Announcements for the week of February 16, 2025

by | Feb 14, 2025 | Sunday Announcements | 0 comments

QUICK LINKS

  • Sunday Morning Worship – Sundays @ 10:30am; Join Zoom Webinar here
  • Off-Topic Scripture Circle – Mondays @ 10am; Join Zoom Meeting here
  • Morning Café and Discussion – Tuesdays @ 10am;Join Zoom Meeting here
  • Scripture Reader sign up – Click here
  • Usher sign up – Click here (needed 02/16, 02/23, & 03/02)
  • Flowers sign up – Click here
  • Coffee Hour Host sign up – Click here (needed 02/16, 02/23, & 03/02)
  • Communion Server sign up –Click here
  • Community Kitchen sign up – Click here (needed 02/20)
  • Donate to First United Online – Click here
  • First United YouTube Channel (sermons & more) – Click here
  • First United Vimeo Channel (full worship services) – Click here

DON’T FORGET

Support First United’s Love Fund

The Board of Outreach invites you to offer your support to First United’s Love Fund, which was created to help those who turn to First United with emergent needs. Harold Fiscus will share about the impact of this fund during worship and a special offering will be received to support the Love Fund this Sunday, February 16th.

Youth Connections

Youth in grades 6 and up are invited to gather with Pastor Jessica and one another in Room 1 following worship one Sunday each month to connect with one another, eat together, and consider your questions, big and small, as we explore faith matters as they are relevant to your life. Our next meeting day is this Sunday, February 16th, 12pm-1pm.

Invitations from your Board of Education – Survey & CLT Planning

The Board of Education has developed a quick and painless survey to get your input regarding when, where, and what you’re interested in with regard to adult faith formation opportunities. Please take a few minutes to share your ideas and interests with us; click here.

Additionally, all those interested in the ways we engage with the youngest among us (especially parents/guardians and CLT leaders) are invited to gather with Pastor Jessica and one another in Fellowship Hall after worship next Sunday, February 23rd to identify the stories we’ll explore during the upcoming Lenten season (March-April) and choose activities/crafts connected to the selected stories. Resources will be provided.

Performance with the Indiana University Chorale and Conductors Orchestra

Our Assistant Music Director and Organist, Hansol Kim, and Music Director, Eric Meinke, will have the pleasure of performing with the Indiana University Chorale and Conductors Orchestra on February 18th at 8pm in Auer Hall. This event is also serving as Eric’s final doctoral recital, as he has completed his coursework at IU. Hansol will also conduct a musical piece. You won’t want to miss this massive program, which includes Mendelssohn’s Overture to the Hebrides, Brahms’ Schicksalslied, and Haydn’s rousing Te Deum. 

Volunteer with Community Kitchen

First United has a long history of volunteering with and financially supporting Community Kitchen of Monroe County. We volunteer there on the third Thursday of the month, 3:30pm-6:30pm. Our next shift will be on February 20th. This is a good way to build community within and outside of our church. To volunteer this month or subsequent months, sign up here or 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!

CLT Care Packages—Request for Supplies

Beginning next Sunday, February 23rd, and periodically throughout the year, children in CLT (Children’s Learning Time) put together care packages for people experiencing homelessness in our community. Children will take the care packages home with them to keep in their car and deliver, with the help of their families, to people they encounter. Care packages will be put together as a part of their Sunday CLT experience.

You are invited to donate items needed for this project by bring them to Room 2 on Sunday mornings or the church office during office hours. Items needed include:

  • Prepackaged, individually wrapped food (e.g. granola bars, snack mixes, pretzels, bottled water)
  • Hand and foot warmers, socks, mittens
  • Hygiene/First Aid Supplies (e.g. wet wipes, toothbrushes, toothpaste, lip balm, bandages, lotion) – we currently have lots of toothbrushes!
  • Gallon-size ziplock bags (to put items in) – we currently have plenty of these!
  • Extras (e.g. playing cards, gift cards, bus passes, trash bags)

Stewardship 2025 – Our Wider Reach

We kicked off our annual stewardship campaign on February 2nd, Our Wider Reach: Living Our Faith to Make a Better World. Throughout the month of February, we are talking about the act of making commitments to support our church and community, be it through the contribution of time, talents, or financial resources. We will be joined by one of our space-sharing partners each Sunday to learn about our wider reach through their ministry and work (hear the messages already offered by the Mennonite Fellowship and Al-Anon). You’re also encouraged to take and post “unselfies” throughout the month (sharing the ways and the whys you support our wider community with your gifts and resources); see Rebecca Keith by the fireplace in Fellowship Hall this Sunday to take “unselfies” during Coffee Hour to be shared on our bulletin board and posted to our social media (with your consent). We’ll offer and bless our commitments/pledges for the year ahead on Commitment Sunday, March 2nd.

