Becoming. The. First Congregational United Church of Christ, Fargo April 2018

Transcription

1 Volume 8, Issue 3 Becoming The First Congregational United Church of Christ, Fargo April 2018 IN THIS ISSUE Pastor s Ponderings, Page 2 Youth News, Page 3 Prayer Concerns, Page 4 Important Dates, Page 7 SPECIAL DATES April 1 Easter Sunday SPRING FUNDRAISER First Church youth will be having our annual Youth Spring Fundraiser on April 15. We decided to change things up and go with a MEXICAN flair - so we are having a taco bar! We will be serving taco meat, refried beans, cheese, tomatoes, and all the other fixings. We will have hard shells and soft shells, along with gluten free offerings. Please let David, Jae, or Kevin know of any other dietary needs we may need to be aware of. We will accept free-will donations for this fundraiser. HOLY HUMOR SUNDAY Our annual celebration of the continuing joy of Easter is set for April 8, as our worship will feature humorous hymn words by Pastor Jo with a variety of jokes interspersed. You are encouraged to dress up appropriately as you will, some of our youth and parents will be doing a Clowning Skit. TEMPLE BETH EL CHURCH TOUR & SALAD LUNCHEON We are invited to this event on Friday, April 6 at 11 a.m. Cost is $5, and they are located at th Ave S. It s good to support our Jewish neighbors! NORTHERN PLAINS CONFERENCE UCC DELEGATES NEEDED This year s Annual Meeting will be held on June 8th and 9th at the Zion United Church of Christ in Medina. The Meeting will conclude on Saturday night and will not carry over into Sunday this year. We hope to have 3-4 lay delegates as well as those clergy from our church who attend. The church pays expenses for this. First Congregational United Church of Christ th Avenue South Fargo, ND (701) To register for the meeting online please CLICK HERE. To view a printable PDF of the registration form CLICK HERE.

2 Page 2 This year, we get to celebrate Easter on April Fool s Day! Does God have a sense of humor, or what?! Surprise, surprise, the invincible power of Caesar and the Roman Empire are not so invincible after all. The unstoppable momentum of hatred is not unstoppable after all. The finality of death is not the end of the story, after all, in God s ongoing drama of life. Jesus is risen, and resurrection moves to the top of our theological vocabulary list. Are we fools for believing in and celebrating Easter? Is there only one appropriate way to understand and believe in Easter? I was going to share the link for the video footage of the event, but I can t seem to locate it. PASTOR S PONDERINGS Rev. Dr. Kevin Cassiday-Maloney I wonder if focusing on what actually happened, scientifically, on the third day after Jesus crucifixion isn t as important as focusing on what God is doing now in every moment of our lives. I wonder if focusing on the impossibility of Jesus being resurrected isn t as important as focusing on all the ways God is opening doors and windows that seemed permanently closed. I wonder if focusing on being theologically correct isn t as important as focusing on being correct in the love we live out in all that we say and do. risen!, we are proclaiming that there is hope after all, that love can never be kept buried in a tomb, that God is more powerful than all human authorities and whatever other powers there might be in the universe. Risen!!, we proclaim that as foolish as self-giving love may appear, it is actually the only way we move forward in our individual lives and the only way our world moves forward toward God s vision of justice and peace for all. Risen!!!, we proclaim that life is worth living, for we trust that God is sustaining us and resurrecting us not just in some future realm, but even here and now in the midst of whatever our problems and challenges might be. Happy Easter to all! And may the joy we find on this confluence of Easter and April Fool s Day inspire us to be beacons of hope and joy for everyone around us, for all who really need to hear this Good News! Blessings, Pastor Kevin Help is only a phone call or text away! If you would like a visit from Pastor Kevin, or just want to bend an ear, please call (701) or send a Facebook message to Kevin Cassiday-Maloney. Page 3 Youth News Youth News Youth News Youth N APRIL FAMILY FUN EVENT We will be going to the Yunker Farm Children s Museum ( th Avenue N, Fargo) on Sunday, April 22, from1-3 PM. This is a GREAT opportunity for our really young friends to join us. GRADUATION SUNDAY We will be honoring our graduates on Sunday, May 20th. Please send a list of your graduates (Kindergarten-post PhD) to Jae, Pastor Kevin, or David Maxfield so we may honor them for their achievements. This is also the last day of Church school, which will (weather permitting) involve a picnic at Lindenwood Park. Hope to See You There!! YOUTH SUNDAY We will be honoring our Youth and Church School kids on Sunday, April 8 (which also happens to be Holy Humor Sunday.) Our Church Schoolers have been working on a special presentation which means they will BE the Children s Sermon, not just listening to it!! So wear your silliest costume, and come support our youth!! BIBLE DISTRIBUTION On March 25, we honored 3 of our Church School members with Bibles of their very own. Eastin Heisler, Maddox Heisler, and Aiden Varriano received Bibles from First Church and the Christian Education Board. May these young people continue to grow in their faith as they accept God s Word in their own hands. FROM THE CHURCH MODERATOR Hello my Fellow UCC Congregationers, I want to take a moment to try something new to help improve communication on any issues you, or others, may be having within our church. If you re anything like me, I appreciate open communication. That is why I want to come up with a genuine way of communicating. If you have a concern, I would appreciate the time spent to write your concern in a signed letter or an identifying whom it is from, or you are always welcome to join us at a monthly board meeting to raise your concern in person. Any of these forms of communication would clearly get your concern to the right people. If you ve ever watched or played a game of telephone, you know messages are easily misconstrued. In order to avoid any confusion and hearsay, I would appreciate it if everyone could use these suggested forms of communication. That way we, as your elected representatives, can clearly discuss your concerns. If you have questions or would like to a concern for the board to consider, feel free to myself - jfogle18@gmail.com; Pastor Kevin - mrmetta57@gmail.com; or the church office - 1stcongregationalucc@gmail.com. Very Respectfully, Jimi Fogle

3 Page 4 PRAYER CONCERNS & THANKSGIVINGS Page 5 FIRST UCC BOARD OF DIRECTORS We pray for the loved ones of Mae Gee, former member of Oak Mound, whose life we celebrated at church this past month, with Pastors Jo and Kevin co-officiating. May God bring healing and newness of life to all who are grieving Mae s life! We pray for Barb Holvik who is a resident at Elim and who is receiving hospice care. May God s love embrace Barb as she prepares to return home! We continue to pray for Ray and Joanne Andres as they struggle with the many challenges associated with Ray s Parkinson s disease. They have had some improvement recently, and we pray for continued periods of freedom from pain! We pray for Pastor Jo Cassiday- Maloney as she prepares to have two cataract surgeries in the next two weeks. May these surgeries help her be the true visionary she is! We pray for Joan and the rest of the loved ones of Arlyn Mogck as we grieve his death this past month. May God bring strength and grace to all in this time of emotional upheaval and loss! Thanksgiving that Jeanne Dotson came through a successful heart procedure this past month and is doing well. Blessings to her and Doyle! Thanksgiving that Nation Redstone, Jae Utke s son, has been released from Prairie St. John s. May this emotional tune-up speed Nation along as he moves forward in God s grace! Thanksgiving for the birth of Natalie Sue Booth on March 6th. Natalie is the daughter of Kimi and BJ Booth, and she weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz. and is 22 inches long. May God bless this little girl and her family! Thanksgiving that Dominique Dejournette and Helen Goodfellow joined the church on March 11. We are grateful for their presence and participation! Thanksgiving for Pastors Kevin and Jo attending a continuing education event at United Theological Seminary on Re-Imagining. Thanksgiving to Chris Maxfield and all who helped with this year s Lenten Meals. We had a fruitful time over the five weeks as we broke bread together and explored themes from children s picture books. Tentative plans for next year involve doing a more traditional half-hour worship in the sanctuary please let Pastor Kevin know if you have ideas or suggestions. Thanksgiving for a beautiful wedding for Theresa Reinhardt and Jan Piskacek in Alhambra, Illinois, with Pastor Kevin co-officiating. Pastor Jo attended, along with John Laskey and Deonne Varriano. May God bless this impressive young couple! Thanksgiving for this month s Family Fun Event. Those who attended had a swimmingly good time. Thanksgiving for all who helped serve the meal at Churches United for the Homeless on Good Friday, March 30. We are grateful for the strong support of this every 5th Friday ministry! Thanksgiving for this year s Joint UCC Good Friday Worship held at First Congregational UCC, Moorhead. It is good to be part of our local UCC network! Thanksgiving for this year s Maundy Thursday Offering going to Churches United for the Homeless. Thanks to all for your generosity! FEBRUARY 22, :30PM Members Present: Pastor Kevin, Jimi Fogle, Darin Mogck, Bob Stone, Carolyn Stenseth, Carol Roth, Jerry Gee, Bill Simpson, John Stende, Jae Utke, Elaine Ackerman. 