This Week at FCCLW 9/4/16

Published: Thu, 09/01/16

September 4, 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!

Justice Ministry House Meeting In September we will be kicking off our Justice Ministry year by holding listening meetings in various locations and at various times. The purpose of these meetings is to create a safe, sacred space for us to share our stories of what we are concerned about in our community. Nancy Lydon, Debbie Copeland, and Johana Castillo will be hosting these meetings. See the website for dates and times. Sanctuary AC Repair Last week, the top of our sanctuary AC unit fell in and broke the cooling blades. As you can imagine, the cost to repair this is going to be significant. We are waiting for additional estimates, but it looks like it will be well over $5000. The repairs will be made by next week. Now we just have to pay for it! We are asking those that are able to give beyond your already generous participation in the ministry of this church to do so by writing a check with "AC Repairs" in the memo line or to give online on our website and give under the "Air Condition Repair" category. Thank you in advance! Peanut Butter Drive September is one of our months to collect food for C.R.O.S. Ministries and this time we are going to collect all peanut butter! Christians Reaching Out to Society is an organization that partners with churches and community organizations to serve and advocate for those in need in Palm Beach County. Our goal is to collect 200 jars of peanut butter for their pantry! 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.		Choir Rehearsals Resume Next Monday, September 12th, choir rehearsal resumes. If you would like to be part of this warm, good-natured group that assists in leading us in worship, join them at 7:00 PM in the sanctuary. Season of Creation During September, we will participate in the Season of Creation during our worship services. See our website for more information. Bring a Plant Next Sunday, bring a plant for home to decorate our worship space as we engage Flora and Fauna Sunday of Season of Creation. CROS: End Hunger Walk We will again participate in the CROS End Hunger Walk. This year, it is on Saturday, October 1st. You can find more information on our website. Go to Yale (For free!) Mary Evelyn Tucker, a professor in both the Divinity School and in the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University has created four courses on on the cosmos that can be audited for free. See Pastor Jason's blog for more information. 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!