Hello friends, we are sneaking into your inbox twice this week to remind you of the abundant opportunities for worship and practice this week. We look forward to spending time together this week as we prepare for God and God's kin-dom to show up! If you are participating in the parade, please see the line-up information below.

This Sunday, Rev. Nelson Stone will be leading our worship and sharing a message on "Mary?" centered around her song of worship and justice we call The Magnificat.

You can join us on site at 1415 North K ST

There is a devotional booklet that goes along with the series. You can pick one up on Sunday morning. You can also read the digital version here.

We often post short excerpts from the worship service and reminders of our weekly theme on our Facebook page and Instagram. If you aren't on either (or even if you are!), you can access the same on our own church messaging app. You can sign up for the "How Does a Weary World Rejoice?" group here.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Lake Worth Beach Holiday Parade December 9th

The 57th Annual Lake Worth Beach Christmas parade will be Saturday Evening, December 9th. This year, we are going all out to represent our church to the community. We will be embracing the "Hollywood" theme with a larger-than-life Clarence (from It's a Wonderful Life) puppet. We will need as many hands on deck as possible for this to walk with the puppet, carry our banner, and hand out candy canes and invitations. If you will be walking in the parade with us, please register here so we know how many will be joining us and so we can get information to you about where we will be meeting on Saturday. 

The parade begins at 6:00 PM, we are in the seventh section. We will set up on Federal highway between 7th and 8th Avenues North. We will start lining up at 4:30 - if you are walking with us, please plan on being there at 5:30. 

We will also meet at the church office on Friday 12/8 at 6:00 PM to finish assembling the puppet and attaching candy canes to invitation cards. We would love for you to join us!

PEACE Research Meeting With Sheriff Bradshaw

On Thursday evening, December 14th at 6:00, we will be meeting with Sheriff Ric Bradshaw to hear reports as to progress in his commitment to collect data on all traffic stops made by sheriff deputies. This meeting will take place at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church. We want to demonstrate our people power to the sheriff who is attending a PEACE public meeting for the very first time. Our goal is to have 20 people in attendance. You can register and let us know if you would like a ride that night here.

This month's Gather potluck Lunch will be on December 17th. We are looking forward to the opportunity to share a Christmas meal together!

Tell Us Why You're Here!

We are going to create a brief informational video about our church to share at our Christmas Eve services. We would like to include brief videos from you about why you love your church and how our church makes a difference in our community. You can record yourself and send or we will record you on December 17th following worship.

Can We Borrow Your Toaster?

On Christmas Eve morning we will be having an intergenerational Breakfast Church worship service. One of the things we will be providing is a toast bar. We would like to have a few toasters for people to use. If you have one you can bring, please let us know!

For the past 13 years our church has hosted a community meal on Tuesday evenings.  As we have been in the process of discerning how we might best serve God and God's people in the future, we feel our Communtiy Dinner is an important part of that work. In addition to a meal, we provde showers, laundry, hair cuts, toiletries, and food pantry. As we begin our dinners again in August, we need to replenish our pantry. You can help by picking up the following on your next grocery run: Pop-top Canned Fruit, Pop-top Canned Meat, Granola/Snack Bars. You can also donate funds here.

If you would like to help with this ministry by setting up, serving, or cleaning up, see Susan Peterson.

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. We have also just added a gaIlery of pictures and a section just for "Minute Messages." 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.

• 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, Victor Stanley, Brigitte Ermansons, Barbara Derryberry,  Bob Lily, Kathy Parent, Michael Jegabbi
 

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.