NEW/UPDATED THIS WEEK

Happy Birthday!

Please remember in your prayers and give thanks for those among us who will be celebrating birthdays this week: Hopi Stosberg (February 17) and Eric Behrman (February 21). We are blessed to have you in our lives!

Office Closures and Announcements Deadline

The church office will be closed for regular hours February 17th-21st as Lisa steps away for a couple of days. You may contact Pastor Jessica during that time. If you have information to include in next week’s announcements email, please send your item to Pastor Jessica by noon on Wednesday, February 19th.

B-SWERS Pray & Learn Service

Learn about and pray for the Bloomington Severe Winter Emergency Shelter (B-SWERS) and its clients and volunteers at an ecumenical Christian prayer service on February 23rd, at 4pm in the Great Hall of First Christian Church (205 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington; enter through Washington St. entrance). Donations of cough drops and travel-sized lotion are welcome!

Ash Wednesday Worship

Join us for an Ash Wednesday observance on March 5th at 6pm in Roger Williams Hall. We will begin with a simple meal of soup and bread, followed by a contemplative service featuring Taizé mu​sic, meditative prayers, and the imposition of ashes. We invite any cooks or bakers to share your talents on Ash Wednesday with an offering of soup or bread (contact Siri Loescher at 317-664-0247). Pastor Jessica will also be offering “Ashes to Go” at IU’s Sample Gates 11am-1pm.

Call to Action from Eviction Ministry Team

The Eviction Ministry team of the Southeast Association UCC is concerned about the impact proposed House Bill 1662 (State and Local Policies on Homelessness) would have on our neighbors experiencing homelessness and on programs designed to help with supportive housing. They urge congregations in the Southeast Association to advocate for our neighbors by reaching out to State Representatives Michelle Davis and Doug Miller asking them to stop the bill from being heard. Find more information about the bill and how you can take action by clicking here (from the Greater Indianapolis Multifaith Alliance, which has been bringing communities together to work on issues around housing).

UPCOMING WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Sunday Morning Hybrid Worship

Join us for worship each Sunday morning at 10:30am. This Sunday’s service will feature Rev. Jessica Petersen-Mutai in the pulpit; she will also offer a special message for the young and young at heart. Danielle Long from Reimagining Opera for Kids, one of our space-sharing partners, will join us to share how we have a wider impact on our community through supporting their work. Craig Dalrymple will present the day’s scripture and serve as our congregational lead. 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 Hansol Kim will lead us in song, and the First United Vocal Choir and Reimagining Opera for Kids will offer special music. Daniel Salvat and Kim Yaussy Albright will offer a warm welcome to those who will gather in the sanctuary and could use some help (sign up here). Laura Kao will provide a beautiful floral arrangement. And, Kyle Hetrick and Jim True will welcome all who join via Zoom as they ensure the audio/visual pieces run as smoothly as possible. Finally, be sure to join us for a time of fellowship, 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 Monday afternoon on First United’s Vimeo channel (where you can access all of our previous worship services).

Donate online by clicking here

Join Our Church Choirs!

All those who are musically inclined are invited to join First United’s Bell and Vocal Choirs. The Bell Choir rehearses weekly on Thursdays in Roger Williams Hall from 6:15-7:15pm,and the Vocal Choir rehearses weekly on Thursdays from 7:30-9:00pm in the Choir Room. If you are interested in joining either or both choirs, please reach out to Eric Meincke (ericdmeincke@gmail.com). Hansol Kim can also answer questions about joining the Bell Choir (mitsol919@gmail.com). No prior experience is required to join either group! If you love music and want a way to express that love through fellowship, the First United Church Music Ministry is the place for you!

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:

  • Helen Thompson (grandmother of Heather Farmer)
  • Julia and Don Bebeau
  • Jen Lane
  • Rachel Workman
  • Sam Troxal
  • Christopher Meincke (Eric’s brother)

First Sunday Food Drive – Update

Thanks to your generosity, Keith Gerber delivered 50 pounds to Pathways (formerly MCUM) following the February food drive. Donations are delivered each month. Thank you for your donations to meet ongoing community needs!

