Ongoing Response to COVID-19
Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-10-21
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
To Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Dear Friends,
I find myself longing for a return to “normal,” to the “good old days” of last January, say, or the routine patterns of last year. I certainly long to worship with you in the sanctuary safely, with song, and unmasked laughter, and the noises of children scribbling noisily on paper. I look forward to handshakes and hugs. (I also look forward to meals in restaurants, unrestricted travel, live music, visiting in the hospital, and much more.)
The problem with the good old days is that they weren’t good for everybody. And the hope of the future is that we can craft a future that is more equitable for all. Sonya Renee Taylor has the following provocative thought for us today, the upshot being, let’s work towards and have hope in God’s new heaven and new earth. And let’s not wait for after Corona; let’s start working towards it now.
“We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-Corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature.” Sonya Renee Taylor
* * *
The Session has called a meeting of the Congregation on Sunday October 25 at 10:15 a.m. via ZOOM for the purpose of hearing and acting upon a report from the Congregational Nominating Committee. If the way be clear, we will elect a slate of church members to the office of Elder and Deacon. Please plan on attending that important ZOOM meeting. The link is: FirstPres.church/meeting
News
Join us tonight for our mid-week Gathering at 7 pm…
Join Zoom Meeting
Beth Hutchens shares this letter from a Black mother to her daughter from Town and Country magazine. Here’s a quote: “At long last, we as citizens seem prepared to face our history squarely, in all its horror and glory. The peaceful protests are themselves an act of patriotism, a proclamation of faith in a better future. You don’t demand more from your country if you don’t love it and believe deeply in the possibility of its redemption. Though this season of tribulation has stripped you and your peers of your innocence, it also brings you true reason to hope.”
Here’s the link:
https://www.townandcountrymag.
* * *
Humor (Hard times need godly laughter):
Due to the quarantine, I’ll only be telling inside jokes.
* * *
From Skip Pickering: Logic from an uncluttered Mind
One day a little girl was sitting and watching her mother do the dishes at the kitchen sink. She suddenly noticed that her mother had several strands of white hair sticking out in contrast on her brunette head. She looked at her mother and inquisitively asked, ‘Why are some of your hairs white, Mum?’
Her mother replied, ‘Well, every time that you do something wrong and make me cry or unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.’
The little girl thought about this revelation for a while and then said, ‘Mummy, how come ALL of grandma’s hairs are white?’
Good Word:
Psalm 139
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me . . .
Wonderful are your works;
that I know very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written
all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
I come to the end—I am still with you.
LET US PRAY:
A Father’s Prayer
They are sleeping,
curled up in their beds.
They are dreaming,
music in their heads.
Lake Superior is frozen.
An icy cold front has wrapped its grip around the house.
The corn is gone, the fields are barren.
It’s been five days since the weather let them out.
Now, they are sleeping,
nestled in the night.
Look like angels,
faces filled with light.
They wouldn’t know about the primaries.
Don’t pay attention to the news.
Eden’s body count is rising.
They have such innocence to lose.
When they wake up,
when morning gilds the skies,
help them make up
a world less full of lies.
And as they sleep, Lord,
make me a worthy dad.
Help me show them
your love can right what’s bad.
Now, they are sleeping . . .
(January 26-27, 2004, After the Iowa Primaries
by Matt Matthews for Joseph, Benjamin,
and John Mark, when they were very little)
Much, much love to you all.
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church
Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-10-20
 The Heart of Mission The local Faith Community is, of course, a very important partner in our mission. Over 40 churches throughout Champaign County are donors at various levels, and several of them are committed “Hope Givers!” Members of local churches also support us in prayer, serve as a source of faithful volunteers, and bless our friends with donations of personal items, special meals, and much-needed fellowship. Finally, we also have partnered with Austin’s Place, the United Way of Champaign County, the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois, the City of Champaign, and Cunningham and City of Champaign townships and many others to help sustain year-round emergency sheltering, opportunities for work, and other important services for our friends during this time of great need. My very first weekly update focused on the “fruitful” partnership between our C-U at Work program, Prosperity Gardens, and the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen! |
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Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-10-19
Monday, October 19th, 2020
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
Important Covid-19 News
To Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Dear Friends,
The Session has called a meeting of the Congregation on Sunday October 25 at 10:15 a.m. via ZOOM for the purpose of hearing and acting upon a report from the Congregational Nominating Committee. If the way be clear, we will elect a slate of church members to the office of Elder and Deacon. Please plan on attending that important ZOOM meeting. The link is firstpres.church/meeting. Information is there about testing your connection ahead of time, etc.
