First Congregational Church, Elyria, Ohio. October, 2018 October

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1 he Courier Worship With Us Sundays 10AM Large print bulletins and hearing devices available to aid in worship First Congregational Church, lyria, Ohio. October, 2018 October October is a month that brings with it the magnificent colors of autumn foliage, crisp air, the final harvesting of fields, and of course Halloween. Halloween or All Hallows' ve is the day or evening before All Saints Day, celebrated on ovember 1st each year. All Hallows' ve has a long tradition within Western Culture. he possible origins of our modern Halloween celebration is traced by historians to the pre-christian Celtic period. arly Christian and Medieval Roots brought with it traditions of the poor visiting wealthy homes and in exchange for food they would pray for the deceased of the wealthy. Further traditions are linked to Scotland and Ireland which brought us the "trick" part of trick or treating. he giving of alms or food to those in need the day or evening before All Saints day was believed to be a good action which may be an atonement for one s sins or wrong doing. he practice continued and was brought with the uropean immigrants to the Americas. In the 1900's this practice became known as Beggars ight. Beggars ight began with children dressing in costumes of Saints and going from house to house in their neighborhood collecting candy. he evening would end with a Harvest party. he term Beggars ight was replaced with Halloween and the costuming changed. he 1950's cemented our modern concept of Halloween in the United States, with the idea of giving to neighbors remaining the same. Attempting to meet the needs of those in need has always been a part of the Christian tradition. We see in the Gospel accounts Jesus teaching the need to care for those in need of food, clothing, and shelter; to care for the sick, the widow, and the orphan. he teaching found in the Gospels actually was part of the Jewish teaching passed down through the Prophets. Unfortunately in Jesus' time those in need rather than being cared for were instead shunned, considered outcasts and undesirables within Jewish society. Jesus, in His actions and teaching brought back to the forefront of social consciousness the reality and need to care for others. his inclusion had no boundary, instead all were to be included and all cared for. his October may we not only enjoy the beauty of the autumn foliage and the crisp air, but also remember the giving origins of Halloween. Possibly as we are purchasing candy to pass out we could also purchase a non-perishable food item or two and donate it to the food panty or someone in need. Perhaps, during October, we could do a random act of kindness for someone in need. Remember that our random acts of kindness are a way of living out the Gospel message. A Happy All Hallows' ve! -Blessings, Pastor Patrick

2 Remember Pastor Patrick will be in the atrium to join with anyone who cares to join him in prayer each Monday from 12 noon till 12:30 pm. We will use the prayers from he Book Of Common Prayer. his is open to all for an opportunity once a week to join with others in prayer during the work week. Be he Church Court Yard Walk he Walk he court yard is open for lunch. During the summer months, the court yard is open for individuals from both First Church and the community to enjoy. ables, chairs, and umbrellas are available to provide a relaxing, peaceful place to enjoy lunch or to take an afternoon break in the summer sun alone or with friends. hursdays offer the opportunity to buy lunch from one of the food trucks and enjoy it in the beauty and serenity of our court yard. L o o k W h a t s H a p p e n i n g!! hank You! hank you to everyone that helped make our opening Our Doors- Past and Present event a success! hanks go to our presenters, David Simmer of Lorain County Sacred Landmarks Initiative, Dylan Sanzenbacher, Sue Schillig and Candice Dangerfield. hank you to erri Despones, Brenda Yost, Genny Dangerfield, and Cindy Salmon. Special thanks to Patti homin, Marti Perry and First Church Women for all of their help and support and Rick Lawrence. Rick is the unsung hero of every event like this. From setup to sound, Rick is always there making sure everything always looks great and goes well. hank you to everyone who shared in this great event! Our God Squad is awesome! During the Apple Festival they manned the bounce house, making a profit of $600.00, which will help finance their future activities. Approximately 15 members participated children bounced. hink of all the fun and parent interactions as well as good will spread throughout the community. First Church Book Club Meeting October 10th at 7:00 PM. in the Gathering Room We will discuss he confessions of Anne Shakespeare, by Arliss Ryan Good food, good fellowship, good discussion.

