In This Issue

THE WATER OF LIFE        2

INVITATION TO REALM        3

2025 SCHOLARSHIPS        4

FPC 170TH ANNIVERSARY        4

BACKPACK, BRIEFCASE, RETIREMENT WORK BLESSING        5

A SEASON OF THE LITTLE PANTRY        6

A SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY BABY SHOWER        7

VBS HELPERS        8

FAMILY FUN NIGHT        8

ANNOUNCEMENTS        9

HELP US GET OUT THE MESSAGE!        9

BIRTHDAYS & ANNIVERSARIES        10

FELLOWSHIPS AND POTLUCKS        10

PHOTOS        11

Scholarship Presentation July 13, 2025        11

Marti’s Trip to Canyon Creek, Montana July, 2025        12

Omihachiman Guests July 27th, 2025        14

THE WATER OF LIFE

It has been hot lately and so, we need to drink more water. Working in the garden, I find that I need to take more breaks, which means it takes more time to get through the work. I could just ignore my need, but if I wait too long, dehydration would take a heavy toll on my body, when I could have just taken a few more breaks.

It isn’t just water that our bodies need - we also need connection, purpose, and hope. Christ notes that in the face of the adversary’s temptation, people do not live on bread alone, but on all that comes from God. Much like our need for water, faith brings the energy needed to move through difficulties and challenges in our lives. When our neighbors get on our nerves, faith in God’s love can remind us that such love is both for ourselves and others, and if God can love, perhaps we can, too. When we find ourselves overwhelmed by the challenges ahead of us, faith in God can remind us that we are made for one another, and so reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness, but an affirmation of our interdependence. When our lives become more stressful, like increases in demands from work, anxiety of increased costs of living, or worries associated with changes in our lives, we need that water of life – faith – to help bring those nutrients to the exhausted parts of our lives.

Faith is the life blood of a community. Faith can remind us that none of us can do this on our own. It reminds us that even as we argue over what is best for the community, it is for the whole community that we work for, not just for some. It reminds us that our responsibilities to one another go beyond our property lines, our demographics and our political parties. Christ gave us such love, not to push each other away, but to give us the strength to embrace each other more fully.

It’s hot out there, my friends, and the stresses of life are not cooling off any time soon. Give your life what it needs - pray, sing, read, study, serve, and love. Gather with others seeking that faith and who desire to affirm that need for love. We’ll get through this summer together with some good bottles of water. We will get through these stressful and dark seasons of life leaning on each other and investing our faith in each other and our faith in God.

• Pastor Tim Gray

INVITATION TO REALM

By now, the Realm invites should have gone out (please check your email if you haven’t recently). This is your invitation to FPC’s online directory and access to your recorded giving on the Realm platform. If you haven’t already, open your email invite from Realm and follow the instructions to create your account. Once that’s done, you will log in and everything will be there waiting for you!

There are a couple of specific pieces to take note of. When you first log in, you’ll come to your personal information page (it won’t matter if you’re on mobile or desktop) and below your profile picture, you’ll see an “Edit” button. If any of the information is incorrect or if you want to add information, you can do it through here. If you change something, don’t forget to press “Save” once you’re done!

The other two places you’ll most often use are the “Giving” and “Directory” buttons. If you’re on desktop (bottom right image), those buttons will be visible on the top left of your screen. If you’re on mobile (left images), you will need to tap the three lines to bring up those options. Please note that we won’t be using the “Registration Events” buttons at this time.

            If you have any questions or need assistance, feel free to stop by the office and talk to either Tim or Bobby and we’ll be happy to help guide you through the process. If you want a paper copy of the directory, those will also be available by the time you read this.

• Bobby, Administrative Assistant

2025 SCHOLARSHIPS

On July 13, 2025, three scholarships were awarded from Endowments set up at First Presbyterian Church to be used for higher education.

In 2000, the session of FPC set up the Carrie Cory Community Scholarship for students from Leavenworth County high schools with academic potential, who needed financial assistance to attend college. Kylene Hensley was the applicant chosen in 2025 to receive the $1,000 scholarship. She will be attending Washburn University with the intention of becoming a radiologist.

