February 2025
Good Stuff
There’s so much good stuff happening at WFPC!
Please continue to let us know of any “News” you have to share.
News from your Session:
If you need to contact Rev. Brian Copeland: rev.briancopeland@gmail.com, 850-524-4884.
Office hours Thursdays 1 pm – 5 pm. Be sure to stop in and visit while he is in the office.
Note from Rev. Copeland:
Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-38.)
There are loads of single word assignments given by Christ. We are urged to share; love, peace, joy, hope, compassion, justice, mercy… and the list continues. The scripture above is from the parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus asks the hearers which one was a neighbor, their response was ‘The one who showed mercy.’ Mercy is at the heart of this parable. This is not some ordinary everyday type of mercy; this is mercy from an enemy. Mercy from someone who ordinarily would have no regard for the man in the ditch. The man in the ditch was not like him or his people. That difference would have been enough for him to avoid helping the man in the ditch, however he showed mercy.
The hearers of this parable might have been reluctant to identify the hero. While the Samaritan did not typically associate himself with the type of man that was in the ditch, the hearers of the parable did not associate themselves with men such as the Samaritan. They did not declare the ‘Samaritan’ as the neighbor, but the one who showed mercy. So friends herein is our challenge from the text. Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.”
Grace and Mercy,
Rev. Brian Copeland
You may view our worship service on the church Facebook page. (Weedsport First Presbyterian Church)
**If you “like” the worship service, it will be shared via Facebook to others!!
Christian Education:
Rev. Copeland has resumed discussions on the book Christian Doctrine by Shirley Guthrie. We meet Thursday nights 6-7 p.m. in the Sunday School room.
Lenten Devotionals will be available Sunday, March 2.
Worship:
Marcellus First Presbyterian Church has shared their ecumenical community Lenten events. All are welcome to participate. Schedule is attached. Ash Wednesday, March 5, an ecumenical service will be held at 7:30 pm at St. Francis Xavier Church in Marcellus.
Ash Sunday will be held at our church March 9th.
Sunday, March 30th we are welcoming our friends at Marcellus First Presbyterian Church to our worship service.
Mission:
The next blood drive will be held Thursday, March 6th, 1-6 pm at the Methodist Church, hosted by WFPC. If you have time to volunteer, please see Cyndy Rooker. You can also make an appointment to donate blood at redcrossblood.org
Both WFPC and Marcellus Presbyterian Church donations favored the Eagles. We collected 16 items and $20 for the Chiefs and 49 items and $100 for the Eagles! As always, the real winner is the food pantry!
“Whoever is kind to the needy honors God.” Proverbs 14:31
Our next night to volunteer at the food pantry will be Monday, Feb. 24th.
ONE GREAT HOUR OF SHARING. We will be participating again this year from March 5 – April 20th. You may take home a fish bank and the suggested calendar of donations or simply add your pocket change to the bank each day. Please return the banks on Easter Sunday. There will also be envelopes for those who prefer them. Thank you!
OGHS- Typically received during the season of Lent, each gift to One Great Hour of Sharing supports efforts to relieve hunger through the Presbyterian Hunger Program, promote development through the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People, and assist in areas of disaster through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. All three programs work in different ways to serve individuals and communities in need. From initial disaster response to ongoing community development, their work fits together to provide people with safety, sustenance, and hope.
Loose Change Offerings: Loose Change from the first quarter of 2025 (Jan., Feb., and March) will be used to help children purchase books at the school book fair. Many children do not have the funds to purchase books. How exciting it is for them to be able to get a book! To help with this mission simply add your loose change (coins or paper!) to the offering plate in church.
We received a thank you from the SCAT Van for our donation from our loose change offerings from Quarter 4.
From the 200th Anniversary Committee: “We Love Our Church”
The committee will be sharing historic tidbits on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. The committee will also be sharing fun facts in our newsletter for you to enjoy. If anyone has a fun fact to share, please feel free to contact Deb Dennis (dadennis59@gmail.com) and include your phone number. Thank you.
Fun fact:
Between 1926 and 1931 Rev. Albert D. Stearns was the minister. He and his wife were very popular. Rev. Stearns was especially known for his inspirational prayers. He had a unique problem. A bootlegger lived nearby the manse, which was on the corner of VanBuren and S. Seneca St., Dr. Prock’s old place. He discovered that the man had been burying his empty bottles in the Stearns’s ash pile next to the manse. This was a very embarrassing time for the minister during prohibition. Church membership was 250.
Upcoming Dates:
Feb. 18 – Doug’s to Go to benefit United Way
Feb. 24 – WFPC’s night to volunteer at the food pantry, 6 pm
March 5 – Ash Wednesday
March 9 – Ash Sunday
March 18 – Village elections
March 30 – joint worship at WFPC with Marcellus First Presbyterian Church
April 13 – Palm Sunday
April 18 – Good Friday
April 20 – Easter Sunday (One Great Hour of Sharing banks returned.)
Linda Willis’s granddaughter, Ella Willis is a Grand National Champion in the Hunt Seat Equestrian class. According to national data, Ella is number 2 nationwide in Hunt Seat Equestrian class. She attends Merrimack College and is on the President’s list there.
Congratulations! Donna Glowacki’s granddaughter, Phoebe Glowacki, was married February 1, 2025 to Susannah Sun. They live in Chicago.
Congratulations to Emily, Barbara Gray’s granddaughter, who was married to Aaron Staving on January 17th in Florida. They will reside in Zephyrhills, FL.
John Clark was awarded the 2025 Fireman of the Year award for his volunteer service at the Weedsport Fire Department’s annual banquet. John is the brother of Chere Ware and Chele Conley and the son of Beverly Clark.
