The First Epistle First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead Established 1872
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The First Epistle
First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead • Established 1872
May 2021 MOORHEAD PRESBYTERIAN HELPS CLEAN UP VANDALISM AT
MOORHEAD MOSQUE
The Moorhead-Fargo Islamic Community Center was vandalized late Saturday night on
April 24th. Racist language, a Nazi swastika, and anti-Islamic slogans were painted on
The Session: their building and windows.
Moderator: Robert Drake
As you may know, our church and the Islamic Center have close ties, Diane Wray-
Clerk of Session: Kim Kelsh Williams’ daughter, Amanda Ghauri, is married to local, community leader Sajid Ghauri,
Treasurer: Chris Swee and they are both members of the Moorhead mosque. Sajid and Amanda have helped
Peggy Johnson, Kim Kelsh, Mary out the church on numerous occasions, always attending Cherry Pie Supper, replacing
Larson, Chris Swee, Mary Skalet, soccer nets, and even singing in the choir.
Megan Wheeler, Dave Lanpher, “Sajid and Amanda are so incredibly helpful to our church, and we wanted to return the
and Diane Wray-Williams. favor, and help them remove this graffiti,” says Pastor Robert.
Five church members turned out, along with well over 150 people from all over Fargo-
Moorhead to help clean up the graffiti. Along with Moorhead Presbyterian, many other
The Deacons churches helped out.
Moderator: Barb Worman “I talked with fellow pastors from Good Shepherd, Bethesda, St. Joes, Grace Methodist,
Jim Gale, Kathy Giddings, Nicole and campus pastors from Concordia. We formed a carpool group with Fargo
Hestbeck, Joni Lordemann, Presbyterian too, and we met at our church parking lot,” according to Pastor Robert.
John Ortez, Helen Pemble, Deb “The person who did this thought it would divide us, but look at all these people! This
Piekutowski, Elizabeth Swee will unite us! We are united in love!,” reports Diane Wray-Williams.
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The First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead
Worship: 10:30 am
2900 Fifth Street South, Moorhead, MN 56560
www.firstpresmhd.org Find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/firstpresmhd
218.233.1192
E-mail Addresses:
Rev. Robert Drake robert@firstpresmhd.org
Church: admin@firstpresmhd.org
Newsletter Articles: nadineswee@gmail.com
Our mission is to be a caring community of God’s people who live by Christ’s teachings, reach out to others to share the love of God,
and celebrate the good news of Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, thought, and action.
SAUSAGE FEST GETS SESSION APPROVAL
At its April meeting, session voted to give Sausage Fest 2021 the “green light” to proceed.
“We’re super excited to take the next step towards making this event a reality. Cherry Pie had an 82 year run, 82 years!
That’s phenomenal, and it was great for the church for decades. But we’re thinking that the time is right to try something
new. We think an Octoberfest-style event, something in the fall, with a big tent, live music, great German food, local beers
will help bring in a new crowd, a younger crowd,” says Tim Ortez, one of the Sausage Fest team members.
Make sure to put Saturday, October 2 on your calendar. It will be a day-long event, starting at noon and running until 8:00.
Many details are still in the planning phases, but one thing is for certain, the food will be great and authentic, the beer will
be local and cold, and the music will be live and hot!
Pictured at Drumconrath Brewery are Sausage Fest team
members Tim Ortez, Mitch McKaig, Kathy McKaig, and
Ron Johnson. If you would like to jump on the bandwagon
(beer wagon!) get in touch with any of these people. The
next meeting will be a road trip to Tank's Barley House in
Hendrum, just up the road on Hwy 75. The bar is owned by
Ron’s brother, Jeff, and will be a Sausage Fest partner. Tank’s
serves amazing food and beers from Swing Barrel. If you
want to join us for the trip to Tank’s call Pastor Robert at
612-750-5622. The carpool leaves the church parking lot at
6:30, Wednesday, May 5.
It’s a team effort!