            Two members of the First Presbyterian Church family were presented with the William and Genevieve Boatright Scholarships this year. Both Cameron Rice and Ryen Litewski have worked in the FPC nursery, caring for our youngest members! It was my pleasure to award these young ladies with a $1,000 scholarship each, to be sent to their schools. Cameron will be completing her program at Cleveland University through the Kansas City Kansas Community College. When she graduates this December, she will be taking her board examinations to begin her career in Radiology technology.

Ryen Litewski will continue her studies at Pittsburg State University, working as a Certified Nursing Assistant on her career path to become a Certified Registered Nursing Assistant. Ryen was unable to join us for the presentation, but her mother stepped up to fill in for her.

Congratulations to all three young ladies as they continue their schooling! Scholarship assistance is so helpful!

If anyone of the congregation has interest in establishing such a scholarship, Endowment or Memorial, please convey that interest to one of our committee members. We can make that happen to honor your generosity and dedication to our faith with a legacy gift. The Endowment Committee includes: Debbie Anderson, Rodney Schwatken, Dody Marsh, Pam Crume, Pastor Tim Gray, and myself, Carol Page.

• Ruling Elder, Carol Page

FPC 170TH ANNIVERSARY

Would you like to be a small part of the preparations for the church’s celebration? We need friends to read a decade of the printed church history and reduce it to one event, person, or movement that took place in a year. You will receive a yellow binder with the decade of information. You are asked to read the decade and choose one or two items for each year, to be shared with the congregation throughout the next year. You are then asked to write or suggest an author for a short paragraph about that moment in history.

There are 17 chapters/decades, so it appears to be the best to share the joy of discovery. As you read the decade, it is your choice to emphasize what you think is worth remembering and sharing. It becomes very personal, but that is what history is – our memories and shared stories that make up our history. Your list of annual events/persons/movements will be due back to the committee in September/October. The 170th committee will choose if there is more than one event per year submitted.

The 170th committee will cover the long list of pastors and buildings, new and/or improved, in a different way. We are looking for the people and events that make us a church. That is not the building or the pastors. We hope to have a separate timeline of pastors and buildings, with pictures, available sometime in the middle of next year.

• Ruling Elder, Shirley Rockwell

BACKPACK, BRIEFCASE, RETIREMENT WORK BLESSING

It was in a port city in Los Angeles that I learned about commercial fishing: the challenges, the wonders of being out on the water, the dangers that came with trusting oneself on a small craft with a small group of people. I also learned there was a fishing season - somewhere in Spring, going through until the Fall. And at the beginning of that season, recognizing the dangers of the work, we would bless folks’ boats. The prayer would be small and only for a moment, but it was an intentional act of both asking God for safety and success and also the community coming around those going out.

Having grown up in a time of school and workplace shootings, a time of uncertainty about weather and stock markets, and in general, recognizing the uncertainty of all our work, no matter where we are, I have carried on this tradition of blessing.

On August 17 I’d like to invite you, your families, and our community to come and be blessed. During the service we’ll ask anyone who would like to come forward, along with any backpack or work bag, and we will pray for God's guidance and protection. Perhaps you are no longer in school, maybe even retired, but we need God even in our volunteer work and our work with our grandkids. Blessings like this help us to be connected to one another, no matter when our work cycles occur - from kids, to adults and beyond, we need God’s help. So come on August 17 during the worship service - bring your bag and bring yourself, as we pray for clear skies and full nets.

• Pastor Tim Gray

A SEASON OF THE LITTLE PANTRY

As you walk through the aisles of Price Chopper or Walmart picking up your weekly supplies, watching the prices go up, have you ever wondered how others are being affected? Sure, the news has been providing stories for us about the price of eggs or milk or even produce, but what about people here? Our neighbors here around the church?

