A Message from Rev. Parlette

Hello Church Family,

Wow, what a sad and disturbing day we saw yesterday (Jan.6)! To see such violence descend upon our Capitol is not something I ever thought I would see. No matter what candidate or political party you support, I have to believe that no one wants to see the kind of scenes we witnessed yesterday.

So I thought I would share some thoughts that our Presbytery distributed late yesterday afternoon as a Call to Prayer. Consider these words from Psalm 46:

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult."

As followers of Jesus, we are never promised that our lives will be without trouble or conflict. We are always promised that Jesus will be present with us. On this Epiphany Day, at the close of this holy season of Christmas, we cry for justice and healing, humbling ourselves and praying earnestly for God's mercy, wisdom and healing."

You know, one of the many catalogs I receive around the holidays featured a t-shirt I really like. It read, "I'd like to live in some precedented times." I say "Amen" to that. Here's to better days. Let us offer up a prayer:

"God of the ages, in your sight nations rise and fall, and pass through times of peril. Now when our land is troubled, be near to judge and to save. May our leaders be led by your wisdom; may they search your will and see it clearly. If we have turned from your way, help us to reverse our ways and repent. Give us your light and your truth to guide us; through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of this world, and our Savior. Amen."

Peace and Blessings be upon you, my friends!

TJ

Welcome Confirmation Class of 2020

The First Presbyterian Church Confirmation Class of 2020 was formally received by the Session into the membership of the church during a Zoom conference on Tuesday September 29. The class is (alphabetical order): Ms. Edra Clements, Ms. Emerson Domnick, Ms. Brie Doppler, Mr. Adam Gyura, Mr. Sam Hruska and Ms. Katie Keller. This was a special class because in addition to the 8th graders who normally enroll each year, two 9th graders waited a year to join this class (Adam & Sam), and one 7th grader (Emerson) didn’t want to wait. This class is also special because of the sudden disruption of the process caused by the COVID19 Pandemic. What would have normally happened in April did not happen until the end of September. We look forward to being able to receive and pray for this class during worship whenever we can return to in-person worship.

The objective of Confirmation here at FPC is to help our students begin to recognize and understand the meaning and the importance of faith and belonging to a faith community. Over the course of the 2019-20 school year, the class explored different aspects of faith and church, including the Presbyterian denomination—its history, worship, traditions, sacraments, organization and system of governing. There was also discussion of the important stories, people and events in the Bible. Each confirmation student participated in worship as acolyte and also through analyzing sermons through the completion of a handful of Sermon Notes worksheets which help students break down and analyze a particular sermon. The class also attended two Session meetings, the Congregational Meeting for the Election of Officers in November 2019, and the Annual Meeting of the Congregation in January 2020.

Every confirmation class is given the assignment of composing a faith statement as a sort of “final project.” Their statements are presented to the Session as part of the formal process of receiving the class during a stated meeting of the Session. Excerpts from their statements appear in the January 2021 GoodNewsletter which members received in the mail sometime in early January. Please pray for these newest members of our church as they join this congregation in the midst of a very difficult chapter in our nation’s and church’s history. Consider sending a card to welcome them. On behalf of Dan Wentz, I praise God for each of them and for their families wherein their faith was born and nurtured. Our faith community is blessed by their presence and their interest.

(Rev. Jay Rowland)

A Message from Rev. T.J. Parlette

The Session met on Tuesday October 13 and had a lengthy discussion about worship and building use for the coming months. The Session decided

1. To continue virtual worship through the remainder of 2020. We will revisit our situation in December and see what may or may not be possible. It is difficult to think about what our "Holy Days" will be like when we can't be together as we usually are. As disappointing as this is, given the fact that our local numbers are getting steadily higher and we're entering the traditional flu season as well, it seemed to the majority of the Session that this was the best and safest course of action. The Good News is that planning has begun for how we might preserve the sense of awe and wonder that we crave this time of year. We plan to offer some opportunities for you to come and be taped lighting the Advent candles, participating in Lessons and Carols, taking part in a virtual pageant and even a virtual Christmas Eve candle-lighting ceremony with "Silent Night" included (it wouldn't be Christmas without that!) So we'll keep you informed and we will do our best to praise God and give thanks for Christ's birth in the best way we can!

2. To increase our indoor limit for groups meeting in the church to 15 instead of 10. I would remind everyone that we are only hosting groups in the Social Hall, the Sanctuary, and the Multi-purpose room. Our other rooms are just too small and the ventilation is not adequate for face to face interaction. It is important to remember that if you are meeting indoors, the longer you are with other people, the more risk you take of being exposed to the virus, so we are encouraging groups to limit their meeting to an hour. All other expectations - wearing a mask, social distancing, sanitizing hands and wiping down the areas when you are done - remain in place.

I hope everyone can understand that we are trying to mitigate the risk as much as we can while still offering some opportunity for interaction. As your pastor, my worst nightmare is that we will wake up one day to discover that some gathering at First Presbyterian Church in Rochester, MN, was a super-spreader for a wider outbreak.

Stay safe, be well, and I pray that you flourish!

Peace, TJ

Summer Worship Update

Hello, All
Our session had a zoom meeting on Wednesday May 27th to review a plan to re-open our church safely. After lengthy discussion, session decided unanimously that although we have a comprehensive plan for how we could sanitize and keep our social distance, we feel that there are too many risks for us as a congregation to resume in-person worship experiences, even at 25% capacity. Many of our members are in one or more vulnerable categories, and we don't want to put anyone at risk.

We have decided to hold only online worship services through the month of August. The Session will meet and reassess the situation in August to determine what we could do for September and beyond. The office continues to remain available on Mondays and Thursdays by calling the number posted on the Atrium doors.  Although this is the right decision, we are all saddened that we can't go back to normal just yet. Your church staff is exploring some additional options for gathering such as holding "drive-in" church on occasion this summer. I'll let you know details as we work things out.

I also want to comment on our Presbytery's recommendations. Many of you saw the guidance offered from our Presbytery last week that mentioned that all Presbytery events are cancelled through the end of the year. This does not apply to local church events. The Presbytery was addressing their own events such as the Presbytery meetings that are held every other month throughout the year. The decision to re-open and hold in-person worship services at a local church is completely up to local congregations. The Presbytery does strongly recommend that congregations refrain from holding in-person events right now, but that is a recommendation, not a command. 

If anyone would be willing to learn at least some of what Carol does, we are still looking for a  volunteer treasurer. We are also looking for an Office Manager to take over for Sue upon her retirement. We are also looking for someone with an interest in video production to take over for Jake Wright when he has to get back to his teaching duties in August. If you have an interest in any of these possibilities, get in touch with me and I would be happy to work with you.

Peace and Blessings to you all!
TJ

How do I check out a book from the church library

Locate the book’s check-out card in the pocket at the back of the book. Print your name and phone number and the date of check-out.

Please put the completed card(s) into the small gray recipe-card box on the book cart in the atrium, in the library the box is located beside the door adjacent to the church office. (instructions are on the top of each box).

The due-date is four weeks after check out. If you have any questions, please contact Jay Rowland or Al Dollerschell.