Church Reopening

We will be reopening for in-person services this Sunday, June 7!

We have a page with full information on our reopening at petersburgfmc.org/open

This page details the steps we are taking in regards to:

- Spacing in the Sanctuary

- Usage of face masks & hand sanitizer

- Minimization of shared resources (door handles, offering collection, bulletins, etc.)

- Social gatherings & Sunday School

If there is anything we forgot to cover, feel free to reach out to us here or contact a member of the Board.

"The Word for You Today" Devotional

The 2020 June-July-August edition of “The Word for You Today” devotional is now available at the church. If you need a copy of this devotional before we reopen, contact us and we will get a copy to you.

On a related note, this will be the last edition of our subscription. The Board reviewed how many copies we were disposing of each quarter and decided to discontinue our church subscription in order to be better stewards of our resources. If you would like to continue to receive this devotional you can get a personal subscription by visiting wordforyou.com. They also offer a devotional app and a bookstore. See the website for more details.

We will continue to receive “The Upper Room” for distribution at this time.

Family Camp Update

We have received word that the final decision for Family Camp will be made in early June and will be announced at Annual Conference.

Summer Cancellations

We have two confirmed cancellations for this summer (and one potential one):

1) We have decided to cancel our VBS week for this year. If things change enough we may consider a smaller one-day activity later in the summer, but nothing is set at this time.

2) The youth & children’s camps at Wabash Park Camp & Retreat Center have all been cancelled for this year.

3) WPC&RC has not yet made an official call as to the status of Family Camp week, but it will likely follow suit.

The Upper Room Devotional

If you are a regular user of the devotional “The Upper Room” and have not received a copy of the May/June edition, we still have some left. We distributed them to those who asked at the Drive-In Service last Sunday, but if you were unable to attend or forgot to get one, let me know and I will arrange a pick-up or drop-off for you. There are a couple regular-sized and quite a few large-print remaining.

If you are not opposed to getting your devotional readings online, “The Upper Room” has provided a solution. From now through June 30 they will be posting the current issue online for free. You can read the daily reading each day from the site itself or choose to download the entire May/June issue as a PDF file to read offline. They also have a variety of other devotionals - including one by and for teens, a prayer wall, and other resources with which you may not have been familiar.

Check them out at www.upperroom.org

Easter Sunday, April 12

We will once again be holding a Drive-In Service! Pastor Mark and Dave Foster will be leading us in the Word and Worship from under the awning and you can drive up and watch with your family from within the comfort (and safety) of your own vehicle. We have borrowed a small FM transmitter and will be broadcasting the audio on 87.9 FM. If you have tithes or offerings to give, we will have an “usher” available. Just get his attention, roll down your window, and he will bring a basket by that you can safely drop it into. The bulletin and lyrics for the worship music will be available as a PDF file, linked at the top of this very website. In the event of bad weather Dave & Mark will be inside the building, but we will still broadcast on the FM transmitter.

Pastor Mark will also be asking you to participate in Communion from wherever you are - whether that be in a car in the parking lot or in your living room. Have something ready to represent the elements of Communion nearby: juice & a cracker, water & bread, or whatever you can find. We are asking everyone to be able to join together as a church family - even from a distance.

If you are unable to join us onsite, we will still be streaming the service live on our Facebook page and from https://petersburgfmc.freeonlinechurch.com/live . The audio may be a little rougher than usual due to the venue and the anticipated wind, but we will do our best!

Come and join us!

-DJB

WWM Spring Retreat Cancelled

Due to current events, the WWM Spring Retreat at Gasthof is cancelled. Following is a quote from the information email:

“The FOCUS 2020 Planning Committee met today, via Zoom, and unanimously decided to postpone this event until next Spring.  Our plan is to still go to the Gasthof Amish Village in Montgomery, IN and do the same program.  Some adjustments may need to be made, but that is ok!

“Everyone who has already sent in their registration will get a Full Refund!  Please be patient with us as we make this happen.”

This Sunday (tomorrow!)

We will be having our first attempt at a Drive-In Service! Pastor Mark and Dave Foster will be leading us in the Word and Worship from under the awning and you can drive up and watch with your family from within the comfort (and safety) of your own vehicle. We have borrowed a small FM transmitter and will be broadcasting the audio on 87.9 FM. If you have tithes or offerings to give, we will have an “usher” available. Just get his attention, roll down your window, and he will bring a basket by that you can safely drop it into. The bulletin and lyrics for the worship music will be available as a PDF file, linked at the top of this very website. For those with no Internet access, a limited number of paper bulletins will be available.

If you are unable to join us onsite, we will still be streaming the service live on our Facebook page and from https://petersburgfmc.freeonlinechurch.com/live . The audio may be a little rougher than usual due to the venue and the anticipated wind, but we will do our best!

Come and join us!

-DJB

A Note from the Pastor:

After meeting with our Bishop, Superintendent and pastors from the Wabash Conference through video conferencing, it has been decided to cancel church until after Palm Sunday.  We can reassess if we are going to have an Easter service at that time.  The Sunday morning message will continue to be streamed on our Petersburg Free Methodist Church Facebook page at the normal time of 10:30 or you can watch it later at your convenience.  Please share the message on your Facebook page so that others can hear the word of God in this time of adversity.  We are also working on doing a drive up church service where you can come to the church and remain in your car in order to keep distance from others.  We hope to have our worship team and microphones so you can come and worship and hear the sermon without risk. 

I have also started live streaming a video on my personal Facebook page daily to encourage or bring information to anyone who wants to listen.  I will continue to call as many people as possible each week from our church to check on you.  If you become ill or need special prayer call me 812-582-2677. 

We are also looking for a way to do online giving.  Until then, please send your offering to P.O. Box 538, Petersburg, IN 47567.  Also, reach out to your neighbors and friends through phone, email, text or social media to encourage them.

We will come through this pandemic as a strong and vibrant part of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Peace and joy in the Lord,

Pastor Mark (03/19/20)

A Note from the Pastor

After meeting with our Bishop, Superintendent and pastors from the Wabash Conference through video conferencing, it has been decided to cancel church until after Palm Sunday.  We can reassess if we are going to have an Easter service at that time.  The Sunday morning message will continue to be streamed on our Petersburg Free Methodist Church Facebook page at the normal time of 10:30 or you can watch it later at your convenience.  Please share the message on your Facebook page so that others can hear the word of God in this time of adversity.  We are also working on doing a drive up church service where you can come to the church and remain in your car in order to keep distance from others.  We hope to have our worship team and microphones so you can come and worship and hear the sermon without risk.  I have also started live streaming a video on my personal Facebook page daily to encourage or bring information to anyone who wants to listen.  I will continue to call as many people as possible each week from our church to check on you.  If you become ill or need special prayer call me 812-582-2677.  We are also looking for a way to do online giving.  Until then, please send your offering to P.O. Box 538, Petersburg, IN 47567.  Also, reach out to your neighbors and friends through phone, email, text or social media to encourage them.

We will come through this pandemic as a strong and vibrant part of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Peace and joy in the Lord,

Pastor Mark