First Congregational Church, Elyria, Ohio. September, 2018 Identity

Transcription

1 he Courier Worship With Us Sundays 10AM Large print bulletins and hearing devices available to aid in worship First Congregational Church, lyria, Ohio. September, 2018 Identity First Church has a very long history. During the course of First Church's history it has been a part of differing denominations. his history, beginning with the Congregationalists of ew ngland through the Presbyterian period, and ultimately bringing First Church to present day as a Congregation of he United Church of Christ, has had an impact on the church's focus, direction, and identity. Presently, First Church is growing into a new identity. he question arises "what is the identity of First Church? And "what does that identity speak to concerning First Church today and into the future? ake a moment and think how each of us identify, individually and collectively. Over the course of a lifetime we identify differently depending the place we find ourselves on our own journeys. We first identify as children of our parents and then perhaps move to identifying as a student of the school we attend. As we move forward in our lives, professions, relationship status, or children provide us with new identities. Identity for the human person is extreme!y important. Identities change over the course of time and impact so many aspects of our life. he same is very true of our Congregation. How does a Congregation identify itself? How is a Congregation identified in the community? What is First Church's current identity? How do "we" identify ourselves as members and friends of First Church? What do we want to be known as or standing for in lyria? What do we want our mark to be on the history of First Church? What will be our legacy? How we identify impacts our mission, our presence in the community and what First Church is known for in lyria. I am not simply speaking to our history or legacy. I am speaking to the current, here and now. We continue the process of thinking about and talking about our identity as First Church in 2018 and the future. All aspects of the life of First Church are important in this process. How do we Worship? Are we a Congregation of prayer? What does our building represent and mean to the community? Are we an embedded Church in the community? Who are we as First Church? All of the above are important to the identity process. Beginning this Autumn and over the course of the next year, please consider having conversation concerning our identity as First Church. From Worship on Sunday morning through who and how the building is used over the course of the week is part of this identification process. Remember, identification is a process and fluid. Identity changes or has the potential to change. Who or what First Church was in the early 1800's is very different from who or what First Church is in the 21st century. I look forward to making this journey of discussing our identity with each of you. -Pastor Patrick

2 Remember Pastor Patrick will be in the atrium to join with anyone who wants or is a able to pray 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!! FLLOWSHIP AM WS We were pleased to spend some time with our volunteers and give them thanks and recognition at the Volunteer Appreciation Cookout. We sincerely hope that you felt the love and had an enjoyable evening. In case you were unable to attend, we still want to acknowledge your work and show our appreciation for all the good things that you do! A world of thanks for the following: First Church Officers, Leadership eam, rustees Faith eam, Outreach eam, OA eam, Fellowship eam Food Pantry Workers, Office Assistants, Courier ditor & Helpers Sunday Bulletin Producers, First Church Women Altar Guild, Chancel Choir, Campanella Ringers, Liturgists Acolytes, Head Ushers, Usher/Greeters, Flower Deliverers Piecemakers eedleworkers, Childcare Volunteers Groundskeepers, Salvation Army Dinner Servers Our Youth Groups and Advisors, Save Our Children eachers,.. A. S. Directors, Support Group Facilitators You truly keep the wheels turning at First Church! We love you all and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. While they're not volunteers, as such, we also have a wonderful staff! hey regularly go above and beyond their job descriptions to make our church experience special and we are blessed to have them. First Church Book Club Meeting at 7:00 PM. in the Gathering Room We will discuss he Goldfinch, by Donna artt Our picnic at Burr Oak was attended by over twenty members of both book clubs, and Daisy Mae. Good food, good fellowship, good discussion.

3 GOD SQUAD MIGS September 6,20 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 Both rin Smith and Andrew Page have been very involved with the God Squad. On Sunday, September 9th, both rin and Andrew will be commissioned as Youth Advisors during the 10:00 am Worship Service. I look forward to their continued incredible work with the God Squad and the youth of First Church. Community Breakfast he God Squad will be back in the kitchen on the second Sunday of each month. After their summer break, the God Squad will be back beginning on Sunday, September 9th. his group of talented young people will once again demonstrate their culinary expertise. After Worship on September 9th, join us in the Great Hall to enjoy a wonderful breakfast prepared by the members of the God Squad. All donations from the community breakfast will go towards Youth programming for the God Squad. Bounce House Once again, the youth of First Church will host a Bounce House during the Apple Festival. he dates for the Apple Festival and Bounce House are Friday, September 21st, through Sunday, September 23rd. he Bounce House is a wonderful way for First Church to be visible to the lyria community and offer a low cost option for families attending the Apple Festival. If you attend the Apple Festival, please stop by the Bounce House and say hello to some of the youth of First Church. he cost of the Bounce House will remain $1.00 with proceeds going towards Youth programming. Hope to see you at the Bounce House! 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. September 5,12, 19, 26 Come and make some new friends, reconnect with old ones, or just come for a great discussion and fun. Confirmation First Church will have a confirmation class this year. Confirmation is open to anyone grade 8 and above. he first meeting for those interested in Confirmation will be on Sunday, September 9, he class will meet in the parlor beginning at approximately 11:30 am after the 10:00 am Worship allowing time for participants to also enjoy the community breakfast. Parents, guardians, custodians, and the confirmands are invited to this meeting. If you are not able to attend this meeting, please contact Pastor Patrick. I am looking forward to journeying with a new class of confirmands. 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 September and ovember. Get your group together, and Just Do It

