NewsletterColver Presbyterian Church
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A Word from the PASTOR
Exodus 19:3-6
" You have seen…, how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself."
It has been three months since the Israelites left Egypt and arrived at mount Sanai, the mountain of the Lord. One of the important elements in the promises given to Moses was for him to confront Pharaoh; that he should lead, and that Israel would “worship God on their mountain" (Exodus3:12).
Now arrived at the mountain, Israel should remember the journey and how hard and life-threatening it was, made possible only with and by God. The journey was filled with enemies lurking behind. The Red Sea before them was an endless depth of waters. The desert was filled with scavengers. Israel experienced thirst, hunger, and nights filled with terrors. The whole journey was filled with valleys full of destruction. David remembered this event, that if it were not for God, enemies would have devoured Israel and crushed their lives (Psalm 124:1-3).
After three months' journey God tells people to remember "how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself." Israel should remember God's loving mercy because God's providence, compassion, and protection carried them along the journey.
When we reflect on our own experiences, we realize that it has been three months since the sheltering order was extended to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Three months in the lockdown. One way or another, we are all affected.
Unlike Israel, in this journey, we are all sheltered and only voyaging with thoughts, phones, and internet services. Yet, like Israel, the virus was lurking at our doors and threatening our lives. Many lost love ones in this journey. Many lost jobs, faced hunger, and our way of life has been interrupted in this fight.
Now we see green light shining from afar. Cases are slowing down, and doctors are seeing fewer COVID-19 patients. There is hope that our county could go green in the coming days. This is simply a sign of recovery; we still have long way to go in this journey. We need to be cautious and practice guidelines as we are allowed to finally go out from sheltering.
Our session is working and looking into some guidelines to follow when we resume our in-person worship services. Our Church committees will plan programs and activities while maintaining such guidelines when approved. This will include recognizing graduates, those transitioning to Middle School from Primary School, etc.
Above all, we thank God for being with us thus far; thank you to you all, for being patient in my struggle with streaming and recorded sessions. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. Thank you for continuing to support the Church by mailing in your tithes and offerings. Thank you to those who have access to our online service and for your donations to enhance our services and our ministries. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents to support our members and our community at large. Thank you to Session members, for giving your time to contact members and check on everyone during the tough time. I am humbled, I am blessed, and it is my pleasure to serve God with all of you. Thank you!
You are all in my prayers. I pray for God's protection, guidance, well-being, and the future of our Church. And even if it seems too soon to claim victory over this enemy, let us remember how God brought us this far on His mighty arms. It was the peace of God that filled our hearts and guarded our minds from fear as we practiced self-distancing and lived in lockdown. (Philippians 4:7)
Let us remember, God's compassion, providential care, and divine protection; sing with the psalmist and speak God's mercy:
O Lord my God, how great you are!
I will praise my God to my last breath!
May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
The earth trembles at his glance;
the mountains smoke at his touch.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
Let all that I am praise the Lord!
(Psalm 104:1-4, 24-34)
Pastor Owar O
Exodus 19:3-6
" You have seen…, how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself."
It has been three months since the Israelites left Egypt and arrived at mount Sanai, the mountain of the Lord. One of the important elements in the promises given to Moses was for him to confront Pharaoh; that he should lead, and that Israel would “worship God on their mountain" (Exodus3:12).
Now arrived at the mountain, Israel should remember the journey and how hard and life-threatening it was, made possible only with and by God. The journey was filled with enemies lurking behind. The Red Sea before them was an endless depth of waters. The desert was filled with scavengers. Israel experienced thirst, hunger, and nights filled with terrors. The whole journey was filled with valleys full of destruction. David remembered this event, that if it were not for God, enemies would have devoured Israel and crushed their lives (Psalm 124:1-3).
After three months' journey God tells people to remember "how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself." Israel should remember God's loving mercy because God's providence, compassion, and protection carried them along the journey.
When we reflect on our own experiences, we realize that it has been three months since the sheltering order was extended to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Three months in the lockdown. One way or another, we are all affected.
Unlike Israel, in this journey, we are all sheltered and only voyaging with thoughts, phones, and internet services. Yet, like Israel, the virus was lurking at our doors and threatening our lives. Many lost love ones in this journey. Many lost jobs, faced hunger, and our way of life has been interrupted in this fight.
Now we see green light shining from afar. Cases are slowing down, and doctors are seeing fewer COVID-19 patients. There is hope that our county could go green in the coming days. This is simply a sign of recovery; we still have long way to go in this journey. We need to be cautious and practice guidelines as we are allowed to finally go out from sheltering.
Our session is working and looking into some guidelines to follow when we resume our in-person worship services. Our Church committees will plan programs and activities while maintaining such guidelines when approved. This will include recognizing graduates, those transitioning to Middle School from Primary School, etc.
Above all, we thank God for being with us thus far; thank you to you all, for being patient in my struggle with streaming and recorded sessions. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. Thank you for continuing to support the Church by mailing in your tithes and offerings. Thank you to those who have access to our online service and for your donations to enhance our services and our ministries. Thank you for sharing your gifts and talents to support our members and our community at large. Thank you to Session members, for giving your time to contact members and check on everyone during the tough time. I am humbled, I am blessed, and it is my pleasure to serve God with all of you. Thank you!
You are all in my prayers. I pray for God's protection, guidance, well-being, and the future of our Church. And even if it seems too soon to claim victory over this enemy, let us remember how God brought us this far on His mighty arms. It was the peace of God that filled our hearts and guarded our minds from fear as we practiced self-distancing and lived in lockdown. (Philippians 4:7)
Let us remember, God's compassion, providential care, and divine protection; sing with the psalmist and speak God's mercy:
O Lord my God, how great you are!
