August 23, 2020 Sunday Morning
10:00 a.m. ~ Meeting for Worship Live Streaming via the church Facebook page or our website at: www.wichitaquakers.org
- Flowers: Dorothy McKay
- Technology: Michael Barrett & Michelle Barrett
- Prelude: Rosemary Nettrouer
- Announcements
- Special Music: Sarah Wine will sing “Shine” by Valcq and Alley from Spitfire Grill
- Pastoral Prayer
- Message – Seek God First
- Scripture – Matthew 7:7-11
- Open Worship
- Congregational song #438: “Seek Ye First,” accompanied by Rosemary Nettrouer
Called Monthly Meeting August 23 to address the appointment of the Nominating Committee
Time: Aug 23, 2020 10:45 AM Central Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/92292001853?pwd=SUwxUmp5Vzh6d1JlZTBhK1UyM2hZZz09
Meeting ID: 922 9200 1853
Passcode: 525701
205 Sunday Class to meet via Zoom at 3:00 pm.
Please feel free to share worship time on your Facebook page for others to enjoy also!
Still live streaming
University Friends will continue live streaming worship until the number of cases and deaths from COVID-19 start trending down in our area.
During the live streaming, we have room for a few people to come and serve as a kind of facing bench. If you would like to be among a handful of people who worship with us in person, please be sure and let the office know.
Currently, the end of the pandemic is nowhere in sight. Frustrating, isn’t it? It’s pushing our patience to (and sometimes beyond) its limits. Nevertheless, as long as we need to, we’ll do what we can to stay safe: wear masks, practice sanitizing, and limit our gatherings as an expression of love for one another.
Sedgwick County’s current order, effective August 22 through September 8, prohibits gatherings of more than 15 people.
(https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/covid-19/local-orders/emergency-public-health-order-august-18-2020/).
Listening Groups: Preparing for an All-Church Retreat
As you know, University Friends Meeting is in a time of transition. As part of that effort we seek to answer these questions: Who are we? Who are our neighbors? To what is God calling us?
We need to broaden the discussion to include more of the congregation. We envision having conversations within Listening Groups, 15-20 people each, which would meet in person with safe distancing, via Zoom, or some combination of those. We hope that each Listening Group would meet at least three times, beginning as soon as possible. Those three meetings would involve reflecting on the survey results as well as the questions of who we are and what God is calling us to do in our context. These conversations are crucial as we consider questions related to the future of University Friends Meeting and the appetite for change, and we want to include everyone in the discussion.
What would it mean for us to join God’s work in our community, in our time? How can we be better stewards of our assets, in terms of people, facilities, and money? What is God calling us to be and do?
The Transition Team is working on information for group leaders, and you should be hearing from your leader in early September.
Children’s News –
We are still looking for some Friends to read some stories for us. Interested? Video yourself reading a children’s book. No chapter books unless you would like to do a weekly installment. We just need you to read a story on video and show the pictures. That’s it! Sign up via google sheets or email Andrea directly. Once you sign up, video the story, then email the video to asuttle121@gmail.com We will post videos every Wednesday, so you need to send your video by Tuesday!
Thank you and we look forward to seeing your videos! Andrea Suttle, Children’s Ministry Director
The Book Club will meet at 6:30 p.m., the 2nd and 4th Tuesday’s of each month. Join us in the church library or on Zoom. Tuesday, August 25th, the discussion will be over O.S. Hawkins’ The Nehemiah Code: It’s Never Too Late for a New Beginning, Parts 3 & 4. If you would like to attend via Zoom, please email Catherine at orcagriffith@yahoo.com, and she will send you an email invitation.
Great Plains Yearly Meeting, Sept 11 & 12, 2020.
A Spiritual Gathering for Fellowship and Nurture – Sept. 11th & 12th 2020
Friends, it has been a hard exercise of faithfulness to stay connected with each other during this time of great pause. Let’s gather online, even though it’s not our favorite way, this coming September 11th & 12th . We will treat this time as our 2020 Yearly Meeting gathering. There is a registration form on our GPYM website (greatplainsyearlymeeting.org) that will inform us of your desired participation. In response to your registration, you will receive a ZOOM invitation and instructions on how to join the meeting online. You are encouraged to join individually, as a family or in a small Covid-19 safe group (please indicate who I should send the invite info to).
The schedule will look somewhat like this with breaks worked in:
Friday, Sept 11th
6:30pm – checking in, roll call, State of Society reports
Saturday, Sept 12th
10:00am – We will gather to listen and respond to a ministering message from Noah Merrill
Lunch Break
1:30pm – Gather for more time with Noah Merrill
Special Interest Groups
We pray that the Spirit will enhance these efforts beyond our abilities and we will find joy in seeing each other via ZOOM and hearing the voices of Friends.
~ LaVonna Loesch, presiding clerk ~
Zoom Sessions
Some folks from University Friends are planning to Zoom together for the virtual sessions of Great Plains Yearly Meeting, at 6:30 p.m. Friday as well as 10:00 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday. We can gather in the library and host at least one group of 15 or less, distanced and masked. Interested? Please let Sandy know in the next couple of weeks, by September 4, so we can make suitable seating arrangements.
Family Promise Update
Hi Friends!
Our Family Promise host week is fast approaching! Family Promise of Greater Wichita has reopened the rotation program to one family and one church each week with new safety protocols.
We will be joining West Heights UMC at their church location to host the family this rotation. We take the health and safety of our guest family and our volunteers seriously. As such, we will strictly follow the guidelines of both the church and Family Promise. Under “Related files:” on the volunteer sign-up, you will find an attachment listing the changes we believe you need to know to help you make an informed decision. Additional precautions will be taken; those will be reviewed with all volunteers. We respect whatever decision you make. Please click here to view the volunteer opportunities and sign-up to help! Thank you!
– Erin & Dan DeGroot
Volunteer Coordinators, University Friends
PRAYER REQUESTS AND CONCERNS:
- Gordon Smith is scheduled to go home from the hospital on Friday, August 21st under hospice care. Gil Smith, their son is spending considerable time helping Joan with Gordon’s care. They are taking it one day at a time.
- Our church during this time of transition – may we find clarity and energy for the tasks at hand and the decisions we will need to make as we find our way forward. May we find ways to use our assets wisely and well. May we discover ways we are to be a beacon of love in our world. May we be looking for the doors God is opening, and may we have the courage to walk through them.
IN SYMPATHY
We received word this week of the passing of Eunice Kinser, wife of Merl Kinser. She died on Monday, August 17, at the age of 83 and had been at Presbyterian Manor in Newton, KS, since January.
Merl and Eunice met as students at Barclay College, were married for over 62 years, and ministered together in EFC-MAYM for 52 years as pastors at Hesper, Enid, Miami and Friends Chapel. There will be a private burial in Haviland, with a memorial service planned later this fall at Northridge Friends in Wichita. Memorial gifts can be sent to Barclay College. If you would like to send condolences to the family, Merl’s address is: 2603B Goldenrod Rd, North Newton, KS, 67117. You can find a copy of Eunice’s obituary here: http://petersenfamilyfuneralhome.com/obituaries/eunice-g-kinzer/
Greg Newby noted that their son Steve was best man at Greg and Rhonda’s wedding.
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