Announcements for the week of August 4, 2024

by | Aug 2, 2024 | Sunday Announcements | 0 comments

QUICK LINKS

  • Sunday Morning Worship – Sundays @ 10:30am; Join Zoom Webinar here
  • Off-Topic Scripture Circle – Mondays @ 10am – no meeting Aug. 5th; Join Zoom Meeting here
  • Morning Café and Discussion – Tuesdays @ 10am;Join Zoom Meeting here
  • Scripture Reader sign up – Click here (needed 08/11)
  • Usher sign up – Click here (needed 08/04, 08/11, & 08/18)
  • Flowers sign up – Click here
  • Coffee Hour Host sign up – Click here (needed 08/04, 08/11, & 08/18)
  • Communion Server sign up –Click here (needed 08/04)
  • Community Kitchen sign up – Click here (needed 08/15)
  • Online Commitment/Pledge Card – Click here
  • Donate to First United Online – Click here
  • First United Vimeo Channel – Click here

DON’T FORGET

Pizza & Play – THIS FRIDAY

Members and friends of First United of all ages and family configurations (and your friends and family) are encouraged to gather for Pizza & Play TODAY, Friday, August 2nd, 5:30pm-7:30pm. We’ll enjoy a time of informal, unprogrammed fun and fellowship in Fellowship Hall and surrounding areas, both inside and out (weather permitting). As the name implies, pizza, drinks, and dessert will be provided. All are encouraged to come whether or not you’ve RSVPed.

Children’s Learning Time Resumes THIS SUNDAY

Each Sunday morning, children in kindergarten and up will begin in the Sanctuary with their families and proceed to Room 2 with their adult leads for Children’s Learning Time (CLT) following the Children’s Time. Many thanks to Molly Koontz and Sandra Meder for leading CLT this Sunday.

Due to relocations, we have lost two of our regular CLT leaders. You are invited to consider whether you might be able to join our teaching rotation to enrich the program for the kids and gain so much from the experience yourself! Lesson materials and supplies are provided, and we have seasoned leaders to help get newer volunteers acclimated. If you are interested or have questions, please reach out to Molly Koontz, Pastor Jessica, or any member of the Board of Education.

First Sunday Food Drive – THIS SUNDAY

The Board of Outreach invites you to offer food donations on the first Sunday of each month. On Sunday, August 4th, we encourage you to bring donations of non-perishable food items for our community members in need placing them on the marked table in the narthex. As always, all of the collected food and cleaning/hygiene items will go to Monroe County United Ministries (MCUM), and pet food will go to Area 10 Agency on Aging. Click here to for a list of MCUM’s ongoing needs; note their special request for Carrots, Potatoes, Tomatoes and tomato sauce, Ramen, Baking mix, Crackers, Laundry soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, and Feminine hygiene products.Thank you for your donations to meet ongoing community needs.

Office Closed

The church office will be closed on Monday, August 5th, while Lisa Stanger and Pastor Jessica are both away on vacation. If you have an emergent need, please contact Mitchell Farmer.

Happy 101st Birthday to Lora Johnson

Our oldest longtime member Lora Johnson will turn 101 on August 5th. If you would like to send Lora birthday wishes, her address is 2320 Covenanter Drive, Bloomington, IN 47401.

Off-Topic Scripture Circle

You are invited to join members and friends of First United via Zoom (click here) each Monday morning at 10am to check in and explore the week’s lectionary scripture readings in a casual setting where you will never be asked to leave your brain or your heart at the door. Note: we will not meet on Monday, August 5th as Pastor Jessica will be on vacation.

NEW/UPDATED THIS WEEK

Happy Birthday!

Please remember in your prayers and give thanks for those who will be celebrating their birthdays in the week ahead: Jennifer Lane (August 4), Laura Johnson (August 5), and Enrico Lunghi (August 5). We are blessed to have you in our lives!

