Stay connected with us as we worship online. We worship on Wednesday evenings at 7pm or Sunday mornings at 10:30am on our YouTube and Facebook pages. Click on one of the words below and they will link you to the correct website. You can worship with us on Facebook
(click the word "Facebook" below).
Or you can worship with us on YouTube
(click the word "YouTube" below).
Find weekly worship bulletins, hymns, & previous worship services here.
Have a prayer request? Email Pastor Dani or click here.
Want to financially support Centennial UMC at Ivy online? Click here.
After the CDC announced new regulations for fully vaccinated folks on May 13, 2021,
Centennial UMC at Ivy will begin phasing quicker toward Green Phase status.
See below for our new updates & how we will continue to phase
toward Green Phase in the coming weeks:
*MASKS ARE NOW OPTIONAL. In compliance with CDC guidelines and the Annual Conference recommendations, masks are optional within the building and in worship. In order to protect those with continuing vulnerabilities, we ask that adults who are not fully vaccinated wear masks and that all of us continue social distancing for now. While masks are optional, anyone who prefers to continue to mask in the building is always welcome to do so as they feel led.
*Only five pews in the sanctuary are sectioned off now for distancing. Our capacity in the sanctuary is now approx. 63 people. Two pews are open with one pew separating to help with distancing and in a few weeks, we’ll likely go back to full capacity.
*On Sunday, May 23, 2021 we will reinstate fellowship time! Servers have been identified through May and most of June, but you can sign up to serve at fellowship on the whiteboard in the narthex. Fellowship time until further notice has these restrictions:
-No full meals or potluck dishes. We will serve prepackaged or individually wrapped food items for now. (ex: cookies, mini bags of chips, crackers, brownies, small bags of popcorn, granola bars, crackers & cheese, carrots, etc. Homemade is ok if brought individually wrapped).
-Folks are welcome to bring lawn chairs or picnic blankets to enjoy fellowship outdoors, otherwise please sit 4 seats to a table in the fellowship hall (we will increase this number in the coming weeks).
Click here to see our updated COVID-19 phases chart as of May 20, 2021.
Friends, after our most recent worship committee meeting, we have decided to begin trying in-person worshiop on Sunday mornings beginning on Sunday, February 14 at 10:30am. As you are likely aware, returning to worship will look quite different from the last time we worshipped together inside 11 months ago in March. We have certain guidelines to try and help keep us safe as we return. Please read the full set of guidelines attached to a PDF below before you decide to attend worship with us in person. Here are a few important reminders as we prepare to return:
Click here to read the full guidelines.
Bishop Laurie Haller, the Bishop of the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church issued a directive to all Iowa United Methodist Churches directing all clergy and churches to cease in-person indoor activities and worship services until at least January 10, 2021 due to the rising cases of COVID-19 accross the state of Iowa.
This means, we will have no indoor events or worship services until January 10, 2021. You can join us for worship on Sundays online or on the radio in our parking lot (tune to 88.5 FM) at 10:30am. And you can join us for Worship on Wednesday at 7pm online until further notice. Follow along on our website to find our specific information for particular Advent & Christmas events.
To read the Directive and Pastoral Letter written by Bishop Haller, click here.
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It’s been over three months since we gathered for an in-person worship service in our beautiful sanctuary. I grieve the time we’ve not spent in-person worshipping and I also celebrate how creatively we have felt called to be the church throughout these months. Thank you for your continued patience, prayers, and support!
On Monday evening, I met with the church committee chairs and we looked at plans of reopening. As time moves on and much of our city reopens, we still take seriously the guidance of our Bishop Laurie Haller who has committed to placing our Wesleyan values at the forefront of her guidance for the Annual Conference. All of that being said, we will continue to worship online until further notice. We will not host in-person indoor worship services in the month of July, however, the CDC determined outdoor gatherings are less risky. As a result, we hope to plan at least one outdoor gathering again in the month of July to encourage safe fellowship. We had an outstanding gathering over ice cream on Saturday, June 20 to celebrate the first day of summer and we look forward to hosting more similar events and gatherings.
Click here for the CDC article on outdoor gatherings.
I’ll continue to meet regularly with the committee chairs to determine when the best time will be for us to return to in-person indoor worship. In our planning for reopening, we have and will continue to carefully consider the recommendations from health officials and the Iowa Annual Conference to determine how we can best safely gather. The Iowa Annual Conference recently created recommendations on phasing and the returning of worship and other gatherings. With the help of the communications committee, we are modifying these recommendations to a plan specifically for our community at Ivy. You will receive this document in the coming weeks to hopefully help you and your family consider how you plan to stay connected with our church in worship, small groups, events and gatherings, and more throughout this season.
I continue to be in prayer for you, your safety, and your health in this time. I truly believe we are all doing the best we can and I experience God’s patience, support, and comfort in the moments where I witness the grace you generously pour out for one another. Thank you for offering this gift to each other, to our world, and to God.
Friends and folks of Centennial UMC at Ivy,
I sit here behind the keyboard of my computer to greet you once again through email and inform you of more updates concerning our church in response to the continued spread of COVID-19 in our community and around the world. Most of our current ministries happen in front of our computers and behind our keyboards and it's been an interesting five weeks. I give thanks for your patience, support, prayers, and love.
While our governor recently issued a proclamation concerning the reopening of some counties, businesses, and churches across the state of Iowa, our Bishop Laurie Haller, encouraged Iowa United Methodists to slow down before beginning in-person worship and events again. As a result and with the support of church leadership, all in-person events and worship services will be cancelled or postponed through the month of May and we will reconsider opening up in June on May 26. More information will be shared soon via email about how we hope to support and celebrate mother's for Mother's Day (May 10) and Graduates for Graduation Sunday (May 24).
