Announcements for the week of August 10, 2025

by | Aug 8, 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 (needed 08/17)
  • Usher sign up – Click here (needed 08/10, 08/17 & 08/24)
  • Flowers sign up – Click here
  • Coffee Hour Host sign up – Click here (needed 08/10 & 08/24)
  • Communion Server sign up –Click here
  • Community Kitchen sign up – Click here (needed 08/21)
  • Donate to First United Online – Click here
  • First United YouTube Channel (sermons & more) – Click here
  • First United Vimeo Channel (full worship services) – Click here
  • 2024-2025 Annual Report – Click here
  • Accessible to All 101 Presentation – Click here

DON’T FORGET

Pizza & Play – TODAY

Pizza & Play will be shifted to the second Friday of the month for August. Members and friends of First United of all ages and family configurations (and your friends and family) are encouraged to gather for this time of informal, unprogrammed fun and fellowship TODAY, Friday, August 8th, 5:30pm-7:30pm. As the name implies, pizza, drinks, and dessert will be provided. 

Upcoming Board & Council Meetings

The Board of Finance (Kyle Hetrick, Chair) will meet in Roger Williams Hall on Monday, August 11th, at 3:30pm. The Board of Worship, Art, and Music (Vickey Allen, Chair) will meet via Zoom on Monday, August 11th, at 5:30pm. The Board of Building and Grounds (Emily Mathes, Chair) will meet via Zoom on Monday, August 11th, at 6:30pm. And, Church Council (Kim Yaussy Albright, President) will meet in Roger Williams Hall on Wednesday, August 20th, at 6:30pm. All meetings of Boards and Council are open to the wider congregation. Please be in touch with appropriate chairs if you are interested in attending.

NEW/UPDATED THIS WEEK

Happy Birthday!

Please remember in your prayers and give thanks for Sara Ivey Lucas (August 14) who will be celebrating her birthday in the week ahead. We are blessed to have you in our lives!

Represent First United at Pridefest

The Board of Outreach has secured a booth for Bloomington Pridefest on Saturday, August 23rd. While most Outreach members will participate in some way, they cannot do it alone! Please consider volunteering to represent First United Church by taking a 1- or 2-hour shift at the church’s booth. Volunteers are needed for festival hours, 2-8pm; set up hours, 12-2pm; and packing up and returning things to church after the event.

 A sign-up sheet will be available in the Narthex starting THIS Sunday, August 10th. Thank you for helping however and whenever you can!

Support Exodus Refugee

The Board of Outreach invites you to offer your support to Exodus Refugee through a special offering on Sunday, August 17th. Exodus has resettled nearly 500 international refugees in Bloomington over the last four years, and our church has been a co-sponsor for two Exodus families. Now with the change in political climate in Washington, the organization has had its federal payments eliminated and has significantly downsized. Nonetheless they are carrying on in Bloomington (as well as in their larger office in Indianapolis). Sara Owen, their public affairs specialist, will be present during worship to update us on their activities.

CLT Art Project Needs

Our Children’s Learning Time is in need of plastic lids—round ones from containers, like cottage cheese. Additionally, they need glass bell jars with lids. These items will be used for an upcoming Galaxy Jar craft. Please drop them off at the church office by August 17th. Thank you!

First Sunday Food Drive – Update

Thanks to your generosity, Keith Gerber delivered 150 pounds of food and supplies to Pathways (formerly MCUM) following the July food drive. Donations are delivered each month. Thank you for your donations to meet ongoing community needs!

Updated food items needed include children’s snacks and cereals given that the recipients of the food are families that are in Pathways rather than general food distribution. More specifically children request sugarcoated cereal like Fruit Loops and individual snacks in small packages. Helper meat boxes such as hamburger helper and tuna helper continue to be needed.

Hansol Send Off

All are invited to gather to celebrate and send off Hansol Kim, our talented and beloved Assistant Music Director & Organist, as she offers her final service with us on Sunday, August 17th. To honor Hansol’s time with us, we will send her off with blessings during worship and will hold a special reception following the service.

While we are saddened to see her go, we celebrate this important milestone in her journey as she begins serving Trinity Episcopal Church alongside her professor and mentor Dr. Janette Fishell. And, we give thanks for all the ways she has enriched our worship life with her gifts and spirit. Hansol will present her degree recital this fall. While the exact date has not yet been set, she would love to have you there to share in that special occasion. More details will be shared once they become available.

Please join us in giving thanks for Hansol’s time at First United and in praying for her continued growth and success through this new opportunity.

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 21st. 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!

Indiana-Kentucky Conference 2025 Annual Gathering

All are invited to join our Indiana-Kentucky Conference (UCC) wider church family for this year’s “Curiosity, Courage, and Christ” Annual Gathering at Plymouth Congregational UCC in Ft. Wayne, IN, August 22nd-23rd. The gathering will begin with opening worship led by musical group, The Many. Additionally, there will be a celebration of the IKC Open and Affirming covenant, a vendor fair, an update on our discernment process with the Heartland Conference, 10 workshops of varying topics, and opportunities to build connections and fellowship with your sibling congregations across the Indiana-Kentucky Conference. Click here for more information and to register.

