Hello, Friends,
There is a lot of news to share this week! Here is what’s happening with People’s Church in the coming week and beyond:
Devotional from Pastor Kate—Please see attached for this week’s devotional, “Journaling with Psalm 46.”
Office staffing this week—Due to family illnesses this week, there will not be anyone answering phones consistently during the scheduled office hours of 9 AM to 1 PM Monday through Thursday. You are welcome to leave a voice mail for individual staff members at 608-835-3755, or to email them directly as they continue to work from home.
Food Drive this weekend—The Missions Committee will host a food drive for the Oregon Area Food Pantry on July 17 and 18. This will be offered as a drive-through drop-off, with no need to get out of your car. Just drive up to the front of People’s Church to drop off your donations (see below for items requested). There will be (masked) volunteers ready to accept them. We look forward to seeing you there! Times and items requested are below:
• The drop off times are Friday, July 17 from 4-6 PM and Sat., July 18 from 8-10 AM. • Items requested by the pantry are: Chunky peanut butter, jam/jelly/honey in plastic containers, Rice-a-roni and Noodle-roni, boxed potatoes, ramen noodles, pet food, baby wipes, and diapers sizes 3 and 4.
In-Person Opportunities—Last week, Pastor Kate met with a team to discuss ways that the church might be able to begin safely meeting together in person in the coming weeks and months. Many exciting opportunities were lifted up, including the possibility of a drive-in movie night at the church. Be on the lookout for more details coming soon!
Virtual Vacation Bible School—People’s Church is excited to be able to offer Virtual VBS (VVBS) this year in partnership with Sugar River UMC and Mount Horeb UMC! This year, VVBS is titled “Crocodile Dock” and will consist of 4 weekly sessions beginning next Monday, July 20. Each session will premiere on Mondays at 9 AM and will consist of a video that will include music, a Bible story, a fun craft and teaching time. A link to the video will be emailed to you Monday mornings, but your family can watch the video whenever is most convenient with your schedules. If you would like to sign up, please contact Amanda, Director of Family and Children’s Ministries, at [email protected] or by phone/text at (608) 515-7233 as soon as possible in order to get all the necessary supplies delivered to you. More information is attached.
Little Angels Early Learning Center is hiring!—See below for more information. Please email resumes and cover letters to [email protected].
• 4K AM Assistant Teacher--Available Hours: Approximately 20-25 hours per week. Monday-Friday 7:30-12 pm (School Year Only). We are looking for a nurturing, fun-loving, flexible team player to help with daily activities in morning 4K program. Ideal candidate will have experience working with children in early learning setting. Spanish language skills and a DPI Sub license would be a plus. PM or call the center for more details 608-835-1945. • HIGH SCHOOL INTERN: This is for a student participating in the school-to-work program and looking to go into education or childcare. This position is Mon-Fri from 7:30-9:30 (school year only). PM or call the center for more information 608-835-1945.
• SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS: Hours vary based on the needs of our staff (between the hours of 6:45- 5:45 Mon-Fri. PM or call the center for more information 608-835-1945.
Returning to Phase I of the Resuming In-Person Ministry Plan--As new cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in Dane County, People’s has moved back to Phase 1 as a church because one of the two epidemiology metrics as outlined in the Forward Dane plan has become red (you can view the metrics at this website https://publichealthmdc.com/documents/2020-07-06_data_snapshot.pdf). What does this mean?
• The Church Office is closed to visitors. However, staff will be in the office from 9 AM to 1 PM Monday through Thursday to take your phone calls. You can also reach out to staff by email or by calling Pastor Jason at 608-291-0825. • Small groups and committee meetings will be held online. Indoor, in-person meetings will be suspended until we are able to return to Phase 2. • The People’s ministry team is still looking for ways for everyone to connect in-person following the guidelines for outdoor gatherings as outlined in Dane County’s Public Health Emergency Order #7.
Thursday Noon Devotional—Pastor Kate and Pastor Jason offer a brief mid-week devotional and prayer opportunity on YouTube each Thursday at noon. Head over to People’s YouTube channel here https://www.youtube.com/peopleschurchoregonwi to access weekly devotionals as well as the Sunday worship services.
New Upper Room Devotionals—The July/August daily devotionals have arrived. If you would like one mailed to you, either call the church office and leave a message for Karin at (608) 835- 3755, or email [email protected]. Please indicate whether you’d like small size or large print.