Marilynn and Bill Woods get the bulletin board ready
for our newest church renter, the American National
Catholic Church
The First Epistle PAGE 3
LOOKING FOR NEW MUSIC DIRECTOR
You will see some new faces in worship over the next three months. After almost two decades as choir director, Diane
Wray-Williams is stepping down.
Although she continues to find enjoyment leading the choir, Diane says it’s “time to be part of the next phase.”
What does that “next phase” look like?
Well, for starters, it means the church is looking for a new music director. Although the official job description has not
been finalized, there are three basic components. The first is, of course, directing the choir, the second is working with
the contemporary music team, and the third is collaborating with Pastor Robert and the rest of the Worship Team to
create the appropriate mood for worship.
“The way I see it, when people come to church on Sunday, there are three parts of the overall worship experience that
are extremely important. Missing any of these hampers the worship experience. The first is great music, the second is
a great experience for children, and the third is great preaching,” explains Pastor Robert. “We need all three; plus, all
three must come from the heart, the overall experience must be real and sincere, I guess I could say they must come
from a place of deep spirituality.”
Diane agrees, especially as the church returns to worship in the sanctuary. “Our choir has been an incredible source
of inspiration during this pandemic, we are always ready to sing what ‘the people’ would sing and we do it with such
thoughtfulness,” adds Diane.
Through an informal, word-of-mouth process, Pastor Robert has been busy interviewing people, and although he is
still interviewing potential candidates, we decided to invite two people to do a “trial run” with the choir. Jack Johnston
will join us May 9th; and Dr. Kira Winter will join us June 13th and 20th. Their photos and abbreviated biographies are
included here.
“I am excited about both candidates, and I want to stress that I continue making connections in the community,
searching for the right person,” says Pastor Robert.
Dr. Kira Winter
Assistant Professor of Music; Conductor, Chapel Choir, Kantorei, and Cantabile
• Conductor, soprano, keyboardist, organist, music educator
• St. Olaf College, B.A.; Boston University, M.A.; University of Minnesota,
Ph.D.
• Former Director of Worship and Music Ministry at St. John’s Lutheran
Church, Minneapolis
• Former leader of congregational music, Farmington Lutheran Church, MN
Jack Johnston
Music Teacher, Hawley Public Schools, 7th-12th Choir/Vocal Music Teacher
• Concordia College, B.A., Music Education, 2020
• The Concordia Choir, Concordia College Theatre, Director of Concordia
Vocal Jazz
• Former Choir Director at Grace Methodist Church, Moorhead, 2 years
while in his junior and senior years at Concordia
• Grew up attending Augustana Lutheran Church, West St. Paul, MN
The First Epistle May 2021 REMY REBECCA-JEAN MAREK BAPTISM Remy Rebecca-Jean Marek was baptized Sunday, April 25. Her parents are Justin Leigh Marek and MacKenzie Cory- Rae Jackson; brother is Kayden Allen-Leigh Marek; grandparents are Pamela Johnson Marek, Joe Marek (deceased), Rebecca Jackson-Metcalf (deceased), and Cory Metcalf (deceased); and godparents are Ryan Eagle, Alex Berghuis, Spencer Jackson-Metcalf, and Hope McGowan. ANDREW LENZ UPDATE If you’re wondering what our former Sunday School teacher, Andrew Lenz, is doing these days, we have some fun news. Andrew graduates from MSUM in a few weeks! Congratulations, Andrew! Pastor Robert caught up with him by phone recently to find out what his plans are after graduation. Robert: Andrew, it is so wonderful to hear your voice. How are you? Andrew: I’m doing well, things are great. How is the church? R: We’re doing pretty good too, everyone misses you of course. They would love to find out what’s new with you. A: I graduate in May from MSUM, with a degree in English and Mass Communications. R: May is around the corner, what are your plans after that? A: I’ll work for a year here in Moorhead somewhere, since Alexis, my girlfriend graduates this fall. I’m hoping for an office job somewhere. Once she graduates, we’re maybe thinking about moving out of the state, maybe California, maybe L.A. R: L.A.!!! That’s so exciting. What would you be doing? A: Not exactly sure yet, but one of the things I’ve been seriously considering for a while, even way back when I was working for the church, was going to law school. R: Law school! Good luck on the LSAT. I took that one time, years ago, and it’s tough. A: Yes, that’s what I heard. R: Andrew, it’s been awesome catching up with you, so glad to hear you’re doing well. God’s blessings on your finals, congratulations on graduation, and the entire church sends you their prayers for you and for Alexis. A: Thank you, and I miss everyone at the church.
