September 2020

I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e :

www.facebook.com/rapidcityfirst

629 Kansas City Street, Rapid City, SD 57701

Phone 605-342-4498

www.rapidcityfirst.org

Messenger newsletter

Children’s Ministry 2

Leadership Notes/Extras 3

Michele’s Minute/Youth 4

Financial News 5

UMW News 6

Contacts 7

Helping Others 8

Announcements 9

Reflections 10

Rummage Sale 11

Habitat for Humanity Run 12

COVID Protocols 13

School Year Prayer 14

Miracle Offering 15

Barry’s Thoughts Psalm 139: 1-2 NLT O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my every thought when far away. I was recently at the hospital with a person who was about to have an MRI, a test to look into the body to see if something is wrong. I’ve been thinking about how God looks into my heart and knows me intimately. God knows the goodness that lies in my heart but God also sees the sin, which I cling to. The MRI will determine if a person is healthy or if there is a problem that needs to be addressed just as God sees within us. We must be honest with ourselves and turn to Jesus Christ the great healer to clean the sin that lives in us. When I was just a little boy my mom and dad made sure I was in Sunday school every Sunday, no excuses. That is where the seed of my faith in Jesus Christ was planted. I am thankful that my mom and dad made sure that our family was always a part of church and Sunday school. During this time of Covid-19 we have adjusted how we attend church and Sunday school. My prayer is that we will continue to engage our children and our family to help them understand that as we watch church online and do Sunday school virtually Jesus is still with us teaching us and looking into our hearts every day.

I am so thankful my parents cared enough to make sure my Christian education was a priority.

In Christ,

Scripture and Sermons September 2020

September 6th, 2020 “The Best of Evil “ Romans 12:9-21

September 13th, 2020 “From Rags to Riches”

Job 1:1-3, 6-12

September 20th, 2020 “To Live or Die”

Philippians 1:21-30

September 27th, 2020 “Humility: Not a Four-Letter Word”

Philippians 2:1-13

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Look for emails and updates on our

FIRST CHURCH KIDS Facebook page for

weekly events every other

Wednesdays at 6:30pm and Sunday mornings at 10am.

Next Zoom will be on Sep. 16th

Dear First Church Families,

It is with a heavy heart that I announce my resignation as Children and Family Ministries Coordinator. As I step down from this position, I share with you that God has put a bigger task on my heart. I will still be working with children which is largely in my capacity of knowledge. The position that I will be entering into is full-time homeschooling our two wonderful girls. As many of you know, this will be the second year of our endeavor of homeschooling. Last year was very successful for all involved, however we quickly learned what a large commitment it was. We, as I am sure others, value education greatly in our home. So, in making the commitment to homeschool, I am making a commitment to my children to provide for them an exceptional education. To do this, I need to stay focused, prayerful, and present for them.

I will be here until October 15th. My heart and love are wrapped up in the First Church family, and as for any family I will provide and protect. I will stand by you as you pray for the right person, as I will also pray. I will help train that right person and share with them the beauty of this ministry. As I transition out, I will make sure the person that God presents will be well equipped for the position they are entering. Even though this is, yet, another change I will help to make it positive.

I thank you for your understanding and welcome prayers for my family and I. This is a transition for our family, too. God is guiding us, but we continue to pray that we follow His will. Thank you, families, for the commitment that you continually give to our Children’s Ministry program and our church, for the support you provide, and for your prayerful provisions.

Thank you for being our family! Jessica Makoutz & Family

Mommies Morning Out(MMO) will be on hold till

we can reassess in the New Year. We are sadden to make this decision but we want our

kids to return to a safe and fun environment when the time is right. Thank you for

your patience and prayers during this time.

First Church Kids in person activities such as WNL and

Sunday School hope to begin in October! We will keep everyone updated as the

weeks go on and the school year starts in a few weeks. Please be praying for our

teachers, students and leadership here at the church as decisions are made.

Thank you!

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The Leadership Council has been meeting regularly and have a few updates to share with you all.

• Since our revenue is up Pastor Barry recommends that we fulfill our 5% we

agreed to pay back in January. Apportionments were suspended due to the shutdown brought on by COVID-19. The council would also like to continue to pay 5% in apportionments each month as long as funds are available. The Leadership Council approves paying $12,192 in apportionments and continue to pay 5% each month as long as funds are available.

• UMW Funds for Camp: UMW has raised $600 and will be graciously donating it to Storm Mountain.

• We will not have any in person children or youth activities until October or later depending on what happens with the reopening of the schools.