1. Call to Order - Moderator Jimi Fogle called the meeting to order. 2. Opening Devotions - Pastor Kevin led us in devotions; obedience to God/functional athiests. 3. Minutes - Jerry Gee moved to accept the minutes of the last meeting as written. Bob Stone seconded the motion, and it passed. 4. Pastor s Report - Darin Mogck moved to accept the Pastor s Report dated January 19 thru February 21, John Stende seconded the motion, and it passed. 5. Correspondence: See New Business below. 6. Standing Committee Reports: Worship (Bob Stone): (1) Pastor Kevin will be away on Sunday, March 18, Peter Schmidt to provide pulpit supply. (2) Thank you to the Roths for purchase of three Lenten cloths. (3) Mike Orchard to start on stained-glass windows in two weeks. Pastor-Parish (John Stende): No report. Treasurer (Jerry Gee): (1) Some parishioners have paid 2018 pledges in full so finances are currently looking good. (2) Recommend that each board member review their committee budgets for 2018 to know what dollars they have to work with for the year. (3) Jimi Fogle reported that there are issues with our Internet website. (The website is up for renewal in 2019.) Upon research, it was discovered that we could upgrade to a better, faster package for $1.00 per month less than our current cost with a threeyear agreement lock. Jimi to research if there are any upfront costs. The board confirmed that Jimi has authority to make decisions of this nature. (4) Thank you to Jimi and Tammy Fogle for their redesign of the church website. Pastor Kevin to comment in enews. (5) Lora to periodically send out reminders of pledges/giving statements. Pastor Kevin to place reminders to keep pledges current in enews. (6) Jimi Fogle to discuss with Lora if she has sufficient time needed for job responsibilities. Stewardship (Bill Simpson): No report. Thank you to everyone for input and guidance during the 2017 Stewardship Drive. Clerk (Elaine Ackerman): No report. Communications (Brenna Naseer): Not present. (1) Brenna to resume as Editor of The Becoming with the April 2018 issue. Thank you to Tammy Fogle for substituting for Brenna. Tammy expressed interest in continuing to assist. (2) No Easter ad will be placed in the Forum due to cost but information will be updated on our website and Facebook. Consider placing Facebook ads in the future. Buildings and Grounds (Darin Mogck): (1) New toilet paper dispensers have been installed in the main floor restrooms. (2) New hand towel dispensers have been received; working on returning if possible. (3) A mouse was spotted and traps have been set. (4) Researching new carpet for sanctuary. (5) Phone issues have been reported. Jimi Fogle has located a new phone system. To be researched further. (6) Need to create a building and grounds to do list. (7) Consider capital fundraiser for needed buildings and ground improvements. continued on page 6

4 Page 6 FIRST UCC BOARD OF DIRECTORS continued from page 5 Page 7 FIRST CHURCH UPCOMING DATES Christian Education & Church School (David Maxfield): Not present. Report provided by Jae Utke. (1) There were 17 in attendance at the bowling family activity in February. The next family activity, swimming, is scheduled for Sunday, March 18, (2) David Maxfield and Jae are researching the cost of People of God curriculum and paying only for units used as there is variation from the standard curriculum during Christmas, etc. The curriculum is easy to teach and applicable for smaller groups. (3) A taco bar youth spring fundraiser is scheduled for Sunday, April 15, (4) Youth Sunday is scheduled for April 8, 2018 (same day as Holy Humor Sunday). Bibles will be presented to older youth. (5) A regional youth event in the Minnesota conference is scheduled toward the end of June. The cost is $325. (6) There will be an Easter egg hunt on Palm Sunday, March 25, Family Fellowship (Chris Maxfield): Not present. Meals are being provided for Lenten services. Evangelism and Nurture (Paula McIntyre): Not present. (1) Pastor Kevin visited at Eventide. (2) Joan Mogck is sending birthday cards. (3) Sunday School children will create Easter cards for shut-ins. Memorial (Carolyn Stenseth): No report. Community Service/Missions (Carol Roth): (1) We are serving at Churches United on Good Friday, March 30, Pastor Kevin to add to enews. (2) The week for working the Food Pantry is confirmed for July 2 July 6, 2018 (the Food Pantry is closed July 4). Share on Facebook and enews requesting help. Women s Fellowship: No report. 