First Presbyterian Church of Urbana

2 days ago

Sunday, November 22, 2020

Worship – Streaming at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning

“Works of Mercy,” by Pieter Bruegel the Younger

This painting by Bruegel is based on a drawing made by his father, Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Completed around 1600, paintings such as this served the same purpose as stained glass windows in churches: to teach. The images made scripture understandable for those who could not read. Here we see the works of mercy: feeding the hungry, quenching the thirst of the thirsty, clothing the naked, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick, and visiting prisoners. Some paintings added a seventh good work, burying the dead. Want to be sure to gain entrance into heaven? These are the things to do. Join us on Sunday as we hear Jesus offer this teaching in Matthew 25, and as we reflect together on what it means for Jesus to be our Shepherd.

Pastor David

Join Us for Sunday Worship!

1. YouTube Channel:

www.youtube.com/channel/UC0Eiz3KggoReHXIW6ns5HWg

2. Facebook link to YouTube at:

www.facebook.com/FirstPresChurchUrbana/

Scroll down to the post from that morning

3. Zoom click on: zoom.us/j/8144246357

Meeting ID: 814 424 6357 (if necessary)

Password 475210

4. Landline or phone that is not a smart phone:

1 (312) 626-6799.

Meeting ID: 814 424 6357 (if necessary)

Password 475210

Church Announcements

Holiday Office Closure: Office staff will be taking time off on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27, to observe the Thanksgiving holiday. The Bulletin and E Report will be sent on Wednesday, November 25. Have a safe Thanksgiving!



Worship Leaders Needed for Advent: Advent is coming! And it would be a delight to see some of our members during worship. Would you like to help lead worship? All you need is a laptop. Pastor David can help you record the spoken parts that will be needed for Sunday, November 29, December 6, December 13, or December 20. Please let Pastor David or the office know if you would like to volunteer to help lead worship. Since these are Advent Sundays, that will include lighting the Advent Wreath!



Mid-day Prayer: There will be no Mid-day Prayer on Thursday, November 26. Weekly Mid-day Prayer will resume on Thursday, December 3 at 12:15 p.m., via Zoom. Use the same Zoom login and password (see page 11 for instructions).



New Groups Meeting on Zoom: Three new groups are meeting using Zoom during November and December, and you’re invited to drop in on one or more of these groups to meet up with friends and try something new! See below for the links to join. Groups will meet weekly until Christmas or as frequently as group members decide.

Prayer and Psalms – meets next on Wednesday, November 25 at 10:00 a.m.

Click to join:

zoom.us/j/92573248618?pwd=V1UySnBqbjFWVTJiL1NLbTBKMDliUT09

Meeting ID: 925 7324 8618 (if necessary)
Password: poetry



Photography – meets next on Tuesday, December 1 at 7:00 p.m.

Click to join:

zoom.us/j/96703103787?pwd=TWVYaEhLWUFON1VCUC9WRG1LUytXZz09

Meeting ID: 967 0310 3787 (if necessary)
Password: camera



Coping During COVID – meets next on Wednesday, December 2 at 7:00 p.m.

Click to join:

zoom.us/j/98576213366?pwd=YThIb3o5eGZ3U2FLeDFpbUpONGtTZz09

Meeting ID: 985 7621 3366 (if necessary)

Password: hope

Questions or suggestions? Please reach out to a Virtual Fellowship committee member by phone or email: Don Greeley, Barb Mann, Jamie Peterson, Susan Silver or Nancy Uchtmann.

Book Discussion Group: Flannery O’Connor wrote as a devout Roman Catholic while living in the very Protestant (and very mostly Methodist and Baptist at that) and “Christ haunted” Southern state of Georgia. Her stories reveal the jarring and shocking contradictions of being such a person in such a place. In an essay, she described her approach to writing thus: “to the hard of hearing, you shout, and for the almost blind, you draw large and startling figures.” Some of us suspect that O’Connor can speak a sane word for our jarring and shocking time. If you would like to join with others to read some of her short stories and then meet about every otherweek to talk about the readings, then find a copy of “The Complete Stories,” published by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Plan to join us about every other week on Sunday evening via Zoom at 6:30 p.m. Our next meeting will be November 29. All are welcome.

Poinsettias: It is time to order Poinsettias for the Christmas display for our streaming worship services. The poinsettias will be red with green foil. Order forms are attached with the bulletin and were in the November Open Door. You may take your poinsettia home before Christmas. Please submit your form to the church office with your payment. You may email or call in the info as well (how many plants--$13 each, dedication note and will you take the plant home or donate it to a homebound member). If you have questions, contact the church office. The deadline for orders is December 6.

No Adult Seminars on November 22 and 29.

