Angle Tree
The Angel Tree Ministry Team invites you to participate in the Angle Tree Ministry of our church, and we need to let you know that there will be some changes this year. We will not be able to collect and deliver actual gifts of toys and clothes due to COVID-19 guidelines from both State and National Angel Tree organizations.
Instead of toys/clothes, we will include gift cards purchased through your financial support in our Angel Tree “Gift Packages.” The team will purchase the cards and add them to the packages. In addition to the gift cards, the packages will include the Angel Tree tags complete with handwritten parent’s messages to their children, Bible request cards, and age appropriate booklets that come from Angel Tree Prison Fellowship.
Look for the Angel Tree display in Fellowship Hall.
– The display will have information about the children we are serving this year.
– A basket will be available for checks or cash donations for the $25 gift cards the team will purchase. You can also submit your donation directly to the church office, noting that it is for Angel Tree.
– Christmas cards for the prisoners will be at the display with which you can write a meaningful message and return to the card basket or the church office. The team will address the envelopes.
We realize selecting a child, buying age appropriate gifts and wrapping with special care is part of the Christmas fun you experience and a reason for your participation, and we are grateful for your past involvement. This year is special in so many ways and we hope you will help Angel Tree Ministry continue in a different format this Christmas. Angel Tree children will be blessed again this December thanks to your flexibility and generosity.
“RAKE ‘EM UP” FALL CLEAN-UP
Saturday, December 5
Beginning at 9:00am
This is the day we spruce up the church grounds, and we need you to supply the muscle! The work will involve leaf raking and removal. We will start work at 9:00am and continue until we are finished (it usually takes us 2-3 hours), so come whenever you can and stay as long as you can. We will provide coffee, hot chocolate and donuts – but, no lunch this year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Please bring leaf rakes, leaf blowers, tarps, gloves and pick-up trucks. Contact Rich Goodwin (509-780-3410) or richg@congopres.org with questions.
Ministries
All ministries will implement COVID-19 protocols including social distancing, the wearing of face coverings, and hand sanitizer. Please do not attend if you have a fever or display any other symptom of the virus.
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.”
Wednesday Men’s Bible Study – Meets weekly in Fellowship Hall, 6:45 – 7:45am. Join us for good fellowship around God’s Word as we study the book of Acts, 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.
DivorceCare – Thursdays,6:30-8:00pm 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.
Friday Morning Women’s Bible Study – We meet weekly on Fridays, 10-11am in the Chapel. This fall we are studying the book of Acts. All women are welcome to join. Jean Allen, 208.746.0557, coordinates this study. Note: We have finished for the year. Join us again beginning January 8.
In-Person Worship
9:00 am Singing
Dear Church Family, July 15, 2020
The board of our church met last night, and the decision was made to open the church for in-person gatherings, including Sunday morning worship and weekday ministry activities. So, beginning this coming Sunday, July 19, we will meet in our Sanctuary for our two services: the 9am Contemporary Service and the 11am Traditional Service.
The board also adopted an Operational Plan for our church that lessens the risk of spreading COVID-19. The plan incorporates guidelines from the State of Idaho’s Protocols for Places of Worship and information from the Nez Perce County Office of Emergency Management. The primary elements of the Plan are as follows:
- Maintain appropriate social distancing. For Sunday worship we will have designated seating in the Sanctuary that will help to maintain distance by blocking off every other pew. We will also set up chairs in Fellowship Hall should we run out of space in the Sanctuary, with sound and video brought in from the Sanctuary. Worshippers from the same household will be able to sit together.
- Face coverings will be required. We ask that you bring your own, but we will have some available for those who don’t.
- Hand sanitizers will be provided and people will be encouraged to use them.
- High touch areas will be disinfected after each worship service and ministry activity.
- We ask that everyone self-monitor for fever and other symptoms of COVID-19 and refrain from coming to the church should you have any symptoms.