4 Fall Harvest of the Arts Mark your calendars for an exciting weekend hosted by First Church! Please plan on joining us October 5, 6, & 7 for a weekend of artistic expression! We kick off the weekend on Friday evening, October5th 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,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 go on sale Sunday, September 9 th and 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 6 th, it's H COFFHOUS at FIRS CHURCH! Doors open at 6:00 pm and the first performance begins at 7:00 pm. here are still spots left for talent to fill, so if you or someone you knows has an act and would like to perform contact us for information on how to participate at ext 15. Finally, on Sunday, October 7 th, from 3:00-5:00 pm, join our own Dylan Sanzenbacher (Director of Music Ministries and Organist. for First Church) for an afternoon of music! Dylan and some of his talented friends from Baldwin Wallace University, will entertain us with a variety of musical offerings. Please plan on attending this wonderful weekend of the arts as we open our doors for these events. Watch for complete details in the weeks to come about this exciting weekend and opportunity to welcome our neighbors to First Church! Opportunities For Service If you are able to assist with any of the following 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 For September the quilt/craft group will meet on the 12th and 26th. On September 12th we will gather for a potluck at noon at my house, Bates Rd, Wakeman Ohio. Bring a hand project you are working on or ideas for what you would like to do this fall. I'll make some bread and provide some beverages. We can tour the gardens-or what's left of them and relax on the patio weather permitting. All are welcome! On September 26th we will resume our usual schedule of lunch at the Foundry followed by a gathering in the Gates room from 1-3. Bring friends if you wish. If you can come to the potluck on the 12th, please send Sue Schillig a message of some sort to let her know Another Fellowship eam Announcement: In Case You Missed It: he little rascals on your Fellowship eam are puttin' on a show! he Harvest of the Arts Festival is coming. Starting Fri Oct 5th with the play "Bound ogether: One Great Bundle of Humanity". At 7pm, Sat Oct 6th the Coffeehouse Variety Show opens. And at 6pm, Sun Oct 7 from 3-5pm it's our Classical Music Concert featuring Dylan Sanzenbacher and special guests. here will be an art gallery experience concurrent with these performances. Refreshments will also be available. Please reserve time to enjoy these artistic offerings, and continue to share invitations to artists and performers. On Our Horizon: Bunco-Bunco-Bunco returns!

5 Opening Our Doors - Past and Present First Church will participate in the statewide event called Ohio Open Doors. Join us on Sunday, September 9, 2018 with our doors opening to the public from 1:00-4:00pm. Opening Our Doors - Past and Present provides us with a unique opportunity to welcome visitors and share not only our role historically as a sacred landmark in lyria, but our presence as a faith community today. At 1:30 pm, a brief introduction to our organ will be offered and selections played by Dylan Sanzenbacher our Director of Music Ministries and Organist. At 2:00 pm, we welcome guest speaker David Simmer of the Lorain County Sacred Landmarks Initiative. Mr. Simmer's talk is titled "An Armchair our of Sacred lyria". Susan Schillig, one of the church's historians, will be on hand to provide historical background of the church. here will also be a display in the Gates Room by lyria eens Achieve Success and Save Our Children. he art of Candice Dangerfield, our Artist-in- Residence, will be on display in the Great Hall throughout the event. Art and Spirit-he Liturgical Seasons" is a collection of original pieces created as covers for the church's weekly bulletins. he collection will be available to view in its entirety with an opportunity to meet the artist. Following the presentations in the Sanctuary, refreshments will be served in the Great Hall. he Ohio Open Doors program is sponsored by the Ohio History Connection. Ohio Open Doors is a 10 day event when Ohio historic buildings and landmarks open their doors for special tours and events. First Church Women Luncheon Hidden History of Lorain County At the First Church Women s luncheon on Wednesday, September 5, you will be enlightened by author Kelly Boyer Sagert as she conveys some fascinating stories from her new book, Hidden History of Lorain County. Hear the tales of early pioneers and events from our area that may have faded from memory along the way including the Felons' Feast in 1859, Major League Baseball's first black player in 1883, the great scientific discovery made in Oberlin in 1886, how one of lyria's forefathers rose to become chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court and how the aster Seals began in lyria. his wonderful event will take place on Wednesday September 5, 2018, at 12 noon with punch served at 11:30 a.m. in our Great Hall. First Church Women s Board will serve a delicious homemade lunch followed by Kelly s captivating talk. Sign-up sheets can be found in the arthex, near the Great Hall, in the Church Office, or by calling no later than uesday September 4, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. veryone is most welcome as we all learn the fascinating history of our county see YOU there!! 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 October articles is September 15, 2018 Change Service Requested Dated Material. Please deliver by August 31,2018 Stuff he Van! WOW! What a wonderful success with this project, as our church was featured in the Chronicle elegram with a picture of Pastor Patrick and racy along with some of the donated items. Our thanks to all who helped with this project which benefitted needy children in our schools. 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 ), Rick Lawrence, Sexton. aqualia, maintenance personnel.