The Messenger P A R T R I D G E C O M M U N I T Y C H U R C H

P O B O X 3 8 P A R T R I D G E , K S

P A S T O R : S H E R I D A N I R I C K ( 4 0 5 ) 3 1 7 - 3 2 5 0

M A Y 2 0 2 0 | V O L . L X V I N O . 5

This month we will begin our process of re-opening. I am so

excited to be back in our sanctuary with all of you! I’ve missed

the beauty of our space, the music of the piano, the familiar

rhythms of Sunday morning, and above all, I have dearly

missed your faces and your voices.

So what does phasing back into in-person worship look like?

For two weeks we will have every other pew taped off to

We invite people to wear masks, but we are not requiring them. We leave that to your individual discretion.

We will continue to encourage people to be mindful of simple, common practices like properly washing

hands, cleaning surfaces, etc.

As we come in and leave the church, we are asking people not to linger in the foyer. We want people to be

able to fellowship, since that has been a part of worship that we’ve all longed for, but we are encouraging

people to do so outside where they can also enjoy the lovely flowers and the nice weather.

We will resume potluck and communion in July with some slight adjustments to our practices. We all look

forward to breaking bread together again..

We will be phasing in singing. Of all our decisions, this is the hardest. Music is an integral and dearly loved

part of worship. As a preacher, I find that music is often the time in worship when I am ministered to, and

I've missed it. Beginning on June 14, we will be singing at the end of service, which is one way to limit

potential spread. We're learning more all the time, and as things reopen, we’ll soon know even more, so

we’ll be reassessing frequently. It’s my hope that this will only need to be part of a short transitional time.

help us practice distancing. This may mean you will have an

opportunity to view the service from a new vantage point!

 

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Please know that at every step of our plans to first move online and then return to the sanctuary, no decision

has been taken lightly. I’ve read countless articles about best practices and highest risks, had many

conversations with fellow clergy in similar settings to ours, and prayed daily for wisdom. The process of

phasing back in might be the most difficult stage. We are all weary and ready to return to all that we've missed.

I’ve spoken with members who are ready to jump back in with no restrictions and members who are still

invested in remaining cautious. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, please keep in mind that someone you

love is in a different place. Part of living in community with one another often involves trying to find a middle

ground to create an environment where various needs can be met.

 

I’ve been deeply appreciative of the way our church has weathered this with grace, faithfulness, and patience,

and I look forward to seeing you all back in the sanctuary soon as we continue to move forward together. My

prayer is that we will come back together with a renewed appreciation for all we have as a church, but most

importantly a renewed appreciation and love for one another.

Pastor Sheridan Irick

What a strange trip these past few weeks have

been. The pandemic has exploded our notions

of conventional worship, and conducting the

work of the church. In the next few weeks we

may be entering a time when we will again be

able to take our places in the church building

and start to worship in a style that we had

been accustomed to. But yet, it won't be the

same; we will be coming together changed

and with a clear sense that the church is more

than a physical structure. I saw that church in

operation the past two months as our

community cared for each other, made phone

calls, delivered food and medicine to shut-ins,

and learned to come together on-line. And so I

hope we can continue to be open to that Spirit

as we make plans and move forward.     

Moving forward will of course mean some

planning and meeting. The next church

council meeting will be on Sunday, June 7.

While we may begin having potluck lunches

later in the year, that type of gathering won't

take place on this the first Sunday of June. So,

instead of having a meeting after the potluck,

the council meeting will happen in the

sanctuary right after the worship service. Since

this will be our first meeting since suspending

services in the building, it will be a great

opportunity to hear about all the work that has

been done with remodeling, tree clearing, and

mission work. We will also need to hear

about finances and look to the future. I hope

as many of the congregation as possible will

be able to stay after worship for this important

meeting.

Deacons' ReportR O B Y N N S I M S

Moderator's ReportJ I M F R E N C H

ENCOUNTERING GOD SERIES

Sunday, June 7

“Encountering God in Labor and Pain”

An Altar in the World: chapters 9-10 Genesis 3:8-21

Sunday, June 14

“Encountering God

by Being Present”

An Altar in the World: chapter 11 1 Kings 19:11-13

LECTIONARY

Sunday, June 21

Genesis 21:8-21

Psalm 86:1-10, 16-17

Romans 6:1b-11

Matthew 10:24-39

Sunday, June 28

Genesis 22:1-14

Psalm 13

Romans 6:12-23

Matthew 10:40-42

The deacons met via Zoom along with our

moderator, Jim French, on May 11, to discuss

what the various phases of the Kansas plan

would mean for us.  Online services were

planned for May 17 and May 24 with an outdoor

service for Sunday, May 31. We encouraged

church members to bring sack lunches for a

picnic and take a tour of the newly remodeled

basement. On May 26, deacons met with

trustees and the moderator to look at plans for

returning to in-person worship in June.

