Our FPC Family at Home: Staying Connected During the Quarantine
With kids out of school, everyone is flexing their teaching muscle! Check out these pictures Dave and Sandy Healy shared of their granddaughter, Madeleine getting in a little Home Ec training with pumpkin bread baking. Grandma Sandy describes her teaching technique as “old school” with a focus on reading, writing and math.
What are YOU doing at home?
We want to see what’s going on at your house! Please send us pictures or video links so our church family can feel connected when we can’t physically be together. Here are some ideas of things we’d like to see:
- Pictures of your family watching FPC’s worship service.
Do you wear jammies? Do you watch while eating breakfast? How about sharing your family’s favorite pancake recipe? - A video update of things going on in your house.
Let your child be the reporter and interview each family member. Don’t forget the pets! - Send us a screen shot of a virtual meeting!
We’d like to know about how you are staying in contact with your FPC groups online. Do you recommend a specific app or website? Or maybe you have a technical tip to share?
Send your photos, links of your 1-2 minute video, or stories to communications@myfpc.org so we can share it in an upcoming Connector. Let’s be intentional about Living Faith Together!
Weekend Worship and Pastoral Prayer Requests
For now, the church office is physically closed and we are not gathering for Sunday worship service. However, staff members are continuing to serve the church remotely and we are worshiping together online.
During these extraordinary times, know that you are far from being alone. Your pastors are praying for the congregation daily, looking for opportunities serve, and doing what they can to provide pastoral care. For this reason, Pastor Kirk and Pastor Ben are taking confidential prayer requests through email.
On Wednesday, March 25 Pastor Kirk and Pastor Ben sent out a letter to the congregation. You can read that letter here.
FPC Children Ministry Online: Sunday is PJ and Stuffed Animal Day!
This Sunday, March 29, just roll out of bed, grab a furry friend, and watch Sunday’s FPC church service from home in your pajamas with your family! Log on anytime to watch at myfpc.org. Then head to FPC’s online Google Classroom for today’s Sunday School lesson about being a good Samaritan, loving others as ourselves.
We would love for you to take a picture of yourselves and stuffed friends and send them to communications@myfpc.org to be shared with our church family!
Church is alive and well, it’s just different. Even in tough times, God is good and in control! Love one another. We love you.
Preparing for Communion on Palm Sunday
How we plan to celebrate the Lord’s Supper online
In our online worship service for Sunday April 5, Palm Sunday, we will be celebrating Holy Communion, inviting you to participate from wherever you watch the service. As with regular Sunday worship, it is ordinarily preferable that faith families be physically together to share the Lord’s Supper, but these are exceptional times.
The Presbyterian Church USA Office of the General Assembly recently released notice “In emergency circumstances there may be situations in which the pastoral needs of that moment require that the church take actions that run contrary to normal practice. During an emergency or a pandemic in which the church is unable to gather or advised not to gather in person for reasons of public health, a congregation’s session may determine that this includes observing communion online.”
On March 26th our FPC session met virtually to discuss the issue. It was decided that FPC may and should celebrate communion online.
If you would like to participate: When you or your household gather to worship along with the online service, all you need (aside from faithful hearts!) is a serving of bread and grape juice or wine for each participant. What kind is acceptable? Aim for this: the food part should be something you can comfortably call “bread”, and the drink part should come from grapes in some way. God will work in and through whatever you have, but there is value in honoring the tradition of the sacrament as circumstances allow.
While gathering around the table virtually–and probably not even at the same time– will not feel the same as in person, God’s Holy Spirit will still be at work forgiving, empowering, uplifting, and uniting us.
Filling the Waunakee Food Pantry
The Waunakee Food Pantry is anticipating an increase in clients due to job loss and school closings. Your donations and volunteer time are especially needed at this time. To address the health concerns regarding coronavirus, The food pantry has instituted a drive up service and is looking for volunteers to help with carry out.
People interested in serving those in need should check our updated website: www.waunakeefoodpantry.org for volunteer opportunities and needed donations call Lynda Bennin 608-849-8656. Your help with the neighbors in our community is very much appreciated.
Stephen Ministry
We know the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone—raising the level of fear, stress, and anxiety for people all over the world and underscoring the importance of caring ministry. As a Stephen Ministry congregation, we equip and empower lay caregivers to provide high-quality, confidential, Christ-centered care. Our commitment to this ministry is extrememly important during these uncertain times.
If you, or someone you know, could benefit from this ministry, contact the church office.
Shepherding the Flock:
A summary of the March, 2020 Session Meeting
Submitted by: Dianne Larson, Clerk of Session
In these uncertain times, FPC’s Session is meeting as needed to manage the changes that have and are occurring in our daily lives due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are attempting to maintain what we can and reschedule or alter what needs to be different. Many people have worked very hard to bring us our Sunday worship online. This service is as “normal” as possible.
We are living in a wait and see moment. Lenten dinners have been cancelled, but we are working hard to transition many of our ministries and activities to online so people can connect from home.
Time will tell. We want FPC to be the church built on the rock.
