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Coffee Hour is resuming! Our first Coffee Hour for 2021 will be Sunday, October 10 immediately following service in the basement Fellowship Room. Come on in and join us for Sunday service beginning at 11, followed by a hot cup of coffee and some sweet treats. We can't wait to see you!
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Tomorrow marks the beginning of another wonderful year of Sunday school. We are so excited to be able to see our youth participating in tomorrow's service through Camp Wyoming reports and third grade Bible presentations.
However, there has been a few changes since our last post. As mentioned previously, our times are different than initially anticipated in order for us to assist a sister church in transition. Additionally, coffee hour plans have been put on hold due to the rising COVID resurgence concerns. Our session committee meets on the 21st and will be discussing and deciding upon a plan best suited for our congregation. Listed below is a reminder of our upcoming times and events. In the meantime, we can't wait to see you all! Sunday, September 12, 2021 Rally Sunday Breakfast 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM Open to all who attend Sunday school and their families Sunday School Classes 9:30 AM - 10:45 AM Sunday Service 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM Camp Wyoming Reports 3rd Grade Bible Presentations Tuesday, September 21, 2021 Committee Meetings 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM Deacons, Christian Education, Trustees, Session Earlier this month we described upcoming changes to our service and Sunday school times to best serve our congregation. On Sunday, August 29th, we were presented with the opportunity to support a fellow church in need by sharing a pastor for the next few months. In order to make this new plan function, we adjusted our original plans from a September time change to an August carry-over. We are blessed to have the resources and ability to help others. Please see the chart below for a detailed description of our new plan going forth. In the meantime, we can't wait to see you all in September and hope you have a wonderful week!
As we prepare for the new Sunday school season, changes are being made.
(If you would like to be added to our Sunday school mailing list, please leave us a message at 641-484-3522 or send us an email at presbytoledo@mediacombb.net with your name, contact information, and age(s) of your child(ren)). The past year and a half has been one of changes, challenges, difficulties, sorrow, and uncertainty. Yet through it all we have seen moments of joy, triumph, and hope. Now the time has come where medical intervention, treatment, and vaccines have gained a strong foothold and safety precautions are being eased. In response to the recent changes in society, we at the First Presbyterian Church of Toledo have altered our precautions to accommodate the newly available information while still serving our congregation in the best way we know how.
Beginning on Sunday, May 30, 2021, we will no longer be requiring face masks for attendees. Anyone who would feel more comfortable wearing a mask is more than welcome to continue doing so. Additionally, we will still be offering face masks and hand sanitizer at the main entrance for those who wish to use either product. In turn, we will no longer be limiting seating within the Sanctuary. All attendees are free to sit wherever they feel most comfortable. If you arrive and would like more distance between yourself and other attendees than is available, the Library, located off the east side of the Sanctuary, is always open for additional seating. At this time, we will continue to have the offering plate near the entrance of the church and available both before and after service rather than pass the plate. Communion will also continue to be served in individual servings on the communion table instead of being served by the Elders. Sunday services will still be available using the phone service through the month of August. If you would like to know how to listen to services using our phone system, please contact us for the necessary information. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via phone or email. While we do not have set office hours, all inquiries will be answered as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing all of you at Sunday services which begin at 11:00 AM in the Sanctuary! Today marked the end of another successful, if not quite normal, Sunday school year. We were blessed with the ability to meet in service and fellowship in a beautiful worship filled with laughter, singing, and communion with one another and God. Our talented Sunday school children performed a series of songs and took an active role in retelling the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. We are so thankful for the dedication of our children and families as we share and learn the word of God together.
As we look ahead, we will be taking a special 5th Sunday offering in May that will benefit our youth Summer Camp Scholarship Fund. This year we are pleased to share that 12 of our students are able to attend and participate in Summer Camp. We are so proud of our students who were moved to share their excitement about camp with their friends. In fact, we have learned that another child from the community will be attending the same camp due to our own students sharing their joyous anticipation for another great summer camp experience. Way to go, kids! Assuming that we will be able to resume Sunday school as scheduled this fall, we will see you all in class in September. Families, please be on the look-out for mailed information in late July or during the month of August. If you or your children would like to join us for Sunday school in the fall, please contact us via phone or email with your contact information as well as the names and ages of your children. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you all at Sunday morning services at 11:00 AM in the sanctuary! Lent is in full swing and we have begun planning our Annual Easter Egg Hunt. As many of you may remember, COVID forced us to cancel last year's event. However this year, we are planning on hosting our Annual Easter Egg Hunt once again with the addition of mask wearing by all attendees.
This year's hunt will take place on Saturday, April 3, 2021 at 1:00 PM for all children ages 2 - 12 on the Tama County Courthouse North Lawn. Please remember to arrive early! Additionally, we are tentatively planning to hold a Maundy Thursday service on Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 7:00 PM. As with all of our services, mask wearing will be required. In the meantime, we look forward to seeing you each Sunday at 9:30 AM for Sunday school and at 11:00 AM for church services. Have a happy Easter! Despite reports from Punxsutawney Phil, the First Presbyterian Church is moving toward spring with a few changes.
In order to best serve our entire congregation, we will be moving church services to 11:00 AM on Sunday mornings beginning on Sunday, February 21, 2021. As such, the Sunday school classes will be adjusting their times as well. The youth Sunday school classes will meet from 9:30 AM to 10:45 AM beginning on Sunday, February 21, 2021. The adult Sunday school class will meet from 9:30 to 10:30 beginning on Sunday, February 21, 2021. In the meantime, we hope you are all staying warm and safe and can't wait to see you! While the past year was full of new and not always fun experiences, many were still able to find positives and moments of joy. More importantly, many found ways to bring joy to others. Our congregation was no exception. In less than a week we were able to provide and deliver 45 Christmas care packages as part of a special service project. It is a blessing to be part of such a generous and loving congregation! As we move into the new year, we prepare for our Annual Meeting on January 24, 2021. All reports are due on January 10, 2021. During the month of February, we typically celebrate Souper Bowl Sunday with a soup luncheon and canned food drive. Due to COVID restrictions, we will not be meeting for soup or collecting food. To better support the South Tama Food Pantry and the Tama County Humane Society, we will be conducting a month long fundraiser beginning on February 1 and ending on February28. If you would like to contribute, please contact us via phone or email at 484-3522 or presbytoledo@mediacombb.net. In the meantime, we hope to see you soon at our socially distanced, safety precautioned events listed below.
 Christmas care packages ready to be delivered!  Committee leaders: Don't forget to submit your reports for the Annual Meeting! :)
Anyone in Iowa this past week has seen the devastating impact of the derecho storm that hit on Monday, August 10. The church was relatively unscathed, but has yet to have power restored. Due to this unexpected issue, regular in - person church services have been suspended this week. Phone - in service will be available for any and all who have working phone service. In the meantime, we would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to all who are working long, tiring hours to restore power, clean up debris, repair homes and businesses, and providing food and shelter to those in need. |
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