FIRST UNITED CHURCH of CHRIST » Uncategorized

Longest Night Service

Jennifer Kluzak — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:53:36 +0000

First United Church of Christ (Congregational), 300 Union Street will be holding a “Longest Night Service” on Tuesday, December 20 at 7:00 PM in the sanctuary.

This service of quiet music, readings, prayer, and candles is a time to seek peace during the holidays. All are invited, but it will be especially helpful for those for whom the holidays are a difficult time. Maybe you are grieving the death of a loved one, maybe the winter darkness recalls other dark times in your life – whatever the reason, this service is a time to acknowledge the reality of pain in the midst of a season of celebration.

In the service we will seek to be honest about our grief, while also seeking to open ourselves to the light and hope that is coming into the world. You are welcome to join with us.

Sunday School Teachers and Helpers Needed!

Jennifer Kluzak — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 19:43:12 +0000

Hello All -

Starting in January, our 2nd/3rd grade classroom will be short one teacher. Please consider becoming a Sunday School teacher! The curriculum is provided, the children are enthusiastic, and the time commitment is a mere two Sundays a month. If you have questions, or are interested, please contact the church office, church@firstucc.org.

Also, our children need more Sunday School Helpers. *Anyone* can volunteer, including those who do not have children in Sunday School! Volunteer by emailing the church office (church@firstucc.org) with your contact information or by signing up at the bulletin board in the west hallway.

Remember that our church’s Safe Practices dictate that two adults be present in every Sunday School classroom. To keep our children safe, Sunday School will not be held on Sundays when there is no classroom helper.

Thanks for being involved in the faith formation of our children!

The Children’s Education Committee

Bible Study

Jennifer Kluzak — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:09:13 +0000

Pastor Bob Griggs will host an opportunity for study and discussion on Saturday, December 17 from 10:00 – 11:30 in the Big Room, with the intention being to continue one Saturday a month in the new year.

For the first session, Pastor Bob Griggs will be leading us in reflection and discussion of some of the psalms. We’ll also take some time to plan what the group would like to focus on: more biblical texts, a book, a series of readings, whatever those assembled would find most rewarding.

Amahl and the Night Visitors

Andrea Pegram — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 22:40:40 +0000

Mark your calendars for the weekend of Advent IV, when Gian Carlo Menotti’s beloved Christmas opera will be performed at First UCC. Amahl tells of a young boy and his mother who are visited by the Three Magi on their journey to Bethlehem. The all-Northfield cast includes Christopher Brunelle, Bob Gregory-Bjorklund, and Jim McKeel as the Three Kings, Tracey Engleman (St. Olaf Music Dept.) as the Mother, and Carson Babbini as Amahl. With a shepherds’ chorus, beautiful orchestral music (conducted by Marty Hodel), and a timely and touching story, this delightful 50-minute show is suitable for young and old alike.

There will be three performances. The tickets for Friday, Dec. 16 (8:00 p.m.) and Saturday, Dec. 17 (8:00 p.m.) are $10, available at First UCC and at Coldwell Banker (419 Division). On Sunday, Dec. 18, the morning service will feature Amahl; no tickets are required, and a free will donation will be taken.

Congregational Listening Session 11/20/11

Jennifer Kluzak — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 16:54:08 +0000

“Although we church folks seldom consider it, we are a people on an amazing journey. Like Abram and so many other biblical ancestors who followed the Spirit’s leading to a new place of promise and hope, each of us is traveling a path God has set before us. Like any journey, our path includes twists and turns, high roads and low places that we must learn to navigate.”1

The interim journey experienced here at First UCC has in fact involved both twists and turns, as well as highs and lows. In an attempt to provide a format for people to reflect upon our interim journey, and as a way to move forward in preparation to receive the first of two new ministers, our Interim Ministers will be facilitating a time to reflect on our journey and identify questions, concerns, hopes and observations made as we move toward a new life that rests in God’s hands.

As the Search Committee is narrowing in on four very strong final candidates, it behoves us to take advantage of this opportunity. This is an investment in the future of this faith community. Even though we are in the midst of those in-between times, we need have no fear. Rather than anxiety, this can be a time for us to celebrate – because we have entered a phase that is expectant with grace.

Please join us in this conversation on Sunday at 11:30 am in the rear of the sanctuary during the Faith Forum time slot.

__________________
1 Finding Yourself In-Between by Beverly A. Thompson, George B. Thompson, Jr.

Change is Good?

Jennifer Kluzak — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 16:53:19 +0000

Well, maybe. One thing is certain: for most of us change is stressful. Since Pastor Sandy Johnson retired, our church has gone through lots of changes in staff, in program, in the day to day “feel” of church. We have known grief and loss, as well as the stress of uncertainty about our future.

