"Welcome to the brink of everything. It takes a lifetime to get here, but the stunning view of past, present, and future—and the bracing breeze in your face—make it worth the trip."    -Parker Palmer

This Sunday, we started exploring "The View From the Brink" you can watch the service here and watch Pastor Jason's message here. 

Next Sunday, January 22nd, we will tackle the difficulties and opportunities of facing an uncertain future, "On the Brink of New Horizons."

You can read more about Parker and the book here.

Next Wednesday night, January 24th at 6:30 PM, Pastor Jason will be facilitating the Lake Worth Interfaith Network GEM meditation. In honor of MLK Day, he will share briefly about Howard Thurman, the preacher, educator, activist, and mystic who was a major influence on the life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The teaching will be followed by a group meditation. GEM meets via Zoom, meeting code: 838 1713 7249, password: rainbow.

Book Discussion Group

Join us on Thursday evenings at 6:30 (note time change) as we discuss Parker Palmer's book On the Brink of Everything. We will meet in person in the church office and by Zoom. For our first session we will read "Prelude" and "The View From the Brink: What I can See From Here."

Justice Ministry Network Meeting

Justice Ministry Network Members, join us on in person on Wednesday night, February 1st as we gather for our annual network strategy meeting. This is our opportunity to lay out our strategy to bring 100 people to the Nehemiah Action on March 27th. We will assign inivtees from the congregation and commit to who we will invite from outside of the congregation. We look forward to kicking off our action invitations!

Practicing Faith, Mercy, and Justice in Community? There's an App for That!

In the next three to four weeks, we will be releasing an app in the Apple App and Google Play stores just for our church. You will be able to stream our worship services, keep in touch with friends, keep up with events, and financially support First Congregational Church all in one place. Be looking for more information!

Along with this platform change, our online giving platform will be changing. If you have a regular giving plan set up with us, you should have received an email with instructions on how to switch that over to our new platform. You can find those instructions here.

Many churches embrace an Our Whole Lives/Sexuality and Our Faith ministry as a part of faithful justice work. This ministry provides people of all ages with information they need to understand how bodies function, recognize qualities in healthy and unhealthy relationships, practice decision-making through a values and faith framework, and advocate for equity and inclusion.

Join Amy Johnson, UCC Minister for Sexuality Education and Justice and Dr. Melanie Davis, UUA OWL Program Manager for this engaging and informative webinar. You can register here.

This webinar is part of a special series of Thursdays for the Soul webinars focused on twelve Just World Covenant programs in the United Church of Christ. On the third Thursday of each month, one of these programs will be featured. Learn more at: www.ucc.org/just_world_covenants

Our February Gather Potluck falls on the same day as the Super Bowl so we are celebrating by sharing our favorite soups and accompaniments. We will also be collecting money and canned goods for CROS Ministries food pantry. Join us on February 12th after the worship service.

November Financials

Budgeted Income $13,833

Actual Income $8,648

Our November financial recap can be viewed here. 

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!

• Grocery Bags
• Peanut Butter
• Pouches of Tuna and/or chicken
• Canned Vegetables (tab top and/or single serve sizes are best)
• Ravioli, Spaghetti, Beefaroni (tab top)
• Canned Soups/Stews (tab top)
• Single serve ready to eat meals

We are in desperate need of the following mens' clothing items: 

• T-Shirts sizes L & XL
• Socks
• Boxer Briefs sizes L & XL
• Athletic shorts sizes L & XL
• Backpacks 

Dan Hecker, Mark Stanford, Barbara Forsyth, Harvey Littlefield, Gary Sitler,  
Terry Ralston, Pat Gregg, Victor Stanley, Bob and Gail Howell, Brigitte Ermansons, The Zook Family, Barbara Derryberry, The Family of Bob Davis, 
The Gonzalez Family, The Spangler Family for the loss of Benjamin, The Stone Family, Bob Lily
 

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.