An exploration of Covenant with friends & food. Every Weds at 6pm, meeting in the church Fellowship Hall. March 2 nd, 9 th, 16 th & 23 rd

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1 The Lakeshore Congregationalist March 2016 A Publication of First Congregational Church of Saugatuck Serving our community since 1860 We take God seriously, not ourselves. ~Contents~ From the Pastor s Desk Page 1 & 2 Birthdays & Anniversaries. Page 2 Table Talks. Page 2 March Activity Calendar... Page 3 Chancel Choir Practices... Page 4 WFC s Meeting &... Page 4 Fellowship Hosts Page 4 Scripture Readers Page 4 Nursery Workers. Page 4 Sunday School Program... Page 5 Contact Information.. Page 5 Note from the Treasurer. Page 6 News from the Pews. Page 6 Daylight Savings Time begins Page 6 MI Cong Summer Camp.. Page 6 Our Covenant We covenant with the Lord and one with another, and do bind ourselves in the presence of God, to walk together in all his ways, according as he is pleased to reveal himself unto us in his blessed word of truth. Our Goal The church exists to change lives. That's what we're about. It's simple to say, harder to live. Every single week, we find a way to love God through worship, one another through fellowship, and the Saugatuck/Douglas area through simple acts of service. We don't always get it right. But we have fun trying. From The Pastor s Desk The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord s death until he comes. 1 Corinthians 23b-26 Do you all remember when progressive dinners were all the rage? I remember one year, during the Winter Olympics, I was a part of a progressive dinner where each house you went to featured a different country s native food and one of the Olympic Sports! There was a Russian figure skating appetizer, and Jamaican bobsledding main dish and a Swiss Alpine Skiing dessert! It was a very eclectic event. Well, when I was putting together our Lenten sermon series, Eight Tables, I kept thinking about progressive dinners. Each week leading up to Easter we will encounter stories from Luke s Gospel, that revolve around the table. We will hear stories of big parties with massive spreads and big drama. As well as find tales of intimate dinners alike, with just a little wine and bread between faithful friends. Luke s Gospel, more than the others, celebrates Jesus humanity and how he desired to be in direct relationship with others. Often those relationships were built around the table. After all, that is where the people naturally are. If you feed them, they will come! It s just as true today as it was then. During our Eight Tables Sermon Series, we will seek to understand the breadth, possibilities and truth that is found at God s table! Especially, exploring all of the different kinds of people that are seated around God s table. Continued

2 The Lakeshore Congregationalist March 2016 Page 2 From the Pastor continued That s our aim. Together, we will find sinners in need of forgiveness. We will meet haughty people humbled. We will find the outcast and marginalized- The oblivious and the seeking alike. All brought together at the great equalizer... dinner. It is my hope during this sermon series that we will come to find ourselves amount the guest seated at God s table. In case you would like to read ahead, here is a list of the remaining stops on our Eight Tables progressive dinner : March 6 th : A Table of Forgiveness- Luke 15:1-2, Celebrating in March March 4 th Beverly Nieusma March 6 th Catherine Page March 7 th Sally Palmer March 11 th Kirke White March 12 th Anna Lynn Overway March 14 th Sophia Camarota March 17 th Terri Borgman March 20 th Nicholas Stormer March 22 nd Kay Van Horn March 31 st Carolyn Raebel Congratulations to our March Anniversary Couples! March 1 st Mike & Katie Doucette March 25 th Vic & Jane Mayer March 28 th Gerrit & Tina Sturrus If you notice that your birthday or anniversary was omitted just call the church office ( ) and update our records. Thank you! March 13 th : A Wide Table - Acts 11:1-18 March 20 th : A Table Turned - The whole Passion story in Luke s Gospel March 23 rd (Wednesday Evening Table Talk): A Passover Table - Luke 22: 7-23 March 27 th : An Easter Table- Luke 24:1-35 Pastor Sarah s contact information is: PO Box 13 Saugatuck, MI rev.sarahgladstone@gmail.com Her open office hours are: Monday & Wednesday 9am-Noon Tuesday 4-7pm An exploration of Covenant with friends & food. Every Weds at 6pm, meeting in the church Fellowship Hall. March 2 nd, 9 th, 16 th & 23 rd

3 The Lakeshore Congregationalist March 2016 Page 3 March 2016 First Congregational Church Activity Calendar Sunday Worship Services 10:00am Church Office Hours Mon, Tues, Weds 2pm Nursery Provided Pastor Sarah s Office Hours Mon & Weds 9am-1pm Communion will be served 1 st Sunday of the month Tues 4pm-7pm Sunday School 10:15am or by appointment Social Hour after Worship 11:00am Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 WFC s meeting & GROOVE Exercise th Sunday in Lent 9am Chancel Choir Practice 11:30am Confirmation GROOVE Exercise 12 Daylight Savings Time begins at Midnight Turn Clocks forward 1 hour 13 5 th Sunday in Lent 11:30am Trustee Board meeting 14 7pm Prudential Board meeting GROOVE Exercise Palm Sunday 9am Chancel Choir Practice 11:30am Confirmation 21 April Newsletter submissions deadline Maundy Thursday 25 Good Friday Community Service hosted by All Saints Episcopal Church Noon 26 Holy Saturday 27 Easter Sunday 9:30am Chancel Choir practice pm Diaconate Board meeting 30 31

