the herald - amazon s3 · 2020-03-26 · rev. charles layton pastor dawn lowe administrative...

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The Herald The deadline for the next issue of the Herald is

Friday, April 17th at noon. Information can be

mailed to the church, or emailed to

[email protected]. Please clearly mark

the item for the Herald or the bulletin.

614 Randolph

Waterloo, IA 50702

Phone (319) 235-7088

Fax (319) 235-7171

www.waterloofirst.org

Rev. Charles Layton Pastor

Dawn Lowe Administrative Assistant

Emily Forssberg Director of Music

Sally Thurman Media Specialist

Lori Nelson Organist

Connie Jo Nellis Pianist/accompanist

Elli Russell Nursery Attendant

Worship Time: Sunday - 9:30 a.m.

Office Hours:

Monday - Thursday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Friday 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. (or by appointment)

“The Mission of

Waterloo First UMC is to

be a church of people

who live as disciples of

Jesus Christ by

providing a place for

spiritual growth in a

caring, inviting

community.”

March 20, 2020

WATERLOO FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

PAGE 2 MARCH 20, 2020 THE HERALD

Become

Chuck’s Chat

Dear Friends, what

interesting times we are living

in! I am 61 years old and have

never before experienced

empty shelves in the

supermarket or people with

such anxiety. This morning I

went to the supermarket and

bought one medium size

package of store-brand toilet

paper (typically, I use a national

brand.) I also bought a bottle of

Nivea hand lotion (because it

had the least oil of the brands

that I looked at) and a bottle of

Everclear (the only high-

percentage alcohol that they

had available. I used these to

make home-made hand

sanitizer for the church. Even

though we are closed to groups

and meetings, the staff and

some volunteers do come in.

Sally and I are learning

as quickly as possible about

new ways to connect with you

online. So far, I’m mostly using

Facebook. To find the church’s

Facebook page, go to your own

Facebook page and in the

search space at the top of the

page, type in Waterloo First

United Methodist. Please be

sure to check the church’s page

regularly. I am posting daily

morning devotions. Currently, I

am talking about the Fruit of the

Spirit. On that page, you will

also find Sunday worship. We will be posting a video of worship

at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.

Please don’t hesitate to email me at

[email protected], or call me at (712)420-5963, even if

you just want to hear another human voice!

Lent is traditionally a time of self-denial. Therefore, it is

curiously appropriate that we find ourselves doing without,

doing with less, and spending more time at home. But lent is

also a time for preparation—preparation for the resurrection of

Jesus, and God’s gift of salvation and new life in Jesus Christ!

Friends, may you find that God is giving you this time to prepare

to experience the Easter miracle!

Shalom, Chuck

Since I printed this Herald on Tuesday, it has

become clear we will not meet on Easter, so

let’s meet on Facebook in our Easter finery.

Sarah’s Circle was planning on asking everyone to wear a

hat for Easter in honor of those who have had to wear a hat

due to cancer treatments. Let’s do it on Facebook. Dress up

in your Easter clothes, including a hat: men, women, &

children, take a picture and send it to

[email protected] and I’ll post them all on Facebook

on Easter Sunday after our 9:30 am worship. —-Sally



THIS ISSUE OF THE HERALD

It has been incredibly hard to put this issue together: Do I post a calendar?

What about Easter events? When will we be able to worship under the same

roof again? At this point, we don’t know, but with events canceled into May

and the Olympics postponed until next year, it certainly looks like we’re in this

for the long run. I took everything off for the first two weeks of April, but

when it came to Easter, I just couldn’t take it off the calendar. Just know this,

everything on the calendar is dependent on our status as a community and

whether or not it’s safe to meet again. When we start meeting, you will know

because we will let out a big, joyful noise loud enough for all to hear! We’ll

also announce it on KWWL, FaceBook, and through email. Please note, the

items in this issue concerning the palms for Palm Sunday and the flowers for

Easter Sunday, we a trying to roll with the changes here and invite you all to

roll with us.

Blessings, Sally Thurman

In Touch, Now and Later

Recent weeks have reminded us how much we need to stay

connected to our friends and loved ones. As we’ve been isolating

ourselves for our (and others’) physical health, we notice how our

emotional health suffers from the lack of those social connections.

