In-Person Worship Resumes January 23
I am glad to let you know that we will resume in-person Worship in our Sanctuary on January 23, accompanied by our usual livestreaming of the two services at 9am and 11am on our website: www.congopres.org/livestream.
Pastor McLane, Beth Katzenberger, and I are symptom free, and Beth and I have both tested negative for COVID. According to CDC Guidelines, Pastor McLane, who tested positive last week, does not retest at the end of his isolation period – I erroneously told you otherwise last week. We look forward to being with you on Sunday – live or via the internet.
You will notice that the three of us will be wearing our masks when not up front leading worship as a further precaution advised by the Guidelines.
Yours in ministry,
Pastor Steve
Souper Bowl Sunday
The Mission and Community Outreach Committee invites the congregation to participate in our “Souper Bowl” food drive, ending on Super Bowl Sunday, February 13. This is Super Bowl 56, so our goal is at least 56 bags of food which will be distributed to the Lewiston and Clarkston school districts for children in need. The food can be placed around the goal posts in Fellowship Hall; there you can also find a list of needed items.
COVID-19 Operational Plan Update
August 11, 2021
Dear Church Family,
In May of this year, the Board of our church approved the following COVID-19 Operational Plan:
1. Wearing a mask is optional in worship and at all church activities. Masks and hand-sanitizer will be available in the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall.
2. In Worship, we will serve communion (with a few tweaks to enhance health and safety) and offer Young Disciples’ Time. We will continue our practice of not having materials in the pew racks, and we will not pass the offering plate. Offerings can be placed in the Offering Boxes at the rear of the Sanctuary.
3. Fellowship Time after worship will take place in Fellowship Hall with food and beverages offered by masked and gloved servers at the kitchen counter.
At their meeting last night, the Board decided to continue our current Operational Plan. In addition, some of our ministry programs that normally begin in September will be put “on hold” for the time being, and one-time in-person events will be postponed.
We encourage everyone who would like to wear a mask in worship or while participating in a ministry activity to do so, and the livestreaming of our worship services will continue.
This Operational Plan complies with the current “Stage 4 of the State of Idaho and Department of Health and Welfare Stay Healthy Guidelines.” Should State guidelines change, we will amend our plan accordingly.
Yours in Christ,
Pastor Steve
Programs
Programs marked with an ** have been put “on hold” for the time being
Senior Exercise – Welcomes everyone on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, 9:00-9:45am in Fellowship Hall for low-impact exercise according to the “Fit and Fall Proof” method.
Women’s Association – We meet the second Monday of the month, 10am-12noon in Fellowship Hall. All women of the church are invited for fellowship, refreshments, a devotion led by one of our ladies, and a study on the Parables of Jesus led by Pastor Steve Wilbraham.
Monday Evening Women’s Bible Study – This study meets on the second and fourth Mondays of the month, 6:45-7:45pm downstairs in the Administration Building. Our current study is “The Fruit of the Spirit.”
Deep Roots: Theology for Today – Join Pastor McLane on Tuesdays at 3:00pm in the Chapel for a reading of important Christian texts aimed at enriching our lives today. Questions? Contact Pastor McLane at mclanes@congopres.org
Wednesday Men’s Bible Study – Meets weekly with Pastor Steve in Fellowship Hall, 6:45 – 7:45am. Join us for good fellowship around God’s Word as we study the book of Romans, and enjoy coffee and donuts.
**Wednesday in the Word – Join us every Wednesday with Pastor Steve, 12:00-1:00pm in the Chapel, as he leads our discussion of the coming Sunday’s scripture passage.
**MidWeek – Wednesdays, 6:00-7:00pm meeting in Fellowship Hall. Pastors Steve and McLane are teaching a Wednesday evening series on “Important Themes for Understanding and Reading Scripture” including such topics as Generosity, the Tree of Life, Justice, and the Day of the Lord.
Friday Morning Women’s Bible Study – We meet weekly on Fridays, 10-11am in the Chapel. All women are welcome to join. Jean Allen, 208.746.0557, coordinates this study.
**DivorceCare – Sundays, 3:00-4:30pm meeting in Fellowship Hall. DivorceCare is a friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life’s most difficult experiences. Don’t go through separation or divorce alone. For additional information, contact Loa Vornholt at 509-295-3930; www.divorcecare.org.
Food Bank Sunday – On the third Sunday of each month we invite our congregation to bring food to Fellowship Hall and place it in the shopping cart. The food is delivered to the Lewiston “Community Action Food Bank” located at 124 New Sixth Street where those in need can go and be served.
Pastor Steve’s Annual Report Letter for 2021
Dear Church Family,
It is a privilege and a blessing for me to be your Pastor, partnering with you in God’s work here in our church and in our community. Lauri and I are in our seventeenth year with you, and she joins me in expressing our gratitude for your support and friendship.
We are moving into our third year with COVID and there have been difficulties along the way for all of us, both as a family of faith and in our individual lives, but God remains faithful and there has been much to be thankful for. As you read this Annual Report, I trust you will be encouraged, as I am, to see what God has been doing through the various committees of our congregation.
Working alongside the committees is a wonderful staff of committed people who coordinate and support our ministries. Being with them on a daily basis I have come to rely on their abilities, I see their dedication to this church, and I witness their commitment to the Lord.
Pastor McLane, our Associate for Youth and Congregational Life, enters his sixth year with us and continues to lead in many areas of our church’s ministries. One of those is our Children’s Ministry, and when Kelly Paynter left us this past year to pursue a teaching position with Cornerstone Christian School, McLane put together a team of people to plan and provide ministry to the youngest members of our church family.
Lisa Huddleston is our Administrator, ably overseeing the work of the office and handling the financial affairs of our church. In our office, Bobby Jo Sinner left us for a full-time position. We determined that by increasing the hours of Anna Bruce, our other secretary, we could cover the work, and she has taken on her new responsibilities with skill and enthusiasm.
Beth Katzenberger, as she has for almost thirty years, blesses us with her God-given gifts as our Director of Music Ministries, while Rich Goodwin, our Facilities Coordinator and Rich Kaiser, our Custodian, take care of the maintenance and upkeep of our church buildings and vehicles, and keeps our physical plant running smoothly and looking good.
Mike Gabby, our Director of Senior Adult Ministry, retired in August, and his position has been filled by Laureen Trail and Mike Holder as co-directors leading respectively the programmatic and pastoral dimensions of the ministry.
Our church Board is a committed team of women and men dedicated to the ministry of our church under the lordship of Jesus Christ who alone is Head of the Church. They have led us intelligently and with grace through the complexities of ministry in the context of COVID, and I encourage you to join me in thanking them personally for their service to our church family.
What precisely the Lord has in store for us as a church in the coming year he alone knows, but in light of all the ways he has blessed us in the past, we can have every confidence that he will continue to be faithful to us, guiding us in ministry, encouraging us in hardships, and bringing us closer to one another as friends in Christ who love one another and seek to Know Christ, Become Like Christ, and Share Christ.
Yours in Ministry,
Pastor Steve