Congregant Monday Musings

Members and friends of First United are invited to prepare a “Monday Musing” to be shared with the wider congregation via email on the third Monday of each month. Please contact Pastor Jessica and/or Lisa Stanger if you would like to share your thoughts and ideas through this avenue, and they will help you get it scheduled.

UPCOMING WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Sunday Morning Hybrid Worship

Join us for worship each Sunday morning at 10:30am. This Sunday (due to Pastor Jessica’s vacation), 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. Sara Cole, Craig Dalrymple, and Dawn Faris will serve those who gather in person.

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. Lisa Kwong will present the day’s scripture and serve as our congregational lead. Kim Yaussy Albright will highlight some of the many ways we are invited to engage in the life of the church and our wider community. Hansol Kim and Ryan Block will lead us in song, and the Sounds of Indiana will offer special music. Du Huynh will offer a warm welcome to those who will gather in the sanctuary. 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 and refreshment in Fellowship Hall hosted by ?

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

Sunday Morning Tech Team Volunteers Needed

Do you like doing things behind the scenes and/or pushing buttons? If so, please join our Sunday morning volunteer tech team. Every week, it takes two people to run the sound, camera, and computer equipment; in many cases, having three people would be very helpful. This all-volunteer team ensures not only that people in the Sanctuary can hear what is being spoken or sung in the service, but it also ensures that members, friends, and guests have a way to experience the service virtually via Zoom if they cannot attend in person. Recently, the team has been consistently short-handed; therefore, we need people willing to be trained on our audio-visual system and help run the equipment during Sunday worship on a regular basis. If you would like more information on joining the tech team, please reach out to Kyle Hetrick or Pastor Jessica.

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:

  •  Craig Dalrymple
  •  Frank Ivey (father of Sara Ivey Lucas)
  •  Jean Peters
  •  Gwen Staggs
  •  Julia & Don Bebeau
  • Elizabeth Hanson
  • Jen Lane
  • Jean-Paul & Kathy Etienne
  • Lisa Young and family (friends of Sara Ivey Lucas)
  • Sara Cole
  • Rachel Workman
  • Sam Troxal

Special Offering Thank You

Thank you for your support of Spencer Pride through the July 20th special offering. Because of your generosity, we raised $292 to further their impactful work in our wider community! Thank you!

Thank You from Mitchell Farmer

Dear First United Family, thank you for the generous gift of pizza from Azzip at the conclusion of my term. In our household, we say, “pizza is love” and that is what we’ve always felt from First United. It was an honor to serve as president. I gave it my best and hope I did the role reasonably well. I look forward to continuing to work with you and wish all the new leadership well.

Community Immigrant Support

Pastor Jessica has been actively partnering with community members and organizations to broaden our congregation’s support of our immigrant neighbors. If you are interested in getting involved with this important work, please contact her to learn about efforts currently underway and how to contribute. One tangible way you are invited to consider offering support is through contributing money for a nascent legal fund. There is a local man who was snatched by ICE that our community is working hard to bring home, but the legal fees are steep! You are invited to consider donating to the cause: https://givebutter.com/bloom4justice. Feel free to share this link with others who may be interested in helping. Thank you!

People’s Market

First United houses the People’s Cooperative Market (PCM) in Fellowship Hall on Saturdays, 9:30am-1:30pm, offering fresh, locally grown produce through CSAs to be picked up or delivered.The PCM also operates the high tunnel greenhouse to the south of the church playground, which includes a community garden and produces food that is given out at no cost to members of our wider community seeking local, nutritious fresh food. In the coming weeks, you’ll notice garden boxes, vegetables, and wildflowers sprouting up outside of the greenhouse following Council’s approval of this further development to support local food sovereignty during their May meeting.

First United members and friends are always welcome and encouraged to attend the Saturday market! Market members are more than happy to answer questions and guide folks through the growing space. Additionally, you may reach out via email (peoplesmarketmanager@gmail.com) to learn more or to volunteer with the market.

Task of the Month for Earth Care

All within our congregation are encouraged to participate in Earth Care Indiana’s task of the month, a tangible and manageable way youe can get involved in caring for creation. Rebecca Keith will be making periodic announcements and encouraging participation at coffee hour. Check out this Task of the Month website to learn about the tasks that are scheduled. Even small things can make a difference.

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 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 currently in the midst of 24-session study on “Beginnings of Judaism” during which Dr. Isaiah M. Gafni guides us in an exploration of the roots of Judaism, reaching back to the Hebrew Bible. How did Judaism develop from its biblical roots to the highly developed system we know today? What has changed, and what has remained constant? Join us in asking the questions and considering present day connections. Learn more 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 Molly Koontz and Emily Mathes 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 10-11:45am playing in the nursery or on the playground, weather permitting. Brishna Arman and Megan Merrick 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

Announcements Deadline

If you have information to include in our weekly announcements email, please send your item to Lisa Stanger by noon on the Monday before.

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.

Contact Information

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