July & August / Vol. LVI No. VII. Covenant

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1 July & August / Vol. LVI No. VII Covenant The other evening while preparing a funeral service, I looked inside my father s well-worn Minister s Manual. It was Edward T. Hiscox s manual, printed by Judson s Press in 1906, which was used by evangelical ministers for many decades. Dad s manual was full of personal notes, markings, thoughts and personal changes for different approaches to baptism, Communion, weddings, funerals, prayers, benedictions, etc. Of interest for me was Dad s personal handwritten copy of the 19 th Century, Baptist Church Covenant. It was used by most Southern Baptist Churches in the past, and many use it now. Dad wrote it, sometime in the 1930's, when he was in Spirit Lake, Iowa. (Cont. on page 3)

2 July Sunday, July 1, 2018: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Worship Leader: Dave Perry Call to Worship: Psalm 130 First Lesson: 2 Samuel 1:1, Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 (Gospel Lesson: Mark 5:21-43) Sunday, July 8, 2018: Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Worship Leader: Dave Hammen Call to Worship: Psalm 48 First Lesson: 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10 Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 12:2-10 (Gospel Lesson: Mark 6:1-13) Sunday, July 15, 2018: Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Call to Worship: Psalm 24 First Lesson: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b Second Lesson: Numbers 11 Sermon: You Think You ve Got Problems? (Gospel Lesson: Mark 6:14-29) Sunday, July 22, 2018: Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Call to Worship: Psalm 89:20-37 First Lesson: Ephesians 2:11-22 Second Lesson: Numbers Sermon: I Think I can, or Can I? (Hebrew Lesson: 2 Samuel 7:1-14a) Sunday, July 29, 2018: Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Worship Leader: Chris Foster Call to Worship: Psalm 14 First Lesson: Ephesians 3:14-21 Second Lesson: John 6:1-21 (Hebrew Lesson: 2 Samuel 11:1-15) 2

3 August Sunday, August 5, 2018: Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Mission Trip Sunday 2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a Psalm 51:1-12 Ephesians 4:1-16 John 6:24-35 Sunday, August 12, 2018: Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Call to Worship: Psalm 130:1-8 First Lesson: Ephesians 4:25-5:2 Second Lesson: Numbers 13:25-14:10 The Sermon: Sticky Events (The Gospel John 6:35, 41-51) Sunday, August 19, 2018: Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Call to Worship: Psalm 111:1-10 First Lesson: 1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14 Second Lesson: Numbers 27:1 11 The Sermon: Life Together (The Gospel: John 6:51-58) Sunday, August 26, 2018: Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time Call to Worship: Psalm 84:1-12 First Lesson: Ephesians 6:10-20 Second Lesson: Numbers 20 The Sermon: Just Like Super Glue (The Gospel: John 6:56-69) Sunday, September 2, 2018: Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Call to Worship: Psalm 45:1-2, 6-9 First Lesson: James 1:17-27 Second Lesson: Numbers The Sermon: Truth from the Oddest Places (Hebrew Lesson: Solomon 2:8-13) Join us for Welcome Sunday on September 9th! 3

4 Covenant (Cont. from page 1) I was reminded how the covenant was warm, encouraging piety and caring for one another, challenging believers to lead faithful Christ-centered families, and believers to be committed to the non-negotiable, just gospel offered to all people. The covenant did include, abstaining from alcoholic beverages and the sale thereof, and yet I was still attracted by the personal connectedness, which the covenant so freely expressed. I cut my spiritual teeth on this covenant, and I m including most of it below, so you can understand my earliest, foundational building blocks for a local church s relationship and commitment to active ministry. Having been led as we believe by the Spirit of God to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and on the profession of our faith, having become baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, we do now in the presence of God, and the angels and this assembly, most solemnly and joyfully enter into covenant with one another, as one body in Christ. We engage, therefore, by the aid of the Holy Spirit, to walk together in Christian love; to strive for the advancement of this church in knowledge, holiness and comfort; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to the support of the ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor, and the spread of the gospel to all nations. We also engage to maintain family and secret devotions to religiously educate our children, to seek the salvation of our kindred and acquaintances; to walk circumspectly in the world, to be just in our dealings, faithful in our engagements, and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all tattling, backbiting, and excessive anger;... and to be zealous in our efforts to advance the kingdom of our Savior. We further engage to watch one another in brotherly love; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to cultivate Christian sympathy in feeling and courtesy in speech; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation, and mindful of the rules of our Savior, to secure it without delay. And, we moreover engage that when we remove from this place, we will, as soon as possible, unite with some other church, where we can carry on the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God s word. Much of the language is archaic, but the sentiments remain directed towards our hearts and our shared lives in personal, familial, congregational, and missional commitment to Jesus Christ. I think these principles are still valid for today and the future church. Grace and peace, Pastor Roy C. Backus, Ph.D. 4