THANK YOU!
To Marian Smith for being our substitute organist when Laura is unavailable.
To Marcellus First Presbyterian Church for their continued donations to the Clothes Closet.
To The Praise Band/Choir for the beautiful music they provide on Sundays. We especially enjoy the addition of the flute (Joanne Slauson), guitar (Dan Thomas), and percussion (James Marshall). Of course, we always enjoy the weekly organ and piano (Laura Granger and Marian Smith).
To all who volunteer at the Clothes Closet and to those who donate clothes.
Thank you to Dan Thomas for continuing to share the worship link weekly so those that are not able to attend may enjoy listening to the service, to Joanne Slauson for keeping the website up-to-date, and Rev. Copeland for recording and posting the church service on Facebook.
Please pray for…
The family of Tim and Sarah Mack. Their triplets were born Jan. 6th. Sadly, Adeline passed away on Feb. 4th. The boys, Benjamin and Warrick are doing well. Tim is Paulette (Bates) Mack’s son, Jeanette Bates’s grandson, and Joanne Slauson’s nephew.
The family of Linda Ward, mother of Janet Clark and Chris James, who passed away Feb. 8th.
Ed Llewellyn, Barbara Gray’s brother, who will be undergoing surgery on Tuesday, Feb. 11th.
Bill Norton who passed away January 16. Bill is Deb Dennis’s uncle. Prayers for his family and friends, especially his wife, Carie.
Evelyn Sweet, Dale’s mother, continues to need prayers for her health.
Walter Becker, Pearl’s brother, who is recovering from surgery. They removed part of his lung, which included the tumor.
Rev. Brian’s brother, Larry. He had the rest of his left kidney removed. He will still need lots of recovery and recuperation.
Jim Viccaro, Vicki’s husband, is recovering from surgery on his vertebrae. Prayers for healing of his fractures.
Jean Saroodis is dealing with nerve pain.
Jeanne VanDusen, Anne McLoud’s sister, as she continues to battle health issues.
Wayne and Dillon Hunter, father and son, both battling cancers. They are Jeanne VanDusen’s son and grandson, Anne McLoud’s nephew and great nephew. Wayne continues chemo medicine and has had positive visits with the doctor. Dillon has regular appointments to be sure he is still clear.
Denny Ware is slowly improving but has a long road ahead.
Elaine Ozolins as she continues to treat her cancer.
Eileen Derevenko as her cancer has returned.
Mat Grudzien. Send positive thoughts for healing.
Max Appleby needs prayers for health and positive thinking.
INFORMATION WORTH REPEATING:
(This information will have been in previous newsletters, but it is worth reprinting.)
If you are interested in being a greeter, please let the deacons know. (Anyone can be a greeter.) There is a calendar in the Narthex for you to sign up.
If you would like to offer to make refreshments for a Sunday, please check the calendar in the Narthex and let the Deacon for that Sunday know. It is a great way to help out our deacons.
The “Weedsport Presbyterian Church” Facebook page has been updated. Feel free to follow. There is a link to the webpage in the Welcome for an easy way to link back and forth. Feel free to contact Joanne Slauson (joanneslauson@gmail.com) for any changes and additions on the Facebook page.
Now that the church service starts at 11:15 a.m., Adult Sunday School starts at 9:45 a.m. This may make it easier for you to join us in the upstairs Koinonia Room Sunday mornings before church to get some very interesting background of the day’s scripture. Dan Thomas has a wealth of knowledge to share!
Weedsport Good Samaritan Fund reminder: Do you know someone that might need our help?
We would like to offer this reminder. The Weedsport Good Samaritan Fund is available to assist with emergency medical, utility, and other needs that may arise. Please contact Cyndy Rooker if you have any questions or know of someone who could use assistance. (Must be a resident of WCSD, Weedsport, Cato.)
IMPORTANT REMINDER! 
& 
Please be sure to turn off the lights and lock the doors to the church whenever you leave the building.
Birthdays:
Mar. 1– Cindy Sears Mar. 9 – Jason Gwinn
Feb. 10 - Karen Seitz Mar. 2 – Mark Pedersen Mar. 13 – Charles Grudzien
Feb. 13 – Case Marshall Mar. 3 – Marti Stoecker Mar. 23 – Bill Saroodis
Feb. 20 – Cyndy Rooker Mar. 3 - Libby Sperduti Mar. 27 – Chere Ware
Feb. 22 – Wendy Pedersen Mar. 4 – Jeff Hickok Mar. 27 – Chele Conley
Feb 26 – Lori Anna Mar. 7 – Nancy Gilfus Mar. 29 – David Seitz
Mar. 8 – Owen Gwinn
*If you would like to have someone added to the birthday list, please let us know, thanks.
What’s Going on at Church?
Sunday:
9:45 a.m. Adult Sunday School with Dan Thomas
11:15 a.m. In-person worship
1-3 p.m. Square Dancers in dining room
Tuesday:
10-noon All Things Creative meets in the former first floor office.
10-1 p.m. Free Clothes Closet open
7-9 p.m. Square Dancers in dining room
Wednesday:
9 a.m. Join Rev. Brian at Finally Ours Restaurant for coffee hour.
Thursday:
1-5 p.m. Rev. Copeland’s office hours
3-5:30 p.m. Free Clothes Closet open
6 - 7 p.m. Bible Study (Rev. Copeland)
1 p.m.-6 p.m. Red Cross Blood Drive at UMC, First Thursday of every odd month (Jan., March, May…)
Saturday:
2-4 p.m. Dog Training
Thank you, Connie Horr, for being the best proofreader! She makes sure our newsletters are easier to read and understand!
