This Week at FCCLW 7/2/17

Published: Thu, 06/29/17

July 2, 2017

Potluck & Movie

Join us for dinner and a charming movie about a young chess player in Uganda - it is
appropriate for older elementary school children through adults. Bring what you’re best at making (or purchasing) to share.

All My Days The tradition of using a string of beads or rope knots is an ancient tradition as well as being a ritual action shared by many faith traditions around the globe. The common connection is the ability to give structure to personal prayer devotion. It offers a way to remind and revisit various areas of focus and concern. Repeated rituals can be powerful as they help shape our habits. This summer, you are invited to pray “All My Days” and to make a habit of prayer wherever you are. Each Sunday in worship we will focus on one of the steps of the prayer beads but you are encouraged to pray these categories all summer long. We are looking forward to learning, praying and experiencing God together over the next several weeks. At the end of the summer you will have your own set of beads to remind you of the many aspects of prayer we will explore. Come and bring a friend! This Sunday, we engaged the idea of "Silence" as well as practicing with silent prayer and communion. You can watch the whole service on our Facebook page and watch the sermon here. This week, we will hear about the practice of "Silence." If you would like to learn more about Centering Prayer, you can find that information here. Next week, we will talk about our journeys in our prayer and spiritual life. Enneagram Salon July A salon is an opportunity to gather and, through conversation, increase the knowledge of a gathered group about a particular topic. Many of us have been through the 12-week Enneagram Journey class and some have expressed and interest in discussing additional topics concerning the Enneagram. Beginning in June, we will gather monthly for teaching and conversation regarding the Enneagram, the system of nine different ways of looking at the world. Whether you have participated in that group or not, you are welcome to join us. We will listen and/or watch some teaching by Enneagram practitioners and then engage in conversation. We will meet from 6:30 - 8:30 in the parlor. Please bring finger food to share. Our next gathering will be Wednesday, July 12th. We will listen to a talk by Father Richard Rohr on "The Enneagram and God Talk." Tools for Comfort & Growth In the lobby of the sanctuary, we have material available to assist you on your spiritual journey. The Upper Room is a daily devotional and Care Notes each tackle a specific issue such as prayer, aging, losing a loved one, or parenting. Pick one up and consider donating so we can continue this ministry. 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.		Guatemalan Maya Camp 2017 This summer we once again hosted the Guatemalan Maya Center summer camp. Each year a dedicated group of high school and college students from Miami come and run a camp for the Guatemalan children of Palm Beach County. Special thanks to our grounds manager, Harvey, for his extra work and support during these two weeks! You can see pictures on our website. Thursday Evening Meditation The last Thursday evening meditation before summer break was on June 15. It will resume again on September 7. School's Out for Summer! Sunday School will be taking a summer break the months of June, July and August. During this time we welcome our children into Intergenerational worship with us. If your child would like to assist in worship by greeting, lighting the candles or reading scripture please talk to Cathy Austen who coordinates our volunteers. You can look forward to additional opportunities for participation in the service along with the rest of the congregation. Plarn Mats for the Homeless Save the Date Sunday July 9 after the service. More details to come. Sign up with Cathy Austen 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.