5 Stronghold Day Camp: July 23-27, 9:00am-3:00pm, for kids entering 1st grade 5th grade games, crafts, music, Bible study, lunch and snack! Day Camp for 4 & 5 year olds, July 23-27, 9:00am-11:00am. Bible lesson, games, craft and snack. Call the church office at or stop by to fill out a registration form. Teaches & Helpers needed for Fall. The following opportunities exist for men and women for September through May: Pre-K Kindergarten teacher(s) Three Saturday Discovery Class Teachers (for Saturday evening worship service) Helpers for Pre-K-Kindergarten class and for 1st-3rd Grade Class User friendly curriculum See Mary Lee for more information. (Can t make it every week? We have subs available!) (Christian Ed. Connection continued on page 6) FAITH CHEST: Sunday School Before the first day of Sunday School, and especially when moving up to a new grade level, a parent and/or other family member and friends can use this blessing, perhaps with a special meal or dessert. Caring Conversations Invite conversations with these starters: Ask adults or older children to tell about some happy memories they have of Sunday School. Tell about a favorite Bible story. For children, include crayons/markers and paper and invite them to draw a picture of the church. Devotions Using a Children s Bible, read the story of Creation. Parents can tell children: Creation is the beginning of God s story. You are about to begin Sunday School. It will be a wonderful time of learning about God s love. We hope this book will be an exciting part of your learning and our learning together as a family. (As children grow to different class levels, use an age-appropriate bible and story.) Service Pray for other families and children who will be in the same class. Ask God to help parents, caregivers and others in the lives of children and to help encourage them in their faith lives. Encourage families to pray for others. Involve young children in naming friends of in their school classes. Pray for the Sunday School teachers. Rituals and Traditions Pray together: Dear God, was you to bless (name), our family and friends, and our Sunday School teachers with the joy of learning about your love for us and your will for our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Parents and all gathered bless the child: May the Lord bless you with the joy of learning about God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit with other children, family and friends. Amen. What commemorative token will you have to represent this milestone in your Faith Chest? 5

6 WANTED! A team of enthusiastic congregation members and friends to coordinate church participation in Grundy County Corn Fest parade on September 30, Preparations include: Arrange for a hayrack and driver Determine location for decorating float Submit paperwork to the Corn Fest office by deadline Recruit volunteers for float decorating Recruit riders and/or walkers Arrange for breakdown of decorations Some previous year s banners and decorations are stored in the Outreach/Fellowship closet. Information and notes from previous years can be shared! Contact the church office or Outreach/ Fellowship Committee for more information: Dave Perry (Elder) at or perrydavidchris@gmail.com or Delores Robinson (Moderator) at or delores.robinson20@gmail.com. Pool Party & Ice Cream Social Are you a frequent shopper on Amazon? Or, maybe you are getting your child ready for college, and purchasing dorm supplies on Amazon. Thursday, July 26 7:30-9:30 p.m. Morris Swimming Pool Sign up in the Fellowship Hall. Questions, see Outreach/Fellowship Committee. Now, you can support the ministry at First Presbyterian Church by signing into your Amazon account through smile.amazon.com and selecting our church as your designated charity. Here is a direct link to First Presbyterian s Amazon Smile: https//smile.amazon.com/ Thank you in advance for your support! Continued Welcome Sunday is September 9th, this Fall. Pre-K through High School students will gather in Fellowship Hall for games and treats. Parents will register their children in the classrooms. Lap Sit will register in their classroom, as well. Look whoooo s learning about Jesus! Join us! Bibles: Students entering first and sixth grades will receive their new Bibles during the 10:00am service on Sunday, September 9th Welcome Sunday! 6

