Chanticleer Volume 91, Issue 2 Dear Friends, Every year about this time, I hear church members talking about Lent. Some are very strict about what they give up. Others talk about it as passé, old-fashioned, or no longer important. It reminds me of the lines of Paul s in the Letter to the Romans: Some judge one day to be better than another, while others judge all days to be alike. Let all be fully convinced in their own minds. Those who observe the day, observe it in honor of the Lord. Also those who eat, eat in honor of the Lord, since they give thanks to God; while those who abstain, abstain in honor of the Lord and give thanks to God. (Romans 14:5-6) So whether we observe spiritual disciplines during Lent or not, Paul commends that we do so (or not) intentionally. Whether we give something up (abstaining), or we do not treat Lent as anything different (another kind of abstaining) or we take something up, like a new practice, let us do so with intentionality and dedicate the time to God. The sermons for Lent will focus on Letting Go and Taking Up. What can we let go of that will help us in our walk of faith? What might we take up in its place to help us live the way we pray as the hymn says. What would it mean to let go of judgment and harsh criticism and take up forgiveness? How might we let go of pain and take up healing? What parts of our lives might be better if we let go of being so busy and take up more mindfulness? Join us for our special Lenten Services: Ash Wednesday February 14 at 7 pm in the Sanctuary Palm Sunday March 25 Maundy Thursday March 29 at 7 pm in the Sanctuary Ecumenical Good Friday Service March 30 at our church, 7 pm in the Sanctuary Sun, Apr 1 Easter Sunday Grace and Peace, Phil
Advisory Update --- Looking for a Few Good Folks We are looking for a few good folks to serve. Currently we are looking for a Vice Moderator, a Trustee, and some Christian Education board members. If you are interested or want more information, please see Amy Frost for details. If you are asking yourself do they really need me, we do. Amy Frost, Moderator From the Trustees, Approved Financial Figures as of December 31, 2017 (General Budget Only, NOT restricted accounts) Month of and thru December 2017 Income: $33,063.19 $202,375.77 Expense: $25,944.52 $189,178.69 $ 7,118.67 $ 13,178.69
Upcoming Church Activities Today! 11:30 am Annual Meeting and Lunch BFR Feb 10 5 to 7 pm - Youth Group Pancake Supper BFR Feb 11 Movie Night Hidden Figures Sanctuary Feb 11 6 PM Lenten Soup Supper and 7 PM TED talk presentation Feb 14 7 pm Ash Wednesday Service - S Feb 14 3:30 pm 5 pm Community Dinner Eagles Feb 19 6 pm Lenten Soup Supper and 7 pm TED talk presentation Feb 23-25 Nordic Fire Festival Feb 24 Walk for Warmth Feb 26 6 pm Lenten Soup Supper and 7 pm TED talk presentation Mar 5 6 PM Lenten soup supper and 7 PM TED talk presentation Mar 12 6 PM Lenten soup supper and 7 PM TED talk presentation Mar 19 6 PM Lenten soup supper and 7 PM TED talk presentation Mar 25 Palm Sunday Mar 29 7 pm Maundy Thursday Service S Mar 30 7 pm Ecumenical Good Friday Service at FCC Sanctuary Apr 1 10 am Easter Sunday April 8 6 PM Movie Night sanctuary April 11 3:30 pm 5 pm - Community Dinner Eagles April 29 Progressive Dinner Aug 15 3:30 pm 5 pm Community Dinner Eagles Oct 21 Harvest Feast Oct 24 3:30 pm 5 pm Community Dinner Eagles 11-9 Holiday Bazaar 11-10 Holiday Bazaar 11-23 & 11-24 Festival of Trees The Flower Chart for 2018 has been posted for those who would like to provide an altar arrangement. Select the Sunday of your choice and write your name by that date. Also leave a contact number if you will need a reminder call. Enter that date on your personal calendar. Contact your favorite florist, pick some posies from your garden, buy and arrange your own flowers and have them at church on your chosen date. Contact Sher at the church office by noon on Wednesday with the dedication for the Sunday bulletin. After the Sunday service take your arrangement home with you to enjoy.