But where there’s a will, there is a way! Many of us have turned to

technology to help close the gap in our contacts with our family and

friends, who are so close, but so far away. This past Sunday, the

Searchers class “met” virtually over Zoom, an online app featuring

voice and video communication, in our case for about 15 individuals

or couples at once. Once we work out some glitches, we could have

even more together for sharing and laughing and expressing our

care for each other. While it comes in second to face-to-face seeing

and hugging each other, it helps to overcome the loneliness that

social isolation can bring.

We’re certainly reminded not to take our usual social interactions for

granted. We may need to put more work into sustaining those

connections now, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if we put a little more

effort into face-to-face relationships when we can resume them?

Would there be extra grace to be had from reaching out in normal

circumstances a little beyond our comfort zones? Might we find new

friends to treasure, a better understanding of those not quite like us,

a gentler perspective that lets us listen more and judge less?

Would that we come out of this challenging period not only physically healthy, maybe with a new technology skill, but also more kind and loving.

Sharon Miller

Chair of the Administrative Team



Belong

The United Methodist Men will meet on Saturday, April 18 at 8 am at the

Ansborough HyVee.

Join Us!

April 2020

Bible Verse: I John 4:10

"This is love: not that we loved God, but

that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for

our sins." NIV

UMW will not meet in April.

Let’s reach out to each other while we keep safe at home.

We could not cancel our order of palms for Palm Sunday. We will be putting the palms out in a bucket byt the parking lot door on Friday, April 3. Please come by and help yourself so you can have palms for your Palm Sunday worship

April 5

9:30 am online

April 9

6:30 pm– Worship online

April 10

12:00 pm– Ecumenical Service-online

April 12

9:30 am– Worship, online if necessary

10:30 am– Fellowship

10:45 am—Easer Egg Hunt

April Ushers

Kathy Breckunitch, Don Faris

February Attendance &

Week 2/2/20 2/9/20 2/16/20 2/23/20

Attendance 89 80 88 116

Pledge $2857 $3614.22 $3923 $8786

Capital $60 $1305 $0 $2020

Roof $8 $0 $0 $0

Misc. $242 $83 $113.16 $343.97



What to Keep?

Many of you know that Larry and I are planning to move to Landmark

Commons of Friendship Village this spring. We made the decision last

fall just weeks before I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Well, I

thought, I can do both of those - just one step at a time. And now on

top of those two things, I find myself anxiously sheltering in place,

hoping to avoid meeting Covid-19 because I know if I get it things will

not end well for me! So if you, like me, have some anxiety about the

last few months, that’s understandable!

Part of my anxiety is that motivation is in short supply for me right

now. So today I took my first step toward moving: I cleaned out a

closet and struggled with deciding what items were important to me to

take when we move. What did I want to keep? And I thought of how

deciding what to keep had parallels to what we, as a country, are going

through as we all (I hope) shelter in place. This enforced slowdown

encourages us to ask what are the important things to keep and

nurture in our lives?

I know as I went into self-imposed isolation this month I quickly realized

that having contact with those I love was primary to me. And I was

missing it. So my family began calling on Facetime so I could see

those precious faces. And I increased my texting to the grandkids, and

they usually even answered! And I also realized that I missed contact

with my friends so some of us have also started calling on Facetime to

help ease the isolation. Or we are just talking on the phone.

Keeping contact with those who are important to us is a good and

important thing to keep in our lives. And when we keep contact, we

support others, which gives us a sense of purpose, and it reminds us

that we are not alone in this trying time! So call family and friends. And

turn off the news. It doesn’t change that often! :-)

And maybe try something new. Larry and I are cooking again instead of

eating out so that has been sort of fun. Go sit in the sunshine when it is

out. Nothing feels better than sunshine on your face. We are going to

start walking outside again as the weather warms. Humans have always

been adaptable, that is how we survived to this day. So, let’s adapt!

You can do it - you’ve got this. I know you do.

Prudy Klinger

Lay Leader

5 In the same way, though there are many of us, we are one body in Christ, and individually we belong to each other.



Sun Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat

1

2

3

4

5

9:30 am– Worship

On Facebook and

Www.waterloofirst.org

6

7

8

9

6:30 pm– Worship on Face-

book and

www.waterloofirst.org

10

12:00 pm– Ecumenical ser-

vice online

11

12

9:30 am– Worship 10:30 am– Fellowship 10:45 am– Sunday School 12:00 pm– Le Christopher’s

1:00 pm– Jordan Baptist

Church Sunday School and

13

6:oo pm– Parent Partners

14

10:00 am– Staff Mtg.

