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News From
Topeka  First 

July 12, 2017

For the good of the city
... Jeremiah 29:7

Church Office:
785-233-8100

In This Issue


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Coming Up Soon:  
  • Wednesday, July 12
    • 11:00 a.m. Senior Summer Caravan, Legend at Capital Ridge (1931 SW Arvonia Pl.)
    • 5:00 p.m. Praise Team Rehearsal, Chapel
    • 5:15 p.m. Phase 2 Yoga, Fellowship Hall
    • 6:00 p.m. Bystander Intervention Training, Rm 105
    • 7:00 p.m. Tempero Sandall meeting, Rm 106
  • Thursday, July 13
    • 2:00 p.m. Shepherd's Center Line Dancing, Fellowship Hall
  • Sunday, July 16
    • 8:15 a.m. Arise Worship Service, Chapel
    • 9:00 a.m. Coffee Connection, Celebration Room
    • 9:30 a.m. 
      • 9-3-0 Worship Service, Chapel
      • Children's Sunday School (dismissed form 9-3-0 Service)
      • Summer Symposium, Fellowship Hall
      • Youth Sunday School, Fellowship Hall Kitchen
    • 10:30 a.m. Coffee Connection, Celebration Room
    • 11:00 a.m. Sanctuary Worship Service
    • 12:00 p.m. Children's Ministry Team Meeting, Rm 105
    • 6:30 p.m. Phase 2 Pickleball, Hughes Court
  • Tuesday, July 18
    • 9:00 a.m. Quilting Group, Rm L35
    • 12:00 p.m. Downtown Engagement Team Meeting, Celebration Room
    • 6:00 p.m. Adult Discipleship Team Meeting, Celebration Room
  • Wednesday, July 19
    • 11:30 a.m. Nickel-A-Cup, McFarland's Restaurant
    • 5:00 p.m. Praise Team Rehearsal, Chapel
    • 5:15 p.m. Phase 2 Yoga, Fellowship Hall
    • 6:00 p.m. Family Splash Night, Playground
  • Thursday, July 20
    • 11:30 a.m. Nickel-A-Cup

Summer Office Hours

The church office is now open Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. We are closed on Fridays.

Prayer Covenant Churches

Each year, the Topeka District of the Great Plains Conference arranges a covenant calendar to ensure all churches in our connection are held in prayer by the others. Beginning today, we will list in this newsletter our prayer covenant church for the week and invite you to pray for them, as another church prays for us.

Prayer Covenant Church for the week:
Worship
In Worship This Week:

Scripture:
Hebrews 13:1-2 and Genesis 18:1-15 (selected verses)

Message:
Beauty and the Beast: Odd One Out
Rev. Jeff Clinger, Lead Pastor

Special Music:
At 11 a.m. only, Maggie Shermoen and Jim Ramos, who play Belle and her father in the Topeka Civic Theatre's production of Beauty and the Beast, will sing a song from the stage production as our prelude. We invite you to come hear them sing this touching father-daughter duet, that you won't hear in the movie! 


We are also blessed all summer to have members of our congregation sing the offertory music at 8:15 and 11 a.m. We are grateful they offer their gifts to lift our hearts in worship!

Summer Sunday Symposiums
 
This summer, there will be speakers at the 9:30 hour in Fellowship Hall on featured Sunday mornings. As most adult classes take a break for the summer, this is a time to reconnect in fellowship and learning.

July 16th
Detective Heather Stults will present the Take Me Home Program, which is designed for citizens of Shawnee County with Alzheimer's, Autism, Dementia, Down Syndrome, etc. who may struggle to identify themselves or their residence when encountered by law enforcement. This enrollment program helps officers better assist these citizens in returning home safely and contacting their caregivers. There will be enrollment forms available for attendees to take and share with neighbors, relatives and friends.
 