• Annual conference will be held virtually on Saturday October 10. RC First is a host site for the webinar.

Words are inadequate in expressing my appreciation for the many acts of kindness extended to me during my

recent health challenge. I THANK YOU very much and pray that HIS light will continue to shine upon all

who enter through our church doors. Shirley Huisman

Leadership Council Notes

Back in March, many people in the congregation had just started the study “Simon Peter” by

Adam Hamilton, then everything shut down. We have started this study again via our

Facebook page, “First Church Studies” online. We began the study starting at Chapter 1, starting the first week of August but you are welcome to join anytime and catch up. If you have not yet joined our First Church Studies Facebook page, please

login to Facebook and look up First Church Studies and “like” our page. You will then get up-dates as the weeks go by and the study progresses. We would love for you to join us as we study the

life of Simon Peter together!

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Youth/Confirmation News Hello parents, youth and supporters! Hello families of First Church Youth!

I am praying for you as we prepare to enter the school year. It’s an understatement to say this is a confusing and difficult time. There is also opportunity for Christ’s love to be shown and be seen. I hope you have been recognizing God’s goodness around you in many ways, in spite of the upheaval. At First UMC, we are delaying the beginning of Youth programming until October to give families a chance to get their arms around school not being normal, but I did want to reach out so you know I would like to understand where you and your youth are at, with in-person vs virtual experiences, night of the week to do things, missional activities vs. fostering better Christian understanding, etc... As a reminder, and to start you thinking about some basic questions:

Youth group is for all 5th-12th Graders and has typically met Wednesday night at 6 p.m. As we see we are starting school in phase 2 with a split week (students present M-T OR W-Th) , I’m guessing Wednesday night may not be the best time for your Youth to meet. Would Sunday afternoon or evening be better? Confirmation is for those who are in grades 7 and up (usually through 9th) who have not yet gone through the program and would like to learn more about the history of church and our understanding of God/Jesus/Holy Spirit, why we go to church, and the background of Methodism. In the end, they can choose whether or not they would like to officially join the church, but it’s good for a basis of knowledge either way… Many churches offer confirmation every other year, and depending upon how many students we have interested, we may have this year be a “hold” year and then classes would resume in 2021. Be talking in your family if you have a youth who would potentially take confirmation, how they feel about the year-long class, waiting to start, etc.

NOTE: We have not fully confirmed our four students that otherwise finished the program in 2020 because of the coronavirus, and their wanting to more fully celebrate with a fuller congregation present in worship for them… That date is TBD, as we continue to have congregation in the range of 30-30.If your student participated in the distance learning version of Confirmation we did this past year and have an opinion as to how it compared to the in-person classes we did at the beginning of the year, I will be asking what their thoughts were comparing and contrasting the two methods. (i.e. Was it awful? Was it okay and helpful? Was it better than in-person because they could do it on their timeline?) That said, by next week, I will send an ONLINE SURVEY out, and possibly try to reach you by phone also to get a temperature reading from you all… Or if you’d just prefer to talk on the phone, I am ALL FOR IT! I just know you may not have much time for that. Please let me know.

Please reply to this email once you open it, to let me know you received it and will be looking for further communication from me. Otherwise, I will just get on the phone. THANK YOU!

Pastor Michele Slott

Cell: 605.390.8757

NOTE: The email above was sent out August 25 from my PastorMich.SD@gmail.com address because it offers the BCC function to maintain privacy and doesn’t bounce as often as my church email address. If you did NOT receive it and you have a youth who would like to be involved, please let me know!

Monthly Contribution Update:

July 2019 July 2020 July 2020

Actual Actual Budget $38,473** $38,843 $43,851

July Contributions were slightly above last year but below budget.

• In July we made no payments to Apportionments and we are $42,992 behind year to date.

The church continues to pay all salaries and expenses. In August we plan on making a partial apportionment payment to the Conference.

Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) is a very quick and safe method of donating to the church. If you are interested in using EFT please contact me and I will give you an easy form to fill out.

If you have any questions or concerns about our finances, please contact me at the church office……. 342-4498.

--Bill Waugh, Business Administrator

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FINANCIAL NEWS

Ways to Tithe

With the COVID-19 causing the cancellation of all church services our church is asking everyone to make the effort to continue their giving.

Online at www.rapidcityfirst.org click the Giving to the Church tab– then press Online Giving.

Send a check to: 629 Kansas City Street, Rapid City SD 57701.

We can email EFT (electronic funds transfer) forms to you or you may pick up form at the church office.

Call Vanco at 1.800.675.7430 to directly donate.