* * *
An important message about returning to worship from Peter Yau, our Covid-19 science advisor:
Things you need to know when you want to join
the FPCC face-to-face worship service
Dr. Peter Yau
The Session for the FPCC have approved a face-to-face worship service starting November 1, 2020. The service is limited to a maximum capacity of 50 people (including clergy, staff and worship leaders). You must call the church office to register your attendance from Monday – Thursday prior to the Sunday you will be attending. You are requested to wear a clean face mask and follow standard sanitary guidelines. An usher will check your registration, take your temperature to ensure you do not have a fever. You will be seated only in a designated area. Family members that live together can sit together, otherwise you must be seated at least 6 ft. away from the next attender. The service will be brief, without congregational singing, recitation of liturgy.
The church will be cleaned and sanitized before your arrival. The minister and musician will be behind Plexiglass shields. The elevator and bathroom are available for single occupancy (or family). Hand sanitizer and disposable masks are available. We want to keep you safe and healthy.
One peculiarity of the COVID-19 (SARS CoV-2) virus is about half of the transmission comes from asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic persons, i.e. these are people infected with SARS CoV-2 virus but not showing any symptom or are spreading the virus before symptoms later. There is no easy way to predict or identify this population. If you choose to attend the face-to-face worship service, you should know there is a possibility of contracting COVID-19 despite all the best safety measures mentioned so far. You are attending the service at your own risk.
In addition, elderly and people with underlying medical illness(es) need to be especially careful about contracting the SARS CoV-2 virus. These are people with cardiovascular diseases, asthma, COPD, immunocompromised, obesity, diabetes and renal diseases. Furthermore, to avoid complications of the flu with the COVID-19, it is prudent that you get a flu vaccination now.
Our Session and church staff want you to be safe and healthy. We are doing our best to keep things safe. However, there are many unknown factors with this novel virus, and there is possibility for an outbreak to happen despite of our best measures. Please understand this and prayer for the safety of all before you come to attend the face-to-face worship services.
News
Bob Kirby asks for prayer for the family of Bill Schuh. Dr. Schuh was a medical student of Bob’s from the medical scholars program at UI and then an internal medicine resident at Carle. He had interests in computer science and used his exceptional talents in administration at Carle Foundation over his career. One evening last week while riding his bicycle he was struck and killed by a semi-truck.
* * *
Learn more about our CUBA partnership! Here’s a link to the Cuba Partnership annual gathering. (Rachel shared parts of this with us last Wednesday.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Humor (Hard times need godly laughter):
I’ll tell you a coronavirus joke now, but you’ll have to wait two weeks to see if you got it.
* * *
From Skip Pickering: Logic from an uncluttered Mind
A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six-year-olds. After explaining the commandment to ‘honor’ thy Father and thy Mother, she asked, “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?”
From the back, one little boy answered, “Thou shall not kill.”
Good Word:
Psalm 139
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me . . .
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light around me become night,”
12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is as bright as the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
LET US PRAY:
James Ingram and Michael McDonald wrote this pop song in 1983. The spelling of the song title is Yah Mo B There. Yah is a shortened version of Yahweh, which means God in Hebrew. So, the title literally means “God will be there” and is interpreted as “God be with you.”
The song is a prayer, and because the chorus was catchy but obscure, people who loved the song had no idea they were witnesses prayer. (Thanks Jeff Kellam for sharing.)
Heavenly Father watching us all
We take from each other and give nothing at all
Well, it’s a dog-gone shame
But never too late for change
So if your luck runs low
Just reach out and call His name, His name.
Yah mo be there
You can count on it brother
‘Cause we’re all just finding our way
Traveling through time
People got to keep pushing on
No matter how many dreams slip away
Yah will be there
Much, much love to you all.
