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Guest Preacher: Ezrah Schmeelk

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Guest Musician: Ying Wang

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Love offerings for Pat!

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Painting Volunteers Need

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Parking Lot Construction: Begins August 1

Starting Monday August 1, 2022, the parking lot at FPC, Waunakee will be reconstructed.  From August 1-August 5, the contractor, Wolf Paving will be working on the lower parking lot outside of Fellowship Hall and the education wing.  Monday and Tuesday, the existing parking lot will be demolished and turned into the base layer of the new parking lot.  Wednesday the contractor will test the base layer for all the minimum requirements as to base depth storm water runoff.  Thursday and Friday the sections will be paved and lined.  During this week parking is available in the upper lot for visitors and Kindermusik.

The second week, August 8-August 12, the contractor will work on the upper parking lot, and the employee parking area as well as our share of the entrance.  The same schedule follows for this 2^nd week of work, as detailed for the first week.  During this construction period, parking is available in the lower lot or education wing. Contractor is aware of our office hours and will try to watch for cars entering the lot to allow safe passage to the church.  

The work schedule is based on favorable weather.  Any lightning or other weather patterns that would disrupt work will be complied with for safety of the workers on the job and might result in some delay on the use of the new lot.  The contractor is aware that there are not enough spaces in the either section to accommodate the Sunday Service needs, so all efforts will be made to stay on schedule so that each Sunday of construction the whole parking lot is available for use.

Any questions call the church office, or call the Building and Grounds Elder, RJ Binau, at 608-334-8032.

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Updates from the May and June Session Meetings

Clerk’s Report: 

•  The Presbytery has designated an interim moderator, from the time Pastor Kirk retires until the Interim Pastor begins. The moderator will be Reverend Jeff Fox-Kline, a pastor-at-large from the Madison area. His most recent assignment was at Covenant Presbyterian.
• Lolly Lawrence will be FPC’s delegate to Presbytery meetings.
• Doug Brown, the Personnel Elder nominee, will continue to serve for a term of one year. The successor Personnel Elder will serve a two-year term. After that, we will revert back to 3-year terms for Personnel Elder.

Deacons’ Report: 

The deacons send thanks to outgoing deacons Connie Pelton, Pam Knutson, Barb Evans and Laura Dortzbach. Hammers with Halos continue to complete projects.

Worship and Music

• Would like to add a volunteer to coordinate all volunteer activities, not just Worship and Music. The amount of time proposed to do this work is 3-5 hours a week. If we have no response from a volunteer, we will hire a part-time person to fill the role. The person should be gregarious, detail oriented, outgoing and a good organizer. 

Finance Report:

• There is no prepayment penalty on the loan taken for the parking lot, from Community Bank, as long as the loan stays with Community Bank. We can pay the balance down as we see fit. 
• Donations can be made on a 3-year installment plan. Pledged contributions during the 3-year timeframe are eligible to apply to the $50k match. 

Stewardship:

• Reviewed the plan for the capital campaign for the parking lot. The theme is “Paving our Way.” It will kick off June 12 and run for 36 months, with a goal of raising $300,000. Bible verse is Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.”
• An anonymous matching gift for $50,000 for the parking lot has been received. 
• Beginning planning for the fall stewardship campaign.

Student Ministry:

•  Lots of summer student activities are underway, including volunteer work, nursing home visits, and VBS participation.
• Milwaukee Mission trip is planned for August, canoeing trip on the Wisconsin River on7/27, and professionally guided rock climbing at Devil’s Lake on 8/17. 
• Starting to recruit youth leaders for the fall. 

Children’s Ministry: 

VBS 2022 went splendidly. Patricia Coley gets lots of credit for its success. There were almost equal numbers of volunteers to children! FPC has one of the largest VBS’s in the Presbytery. 

Personnel:

• Janna Leslie, the communications specialist, resigned, her last day was 5/20. She continued to help on a limited basis until her successor was hired. Chris Drake was hired as our new communications specialist.
• We will be getting calendaring (Google Calendar) put on the church website, before Donna retires. Patricia Coley and Christa Schmeelk are working on this. Will also get building use request forms on the website and train others on door programming.
• Hired Ying Wang to fill the part-time pianist role.
• Planning for departures of Pastor Kirk, Janna Leslie and Donna Kopan.
• Appointed Pastor Ben as interim head of staff during the time between Pastor Kirk’s retirement and the appointment of an interim pastor. Pastor Ben will be operating in a framework of “maintain course and speed.” He does not anticipate making any big changes during the gap. When an interim pastor, and eventually a new senior pastor, are appointed, they will automatically be given the “head of staff” role. Pastor Ben will be compensated for additional responsibility taken on during the gap between Pastor Kirk’s retirement and an interim pastor coming on board.

