January 2017 137 Algoma Boulevard Oshkosh, WI 54901 920.231.7520 www.fccoshkosh.org
Tidings is published monthly by: First Congregational Church An Open and Affirming and Stephen Ministry Church 137 Algoma Blvd. Oshkosh, WI 54901 920.231.7520 ww.fccoshkosh.org Affiliated with both the United Church of Christ and the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches Hours Church Office Hours: Worship Hours Sunday -10:00 AM Monday-Thursday 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Friday -Closed Staff Jean Bord- Pire, Custodian....jean@fccoshkosh.org Christina Conn, Angel Choir Director.. cconn3742@gmail.com Dave Elbing, Building Supervisor....delbing@new.rr.com Olivia Farrow, Child Care Coordinator..ofarrow10@gmail.com Spencer Hadel, Sunday Coordinator Cynthia Hunt, Office Administrator.office@FCCoshkosh.org Claire Laufer, Sunday Coordinator Sandie Miller-Schreiter, Teaching & Learning Ministry Coordinator sandie@fccoshkosh.org Joanne Peterson, Organist & Chancel Choir Director Joanne@OshkoshPiano.com Jack Seville, Interim Pastor....revsev@fccoshkosh.org Ginnie Sherer, Nurture /Lay Ministries Coordinator ginnie@fccoshkosh.org Rev, Nancy Taylor, Pastor..revnancy@fccoshkosh.org Joe Wiedenmeier, Media Ministry Coordinator..Joew10@att.net 2
Table of Contents Monthly Calendar. Center from my Perspective. 4 A Letter from Rev. Nancy 5 Thought About Our Capital Campaign 6 Ministry Council Develops New Policy Nominations. 7 9:00 Opportunities for Adults Read about the World.. 8-9 Transitions Task Force Formed 10 Community Circles of Support. 11 Stewardship Campaign Report. 12 Fair Trade Sales 13 3-5th Grade & MS Youth Event Library Crew 14 Caroling in February. 15 3
from my Perspective Dear Friends in Christ, Soon I will preach and conduct worship for the last time as your Interim Pastor at First Congregational Church here in Oshkosh, WI. It has been a distinct joy and privilege for me to serve you all in this capacity since October 13, 2015 (15 months in all). Now, as I say fare thee well, I want to thank Cathy Wille and the members and officers (Lorie, Dave, Susan, and Jeff) of the Ministry Council and church, and our wonderful staff who have served with me during this time (Sandie Miller-Schreiter, Cynthia Hunt, Ginnie Sherer, David Elbing, Doug ad Jean Bord-Pire, Joanne Peterson, Christina Conn, Noah Bossert, Joe Wiedenmeier, Theresa Brewer, Max Bossert, Ben and Claire Laufer, Kathy Kline, and Molly Schlaak). I thank all of you who have served on Ministry Groups, Committees, Task Forces, and special leadership groups for the dedicated work you have given to this congregation. I could not have done anything without all of you taking your roles in this church seriously and responding faithfully to call for help. You have called a faith-filled and vigorous Pastor and Teacher. The Rev. Nancy Taylor will begin her service to you on January 23 and, as she does, an entirely new chapter begins in that glorious history of First Congregational Church, Oshkosh. Who knows what the future holds for this congregation as this new day begins? All any one of us knows is that God has been good to this gathering of believers throughout its history; and, there is absolutely no reason why God s grace will not continue to prevail. Go forth with courage to serve God and this community with the awareness that God is still speaking, God is not done with any of us yet, so not one of us knows enough about the future to be pessimistic. Since 1849 this congregation has been fully present to the people who have called the Fox River Valley communities their home. You have always come from diverse backgrounds yet exhibited an unwavering commitment to honor freedom of conscience for all in following the way of Christ. Pastoral changes have never altered that vision which is at the heart of who you have been, are, and will be. Each pastor has embraced and enhanced the vision in ways only God could foresee when each new era began. You all will always have my respect and gratitude for granting me the opportunity to have played but a small part in your wonderful story. May God be with you and guide you by the Word and God s Holy Spirit. The Rev. Dr. Jack J. Seville, Jr. Interim Pastor 4
A Letter from Rev. Nancy Dear FCC Members and Friends, As I write this, I m in Massachusetts, surrounded by boxes and to-do lists, and you all are in the deep freeze, at least by my standards. After weeks of wishing we could speed everything up and get to Oshkosh now, Chey and I will, indeed, be in Oshkosh very soon at last! As pastor and congregation, you and I will begin a new season in the life of FCC in just a few more weeks. Even though we never truly know what lies ahead in our lives as individuals, families, and communities, there are times and this is one of them when the unknowness is much more obvious. You don t know and I don t know where the Holy One will call us to go or what Love Eternal will ask us to do together. Many of us (probably most of us) find uncertainty to be uncomfortable, but I hear the whisper of the Spirit speaking to us all through the prophet Isaiah: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. You and I and the rest of creation have been called into life and love by the One who is Life and Love, by the One who claims us all as mine. The details of how we live into our callings are unique to each of us as individuals, and so are the details of how any community of faith lives into its calling. Gathered together as FCC Oshkosh, we are invited into the joy, adventure, and challenge of helping one another discover those details. I can think of no finer gift than to be blessed with the invitation to join you in that journey of discovery. In peace and with blessings for the New Year, Rev. Nancy 5