Prayer Request Reminder—Even though prayer request forms can’t be submitted in person right now, they can be submitted online. The prayer request form is available on the People’s Church app and can also be found on the website, www.peoplesumc.org, on the Prayer Request page under the “About” tab. You can also call (or text) Pastor Jason with your prayer requests at 608-291-0825.
Worship Reminder: Each Sunday, the worship service premieres on YouTube at 9 AM. A recorded version is available after the live service. Go to People’s YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/peopleschurchoregonwi.
Connection Time!—We will have a Zoom Connection Time following worship at 10:15 AM. Think of it like coffee and snacks at church, where you will be able talk and laugh with people from the church. At 10:15 AM, go to: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88431762475 or call 312-626-6799 and enter 884 3176 2475 followed by the # sign. Everyone will be in one large virtual room as we wait for everyone to gather. At approximately 10:20 AM, Pastor Kate or Jason will say a prayer for everyone. Then, people will be split into “breakout groups” of 6-8 people to talk more. Hope to see you there!
Grace and peace,
The Staff at People’s Church
Church in the World: Journaling with Psalm 46 July 15, 2020 Journaling can be a wonderful way to interact with scripture and prayer. As a reflective practice, setting aside time to write and journal can help us examine our lives and see God’s presence in new ways.
1. Settle yourself in a comfortable place. Some people prefer writing with pen and paper, some prefer typing in a document or making notes on a phone. Close your eyes, take a few deep and slow breaths. Invite God to be a part of your journaling today.
2. Read Psalm 46. As you read, notice if there are any words or phrases that stick out to you. You may want to read the psalm through a couple of times; as certain words or phrases come to your attention, make a note of that in your journal. 1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Selah
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved; God will help it when the morning dawns. 6 The nations are in an uproar, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; Selah
8 Come, behold the works of the Lord; see what desolations he has brought on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. 10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” 11 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah
3. Look over the words or phrases that you wrote down. Are there any particular stories or memories from your life that come to mind as you review these phrases? Take a moment to jot down what comes to mind.
4. Review the memories or stories that came to mind. Looking back over these times now, do you have any sense where God was during this memory? Is there anything that you learned about God, yourself, or others through that experience? Make a few notes about what comes to mind.
5. Take a few quiet moments to reflect on what you have just remembered of your past experience, and how it might speak to your life today. Is there anything that you learned about God or yourself that relates to things you are going through now? Do these memories bring up any questions or curiosities for you? Do you feel inspired to act or respond in any particular way?
6. Look over all of the notes and thoughts you have written in your journal. If there are any other themes, thoughts, or memories that are prompted, make a note of them. Otherwise, spend a few moments in prayer at the end of your journaling session. You may be prompted to express gratitude, lift up lament or sorrow, ask for healing or strength, or even just sit in silence with a heart open to God’s presence.
Dear Parent,
I am excited to be able to offer Virtual VBS this year in partnership with Sugar River UMC and Mount Horeb UMC! I hope your children are looking forward to learning more about God and becoming fearless kids who shine God’s light! Here is a little bit of information about the teaching videos, guides, and what is included in each child’s kit.
In your kit (red bag) you will find craft supplies needed for each session, a memory verse sheet to help your kids remember the weekly verse and some fun little gifts (a blue flashlight to remember VVBS where fearless kids shine God’s light, a turtle sticker and a goldfish snack). You will also receive activity sheets to go along with each session that can be done whenever your child would like. In Crocodile Dock, we will be talking a lot about God Sightings, so I’ve included an activity sheet with a dock on it where your child can put their God Sightings each week.
Each VVBS video will have music, a bible story, and teaching time. These videos will premiere on Mondays at 9am. A link to the weekly video will be sent to you in an email and can be watched whenever is most convenient for your family. �
Our sessions will premiere as follows: Session One: Monday July 20th
Session Two: Monday July 27th
Session Three: Monday August 3rd
Session Four: Monday August 10th
To help guide each session, there will be a family guide that will be sent out alongside each video. These will have instructions for all crafts, and details about the Bible story and memory verses, and more. It will be a bit of an outline for each session.
Lastly, I wanted to let you know that the majority of the videos are being created by our good friends at Sugar River UMC, so your children will see many new faces leading VVBS.
I hope your family enjoys VVBS and has a great swamp-filled summer!