Announcements for the week of August 31, 2025

by | Aug 29, 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 09/07 & 09/14)
  • 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 09/07)
  • 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

Poetry Reading

First United member Lisa Kwong will be reading poetry and creative nonfiction at 2pm on Saturday, August 30th, at the Fourth Street Festival as part of the Writers Guild at Bloomington’s Spoken Word Stage. The complete lineup and more info can be found here. All are welcome to come out an support Lisa as she shares her work with our wider community.

It’s a 20th Anniversary Fifth-Sunday Potluck!

Join us this Sunday, August 31st after worship for one of our fabulous pitch-in meals. This potluck will be extra special as we will be celebrating Lisa Stanger’s 20th anniversary as First United’s Office Manager! Bring a dish to share (labeled for allergens if possible) or just join us; there are always plenty. If you’d like a one-off volunteer opportunity, join us at 9:30am to set up, or just jump into cleanup afterwards. Contact Mary Peckham for information mkpeckham59@gmail.com or 812-361-5047.

Office Closure

The church office will be closed for regular hours Monday, September 1st through Friday, September 5th for the Labor Day holiday and while Lisa Stanger is away on vacation. Please contact Kim Yaussy Albright should you need immediate assistance on September 1st or Rev. Petersen-Mutai September 2nd-5th.

Bell Choir Rehearsals Begin

Bell Choir rehearsals will start this Thursday, September 4th. The Bell Choir will rehearse weekly on Thursdays in Room 4 from 6:15-7:15pm. While no previous experience is required, a familiarity with music is helpful. Join us if you can.

Pizza & Play

Members and friends of First United of all ages and family configurations (and your friends and family) are encouraged to gather for Pizza & Play next Friday, September 5th, 5:30-7:30pm. We’ll enjoy a time of informal, unprogrammed fun and fellowship in Fellowship Hall. As the name implies, pizza, drinks, and dessert will be provided. This month, we will also welcome our newly hired Pizza & Play Coordinator Maria Biggs! If you’re planning to attend, please let Pastor Jessica know by Wednesday, September 3rd so she can be sure to have enough food for all and account for any dietary needs.

NEW/UPDATED THIS WEEK

Happy Birthday!

Please remember in your prayers and give thanks to those who will be celebrating their birthdays in the week ahead: Jean Peters (September 1) and Madeline Betz (September 5). We are blessed to have you in our lives!

Upcoming Board & Council Meetings

The Board of Building and Grounds (Emily Mathes, Chair) will meet via Zoom on Monday, September 8th, at 6:30pm. The Board of Community and Outreach (Julia Bebeau, Chair) will meet via Zoom on Tuesday, September 9th, at 5:30pm. 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.

Special Offering Thank You

Because of your support of Exodus Refugee Immigration through a special offering we received during worship on Sunday, August 17th. We raised $727! Thank you for supporting this impactful work in our wider community.

Out of the Office

Pastor Jessica will be out of the office September 10th-13th as she and Kim Yaussy Albright attend the opening retreat for our Thriving Congregations Grant in Paoli, PA. All are invited to hold Kim and Pastor Jessica in prayer as they travel and engage in this meaningful retreat as our congregation continues in this discernment process. You may contact Lisa Stanger for emergent needs during regular office hours and Vice President Michael Shell after hours.

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 pick for September 14th is “Zorrie” by Laird Hunt. Prize-winning author Laird Hunt (who attended Clinton High School near Kokomo and is an IU graduate) gives us a novel about a woman searching for her place in rural Indiana life. As a young girl, Zorrie’s modest path saw her moving in with her Hoosier aunt, and the author shows us the realities and tough landscape of rural, Depression-era Indiana. Zorrie later survives on odd jobs and finds a dangerous position at a radium processing plant which leads her to decide to return to her Indiana home. There she finally finds the love and community that had eluded her. The novel spans an entire lifetime—a life convulsed and transformed by the events of the 20th century and offers an intimate portrait of one woman’s dreams. Says one reviewer, “this novel belongs on a shelf with the classics of Willa Cather and Elizabeth Strout.” Check out our book club’s Pinterest listing here. For Zoom information or more information about the book club contact facilitator Cindy Stone, stonec@iu.edu.

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 you 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.