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church
Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-10-16
Friday 16 October 2020
Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Dear Friends,
Even as nationwide Covid numbers creep up, the Session voted cautiously to begin an alternative face-to-face worship service on Sundays at 10:15 a.m. beginning November 1st. Please consider attending if you are not in compromised health and if you feel safe to do so.
We’ll preregister beginning on the Monday morning before (October 26 at 10:00 a.m.). Preregistration will close on Thursday at noon on October 29 or when the sanctuary has reached capacity of 50-people, whichever comes first. You may preregister by telephoning the church office.
If anyone shows up on Sunday without having secured their spot by preregistration, they will be seated only if we are under capacity of 50. (That number includes worship leaders.) One of my grave worries is if somebody comes, we are already at capacity, and we have to turn them away. I’ve never turned anyone away from worship in my life. In my theology, there’s always room for one more. But not in these Covid days.
For now, our flagship service will remain the recorded service that is available for viewing at 9:00 on Sunday mornings on Youtube, Facebook, and on our church website. Find us at FirstPres.Live
This alternative face-to-face service will be trimmed to keep it safe: no singing, no spoken liturgy, 45-minutes or less, only one sung-anthem by soloist(s), etc. The scripture and sermon will be the same as at our previously recorded service. All standard safety precautions will be employed including temperature checks at the doors and sign-ins. Masks will be worn throughout the service, and if anyone refuses to wear a mask, the service will proceed immediately to a benediction.
If this sounds less than hospitable, it is because your Session, your Worship Team, and the Covid-19 Response Team are working like crazy to keep our events as safe as possible.
Please join me in praying through these days.
On this Sunday, I’ll see you online at 9:00 a.m. (You can find that service any time after that on our website and watch at your convenience.) Worshiping with our congregation is my lifeblood—no matter how we do it.
Pay attention to God’s activity in the world around you. (It’s there.)
Be amazed.
Tell somebody.
PEACE,
Matt Matthews
864.386.9138
* * *
Congregational Meeting Sunday, October 25, 10 am via Zoom. The purpose of the meeting is to elect new officers for 2021.
PHOTO Challenge!
From your Nurture Team — after a couple weeks off, the Photo Challenge is back. Congrats to Pam Grubb for being the first to guess the last photo was of Patty Farthing!
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@
* * *
Nicea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
My Country ‘Tis of Thee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Weekday Email to Members and Friends – 2020-10-15
A weekday e-mailer from
Matt Matthews
To Members and Friends of
First Presbyterian Church
Champaign, Illinois
Dear Friends,
from Diane Mortensen/Map of USA
A father wanted to read a magazine but was being bothered by his little girl. She wanted to know what the United States looked like. Finally, he tore a sheet out of his new magazine on which was printed the map of the country.
Tearing it into small pieces, he gave it to her and said, ‘Go into the other room and see if you can put this together.
After a few minutes, she returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together.
The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly..
‘Oh,’ she said, ‘on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together.’
News
Friday Men’s Prayer 8:30 am
Join Zoom Meeting
COV-Course: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Understanding the Pandemic Sundays
8- 9 PM free noncredit open to community. Different topics each week. Registration required https://covcourse.
Humor (Hard times need godly laughter):
You’ve heard this story before about the sixteen-year-old who passes his driving test. He asks his father if he’ll help him to buy his first car. His father makes a deal with his son. “You bring your grades up from a C to a B average, study your Bible every day, and get your hair cut. Then we’ll talk about the car.’”
The boy agreed.
After about six weeks his father said “Son, you’ve brought your grades up and I’ve observed that you have been studying your Bible, but I’m disappointed you haven’t had your hair cut.”
The boy said, “You know, Dad, I’ve been thinking about that, and I’ve noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair, and there’s strong evidence that Jesus had long hair.”
“Did you also notice,” his dad said, “they all walked everywhere they went?”
Good Word:
Psalm 139
1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me . . .
7 Where can I go from your spirit?
Or where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning
and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me fast.
LET US PRAY:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our debts,
as we forgive our debtors;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.
Much, much love to you all.
Matt Matthews
Cell: 864.386.9138
Matt@FirstPres.Church