This Week at FCCLW 1/14/18

Published: Thu, 01/11/18

January 14, 2018

We Epiphanied

We had a great time Friday night as we came together to celebrate Epiphany with our children and families. We ate pizza and king cake, read the story of the three wise ones, and engaged in activities to help us think about what Epiphany might mean to us today.

Epiphany celebrates the three Wise Ones from the East finding the young Jesus.

We made stars to remind us what we will be following in the new year such as Jesus, reading more, and becoming more fit. We also imagined what gifts we could bring Jesus such as our heart, caring for others, and prayer.

Thanks to Trish, Janet, Marilyn, Nelson, and everyone who helped out to make a great night for our kids.

Gleaning 2018 On February 10th we will be gleaning as a group with CROS Ministries. Find out more on our website. Souper Bowl of Caring We will once again be participating in the Souper Bowl of Caring on Sunday, September 4th. We will be collecting food and cash and coin for CROS Ministries so bring what you can! This year we will also have the special treat of a soup lunch prepared by our Men’s Fellowship and friends. We will have a variety of soups for you to enjoy. That will allow you to give what you might have spent on lunch to help feed the hungry. We look forward to seeing you there! Book Study Visit our website for more information. Florida Goldcoast UCC Women's Meeting and Luncheon Our Women's Fellowship is hosting the annual regional Florida UCC Women's Meeting and Luncheon on Saturday, January 27 in our church parlor. Registration and a continental breakfast will begin at 9:00 am. Barb Coons, our Florida UCC Women's treasurer, will give a PowerPoint presentation and show the mission film, Untold Stories: The Unconquered Seminoles. Our own Rev. Karen Christensen will lead us in worship. Registration forms are available in the Office. The cost is $12.50. See Janet Lisle or Ginny Somerville for more info. You Outta Be In Pictures We are in the process of producing a picture directory to distribute to members and friends of First Congregational United Church of Christ. Instead of engaging with a photography company to do this, we are going to be a little less formal. If you were part of our last directory, we still have your picture. If you weren't, we're asking you to send us a favorite picture of yourself. It can be anything from a selfie to a more formal picture that expresses who you are. Our only request is that it be a picture just of you, because it will appear by your name when we print the directory. If you would like someone to take a picture of you, let Pastor Jason know. Facebook Link 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.		Beach Clean up The Missions Committee is seeking volunteers for beach cleanup on Saturday January 27th. Please see Gary Sitler or Janet Lisle for details. Renewal Book Club Join us for a discussion of Behold the Dreamers by Imbola Mbue at 6:30 pm on Tuesday, January 16 in the parlor. This novel about marriage, immigration, class, race and the obstacles to the American Dream is timely and insightful. Thank You! Because of your generosity, our weekly Community Dinner received a $5000 Christmas gift this year. Thank you for your support of this ministry that feeds those hungry for food and for fellowship! Meditation Groups We have two meditation/centering prayer groups that meet here at First Congregational UCC. The Monday morning meditation group meets at 10:30 AM. The Cenacle Centering Prayer group meets Thursday evenings at 7:00 PM. 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.