NEWS FROM THE YOUTH GROUP Pancake Supper to remember Shrove Tuesday Saturday February 10, 2018 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM FREE WILL OFFERING/ALL YOU CAN EAT Proceeds to go to Housing Services and Youth Group Projects What is Shrove Tuesday and why do we eat Pancakes???? The tradition of marking the start of Lent has been documented for centuries. "In the week immediately before Lent everyone shall go to his confessor and confess his deeds and the confessor shall so shrive him as he then may hear by his deeds what he is to do [in the way of penance]". The association between pancakes and Shrove Tuesday may have arisen as it permits foods which are discouraged from being eaten during the Lenten season, such as butter, eggs, and fat to be used up. Christians use these ingredients during Shrovetide to make pancakes or other rich foods, such as fasnachts and pączki. Before the Reformation, the celebration of Shrovetide lasted a week or more before the start of Lent. The specific custom of Christians eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday dates to the 16th century. Along with its emphasis on feasting, another theme of Shrove Tuesday involves Christians repenting of their sins in preparation to begin the season of Lent in the Christian calendar. In many Christian parish churches, both Protestant and Roman Catholic, a popular Shrove Tuesday tradition is the ringing of the church bells (on this day, the toll is known as the Shriving Bell) "to call the faithful to confession before the solemn season of Lent" and for housewives to "begin frying their pancakes" Pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. In addition, pancakes, in Christianity, symbolize "four pillars of the Christian faith eggs for creation, flour as the mainstay of the human diet, salt for wholesomeness and milk for purity." The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: in many cultures, this means no meat, dairy products, or egg Shrove Tuesday was once known as a "half-holiday" in Britain. It started at 11:00am with the ringing of a church bell. On Pancake Day, "pancake races" are held in villages and towns across the United Kingdom. The tradition is said to have originated in 1445 when a housewife from Olney, Buckinghamshire, was so busy making pancakes that she forgot the time until she heard the church bells ringing for the service. She raced out of the house to church while still carrying her frying pan and pancake, tossing it to prevent it from burning. The pancake race at Olney traditionally has women contestants who carry a frying pan and race over a 415-yard course to the finishing line. The rules are strict: contestants must toss the pancake at the start and the finish, and wear a scarf and apron! We also appreciate the work of Outreach and Christian Education Boards working along with our Youth Group. An additional BIG thank you to Chris Reist for volunteering to run the kitchen and cook!
Music Notes for February Ramona Kime, Director of Music For a change of pace, this month s Music Notes is a collection of fun musical facts! Renaissance composer Orlando de Lassus was kidnapped many times as a boy because of his beautiful singing voice. Franz Liszt (Hungarian composer, 1811-1886) received so many requests for locks of his hair that he bought a dog and sent fur clippings instead. Mozartkugeln' is one of the most popular chocolate brands in Austria. Domenico Scarlatti (contemporary of J. S. Bach) composed his 'cat fugue' after his cat, Pulcinella, walked across his keyboard. The London Symphony Orchestra was booked to travel on the Titanic's maiden voyage, but they changed boats at the last minute. The Japanese word 'karaoke' comes from a phrase meaning 'empty orchestra'. Studies show that cows produce more milk when listening to relaxing music. John Cage wrote a piece entitled As Slow as Possible. One organ performance of it started in 2001 and is planned to have duration of 639 years. It can take years for a single note to be played. Japan has a network of roads that play music as you drive over them at the correct speed. Warner Music collected over $2million in royalties in 2008 for public usage of the song Happy Birthday. None of the Beatles could read music. The world s most expensive instrument, a Stradivarius violin, was sold in 2011 for $15.9 million. The song "One Horse Open Sleigh" was written as a Thanksgiving tune to honor sleigh races happening in Massachusetts. People liked it so much they altered the lyrics to create the popular Christmas song "Jingle Bells". Hope you enjoyed these fun facts about Music!