We are planning to continue sharing our

services online as we begin meeting in person.

This service to our community has been

encouraging to us as well as others who would

not normally attend our services. We are

looking at more technology to assist our

online broadcasts.

Hurrah! The remodel of Fellowship Hall is complete. No more dust and paint dribbles. Mick Goetz

Construction completed the work laying the vinyl flooring 10 days ago. It is gorgeous. Tina Morris helped

arrange the material. Tables and chairs will be returned after new pads are added to the metal chairs.

The kitchen is getting a cleaning, and Annette Mathias and Tawnya Harner are planning decorations for a

coffee area. Come take a look as soon as the church is open.

The Trustees made removing the locust trees on

the north lot their next order of business. The first

two Saturdays in May were spent bringing down

and cutting up these aging trees. A big thanks to

the crew who showed up with chainsaws, tractors,

log splitters, and rakes. The job is not complete,but

the trees on the north lot are down. The trustees

worked hard and appreciated the efforts and

equipment provided by Randy Mathias, Pete

Heibert, Wayne Henderson, Mike and Dory Sims,

Jim French, Robynn Sims and boyfriend Andrew.

A special thank you to Lynn Exposito who offered a

discount to grind the stumps, but also used his

equipment and his van on the second workday

to fell the last trees. Many took home a load of wood and a Mennonite youth group came and cut the

leftovers to give to older members of their church. In place of the June workday, the Trustees worked on

May 30, cleaning the site so it can be mowed.

As the remodeling in Fellowship Hall nears completion, we continue to assess furniture and items in

storage that might not be needed any longer. At the February Church Council meeting, the Trustees

presented a list of furniture and materials stored in various places in the church and the storage shed.

Many things on the list are being used and need to stay, but there are some items that are no longer

needed, some are duplicates, and some need to be replaced. The moderator appointed a committee of

three (Lisa French, Pastor Sheridan Irick, and Tawnya Harner) to review the list and make some decisions

about cleaning house.

If you would like to have some of the salt and pepper shakers that we have used in Fellowship Hall for

many years, please help yourself.  We have replaced them with new shakers. We are also planning to

dispose of our choir robes. If you would like to have one of the choir robes, please claim it soon.

If you have any extra plastic tubs, we could use them to store Christmas pageant costumes, Easter

baskets, and other items in the tower room. Contact Lisa French if you have some to donate.

Annette Mathias is planning a Church garage sale Friday, June 19 (1-7 pm) and Saturday, June 20th (8 am-

noon). We will be taking some items from the church, and you can also add yours. Please bring garage

sale items to 19 W. 27th in Hutchinson on Tuesday, June 16 and Thursday, June 18 from 5-7 pm. All items

need to be priced. All proceeds go to the remodel of our new church basement. Call Annette Mathias

(620-664-0981) if you have any questions.

Trustees' ReportC H R I S T E R R I L L

NANCY TERRILL MORROW, whose ALS is

progressing. Prayers for her and her

husband Chuck.

CLINT PERRIN, who continues to battle

Crohn's disease and recover from surgery, as

well as his family as they care for and support

him.

RUTH JONES, as she recovers from a stroke.

ROB MITZNER, Joanie Oller's brother-in-law,

who is battling cancer.

While the choir has not been able to share music in

worship these past couple of months, there has been

no shortage of great music. Shelby Harner has prepared

something to perform for each online service. And her

voice reached hundreds according to the views that

Facebook reported. So we may not have been in the

building, but the gifts of music continued to be a

blessing to all of us in our worship. As we enter the

summer months, choir members will again be

recruiting special music for Sunday services. Each

member will draw a date and be responsible for filling

the anthem slot in the bulletin. So please be ready to

help them find someone to share their talents on

Sunday morning.

Our prayers are with...DENNIS PERRIN, who is recovering from a

cycling accident in which he broke three ribs.

BRICE STARK, who was in a severe ATV

accident and has recently been

transferred to a different hospital to address

his brain injury.

LAYNE, Brad & Nikki Bagby's foster son, as he

recovers from a dog attack.

DOC & CAROLYN KING as they grieve the loss

of Carolyn's brother.

