This Week at FCCLW 1/29/17

Published: Thu, 01/26/17

January 29, 2017

Journey of the Universe

This film presents for the first time an epic story of comic, Earth, and human transformation.

Beautifully filmed on the Greek island of Samos, evolutionary philosopher Brian Thomas Swimme weaves a compelling story of the unfolding universe and humanity’s evolving place in it. This engaging narrative combines scientific discoveries in astronomy, geology, biology, ecology and biodiversity with humanistic insights concerning the nature of the cosmos.

Big science, big history, big culture, the Journey of the Universe project was created by Brian Thomas Swimme and Mary Evelyn Tucker with a team of expert scientists, scholars, and filmmakers.

Join us on Friday, January 27 for a potluck dinner at 6:00 PM and film and discussion at 6:30. CLICK HERE for more information.

Called to Follow Jesus calls his first disciples. They set aside their lives and livelihoods and follow Jesus. Not only does Jesus call Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow him, he gives them a new purpose for their lives. In this way, not only is answering Jesus’ call to discipleship a gift for God, it is a gift to the disciples who have chosen a new course and direction for their lives. Coming together in a new community, the disciples follow Jesus and God’s will for their lives. You can watch this week's sermon on our website and you can see the entire service on our Facebook page. This week, call upon someone you know to be in discipleship or service with you. Together you might attend a Bible study, take on a small service project in your community, or volunteer for an activity or leadership role at church. Souper Bowl of Caring Join us Sunday, February 5th after the worship service for our annual tailgate party sponsored by our Men's Fellowship. We will also be collecting your spare change and bills for CROS ministries in the national Souper Bowl of Caring. This year, we will also be having a chili cook off. If you would like to enter your best recipe, see Christopher Lepard. Tickets will be available for purchase to vote for your favorite! Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time" by Marcus Borg will be the book used for the class taught by Dr. Nelson Stone on Thursday evenings starting on January 26. The class will meet in Studebaker hall from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. In a review of this book Rosemary Ruther wrote; "In a personal and highly readable account, Marcus Bog shows how Christians can explore contemporary scholarship as a way toward a far more dynamic and meaningful faith." A copy of the book can by purchase from Marilyn Stone for $5.00. Red and White Ball You are invited to attend our annual Valentine’s Day banquet on Friday evening, February 10th at 6:00 PM. There will be a delicious catered dinner, dancing, and a great time with a great group of people. Proceeds from this event will help fund our kitchen renovation fund. Tickets are available Sundays after worship. Book Discussion Group Richmond Schmidt will be leading a three-week discussion group on the book *Three Days in Damascus* by Kim Schultz. While traveling to Jordan, Lebanon and Syria to interview Iraqi refugees and hear their stories, Kim never expected to fall in love. But that is exactly what happened. This book is the story of an American woman and an Iraqi man set against the backdrop of the Iraqi refugee crisis and the brewing Syrian civil war. The group will begin on Sunday February 12th and will be held for three weeks at 9:30 in the parlor. The author herself will join us at our last session on Sunday, February 26th. Facebook Live As much as we love gathering together on Sunday mornings, there are times when we are out of town or otherwise unable to be there in person. You can now watch our worship service live on Facebook right on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. At 10:30 on Sunday just head over to our Facebook page and join us!		Mission Sunday On Sunday January 29th during Mission Sunday, Amanda Petrozelli will be with us to share information during coffee hour on her upcoming missionary trip to Italy. Amanda will be assisting with a new church start, Nuova Vita. Amanda will be involved in relationship building and disciple-making ministry as she shares the Good News of Jesus with young adults. All proceeds from the Fellowship coffee hour will go to her cause. Men's Movie Night Next week, we will go as a group to see the movie "Moonlight," a coming-of-age story being called one of the best movies of the year. If you are interested in going, email Pastor Jason. We will pick the best time for all of us to go. The Sermon on the Mount We will spend the next four weeks engaging some of Jesus' most famous teachings contained in the Sermon on the Mount. Join us as we apply these ancient wisdom teachings to our modern day lives. Year-End Statements Year-end Contribution Statements were mailed this week. If you did not receive yours or have a question regarding the content, please contact Janet Lisle. Online Giving Have you explored the opportunity of electronic giving? You can choose to have a set amount taken from your bank account on a regular basis or you can make a one (or more) time gift by checking account or credit card on our website. Your regular electronic giving means that your gift is available for ministry even when you are away (or forgot your checkbook!). Thank you for your continued support of the ministry of First Congregational Church! Hey, Thanks! You're sharing this newsletter with your friends! More people read (or at least opened) our newsletter than we send out. If there is something here that interests you, it may interest someone else. If a friend sent this to you and you would like to receive it regularly, you can subscribe on our website. Facebook First, go to our page and "Like" us. However, just liking us does not mean that you will see everything we post. Each of our Facebook posts only goes to about 2% of the people who like our page. To make sure you see everything, after you like us, go to the pull-down menu on the "Like" button and click "Get Notifications." This way everything that we post will show up on your own Facebook wall. If you are on Facebook, you can keep up with what is happening "between Sundays" on our Facebook page.