7 Employment Opportunities: Personnel Committee is looking for a group of individuals committed to serving our church in a team of parish associates who would be responsible to assist Pastor Roy in the interim of our decision to call another Associate Pastor. These individuals would assist the church in a variety of leadership tasks, including Pastoral Care, Couples (Adult) Ministries, Christian Education, and Pulpit Supply. Requirements are to agree to attend the Dubuque CRE program (see below) to completion, be familiar with our church life and schedules, submission to a criminal background check, and provide at least three character references at time of application. These interim positions will be volunteer or paid on an hourly basis, part-time, approximately ten hours per week at a wage set by Session. Contact the Church Office for more information and how to apply. Dubuque Seminary has a Commissioned Ruling Elder (CRE) educational program that is eight courses/semesters and is provided to students online which leads to lay ministry certificate. Each course requires about pages of reading, writing papers 7-10 pages long, class preparation and attendance 3-4 hours/week during full semesters of 12 weeks. A person working full-time is advised not to take more than two courses at a time. Tuition is $390 per course, and Session would offer to fund this amount for a full commitment. Upon graduation, the individual is eligible to apply for commissioning through Presbytery as a lay pastor and would be approved to fill pastoral duties identified by the Presbytery in relation with the local congregation s needs. Volunteer Opportunity: Unfortunately, Michelle Mitchell, who volunteered as our Chili Supper Coordinator for the last couple of years needs to resign from the position due to her work schedule. Thank you Michelle for the fantastic job you did! The Chili Supper is an annual event held on the Wednesday before Grundy County Corn Fest. Most of the details of the coordinator job are typed out, but Michelle is happy to answer any questions someone willing to take over the position might have. Please contact the Church Office if you are interested in more details! Chili Supper will be here before we know it on Wednesday, September 26th, so mark your calendars. In the meantime, please think about how you can help with the event. Sign-up sheets will be available in Fellowship Hall. Here is a list of jobs that will need to be filled: Food & Supplies Shopper Bakers Pre-preparation (browning beef, onions, etc.) Baggers Chili Cookers Room Set-up Food Line Preparation Servers Dining Room Help Kitchen Crew Clean-up Crew Publicity If you were a crew leader last year and would consider filling that job again, please contact the church office at fpchurch200@gmail.com or call We will be looking for individuals to serve as crew leaders for each of these areas. In addition, we will need donations of roasters. 7

8 Christian Education Committee: Preparations are moving along for Day Camp. Sue Ellsworth decided not to return to teach. A pre-k/kdg. teacher will be needed, along with 2 or 3 helpers. Only 1 of the Saturday teachers will return in the fall. Three others will be needed. Pilar Ohner's resignation was accepted with regrets. There will be no Christian Education meeting in July. The committee will prepare the classrooms for fall and make plans for Welcome Sunday at the August meeting. Deacons: CYC Meals Possible Change in Donation Type College Care Packages 20 Packages Sent Mobile Meals May Outreach/Fellowship Committee: Preparing for participation in Liberty Arts Fest children's craft area Preparing for the July POOL PARTY at the Morris Pool Looking ahead to the August 12 "Secret Pal" reveal Continuing usual outreach of meals for parents of newborns, cards to visitors, and visit to second-time visitors 8

9 June The June issue of Presbyts went to print before Session met. You can catch the June Session Highlights in the next issue. May For the month of April, our church s total income was $23, Expenses were $30, So far this year we have a deficit of $15, We appreciate your continued support of our Lord s work. If you would like to sign up to have your donation automatically transferred electronically from your checking account to the church, please contact Sue Jaeschke or Leslie Chouinard. We also offer the option to donate using PayPal. Respectfully, your Stewardship and Finance Committee: Matt Seidel, Marilyn Winters, Cyndy Olson, Jay Roth, John Ellsworth 9