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:

  • Geoffery Franklin (new attender)
  • Craig Dalrymple
  • Frank Ivey (father of Sara Ivey Lucas)
  • Jean Peters
  • Gwen Staggs
  • Elizabeth Hanson
  • Jen Lane
  • Jean-Paul & Kathy Etienne
  • Lisa Young and family (friends of Sara Ivey Lucas)
  • Sara Cole
  • Sam Troxal

UPCOMING WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Sunday Morning Hybrid Worship

Join us for worship each Sunday morning at 10:30am. During this fifth Sunday, we will worship using Marty Haugen’s “Holden Evening Prayer” (gently adapted for morning use). We will also join together in celebrating Lisa Stanger on the occasion of her 20th anniversary as First United’s Office Manager. Additionally, Pastor Jessica will 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. Ryan Block and Hyeyeon Ahn will lead us in song, and the First United Vocal Choir will offer special music. Phyllis Eads, Linda Smith, and Martin and Jabali Mutai 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. A beautiful floral arrangement will be provided by Jean Peters’s four sons, in appreciation of their mother as she celebrates her 94th birthday. Finally, be sure to join us for our 20th Anniversary Fifth Sunday Potluck in Fellowship Hall following the service.

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

Start of a New Music Season

The Bell and Vocal Choirs are very excited to begin their 2025-2026 season this fall under our new Music Director Ryan Block! Rehearsals for the Vocal Choir and Bell Choir are underway each Thursday. The Bell Choir rehearses weekly on Thursdays in Room 4 from 6:15-7:15pm, and the Vocal Choir rehearses weekly on Thursdays from 7:30-9pm in the Choir Room. If you are interested in joining either or both of the choirs, please reach out to Ryan Block (blockryfuc@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!

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

End-of-Summer Workday

The Board of Building and Grounds is having an end-of-summer workday next Saturday, September 6th, 8-11am. Come join us as we prepare our beautiful church grounds for fall! Help with weeding, trimming, removing brush, and more. Hope to see you then!

First Sunday Food Drive

The Board of Community & Outreach invites you to offer food donations on the first Sunday of each month on at table in the narthex. Next Sunday, September 7th, we encourage you to bring donations of non-perishable food items for our community members in need. As always, all of the collected food and cleaning/hygiene items will go to Pathways (formally Monroe County United Ministries, MCUM), and pet food will go to Area 10 Agency on Aging. Updated food items needed for Pathways 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. Thanks to your generosity, Keith Gerber delivered 179 pounds of food and supplies to Pathways following the August food drive. Thank you!

“Cracking the Healer’s Code” – Book Read & Author Events

The Bloomington Multifaith Alliance Faith for Racial Equity team (facilitated by Pastor Jessica) invites you to join together with Milagros Phillips (joining virtually), author of “Cracking the Healer’s Code: A Prescription for Healing Racism & Finding Wholeness,” next Sunday, September 7th, 3-5pm as we kick off a community book read of her powerful book. This event will be held in the Meeting Room at the Unitarian Universalist Church (2120 N. Fee Ln, Bloomington). See event flyer here.

Multiple Bloomington faith communities will offer book study groups following this opening event. First United will offer our group via Zoom 1-2pm on the first and third Thursday of each month beginning September 18th (through December 4th). Additional groups with various meeting times and formats are listed here. You are encouraged to attend whichever group is conducive to your schedule.

Additionally, mark your calendars for Sunday, January 18th, 3-5pm as we join with Milagros Phillips for a capstone event following the community book read also held at the Unitarian Universalist Church. All are welcome and encouraged to attend both events and to participate in this impactful book read. Contact Pastor Jessica with any questions.

Poverty Simulation

SCCAP Thriving Connections and the Bloomington Multifaith Alliance Faith for Racial Equity team will offer a Poverty Simulation on Saturday, October 4th, 12:30-4pm. This interactive experience will feature long-time Bloomington community members with lived experience of poverty and local systems and resources. During the simulation, participants will be grouped into nuclear families and given a file on their family composition and income. They will then be given four 12-to-15 minute “weeks” to meet the needs of their family through interactions with employers, government agencies, and themselves. After the simulation, there will be a period to debrief and discuss the experience with a panel of Thriving Connections community members with lived experience. There is no fee to participate, but donations may be made to SCCAP Thriving Connections by clicking here, or sending a check to the SCCAP office at 1500 West 15th Street, Bloomington IN 47404 with “Thriving Connections” in the memo. Click here to visit the Eventbrite page (where you can register). Space is limited, and registration is required. Contact Pastor Jessica with any questions.

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. 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.

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 

 

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 nearing the end of a 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.

Off-Topic Scripture Circle on Hiatus

Due to low participation, our weekly Monday morning scripture study is on hiatus until further notice. During this hiatus, Pastor Jessica will work with the Board of Faith Formation to develop ways to engage the congregation to discern interest in and availability for a regular Bible study. Thank you for your understanding.

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 Noel Koontz and Lena Stosberg 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 Molly Koontz 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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