Presbytidings – May 2020
The Newsletter of First Presbyterian Church
216 West Third Street, Wayne, Nebraska 68787
(402) 375-2669 + www.fpcwayne.org
“Our chief end is to glorify and enjoy God forever.”
From the Pastor…..
Happy May,
It is a beautiful sunny day today, the grass is green, the trees are budding out. The trees on the west side of the church are in full bloom and look lovely. I’m waiting with anticipation for my tulips at home to open, if the rabbits don’t eat the plump buds first! We have been anticipating Spring and it seems it’s finally here. Yet many of the things we associate with springtime the opening of baseball and track season, school events such spring musicals, proms, even graduation for high schools and colleges are not happening or have been delayed. Some of our most cherished celebrations, such as Palm Sunday and Easter have been quite different this year as we respond to COVID 19. There will be many changes ahead.
As you know COVID 19 and the restrictions on gatherings has significantly impacted churches. In the weeks since we last worshiped together the FPC family has adapted remarkably well to a new way to worship via Zoom. Many in the congregation may have never heard of this video conferencing software before March. Zoom allows participants on the platform to see and hear each other. We tried Zoom worship for the first time on Maundy Thursday and since then every Sunday morning we gather between 10:00 and 10:15 a.m. to check in and prepare for worship at 10:15 a.m. Easter Sunday it was great to have the Worner family join us via Zoom as well as Joyce Reeg and Jim Lindau, Karen from Denver, two cats and two dogs!! It was a non-traditional service still we celebrated Christ’s resurrection.
FPC now has a You Tube channel, First Presbyterian Church of Wayne. We can record our services on Sunday and upload to our You Tube channel, which means you can share the link to our worship services with friends and others who are not able to join us on Sunday.
The Zoom invitations are emailed on Saturday and most people after the initial Zoom set up can click on the link and join the meeting easily. If you are having trouble, please contact the office. In order to preserve a layer of security for our worship I will not post the Zoom link on the Facebook page; however, you are free to share the link with friends and family.
Governor Ricketts has loosened business and gathering restrictions however Homestead Presbytery and the FPC Session both agree the time is not yet right to resume in person worship or any other activities at the church. We will continue with Zoom worship until further notice. I will be inviting members of the congregation to participate in worship by serving as Lector, reading prayers or responsive readings.
While we are not meeting in person the work of the church continues, Jenny and I are keeping regular office hours. The work of the Wayne Food Pantry and Backpack Program continues with donations and distribution of food. See the article elsewhere in the Presbytidings about the refrigerator the Pantry recently received.
In the midst of all these changes I thank the Session for their responsiveness to the many new challenges we have faced in the last few weeks from learning how to use and participate in Zoom Session meetings and worship, to taking care of the regular business of the church. These are challenging times and it seems we will need to be flexible for many months as we work our way through this pandemic.
Psalm 46:1-3 (Message translation) reminds us that we are not alone:
God is a safe place to hide,
ready to help when we need him.
We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom,
courageous in sea storm and earthquake,
Before the rush and roar of oceans,
the tremors that shift mountains.
Jacob-wrestling God fights for us,
God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
The Triune God is our refuge and shelter, loves and protects us, is as close as a prayer. We are not alone; we are not abandoned. Let us focus on seeing God’s presence with us giving us strength and courage for each day.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Teresa
Mother’s Day – May 10th
Thank-you to every woman for the many roles you play whether as mother, spouse, employee, employer, mentor, grandmother, friend, role model, spiritual friend. Not all women are mothers, but all women have a mother – if your mother has been an example of faith and grace in your life give thanks and let her know how much you appreciate her. If this Mother’s Day you are missing a special woman in your life- give thanks for all that woman was to you, whether she was a wife, teacher, grandmother, mother or friend. Each of us, women and men should do our best to reflect the love and grace of God to those around us.
Congratulations to our FPC 2020 Graduates
Congratulations to our graduating seniors; Gabriel Pietz, Wakefield High School, Madison Beair, Shea Sweetland and Emily Armstrong from Wayne High School. We hope to honor our graduates with a reception at an appropriate time later in the year.
Tuesday Zoom Check-in
Each Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. we are meeting on Zoom to check-in with each other. You can stop by for a few minutes or stay longer. Topics at Tuesday check-in have ranged from golfing, to new recipes, as well as sharing favorite books and movies. The invitation goes out via email on Monday or early Tuesday morning. The main thing is a time for fellowship- remember to bring your own coffee!!! CU on Tuesday.
FPC Receives a Payroll Protection Program Loan
The Session approved making an application to the Payroll Protection Program through State Nebraska Bank. The Payroll Protection Program is open to faith-based organizations. The PPP is essentially a forgivable loan at 1% interest that can be used to cover payroll costs for 8 weeks. Jodi Pulfer, the treasurer, calculated the following for FPC employees for 2.5 months, keeping all employees at their current level.