4 The Lakeshore Congregationalist March 2016 Page 4 Hello Choristers! Chancel Choir sings the praises of the Lord during the worship service, once a month. Rehearsals for this month are on Sundays, March 6 th & 20 th at 9am in the Fellowship Hall. They will sing during worship on Palm Sunday, March 20 th, and again on Easter Sunday, March 27 th, meeting at 9:30am for a quick warm-up. For more information contact Cathy Brockington, Women s Fellowship Circle On Tuesday, March 1 the ladies will meet in The Fellowship Hall for a time of fellowship, and some time in theword, taught by Jennifer Wingard. Please read Luke 12:13-21 in preparation. All women are invited. Fellowship Host Schedule March 6 Jim Scott, Frank & Joan Lamb 13 Hank & Bonnie Stegenga 20 The Camarota Family 27 Diaconate Board Thank you for serving as Fellowship Host. If you cannot serve on the date assigned to you, please swap with someone else, find a substitute or contact Linda Escott ( or lescott0607@frontier.com) for help in filling your spot. Also, please notify the church office with any changes made, so the schedule can be updated. Scripture Reader Schedule March 6 - Connie Rusiecki March 13 - Phyllis Yff March 20 - Vic Mayer March 27 Linda Escott To volunteer for open, or future Sunday Readings, sign-up on the clipboard at the Welcome Desk Workers Schedule Easter Baskets It s that time again, where the Women s Fellowship puts together Easer baskets for our children here at First Congregational Church. We know it seems early, but Easter is early this year: Sun, March 27 th! Please help us with this project by donating a bag of candy or healthy snack for the 12 baskets we re putting together. The donations can be left in the kitchen area. Thank you. March 6. Janna Rudich 13. Kim DeBoer 20. Myrna Dornan 27. Kim DeBoer Thank you for serving as Nursery Worker. If you cannot serve on the date assigned to you, please swap with someone else, find a substitute or contact Linda Escott ( or lescott0607@frontier.com) for help in filling your spot. Also, please notify the church office with any changes made, so the schedule can be updated.

5 The Lakeshore Congregationalist March 2016 Page 5 Memory Work: Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." (Luke 18:16) Parents here is what we are thinking about in Sunday School: As we approach Holy Week and prepare our hearts for Easter, it s easy to become caught up in the excitement of egg hunts, palm branch crosses, and chocolate bunnies. It can even grow tiresome to talk yet again about what may seem an obvious Christian story. But students can benefit from focusing on the details of this time in Christ s life. Many may have questions come up that remind us how amazing were the sacrifices made by our Lord. It s important for children to begin thinking of Jesus as a real person and the only true God. Too often, they assume he s only a distant historical figure. We must show them the living God is calling out to them through the Scriptures. This month the lessons will help our children strengthen their knowledge of what happened during Holy Week and why those events are important to us. At the end of this month your child should be able to tell you in their own words the answers to these questions. - What are the names of the days of Holy Week? - What is the importance of each day? Why do we still remember the days of Holy Week? - Who is the most important person in the Holy Week events? Sunday School Offerings: October - May will go to the Heifer Project. The first Sunday of the month is Children's Church. The first Sunday of the month we gather together for Children's Church. We sings songs, hear the Scripture, celebrate communion together and do a service project. This year we are making something special each month for our home bound members. Donut Club will join the regular Sunday Worship service on the first Sunday. Sunday School ( pre-school - 5th grade) meet upstairs next to the sanctuary. Teachers: Diana Hoppe & Linda Kinnaman Donut Club (6th-12th grade) meet downstairs in the gathering room. Teacher: Kathy Platt Perfect Sunday School Attendance: For the Month of January Liberty Kolev, Vasil Kolev and Robert Boyce had perfect attendance. They picked two items from our treasure box for their perfect attendance TAKING A LOOK AHEAD Here is a look at our schedule of themes for the rest of the year: April: Resurrection May: Prodigal Son FCC s Contact Information: Church Address: 296 Hoffman St, PO Box 633, Saugatuck, MI Office Mgr: Mrs. Kathleen Slawson Church Office M, T, W -2pm, , after hours it will go to our answering machine. office@1stcongregational.net Website: Facebook: 1 st Congregational Saugatuck

6 The Lakeshore Congregationalist March 2016 Page 6 Notes from Church Treasurer Our January collections totaled $5941, which is $1560 lower than budgeted. Our January expenses totaled $10,276, which is $600 lower than budgeted. We had one transfer from the Heritage Fund to the General Fund for $6000. The total Heritage Fund balance is $63,696. Daylight Savings Time Begins Sunday, March 13 th. Spring forward 1 hr. Respectfully submitted by: Phyllis Yff News from the Pews GROOVE Exercise continues to meet every Friday, at in the Fellowship Hall. They will not meet on Good Friday, March 25 th. Come join them, it only costs $7 a session. Did you know? Several different groups and organizations meet here at the church? Yes they do! On any given day you might bump into the Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, District AA Meeting Members and now the Lakeshore Community Chorus. They so enjoyed holding their Holiday Concerts here this past Dec, they have asked if they could rehearse, in our lovely facilities as the acoustics are marvelous! That will start this month, with a Sunday, March 6 th Rehearsal & Pot Luck from 1-5pm, then weekly rehearsals on Tuesday evenings starting March 22 nd at 6:30pm. We are so blessed to open our doors to all of these community members, and celebrate these diverse, ministry opportunities. YMCA Camp Copneconic Sunday, July 17 Friday, July 22 Hosted by Star Wars -May the LORD be with You- Sponsored by The Michigan Conference of Congregational Christian Churches For any student who, at the conclusion of the school-year, will have completed grades 3 through 8. Director Todd VanGrouw, First Congregational Church of Grand Junction Registration forms are available, upon request, from the our church office, just drop Kathleen Slawson a note and she will get them into your hands. Financial assistance is available if needed.