World Communion. Sunday. October 1. With special Guest Preacher Diana Butler Bass

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1 United Faith Presbyterian Church September 2017 World Communion Sunday October 1 Shared worship with First, Grace, and United Faith Presbyterian Churches 11:00 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church 300 West Wayne Street Pastor s Notes 2 Mission 2 Events 3 Responsibilities & Birthdays, Notes Church Calendar 4 5 Prayer Needs 6 Studio in Bloom 6 With special Guest Preacher Diana Butler Bass Please join us for this amazing opportunity to hear one of the leading voices in contemporary faith, and enjoy combined worship and communion with our sister Presbyterian churches. Worship will include combined choirs from the participating churches. We will have a shuttle available for those who want to park/ walk here and then ride to First Presbyterian, in order to help with congested parking. Watch for details in the Sunday bulletins and on Facebook. Diana Butler Bass is an author, speaker, and independent scholar specializing in American religion and culture. She holds a Ph.D. in religious studies from Duke University and is the author of nine books, including Grounded: Finding God in the World A Spiritual Revolution and the best-selling Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith (2006) which was named as one of the best religion books of the year by Publishers Weekly. Pastor Kathleen will be on vacation Sept as she moves into a new home. She will be available throughout that time for pastoral emergencies and meetings. We will welcome guest preachers Ben Gates (Sept. 17) and Kimberly Koczan (Sept. 24). Find us on Sunday Schedule 9:15 a.m. Church School 10:30 a.m. Worship Deadline for submission of items for the October newsletter is Thursday, September 21

2 Continuing Conversations Mission Page 2 Thank you to everyone who has come out so far to one of our at home meetings, to discuss the vision proposal before the church. There have been some great discussions, and lots of questions and suggestions. We are listening carefully to your concerns and hopes, and listening just as carefully to God s gentle prodding. I have been reminded once again what a fantastic, faithful group this congregation is, with a passion for ministry and an understanding that it s not just about us and survival - but about sharing God s light with our neighborhood! If you haven t signed up for a meeting yet, please do so. We need your input. There are three remaining meetings: Tues. 9/5 at 6:00 pm at Rhonda Leeper-Smith s, Wed. 9/13 at 11:00 am at Ruth Baker s, and Thurs. 9/28 at 11:00 am at church. If you can t make any of these, please speak with me and we ll add more. We want everyone to be able to participate! In one of our gatherings, we were discussing two of the books that Session and PNC have been studying as we came to this proposal: The Healthy Small Church and Intentional Ministry in a Not -So-Mega Church: Becoming a Missional Community, both by Dr. Dennis Bickers. A great suggestion was made to make these books available to the whole congregation. I ve asked Session and PNC members to share the copies that they are done with, so they can be borrowed by anyone who wants to do some deeper study. They ll be available on the table in the Narthex, and you can sign out a copy. Please continue praying and sharing your ideas! Fall Blessing Catcher Spill Every fall and spring we have a special Blessing Catcher Spill offering. Everyone is encouraged to keep a small container at home, and drop in a few coins each day that you experience a special blessing. Twice a year, we collect those coins for a mission project. This fall, in response to the devastation of Hurricane Harvey and other recent natural disasters, we are going to use the donations to purchase items to make Gifts of the Heart Kits. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance in partnership with Church World Service keeps these kits on hand and is able to deliver them immediately when there is a need. We ll use our offering to purchase items for the Hygiene Kits, and then schedule a day in October when we all gather to assemble them. Supplies for each kit cost approximately $15. If you would like to help organize our packing day, please speak with Peg Kelley. Learn more at pda.pcusa.org. Hygiene Kit 1 hand towel (approximately 16 x 28, no fingertip or bath towels) 1 washcloth 1 wide-tooth comb 1 nail clipper 1 bar of soap (bath size in wrapper) 1 toothbrush (in original packaging) 6 Band-Aids or other adhesive bandage strips Seal all items in a one-gallon plastic bag with a zipper closure. Value: $15

3 Events Page 3 Smock Senior Ministries Presents: Presby Day Saturday, October 28 9 am - 3 pm Reserve October 28 for the Crafty Ladies and Gents Annual Bazaar. Our Craft group, The Crafty Ladies and Gents, has been busy making items and collecting others for the annual craft bazaar and silent auction. Lunch will be served beginning at 11 a.m. with homemade soups, hot dogs and all the trimmings, dessert and a drink for $5, or items can be bought separately. We have handcrafted jewelry, hand crocheted and knitted items, Christmas decorations, vintage items from the Boutique, and a bake sale. Good food, good fun, good fellowship. So many items to chose from. Bring your friends - Share on Facebook. All proceeds go to mission projects. Hope to see you there. Thursday, Sept 21, 2017 (10:00-1:00 pm) First Presbyterian Church, Fort Wayne With Bill Paterson, Property Manager, First Presbyterian Church and appointee to the PDA National Response Team Call ext 132 RSVP by 9/18/2017 Presby Day is a monthly gathering for spiritual growth, education, fellowship, lunch, and total life enrichment. All Presbyterians over 50 and their friends are invited. Homebound Communion Our next time to deliver communion will be on Sunday, Dec. 3, during Advent, with training offered before worship on Nov. 19. We plan to visit as many of our Home/Nursing home bound members as we can, to bring them the Sacrament of Communion. We need as many ordained Elders and Deacons to assist as possible, so please mark your calendars NOW and become a part of this very special outreach ministry! Children s church school Sunday School will begin on Sunday, September 10 at 9:15. John and Bev Evans will be leading the class each Sunday for our youth and will studying the book of Matthew this year. As we begin our Nursery renovations, the pre-school class may be sharing their classroom, so watch for signs. We re looking forward to seeing you!