2025 Acts of Kindness Month Calendar
February is not only our Stewardship Campaign Month but also a great month to double down (or up) on a commitment to showing kindness to others. Pick up a pink Kindness Calendar outside of the Sanctuary (front or back) or in the church office to get some great suggestions for small things to do each day in February to show kindness to individuals and the wider world. Access the full Kindness Calendar online here. Also, you can visit us on social media to view and share the suggestions via Facebook and Instagram to help spread the love even more widely! It’s never too late to get started!

Climate Hope Art Contest

For the third straight year, the UCC is conducting a Climate Hope Art Contest. The theme this year is “Planting Seeds of Hope.” First United children and youth are invited to draw, paint, or color works of art that bring this theme to life. A fitting scripture to spark the imagination is Matthew 13:31-32 in which Jesus declares, “The realm of heaven is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the field; it is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches.”

Art templates are available in the church building. Art submissions must be shared with Pastor Jessica by March 13th. An online award ceremony for finalists will be held on April 5th. In the ceremony, there will be winners for different age groups and an overall winner who will receive an all-expense paid trip to visit Washington, DC with a parent or guardian. The winner will advocate with the offices of their congress members, tour the Capitol, and learn how they can bring their faith values to life in the halls of power. The winning art will additionally serve as the logo for UCC Climate Hope advocacy work throughout 2025. Reach out to Pastor Jessica with any questions.

Immigration Action

There are many new things happening that negatively affect the lives of displaced immigrants in our community. The U.S. refugee program (USRAP) has been suspended. This has stopped all new refugee resettlement in our community and across the country. Further, federal funds that support the critical first months of refugee’s lives in the U.S. have been cut-off. Our church’s Displaced Immigrant Support Program asks for your help. We would like you to contact your U.S. House member and U.S. Senators to tell them that you and your church support refugees. We have helped four refugee families since 2021. Refugees are an important addition to our community, and we ask that they continue to be resettled. Sample letters are available here to give you guidance on what to say. For more information contact dave@davemeyer.org.

Bloomington Severe Weather Emergency Shelter

The Bloomington Severe Weather Emergency Shelter is in need of supplies to offer shelter to those in need of it during severe weather events. Needed supplies include: coffee, tea, cocoa, sugar, creamer, snacks, trash bags, nitril gloves, and cleaning supplies. Donations may be brought to First United Methodist Church (219 E 4th St., Bloomington) Sunday-Thursday from 9am-1pm. If that is not convenient, you may contact Frances Klinger via e-mail: fling53@hotmail.com. Additional volunteers are always welcome; contact btownsevereshelter@gmail.com. The shelter is housed in the buildings of First United Methodist Church and First Christian Church. Approximately 30 guests are given shelter from 8:30pm until 7am when the shelter is open (forecast of temperature below 25 degrees or over 3 inches of snow).

People’s Market

First United houses the People’s Cooperative Market in our Fellowship Hall on Saturdays.During the winter season, the market is open every Saturday, 10am-2pm, to pick up fresh, locally-grown produce. They also continue to pack and deliver CSA every Saturday while offering a more limited schedule for fuller market days. 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.

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 

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.

Tuesday Morning Café and Discussion

Join us in Roger Williams Hall or via Zoom (click here) Tuesdays at 10am-11:30am as we gather for a time of informal conversation followed by thought-provoking theological study and discussion. We are in the midst of a 24-sesson study: “Jesus and His Jewish Influences” presented by Jodi Magness. Learn more about the series here. Previous participation and perfect attendance are not required.

Children’s Learning Time

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 Children’s Time. Many thanks to Sandra Meder and Jessica McIntosh for leading CLT this Sunday.

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 Megan Merrick, Pastor Jessica, or any member of the Board of Education.

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 Jessica McIntosh if you are interested and with any questions.

CONGREGATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

Photography and Media Consent Policy

A reminder that our new Photography and Media Consent Policy is in effect as of January 1st, 2025. The policy addresses the use of photography, video, and other audio/visual recordings taken during church events and sharing these materials in our communications and promotional efforts. It includes special provisions for minors and guidance for how to opt out of appearing in recordings or media. You may read the full policy here.

Did You Know…We Have an Online Directory?

An online church directory is available for all members of First United! You may access the directory by clicking on “Member Directory” from the “Member Area” drop-down menu located at the top of any page of the church website. Contact Lisa in the office for your sign-in credentials (you are encouraged to change your password after logging in for the first time).

2025 Offering Envelopes and Direct Deposit

We are using leftover offering envelope boxes for 2025. This year, your number box will not be the same; please contact Lisa Stanger if you would like envelopes! 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.

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