The Lord is your keeper;    the Lord is your shade

at your right hand.The sun shall not strike you by day,    

nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;    he will keep your life.The Lord will keep    

your going out and your coming in    from this time on and forevermore.

Psalm 121: 5-8

Special Music for the SummerJ I M F R E N C H

When John and Sally O'Conner moved to Hutchinson to be closer to their daughter's family, they tried out

other churches before choosing Partridge Community Church. They decided to visit PCC on a

recommendation from their previous pastor at the UCC church in Great Bend. “My minister in Great Bend said

Partridge had a really good pastor,” Sally said. He had heard Pastor Sheridan preach and had given her high

praise. “Since [PCC] is UCC, we felt very much at home,” Sally said.

Before retiring to Hutchinson, John and Sally had a full life in Great Bend. After retirement, John continued to

work part-time at the radio station where they met, while Sally volunteered at The Crest, directing live theater.

But their collective story began in the early 1970s.

In 1973, John began a career at KVGB, an Eagle radio station in Great Bend, where he did some news, but

mostly did the morning show, which began as music programming. “Then it changed to talk radio,” John said.

“"We had a lot of community shows like KWBW [in Hutchinson]. We don't have a lot of political talk. We try to

stick to community issues, talking with local officials and having doctors answer questions.” In those 26 years,

Sally said, “he was very good at interviewing people.”

John's radio experience goes all the way back to Catholic grade school, where his skill at reading aloud was

noticed and earned him the opportunity to announce the songs for the annual Christmas radio program .

Years later, in high school, John auditioned for a part time job at that same radio station in his hometown of

Manitowoc, WI. “They remembered me from the children's Christmas program,” John said, and he got the job.

“I started in March of 1964 just when the Beatles were breaking out, and it was an exciting time to be in radio,”

After being drafted into the Army, John served as part of the Army AFKN (American Forces Korean Network).

He said there are still “30,000 troops in Korea, and those stations are still going strong.” John got out of the

military in 1973 and moved to Great Bend, where he met Sally and put down roots.

After college, Sally taught at Pratt Skyline, but if she had stayed in teaching, she never would have met John. “I

taught for a couple of years right out of college, but I wasn't ready yet. I did different things for 6 or 7 years and

then went back.” One of those things was working at KVGB with John, where she started in late 1974. They

married the next year, and her life experience continued: She workd at a bank for a while and as the secretary

to the chief of police. In 1980, Sally returned to teaching, first junior high English and speech then high school

English and theater. She enjoyed each subject uniquely. “I really loved them all for different reasons. When I

went to school, my emphasis was in speech and theater, so that was a lot of fun. It was fun watching those kids

[in junior high speech] gain confidence," she said

After retiring, Sally continued to pursue her love of theater, serving as the manager and artistic director for the

historic Crest theater in Great Bend. “People would come to see the marquee,” Sally said, and John added: “It's

one of only two [Crest theaters] remaining in Kansas.” John acted in some of Sally's productions. “It was a lot of

fun,” he said. “Once you get the acting bug, it's addictive—the lights and the applause.” Though he has left

acting, John said that his docent work for the Cosmosphere is similar: “It's like acting: you get to tell the story of

the Cosmosphere.” With all John's experience, I imagine his tours are memorable.

John and Sally are glad to be in Hutchinson. “It's a great town,” Sally said. “We've been very busy since we've

been here.” Along with John's work at the Cosmosphere, he is a ham radio operator with a federal license for a

personal or emergency radio station. “There are about 150 operators in Reno County. They have an active

organization,” John said. The operators recently held a boy scout event at the Cosmosphere helping the kids

earn a communication's badge. Sally has her own hobby: knitting. "“The Wool Market is wonderful, and Andrea

Springer is really trying to keep it going. There is a group of us who meet on Tuesdays; she is doing Zoom

meetings, so that's fun.”

Since we have all been spending more time at home lately, Sally said, “I seem to be doing more baking than I

have done in my life.” Playfully Sally added: “John says I always beat him at Scrabble, but that's not always the

case.” Reading is something they both enjoy as well, and they have been taking walks often.

With all the ways Sally and John have invested here, they add vibrancy to our community and our church. We

are grateful they have decided to call this place “home.”

Who Is My Neighbor?R O B Y N N S I M S

LINDA HENDERSON has spent much of her time

sewing on multiple projects

in her purple shed. As she

was sorting through her

“stash’ of materials she found

8 quilt tops she had pieced

and never put together. So

she put them together with

borders and backing and is

taking 6 of them to Sylvia to

be machine quilted!

