Worship

Sundays at 10:00 a.m.

300 Union Street
Northfield, MN 55057
507-645-7532

Photo album

First UCC Honors High School Graduates

Not all our High School graduates could be present last Sunday, but we celebrated for them all!  These six each told us about the most memorable experience they had had in the church, and we were all touched by their stories.  God Speed to all of our [...]

Memorial Service for Michael Frame

A memorial service for Michael Warren Frame, 67, of Northfield Minnesota and Pokhara Nepal will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, May 31 at First UCC in Northfield.  Mike died May 23, 2008, after a seven year battle with Multiple Myeloma.  In Nepal there will be a Buddhist Puja all day Wednesday, May [...]

Want to hear (or read) some great sermons?

Don’t worry — I am not bragging about my own sermons. 

I just spent a week in Minneapolis at the “Festival of Homiletics” and learned about an easy way to hear to great sermons from Protestant ministers around the country. 

Day1 describes itself as “the voice of the mainline Protestant churches, [...]

gd lvs u

I may love my laptop, but for lots of young adults, it is all about the phone — the cell phone, that is.  Since we were honoring our high school seniors today, I decidedTexting to try to speak their language — the text message!

Baccalaureate Sunday

Psalm 131    Matthew 6:24-34 

Text Messages

Those of you who have been watching the website over the last few weeks have no doubt figured out that I have become very interested and engaged in that form of electronic communication. In fact I went to a continuing education event at the end of April that was designed to introduce pastors to the way the Internet and other electronic media are being used by young people – and how the church can use those media to be part of their world.

One of the things I learned at that seminar was that for teenagers, it is all about the phone. Among those with the financial means, the laptop or home computer is just for homework; everything else is on the phone: calls, text messages, surfing the Internet, reading e-mail – all on the phone. Presumably if I really wanted these seniors to pay attention to my sermon, I wouldn’t preach it, I would text it.

Continue reading gd lvs u

What looks dead is sometimes wildly alive

While I was visiting Alaska earlier this month, I visited the wonderful Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward.  It was a fascinating place, and we loved watching the seals and sea lions (and learning the difference), the seabirds, and the displays about the importance of fishing in the Bering Sea.

What really caught my attention, [...]

The Sacred Conversation Begins: And It Lingers

Many folks were moved by Damen’s sermon last Sunday, his response to UCC President John Thomas’ invitation for us to begin a Sacred Conversation about Race.

And it Lingers

Gen. 1:1-2:4a  and 2 Cor. 13:11-13

It seemed like an innocent idea. It was a Friday at the YMCA day camp in Duluth. I was working as a counselor and every Friday we did some sort of special event as a way of ending the week on a high note. This week the counselors decided to have a carnival with various stations. There was limbo, face painting, musical chairs, and pie throwing. I volunteered to let kids throw whip-cream pies at me. Only one other counselor was brave enough to volunteer for the duty. So she and I took turns letting kids throw whip-cream pies at us. We took our punishment for about and hour and a half. By the end of the time, my head, chest and arms were covered in whip-cream. The kids were amused, I was amused and I ate more whip-cream in an hour and a half than I ever thought I would.

Continue reading The Sacred Conversation Begins: And It Lingers

Summer Office Hours

Summer Office Hours Begin May 19th

7am to Noon Monday -Thursday and closed on Fridays.

Farewell to Damen

 

It was a bittersweet experience on Sunday as  Damen preached a great sermon, but it was also his last at First UCC, Northfield.  Damen has finished his time with us and is moving ahead on his journey to become a minister.  What an honor it has been to have him with us over [...]

9 to Dine Reunion

One of the many social happenings at UCC is a group called 9 to Dine.  This project brings together 9 people who get together for “pot luck” meals shared at each of their homes throughout the year.  Many friendships are formed with these random groupings of people.  Some groups even have reunions even [...]

Pilgrim Point Camp

Imagine a place where everybody counts. Where all kids look out for little ones, and little ones make faces at wee ones. And everybody laughs out loud.

A place where the sunrise tastes like strawberry ice cream; the sunsets glow like the face of a contented grandparent; where the breeze travels over the [...]

For the Bible Tells Me So… Friday at 7pm

Our congregation is honored to host a showing of the moving video, For the Bible Tells Me So, on Friday evening, May 16 at 7:00 pm at the church (300 Union Street in Northfield).

Does God really condemn loving homosexual relationships? Is the chasm separating Christianity from gays and lesbians too wide to cross? [...]

Many Gifts, One Spirit

In my sermon today I talk about Strengthsfinder, a really interestinggifts on-line inventory that — as the name suggests — helps people to identify what their strengths are.  I met Strengthsfinder through Jane Burg, a local “Strengths Coach” at a retreat with some clergy colleagues.  As you’ll see in the sermon, it got me to thinking about St. Paul’s words, “Now there are a variety of gifts …” [1 Corinthians 12:4]

Many Gifts, One Spirit

Earlier this year, I went on a retreat with my clergy colleagues with whom I do Bible study every week. We spent part of our time together working with an interesting inventory called the Strengthsfinder. We each took about a half hour to fill out the questionnaire on the Internet, and then printed out the list of the five strengths that were identified by our responses. Jane Burg, who is a local Strengths Coach, then met with us to help us make use of this information.

This exercise turned out to be valuable in all sorts of ways.

Continue reading Many Gifts, One Spirit

Race for the Cure

Many UCC members, along with 50,000 other folks, participated in the 16th annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure at the Mall of America today.  It’s become an annual tradition for many at UCC to attend this important fund raising event to help find a cure for Breast Cancer.

[...]

Have you ever thought of going to seminary?

DSC_0002_0001 Want a chance to talk about it?  First UCC invites young adults (college students and recent grads) to our new program, Leadership 21

Starting in the fall, this group will meet weekly for a variety of activities (prayerful and playful) that will help you explore your gifts and think about the ways you can use them in service to others.  That might be ordained ministry, or then again it might not.

Thanks to a generous grant from the Fund for Theological Education, we can offer small stipends (equal to 4 hours of work-study) to participants.

Here’s more information and an application sheet — hope to hear from you soon!

Continue reading Have you ever thought of going to seminary?

Bill Moyers’ wisdom about Rev. Jeremiah Wright

In all of the media attention to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, PBS’s Bill Moyers has been a voice of reason and respect.  You may have seen his interview with Rev. Wright (aired April 25 on PBS).

In the aftermath of Rev. Wright’s words at the National Press Club and elsewhere, Moyers has written [...]