The First Epistle PAGE 5 Our church is amazing! You are amazing! During Lent this year you gave very generously to help meet the needs of people in our community and around the world. Your gifts to the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) offering this year are nearly 3 times the amount given in 2020 ($425) and is close to the amount that was given in pre-pandemic 2019 ($1302). OGHS total for 2021 is $1189.10, with $74.12 of that from the kids’ fish banks. These gifts will make the world a better place as we support the work of the church through the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Self-Development of People and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. Thank you for opening you hearts and giving generously! You are a blessing! Each year Pentecost Sunday reminds us what it means to be the Church. When we gather in our building on 5th Street When we worship remotely When we pray for one another When we grow a garden When we care for, teach and support children and youth When we take care of the earth When we serve others When we try to make life better for all We Are the Church The Pentecost Offering is one more way to be the church, especially for children and youth who face challenges and risks. This special offering of the Presbyterian Church (USA) helps the church encourage, develop, and support its young people, and also address the needs of at-risk children. Sixty percent of our gifts will be used by the Presbyterian Mission Agency to support child advocacy, youth ministries (including Triennium), and young adult church volunteers. Since the Pentecost Offering started in 1998, Presbyterians have raised more than $15 million for ministries that benefit the younger members of God’s family. Our church will retain 40% of this offering to support youth and children in our local community. This year the local portion will be given to the Backpack Program of the Great Plains Food Bank which provides a backpack of food that children can take home for the weekend. Currently it costs $5.00 to fill a backpack with milk, juice, snacks and food for three meals. To sponsor a child for an entire year, it costs $190. From Great Plains: Childhood hunger and food insecurity impact our community. During the school year, more than 33,000 children across North Dakota qualify for and greatly rely on the federal free and reduced lunch program to meet their daily nutritional needs. But on weekends, many of these children struggle with hunger. Hunger among children can have lifelong and extremely costly consequences. Hungry children suffer physical, emotional and developmental impairment. They are sick and hospitalized more often. Hungry children don’t learn as well at school, which limits their potential and productivity as adults. Adults who experienced hunger as children are often not as well prepared mentally, emotionally, physically, or socially to perform in today’s work environment. Thank you for your gifts on Pentecost, May 23, that will support the next generation of the church. Let us celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise to us through the coming of the Holy Spirit by guiding our young people toward a brighter, faith-filled future.
The First Epistle May 2021
WORSHIP RE-OPENING PHASE 3
With guidance from the COVID Task Force and the Worship Team, session voted to
move into Phase 3 of our re-opening plans for worship.
Here’s what that means:
• The congregation can recite liturgy, such as Call to Worship, Lord’s Prayer, etc.
• Pastor Robert can remove his mask when speaking and preaching
• Liturgist can remove their mask while speaking if they choose
• Solo singers can remove their mask while singing if they choose
• The choir can remove their masks while singing, but the decision will be made
collectively by the choir
The COVID Task Force requires that speakers on stage maintain 12 feet of distance
between themselves and anyone in the congregation in order to speak without a mask.
This means that for the kids’ message, Pastor Robert will keep his mask on.
Although the Task Force cleared the choir to sing without masks, that decision will be made collectively by the choir
members themselves. Our utmost concern while phasing back into sanctuary worship is the continued health and safety
of our congregation, and we want all choir members to be safe while providing us great worship music.
