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On June 9th, the Session met to discuss a possible reopening date as well as potential guidelines to ensure the safety of all worshipers. Based on that discussion, we have decided to reopen regular church services on Sunday, July 5, 2020 at 10:00 AM. Listed below are the recommendations and precautions we will be taking.
We would like to thank everyone for their patience and support during these uncertain times. If you have any other questions, please contact us by phone or email. We look forward to seeing you all on July 5th!
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So far, 2020 has not turned out the way anyone had hoped. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we began cancelling events in mid March including our annual Easter egg hunt, Sunday school classes and end of the year picnic, and regular church services. As we wait, we have tried our best to stay connected through phone-in Sunday services and daily phone conferences to share joys and concerns with one another.
Thus far, we have made the safety of our church family a priority and are continually seeking more information and insight into how to move forward. At this time, the Session plans to meet on June 9th to discuss the current situation, share ideas for when to resume in person worship, as well as how to make in person worship safe for all attendees. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we tentatively move back toward some resemblance of normal. Those included on the calling list will receive a call from their designated Session member with information after the June meeting. If you are not currently on the calling list and would like to be included, please let us know via phone message at (641) 484-3522 or via email at presbytoledo@mediacombb.net. Pastor Tom is also available via cell phone at (641) 751-1924. In the meantime, we wish you health and happiness and cannot wait to see everyone safely in person again soon! 2020 is almost here and we are gearing up for change! This year our pastor, Rev. Tom Bower, and his wife Jean will be continuing their mission work by sharing the word of God in Bali. We welcome North Central Iowa Transitional Presbyter, Rev. Ian McMullen, former North Central Iowa Presbyter, Rev. David Feltman, and retired Wycliffe Bible Translator and missionary, Dave Lux to the pulpit until we are able to welcome Jean back in February. As the Bower's spread the word in Bali, we continue to share and worship here in Iowa. Due to the changing opportunities and varying needs of the congregation, we will be temporarily altering our service times. January 5, 2020: Church Service at 9:00 AM Sunday School at 10:00 AM January 12, 2020 - May 31, 2020: Sunday School at 9:00 AM Church Service at 10:00 AM Before we say farewell to 2019, we must first complete our Christmas celebrations. This Sunday our children help us retell the story of Jesus' birth in the annual Christmas Program beginning at 10:00 AM. We will also be lighting the pink candle of Joy as we continue to recognize and rejoice in the Advent season. Finally we celebrate His birth with our Candlelight Christmas Eve Service on December 24 at 7:00 PM. We hope that you will join us in the celebration of our Messiah and His teachings both this year, and in years to come. Until then, Merry Christmas and Blessed New Year!
As the weather gets colder, the activities heat up. This past Sunday we heard from Carter Strand about the amazing work happening in the Central African Republic. Jonathan's House is an orphanage providing support for children in difficult situations. Find out more on their website, https://www.jonathanshouse.org.
Later this month we will prepare the Sanctuary for the Christmas season with the annual Hanging of the Greens. The decorating will take place on Saturday, November 30 at 9:00 AM. All are welcome to come help. Additionally, our Sunday school kids have started practicing for the Christmas Program. We will once again be switching worship and Sunday school times to allow the children one final practice before the performance. Therefore, Sunday school will meet at 9:00 AM on December 15, and church will follow at 10:00 AM. Refreshments and coffee hour will be hosted by the Christian Education Committee at 11:00 AM. Finally we invite you to join us for the Christmas Eve Service on Tuesday, December 24 at 7:00 PM. We celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ through worship, song, and communion. The 1st Presbyterian Church has an open table policy and invites individuals of all denominations to take communion together as brothers and sisters in Christ. We can't wait to see you! There are many events and opportunities available for people of all ages to become involved in through our church. We appreciate your participation and can't wait to see you!
Active Service Members & Veterans Recognition Service In honor of the National Guard service men and women being deployed to the Middle East this fall, and for all veterans who have served, we will be hosting a special Sunday morning church service which will honor these brave individuals through special music, readings, and fellowship. Our Sunday school children will be playing an active role in the service by leading patriotic songs and the Pledge of Allegiance. The Praisebyts, our women's music group, will be performing a special song in honor of all service members and their families. After service, the Music and Worship Committee will be hosting a special coffee hour. Please join us as we show our thanks and appreciation at our 9:00 AM service on Sunday, September 29 and at our coffee fellowship hour which begins directly after the service. Presbyterian Women's Committee is hosting a special meeting open to the public on Sunday, October 13, at 2:00 PM. Lance Horbach will be present to discuss the changes occurring at the Marshalltown Hospital. Please join us to find out more information about coming changes. We will host our Sunday school Halloween Party on Sunday, October 20, at 5:00 PM. Hot dogs, chips, and special treats will be served for supper. All children are encouraged to wear their costumes. The JCI Senate Group is hosting a mission project known as Caps For Kids. Plastic caps from water bottles, pop bottles, juice, prescription bottles, laundry detergent, and more will be collected until June 30, 2020. The collected caps will be melted down and sold to earn money which will then support the adjustment, repair, and purchasing of parts for wheelchairs of children with physical disabilities. Thank you for your donations! The church is once again participating in the Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box Program. This program sends shoe boxes full of donated items to children in need overseas. Please return all filled shoe boxes to the church by November 1. Thank you for your support! Summer is coming to a close and the school bells will soon start to ring. We will be sending out our Rally Sunday Sunday School letters to families informing them of upcoming important dates for the beginning of the 2019 - 2020 Sunday school year in the next week. If you and your family would like to join us, please email the church at presbytoledo@mediacombb.net to be added to our Sunday school mailing list. Children ages 3 through 8th grade are welcome at Sunday school which runs from 10:00 - 11:00 Sunday mornings September through May.