Of course there have also been positive changes as we have welcomed new staff and new interim ministers. Yet positive change brings its own kind of stress as we seek to get to know and to work with new people and new styles. Moreover, as we are in a search process, preparing to welcome a new minister, then another minister, there are more changes still to come.

How are you doing? How are you feeling? How are you coping? Council has raised these questions and wants to offer an opportunity for those who best cope with stress by talking it through to get together in small groups.

We have the next group scheduled for Monday, November 7^th, at 7:00 PM with Pastor Bob and two council members. To insure that everyone can be heard, the group will be limited to ten members.

However, if there are more people interested in such groups that this can accommodate or a significant number of people for whom this time is available, we will make more groups available.

If you plan on coming to this group, please call or email the church office. If you would like to participate in group at another time, please contact the church office with some times in the next two weeks or so that would work for you. We hope that these groups will promote healing and assist us in caring for one another in a time of change and stress, which we also pray is a time of opportunity.

By Popular Request

Sue Mieska — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 13:03:38 +0000

Sarah Forster provided a wonderful treat for us on Sunday and so many people asked for the recipe we decided to publish it here.

Meringue

Makes – 24 pieces.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of 9 x 13 pan.

6 egg whites

1/2 t cream of tartar

1/4 t salt (optional)

1 1/2 C sugar

Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in large mixer bowl on high speed until frothy. Gradually add sugar 1 T at a time beating until stiff and glossy. Spread in buttered 9×13 pan. Place in preheated oven; turn oven off immediately. Leave in oven overnight.

For each 9×13, whip 3/4 pint heavy whipping cream, sweetened. Spread over baked meringue. Serve with fruit, lemon sauce, chocolate, or ….

Valley Grove July 3

Andrea Pegram — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 23:25:47 +0000

Congregation members enjoyed a Sunday worship service at Valley Grove Church in Nerstrand, followed by an outdoor picnic.

A Day of Reflection: Suicide and its Lasting Effects on Us All

Elaine Frandrup — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 16:50:16 +0000

Michael and I will walk 18 miles in New York City June 4-5 to raise money for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Those dollars are intended to help increase suicide awareness, to provide support for those affected the loss of a loved one, and to fund ongoing research of how to prevent this deadly epidemic.

Suicide has had a profound effect on me and my family. My mother, Mary, took her own life when I was a teenager. And just a few years ago, my cousin Peter committed suicide.

My personal goal in doing this walk is to raise awareness of suicide. That’s why I’m organizing “A Day of Reflection: Suicide and its Lasting Effects on Us All” on Saturday, May 7, at First United Church of Christ. Activities begin at 3:30 p.m. with a panel discussion with experts in the study of suicide, local clergy and survivors of suicide, among others. A sandwich and salad supper will follow. Then, at about 7:00 p.m., a Service of Reflection and Healing — featuring music, readings, time for quiet reflection and an opportunity to honor those who have been lost — will be celebrated.

The day’s activities are free and open to the public. There will be an opportunity to contribute a free-will offer that would be shared between First UCC, Out of the Darkness Overnight, and Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE).

My wish is that people with a variety of perspectives on suicide would attend one or more of the activities on May 7. Not only those of us who have lost a loved one, but also those of us who have had a loved one attempt suicide, or who have contemplated suicide themselves, who want to support survivors of suicide, or just want to learn how suicide affects their friends and neighbors.

In addition to the upcoming activities at First UCC, we are compiling a booklet, “A Complicated Grief,” featuring people’s experiences with losses to suicide, resources for hope and healing, facts about suicide, and suicide in poetry. In addition to raising awareness of the impact of suicide on survivors and providing hope, “A Complicated Grief” will be a fundraiser for AFSP, SAVE, and First UCC. The artwork to the left is a watercolor by Kathryn M. Weaver, senior at St. Olaf and will be on the cover of the booklet.

If you are interested in supporting me in the walk, you can click on the following link for Mary’s Team. I appreciate any help you can give.

http://theovernight.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=500&participantID=1542

If you are interested in supporting Michael in the walk, you can click on the following link. He, too, would appreciate the help.

http://theovernight.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&eventID=500&participantID=1543

Please feel free to contact Michael or me with any questions or if more information is needed.

Thanks for your support! Shannon Garlitz

Survey Results from the Search and Call Committee

Sue Mieska — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 23:57:44 +0000

Survey Highlights

Survey Raw Data

Click on the links above to see Survey Highlights and Survey Raw Data Results