THOUGHTS ABOUT OUR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN Now that we have decided to move forward with a capital campaign, some of us have been reflecting on what it means to do fundraising in the church. Henri Nouwen, renowned author, respected professor and beloved pastor writes in his book A Spirituality of Fundraising : From the perspective of the gospel, fundraising is not a response to a crisis. Fundraising is, first and foremost, a form of ministry. It is a way of announcing our vision and inviting other people into our mission. Many churches are closing today. Certainly their members will tell you it is because they have run out of money, but for many of those churches, the lack of money is because the congregation had lost their understanding of the congregation s vision for ministry and mission. I believe First Congregational church does has a vision for ministry and mission. We are a church that is poised to take our congregation into into the next era. So as we prepare to pledge our financial gifts to the capital campaign, the leadership invites you to join together to help promote our vision and to invite others to join us in our mission and ministry. Nouwen encourages us to approach our decisions about the campaign in this way: We have a vision that is amazing and exciting. We are inviting you to invest yourself through the resources that God has given you your energy, prayers and your money in this work to which God has called us. Our invitation is clear and confident because we trust that our vision and mission are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. (Ps. 1:3) As a show of that support for FCC s vision for mission and ministry, Women s Fellowship has given us the seed money ($1,000) for the new bank account that has been established for the campaign. 6
MINISTRY COUNCIL DEVELOPS NEW POLICY Our church facility has become very popular and is being used by many different programs and events. We are excited we can share our building for this service to members, friends, and programs and organizations in the community. As a way of providing scheduling and accountability, the Ministry Council has developed a Building Usage Policy. So, if you or others you know want to use our facility, please encourage them to contact Cynthia in the church office. She will get them the appropriate paperwork and get the process started. NOMINATIONS The Nominations Committee has begun its work to nominate people to serve on Ministry Groups. If you are interested in serving on a committee, please let Dave Romond or Ginnie Sherer know. The committee is working on expanding the leadership within the church, so the Nominations Committee is inviting people to serve on only one committee whenever possible. This helps to expand the ideas that are brought forward. As the leadership of the church works toward better governance, the committee is also respectfully asking people who have served on a Ministry Group more than 6 years to consider encouraging others to serve as the facilitator of the group and/or representative to Ministry Council. We are a strong faith community when new ideas continue to be brought forward and we engage as many people as possible in leading our ministry and missions. 7
9:00 Opportunities for Adult 9:00 Sunday Morning Opportunities for Adult Spiritual Growth The Adult Education Ministry Group has planned spiritual growth opportunities. We have a wide variety of topics for you this year. Come when you can and enjoy learning with others. Life-Long Learning Life-long Learning offers speakers and discussions to aid you in your spiritual growth. This group will meet in the Lounge. For January the topics will be... January 1 No class today Join us for worship at 10:00. January 8th Spiritual Journeys January 15 th The Lakota and Spirituality Jack Seville was the Conference Minister in the Dakotas for 32 years. Hear and experience some Lakota Spirituality and traditions and Jack shares his experiences with the Lakota people. Join us on January 8 th to hear about the spiritual journeys of some of the members and friends here at First congregational church. Come and hear their stories of journey and faith. 8
January 22nd Global Climate Change Pat Hallquist will give a Power- Point presentation about global climate change, from a scientist's perspective. The evidence for human-caused warming will be discussed, along with its potential implications for us as Christians and as world citizens. January 29 Beyond the Birdbath: Francis of Assisi s Environmental Challenge He preached to the birds, called the sun his brother and the moon his sister. It s no wonder St. Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of animals and the environment. But the radical force of his life and his message his strict simplicity, his attention to the poor, his courage to speak good news across differences extends beyond the quaint figure in the birdbath. As we explore his legacy together, we gain inspiration for our own journeys of communion with God and with creation. Laura Hartman will be our presenter. Read about the World. Newspapers are available for your enjoyment and information. Enjoy a few minutes of quiet while you read or relax. They are located upstairs in Room 208. 9
