Presbyterian Visitor
August 1, 2025
The church is missing the second key to the Safe Deposit Box at Farmers and Mechanics bank. We are asking everyone to check through their old keys to see if you might have it. The key may be in a small red envelope and looks like this:
Please let the church office
know if you have it.
The church would like to thank Daniel Frye for being our guest speaker two Sundays in July, while Pastor Hana was on vacation. Also thank you to Karen Ruggles for filling in as the church secretary and getting the bulletins printed, while the secretary was on vacation.
Our church hosted two free swim days at the Bloomfield Pool this summer. The last one was July 26th with approximately 400 people taking advantage of the free swim day and cooling off in the water on a very hot day.
Everyone is invited to attend the Eagle Scout Ceremony for Hunter Cullison on Saturday, August 2nd at 2:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. This summer Hunter completed his Eagle Scout project by cleaning up the church patio, placing a picnic table and bench on it and constructed a pathway leading to it from the back door. Hunter is the grandson of Curt and Deb Cullison.
Are you ready for the church’s 3rd Annual Block Party? The party will take place on Sunday, August 3rd on the church lawn from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Bring the kids for food, ice cream, and wet bounce houses.
The August Women’s Birthday Gather will take place on Thursday, August 7th at 9:30 a.m. on the church patio. In the event of rain the gathering will be moved to Rejavanated
The Women’s Association will be hosting this month’s Legion Dinner on Friday, August 8th. Volunteers are needed to help prepare the food and to work. Please see the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board, or contact Teresa Chesnut, if you would like help.
We will be hosting a Red Cross Blood drive on Monday, August 11th in Fellowship Hall. At this time there is a critical need for blood donations, especially type O blood. Please consider donating if you are able, each donation has the ability to save up to 3 lives. To register for a donation time go to RedCrossBlood.org and enter FP Church Bloomfield.
Our church will be hosting Soup on Saturday on August 16th at the Methodist Church. Volunteers are needed to help provide the food and to work. Please see the sign-up sheet on the bulletin board.
Get ready for some great food and fellowship and join us at our Church Picnic on Sunday, August 17th at the home of Jane Lueking. Swimming starts at 3:00p.m. with dinner beginning at 5:00 p.m.
Session Updates
Decided the safe deposit box will be relinquished one the second key is located.
Received information that the Trustees’ Edward Jones account will be moved from Linto to Bloomfield, and the signatories updated.
Finalized plans for our 3rd Annual Block Party.
Agreed to an overture from C2C to speak to the congregation about their mission during worship, and to begin a regular collection of items on their behalf.
Discussed arrangements to help children during worship.
Offered Pastor Hana two options for a renewed Stated Supply agreement (the options relate to how the cost of health insurance will be covered), which she will consider.
Reviewed expectation for our custodian and worked on updating their description as an independent contractor.
Approved us of memorial funds to preserve records we have recently received from the Scotland Church, and asked the Memorial Committee to determine which records should be preserved using the services of the Presbyterian Historical Society.
The next meeting will take place of Wednesday, August 20th at 5:30 p.m.
Pastor’s Message
The beginning of a new school year has always felt hopeful to me. There is so much that is new about it:
new classroom and new desk,
new teacher and new books,
new notebooks with clean bright pages,
new unbroken crayons with sharp tips.
At the beginning of the school year, no mistakes have been made. We have a clean slate.
There are other moments of newness as well:
the start of a new calendar year,
beginning a new job,
embarking on a new relationship,
moving to a new town.
We often wait until these calendar moments to start something new:
a new diet,
a new attempt at sobriety,
a new exercise routine,
a new spiritual practice.
It makes sense to align our personal newness with other newness in our larger lives. It feels auspicious and hopeful. No mistakes have been made. We have a clean slate.
But we are not just people of the calendar; we are people who live in God’s time. And in God’s time, we are constantly being made new:
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Every calendar day is a new start at this divine gift of life:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
With God, we are always invited to try, try again. And then again. And then again. God’s mercy always gives us another chance at being the people God has created us to be. Today is a new day. This is a new moment that you have never lived before. What will you do with all its hope and promise?
With gratitude,
Pastor Hana