Volunteer with Community Kitchen

First United has a long history of volunteering with and financially supporting Community Kitchen of Monroe County. We are now volunteering there on the third Thursday of the month, 3:30pm-6:30pm. Our next shift will be on August 15th. This is a good way to build community within and outside of our church. To volunteer this month or subsequent months, contact Laurie Eynon (leynon73@icloud.com or (812) 336-1219); she will sign you up or put you on the call list, whatever works for you. Thank you!

New Leaf, New Life Special Offering

Throughout 2024, the Board of Outreach invites you to offer support to a variety of local organizations and ministries through monthly special offerings. On Sunday, August 18th, a special offering will be received to support the New Leaf, New Life program. New Leaf New Life supports incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals who reside in and are soon returning home to Monroe County, IN, by supporting them in finding material and educational resources. This impactful organization is focused on volunteer-driven programs offered inside the Monroe County Jail based on life skills, self-care and educational therapy. Thank you for considering supporting their meaningful work on August 18th.

First News – Quarterly Newsletter

After a few months hiatus from our regular monthly newsletter, church leadership has decided to explore offering a quarterly newsletter that supports our programming and makes sense given our church year. The first issue of the quarterly newsletter is set to come out in early September. If you have an item to share, please have your information to Lisa Stanger by Monday, August 19th. The next newsletter will be issued in mid-November in anticipation of the Advent/Christmas and Epiphany seasons (deadline for items, November 4th).

A UCC Prophetic Call for Justice and Peace in Palestine

On July 24th, the executive leaders of the United Church of Christ issued a statement addressing the violence in Israel and Palestine and calling for actions toward a just and lasting peace. You are invited to read it here.

UPCOMING WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Sunday Morning Hybrid Worship

Join us for worship each Sunday morning at 10:30am. This first Sunday of the month, we will gather at God’s welcome table and celebrate communion together. Note: Communion elements (bread and wine/juice) will be served in the pews for those gathering in the sanctuary; online worshipers are encouraged to prepare a “nibble” and a “sip” prior to the start of the service. Kim Yaussy Albright and Sara Cole will serve those who gather in person and could use some help; click here to sign up.

This Sunday’s service will feature Rev. Rebecca Hoke-McCall in the pulpit; she will also offer a special message for the young and young at heart. Kim Yaussy Albright will present the day’s scripture and serve as our congregational lead. Additionally, Mitchell Farmer will highlight some of the many ways we are invited to engage in the life of the church and our wider community. Eric Meincke and Scott Roberts will lead us in song, and Joseph Stiefel will offer special music. Dave Meyer and Linda Smith will offer a warm welcome to all those who will gather in the sanctuary; sign up here to help. And, Kyle Hetrick and Dave Meyer will welcome all who join via Zoom as they ensure the audio/visual pieces run as smoothly as possible. Molly and Noel Koontz will provide a beautiful floral arrangement in honor of their 14th wedding anniversary. Finally, be sure to join us in Fellowship Hall after worship for a time of fellowship and refreshment hosted by Ted Wininger.

Join the Zoom Webinar by clicking here

Dial-in number: (312) 626-6799; Webinar ID: 828 3681 0281

The service will be posted on Sunday evening on First United’s Vimeo channel (where you can access all of our previous worship services).

Donate online by clicking here

Invitation to Offer Special Music

While our Vocal and Bell Choirs will soon return from their summer break, members and friends of First United are always invited to share your creative gifts with our congregation. Please reach out to Eric Meincke (ericdmeincke@gmail.com) if you are interested in providing special music during worship on an upcoming Sunday.

COMMUNITY CARE

Keeping Up with Our Congregation

One of the gifts of being part of a community of faith is that we don’t face the ups and downs and middles of life alone. We invite you to share what is going on in your lives by contacting Lisa Stanger and/or Pastor Jessica so we can appropriately share information (with your permission) with our wider community of care that we might offer our support whatever you may be facing.