15

9:00 am Workshop for Others 11:00 am– Interagency Shar-ing 5:45 pm– Golden Bells 6:00 pm– Youth 7:00 pm– Chancel Choir

16 9:00 am– TOPS group

10:00 am– CPPC

4:30 pm– Getting Ahead 4:15 pm– Partners in Ed at

Irving School

6:30 pm– Ad Team

17 10:00 am– Nest

12:00 pm– Herald Deadline

6:00 pm– Jordan Baptist Church

Bile Study

18

8:00 am– UMM at

Ansborough HyVee

8:30 am– Parent Café


19

9:30 am-Worship


10:45 am– Sunday School

20 6:oo pm– Parent Partners

21 10:00 am– Staff Mtg.

6:30 pm– Church Row Assoc.

Mtg.

22 9:00 am Workshop for Others 5:45 pm– Golden Bells 6:00 pm– Youth 7:00 pm– Chancel Choir

23 9:00 am– TOPS group

9:00 am– Herald Assembly

3:15 pm– Food Bank

4:30 pm– Getting Ahead

24


Church Bile Study

25 9:00 am– Services for St.

Demetrius Serbian

Orthodox Church

26

9:30 am-Worship


10:45 am– Sunday School

12:00 am– Church Row Coali-

27

5:30 pm– Mission and Min-

istry Meeting

28 10:00 am– Neighborhood

Networking

29 9:00 am Workshop for Others 5:45 pm– Golden Bells 6:00 pm– Youth 7:00 pm– Chancel Choir

30



Our "Easter Basket" missions fundraiser obviously cannot

happen as planned, but if you are willing to help out Grin and

Grow Day Care Center and the Boys and Girls Club please send

in your donation to the church marked missions.

Bless

Work Day at the Food Bank

There will be a workday

at the Food Bank on

Thursday, April 23rd at

3: 15 pm.

As of this printing, the Food Bank is still accepting

volunteers. Please attend if you feel safe.

April Fellowship Servers

4/5– Christopher Dean, Miles Forssberg, Jack Locke, & Ollie Thurman

4/12– Easter Sunday (servers only)- Ben Bockenstedt, Callista Clark, & Ryan Rikkels

4/19– Kaylissa Arndorfer, Don Faris, Chuck Mattson, & Randy Walker

4/26– Linda Hickman, Vicki Stanford, Sandra Warren, & Arlene Wright

Fellowship

Thank you for being persistent scrip users!

Scrip orders can be sent or dropped of at

the church and put into the blue mail box.

Let Sally know if you need a order form:

[email protected]



FOOD PANTRY

Our Food Pantry will remain open on Tuesdays from 11 am—1 pm.

Social distancing will be practiced. If you wish to make a donation

to keep our pantry full, drop it off at the church during office hours.

Monday-Thursday: 9 am– 1 pm

Friday: 9 am– 12 pm

Remembering Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Christian church commemorates Dietrich Bonhoeffer —

pastor, theologian, anti-Nazi spy — on April 9, the anniversary of

his 1945 martyrdom. Among his much-loved writings are

nuggets of wisdom such as these:

“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By

judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the

grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.” (The Cost

of Discipleship)

“In normal life we hardly realize how much more we receive than

we give, and life cannot be rich without such gratitude. It is so

easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements

compared with what we owe to the help of others.” (Letters and

Papers from Prison)

“The table fellowship of Christians implies obligation. It is our

daily bread that we eat, not my own. We share our bread. Thus

we are firmly bound to one another not only in the Spirit but in

our whole physical being. The one bread that is given to our

fellowship links us together in a firm covenant.” (Life Together)

Commission on the General Conference

March 23, 2020

Nashville, Tenn.: Subsequent to

the announcement by the Executive Committee of

the Commission on the General Conference that the

2020 General Conference will be postponed, the full

Commission met March 21, 2020 to determine next

steps to take in setting a new date.

After hearing recommendations from Sara Hotchkiss,

Business Manager of the General Conference, and discussion of possible alternatives,

the Commission made a determination that the General Conference will not meet in

2020 as originally planned and elected to work toward setting a date in 2021.