Peace, Justice, Joy and Salvation: An Advent Study: At Christmas, we celebrate the greatest of God’s gifts: the birth of Immanuel, God with us. Throughout the season of Advent, we’re able to anticipate God’s gifts to us and consider what they really mean. During the Adult Seminars for December 6 and 13, participants will consider familiar texts from the book of Isaiah through the lens of gifts. Embedded in these texts are gifts that God longs to give us and deeply desires for us to receive into our lives: peace, justice, joy, and salvation. The purpose of these seminars is to show how these gifts are nothing short of transformative. If we receive them, they will re-form us into what we were intended to be from the beginning: reflections of God’s own being.

Churchwide Advent Devotionals: We hear often these days that we are living through unprecedented times. Our experience of time has been altered in recent months. Our routines and rhythms, milestones and rituals, are upended. As we enter the liturgical season of Advent, when we are to eagerly prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ and also anticipate his return, how will we mark this time? What will we do to be good stewards of our time? We will explore being aware of God’s presence in the moment even as we anticipate Jesus’ incarnation. These devotions will seek to help us recognize God’s kairos time within and working through our challenging chronos time. The devotions will be sent out each week in a special email to all members of the church. Please let the Office know if you would like to receive a printed copy of each week’s devotion. You can leave a voicemail at 367-8357 or email us at office@firstpresurbana.org

A “Virtual” Hootycreek Cookie Event: Several of you have inquired about options for making Hootycreek cookie mixes for your holiday baking and as gift traditions for your family and friends. Regrettably, we cannot gather for our annual Hooty event, but I am happy to make the Hootycreek recipe, cellophane bags with the Hooty labels on them, and directions for assembling the bags available to anyone who wants them. (You would need to purchase your own ingredients.) Just email (egreeley@illinois.edu) or give me a call (217) 384-4304 to let me know how many bags you would like and I will get them to you. Happy social distance baking!

—Liz Greeley

Pledges, Tithes and Offerings: During this time, we are not encouraging anyone to stop by the church office. Please plan to mail in your contributions, or use the Donate Button on the church website. Our method of conducting worship and meetings has changed, but the ministry of FPCU continues. Please continue your generous support.

Inheritors of Hope: Commitment Sunday was November 1. If you have not done so already, please prayerfully consider the ways that you intend to support, financially and as volunteers, the hopeful ministry of our church in our community and beyond in 2021. Paul wrote, “Hope does not disappoint us because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” Estimates of giving for 2021 may be emailed to Justina at justina@firstpresurbana.org or mailed to the church. Contact the office if you need the letter and/or giving card.

Sponsoring Malawi Students: Our friends in Malawi are back in school! Many of the schools in Malawi have recently reopened for in person student learning. Last year, individual members of First Pres. Urbana sponsored 20 high school students, and seven college students so they could afford the tuition fees, books and supplies. This year we continue to have 20 HS students and five college students that need support. If you have sponsored a student in the past and would like to continue to sponsor the same student, please let Lauren Smith know (352-0809, laurentols@aol.com,). If you haven’t sponsored a student but would like to, let Lauren know. Sponsorship fees will be due in December as part of Alternative Gifts.

Blessing Bags for Crisis Nursery: The Deacons are providing Blessing Bags to the Crisis Nursery to be given to the children in their care. The bags contain coloring books, crayons, snacks, gum, hand sanitizers and bubbles. The items were purchased at Dollar Tree making the gift bags reasonably priced at approximately $5 each. Other contributions also included in the bags are face masks (lovingly made by Liz Greeley) and bookmarks with Jesus Loves Me (purchased by Susan Silver). If anyone would like to contribute to this cause either by way of purchasing individual gift bags or by contributing money, you can drop off gift bags in the basket in front of the church office or mail contributions in to the church marked Blessing Bags or you can contact Kathy Troy, Susan Silver or Karen Badger.

The Upper Room: Please let the Office know if you would like us to mail you a print copy of the quarterly Upper Room devotional. We have one large print copy as well. You can leave a voicemail at 367-8357 or email us at office@firstpresurbana.org
Blood Pressure Check with Parish Nurse: The American Nurses Association reports that a significant percent of the US population is delaying preventative care.

Have you had a blood pressure check lately? Make an appointment to have your blood pressure checked with parish nurse Cindy Ottemann. We can meet at church in a large, open space or make other arrangements; face masks are required. Contact Cindy at

No Worship in Sanctuary Soon: The Worship Committee and Pastor David want to be clear that FPCU will not be resuming public worship in the sanctuary anytime soon. We encourage everyone, if you have not already, to join us on Facebook and/or on Zoom for morning worship. If you would like a partner or a helper for this, just let us know. Members are standing by and ready to help. Also, let the church office know if you would like sermons emailed or mailed to you each week.

Office Closed: Due to Covid-19, the church office will continue to be closed—Melissa and Tracy are working from home and will not have regular office hours. Voicemail messages are emailed to them and they will respond to emails each weekday. Steve and David will be working at the church and keeping an eye on things. Stay home, and stay in touch. ... See MoreSee Less