From the Chair of the Board of Trustees Judi Cates, Chair January flew by so fast I can hardly believe it is time for February to begin! The year begins with the January Annual Meeting of the Congregation, looking at the past year in respect to activities that occurred; activities of so many Boards and Committees and the recognition of the members that have passed away during 2017. 2018 is a New Year with new projects to be developed, others to be completed; we welcome new members and alas, say goodbye to friends as they continue their journey from this life to another. We celebrate the birth of babies and the continued growth of the Sunday School Program! It is indeed a life journey that we see within the Church. As this article goes to press before the annual Meeting we find that the BOT has one opening for this next term. Bill Rinckey is going off the Board after many years of wonderful service to the Church. We extend our heartfelt thanks to Bill for the work he has done for the church. It is very apparent that Bill loves this Church Family and the building we all call our Church Home. His tireless work on Buildings and Grounds has left us with a building that has been restored, updated and cleaned. He continues to work on the Capital Commons as Project Manager but he will slow down a bit as he leaves the job of Buildings and Grounds as part of his responsibilities on the Board. Bill also served two years as Chair of the Board. When you see Bill, please thank him for his service and love of this wonderful Church Family. Current Members of the Board of Trustee s and responsibilities: Name Judi Cates Eric Crandall Maria Davis Ron Field Dave Frost Lisa Jackson OPEN Responsibilities Chairperson, Personnel Treasurer Personnel, Recording Secretary Stewardship Buildings and Grounds Stewardship Buildings and Grounds Our meetings are the third Monday of the month at 6:30 pm. The meetings are open and we encourage everyone to attend to see our Board in action!
20 Happy Valentine s Day to everyone. We have a community dinner Feb 14. If you can help by serving or baking a cake please let me know. This is Ash Wednesday but we are always done in plenty of time to get to church. One Great Hour of Sharing is coming up next month-march 11. More information will be forthcoming. Feb 10 is the pancake supper being organized by the youth. Proceeds are used to purchase cleaning supplies that are donated to Housing Services to give to their clients moving into their new homes. Outreach is assisting the youth and CE Board in this project. Please come out and support this worthy cause. It is a free will offering. Outreach will again be putting together the spring shoe boxes that are then given to Eaton Furniture and Clothing and SIREN/Eaton. We would like all supplies by March 18 so we can fill the boxes and deliver by March 23. We hope to fill 60 boxes again this year. Items needed are small toys, books, coloring books, crayons, markers, sidewalk chalk, jump ropes, small balls, activity books, glue, scissors, small juice boxes, small packages of snacks, anything that will fit in a shoe box that children can play with. Place the items on the counter in the Bess Fulton room to the attention of Outreach or Mary Normand. Please keep your shoe boxes coming too. A representative from Habitat for Humanity will be at the church April 10 to give an update on projects being considered for the Charlotte area. More information will be coming as the time gets closer. The Nordic Fire Fest is Feb 23-25. This is not an Outreach project but some of us will be there helping CE serve hot chocolate and there will be cookies! We received Thank you notes from the Christmas families we helped this year as well as a letter from one of the children we sponsor through Global Ministries. These are posted on the board by the elevator if you would like to read them. Remember the basket by the elevator for the collection of personal care items and nonperishable food. This is an ongoing need year round not just at Christmas. Thank you to Helen Schneider, our fearless secretary, who will be going off of Outreach. We appreciate all she did for Outreach. Our Feb meeting will be on the 11 th as I will be out of town on the 18 th. Stay tuned. Mary Normand, Chair
Movie Night HIDDEN FIGURES Sunday, Feb. 11 th 6 PM in the Church Sanctuary Open to the Public Hidden Figures tells the incredible untold, true story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson brilliant African-American women working at NASA who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation's confidence, turned around the Space Race and galvanized the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and racial lines and inspired generations. Hidden Figures was chosen by National Board of Review as one of the top ten films of 2016 and was considered one of the year s most inspiring stories. It was nominated for numerous awards, including three Oscar nominations and two Golden Globes. It won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. Note that this is the Second Sunday in February, so that you can enjoy your Super Sports Bowl Game.