Jane $337.50 Salary
Jenny $1,333.50 Salary
Teresa $2,643.75 Salary
$1,212.50 Housing
$252.50 403b Plan
$1,588.88 Pension
$7,368.63 Monthly total
$18,421.58 2.5 months
The loan requested and approved was $18,421.58. This is an unsecured loan and would be forgiven as long as we use it for payroll and maintain our staff at the current rate. Homestead Presbytery gave approval to all churches in the Presbytery to apply for these funds based on congregational needs. Thank-you to Jodi for taking care of the initial paperwork and the Session for taking prompt action so that we were able to secure the funds.
Food Pantry Changes Procedures to Meet COVID 19
The Wayne Food Pantry in response to COVID 19 is now operating on an appointment basis. Clients are to call the church and complete the documentation via phone. The staff then puts the food outside the west door awaiting pick-up by the client.
Kent, Jodi, Jenny, Pastor Teresa and Food Pantry volunteers Deb Daehnke, Rita McLean and John Fuelberth (and now Phil Does) have adapted to a remarkable number of changes as the virus endures. We continue to work hard to make sure that the Wayne Food Pantry is prepared to meet the needs in the community as they arise.
Please note that the Backpack Program is still going strong at Wayne Community Schools. Jodi continues to coordinate that portion of our program as we strive to provide another food source for children in need.
Sign up for Lawn Mowing Digitally
Please check your email for the lawn mowing schedule Jenny has prepared. We will need one or two people to mow each week. If you can share in this effort, please sign up via the email document or call the church office. The current list is at posted at the end of this document.
Local Dairy Farmers Fill Community Need
The Wayne Food Pantry has just received some new refrigeration capacity thanks to local dairy farmers, Kent & Jodi Pulfer, MPM Farms, and Doug & Mary Temme, Temme Dairy. The industrial grade refrigeration until was provided through a Community Relief Grant setup by Midwest Dairy, an organization representing 6,500 hardworking dairy farm families throughout the Midwest.
“MPM Farms applied for a community relief grant and we were fortunate to receive one,” stated Jenny Hammer, Wayne Food Pantry Coordinator. “This unit will help keep the families our food pantry serves nourished with dairy and other perishable items during this unprecedented time.”
Offering and Gifts
Please remember that even though we are not worshipping in person, expenses continue, insurance, utilities, as well as salaries. Please mail your offerings to Anita Fuelberth, our financial secretary or to the church (216 W. Third St., Wayne).
FPC Offering of Prayers
In this difficult time there are many things we cannot do, but one thing we can do whether at church, at home and at any time is pray. As you offer your daily prayers of praise and thanksgiving add the following to your prayers.
Monday: Pray for FPC and churches in Wayne and around the world.
Tuesday: Pray for local, state, national leaders.
Wednesday: Pray for medical professionals and all who work in the healthcare.
Thursday: Pray for essential workers; retail such as grocery, gas stations, police, fire etc.
Friday: Pray for families, children and parents, grandparents. Those who will mourn the loss of loved ones during this pandemic.
MAY BIRTHDAYS
(Would you like to see your birthday listed here?
Just contact the church office 402-375-2669 or fpcwayne@gmail.com)
3 Joann P., Dave P.
10 Jeryl N.
11 Karen J., Solomon P.
12 Joan L.
14 Bo A.
18 Jay and Jane O., Taytum S.
22 Marie J.
24 Gail Mc.
May 2020 – First Presbyterian Church
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
|
|
|
1 | 2
|
|||
| 3
10:00am Worship via Zoom |
4
|
5
10:00am FPC Zoom Check-In |
6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10
10:00am Worship via Zoom |
11
|
12
10:00am FPC Zoom Check-In |
13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17
10:00am Worship via Zoom |
18
|
19
10:00am FPC Zoom Check-In |
20
|
21
Word in Faith
10:00am Homestead Presbytery via Zoom |
22 | 23 |
| 24
10:00am Worship via Zoom |
25
*5:40am KTCH 104.9 Moment for Living
Memorial Day
7:00pm Session Meeting |
26
*5:40am KTCH 104.9 Moment for Living
10:00am FPC Zoom Check-In |
27
*5:40am KTCH 104.9 Moment for Living |
28
*5:40am KTCH 104.9 Moment for Living
|
29
*5:40am KTCH 104.9 Moment for Living |
30 |
| 31
10:00am Worship via Zoom |
Lawn Mowing Sign-up
Week: Name:
| Week of April 27, 2020 | John Fuelberth |
| Week of May 4, 2020 | Mark Hammer |
| Week of May 11, 2020 | Rob Sweetland |
| Week of May 18, 2020 | |
| Week of May 25, 2020 | |
| Week of June 1, 2020 | Shari Dunklau |
| Week of June 8, 2020 | |
| Week of June 15, 2020 | |
| Week of June 22, 2020 | |
| Week of June 29, 2020 |
Contact Information:
First Presbyterian Church
216 W. Third Street
Wayne NE 68787
FPC Office & Wayne Food Pantry:
402-375-2669
Tuesday – Friday, 9am – 12 noon
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
Pastor Teresa Bartlett
402-375-2669 (office)
319-795-2911 (cell)
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First Presbyterian Church of Wayne, Nebraska 