January 3 - February 14
Life is a series of exclamations from “O No!” to “Help!” to “Oh Yeah!” We can swing between disappointment, helplessness, and gratitude on a daily basis. There are also seasons of our lives when we feel inundated with more of one than the others. As we enter the new year, we had hoped we would be past the “O No!” of the last several months. Instead we find ourselves with ongoing prayers for “Help!” The Book
of Psalms knows all about this. Written over a span of time from exile and isolation to the rebuilding of the community, the poetry of the Psalms will accompany us in this series, reminding us that through it all, we can trust and even give our thankful “Oh Yeah!” because God is, indeed, holding our lives.
In preparation for our worship together in this series, we invite you to have a candle, slips of paper, and a bowl or other vessel. Also, for January 3, have something to eat and drink as we share communion together.
See the order of service here.
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Men's Fellowship
We had a meaningful time together at our first-in-a-while Men's Fellowship Zoom meeting in December. We will be meeting again the first Tuesday of January, next Tuesday January 5, at 6:30 PM via Zoom. The password, if you
need it, is fcclw. We have decided to read together From Wild Man to Wise Man: Reflections on Male Spirituality by Richard Rohr.
This book is available at Amazon. Even if you aren't able to read any of the book by next Tuesday, we encourage you to join us!
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2020 Christmas Offering - Thank You!!
Thank you for your amazing generosity during the Advent/Christmas season and all year long. We will have totals for you next week, but we well-surpassed our goal for our Christmas offering - wiping out over $800,000 in medical debt for residents of Florida.
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End-of-Year Giving
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was signed into law. The CARES Act increases tax deductions for charitable donations for both individuals and corporations for tax year 2020. You may wish to consider the following provisions when determining your charitable giving this year: Individuals who do not itemize their tax deductions may
take a new "above the line" charitable deduction of $300 per taxpayer ($600 for a married couple). An "above the line" deduction reduces a donor's adjusted gross income (AGI), and thereby reduces taxable income. Individuals who do itemize may deduct donations up to 100% of their 2020 AGI, up from the previous limit of 60%. Corporations may deduct up to 25% of taxable income, up from the previous limit of 10%. To qualify for these special deductions, contributions must be made during tax year
2020. Payments on outstanding pledges also qualify, provided the payment is made in 2020.
Of course, we are biased, but we can think of fewer places where your charitable dollar works harder than at First Congregational Church where we are touching lives on a daily basis and practicing faith, mercy, and justice, in community.
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Thursday Morning Chat & Fellowship
Join us on Thursday mornings at 10:00 for virtual chat and fellowship in our “virtual parlor.”
You can join us by clicking here. The password, if you need it, is fcclw. If you join us by computer, clicking the link will download the necessary software and take you right into the “parlor.” If you are joining on your smart phone or pad, you will need to download the Zoom app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. You can also call 646-558-8656 and enter Meeting ID: 718 419 400 and then Passcode: 839769.
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As another way of connecting with our congregation and our community, we have started a YouTube channel. Here, you can watch (and share) sermon and teaching videos as well as videos from our life together.
Go to our channel, subscribe to it, and share it with others. When we get to 100
subscribers, it unlocks some additional features we can use.
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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.
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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!
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Thank you for your consistency and your generosity in your giving during our current unique and challenging circumstances.
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!
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