3 GOD SQUAD MIGS October 4, 11, 18, 25 he 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 ime and a lot of fun. Youth Advisors rin Smith and Andrew Page he God Squad will be preparing their wonderful breakfast on Sunday, October 21st. ote that in October, our community breakfast will be the third Sunday of October. he change accommodates our chefs busy schedules and allows as many God Squadders as possible to assist in the kitchen. As usual, the breakfast will follow our Worship Service. Please feel free to invite a friend or guest to Worship and by all means to share the incredible culinary creations of our God Squad. All Saints Day All Saints Day will be celebrated on Sunday, October 28th. his year we will not only remember those who died over the course of the past year, but also all who have gone before us. veryone is invited to bring a memento or picture which reminds you of a loved one who has died. During Worship, we will bring the pictures or mementos forward and place them together on a table in the front of the Sanctuary. We will then light a candle for each person. All Saints Day is a day to remember all who have gone before us and now share in the great company of believers. M I G S A D V S C.Y.A..C. he group is open to all Young Adults ages 18 and above. All are welcome. We meet each Wednesday at 6 P.M. And ends at 9 P.M. October 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 Come and make some new friends, reconnect with old ones, or just come for a great discussion and fun. Confirmation here will be a Confirmation meeting on Sunday, October 21 following the Community Breakfast. he meeting will be in the Parlor. Any Youth currently in grade 8 or a love is invited. For additional details, please contact Pastor Patrick. Our Food Pantry! Here are some August stats from the pantry: (Families can come 2X a month; some do, many don't ) households served: 457 seniors served: 110 adults served: 925 children (17 & under) served: OAL # served in August, 2018 IM IS RUIG OU! 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. It s our turn to serve during ovember. Get your group together, and Just Do It

4 Fall Harvest of the Arts he Fall Harvest of the Arts is almost here! Please plan on joining us October 5th and 6th for a weekend of artistic expression! We kick off the weekend on Friday evening, October 5th at 7:00 pm, with the play Bound ogether: One Great Bundle of Humanity. his play written by mmy nominated author Kelly Boyer Sagert, and features actors Debra Rose and Judy MacKeigan. In the play, Ms. Rose plays Frances llen Watkins Harper, a free woman of color who was a poet, author, abolitionist suffragette,e public speaker, a leader in the emperance Movement and the first African- American woman to publish a short story. Some of you may remember Kelly and Debra from their recent presentation to First Church Women. ickets may be purchased in advance or at the door. ickets are $10 for Adults, Students are free, and parents accompanying students will be $5. Proceeds from the ticket sales will go toward our annual Christmas for Kids project. ach Christmas, we provide socks, underwear, and pajamas for the 100+ children and teens that participate in Save Our Children and lyria eens Achieve Success. On Saturday, October 6th from 6:00-9:00 pm, it's H COFFHOUS at FIRS CHURCH! Stop by and check out the work from local artists, including our own Candice Dangerfield. here are still spots left for last-minute additions to this evening of art, so if you or someone you know has original artwork that they would like to display, contact us for information on how to participate at ext 15. Finally, the concert originally scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 7, had to cancel due to scheduling conflicts. We hope to reschedule the concert at a later date. Please plan on attending this wonderful weekend of the arts as we open our doors for these events. Opportunities For Service If you are able to assist with any of these programs or events, it would be greatly appreciated. Please contact racy at ext. 15 or at tbelcher@firstcongelyria.org M O R X C I I G V S Quilting and Crafting Group We need your shirt!! " he Crafty Piecemakers are collecting -shirts to repurpose into tote bags for the food pantry patrons or anyone else who may need one. " Shirts can be any size, color, or design. hey only need to be CLA and have no holes. Here is your chance to clean out the closet. " Child size shirts may be donated to Franklin school or repurposed into smaller tote bags. " A donation station will be set up in the cloakroom outside the narthex. hank you in advance. We meet regularly on the second and fourth Wednesdays each month room 1-3 pm in the Gates room. Or join us at noon at he Foundry for lunch A ew ake on an Old opic -What?: Pastor s Study on he Lord s " Prayer -When?: Sundays Oct. 7th and 14th in the " Great Hall immediately following " service. -Details: he Faith eam invites everyone " to join Pastor Patrick as he leads us " through an examination of this " famous prayer, and the history of " how it was handed down to us. here will be plenty of opportunity for questions to be asked, and meditation on what this prayer means to each of us. Some light foods will be provided.