Well, one way we can see how our neighbors are being affected is by looking at our Little Pantry. Standing at the southeast corner of the church, the little pantry is filled with a variety of peanut butter items, canned meat items and vegetables, soups and snacks, and even a few household supplies every once in a while. Several times a week a devoted group of volunteers fills a box with what we have on hand, carries it outside, and fills that little box. And within hours, most, if not all, of what was placed there is taken by our neighbors. Sometimes we’ll have some canned beans that just sit there - not everything is popular - but if we look at this community resource, it tells us that we are in need - hungry, cash strapped and overwhelmed.

And then every once in a while, a few wrapped up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches show up - not from church members, but from community members, neighbors who also want to share. Our Little Pantry doesn’t just give the hungry food - it’s an invitation to our neighbors to also be neighborly.

Given the increased importance of that pantry and conversations we are having with our neighbors during our Community Meal, there are a few here who are exploring the possibility of expanding our pantry offerings. If you would like to participate in something expanded, something new, please reach out to Pastor Tim or to Chris Aus. We would love to have a conversation with you.

And keep bringing in those easy-to-open-and-consume food donations - they are a lifeline to our neighbors and our common faith together.

• Pastor Tim Gray

A SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY BABY SHOWER

We were able to assist over 50 families with a full bag of diapers or half of the marvelous super-size packages. You donated over 2,700 diapers. We ran out of afghans after 45 minutes, but we had diapers to give to families until 10 minutes before the event closed. We were able to introduce many families to the community meals program. The new information sheet for the meals also had a list of all the food pantries in Leavenworth on the reverse side.

Thank you to Carolyn Anderson, Carolyn TIllotson and Linda Barry for helping staff our booth on July 26. Pastor Tim came for a short time before he started packing for his trip to Kenya.

• Ruling Elder, Shirley Rockwell

VBS HELPERS

Three members of our church, Elders Ann Keeling and Carol Page and Deacon/Clerk of Session Rick Nichols, spent the week of July 14-18 assisting with the annual Vacation Bible School at First Christian Church in Leavenworth.

Ann, who was a crew leader, and both Carol and Rick worked with the 15 to 20 adults with disabilities from Riverside Resources who showed up at the church every evening to learn about Jesus through Bible stories, craft projects and music.

Ann was responsible for the presentation of the Bible stories and regularly had Rick as an assistant. She is pictured here as she prepares to give a lesson in one of the two classrooms that were occupied by the Rainbow group, the name Riverside's adults with disabilities usually go by. Meanwhile, Carol was in the other classroom helping out with the craft project for the day.

The learning of the songs younger children and the Rainbow group were introduced to during VBS took place in the sanctuary.

Activities each evening began with the serving of a brown bag meal in the classrooms and concluded with a short skit and prayer in the sanctuary.

The theme for VBS was "True North: Trusting Jesus in a Wild World."

Volunteering yet again, Ann also took charge of the crafts for pre-schoolers during the VBS at First United Methodist Church July 21-25.

• Clerk of Session, Rick Nichols

FAMILY FUN NIGHT

            The church got a feeling for what a multigenerational Vacation Bible School scheduled across a period of 3 to 4 months might look like when it was the scene of a Family Fun Night the evening of Tuesday, July 29. As those present snacked on popcorn and kept a close eye on their BINGO cards, the ever-popular movie "Finding Nemo" was shown on the screen in front of them down in Fellowship Hall.

            Jessica Flynn was in charge of the event, which was billed as a "soft opening" for this envisioned multigenerational VBS.

• Clerk of Session, Rick Nichols

ANNOUNCEMENTS

HELP US GET OUT THE MESSAGE!

FROM MEDIA COMMITTEE - We are working on preparing for Summer outreach, VBS, and Pentecost, and inviting the community to join us through mailed, email, website, and Facebook advertising. Grab a few door-hangers in the entryway, share a post and invite your friends to join in all the fun!

PHOTOS

Scholarship Presentation July 13, 2025

Marti’s Trip to Canyon Creek, Montana July, 2025

Omihachiman Guests July 27th, 2025

Do you have photos of the wonderful life and ministry of First Presbyterian Church? Please send us what you have! Photos can be emailed to admin@fpclvks.org or scanned in by submitting them to the office staff.