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Is It September Already?!?

This Sunday at John Knox

You are invited to join us for worship - either in-person or online - at 9:00 am or 11:00 am this Sunday, September 5, 2021. We welcome back Rev. Deborah Mitchell to the pulpit.  If you wish to join us online for either service, you may do so through Facebook Live and our website. Click here to watch our streaming live services. Please note: You do not have to have a Facebook account to view our services. There are also Church School offerings for ages 3 yrs. old - adult at 10am.

Office Will Be Closed on Monday

The office will be closed on September 6 to observe Labor Day. If you are in need of pastoral care, please call Lisa Crismore at 317-910-7429.

Office Hours & Mask requirement:

• The office will remain open from Monday - Thursday from 8:30am - 4pm & Friday 9am - 11am. We are asking that if you plan to be stopping in please make an appointment with a staff member.
• When entering the office, we are requiring that you wear a mask. 
• Thanks so much for respecting our need to keep everyone safe.

J. Stanley’s Funeral and Obituary

J. Stanley’s Funeral and Obituary – We apologize for those who missed the announcement for the funeral of J. Stanley, which was held at the church this past Monday, August 30. J. Stanley died on Thursday, August 26. J. was a great husband, father, grandfather and brother. He served thirty-five years in the Air Force and Reserves. He will be missed by his family as he was truly a good man. Click here to view his full obituary on the Flanner and Buchanan’s website. J. had struggled with Alzheimer’s for several years and had recently moved to Riverwalk Memory Care in Noblesville. If you would like to show your support, please reach out to Wanda with a card, phone call or visit.

Interim Search Committee Update

One of the candidates came for a second interview on Sunday-Monday of this last week. The committee met on Tuesday. They continued to discuss where they are in the process and how they want to narrow down their search. Once the candidate is selected they will need to agree on a salary package; get approval from session and approval from COM – the Presbytery. For questions, please contact Sue Hartman, Troy Judy, Goehrig Orr, Judy Ricketts, Kel Winton or Pam Herman, Clerk of Session.

Prime Timers - September 14 

Everyone is invited to join us on Tuesday, September 14, at noon. Please bring your own lunch and we will plan to meet in Fellowship Hall. Our time together will be spent enjoying fellowship, playing cards and board games. If you have any questions or recommendation for games, please see Lisa Crismore.

Celebrating the work of Dawnie Barnhouse - September 18 & 19

Dawnie retired in the midst of the pandemic and we did not get a chance to celebrate her as our organist of many years. Please mark your calendars to attend a tailgate picnic in her honor on September 18 at 5pm. You will need to bring your own food and lawn chairs (although we will have extra tables and chairs set up).
 
Then on Sunday, September 19, she will be recognized for her service at both worship services. If it rains on September 18, the picnic will be held on Sunday following the 11am service. There will be an email and/or letter going out to share ways that you can show your appreciation to Dawnie.

Pyoca All Church Retreat September 24-26

Dr. John Franke, Theologian-in-Residence at Second Presbyterian Church, will join us again as our guest speaker at this year’s retreat!  John will be sharing with us about Dwelling in the Word:  Reading Scripture as Disciples of Jesus. There will also be activities for children, as well as intergenerational activities for us throughout the weekend.  Registration brochures may be found on the literature rack across from the church office, and in your September Tidings.  Don’t miss out on this wonderful weekend of spiritual fellowship, nurture, and most importantly – in a truly beautiful place amidst God’s creation!  We will follow CDC guidelines, Pyoca camp’s guidelines, and any local requirements related to Covid to keep the retreat as safe as possible. Deadline for registering is noon, Sunday, September 12.

Sunday - September 26 - Worship 

On Sunday, September 26, we will have a special Sunday morning schedule. Because some will be at Pyoca that morning for the All-Church Retreat, we will only have a traditional worship service at 9am. There will be no Church School for all ages at 10am. There will be no 11am worship service at John Knox that day.

Organ Recital - October 10 

Sunday, October 10 at 6:30pm John Knox will host an Organ Recital in the sanctuary. All are welcome to attend! Our own Shayla Van Hal will be offering an evening filled with beautiful music from our organ. Please mark your calendars and plan on attending. There will be more information in the October Tidings.
 
I hope you are enjoying the cooler days. Stay safe and I want to share a Walter Brueggemann poem titled "Labor Day"

We are again at our annual moment to honor labor.
to remember those who do hard work, to recall tales of depression poverty,
to wonder at our surging economy.
As we remember, we are aware that "labor" today is surrounded by hostile euphemisms ...
downgrading, outsourcing, minimum wage, 401Ks, all strategies to cut costs,
with the result that laborers are put more at risk, all the while we indulge in endless extravagance.

We are mindful this day:
that most hard labor in our country is performed by people maybe not like us, 
African Americans, Latinos, other people who lack our advanced skills and connections,
and who settle for being labor that is cheap, while food and housing continue to grow
more expensive;

that we are here because our mothers were in labor for us,
loving us before we were born, available for inconvenience and for pain,
and as we grew ... for worry in the night;

that there is other to be done, what Jesus called, "my Father's work,"
healing the sick, caring for the poor,
casting out demons, doing the hard work of justice.

We give thanks for those who do this.

On Labor Day, with most of us so privileged that we do not sweat unless we play tennis or jog,
give us fresh perspective on our labor, that our lives consist in more than earning and eating,
in making and selling, that our lives consist in the hard, urgent work of the neighborhood.

Empower us as you did our mothers that we may birth new well-being,
that neighbors may live in justice, that we may live in justice,
that we may know the joy of compassion, that overrides the drudgery of our common day. 

We pray in the name of Jesus, from whom we know your own self-giving life,
for we gladly confess that "no man works like him."

Blessings,
Lisa

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