The Ministerial Association, in light of current events, has elected to cancel the remaining Community Lenten Breakfasts.
News from the Pews
Keeping the Church Family Safe
A Note from the Pastor:
Our Board of Bishop has suggested that we take several step to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 and germs in general for the next few weeks.
We will be having church. But we will need to make some changes. We do not know how long these changes will last. We are not overly concerned, but as followers of Christ, we should do our part to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
Greeters will not be shaking hands and sanitizer will be available as always in the foyer. It is suggested that no one shake hands. Greeters will also try to open the doors for everyone so that fewer people touch the handle.
We will not be passing a plate between people to take up an offering. We will have a basket for you to drop your offering in as you enter and exit the sanctuary. We hope to have envelopes addressed to the church for individuals to take home as soon as possible so they can mail in their offering if they decide to self-quarantine or are ill. It is easy to forget that we have ministries and bills that have to be paid even if we don't make it to church. I would encourage you to send your tithe or offering in weekly if you are not able to attend. Our church address is, P.O. Box 538, Petersburg, IN 47567
Do not come to church if you are sick or your children are sick in any way or if you have been exposed to anyone who may have the COVID-19 virus.
We will not be having anyone providing nursery care this week and possibly until school is back in session. You are encouraged to take babies out of the sanctuary if they become overly distracting. You may use the nursery, but it would be better to just go to the fellowship hall. Also remember that when the nursery is available, it is only for children under five unless they are with a parent.
We will do everything in our power to sanitize the church between services. The COVID-19 virus can live 6 days on wood but is probably not contagious for the entire six days. So the church will have plenty of time between services to be sanitized.
I will be having church on our Facebook page live at the normal time even if no one shows up to the building except me. The church will not cancel services unless instructed to do so by the CDC or governmental authorities. If you are over 60 or have a compromised immune system it is best to avoid contact and you may want to consider staying home and watching on Facebook.
We will try to make contact with each person through phone, text, email or other non-direct method for a wellness check and to provide any information that we have.
We will have a board meeting after church Sunday and make changes as new information and developments are made known.
God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline. Make wise choices as your circumstances dictate, but we don't need to panic, buy all the toilet paper, bread, milk, Lysol and ammunition in the store and hide in our basements. Common sense and calm minds guided by the Word of God and the Spirit of God will give us victory.
Pastor Mark (03/14/20)
Lenten Breakfasts March 9
Lenten Breakfasts March 9:
Men - 8:00 at First Baptist
Women - 9:00 First United Methodist
Snow Cancellation
All church events today have been cancelled - including Sunday School, Morning Worship, and Family Fellowship. The Family Fellowship has been tentatively rescheduled for February 17.
Trivia Night Winning Team!
Congratulations to Lori & Kinsey Mattingly, Ethan Hill, and Mark & Noelle Schlechty on making up the winning team (called MLenks Legend of Zelda) for the Trivia Night 2018 - the first of the new Family Fellowship Night activities last week.
Keep watching for next month’s program theme!
Mission Report!
Andrea & Teri will be sharing with us tomorrow morning their experiences and blessings from their missions trip to Ghana! Join us at 10:30 AM to hear about God's work in them and through them.
Service Cancellations
Remember that if there are any service cancellations due to ice & snow we will post those closings on our Facebook page as soon as that information is available.
Pray Together Sunday
We will be participating in Pray Together Sunday this Sunday, July 9, during Morning Worship. This is a special Sunday set aside for us to join with hundreds of other churches to pray for spiritual renewal. For more information see the National Association of Evangelicals website:
https://www.nae.net/praytogether
From the NAE bulletin insert for this Sunday:
"WE BELIEVE JESUS CHANGES EVERYTHING.
Pray Together Sunday is a simple opportunity for Christians across the country to set aside time to seek God and ask for spiritual renewal. Together we will lift our voices on behalf of our communities and nation.
At the heart of Pray Together Sunday is the belief that Jesus changes everything. With one voice, we will worship him and ask him to transform our congregations, communities and nation for his glory. We will ask God for renewal in our own hearts and in those around us.
In order to live at peace with others, we must be worshipers of the Prince of Peace and filled with his Spirit of peace. Take time to worship Jesus and seek the control of the Holy Spirit as you trust him to guide your prayers.
Ask God to purify your heart so that you can love others with his strength. Pray this simple prayer: “Jesus, show me how I can live in peace with others.” Then invite him to help you do so!
Division can easily begin in our own homes. Consider different family members and pray for wisdom to live together in peace. Pray for healing where there has been misunderstanding or hurt.
Our local church is a place of outreach to the community with the message of Christ. Pray that God would breathe spiritual renewal within our church body and among our pastors and church leaders.
The Christian body is diverse — not only with different ministries and gifts, but with different backgrounds and ways of relating to each other as we work together for his kingdom. Pray that God would give us understanding for one another as we live out different callings.
Our nation is deeply divided, particularly over politics. Pray that God would enable American Christians to be bridge builders and to model Christian civility even when there is disagreement over particular policies.
Jesus said that we are the light of the world. Pray that our Christian witness would show God’s love for others in our local community and throughout the world.
American Christians face many temptations as we seek to be in the world but not of the world. Pray for God’s wisdom and strength to resist temptation, and pray that God would renew our hearts, churches and country with a greater understanding of his love.
There are many people suffering in our country and throughout the world. Pray that God would burden our hearts for the vulnerable and that we would share our resources and the Good News of the cross with them."
Society Meeting Results
Society Meeting Results:
Sunday, June 25, was the annual midyear meeting of the church members to elect positions in the church body. The meeting was attended by 11 of the 57 members along with three non-members.
Mike Middleton was reelected to his seat as a Trustee.
Kyle McCutchan and Doug Henson were elected to the Pastor’s Cabinet as the new members-at-large with the Pastor to select his two nominee seats later.
Jodi Correll and Charlie Mathias were reelected to their Official Board seats as members-at-large.
Full copies of the final results can be found on the Welcome Center. Please note that at this time we are still missing a Sunday School teacher (and substitute).
The Trustees, Stewards, Hospitality Committee, Pastor’s Cabinet, and Worship Team will each need to meet at some point before the July 11 Official Board meeting to select the representative to fill each committee’s seat for the 2017-2018 term. Remember that the Board Representative does not have to be the person in charge of the respective committee. They need to be a member of the church who is not currently holding another seat on the Board and is available to meet with the Board on (usually) the first Tuesday evening of each month.
Also do not feel obligated to continue to use the same representative from previous years if someone else is willing to serve. This is a good opportunity to allow a fresh voice or two to serve on the Official Board. A final listing of the new Board will be posted following the first meeting.
Upcoming Events...
The Annual Valentine Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, February 11. The Bible Quiz Team will be providing the dinner and nursery service for a donation towards their mission project.
The Lenten Breakfasts are scheduled for the year. We will host the Women's Breakfast on Saturday, March 11, at 9:00 and the Men's Breakfast on Saturday, March 25, at 8:00.
We will also be hosting the Community Good Friday Service this year at 7:00 PM, April 14. This year's pastor will be Pastor Jeff Powers.
If you would like to plan WAY ahead, we currently are looking at the week of June 12-16 for VBS this year!