The Tower. October 2, 2016 Vol. LXXII No. 40

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1 The Tower October 2, 2016 Vol. LXXII No. 40 World Communion Sunday We cannot seek achievement for ourselves and forget about progress and prosperity for our community... Our ambitions must be broad enough to include the aspirations and needs of others, for their sakes and for our own. Cesar Chavez Imagine, as you take communion Sunday, being in community with the world. A world that is very different from us, yet united by the bread and juice we will share. It is in that community we will be united to remember Jesus, who is our guiding principle of love, acceptance, grace and forgiveness. This Sunday, October 2nd, we will celebrate World Communion. World Communion Sunday is a celebration observed by several Christian denominations, promoting Christian unity and ecumenical cooperation. The tradition originated in the Shadyside Presbyterian Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1933, was adopted throughout the US Presbyterian Church in 1936, and subsequently spread to other denominations. In 1940, the Federal Council of Churches (now the National Council of Churches), led by Jesse Moren Bader, endorsed World Communion Sunday and began to promote it to Christian churches worldwide. We will take the opportunity to celebrate this tradition in several ways. First, we will begin communion by welcoming the students of the First Communion class and their families to the table for perhaps their first time to be part of Holy Communion. We will also be using the bread they will have made during the last class. During the offering, we will view a montage of photos prepared by Cheryl Bentley, former Outreach board member, highlighting the many ways we extend our ministry outside the walls of the church. Following worship, members of the Board of Outreach will be stationed in the back of the Sanctuary to answer any questions you may have about the outreach done by First Congregational. If you want more information about, or would like to be more involved with the outreach of the church, the Outreach board members will be able to explain or help direct you to ways you can participate. ~ Eldonna Hazen 55 Alive! Wednesday, October 5, 11:30am-1:00pm A program ministry of the Board of Community Life, 55 Alive! is for anyone interested in fellowship and an engaging program. Our speaker is Mayor Paul Soglin on The Current State of Madison: It's Successes and Challenges. Bring your questions and comments as we expect a lively and spirited discussion! The cost of the lunch to the church is $10.00 per person and we ask that you donate as you are able to offset this expense. The church's policy is that our programming is accessible by all. Please make a reservation by Monday, October 3 through the church office or Realm. On Realm, go to the left side for Community

2 and then Events. It will take you to the page to register. There is also a sign-up sheet at the back of the Sanctuary. AIDS Memorial Quilt Arrives October 6 AIDS isn't over. To help us understand the impact of this epidemic and celebrate the 24th anniversary of First Cong's Open and Affirming statement, seven panels of the Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display in our Sanctuary, October 6-9. Twenty years ago six members of the congregation traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the last full display of the quilt on the National Mall. It was such a difficult but moving experience to see all the panels for babies, young doctors and nurses, and all our other brothers and sisters lost to this terrible disease. Since then so many panels have been added that it is no longer feasible to display all of the quilt. Just consider that it weighs 54 tons and represents 96,000 lives lost. Plan now to make time in your schedule the first week of October to come see 7 panels of the quilt that are all related to Wisconsin or the UCC. Viewing just a small portion of the quilt does not diminish the impact of "experiencing" the quilt first hand and reflecting on how much more needs to be done to shut down this epidemic. - Jeanne Marshall

3 Not All Scrip Cards Are Equal - Helping You Help First Cong! Did you know that some retailers offer a higher return on your Scrip purchase than others? As an example, Fannie May Candies offers a 25% rebate on purchases with Scrip, Bath & Body Works has a 13% rebate, and Land's End comes in with a 16% rebate. Delta Airlines offers a 4% rebate, but with airline ticket prices as high as they've ever been this can still be a great option to generate some earnings for the Church. Go online at ShopWithScrip.com to register and to check out the complete list of retailers.

4 Celebrate ONA (Open and Affirming) Sunday October 9 We will be celebrating 24 years of First Congregational voting to become an ONA congregation. Rev. Scott Anderson, Executive Director of Wisconsin Council of Churches will be preaching, Perfect Harmony, a gay men's chorus will be singing for worship, and there will be a lunch following, prepared by Perfect Harmony, with a goodwill offering helping to fund their organization. Rich Fluechtling, Matt Lenburg, and Janet Pugh, members of First Cong, all serve on the Board of Directors of Perfect Harmony.