5 Our Volunteers, Our Most Valuable Asset In September we recognized our many volunteers with a cookout in the courtyard. Approximately 35 people attended, and the fellowship was wonderful. Conversation, burgers and dogs, side dishes and desserts were enjoyed. Ken Smith manned the grill and provided lively background music. Candice Dangerfield had some artwork on display, and freebies for volunteers. She and Betty Salisbury, along with myself, provided food and assisted in set up and clean up. hanks to Allison Gallaher for her assistance in planning and her hostessing duties. I believe one of the hardest workers, however, was Mary Smith, who not only helped everyone else, but also answered Ken s every Hey Mary! So I write this article not only to give an update on the event itself, but I had asked those present to give me an idea of how many hours a week or month that they spent volunteering on behalf of First Church. 35 responses were returned to me. I could add another ten or twelve people who were not in attendance, but who spent many hours at the church or doing church-related work on their own time. So here s the scoop: Roughly 700 HOURS a MOH of our time is given back to the church to assist in its missions of outreach, fellowship, and worship. I have no way to estimate time that is given freely to Save Our Children, lyria eens Achieve Success, or the Preschool, our three biggest community programs. AA., AlAnon, Jazzercise, and other groups use our facility, and they are also part of giving back to our community. So, I stand with our choir and look out each Sunday at the faces of folks who are loving, giving faithful souls. People who do the work to assist where and when needed. Because they believe that is the right thing to do. hank you all so very much. -Genny Dangerfield First Church Women Luncheon Boo! It ll be October before you know it and that means Halloween. What better way to get us in that spooky Halloween spirit than ghost stories? Bette Lou Higgins will tell spine-tingling Ohio Ghost Stories about why the Victoria heatre in Dayton is haunted, send chills up and down our spines at the Franklin Castle, plus many other haunting tales! Come join First Church Women on Wednesday October 3, 2018 at noon right here in the Great Hall at First Cong lyria. We will enjoy a delicious homemade lunch and dessert prepared by the Mayflower Guild. hen get ready to have chills run up and down your spine as we listen to these ghostly tales! Sign-up sheets are in the arthex, outside the Great Hall, in the church Office or call prior to noon on Monday October 1, 2018 to reserve your seat. Luncheons are $6/person payable at the door Please join us for delicious food, good fellowship and informative and entertaining programming!! ALL are MOS Welcome!!

6 First Congregational United Church of Christ 330 Second St. lyria, OH ( ) US POSAG PAID LYRIA, OHIO PRMI #393 he Courier is published monthly. All interested parties are encouraged to contribute articles. Please send articles and announcements via to: Deadline for ovember articles is October 15, 2018 Change Service Requested Dated Material. Please deliver by September 29, 2018 World Communion Sunday We will be celebrating World Communion Sunday on October 7th. his is a day when Christians from every denomination which celebrate Communion, spiritually join together as One Body in Christ. his year First Church will embrace our connection with our global sisters and brothers by not only celebrating Communion, but also have breads from differing traditions or regions on our the Altar or Communion able. he breads will be blessed during Worship and then shared during coffee hour in the Great Hall. Make plans to share some delicious breads and celebrate our Oneness in he Body Of Christ on Sunday, October 7th. First Church Staff Reverend Patrick icolino, Pastor. Bette Lou Higgins, Administrative Assistant, ext. 10. Cheryl McConnell, Business Manager. racy Belcher, ducation and Outreach Coordinator. Dylan Sanzenbacher, Organist and Choir Director. Ross Kingman, Campanella Ringers Director. Genny Dangerfield, Courier ditor.( courier@firstcongelyria.org ), Candice Dangerfield, Artist in Residence. Rick Lawrence, Sexton. aqualia, Rex, Assistant Sextons.