7. Other Reports - None. 7. Approval of Reports - Carol Roth moved to accept the reports. Jae Utke seconded the motion, and it passed. 9. Unfinished Business: Jimi Fogle discussed with the Nursery staff rotation of one person per week to staff nursery. Will staff with two as needed, i.e. Easter and Christmas. 10. New Business: (1) Darin Mogck received a bill to be paid for 2018 weed control. (2) Jimi Fogle raised concerns brought to his attention concerning the Nepali Church and use of our building. Pastor Kevin had talked with Paul, Nepali Church contact. Paul agreed to talk with Nepali members and does not anticipate any further issues. Additional discussion included: request better adult supervision of youth, adjust start time of Nepali Sunday School, clarify and add signage as to which basement rooms are to be accessed for Sunday School, have UCC representative attend Nepali church service to discuss concerns with members, provide scratch pads and use youth bags for writing paper (Jae Utke and Carol Roth to ensure youth bags have sufficient supplies.), provide coloring books, reading books, etc. on table for older youth, commitment that we want to work things out and do not want to chase the Nepali Church away. Jimi to contact Lora for signed User Agreement. Review agreement, make adjustments if needed and ask to be resigned. Perform similar User Agreement review for all organizations using our church building. 11. Next Meeting - The next board meeting is Thursday, March 22, 2018 at 6:30 pm. 12. Other Comments - Jimi Fogle thanked everyone for their continued work and help. 13. Closing Prayer - John Stende led us in closing prayer. 14. Adjourn - Darin Mogck moved to adjourn the meeting. Carolyn Stenseth seconded the motion. Jimi Fogle adjourned the meeting. Respectfully submitted, Elaine Ackerman, Clerk Holy Communion first Sunday each month - ALL are welcome to partake! Bulletins and Bibles every Wednesday from 1:30-3:30. Bible Study begins at 2 p.m. Worship every Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Choir Rehearsal every Sunday at 9 a.m. Sunday School every Sunday for Pre-School through Elementary after the Children s Sermon Women s Fellowship second Tuesday of the month, 10:00 a.m. Mat Ministry second Wednesday each month at 10:00 a.m. NPCUCC Clergy Cluster fourth Tuesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. Sunday, April 1 - Easter Sunday!!! (No Sunday School on this day) Sunday, April 8 - Holy Humor Sunday, Youth Clowning Skit Sunday, April 15 - Youth Taco Bar Fundraiser after church Wednesday, April 18, 6:00 p.m. - Christian Education Board Thursday, April 19, 6:30 p.m. - Board of Directors Saturday, April 21 - Deadline for May Becoming (please send your information to our Editor, Brenna Naseer at brenna.pratt.1@gmail.com) Sunday, April 22, 1:00 p.m. - Family Fun Event at Yunker Farm MONTHLY COMMUNITY HOSPITALITY Heather & Thistle Bagpipers - Every Tuesday at 7 p.m. Codependents Anonymous Women s Group- Every Tuesday at 4:30-6:00 p.m. MOMS Group - Third Friday of the month at 10 a.m. Every Saturday, 9:30-10:30 a.m. - Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting Every Saturday, 3:30-5 p.m. - Nepali Youth Every Sunday, 1-3 p.m. - Nepali Worship Every Sunday, 4-9 p.m. - FM Gay Men s Chorus Practice and Meetings 04/05 Carol Bristol 04/06 Troy Radloff 04/06 Jae Utke 04/09 Michael Paul 04/19 James Koch 04/20 Mark Flaagan 04/26 Robert Stone 04/29 Emily Larson 04/29 Garry Roth For a current calendar, visit our church website at & click the Events link in the upper right.

5 Page 8 The Becoming is a publication of First Congregational Church, Fargo. FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST TH AVENUE SOUTH FARGO, ND This publication is published monthly and mailed to membters and friends of the Church. Articles are taken with permission from The Aware, UCC News, The Newsletter Newsletter and The Fargo Forum. Becoming Staff: Editor Brenna Naseer Advisor Kevin Cassiday-Maloney Production The Bible Study Babes & Dudes Welcome to First Church! OUR COVENANT We covenant here, one with another, in the love of truth and in the spirit of Jesus Christ, for the worship of God and the service of Gods creation; and, as the Lords free people, we agree to walk together in all of God s ways, known or to be made known to us. Kevin Cassiday-Maloney, Pastor Office Phone: Cell Phone: mrmetta57@gmail.com Facebook: Kevin Cassiday-Maloney Jae Utke, Christian Ed. Director Cell Phone: jae.utke@yahoo.com Facebook: Jae Utke Lora Wehrung, Office Manager 1stcongregationalucc@gmail.com First Church is on the web!