You are encouraged to offer your prayers and actions of support for:

Anne Wright (Mary Peckham’s sister)

Sara Cole

Sam Troxal

Danielle Sheets Ivey (Sara Ivey Lucas’s sister-in-law)

Lisa Kwong

Christopher Meincke (Eric’s brother)

Jeanne and Norm Overly

A Heads-Up regarding Head Start

We have been grateful to support the impactful work of Head Start over the past several months providing space for two classrooms, an office, and storage following their displacement caused by water damage at another site. And, we will be sad to see them go as they return to their original site at the start of the new school year. Head Start will hold their final classes in First United’s building today, Friday, July 26th, and they will move out from the building completely by August 9th. We wish them all the best with their move and look forward to supporting their work in other ways into the future.

People’s Market

First United houses the People’s Cooperative Market in our Fellowship Hall regularly each Saturday, 9:00am-1:00pm. The People’s Market is an intersectional anti-racism farmers market and artisan vendor space that focuses on food justice work. All are welcome to attend the Saturday markets and/or order from their online CSA for pickup or delivery; food is always made available to anyone in need. You are also encouraged to consider volunteering with People’s Market; if interested, contact them directly at peoplesmarketmanager@gmail.com.

Additionally, we joins People’s Market in celebrating 300 local Project DASH deliveries as part of Project DASH’s National 100 Million Meal Delivered Milestone. Project DASH is DoorDash’s initiative to empower food banks, food pantries, and other social impact organizations to deliver charitable food to people experiencing food insecurity. Learn more about the impact of this program here.

The Joy of Hosting

Our Member Relations Committee continues to offer support to weekly coffee hour hosts and encourage everyone to sign up to host—it’s easy, fun, and a great way to serve your church family with a one-time commitment. Sign up as buddies or families, invite someone you’ve been wanting to get to know, use the occasion to showcase a family recipe or try out a new one. Sign up to host by clicking here.

EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS 

Feminist Women’s Book Club

Our feminist women’s book club meets after worship on the second Sunday of the month in Roger Williams Hall and via Zoom. We are women who have a lively discussion starting at 12noon, for about an hour. We read recent fiction “by women, for women or about women.” Members are equally split among women from our church and the community. Feminist women of all ages are invited to join us. Our August 11th book selection is “Our Missing Hearts” by Celeste Ng.Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left without a trace when he was nine years old. He doesn’t know what happened to her—only that her books have been banned—and he resents that she cared more about her work than about him. His journey will take him back to the many folktales poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of heroic librarians, and finally to New York City, where he will learn the truth about what happened to his mother and what the future holds for them both. Our Missing Hearts is about the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children and the power of art to create change. Check out our book club’s Pinterest listing: http://pinterest.com/reginammoore/feminist-book-club/. For Zoom information or more information about the book club contact facilitator Cindy Stone, stonec@indiana.edu.

Tuesday Morning Café and Discussion

Join us in person or online Tuesdays at 10am-11:30am as we gather for a time of informal conversation followed by thought-provoking theological study and discussion. We are currently in the midst of a 24-sesson study: “The History and Archeology of the Bible” with Dr. Jean-Pierre Isbouts. Previous participation and perfect attendance are not required. Those interested and able are welcome to gather in Roger Williams Hall; those choosing to join online via Zoom can do so here.

Nursery Care

Our youngest children are welcome to spend time from 10am-11:45am playing in the nursery or on the playground, weather permitting. Lena Stosberg and Jessica McIntosh will ensure our little ones are safe and engaged in fun activities during worship this Sunday. We are always looking for additional volunteer assistants to help in the nursery occasionally. Contact Molly Koontz if you are interested and with any questions.

CONGREGATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

2024 Offering Envelopes and Direct Deposit

We are using leftover 2023 offering envelope boxes for 2024. Envelope boxes are available on a table outside of the Sanctuary entrance closest to the chancel. Whether you’ve used them before or this is your first time, you are welcome to pick up a box! Alternatively, if you would like to give to the church through direct deposit, please contact Lisa in the office to make sure she knows you would like to give in this convenient way and has your updated information.

Contact Information

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