July 23rd
Rev. Sandy Vogel will share her experiences and the history of Celtic Spirituality  when she presents learnings and photographs from her 2016 and 2017 visits to Wales and Scotland. In addition to giving a brief historical background of Celtic people, she will describe how they easily became Christianized and how Celtic spirituality has influenced her own faith practices.
 
July 30th
Join us as we hear about the adventures of our youth from their mission trip to Baton Rouge, where they served that community for a week. Treats will be served!

Senior Summer Caravan

Arrangements have been made for our members to tour some of the local retirement communities this summer. We will take a tour, then enjoy a complimentary lunch in their dining areas. There will not be a sales pitch. This is just a time to look around and gain information. Here is the next available tour:
  •   Thursday, August 10th11:30 a.m.  Thornton Place Senior Apartments
  • 2901 SW Armstrong Dr, west of 29th & Wanamaker). Gather in the entryway.

A Community of BoomersUp
Upcoming Phase 2 Activities

Pickleball Game
Although it was a scorcher, our dozen Pickleballers had so much fun they want to do it again next week. For those interested, we will plan to meet at 6:30 at Hughes Ct. on July 16We hope to have a few paddles available for those that don't have one, but if you plan to play on a regular basis it would be a good idea to purchase your own. Sign up on our Church Connection Portal or on your bulletin tear-off this week.
 
Movie and Dinner 
Boomers, join Phase 2 on the evening of Sunday, July 30th  for a movie, followed by dinner at the home of Chuck Wilson and Carol Sprague. Watch for more details in this newsletter as we get closer to the date.

Fellowship All-Church Royals Game #2

The Royals are on a hot streak! Join in the fun and bring a friend to board an Arrow Bus for our next All-Church Royals outing on August 3rd. The cost is $47 per person, which includes bus fare, game ticket, and tip for the driver. We will board the bus in the church parking lot at 4:45 and plan to leave by 5 p.m. Be sure to sign up on our online Church Connection Portal or on your bulletin tear-off this Sunday.
 
Connect  Connect
Many Topeka First UMC friends enjoyed fellowship at the June 8th ball game.

summer_fun.jpg Summer Fun Save-the-Dates

Circle these dates on your calendar and plan to enjoy these summer activities with your church family:
  • July 19th
    • 6-7:30 p.m. Children's Ministry Water Fun Night at church
  • August 3rd
    • 7:15 p.m. Royals Game with travel by Arrow Bus
  • August 13th
    • Backpack and Lesson Plan blessing during all worship services
    • Ice Cream Social at the Sports Center in the evening
 
Men's Group to Resume Prison Ministry Project

Earlier this spring, the Topeka First UMC men's group installed playground equipment at the women's prison to give the inmates the opportunity to have positive experiences with their children when they visit.  The men's group will install the next phase of the playground equipment at the women's prison on Saturday morning, July 15th at 7:45 a.m. Since there is a pre-approval process, only those who have been approved can go into the prison to install the equipment.

school_supplies_tool.jpg Missions Collection for July

For the month of July, we will collect school supplies to help the 600 children served by our strategic missions partner, Topeka North Outreach. You may bring your donations to the Celebration Room through the end of the month.

Needed school supplies:
  • Backpacks
  • 3 Ring Binder (1 or 1.5 in) NO ZIPPERS
  • Notebook Filler Paper (Wide & College)
  • Spiral Notebooks 70 pgs. (college & wide) 
  • Plain Pocket Folders (without brads)
  • Composition Notebooks or Graph Paper
  • Pencil Pouch
  • Notebook Filler Paper (wide & college)
  • Pencils (#2)
  • Notecards (3x5 lined)
  • Pens (Black, Blue, and Red)
  • Folders: Green, Red & Blue (without brads)
  • Dividers (5 tab)
  • Composition Notebooks
  • Colored Pencils (12 ct. pkg.)
  • Pointed & Blunt Scissors
  • Hi-Lighters (yellow)
  • Dry Erase Markers (Black)
  • Colored Pencils (12 ct. pkg.) 
  • Colored Markers (large classic, washable, thick)
  • Glue Sticks
  • Erasers (large pink)
  • Ruler (12" standard)
  • Kleenex (large box)
  • Hand Sanitizer
  • Antibacterial Wipes

children
hand_family_beach.jpg
Family Splash Night

On Wednesday, July 19th, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m., join Children's Ministry for a night of water activities on the church playground. Come ready to get wet and have fun, and bring your lawn chairs. We will provide snacks, and an indoor activity is planned in case of inclement weather. Email Allison Brewer with any questions.
 