Fellowship:

55 attended the Night at the Mallards’. It was a great event, perfect weather, fun times. The Mother’s Day breakfast was also a well-received event. 

New Member Outreach:

May do some social media promotion this summer, particularly around newsworthy events like the hiring of an interim pastor. 

Building and Grounds:

• Sought a sense of the Session on locating a cellular tower on church property. The majority of Session members said they would most likely vote “no” on this, if a motion was presented in the future.
• Replaced two AC units and a motor was replaced on a third unit. The fireplace has also been repaired and is back in working order.
• Establishing plans for reconstruction of parking lot. This will be completed the first two weeks of August. Week 1 is the lower parking lot and education wing. Week 2 is the upper parking lot and staff parking. Drainage will be improved as part of the project.  

Adult Nurture and Spiritual Growth: 

Will use money from the general fund to cover expenses for the Bible Bethel Series Summer Teacher Training Seminar for 2022. Will offer congregation members a scholarship if the cost of lesson books is a hardship.

Adult Nurture and Spiritual Growth: 

• Still considering an October getaway at Green Lake.
• Wednesday night Zoom bible study is continuing through summer. 
• May breakfast guest speaker was well-received. 

Special meeting topic: Pastor Kirk’s Departure

• The gap between Pastor Kirk leaving and interim pastor coming on board may be short. The committee expects to bring their recommendation to the July Session meeting.
• Pastor Kirk mentioned that he appreciated the time spent with him on an exit interview, completed by Doug Brown and Lolly Lawrence.
• Kirk reiterated rules for contact with him after he retires:

1. Red light: Any pastoral ministry
2. Green light: Social activities with FPC members … Friday fish fry, Concerts on the Square, etc., as long as there is no discussion of what’s happening at FPC

• The Presbytery’s rule is that Pastor Kirk is not allowed to initiate contact with the interim moderator, interim pastor or new senior pastor. These people all have 100% permission to initiate contact with Kirk.
• Pastor Kirk taught on 1 Cor 3:2-7. He used the Corinthian church as an example of, and warning against, choosing up “sides.” Apollos and Paul were examples of leaders of that church and the people of Corinth were aligning themselves with either Apollos or Paul, but as verse 4 says “For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere human beings?” This was a reminder to us that God is the head of the church and we need to keep our eyes on Him, and not on His human servants.

Pastor Kirk also reminded us that his last name is Morledge and not Yousta … as in “Kirk Yousta do X this way” or “Pastor Kirk Yousta say X.” He doesn’t want us to cling to the way things were when he was with us, but to be open to new ways of doing things.

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Upcoming Special Music in Worship

• July 31 – Lolly Lawrence, vocalist, Ying Wang, pianist
• August 7 – Gloria Grys, piano, Jessica Spicer, flute
• August 14 – Roxanne & Alan Fauque, piano/vocals and saxophones

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WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS | July 31, 2022

Stephen Ministry at FPC: Providing God’s Care to Hurting People

What is this ministry about?

Extensively trained and supervised Stephen Minister Caregivers provide high-quality, one-on-one confidential Christian care to anyone in need. They provide weekly visits and ongoing support as long as the care receiver needs. Should the care receiver have needs that are beyond the scope of a Stephen Minister Caregiver, they are referred to professional caregivers.

What kind of care is offered from a Stephen Minister?

1. CRISIS CARE – For people experiencing change(s) that significantly challenge their ability to cope. 
2. FOLLOW-UP CARE – After the crisis event. 
3. CHRONIC CARE – For a person whose situation is unlikely to change.
4. PREVENTIVE CARE – Providing care before a crisis occurs.
5. SUPPORTIVE CARE – Care for the caregiver.

How can I find out more about this ministry?

Call the church office at 608-949-9445, or reach out to a pastor or deacon. Stephen Minister Caregivers don’t replace the care of pastors and deacons. They carry it a step further.

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