4 Responsibilities and Birthdays, Notes Page 4 Liturgist: Sept 3 Sept 10 Sept 17 Sept 24 Serving in September Dan Wolf Bev Evans Rhonda Leeper-Smith Maggie Slack Lock Up: Judy Lehman-Wright Greeters: Sept 3 & 10: Maggie Slack Sept 17 & 24: TBD Caring Card Delivery: Laura Shultz September Birthdays Sept. 4 Sept. 7 Sept. 13 Sept. 21 Sept. 25 Lorene Hodell Ron Keck Megan Olivo Leon Friday Ann Squires Church Directory Updates New telephone numbers: Joe Shultz: Laura Shultz: New Addresses: (as of Sept 10) Kathleen O Connell & Kip Lytle Mesa Glen Court Fort Wayne, IN Carl and Micky Hartup 1658 Highbluffs Blve. Colombus, OH Care Packages - This fall, we will remember students who are away at college with a "care package". If you would like to contribute towards the cost of items, please place your gift in a pew envelope and mark it "College Care". If you have a family in college please advise Peg Kelley. At our August Session meeting, we Discussed the revised proposal for a new front church sign as presented by Indiana Signworks at a cost of $8946. Approved moving forward with fundraising to pay for the new sign. The sign will not be ordered until money is raised. We already have a pledge of $1000 toward this project. Approved United Faith's participation in a joint worship service on October 1, World Communion Sunday, at First Presbyterian Church, with guest preacher Diana Butler Bass. Since December 24 is a Sunday, Session approved one worship service on Christmas Eve which will be the Candlelight Service, without a morning service that day. Received July financial report. Nominating committee The Nominating Committee is currently at work to listen for God s call for new Elders and Deacons to serve United Faith. If you think that you might be interested in serving, or want to recommend someone, please speak with a member of the nominating committee: Peg Kelley, Charlie Hill, Bev Evans, Jayme Syndram. Thanks for everything for helping me get to Terra Haute. Dylan Wolf

5 September 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Key FB/TS: Food Bank/Thrift Store W/M: Worship & Mission Committee NNA: Nebraska Neighborhood Association BB&B: Brown Bag and Bible SAVE THE DATE Sat., Nov. 4, from 9-noon, churches in the zip code area will be joining together for a neighborhood work day! All ages welcome!! :15 Deacons 10 9:15 Comm Mtgs 9:15 SS 11:45 Comm Mtgs 17 9:15 SS 24 9:15 SS 4 Office Closed :00 Home Leeper - Smiths :00 Home Ruth Bakers :00 BB&B Pastor Kathleen will be away from the office Sept 11 thru Sept 25 for Vacation 14 No BB&B, Pastor Kathleen on vac. 7:00 Nebraska N.A Presby First 6:00 Session 28 11:00 Home Church 12:00 BB&B T.S. Open

6 United Faith Presbyterian Church 1616 W. Main Street Fort Wayne, IN Phone: UnitedFaithFW.weebly.com Interim Pastor The Rev. Kathleen W. O Connell Music Director Phyllis Bush Sunday Worship: 10:30 am Church School 9:15 Please Remember in Your Prayers Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6 Our congregation, during this time of discernment for our future. People affected by Hurricane Harvey and other natural disasters. College students: Caleb Curtis, Rachel Reed and Megan Zuber. Homebound: Lorene Hodell, Ray Dressel, Joanne Fagg, Andrea Davies, Melanie Dauplaise, Sue Fields, Dorothy Love, Cleo Hawkins. Office Hours Monday - Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - Noon Thrift Store and Food Bank: Monday and Wednesday: 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Studio in Bloom Sunday, October 15 Prayer requests can be given to the prayer chain by contacting either: Barb Munson ( ) or Judy Lehman-Wright (jdwl41@aol.com) Family, Music, and Art, Together An Anti-Concert Hall Experience for all ages In partnership with Grace and First Presbyterian churches Join us for an afternoon of music, art, and discover, with special guest musicians from Second Presbyterian Church, Indianapolis Potluck: 12:30-1:15 (Grace and UF will bring hot dishes; First Pres congregations will bring cold dishes) Program: 1:15-2:30 Place: Grace Presbyterian Church 1811 Fairhill Road