The Courier. First Congregational Church, Elyria, Ohio. February, 2018

Transcription

1 Worship With Us Sundays 10AM The Courier Large print bulletins and hearing devices available to aid in worship! First Congregational Church, lyria, Ohio. February, 2018 Lent Lent is the 40 days of preparation for the celebration of aster, The Resurrection of Jesus The Christ. Lent this year begins on Wednesday, February 14th. Lent is a time to reflect upon how each of us have lived out our call to be a follower of Jesus. It is a time of reflection and growth. This Lenten season may our lives be filled with prayer, reflection, and random acts of kindness. Through our prayer, words, and actions, may we prepare to walk more closely in the example of Jesus and bring God's love to others. May the community of lyria know that we are Christians by our love, words, and actions. Blessings, Pastor Patrick Lenten Study During the Lenten season, Pastor Patrick will be leading an Adam Hamilton study entitled The Way. This series brings us to different locations in Judea and Galilee where which would have been familiar to Jesus, and the events recorded in the Gospels at each of the locations. We will meet on Wednesdays (February 21, 28, March 7, 14, and 21) in the parlor. ach Wednesday we will begin at 6:00 pm with soup, salad, and bread. The study will begin around 6:30 pm. All are invited and welcome to join in this study series. Come and join us for a light dinner and engage in a stimulating study and conversation. Ashes On the Go On Ash Wednesday, February 14, 2018, Pastor Patrick will be outside the Atrium doors offering ashes to those walking by between noon and 1:00 pm. This is to make ashes and a short prayer available to our neighbors or anyone just walking by. Prayer Beginning February 5th, Pastor Patrick will be in the atrium each Monday from Noon till 12:30 to join with anyone who wants or is a able to pray. We will use the prayers from The Book Of Common Prayer. This is open to all. It is an opportunity once a week to join with others in prayer other than at Sunday worship.

2 Chocolate Valentine's Day is celebrated the same day as Ash Wednesday this year. As most of you are aware, I am an advocate of chocolate, but not an advocate of giving up or denying oneself of things during lent. Instead, I advocate doing during Lent. In this pursuit, I am proposing the following. Beginning, Wednesday, February 14th and all through Lent, there will be a bowl of chocolate hearts available for the taking. What I am asking is that for each chocolate heart you take, you perform a random act of kindness. Please feel free to take as many as you wish. My hope is that I will need to refill the bowl of chocolate hearts numerous times during Lent knowing that our community is being transformed by the random acts of kindness. The acts of kindness may be as small as talking to a stranger who appears in need of some one to talk with or a simple word of encouragement. The act may be visiting a lonely neighbor or taking someone to the grocery store. The act of kindness is yours to choose. Remember, we never know the impact that our interactions may have on others or the world. I believe that by enjoying a chocolate heart and doing acts of kindness, we will be making the loving heart of God more visible in our community. I ask that we not spend Lent giving up, but instead giving to others through random acts of kindness. Blessings, Patrick Preschool Registration The Preschool which makes its home here at First Congregational Church is now registering children for the school year. This dynamic Preschool Program is open to children 3-5 years of age. Give your child the best start possible for their academic career! To learn more, call ext. 20 Special Coffee Hour Honoring Brian Douglas many years of dedicated service to First Church February 25th, after worship Mark your Calendar Quilting What are those quilters-crafters-knitters-crochet people up to these days? We spent the fall working on baby sized quilts. There are 16 finished quilts available to purchase for a minimum donation of $40. If you need a quilt for a new grandchild or want a cuddle blanket for those cold winter evenings check out what we've got available. Proceeds from the sale will benefit our church budget. Ten percent will be kept by the group as seed money for next year's project expenses. In January we will begin working on a special consignment project as well as learning fun and easy ways to create quick and interesting blocks using the "disappearing technique" for four patch and nine patch blocks. We will meet on February 14th and 28th. from 1:00 PM to 3:00PM in the Gates Room. Those who wish to join us for lunch at the Foundry beforehand can meet there at noon. Questions? contact Sue Schillig ( ) or Pam Scholle ( ).

3 GOD SQUAD NWS Dear Members and Friends of First Congregational Church, UCC: We will be having a community aster gg Hunt, Saturday, March 24th. We are asking for your help in making this event successful. We would like to ask each member of the Church to donate one bag of plastic aster ggs and one bag of candy. Please put your donations in the box near the Narthex. Zoey P. Katelin S. mily R Jacob van Reginae Alonda Brianna T. Adrian Jenna Smith! than! Bubba The God Squad will meet on Thursday, February 1st and February 15th. The group gathers beginning at 6:00 pm and finishes around 8:00 pm. All youths grades 6 and above are welcome. Come and have some Jesus Time and a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone for their continued support of our young people by coming to the second Sunday breakfasts. rin Smith Position Available After having served First Congregational Church for over ten years, Brian Douglas has decided to move on to another position. This leaves us in need of someone to fill his position. If you or anyone you know is interested in pursuing this opportunity, please contact the church office, or Chuck Schillig. First Church Book Club Meeting on Wednesday February 21 The Orphan s Tale By Pam Jenoff Coming Attraction: Mar. 14: The Silver Star. Jeanette Walls V N T S We meet in the Gathering Room at 7:00 PM. Refreshments are served. C.Y.A.T.C. The Young adult group will meet each Wednesday in February ( 7th, 21st and 28th). The group is open to all Young Adults ages 18 and above. All are welcome. The group begins each Wednesday at 6 P.M. And ends at 9 P.M. Come and make some new friends, reconnect with old ones, or just come for a great discussion and fun. Ash Wednesday We will be observing Ash Wednesday on February 14th this year. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Our U.C.C. sisters and bothers from Congregation of Faith and Pilgrim will gather with us at First Church for an Ash Wednesday service. We will begin by sharing a meal of soup, bread, and salad at 6:00 pm in the parlor followed by our Ash Wednesday service beginning at 7:00 pm. Please mark your calendars to join together for a light meal and service on February 14th. Soup, Bread, and salad-- 6:00 pm Ash Wednesday service-- 7:00 pm

