Dale J.
8 John F.
10 Brook B.
14 Sydney Mc.
15 Pat Mc.
18 Ronald C.
20 Braydn Mc.
21 Rob S.
Save the Date!
- Thursday, November 21, 2019 9:00am – 3:00pm
Presbytery Meeting at Laurel Presbyterian Church, Laurel, Nebraska
- Sunday, November 24, 2019 Worship at 5:00pm, Supper at 6:00pm
Community Thanksgiving Service followed by Soup Supper
First Presbyterian Church, Wayne, Nebraska
Contact Information:
First Presbyterian Church
216 W. Third Street
Wayne NE 68787
FPC Office/Wayne Food Pantry/Coat Closet
402-375-2669
Tuesday – Friday, 9am – 12 noon
Pastor Teresa Bartlett
402-375-2669 (office)
319-795-2911 (cell)
Websites:
Church: https://fpcwayne.com/
Wayne Food Pantry: https://fpcwayne.com/food-pantry/
Wayne Coat Closet: https://fpcwayne.com/wayne-coat-closet/
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
First Presbyterian Church – Wayne, Nebraska
Wayne Food Pantry – Wayne, Nebraska
Wayne Coat Closet – First Presbyterian Church
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[*] Approved Session – September 23, 2019
* A sandwich menu with choice of meats, sliced cheese, buns or bread, pickles/relish, potato chips and salads if desired is available from local businesses.
First Presbyterian Church of Wayne, Nebraska 