For now, we feel it is not yet safe to allow congregational singing. We want to allow more time for assessing case
numbers in our area, and watch how variants are progressing. So far, in each of our phased re-opening, we find that
our church is in the middle of the pack compared to other area churches and their re-opening phases. Some churches
already allow congregational singing, while others are still not meeting in-person.
For instance, Fargo Presbyterian Church will not return to in-person services until May 24, while West Fargo
Presbyterian Church has been meeting in-person for months and allowed congregational singing on April 11.
The COVID Task Force, Worship Team, and session feel we found a good balance between in-person worship and
safety, while our new live-stream services allow all of us to worship together no matter if we are at home or at church.
STIMULUS CHECK DONATIONS
As the next rounds of stimulus checks have gone out, various people have decided to donate some or all of their
stimulus money to the church. On behalf of the entire church, the Finance Committee offers a deeply heart-felt thank
you.
“I’ve been told that four or five families, both members and non-members, have donated their stimulus money to us, it’s
very humbling,” says Pastor Robert.
There are many reasons people might choose to do this, and you can also remain anonymous if you wish. Here are two
testimonials from recent donors:
Cynthia Sillers and Pat Torgeson: “We donated a portion of our stimulus checks to the Moorhead Church in memory
and in honor of Cynthia’s parents, Margaret and Douglas Sillers. The church meant a great deal to them, with Margaret
having been a member for close to 90 years, and Douglas having been a member for close to 70 years.”
From an anonymous donor: “As we received our stimulus check, we reflected on our abundant blessings. Tuning into
First Presbyterian Moorhead on Sunday mornings has become a routine
for us. We count that opportunity to experience the message and music as
one of those blessings. Please accept our donation as a gift of thankfulness
for the church and this congregation.”
If you find yourself in a financial position where you are considering
donating your stimulus check, please call or email Pastor Robert and he
will put you in touch with Chris Swee and Garrick Larson of the Finance
Committee.
To all who have donated, we thank you.
The Finance Committee
The First Epistle PAGE 7 HERE’S WHAT WE LOOK LIKE ON LIVE-STREAM At the time of the newsletter deadline, we conducted three live-stream worship services, where we have people in the pews at church and people at home watching on live-stream. The cost to add the necessary equipment has been minimal; thanks to Dan Wheeler, we purchased good quality equipment, without breaking the bank. So far, our expenditures have been about $4,400. These include video monitors, special microphones, auxiliary sound board, microphones cords, and a computer to run the live-stream software. In addition, we replaced the two sanctuary speakers in the front (the old ones were starting to break). On Easter Sunday, we had 50 people in the sanctuary and 45 viewers on live-stream. The two Sundays after Christmas saw about 30 in the sanctuary and about 40 at home on live-stream. With that many viewers at home, our new equipment purchases are absolutely necessary. Did you know that you can watch our Sunday services any time, day or night? That’s right, just go to our website and click the “YouTube Live” button. You will be directed to the church’s YouTube page, where you can watch all of our services. On Sunday mornings, you can log on at about 10:15, with the prelude starting at 10:25. Want to watch on Facebook? You can do that too! Each Sunday afternoon, Pastor Robert uploads the YouTube video to Facebook. Make sure to SHARE to your Facebook page, and spread the Word! WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY May’s reading is Lesson #8, entitled “God’s Lament.” It focuses on Hosea 11:1-9; Luke 19:41-44; Matthew 23:37-39; and Luke 13:34-35. The author asks, “What Thanks to causes God to lament? Is God lamenting humanity’s Gerald Van Amburg faithlessness? Does God cry alongside us?” for this one! Carolyn Ballard, one of the participants, suggests reading the book, The Harbinger II: The Return, by Jonathan Cahn. We will discuss these questions and a few others with our Lesson #8 leader, Helen Pemble. Join the Zoom meeting on May 12, from 1:00-2:30. For questions of if you want to be added to the Zoom link email, call Marilynn Woods at 218-236-9917.
First Presbyterian Church of Moorhead
2900 Fifth Street South
Moorhead, MN 56560
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