NIKKI BAGBY and her family had a long rough

Memorial Day weekend. They went with their foster

kids to the lake where Layne was attacked by a dog.

He had to have many internal stitches and 47

external staples. She says, “He is the strongest little

guy I know. He only cried for about 5 minutes after

the bite and hasn't cried since. Please keep him in

your prayers as he goes through this long healing

process. Thank you in advance.”

KETURAH DELAHOY, our Partridge librarian, has

been working her regular hours all the time the

library has been closed. She is meeting with the

library board at the end of May to make plans for

reopening and working out a summer reading

program for the children.

CONGRATULATIONS!

SHELBY HARNER

completed studies at

Hutchinson Community

College and has received

her Associates Degree

in Business and

Entrepreneurship. Her

parents, Doug & Tawnya,

invited family and friends

to celebrate her

achievement at a party on the lawn at their home

on Sunday May 24th.

KYNDIE EBERLY graduated from Fort Hays

University with a degree in Leadership Studies and

Sociology. She will be continuing her education to

earn a Sociology Certificate. Her family is planning a

drive-by celebration in the near future. Watch for

details!

WAYNE HENDERSON and a crew raised and

lowered the veteran’s flags at the Partridge

cemetery during the weekend before Memorial

Day but did not raise them on Monday because of

the threat of rain. The cemetery looked beautiful

with the flags waving in the breeze and all the

flags at the graves of veterans in place. Among

those helping with the task were Danny Miller and

his son Paul, Carl and Ronda Kocher, and Dave

Morris.

JUDY FRITZEMEIER has enjoyed working on her

yard during these early spring days. If you drive by

her house on South Reno you may get a glimpse of

the new yard art she has created with colorful

glassware.

VIRGINIA PACKEBUSH has been staying home

mostly but still took her Buick out for a drive fairly

often, just didn’t do much socializing, according to

Annette.

VICKI GALLOWAY is going strong after her heart

surgery and back to “playing with” those three

granddaughters. One day she kept them busy

picking dandelions so they could make dandelion

jelly. Taylor, Paisley & Harper went with her to

deliver a jar of jelly to the Terrill-Funke home and

play on Jamie’s play structure.

RANDY & ANNETTE MATHIAS along with Johnnie

Knapp have spent these months working on their

house at 215 N. Maple in Buhler painting, fixing,

cleaning, and getting it ready to sell. It has four

bedrooms and three full baths. They welcome you

to the open house Sunday, June 7 from 2-5 pm.

Three days a week Annette is babysitting

grandkids while their parents are at work!

Community News

Mon1

Tues6

Sun

7

Fri Sat

June 4: Jamie (Packebush) Burns

June 6: Tyler and Wes Galloway

June 12: Les & Jeanne Green

June 13: Kathy Packebush

June 15: Chelsey Mathias

June 22: Dean Richardson

June 23: Taylor Galloway

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Prayer Individuals:May 31–June 7: Colby Harner

June 8–14: Eric & Betty Mathias

June 15–21: Sam & Jamie Eberly (Wyatt)

June 22–28: Steve & Virginia Miller

June 29–July 3: Donita Case

Anniversaries:June 3: Brad & Vicki Galloway

June 8: Rex & Michelle Mathias

June 19: Phil & Carol Pitzer

June 24: Ray & Debora Miller

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2 3 4 5

Wed Thur

June

9 10 11 12

Contemplative Service

7 pm - Zoom

Contemplative Service

7 pm - Zoom

Contemplative Service

7 pm - Zoom

13

22 23 24

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 25 26 27

28 29 30

Deacon of theMonth:

Tawnya Harner(620) 727-1883

MessengerArticles Due

Contemplative Service

7 pm - Zoom

Return to in-personworship!

Worship - 11 am

Worship - 11 am

Worship - 11 am

Worship - 11 am

PO Box 38 Partridge, KS 67566

Each month, we look forward to your

community news, so be sure

to contact us with updates and news.

Chris Terrill : c.terrill567@gmail.com

Ruth Terrill : 620-567-2370

Pastor Sheridan : rev.irick@gmail.com

www.partridgechurch--ucc.org

or find us on Facebook

Partridge Community Church, UCC

The Messenger Non-Profit Organization

U.S. Postage PaidPartridge, KS 67566

Permit No. 1

June 2020

Brad Bagby, Jim French, and Shelby Harner all provided lovely music at our Mother'sDay drive-in service.