Worship Sundays at 10:30 a.m.300 Union Street
Northfield, MN 55057
507-645-7532
Office Hours 9am-2pm, Tuesday-Friday
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By Jennifer Kluzak, on April 23rd, 2013
The Fighting Apostles are assembling an all-star lineup for the annual French Toast Breakfast immediately following worship on Sunday.
Fans will have an opportunity to meet the players, admire their culinary skills and sit down to a nourishing, league-leading breakfast of champions. We’ll be serving French toast, made with Brick Oven’s famous Children’s Pleasure bread; wild rice sausages; fruit; and beverage. The cost is $5 for adults, $3 for kids 12 and under, or $12 family per family. You choose.
Proceeds from the breakfast will help underwrite the team’s entry fee for the Northfield Church Softball League.
By Jennifer Kluzak, on April 18th, 2013
Click here for photos from our New Member Sunday on April 14th.
By Jennifer Kluzak, on April 17th, 2013
Please click here to view the April 11th issue of The Chronicle.
If you did not receive The Chronicle in your email, make sure you have joined our mailing list by adding your information in the Join Our Mailing List on the right side of this page! The Chronicle will be sent out the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month.
By Jennifer Kluzak, on April 17th, 2013
 Wanting to swing a hammer, throw some paint, get to know First UCC friends, and make a difference? Announcing the first First UCC Intergenerational Mission Trip. From July 7-14 up to 20 First UCCers will work with Habitat for Humanity in Eagle Butte, SD on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. Work will include rehabilitation of existing homes, painting houses, and basic landscaping. Participants will also experience a Sweat Lodge Ceremony and the summer Sun Dances.
Total cost for adults is $275. High school youth are already signing up. To reserve a spot, a $75 deposit is due to the church office by April 30. Click here if you are interested.
By Andrea Pegram, on April 14th, 2013
Please click on this link for a readable/printable version of the sermon: Romans 8: 18-25.
Please click below for an audio format:
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By Jennifer Kluzak, on April 10th, 2013
Join us July 19-21, 2013
for the 3rd Annual First UCC
Pilgrim Point Camp
Retreat Weekend!
Not only is this a lot of fun with a great group of all ages from our congregation, but it is a sacred place to commune with God and nature, and you will emerge refreshed and renewed!
Pilgrim Point Camp is our Minnesota Conference UCC Church Camp on Lake Ida, near Alexandria, MN. The camp is on a prominent point extending from the east shore into the middle off the lake, with many waterfront activities (including lifeguards) and a large recreational area.
We will arrive for Friday dinner (either by coach bus or on your own) and stay through Sunday morning. This is open to everyone of all ages and family types, and you may invite others from your community to join us. We welcome everyone to join for an intergenerational gathering in a beautiful and spiritual lakefront setting. This has helped build community among camp participants, and equipped us with tools to continue practicing our faith and recognize the interconnectedness between all and with nature.
Registration forms are availabe by clicking here.
For more information on Pilgrim Point Camp click here, visit www.pilgrimpoint.org or contact Phil Kasten.
By Jennifer Kluzak, on April 10th, 2013
Christopher Charles Kriesel, the son of Douglas and Patricia (Chambers) Kriesel, passed away at home in Northfield on April 1, 2013. Chris was born on October 21, 1970 in Weatherford, Oklahoma. He graduated from high school in Lake Forest, Illinois and received a B.S. degree in International Business Administration from Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut.
After graduation, Chris was employed as manager of customer service at the Hirschorn Company, New Haven, CT. After moving to Minnesota, he was a reserve teacher in the Faribault and Minneapolis school systems. He also was a computer applications teacher in the Minneapolis schools. He loved teaching and was proud of the fact that a number of his students told him that they liked him and his teaching methods.
Chris enjoyed sports and played baseball, tennis, and soccer as a youth and golf in more recent years. His recent interest was in computer science and he was in the process of developing expertise in networking technology. He was a vibrant and fun-loving guy with a great sense of humor. He enjoyed being with people of all ages and tried to make them feel comfortable in his presence.
Chris is survived by his parents, his brother, Dr. John Kriesel, Salt Lake City, his sister, Ronna (Patrick) O’Toole, Aalesund, Norway, nieces Hannah Kriesel and Quintessa O’Toole, nephews Davis Kriesel, George Kriesel , and Liam O’Toole. He is also survived by his uncles Marshall (Valerie) Kriesel, Dean (Nancy) Kriesel, Dale (Janet) Kriesel, and his aunt Virginia (Norman) Sherman, and many cousins.