AUNTIE ARCHIVE The following is an excerpt from a letter written in 1855 from our first Pastor, Wollcott B. Williams to a Rev. Jocelyn thanking him for the $50 that had been received and the Christian Sympathy given to Pastor Williams for his Missionary service in our outlying area. Heath here is good and the wheat crops in the County Eaton are fine indeed. I think I never saw better anywhere. Michigan has a bad name abroad, much worse than she deserves. Almost everyone who goes West has passed through it, but through the Southern part and opinion is formed from the appearance of that of what the whole State must be. A very great mistake. There is a strip of timber land about 50 miles wide extending from Oakland Co. in the Northeast as far Southwest as this and how much further I do not know. It very much resembles the country in the vicinity of Batavia N.Y. The land is quite rolling, though not enough to make it difficult tilling. Michigan, having received a bad name from those who have seen only the Southern portion of it, has been passed by, to a great extent by emigrants of the better class, consequently much of her wild land that is as fine as man every saw has been in market the length of time prescribed by Congress and is now sold at reduced prices from 50 cents to $1.00 per acre. The result is that a large number of the poorer class of emigrants from Ohio are flocking in here and taking possession of them. How interesting to note that we Michiganders are not from the better class. However, Rev. Williams could see the opportunities for all. Love, Auntie
In Church Library News. Contributed by Ramona Kime We have added a DVD section to our church library in the annex, primarily in response to those who asked me about borrowing DVDs that were shown at the monthly movie night. So, for those who weren t able to attend a movie night, or for those who d like to watch a particular film again, all of the films will now be kept in the church library, available to be checked out. There are also several other DVDs in the library mainly documentaries that we weren t able to show due to the high cost of licensing for those particular films. While we have the Church Video License through CVLI, that still only gives us permission to show films whose production companies or distributors are on their approved list. We re also only allowed to publicize the movies within our own church. Most movies are on the CVLI approved list. However, for the documentaries, I have to contact individual production companies directly for permission to show their film. Some of the production companies or producers have given us permission to show their film and advertise it Morgan Spurlock, for example but most require us to pay for a license to show their particular film, ranging from $150 to $350 at their discounted non-profit rate. We can t afford to pay that much to show each of those documentaries, but for most of them, I have purchased the DVD to keep in our library so that people can check them out and watch them at home. Also, if you have any DVDs that you would like to donate to the library (ones that would be appropriate for a church library J ), please give them to me, and I ll add them to our list. So here are the DVDs in the church library as of January 15 th : 30 Days --18 episodes of people living for 30 days in a culture foreign to them Before the Flood --environmental documentary hosted by Leonardo DiCaprio The Butler --true story of a White House butler who served seven presidents Chasing Ice --documents the melting of the glaciers due to climate change Chocolate --movie of Lent and forgiveness, set in a small French town Fed Up! --exposes the food industry s purposeful adding of sugar to our food McFarland USA --heartwarming true story of a track coach at a poor, Latino school Normal --story of a married man who comes out as a transgender woman Paper Clips --youth learn about the Holocaust and connect with Holocaust survivors A Place at the Table --documentary about poverty and food insecurity The Sound of Music --includes sing-along version of the classic movie Your library is your paradise. Erasmus
Minister: Every Member Minister of Worship and Congregational Life Phil Hobson Director of Music Ramona Kime Moderator Amy Frost Vice Moderator Curt Scott Board of Deacons Matt Slot Board of Trustees Judi Cates Board of Christian Education Amy Slot Outreach Board Mary Normand Church Clerk Barbara Anderson Financial Secretary Don Johnson Treasurer Eric Crandall Staff: Office Manager Sher Brown Custodian Rex Todd The Chanticleer is a monthly newsletter, distributed to members and friends of First Congregational Church. We welcome most comments and articles. Chanticleer article deadline is the 18 th of each month. Email address: fcuc@sbcglobal.net Website address: ucccharlotte.org Mission Statement of First Congregational Church Our church will provide a place and direction for joining with God, healing the broken, and education for youth and adults. We will be challenged by our faith to reach out to our congregants, our community and world family, and to offer opportunities for spiritual growth and renewal. We welcome others into our Christian Family. Sunday Worship: 10:00 a.m., Children s Sunday School: 10 a.m. Adult Bible Studies: Sunday 8:15 a.m., Tuesday at 6:30 pm Men s Group: Saturday 8:00 a.m. Senior Choir meets each Wednesday at 7 pm in the Lounge Board of Trustees meet the third Monday of the month @ 6:30 pm in the Annex Library Advisory board meets the third Thursday of the month @ 6:30 pm in the Annex Small Meeting Room Women s Prayer Circle Women of the church are welcome the 1 st & 3 rd Thursday of each month at 10:30 am in the Annex Library. Blanche Moyer Circle The Next Meeting Will be April 9 At 6:30 pm Church Office: Hours: Tuesday thru Friday from 9 am to 3 pm Phone Number: 517.543.1310 Prayer Shawl Ministry meets The 1 st & 3 rd Saturdays at 9:00 am. Love to knit or crochet? Don t know how? We ll teach you! Come & join us we would love to have you!