Just as you have in your personal lives, we too have been adapting quickly to the ways of physical distancing, while continuing to be the church. None of us have been trained to exist and support one another in the midst of a pandemic so we need to keep in mind that we are all trying our best. I grieve that we cannot yet physically gather in good conscience, yet I give thanks for the ways in which we have all worked hard to stay connected and share the love of Christ whose love does not stop-- even for a pandemic. See below how you can interact with and join us in ministry at Centennial UMC at Ivy this week:
Worship: Join us for worship on Wednesday at 7pm and Sunday at 10:30am. We post worship videos to Facebook and YouTube and you can find video links on our website: ivycentennial.org. Simply click on one of the links to find the videos for worship and more.
Connections: We have asked folks to call, text, email, and simply check in on each other and we pray that you will continue to make this a priority in your life. While we cannot see one another at church right now, we are inviting you all to call one another to simply say hello. For some of us, it's returning to what we used to do more often, and for others, it's something we already do. Thank you for reaching out and praying for each other.
Other ways to connect with the church include visiting the new page on our website called "Tell a Friend Tuesday." Every Tuesday we update you all with photos, videos, posts, and more on what your friends at Ivy are up to. Need a new book to read? Want to learn a new recipe? Click here to see this new page on our website.
Lastly, you can join us for a bedtime story every Thursday evening at 7pm. Each week, we have a new bedtime story read by Pastor Dani or someone in the community. The bedtime stories can be found by clicking here or finding links on our website to the church YouTube and Facebook pages.
Giving: Please consider financially supporting Caring Hands Food Pantry who has a larger need for financial support at this time. You can send your financial gifts to the church and write Caring Hands Food Pantry in the memo line of your check or on a note with your gift. The financial gifts you contribute for the food pantry will show up on your quarterly statement from the church. Please send your gifts to 9150 NE University St PO Box 624 Altoona, IA 50009.
Stay updated: Continue to check your email regularly, read our newsletter on our website, check in with each other, and find updates on our website, too. It is our goal to get information to you as soon as possible. Please do not hesitate to reach out to one another or to me via phone (515-447-0497) or email (pastordanim@gmail.com) if you have questions or concerns.
With peace and grace,
Pastor Dani Musselman
Folks of Centennial UMC at Ivy,
As you are likely not surprised, our church building will be continue to be closed through April 30 to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. I grieve the physical distance between us, yet I am hopeful that we will gather soon enough and that when we do gather again, it will be a celebration as we remember to not take our physical gatherings for granted.
See below to stay connected with the church in the coming week:
Online Worship Videos: On Wednesdays at 7pm and Sundays at 10:30am, you can join us for worship! This Wednesday, April 15, there will be no Worship on Wednesday as we take a week to rest in the resurrection. So be sure to join us this Sunday for another worship service. If you haven't already, check out our Easter worship services! You can find all the links to our Facebook and YouTube pages on our website: ivycentennial.org
Giving: Our church wants to faithfully support the Altoona community during this pandemic. We are asking folks to donate to Caring Hands Food Pantry by sending your financial gifts to the church and writing Caring Hands Food Pantry in the memo line of your check and we'll gather all the donations into one for the food pantry. The food pantry needs more support now than before as unemployment rises due to the pandemic. The financial gifts you contribute for the food pantry will show up on your quarterly statement from the church. You can also continue to financially support the church either by mailing in your offerings (9150 NE University St PO Box 624 Altoona, IA 50009) or by giving on our online giving page here. We will also have baskets available in the narthex of the church for financial offerings to the church or the food pantry if you'd rather drop the gifts off in person. If you need access to the church to drop off your offerings, please email ivycentennialumc@gmail.com.
"Tell a Friend Tuesday": We have started "Tell a Friend Tuesday," which is a series of videos, posts, and pictures of what folks in the church are up to during our time of separation. You're invited to send recipes, photos and videos of the walks you go on, or the food you prepare, or the yard work you're doing. Each Tuesday, we'll post pictures and videos to a new page on our website and on our social media pages. This is an effort to keep one another connected and updated with one another. If you have a recipe you want to share with folks at the church, a picture of your pet, a video of you with your family, etc. please send them to pastordanim@gmail.com and we'll add your post to the website and social media pages. And be sure to check out our website to stay updated with folks at the church. Click here to see this new page on our website.
Bedtime Stories: Join us on Thursday evenings at 7pm on YouTube and Facebook for a new bedtime story each week.
Prayer: As you likely already are, please continue to join us be in prayer for our church, our local community, and our world as we combat this virus and hopefully return to physical gatherings soon. We trust in the power of prayer and in the faithfulness of our incredible God. Remember the words from Paul in his letter to the Ephesians, "Offer prayers and petitions in the Spirit all the time. Stay alert by hanging in there and praying for all believers." -Eph. 6:18.
I pray that you and your families are all staying healthy and whole during this time. The leadership at Ivy stays in prayer for you and we all look forward to gathering again as soon as possible.
With peace & Eastertide blessings,
Pastor Dani Musselman
Supporting Heifer International:
One of our missions projects during this time of year is to support Heifer International. You can still support them in a few ways:
1. You can learn more about their ministries here.
2. You can download a Read to Feed coloring book for you and your families to learn more about their ministries here.
3. Donate to their ministries on their website.
4. Pray for the ministries and people who make the ministry happen at Heifer International.