4 FIRST CHURCH WOMN Love is in the air and valentines abound! On February 7, 2018, First Church Women will meet for lunch in the Great Hall. As always, punch will be served at 11:40 a.m. and lunch will follow at noon. Janet Bird from the Lorain County Historical Society will have a display of vintage valentines and will relate the history of this romantic tradition. And.it gets even better. Sue Schillig and Pam and Dennis Scholle will be in the kitchen stirring up some delicious soup and baking bread. It promises to be a meeting to warm your heart and your tummy. Please be sure to sign up or call the church office ( ) no later than noon on Monday, February 5 th. We hope to see you there. Young Adult Book Group On the first Wednesday of each month all young adults are welcome to join Pastor Patrick in his office for a book discussion group. We will meet between 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm to discuss a book which was selected the month before. This month we will meet on Wednesday, February 7th. We will be discussing The Color Purple by Alice Walker and Animal Farm by George Orwell. Come and engage in stimulating and exciting conversation around a book others have read to share your thoughts, ideas, and perspectives. All are welcome! M O R X C I T I N G Confirmation Confirmation is open to anyone grade 8 and above. The next meeting for the confirmands will be on Sunday, February 11, The class will meet in the parlor beginning at approximately 11:30 am after the 10:00 am Worship, allowing time for participants to enjoy the community breakfast. If you are not able to attend this meeting, please contact Pastor Patrick. I am looking forward to seeing everyone on the 11th. V N T S Mardi Gras Community Breakfast Bring your beads, bangles, and boas for our celebration of Mardi Gras on Sunday, February 11, The festivities will follow the 10:00 am worship as the spirit of New Orleans fills the Great Hall. Mardi Gras is the final celebration before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. See you there with your beads, bangles, and boas! The Young Adults will demonstrate their culinary talents with delicious and delectable breakfast treats. All are invited to share tantalizing treats and the celebration. A free-will offering offsets the cost and proceeds go to subsidize Youth Programing

5 ONA Team Update The Congregation voted in September 2015 to become an Open and Affirming church. That was just the beginning of the process. Our goal at that time was to bring the church members together to present a loving extravagant welcome to all who enter our church and to spread that welcome beyond our church walls. To reach that goal we chose to host a variety of events that would encourage connections and friendships between the members of the congregation. -Social events, such as bunco, and the pizza/pool party, encourage friendship and connections, between all ages and peoples of the congregations -Book studies (Fully Alive and Love Does) encourage our connections to each other and God -ducational Speakers Dr. Gupta and his family s presentations on Vegan diets and on the Hindu Religion connect us to new ideas and lifestyles Speakers from the lyria area strengthen our connections to the community. -Volunteering for Outreach services encourages our connections the groups that utilize our church space and to others in the community. -Round table discussions about goals for church life connect us to First Cong. The ONA team feels that it is time to assess how far we have come as congregation and what our next steps should be. Watch for upcoming announcements for a round table discussion near the end of February or early March to assess where we are with ONA and where we are heading. What more can we do? Ideas? How does ONA connect with the future story? New ONA team members? This meeting will be open to all members with a special invitation to all church team members! Word of wisdom from the UCC ONA COALITION: By adopting an ONA covenant, a congregation is taking seriously St. Paul s admonition to accept one another, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:7, NIV) TIM IS RUNNING OUT! But you can still sign up to provide a hot meal to 50 or so people in need at the Salvation Army on the third Sunday of the month. Community of Faith Church has already stepped up and volunteered for six meals. It s our turn to serve during March, June, July, September, and November. Note that the June meal occurs on Father s Day, and the September meal occurs during the Apple Festival. Get your group together, and Just Do It

6 First Congregational United Church of Christ 330 Second St. lyria, OH ( ) US POSTAG PAID LYRIA, OHIO PRMIT #393 The Courier is published monthly. All interested parties are encouraged to contribute articles. Please send articles and announcements via to: Deadline for March, 2018 articles is February 15,2018 Change Service Requested Dated Material. Please deliver by January 30,2018 Our Sympathy As a congregation, we share our triumphs and our burdens. It is in this spirit that we share our prayers and offer condolences to Pastor Patrick and his family as they bid farewell to his mother, who passed away in January. ANNUAL MTING HADS UP! March 11th, in conjunction with Pretzel Sunday, our worship will be held in the Great Hall, with the Annual Meeting held directly after worship (while the pretzels bake in the kitchen), followed by The ating of the Pretzels First Church Staff Reverend Patrick Nicolino, Pastor. Bette Lou Higgins, Administrative Assistant, ext. 10. Cheryl McConnell, Business Manager. Tracy Belcher, ducation Coordinator. Dylan Sanzenbacher, Organist. Rick Fortney, Choir Director. Ross Kingman, Campanella Ringers Director. Genny Dangerfield, Courier ditor.( courier@firstcongelyria.org ) Brian Douglas, Sexton, Rick Lawrence, Sexton.