A celebration of his life will take place at First United Church of Christ, Northfield, MN, on Saturday, April 13, 2013 with a visitation at 10 a.m. and a memorial service at 11 a.m. Burial will be at the Havana township cemetery near Owatonna, MN. The family would prefer to have any memorial contributions made to First United Church of Christ or to Fairview Hospital Recovery Services.
By Andrea Pegram, on April 7th, 2013
 In lieu of a sermon during Sunday worship, the children of First UCC Northfield performed Elijah! God’s Faithful Prophet (a musical by Mark Patterson) for the congregation. Thanks for the time and talent provided by all of the children in the cast, the sound and visual crew, and directors Janet Lewis Muth and Kaara Maki-Waller.
View the photos here.
Please click on the link below for an audio version of the performance:
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By Jennifer Kluzak, on April 3rd, 2013
 Union Congregational Church, United Church of Christ
118 4th St., Elk River
April 14, 2013
Workshops at 2:30 p.m.
Worship at 4 p.m.
Reception following
This year, our Conference Open and Affirming (ONA) Celebration will be something new! The success of the “Vote NO on the Marriage Amendment”campaign last fall gives our 39 churches an additional reason to gather and celebrate being in community with together. We need to see and embrace each other; worship, sing, pray, study, eat and vision together; and for some this year to lodge and travel together.
The worship this year will be led by Rev. Dr. J. Bennet Guess, Executive, Minister for Local Church Ministries of the UCC. Guess has written more than 500 articles on all aspects of the church, earning him more than 60 awards. His writing demonstrates his broad knowledge of the UCC and local-church life and demonstrates his capacity to think critically as well as creatively. He is a member of numerous ecumenical organizations and is a member of the UCC’s 5 member national Collegium of Officers.
Music will be provided by the St. Anthony Park United Church of Christ sanctuary choir.
Two workshops are offered at 2:30 p.m.: “A New Way of Doing Church” presented by Shift UCC – a brand new ministry setting within the Minnesota Conference of the United Church of Christ, led by Lawrence T. Richardson, and “Sing Out” led by Gigi Nauer, co-director at Pilgrim Point Camp and Music Director for Pilgrims’ UCC in Maple Grove.
By Jennifer Kluzak, on April 2nd, 2013
 On April 1 the UCC launched Mission4/1Earth.
1 million hours of Earth care, planting 100,000 trees and writing 100,000 letters of environmental advocacy. AtFirst UCC, we will be doing our part. We will plant 450 trees at the River Bend Nature Center May 4, and we wrote letters after worship April 21.
The congregation is also invited to read and discuss the book Eaarth by Bill McKibben. Please click on the link to sign up for a discussion group and to share a time that works for you. In the adult forum adn during WFF we’ll watch the movie The Hungry Tide and talk about what other churches are doing to care for the Earth, and we’ll ask how God is calling First UCC to care for Creation.
Write down the hours you spend caring for creation from April 1 – May 19. At the end of Eastertide we will add them up and send them in to help the UCC reach its goal!
By Andrea Pegram, on March 31st, 2013
Please click on this link for a readable/printable version of the sermon: “Luke 24: 1-35.”
Please click below for an audio format:
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By Jennifer Kluzak, on March 26th, 2013
 Kids of all ages are invited to join in the fun at the First UCC Easter Egg Hunt! The search for treasures will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 30th. We’ll gather by the east steps, and then children will be directed to areas that have been divided by age groups. All are invited to stay for light refreshments in the Assembly Room following the search for eggs. Special thanks to the 2/3 F.A.S.T. Kids class for this wonderful idea and for helping to organize the event! Any questions, please contact Shari Sneary.
By Jennifer Kluzak, on March 21st, 2013
You can view the most recent Senior Minister report here.
You can view the most recent Interim Associate Minister report here.
By Andrea Pegram, on March 20th, 2013
A print copy of the sermon is available here.
Please click below for an audio format of the sermon:
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By Jennifer Kluzak, on March 19th, 2013
Elijah! the musical is coming to First UCC. Led by the Middle School Youth Group it will be performed in worship on Sunday, April 7th.
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Rev. Dr. Bob Griggs and Rev. Todd Smith Lippert
Give Now! Click here to make a monetary donation to First UCC.
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