Families are also welcome to join us for Sunday morning service beginning at 9:00 AM. While nursery care is available, we encourage parents and children of all ages to enjoy the service with us in the sanctuary as we believe that the sound of children during service is a joyful noise. In the words of Jesus Christ, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." (Matthew 19:14 NIV). Finally we would like to remind current and future parishioners that our monthly newsletter is available to be sent via email. Simply send us a digital newsletter request to presbytoledo@mediacombb.net and we will send each month's newsletter to your inbox. We hope the rest of your summer is wonderfully fun filled and look forward to seeing you soon! The countdown is on as we wrap up another wonderful Sunday school year. This month we will once again be hosting our end of the year picnic celebrating our amazing Sunday school students and honoring our college graduates. Please note the changes in time from last year which are listed below. The pictures at the bottom are from this year's Annual Easter Egg Hunt. Saturday, April 20 proved to be a wonderful day with amazing weather. Thank you to all of the volunteers and donors who help make this event possible each and every year, and thank you to all of the families who bring their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, rain or shine, to see us each Easter Eve. If you were unable to make it this year, we would love to see you in 2020 (if not even sooner!). Sunday, May 19, 2019 Last Day of SS/ Graduation Sunday/ SS Picnic 9:00 AM ~ Church Service The Sunday school children will all play an active role in the morning service. We will also recognize our graduates. 10:00 AM ~ Final Sunday School Before Fall The children will meet one last time before September for a final day of fun. 11:00 AM ~ Sunday School Picnic Join us for lunch as we wrap up the 2018 ~ 2019 Sunday School year.
 Stop in and meet the Easter Bunny next year! The month of April has arrived and Easter is just around the corner! We're busy preparing for all of the various Easter activities in our church. To start off Holy Week, we celebrate Palm Sunday by having the children of the church bring in the palms at the beginning of the 9:00 AM service. We also recognize the One Great Hour of Sharing organization which provides world wide relief to those in need. On Thursday, April 18, we celebrate Maundy Thursday through a special 7:00 P.M. service. On Saturday, April 20, we host our Annual Easter Egg Hunt on the Tama County Courthouse lawn with our special guest, the Easter Bunny. Please be sure to arrive well before the 1:00 start time as all of the eggs will be gone by 1:05! Finally we celebrate Easter morning together with worship at 9:00. Please join us for these Holy Week events and have a very happy Easter! April Calendar of Events
Welcome back! The weather in February certainly caused a few scheduling issues. It all began with cancelled meetings on February 12. It then extended into cancelled church and Sunday school services on February 17 and 24. We were finally able to reconvene on Sunday, March 3 just in time to celebrate communion once again. We hope that the weather will hold off long enough for us to conduct committee meetings on Tuesday, March 12. Additionally we hope to see all of our Sunday school kids and their families at the Crazy Supper on Sunday, March 17th. Please make sure that you and your family has sent in your RSVP so that you can join us for a night of crazy, mixed up, St. Patrick's Day fun. Check out the March calendar of events below to join in. We look forward to seeing you soon!
March 3: Communion Sunday March 4: Bible Study @ 6:30 March 6: Praise Practice @ 5:00 March 7: Food Pantry Work Day March 12: Committee Meetings 5:00 Deacons 6:00 Trustees 5:30 Christian Education 7:00 Session March 13: Praise Practice @ 5:00 March 17: Crazy Supper @ 5:00 March 18: Bible Study @ 6:30 March 20: Praise Practice @ 5:00 March 27: Praise Practice @ 5:00 2019 has begun in full force at the 1st Presbyterian Church! Sunday, January 6th brought forth the installation of new church officers and the return of Sunday school for the Spring Session. Coming up later this month is the Annual Meeting on Sunday, January 27. While the pot luck dinner before the meeting is the same, the timing is slightly different this year to accommodate the Sunday school classes. Finally, we begin the month of February with our annual Souper Bowl Sunday luncheon. We will be collecting monetary donations which will be equally divided between the STC Ministerial Association, the Tama County Humane Society, and the STC Food Pantry. The Sunday school classes will also be hosting a food drive the entire month of February with all proceeds going to the STC Food Pantry. We look forward to breaking last year's donation of 200 pounds of food. Come in out of the cold and join us for some hot and delicious treats. Until then, Happy New Year, stay warm, and God bless. Sunday, January 27 Schedule
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