These actions are meant to protect each one of us from being exposed to or transmitting the coronavirus. We trust that we all recognize the importance of caring for each other in this way, not only as our social responsibility to one another but also in response to the will of our Lord who has instructed us in his Word to place the needs of others ahead of our own.
The board also approved the plan of our Children’s Ministry to offer Children’s Church during the 9am Service. Families with children fifth grade and younger will be asked to bring them to the children’s area under the Sanctuary before the service begins where our children’s ministry team will meet them. Our nursery for ages three and younger will be available during both services. Families in our church will be contacted by Kelly Paynter, our Director of Children’s Ministry, with more detailed information.
We are aware that there are some in our church family who will chose not to participate in worship or other ministry activities at this time, and we want to be sure you know that we understand your concerns. We are all a part of the spiritual family that is Congregational-Presbyterian Church regardless of whether or not we attend worship and ministry activities in person, and we value your participation in our church in whatever way you feel most comfortable.
In order to minister to those who chose not to attend worship, or who are unable to attend for whatever reason, we have invested in video and sound equipment and software that will allow us to livestream the worship services. Beginning this Sunday, each of the Sunday services will be available live on our church website, www.congopres.org. All you need to do is log on to the website at either 9am or 11am and click “livestream” on the home page. Should you wish to view the service at a later time, you will be able to do so from the same “livestream” page.
Please pray for the health and safety of all in our church. As we begin meeting again we know there will be a period of adjusting to this new way of doing things. While we look forward to the day when we can return to the way of meeting together that we so much enjoyed before this virus, may we do all we can today to care for one another in the spirit of Christ, our Lord and Savior who continues to bless us as a congregation.
Yours in Christ, Pastor Steve
11:00am Preaching
2020 College Scholarships
The Congregational-Presbyterian Church (CPC) Fund Ministry had the pleasure of awarding $14,400 in college scholarships of $1,200.00 each to 12 outstanding college applicants. The monies for these scholarships come from the interest accrued on our College Scholarship Fund which is independent of the Congregational-Presbyterian Church budget. The Fund is supported solely by contributions in the form of memorials from members of our church family.
The students will receive the funds when they matriculate in the fall. Those receiving scholarships this year are: Shayne Ashe – a sophomore in Environmental Science at Columbia Basin College; Jake Dilling – a senior in Kinesiology with a specialty in Exercise Science at LCSC; Michaela Hersh – a senior in Elementary Education at LCSC; Lauren Johnson – a freshman in Pre-nursing at North Idaho College; Noah Norwood – a sophomore Earth Science major at LCSC; Emilyn Sheppard – a junior in Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the U of I; Autumn Symonds – a junior next fall in Safety and Health Management. She is transferring to Central Washington University; Geonna Travis – a senior next fall in Food and Nutrition at the U of I. This will be Geonna’s fourth year of receiving funds from CPC; Ryanne Travis – a sophomore Elementary Education major at LCSC; Ben Williams – a junior in Civil Engineering at LCSC; Julia Williams – a freshman Nursing student at LCSC; Rachel Williams – a returning student to the Nursing program at LCSC.
The CPC Fund Ministry Committee congratulates all our college graduates who have received scholarships during their student years. We are so proud of our youth and our college students. Congratulations and our best wishes and prayers for your new school year.
Peggy Fulton, CPC Fund Ministry Chair
FINANCIAL NEWS
I am so grateful for the generosity of our congregation. Because of your ongoing faithful support of the ministry of our church and the reduction of some of our ministry expenses, our year-to-date receipts as we move into the month of November exceed our expenses by about $6,700.
OUR CHURCH LIFE
- Church Office Hours: 8am to 1pm, Monday through Friday.
- One of the many ministries of encouragement in our church is “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 then delivered to the Lewiston “Community Action Food Bank” located at 124 New Sixth Street where those in need can go and be served.
- There are those in our congregation who are not on the internet and are therefore unable to access the resources available on our website. If you know of someone who would like to receive a copy of the weekly printed Sermon and the weekly Daily Devotions, please pass on their name and address to the church office. Or, if you would like to provide them yourself, you can download and print them from the website.