Presbyterian Visitor

September 5, 2024

The month of August was a very busy month for our church. On the 4th we hosted the 2nd Annual Block Party that was well attended. The food was great and the bounce house and water slide were well enjoyed by many children and a couple of teenagers.

On the 11th the church picnic was held at the home of Jane Lueking. We had several members in attendance. Great food and fellowship were enjoyed by all who attended. Thank you to the Local Service committee for putting this together and to Jane Lueking for hosting this event and for the use of the pool.

On the 12th the Red Cross held a Blood Drive in the Fellowship Hall. We had 23 people registered to donate and 4 walk-ins. We received a total of 24 units of blood which can help up to 72 individuals. Thank you everyone for participating in this. Our next blood drive is scheduled for Monday, November 25th.

On Monday, September 16th the presbytery is sponsoring a convocation with PC(USA) co-moderator Tony Larson at the First Presbyterian Church in Bloomington from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. There will be a free baked potato bar served during the lunch hour. Pastor Hana will be attending and all others who are welcome to attend. To register for this event, please contact Pastor Hana as soon as possible.

October 4th-16th Pastor Hana has the wonderful opportunity to travel to Ghana with the Wabash Pastoral Leadership Program. For Sunday, October 6th we invite our members to attend the Community Worship service which will start at 11:00 a.m. at the Apple Festival stage in the park (rain location is the Glover gym at Bloomfield High School).

During the worship service a Community Choir will be signing. Everyone is invited to participate in this choir. The practices will be held in the sanctuary of the First Baptist church on September 16th, 23rd, and 30th starting at 7:00 p.m. If you have any questions regarding this choir, please contact the Baptist Church at 812-384-8459.

Our church is planning once again, to have a float in this year’s Apple Festival parade. Please watch for details regarding this in the Weekly Announcements and the announcements in the bulletin. The Apple Festival parade will take place on Sunday, October 6th.

The Trustees will be meeting on Monday, September 9th at 6:00 p.m. in the Seekers Room.

Hunter Cullison, grandson of Curt and Deb Cullison has been hard at work on his Eagle Scout project. Hunter has cleaned and sealed the patio the was constructed on the southwest corner of the church property several years ago. Hunter has also constructed a picnic table for the patio and is working on a bench and a paved sidewalk that will lead to the patio from the back door of the church. Pictures of his work on the patio may be found later in this newsletter.

Women’s Association will be meeting on Thursday, September 12th at 1:30 p.m. The meeting will be held at the home of Rose Floyd at Parkview in Odon. If you would like to carpool, please contact Becky Noel at 812-325-6808.

The Women’s Association will be hosting the Rotary Luncheon on Tuesday, September 17th. Volunteers are needed to help provide food and to work. Please see the sign-up sheet on the narthex table.

The Session will be meeting at 5:30 p.m. on September the 17th in the Seekers Room.

Our church will be hosting Soup on Saturday on September 28th. This is a wonderful outreach program to help us share God’s love with others in our community. Volunteers will be needed to provide food and to work. Please see the sign-up sheet on the narthex podium.

The Women’s Association will be providing lunch for Jane Lueking’s class reunion on September 28th in Fellowship Hall. If you would like to help prepare the food for this luncheon, please see the sign-up sheet on the narthex table.

The Church office hours for the week of Sept. 8th will be Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. Please note that the church office will be closed on Friday, September 13th.

Pastor’s Message

Every Sunday, on the first day of the week, we gather together to worship God. Even if we don’t make it to church every Sunday, for whatever reason, we assume that worship will continue to go on until we are able to rejoin in person. This weekly ritual has been going on since long before any of us were born, and we affirm that it will go on long after we have met God face to face in the life after death.

But how much thought do we put into what worship is?

Or why we do it?

Or how we do it?

Like many of our faith practices, worship can become rote, automatic, a thoughtless habit.

The 1993 edition of the Book of Common Worship (a worship resource written for the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church) states that:

Worship is at the very heart of the church’s life. All that the church is and does is rooted in its worship. The community of faith, gathered in response to God’s call, is formed in its worship. Worship is the principal influence that shapes our faith, and is the most visible way we express the faith.

Such a vital and integral part of our identity shouldn’t be done thoughtlessly, or as a matter of routine.

Let’s take some time to be more intentional about this practice of weekly worship. Over the remaining four Sundays of September, and the last two Sundays of October, we will examine the different parts of our worship service:

the movements of gathering, preparing for the Word, hearing the Word, and responding to the Word;

the different elements that we often take for granted,

maybe some mysterious bits that you’ve never really understood.

If you have specific questions about worship that you would like answered, please let me know—I’m glad to take them on!

I hope that our deep dive into worship will result in a deeper understanding of its purpose and importance, and a greater appreciation for this gift that God has given us to worship together.

In gratitude,

Pastor Hana

News from the Presbytery

The Presbytery of Ohio Valley held its assembly at United Presbyterian Church in Bloomington on Saturday, August 24. Pastor Hana attended as a minister commissioner, and Dave Holt attended as elder commissioner from our congregation. Pastor Hana preached for the assembly in order to report on her experience as presbytery commissioner to the PC(USA) General Assembly in Salt Lake City this summer. Other actions by the assembly included:

Approving Jerusha Van Camp, of Evansville, for ordination to the ministry of word and sacrament. Jerusha will be ordained in the presbytery to the validated ministry of Pulpit Supply, Sacraments, and Church Governance.

* Bidding farewell to Rev. Cheryl Montgomery, of United, Bloomington, who is retiring to Florida after many years of transitional ministry, and to Rev. Cheryl Thorne, who is leaving Washington, IN to pastor a church in New York.

* Voting to increase the minimum compensation for pastors and commissioned lay pastors by 3%, in line with cost of living adjustments.

* Electing elder Alicia Holt to serve as an at-large member of the presbytery council (which is like the presbytery's session).

* Approving the proposed per capita recommendation of $55.00 per congregation member for 2025. This is the same as 2024. Though this amount will not cover the full cost of responsibilities mandated by the Book of Order. However, council is taking into account the financial difficulties that many congregations will be wrestling with in the coming year as the Board of Pensions changes their insurance structure for installed pastors, and did not want to further add to the burden of congregations with a higher per capita.