I will praise my God to my last breath!
May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
The earth trembles at his glance;
the mountains smoke at his touch.
I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.
I will praise my God to my last breath!
May all my thoughts be pleasing to him,
for I rejoice in the Lord.
Let all that I am praise the Lord!
(Psalm 104:1-4, 24-34)
Pastor Owar O
Presbyterian Women Schedule Meeting
The Women’s Association will meet on Saturday, September 5 at 10 am at the church. They will be social distancing. Please bring your own bag lunch. We will be collecting items for Birthright at the meeting. Secret Sisters will be revealed from the past year. New Secret Sisters will be selected. All women are welcome. Hope to see you there.
The Bells are Still Ringing
Since the Stay-At-Home order was put in place, we began to ring the bells each evening around 7 pm for Colver folks to enjoy. The songs are tunes that most people will and are uplifting, some times patriotic, and always in praise of our wonderful God who is helping to see us through. The bells went from ringing for 5 minutes to 10 minutes and ends with "It is Well with My Soul" or "Here I Am, Lord." During the first week of June we are ending with "Let There Be Peace on Earth." We lift up that prayer as a community through the bells. You are welcome to join us in the church parking lot to hear them bells from your car if you live out of town or even in town. Some listen while they sit on their porch, walk around town, or ride their bikes. We've even had one person walk by the church singing along to the songs. People who have just moved into town have commented on how wonderful the church bells are. One little way to reach out to others and be a community!
Hymnals Available
A couple of years ago the church changed hymnals to the Glory To God hymnal by the Presbyterian Church. Session has decided to give the previous hymnals to anyone who would like a copy. Copies are available for the taking up until Election Day. After Election Day, they will be disposed of. We still have some hymnals left. If you would like one, please let us know.
The Women’s Association will meet on Saturday, September 5 at 10 am at the church. They will be social distancing. Please bring your own bag lunch. We will be collecting items for Birthright at the meeting. Secret Sisters will be revealed from the past year. New Secret Sisters will be selected. All women are welcome. Hope to see you there.
The Bells are Still Ringing
Since the Stay-At-Home order was put in place, we began to ring the bells each evening around 7 pm for Colver folks to enjoy. The songs are tunes that most people will and are uplifting, some times patriotic, and always in praise of our wonderful God who is helping to see us through. The bells went from ringing for 5 minutes to 10 minutes and ends with "It is Well with My Soul" or "Here I Am, Lord." During the first week of June we are ending with "Let There Be Peace on Earth." We lift up that prayer as a community through the bells. You are welcome to join us in the church parking lot to hear them bells from your car if you live out of town or even in town. Some listen while they sit on their porch, walk around town, or ride their bikes. We've even had one person walk by the church singing along to the songs. People who have just moved into town have commented on how wonderful the church bells are. One little way to reach out to others and be a community!
Hymnals Available
A couple of years ago the church changed hymnals to the Glory To God hymnal by the Presbyterian Church. Session has decided to give the previous hymnals to anyone who would like a copy. Copies are available for the taking up until Election Day. After Election Day, they will be disposed of. We still have some hymnals left. If you would like one, please let us know.
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Online Services
We understand that for so many that have grown up in the church and find the Colver Church building to be a comfort, a home, a sanctuary, their special place to be re-energized that this time has been difficult. We have tried to give as many as possible little "tastes of home" through Facebook pictures of the sanctuary and church for you to visit while away. We will continue to share pictures that hopefully bring you some comfort in these most difficult times. We hope that when we can return to in-person worship, we will be able to provide you internet based worship from within your church building. |
HOME COMMUNION
For home communion or visits, please contact Rev. Ojulu or a member of the session to schedule. September Birthdays & Anniversaries 02 – Carissa Nedrow 03 – Pauline Blough 04 – Mary Jeanne Davis 05 – Bill & Kathy Davis 06 – Abigail Brown 09 – Leah Brown 11 – Deb Irwin 14 – Mark Zimmerman 15 – Kathy Davis 20 – Bill & Doris Smith 21 – Mason LaMantia 22 – Maci Hill 22 – Max & Teddy Kirsch 24 – Tyler Jacobs 25 – Brian Davis 27 – Gavin McHugh 27 – Jason Link If you have a birthday or anniversary that we missed or you would like us to add, please let us know. |
Church Response to COVID-19
We opened our doors again on June 7th. We have successfully been able to maintain social distancing and continue to meet the CDC guidelines. We are glad to be able to gather together to worship in house and virtually.
The church has remained active even in the light of the shut down. Our Little Free Library has been turned into a Little Free Food Bank. Members of the church and community have provided non-perishable food items that anyone is welcome to come and take.
Bulletins get emailed to those on our newsletter email list, so even those who are far away may have a little piece of our service. Bulletins are also put in the Colver Post Office each week for those who don't have internet or just prefer to pick one up. These are available for anyone in Colver to pick up. Links to Zoom the services are found in the bulletins and on our church webpage.
Many of the Colver Crafters have been making masks and donating them to nursing homes and the town. Often the steps of the church can be seen lined with masks free for the taking.
As mentioned in a previous story, we are ringing the bells each evening.
Church Elves have taken this time without people in the pews to give the sanctuary a thorough cleaning. The wood on the pews, doors, window sills and other furniture have been cleaned and re-oiled. The cushions on the pews have been swept and gone over with lint brushes. The floors have had a deep cleaning. The cleaning continues. The Church Elves have been working downstairs too. The restrooms and kitchen have had a good cleaning too while people have been away. And the thorough cleaning continues.
Even though we are keeping busy, we long to be together even if it's different.