5 Embracing Christianity Series - Embracing Emergence Sundays: October 9, 16, 23, 30 from 8:45-9:30am Using a brief video presentation featuring Phyllis Tickle, this study examines the changing face of Christianity and culture. Looking over two thousand years of Western history, this study explores what is emerging now? What are the implications of what Tickle calls this "Great Emergence" both culturally and spiritually? What are the key questions and issues? Where might we be headed next? Led by Eldonna Hazen, Diana Shaw, Ann Beaty. STEPPING UP Financial Facts Did you know that church expenses have increased by 15% from 2010 to 2016, but pledge income has increased by only 10% over this same period? Our plan to finish our renewal projects, fund the increase in property repair and maintenance, and create a balanced annual budget will raise church expenses by an additional 30% ($175,000) above 2016 levels. Did you know that the average pledge amounts to about $9 a day? Increasing the average pledge by just $3 a day will put us on track to exceed our STEPPING UP goal. The STEPPING UP goal is to create a sustainable budget by increasing the level of giving to a level that is realistic to our anticipated expenses. Watch Your Steps!

6 Progress continues on the remake of the front steps! The crumbling front steps are being removed and replaced, and new handrails installed. The project will include a ramp, allowing accessibility to the Narthex and Sanctuary via the Breese Terrace entrance. The project will provide a much more aesthetic and welcoming front door to the wider community. The project will require some temporary adjustments for the First Cong Community but the Renovation Committee asks all for patience as efforts continue to move forward to update this beautiful, yet aging building, and create a more extravagant welcome. The Lathrop Street, Garden, and University Avenue entrances are the only ones that will be open. HELP NEEDED FOR THE CROP Hunger Walk: Sunday October 16 First Cong will be hosting the Madison Area CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday, October 16. Once again your ACTIVE SUPPORT is needed for this annual event which last year raised over $36,000 to support the work of international relief agencies and local food pantries. Over $9,000 of that total went to the local Second Harvest Food Bank to directly support 39 different Dane County Food Pantries, and to the Meals on Wheels Program of Independent Living which served nearly 36,000 meals last year. First Cong will be hosting the Madison Area CROP Hunger walk on Sunday, October 16. Volunteer help is still needed for: WATER STOP We need a few people to set up a small table and water in front of West High School from 1:30-2:30 pm. All supplies are supplied. KITCHEN / SNACK Help is needed to prepare after-walk snacks (fruit and bread trays, water) BREAD DONATIONS Fruit and bread are offered to walkers. Bread can be purchased or homemade. Contact Jeff Rabe if interested in helping. jrabe@firstcongmadison.org SIGN UP TO WALK or SUPPORT the First Cong Team at:

7 Sunday Scripture: Excerpts from Ezekiel 40, 41 The fortieth and forty-first chapter of Ezekiel recount a vision Ezekiel experiences. In this vision, God takes Ezekiel to Israel. Ezekiel sees a man with a measuring tape and rod. The rest of the vision is the man measuring the different parts of the Temple. He begins in the Outer Courtyard, moves to the Inner Courtyard, then the Temple Foyer, followed by the Temple itself. In the vision, the man told Ezekiel, Son of man, watch and listen. Pay close attention to everything I show you. You have been brought here so I can show you many things Then you will return to the people of Israel and tell them everything you have seen. So what does this mean to us? Does it have any meaning? If it does, what are we supposed to remember, and who is our audience to tell? In the midst of a STEPPING UP campaign, God may still be speaking to us! ~ Eldonna Hazen Member News Please keep George Elder in your prayers. George is in rehabilitation at Capitol Lakes after a fall. Congratulations to Anna & Tamaris Relerford on the birth of Lleyton James Relerford, born September 21, He joins brother Llewyn at home. If you have member news you would like to share, contact the office at office@firstcongmadison.org. Upcoming Events Tuesday September 27 12noon Bible Conversations ~ SL 5:15pm NA Women's ~ Room 302 7:00pm NA ~ Room 302 7:00pm con vivo! Rehearsal ~ S Wednesday September 28 9:00am Staff meeting ~ SL 4:00pm Children's Drama Class ~ 302 6:30pm Communion prep class ~ SR Thursday September 29 6:30pm Coventry Ringers ~ Room 303

8 7:30pm Chancel Choir ~ Chapel 8:00pm AA ~ Room 302 Friday September 30 Saturday October 1 8:45am MACH Rehearsal ~ DR 9:00 Caregiver's Support Group ~ Cargo Coffee, E. Wash Sunday, October 2 9:00am Communion Prep Class ~ SR 10:00am Sunday Worship ~ S Stewardship Sunday 10:15am Wee Worship ~ C 11:15am Nominating Committee ~ LRC 2:00pm Girl Scouts ~ Room 302 Monday, October 3 5:45 MACH Rehearsal ~ DR 7:00pm All Boards ~ C Tuesday, October 4 12noon Bible Conversations ~ SL 5:15pm NA Women's ~ Room 302 6:00pm Madison Pipes & Drums ~ DR, FR 7:00pm NA ~ Room 302 Worship Attendance on Sunday, September 25, 2016 was 214.