“As we looked at the complex issues that we will need to navigate to reschedule the event and the lack of options available, it does not appear feasible to plan for 2020,” said Kim Simpson, chair of the Commission. “These issues include the undetermined length of the pandemic, uncertainty around travel bans in different areas of the world, delays in processing visas due to government and business closures and other questions.”

In giving direction for next steps, the Commission resolved that holding the event in

Minneapolis is a high priority and authorized the business manager to pursue

negotiations regarding other dates available at the Minneapolis Convention Center in

2021.

“The Dakotas-Minnesota Area Host Team has done a wonderful job in partnering

with us to prepare for this event, and we are grateful for their willingness to continue

to work with us as we move toward a new date,” Simpson said.

“As many groups have cancelled and are being rescheduled, they are given priority

by venues they have already been working with,” said Hotchkiss. “Continuing to work

with the Minneapolis Convention Center and area hotels will help us avoid

competing with other groups for space in those facilities if they did not already have

a contract.”

Hotchkiss said that steps are being taken by their travel agency regarding flights

booked for delegates and others who booked through ADTRAV:



ADTRAV will cancel all flights booked for primary delegates.

Travelers will only need to call ADTRAV if they booked a personal ticket for themselves and/or a family member with ADTRAV (855-417-8789).

Each traveler will receive a copy of the RezConfirm showing that the flights were canceled.

Regarding hotel reservations, Connections Housing will be sending emails regarding individual reservations made through them for the GC2020 hotel block. There is no penalty for this cancellation. No deposit was charged for reservations, therefore no refund is due and no further action is required regarding hotel reservations.

Once new dates for the General Conference are set and adjustments with current vendors are made, additional information will be sent out to delegations regarding a timeline and next steps.

###

About General Conference

General Conference is the top policy-making body of The United Methodist Church. The conference can revise church law, as well as adopt resolutions on current moral, social, public policy and economic issues. It also approves plans and budgets for church-wide programs.

Media contact: Diane Degnan [email protected] 615.742.5406 (o) 615.483.1765 (c)

Our Director of Music, Emily Forssberg, is

planning a series fo four

organ

recitals. The first

one will be on Sunday,

March 29th, at 3:30 pm, with

On page 18, you will find an Easter Lily order form. Dawn and I decided

to go ahead and order the flowers as if we will meet for worship on April

12 for Easter. If we don’t meet, can’t we all use a flower in our life right

now? When we informed Petersen & Tietz of our plan, they were

delighted, every other church has just canceled.

So, order a flower to brighten up your life and support a local business.

Please read the instructions and only order a flower for yourself. We

will not be taking flowers for shut-ins.

Sally



2020 Easter Flowers

We don’t know if we’ll be able to meet for Easter or not, but we will move forward as if we will. If we do not have services, we will still order the flowers, and you may pick them up at the church. This year we are ordering specific plants, and the plants will have your name on them, ensuring you get the plant you order. Please have your orders in by 4/3/20.

My Name:________________________________________

I would like to purchase a Hyacinth ($19.00)

I would like to purchase a Tulip ($19.00)

I would like to purchase a Kalanchoe ($19.00)

I would like to purchase a White Lily ($12.00)

I would like my Easter Flower to be in memory of:

__________________________________________

__________________________________________ __________________________________________

I would like my Easter Flower to be in honor of:

_________________________________________ _________________________________________ ________________________________________

Please plan to pick up your plant, we will not be bringing plants to shut-ins this year.

Please fill out one form per plant. Thank You!!

1- Ivy Hagedorn

Linda Hickman

3- Calista Clark

Lorraine Clark

Arlene Wright

4- Ben Bockenstedt

6- Bonnie Humble

10- Randy Walker

11- Christopher Dean

13- Ollie Thurman

15- Charles Mattson

Mary Ellen Warren

17- Miles Forssberg

Sandra Warren

23- Atiana Harmon

Ryan Rikkels

24- Jack Locke

25- Kaylissa Arndorfer

28- Don Faris

30- Scott Cooley

Jill McCool

3- Ken & Perri Earnest 54

5- Randy & Ann Walker 34

15- Eric & Shasta Locke 14

22- Brian & Kim Butz 25

the herald - amazon s3 · 2020-03-26 · rev. charles layton pastor dawn lowe administrative...

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