Pride 2023

This year we will once again be participating in Pride at Bryant Park. This is a great opportunity to share God's love and our church with our community. Please be praying for those participating that we will be open to how God wants to share God's radical love and acceptance to all, no matter who they are or where they are on life's jourjey. If you are participating and don't yet have a ticket contact Pastor Jason.

Build a New World March

“There are few human rights achievements that are so universally celebrated 

today as the farmworker-led Fair Food Program.” Truthout

On Saturday March 18th, members of First Congregational Church in Lake Worth and Florida Conference Minister John Vertigan joined hundreds of other supporters in accompanying members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers on the last two miles of their 5 day march from the sugar cane fields of Pahokee to the center of the Town of Palm Beach. The route included a march down Worth Ave., one of the most prestigious shopping streets in the world, and took us right by a Publix grocery store where we stopped and together lifted our voices to demand that Publix join the Fair Food program which insures adequate pay and safety for agricultural workers. Norman Peltz, the CEO of another Fair Food hold out, Wendy’s, is a Palm Beach resident. We don’t know if he heard us, but he and his neighbors knew we were there. It was a privilege to be the church and together work for justice. Look for more pictures on our website.

The Christian scriptures offer many images of where love, grace, forgiveness, righteousness, and healing can REALLY be found. And it is not in the “usual” places. Isn’t it as true of us today as it was of the scriptural authors? Don’t we often look for wholeness and happiness in places that offer only temporary “good feelings” and satisfaction? Lent is a wonderfully reflective time to reassess where we are searching for meaning and purpose. We’ll move through stories of Jesus to find out who offers the “real deal.” 

Sometimes the things we think offer love actually seek to bind us, preventing us from being full and whole and offering our best love to the world. This season of Lent, we continue our look at our faith narratives that show us about true love. The story of Lazarus, whose funeral shrouds trail him out of the tomb, offers us a metaphor of new life as we recognize that true love is that which unbinds us, that wants for us more, not less, freedom and life. Jesus says to us, “Come out!” Walk! Live! Love! Shed your funeral clothes and offer your deepest self, your deepest love, for the world.” Of course this kind of love can be dangerous, as we will see as the events of Holy Week loom closer. But the price of continuing to look for love in the wrong places in higher than the blessing of life lived boldly.

Last Sunday, we stood with stood with Jesus and the woman at the well. You can watch the sermon here.

What is your "Lookin' For Love" Testimony?

Where have you found love? How do you let more love into your life? Share with us by video or in-person during worship. This week, we will hear from Carolyn Ludwig.

For the next 6-8 weeks we will be taking time to listen to one another and to our community to discern how we might best live the gospel and participate in God's reign. This will take place in series of gatherings of our friends and members, facilitated by Jill White from the national setting of the United Church of Christ. The dates and times are:

Saturday March 11 9:30-11:00

Saturday April 1st 9:30-12:00
Saturday April 22nd 9:30-12:00

The second session will be to analyze all the information gathered in our gathering information session, and prioritize that information to come up with our core priorities for First Congregational.  Everyone is invited to sign up for this session. You can register online, in the app, or sign up in the lobby.

On Monday, March 27th, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, we will gather with people of faith from across the county to ask our public officials to commit to solutions to problems we are facing as a community. We will be arranging rides for those who do not drive at night. When you register, let us know if you will need a ride. We currently have 64 people committed to attend. Let's get to 100! You can register here.

Wisdom Lenten Study

For almost 1,700 years the Benedict order has been operated using the Rule of Benedict. Within the Rule one can find most of the ways that a human community can be operated. Joan Chittister OBS (Order of Saint Benedict) wrote a book, Wisdom Distilled From the Daily, that for the better part of ten years Rev. Nelson Stone taught in a course titled The Wisdom of Benedict. For this Lent you are invited to join him in person and on Zoom to spend some time reflecting on Sister Chittister's vision of a life ruled by The Rule. This week we will meeting by Zoom only. The Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9548808629?pwd=MlRpa0tHU1JHZzFBOENhdEIvQkpDdz09

Practicing Faith, Mercy, and Justice in Community? 

There's an App for That!

Our new church app has been released in the Apple App and Google Play stores just for our church. You can stream our worship services, keep in touch with friends, keep up with events, and financially support First Congregational Church all in one place. If you are an iphone user, you can download the app in the App Store, if you have an Android phone, you can download from Google Play.

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.

Dan Hecker will be in rehabilitation for the next couple of weeks at

The Legacy
Room #438
6363 Verde Trail S
Boca Raton, FL 33433

January Financials

Budgeted Income $11,083

Actual Income $9,257

Our January 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.