Welcome
Welcome to the First Presbyterian Church of Urbana! We believe that everyone who enters these doors is God’s guest. This is a safe place, to search for and find God, to ask questions along with others who know that the life of faith is not about having all the answers, and to open doors to paths that might be familiar and some that might be entirely new. Read more …
PCUSA News
- Learning from our siblings in the Church of ScotlandMay 27, 2022 A Young Adult Volunteer working this year with a youth group at a church in Dundee, Scotland, sees parallels between an aging Church of Scotland and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — with both churches having an opportunity to pivot in order to appeal more broadly to people of all ages.
- Stated Clerk joins Louisville mayor to announce Juneteenth Jubilee Celebration plansJ. Herbert Nelson to preach for Juneteenth service during General Assembly May 27, 2022 Rick Jones | Office of the General Assembly LOUISVILLE The Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), joined Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and a number of local community leaders and volunteers this […]
- ‘A really terrible period of amnesia’May 27, 2022 Season eight of the New Way podcast from 1001 New Worshiping Communities finishes off with a distinguished guest, the Rev. Dr. Brian McLaren, who tells host the Rev. Sara Hayden what strikes him most about his tribe is that there is almost no self-examination about the history of slavery in the United […]
- Buffalo pastors say community connections key to responding to mass shootingMay 27, 2022 In the hours after a gunman killed 10 people and injured three others in a racist attack on a Buffalo, New York grocery store, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) contacted the Presbytery of Western New York to offer support to the community.
Sunday, May 29, 2022
Worship – In-Person and Streaming at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
The image is “The Jailer, Paul, Silas, and the Jailer’s Family,” a Bronze door panel at Trinity Church, New York, New York.
One of the most challenging aspects of the Good News of Jesus Christ is the resistance it has always generated. We in the churches know the Good News as such good news to us. For us in our part of society where so much is all well and good for us, we marvel that anyone would resist or become upset about the preaching of the Gospel. Even more, how could anyone want to throw a person in jail because that person made someone well? Yet that is exactly what we will hear about on Sunday. Join us as we contemplate the liberative ministry of the Apostle Paul and the consequences he faced for being faithful.
Pastor David
In-Person Worship: Masking is still required, (we will have some available in the Narthex if you do not have one). We recommend vaccination or a negative COVID test within the last three days. For children 5 and under, a temperature check upon arrival and masking (ages 2 years and older) will be required. Please plan to keep social distancing and to hand sanitize often. There will be no coffee after worship. If you are feeling unwell for any reason, please remain home and enjoy the services of worship online.
Join Us for Sunday 9:30 a.m. Worship!
1. Facebook:
www.facebook.com/FirstPresChurchUrbana/
Scroll down to the post from that morning
2. Zoom click on: zoom.us/j/8144246357
Meeting ID: 814 424 6357 (if necessary)
Password 475210
3. Landline or phone that is not a smart phone:
1 (312) 626-6799.
Meeting ID: 814 424 6357 (if necessary)
Password 475210
Midday Prayer Summer Break: Weekly Midday Prayer is on summer break. It will resume in September.
Spring Wellness Activity: Thanks to everyone for sharing your miles this week! For the 5 weeks through 5/21, we have logged 2156.5 miles, or just about 2 journeys of the Sunflower Bus from Poland to Sweden. Please continue to pray for refugees in Ukraine, and throughout the world. Use the poster in the hall outside of the nurses' office to record your miles, or send them in to Cindy Ottemann at 217-493-0905 or cjottabb@yahoo.com. Last day of the activity will be Saturday, 5/28.
WHO: Everyone! This is a collective project, not a contest to see who walks the farthest. Every little bit will help us reach our goal!
WHAT: Walk, bike, skate, swim, Zumba, yoga, do a work-out video – any exercise will count! Any and all exercise will count as 2 miles for every 30 minutes, unless you have another way to calculate your distance.
HOW: Record your weekly miles, and report them weekly to Cindy Ottemann (at either 217-493-0905 or cjottabb@yahoo.com) or to the church office - office@firstpresurbana.org; we will also keep a tally sheet outside of the nurses’ office at church.
Sunflower Bus Updates: The Sunflower buses continue to run! Establishing bus service inside Ukraine has proven to work well, with many volunteers contributing to its success. The money is going even further. Our church has collected another $2695 in donations, which will be enough to cover costs for two buses all the way from Ukraine to Sweden. Thank you for your ongoing support! The church website continues to accept donations.
Staff Holiday and Vacation: Memorial Day is a holiday for staff, so the office will be closed. Emails and voicemails will be checked on Tuesday, May 31.
"Resistance looks like lamenting when our culture calls for unrealistic and toxic positivity at every second. It’s knowing that our rest is not an afterthought, luxury, privilege or anything we must seek permission for. I believe naps are a holy place, and radical community care is a spiritual practice and form of resistance for everyone, but especially to those living in the margins navigating racism, poverty and state-sanctioned violence."
pres-outlook.org
Activist, artist, and public theologian Tricia Hersey looks at the radical biblical instruction to rest and how claiming it can be a form of resistance.Nelson once again called on national leaders to be aggressive at ending gun violence, saying that it is becoming unsafe not only in schools, but churches, grocery stores and homes.
Stated Clerk mourns for those killed in latest school shooting in Texas
pres-outlook.org
J. Herbert Nelson says the church needs to do what is necessary to minister to those who suffer.
Electricity costs will be increasing for Ameren customers beginning in June. This blog post explains why.
"[D]ue to an unwillingness to accept the transition to renewable energy and other outdated thinking, Ameren has missed opportunities to bring clean and affordable renewable energy to the grid—which would, in turn, lower the bills of their customers. Ameren also declined to participate in CEJA’s carbon mitigation credits, which are now delivering around one billion dollars of savings for ComEd customers in Northern Illinois, Chicago, and the surrounding suburbs. "
www.faithinplace.org/post/what-s-going-on-with-illinois-energy-grid