Worship Readiness for Children

Worship Readiness is a new class that we offer during 11 a.m. worship. This class is designed for children ages 3-8 whose parents choose for them an alternative to staying through the entire worship service. Children of all ages are always welcome in worship. This class will use hands-on activities and child-friendly discussion to help children learn about the elements of worship and spiritual practices. We invite children to start worship with their parents to experience the prayer, hymns, and scripture as a family. Then they will be dismissed to the back of the Sanctuary. The Worship Readiness leaders will guide the children to their class. You can pick up your children in the classroom next to the nursery following worship. Please contact Allison Brewer with any questions or if you are interested in volunteering with this class.
 
Thanks for Supporting VBS!
The children of our church and community had a wonderful week of Vacation Bible School earlier this summer, thanks to the hard work of many volunteers. 

We are grateful for these members' willingness to serve:
  • Co-Directors: Allison Brewer, Mickey Foster, Melissa Evans
  • Preschool Room Leaders: Mickey Foster, Natalie Barbee, and Olivia Clancy
  • Music Station: Dorothy Iliff and Martha Spacek
  • Games Station: Chris Hill
  • Story Telling Station: Rosanna Selley and Erin Corbin
  • Science Station: Melissa Evans
  • Group Leaders: Tara Mays, Aaron Mays, Millie Foster, Karen Sexton, Joy Barnes, and Shirley Johanssen 
  • Youth Helpers:  Hannah Blow, Grace Schumacher, Kady Michael, Tessaira Evans
  • Opening: Sandy Vogel
  • Check-in: Randall Hodgkinson and Frank Young
  • A/V: Tina Boles
  • Building Support: Chet Darby
  • Snacks: April Vaughn, Dawn Wayant, Judy Gatewood, Sharlene Mueldener, and Marianne Byl
  • Additional Support: Alice Eberhart-Wright
  • Decorations:  Melissa Evans, Mickey Foster, Allison Brewer, Anna Walker, Mary Beck, Cheryl Williams, Sue Blackman, Julie Taylor, Millie Foster, Shelly Hutchinson, Dee Anderson, Avery Brungardt, Angie Brungardt, and Cindy Naeger

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Youth Events for Sunday, July 16
  • 9:30 a.m. Youth attend worship together in the Chapel. Some college-age youth from the Nebraska UMC Conference for Mercy & Justice will attend worship with us before they head to Institute at Baker.
  • 4-6 p.m. YOUTH POOL PARTY at the Smith's. Hamburgers, hotdogs,and snow cones will be available. Friends are always welcome.
 
Ice Cream at Aldersgate
Don't forget our service project on Sunday, July 23rd, at Aldersgate Village-- "Sweet Pie A la mode." We need many youth servers from 3 to 4 p.m.
 
SUMMIT YOUTH ACADEMY
Exciting News--Our youth, Xianne Williams and Emma Turner, will represent our church the Summit Youth Academy in Winfield, Kansas, on July 23-29. During their week at the Summit, the girls will connect with God, one another, and Christian leaders. They will learn about Wesleyan theology through professors, mentors, and worship. Won't you pray for these youth as they take a week this summer to draw closer to God and learn a lot to bring back to our youth and church? 

Youth Youth 
Youth had a Sunday School lesson on how their faith can be a little like putty sometimes, thanks to Will Naeger, Kira Williams, and Cooper Self. After the lesson, they each got to make their own spiritual putty to take home as a reminder of their faith.


Where is our summer going...

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