This Week at FCCLW 8/21/16

Published: Thu, 08/18/16

August 21, 2016

Beer and Hymns

You are invited to the beginning of a brand new ministry, a new way for us to be together with one another and with our community.

On Friday evening, September 9th, from 6:30 to 8:30, we will gather for our first “Beer & Hymns.” What is Beer & Hymns? It is, simply, an opportunity to be together, enjoy some good drink and good food, and sing some favorite hymns together!

Aioli Restaurant will host us and will have beer, wine, soft drinks, and specially prepared dishes for purchase. This is a great opportunity to support a family-owned local business.

It is also a great opportunity to invite your friends, neighbors, and family who might not want to come to a church service to experience the warm First Congregational family.

We look forward to being together with you!

Faith Against the Odds You can watch Sunday's service on our Facebook page. We learned last week that we are not alone. This week we are reminded that part of that is because a huge “cloud of witnesses” – faithful people of all times and places – surrounds us. It is as if we are in a stadium preparing to run a race, and the crowd is larger than we can imagine, and even larger still, all cheering for us, and encouraging us. Such is the journey of faith; we undertake it as part of God’s endless and timeless community. Who are some of the people who form your “cloud of witnesses”? Join the conversation on our website. Bob Dreisbach Memorial Service We will have a brief memorial service for Bob Dreisbach following our worship service. Audio Visual Team Our audio visual team is continuing to grow and they need your help. If you are willing to learn our sound and/or projection system, help create worship presentations, or help run our camera on Sundays, please see Vickie Grimes. Worship Team Anyone who would like to join us in helping plan worship for The Season of Creation coming in September, please join us Tuesday evening,August 17th at 6:30. See Pastor Jason for more information. 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! 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. 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.		Thank you Thank you for you generosity in donating supplies. This will be a great start to the school year for so many students at North Grade Elementary School! Kids in Worship For the next four Sundays, we will be worshipping intergenerationally with our kids joining us in worship - there will be lots of opportunities to participate! Summer Breaks Our Sunday morning Bible study and our Thursday evening Cennacle Meditation group will both be on hiatus until September. Enjoy your summer! Toiletries Needed On the first Tuesday of each month we distribute toiletries to our Community Dinner guests. We are currently in need of small soaps, shampoos, deodorants, feminine hygiene products, wash cloths, tooth brushes and tooth paste. 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!