January 2021 Newsletter

BIRTHDAYS DATES TO REMEMBER

05 Blood Drive 1-6 pm

Birthdays

04 Jeff Watne 

05 Robert Rier

08 Peg Bunn

10 Cooper Keller

10 Joyce Griffith

11 Mark Fisher

11 Kassidi Withers

12 Carla Kem

13 Keith Bell

24 Paul Eekhoff

25 Travis Langfitt

29 Adam Nerlien

If you haven’t contributed to your per capita in the amount of $36.95 for 2020, please consider doing so.  You can send a check to the office with “per capita” written in the memo line.

Greetings!

Happy New Year and welcome to 2021. I hope and pray that you and your loved ones have a safe and happy new year. I pray for all of us, and for the entire world, that 2021 will be a less stressful / chaotic / crazy time than 2020 turned out to be. It has been a challenging year. 

Maybe you are facing some of those challenges right now. I do want to remind you that you are not alone and that your church family is here for you. If you are facing difficulties that are physical, financial, emotional or spiritual (or any other type) please do not hesitate to reach out. Your church family stands with you in the struggles you face. 

As we move into 2021 maybe now would be a good time for each of us to reach out to another person or two in our church and maybe another person or two in our community. I urge each of us to reach out to someone who could maybe use a little extra encouragement. If we would all reach out to three people that would have a very positive impact on over 200 people in our community. That would be a great way to start 2021!

Thank you to everyone who has been willing to fill the same spot on the committee or team you served on in 2020. We have just a few spots to fill for 2021. Remember that later this month we will be completing our Annual Meetings by mail. Each of us will receive a shortened annual report along with a proposed budget for 2021. We will ask that if you disagree with any of the reports or the proposed budget that you contact the church office. This way we will be able to communicate clearly and complete our required business while remaining safe. 

I appreciate everyone’s willingness to work together when it came to canceling our in person worship. I remain convinced we did the right thing. Remember that our current plan is to begin meeting again for in person worship on the first Sunday in February. The UCC council and the UPC session will discuss the situation and make a final decision around the 15th of January. 

A special thanks to everyone who has continued to share their tithes and offerings with the church. Your commitment to the financial needs of our church is much appreciated. 

Thank you for being a part of our church family and may you be blessed with God’s Holy Spirit,

Pastor Bill

Session Minutes

United Presbyterian Church

Clarion, Iowa

December 9,2020

The stated meeting of the Session was held on Wednesday, December 9, 2020, at 3:00 socially distancing in the Fellowship Hall. Those in attendance: Mark Fisher, Frank Sharp, Karen Wason, Mary Kallem, Rev. Bill Kem, Moderator. Excused: Jeff Fankhauser, and Clerk Deb Olson.

Rev. Kem opened with devotions and prayer

TREASURER'S REPORT: We like the new format. It was M/S/A.

WORSHIP: We discussed when we should start in person worship again. It was M/S/A that we not start before the first of February. We will reassess this at our January meeting.

STEWARDSHIP TEAM: The team met by phone and decided the budget will remain the same as last year. It was M/S/A/ that we accept this report

ANNUAL MEETING: Due to the fact that we won't be having in person worship in January and it is very uncertain as to when we can, we decided that an in person annual meeting will not be possible, therefore Rev. Kem will prepare a shortened Annual Report and mail to the congregation. We have two elders to replace. Several names were suggested. Rev. Kem will have a phone meeting with the Session later in December to make a decision who to nominate. We will postpone election until later when we can be together.

Rev. Kem closed the meeting at 3:55.