This Week at FCCLW 5/7/17

Published: Thu, 05/04/17

May 7, 2017

New Members' Orientation

Join us on Sunday, May 7, from 12:00 until 1:30 PM to learn more about First Congregational United Church of Christ and what it means to be a part of a faith community that is "answering the call to practice faith, mercy, and justice in community."

Attendance does not obligate you to you to join, but those that would like to will be received into membership on Sunday May 14.

Heart of the Matter - Love is our Religion The disciples who meet Jesus along the road to Emmaus are at a sad point in their spiritual journeys. The man they had hoped and even dared to believe was the Messiah is dead and missing from his tomb. Their own grief and sadness blind them to the presence of the risen Christ among them. How often do we miss out on Christ’s presence in our midst? How often are we too preoccupied to see the moments of resurrection and new life around us? This week, invite someone you’d like to get to know better to dinner (or cook her or him dinner) and be mindful of how important sharing meals can be in forming and building relationships. You can watch the sermon here. May 7 Hearts Overflowing May 14 No Trouble in My Heart May 21 Kept In Our Hearts May 28 Open the Eyes of My Heart – Ascension Sunday June 4th The Heart of the Matter – Pentecost Sunday Earth Weekend Movies During Earth Day weekend two weeks ago, Carol Lewis hosted viewing of two films related to the environment, Racing Extinction and Merchants of Doubt. You can see more about the movies and suggested action steps on our website. On Our Way We began meeting on May 3 at 6:30 PM in the parlor for a mini-group, On Our Way: Practices for Abundant Life. Together we explore some ways we might “answer the call to practice faith, mercy, and justice in community.” We will hear from different teachers by video and engage in conversation and worship around a weekly theme of faith, mercy, or justice: May 3 Living in the Presence of God May 10 Friendship & Intimacy May 17 Discerning God’s Call May 24 Honoring the Body The book of the same title will be available for purchase although it will not be necessary to read it for the class. Church Night Out On Friday Night May 19, we will be going to Green Cay Nature Center and then Sweet Tomatoes for dinner. You can check out the details on our website. 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.		Pre-Mother's Day Potluck We will be having a potluck after worship on May 7th, the week before Mother's Day. Mother's Day Celebrate Mother's Day on May 14th in church as children and mothers participate in various parts of the service. CROS Ministries In May we will be collecting peanut butter and jelly for CROS Ministries. Thank You! Thank to everyone who came to church early this Sunday and slung mulch and cleaned windows. The campus looks great. Special thanks to Barry Nicholson who organized everything for us. And thank you to everyone who donated books for the Little Free Libraries. Your donations, along with a new stream of used children's books from the school board, means that we will have children's books for a long time for the young readers of Lake Worth. Women's Fellowship Women's Fellowship monthly gathering will be held on May 4th. Bring a sandwich, cut into 4 sections, and we'll all share. Instant sandwich buffet! See you at noon. Scholarships Applications are now being accepted for scholarships for First Congregational Church college students. Applications can be picked up in the office or downloaded from our website. Applications are due by May 28th with interviews to be scheduled in June. Grief & Bereavement When a loved one dies, we are never fully prepared. Grieving is part of what it means to be human, part of the price of loving another. There are many resources available for those that are experiencing grief. Pastor Jason facilitates a bereavement group at Midcounty Senior Center on the second and fourth Mondays of the month at 9:30 AM. On Being recently aired a program with Sheryl Sandberg, who experienced the death of her 47 year old husband, and Adam Grant, a psychologist. It was an excellent conversation about resilience after loss. You can listen to the broadcast here. Why Did We Switch Coffee? Pastor Jason explains why we are using different coffee and cups here. Hint: It's about answering the call to practice faith, mercy, and justice in community. 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!