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News From the UMW Leadership Team The Leadership Team of Rapid City First Local Organization of United

Methodist Women met Wednesday, August 5, 2020, with a quorum present. As suggested in an article by Doreen Gosmire, director of communications, in the Dakotas UMC email news, 8/4/2020, the team considered requesting the $600 budgeted for camp scholarships and donated last April, be diverted to Storm Mountain Center. Due to Covid 19 virus, no camping was scheduled for the Dakotas Conference and revenue was lost to support the camping facilities.

Since the “camperships” is a budgeted item, and holding a meeting of membership at this time is not possible, the team voted on behalf of members to request FUMC to make the donation instead of just holding the money in the special account until next spring. A letter directing church business manager to

send a check to Storm Mountain was all that was required of us and that has been done. We trust members consider the action taken correct.

The team also feels that we cannot plan an October Fall Bazaar at this time considering the present health situation. The team will re-evaluate at a later time.

Prayer Shawl Ministry Prayer Shawl Ministry members report no meetings planned for now but

members continue knitting and crocheting at home and hope to meet in October.

Esther Circle No meetings planned at this time.

September 2020 UMW News available in the metal info rack next to the UMW bookcase in the church parlor. If you need it sent to you by mail, please contact LaRee Mayes, 341 1568.

UMW NEWS

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Church Office and Staff

Most staff will be remotely working part time at the office and at home for September. The physical church office will

be closed but you can still get ahold of us by calling 605-342-4498(M-Th 8:00am-4:30pm, also Sunday mornings

9:00am-12:00pm) or emailing. If you are needing to drop off or enter the church for any reason, please call and we will make

arrangement so someone is there to let you in.

Pastor Barry: barry@rapidcityfirst.org Pastor Michele: michele@rapidcityfirst.org Destri Fagerland: destri@rapidcityfirst.org Jessica Makoutz: rcfumcchildrensministry@gmail.com Brady Wichmann: brady@rapidcityfirst.org Stephen Branch: sfbranch@gmail.com Diane Ketel: dkketel@live.com Bill Waugh: bill@rapidcityfirst.org

Web site: www.rapidcityfirst.org

Live Stream: www.rapidcityfirst.org

(usually opens 5-10 minutes before the service)

Facebook Live: www.facebook.com/rapidcityfirst/

Virtual Kids Sunday School: www.facebook.com/rcfirstchurchkids/

YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/channel/

Adult Virtual Sunday School – (currently Minor Prophets) www.facebook.com/RapidCityFirstUMC/

Youth Group : 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays Zoom Meeting ID 815 570 260

For those of you collecting Family Fare UPCs: Thank you!

• Make sure you save only Family Fare UPCs. The barcode includes “70253.”

• UPCs from other brands sold at Family Fare do not qualify for the Labels for Education program. Thank you for helping support UMW missions.

• 0 70253 16109 (Sample UPC number)

Donations Needed

Bottled water Styrofoam or plastic - cups, bowls, plates

Plastic spoons/forks Small size (hotel or trial) shampoo

Deodorant Toilet paper

Some other not so critical needs are:

Single ride bus tickets for local travel

Bicycle tubes/patch kits Washcloths

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Keep The Receipts Coming—- Once we reach $150,000, the church receives $1,000 from Nash Finch to help with church expenses. Please turn in your entire receipts in the metal basket on the red wall by the Welcome Center. To date, we have collected $124,671.

You can turn in at any time to the church office. Please keep portion of receipt that says, “Direct your Dollar”

with number on each receipt.

“We Care” food certificates are finally available again. Thank you

for your patience.

Cornerstone Mission Meal

A big THANK YOU to Delane Rains for organizing food to be dropped off to donate in August. If you’re interested in helping with this (we serve din-

ner on the third Sunday of every month), call the office at 605-342-4498 when we begin serving again!

Church Response Please consider bringing any kind of canned veggies (corn, green beans,

carrots, mixed veggies-15-16oz.)for our church response food drive. Please call the church if you would like to drop

items off during the week.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

In Person Worship

If you have already signed up for the in person worship list either by emailing, calling or filling out the form online you are welcome to attend church on any given Sunday. This gives us a way to track our numbers and prepare for the Sunday services. As of

right now we are under our max limit for capacity. There is no need at this time to sign up again or to do a lottery. If that changes we will let you know immediately. If you

have any questions or would like to be on the in person list please go to our website at www.rapidcityfirst.org or call Destri at 342-4498.