Transition Task Force Formed Now that Rev. Nancy Taylor has been called to be our next Pastor, the work has begun plan for her orientation to First Congregational Church. A Transition Task Force has been appointed which consists of: Maria Talin (Facilitator); Sarah Jaschob; Dave Romond; Dellora Vogt; Ann Marshall; Laura Hartman; and Ginnie Sherer. They will be working on how to orient Nancy to the office; the community; with other faith leaders; organizations we support in our ministry and getting to know people in the congregation. While the committee had hoped to start its work and planning on 12/17/2016, the weather outlook was concerning, so the first meeting of the Task Force was postponed but will happen soon. We will be working to get Rev. Nancy to meet with every Ministry Group by mid-april and will also schedule other opportunities for Rev. Nancy to meet with other committees so that she can become familiar with the ministries and missions of the church. Over the first 18 months we will be helping Rev. Nancy to make plans to meet all members and friends in a small group setting. Women s Fellowship with help from the Search Committee is planning a welcome celebration for Rev. Nancy following worship on Sunday, January 29. A group has also been formed to celebrate Jack s ministry at FCC. This will be held on Sunday, January 22 following worship in the lounge. If you have things you would like to get on Rev. Nancy s calendar, contact Maria Talin or Ginnie Sherer via phone or email. The Transition Task Force will also respond to questions, suggestions and concerns anyone has during the transition. 10
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Fair Trade Product Sales January and February NO CHURCHWIDE SALE IN JANUARY, but returning in February on the first Sunday! In the meantime, if you need anything, contact me and I ll take care of getting you what you need. Complete selections of Chocolate Bars are available once more! $3 each. A new one now in stock is Milk Chocolate Caramel crunch with sea salt. This is in addition to the Dark Chocolate Caramel crunch with sea salt. We also have a new hot chocolate mix, dark hot chocolate, and for your baking we have semi sweet chocolate chips. Fair Trade products by Equal Exchange are available at First Congregational year around and are a great way to support the church youth missions (all proceeds above cost are given to the mission fund yearly). Be sure to remember to pick up your favorite coffee, tea, chocolate, and other Fair Trade products after church in the narthex. Check out to see what s new for you to try. Remember your purchases support small farmer cooperatives around the world. Many of the products are organic and are environmentally friendly too. Organic Fair Trade K Cups from Equal Exchange (recyclable pods)- $ 8.00 box of 12, French Roast or Breakfast Blend All Coffee will be $ 8.00 per box or bag. Larger packages will be available at the same price until we run out! If you can t be there but would like to make a purchase, call or e-mail me anytime and I will see what I can do for you. Pat Nichols, 426-0261, patnichols@earthlink.net 13
Youth Happenings 3 rd 5 th grade and Middle School Youth Event 3-5 th graders and Middle School youth, join us on Sunday, January 15 th after church. We will eat lunch and then walk over to Christine Ann Center. We will help sort and organize after their holiday program. Please RSVP to sandie@fccoshkosh.org or 231-7520 and ask for Sandie. Hope you can join us, friends are welcome. 14 Happy 2017 from the library crew! We have the books you are looking for no matter what your New Year s Resolution was. We have books on getting organized, healthy eating, dealing with children and becoming a writer. Remember that our daily devotionals can be checked out for a full year. They are right behind the door as you enter the lounge. New books will be on top of the bookcase. We have a lot of new books coming in. But maybe you want to remember the high points of 2016 instead. Remember a great speaker who came to UWO: Eboo Patel? We have his book, Interfaith Leadership. Remember the Community read and Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates? We have it. Remember Barack Obama? We have The Audacity of Hope. Please support us in the New Year by checking out our books. Remember you can access our Librarything account from any computer or mobile device. Our group name is FCClibraryOshkosh and so is our password.
Join Us for Caroling. In February Yes you read it right. Put Wednesday, February 8 th on your calendar. We will be Valentine s caroling and singing songs with the theme of love to older folks in a local nursing home. Bring some cheer to folks who no longer find it easy to get to church. Join us at 4:45 in Fellowship Hall. We will have a light meal and then head out to sing. Please plan on providing your own transportation to the nursing home. Hope you can join us to sing songs and bring cheer to some older folks. 15
Reverend Nancy Taylor arrives in January! Her first worship service is January 29th followed by a welcome celebration hosted by Women s Fellowship! Please Join Us!