If you need to get ahold of any of our staff please call the church at 342-4498

Monday-Thursday, 8:00am-4:30pm and Sunday mornings 9:00am-12:00pm. All calls are being

forwarded to Destri (Admin. Coordinator), who will then get you in contact with the right person. If you need to go into the church for any reason, please give us a call and

we can set up a time to do so.

All events have been cancelled until it is deemed safe to meet again. We will keep you all updated if that

changes and will get schedules to you when activities commence.

We are nearing the end the year…well not quite there…..but before we know it….it will be here!?!?

And what a year it has been. A few questions for those who are doing our bible challenge using the One Year

Bible. How are you doing? Are you enjoying it? What has God taught you these last

6 months while going through the Bible? What a wonderful way to get through our challenging times by digging into God’s

TRUTH and LIFE giving words!!

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Reflections Generally speaking, beginning a new school year has been a usual ‘next thing.’ But this year, a visiting virus scrambled many usual things, school attendance being one of them. However, early precautions, dedicated efforts, and lots of prayers later, many schools that had closed are re-opening. ‘Usual’ having morphed into ‘unusual’ for now, school teachers, counselors, and coordinators from Alaska to the Gulf—keeping in mind health safety—have worked at integrating traditional and modified-distance-learning methods of instruction appropriate for their districts. Do they need prayers? They do. (See I Timothy 2:1-2) A lot rides on their decisions and upon those of the parents. As parents learn early on, children are born raring to go. Wondrous little creatures they are that pick right up on what we say and do. Even how we think seems to rub off onto them. Sobering thought. As Believers in Christ, we who raise children have every advantage we could want. Our assignments such as Proverbs 22:6-- “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it” may sound daunting, but they’re not really. After all, we are ambassadors for Christ. (See II Corinthians 5:20) From our home, our embassy so to speak, we go forth and do whatever we are to do. In Christ, we are part of “…a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation…that should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (I Peter 2:9) Malachi 2:7 declares the priest to be a “… messenger of the Lord of Hosts.” We Believers are to be what He calls us to be. Accordingly, we are to raise our children in “…the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Ephesians 6:4b) Each step of the way, God’s word provides direction and encouragement for us. Because of Him, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13) Whether to send the child to school now or continue with on-line plus packet work is a question for each family. We pray for wisdom. We consult with trusted advisors. We do our best to go as the Lord leads. And we need to remember that even if we ‘miss it’ on some point, if we are doing and hearing the best we know how, God is perfectly capable of intervening to get us back on track. We just need to stick with Him and be willing to adjust to what He shows us. One last word on the school thing. Happy is the child who receives a parent’s prayers of blessing and protection over him or her prior to trudging off to school, a cleansing from the cares of the day (See I Peter 5:7) upon coming back home, and cozy, shared night-night prayers when it’s time for being tucked in at bedtime. Good to remember: Proverbs 17:22a—A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…!” Love and prayers, Kathy Moose

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All proceeds will go towards our Capital Fund. This fund helps keep our church building running as it ages and gets

used year after year. Our Capital Fund allows us to continue ministry in

our community and to our church family for many years to come.

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If you would like to sponsor Pastor Barry, please send donations to:

629 Kansas City Street Rapid City, SD

Memo: Habitat Faith Build

$1 a mile=$26

$5 a mile=$130

$10 a mile=$260

$20 a mile=$520 $50 a mile=$1300

$100 a mile=$2600

All donations big or small, $1 to $1000 get us closer to our goal as a faith community to help

build houses for low income families

in our area.

Also prayers for Pastor Barry that he makes it to the finish

line in one piece. :)

H a b i t a t f o r H u m a n i t y M i s s i o n

Seeking to put God’s love into

action, Habitat for Humanity brings

people together to build homes, communities and hope.

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IN PERSON WORSHIP PROTOCOLS, RAPID CITY FIRST UMC

Entering and Exiting the church

Doors will be propped open so people may enter without touch.

Hand sanitizer will be available by each door.

Disposable face masks will be available for those who do not have one.

Ushers will seat everyone so families may be together and social distance is observed.

Every other pew will be left empty for social distancing.

Exiting will be through the two side doors at the front of the church.

If people want to visit, they will be encouraged to do so outside the sanctuary.

Worship Experience

All worship materials will be removed, no items will be shared during worship.

Offering plates will be placed in the back and front of the sanctuary.

Offerings may also be given through EFT or at our website.

We are unable to provide nursery or childcare at this time.

Those leading the worship service will remain on the altar, chairs provided.

Singing in your heart is encouraged but not a verbal expression.

Ushers, Security and Safety/Sanitation teams

Ushers for both services will be trained to great and seat people appropriately.

Security will monitor all who attend church and will help screen visitors.

Safety/Sanitation teams will assist with all aspects of sanitation.

Between services – wiping down surfaces, bathrooms, door handle (may use Lysol on pew cushions)

We trust those who participate in worship to respect others and do what is appropriate to keep everyone safe.

IN PERSON PROTOCOLS

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We love our TEACHERS and

STUDENTS!

Please be praying for

our families, teachers, leadership,

students and schools as we enter into the

new school year.

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Dear members and friends of Dakotas United Methodist Churches, Grace and peace to you in this season of uncertainty as we navigate the waters of pandemics, racial justice, and tension across the denomination. Let us prepare our hearts with prayer and turn our eyes to the cross and the resurrection promise. On October 10, 2020, we will meet virtually for the 27th Session of the Dakotas Annual Conference. A significant portion of our time together will be focused on worship and the necessary business of the annual conference. We will also celebrate our eight-year partnership as the Dakotas-Minnesota Episcopal Area. Our theme for this conference session is Be the Light: Live Hope! We will explore our passion for outreach to the world’s most challenged communities and explore more fully Jesus’ missional imperative to heal a broken world. Again, this year we will receive a Miracle Offering as an expression of our gratitude for God’s extravagant blessings and advance our mission “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” The offering will be received during our time together on October 10. I encourage each of our 250 congregations to begin praying and preparing to participate in yet another miraculous expression of the abundant life we have in Christ Jesus. Jesus’ teaching about our being the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16) serves as the principle scriptural inspiration for our conference’s theme. Jesus instructs us to “let your light shine before people, so they can see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” The 2020 Miracle Offering provides the opportunity to be the light and living hope for those crying out for love, compassion, justice, and grace in their lives. Our 2020 Miracle Offering goal is $60,000, to be shared among of our signature missions in the Dakotas Conference: Bakken Oil Rush Ministry in Watford City, Bakken Out-In-Faith Ministry, Solar Oven Partners, Spirit Lake Ministry Center, and Tree of Life Ministry. Our Dakotas Conference mission ministries serve thousands of people each year. In the past year, Bakken Oil Rush Ministry, based in Watford City, assisted 5,045 families or individuals with clothing, work gear, and household items.

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Bakken Out-In-Faith Ministry continues to serve the people of Williston with a weekly meal and devotion. During the pandemic, the number of families seeking assistance has grown by 25 percent, and the meal is being served curbside. Solar Oven Partners distributed ovens in the Dominican Republic with Gordon and Ardell Graner, natives of North Dakota. Ovens are also distributed in Sierra Leone and to the Navajo Nation in Arizona. Solar Oven Partners has workshops to build solar ovens in Raymond, South Dakota, Montrose, South Dakota, and soon at Open Heart United Method-ist Church in Rapid City, South Dakota. Spirit Lake Ministry Center operates a food pantry, Shoebox Christmas, a summer program for children and youth, and a construction ministry. In the past year, Spirit Lake has reached more than 6,000 families and youth and hosted 426 Volunteers in Mission. The Journey at Spirit Lake, a newly formed worshipping community, continues to grow, with an average attendance of 50. Tree of Life Ministry operates a soup kitchen, thrift store, and construction ministry. Last year the soup kitchen served or distributed 1,059,178 lbs. of food, a value of $1,747,644.00. The thrift store provided 130,990 items, including household goods, furniture, appliances, gently used and new clothing for babies, children, teens, men, and women. VIM teams as-sisted with 24 home repairs to improve the health and wellness of residents. Tree of Life recently began a botanical garden to grow native plants such as black and gold currants, buffalo berry, chokecherry, and prairie red plums. These ministries are in need are struggling for support during COVID-19. I invite each of our 250 congregations to contribute $250 to the 2020 Miracle Offering. If we do, our light will shine brightly for all to see. Let us join our hands and hearts with each of these minis-tries, not only with our financial gifts but also by volunteering and lifting them in prayer as they reach out to heal a broken world. Additional information about the 2020 Miracle Offering is available on the Dakotas Conference website. Please invite the members and friends of your congregation to experience the joy of participating in this miraculous expression of Christ’s light in the world. Jesus sent the Twelve out “to proclaim God’s Kingdom and to heal …” (Luke 9:2). Let us also go forth to bring healing to a broken world. Thank you in advance for your extravagant generosity, passion for reaching others for Christ, and your courage to Be the Light: Live Hope!

Yours in Christ, Bruce R. Ough Bishop Bruce R. Ough