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 02/09 & 02/16)
  • Usher sign up – Click here (needed 02/02, 02/09, & 02/16)
  • Flowers sign up – Click here
  • Coffee Hour Host sign up – Click here (needed 02/02 & 02/16)
  • Communion Server sign up –Click here
  • Community Kitchen sign up – Click here
  • Donate to First United Online – Click here
  • First United YouTube Channel (sermons) – Click here
  • First United Vimeo Channel (full worship services) – Click here

DON’T FORGET

LGBTQ+ Covenant Group Gathering

LGBTQ+ people and allies are encouraged to get together tomorrow, Saturday, February 1st, 2-4pm, for Rainbow Bowling at Classic Lanes (1421 N Willis Dr, Bloomington). Contact Ben (benalebrahim@gmail.com) if you plan to attend!

Choral Repertoire

Tomorrow, Saturday, February 1st, at 7:30pm, an independent quintet of singers that includes our Music Director, Eric Meinke, will present the works of Prolific English Renaissance composer William Byrd along with the monumental Mass for Five Voices in concert form in our beautiful Sanctuary. Please join them if you can.

First Sunday Food Drive

The Board of Outreach invites you to offer food donations on the first Sunday of each month. 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 this Sunday, February 2nd. As always, all of the collected food and cleaning/hygiene items will go to Pathways (formerly MCUM), and pet food will go to Area 10 Agency on Aging. Click here to for a list of ongoing needs; they are currently most in need of cereal, helper meals, and Mac & Cheese.Thanks to your generosity, Keith Gerber delivered 61 pounds to Pathways following the January food drive. Donations are delivered each month. Thank you for your donations to meet ongoing community needs!

Stewardship 2025 – Our Wider Reach

This Sunday, February 2nd, we will kick off our annual stewardship campaign, Our Wider Reach: Living Our Faith to Make a Better World. Throughout the month of February, we will be talking about the act of making commitments to support our church and community, be it through the contribution of time, talents, or financial resources. This Sunday, we will be joined by John Sauder of the Bloomington Mennonite Fellowship, one of our space-sharing partners, to learn about our wider reach through their ministry and work; additional speakers representing a variety of our space-sharing partners will join us for each Sunday morning worship service. 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 Kim Yaussy Albright 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.

We invite each and every one of you to actively participate in this season of generosity and throughout the year, recognizing that your pledges of time, talent, and treasure reach far beyond the walls and explicit activities of First United Church. Let’s unite in making February a month of collective commitment and positive impact as we live our faith to make a better world!

First United Valentine Card Making

Join First United friends and family of all ages during a special MeRC-hosted Coffee Hour on Sunday, February 9th for Valentine-making fun. Supplies will be provided so you can make cards for friends and family; we will also have conventional cards available. (Supplies will also be available again this Sunday, February 2nd.) Make cards for people in your life outside First United or consider signing up here to help shower your church family with Valentine love; sign up by Sunday, February 2nd online or in person and a member of the Member Relations Committee will follow up with you. Contact Mary Peckham with any questions (mkpeckham59@gmail.com or 812-361-5047).

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!

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 on Friday, February 7th, 5:30pm-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. If you’re planning to attend, please let Pastor Jessica know by Thursday, February 6th 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 for those among us who will be celebrating birthdays this week: Cally Huynh (February 2), Justice Lane (February 3), and Bill Murphy (February 7). We are blessed to have you in our lives!

Immigrant 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 will be distributed at church on Sunday to give you guidance on what to say. For more information contact dave@davemeyer.org.

Congregations & Immigration Workshop

The Center for Congregations will offer a workshop to assist congregations to not only understand the challenges and complexities their immigrant congregants and neighbors face in immigration matters, but also to equip their members to best support immigrants in Indiana. Participants will learn the basic principles of immigration law, how the system currently works (the “life cycle” of obtaining a lawful visa), and better understand the myths surrounding immigration law. Participants will also learn how they can support immigrant neighbors and will have contact information for local and national agencies engaged in this work. The workshop is being offered twice: Tuesday, February 4th, 11am-12:30pm and Thursday, February 6th, 6:30pm-8pm. Click here for more information and to register.

Klavier Winds Chamber Ensemble

The Klavier Winds Chamber Ensemble will offer a concert in our lovely Sanctuary on Sunday, February 9th, at 2pm. The program will include Mozart’s Quintet in E-flat Major, K.452 and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Quintet in B-flat Major. While admission is free, donations will be accepted.

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 being conducting 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

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, Sara Cole, and Craig Dalrymple 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. John Sauder, representing our space-sharing partner the Bloomington Mennonite Fellowship, will join us to share how we have a wider impact on our community through supporting their ministry and work. Kim Yaussy Albright 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 will offer special music. Dave Meyer and Keith Gerber will offer a warm welcome to those who will gather in the sanctuary (sign up here to help). And, Kyle Hetrick and Mitchell Farmer 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 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:

The family of Norma Hollingsworth (mother-in-law of Jean-Paul Etienne), following her death on January 25th

Helen Thompson (grandmother of Heather Farmer)

Julia and Don Bebeau

Jerry Barker (Jen Lane’s mother)

Jameson Poorman (Jen Lane’s nephew)

Rachel Workman

Sam Troxal

Christopher Meincke (Eric’s brother)

Special Offerings – Abundant Generosity!

Thanks to your abundant generosity, we raised $644.00 for Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard through the January 19th special offering and $1951.16 for Hotels for Homeless through the special offerings received during the Candlelight & Carols and Christmas Eve services. Thank you for your tremendous support!

CLT Care Packages—Request for Supplies

Throughout the year ahead, children in CLT (Children’s Learning Time) will have the opportunity to 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 periodically as a part of their Sunday CLT experience when materials are available.

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)
  • Gallon-size ziplock bags (to put items in)
  • Extras (e.g. playing cards, gift cards, bus passes, trash bags)

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. There will be no meeting on January 13th and 20th.

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 Molly Koontz 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.

First United’s Feminist Book Club

Our church has done a good job of putting out the welcome mat for our feminist women’s book club, and it has grown quite large. The group continues to meet after worship and online in a hybrid pattern on the second Sunday of the month. In order to maintain a small-group environment, a waitlist is being instituted for any new members to join as openings occur. If you are interested in reading recent fiction “by women, for women and about women,” contact group facilitator Cindy Stone (stonec@iu.edu) for more information and to be added to the waitlist.

The group’s selections will continue to be shared in case you wish to read them on your own. The selection for Sunday, February 9th is “Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand” by Helen Simonson; written with a delightful sense of humor, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand explores the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of family obligation and tradition. Additionally, you may check out the book club’s Pinterest listing, containing the group’s past selections: http://pinterest.com/reginammoore/feminist-book-club/. You don’t have to have an account to see the picks.

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).

Announcements Deadline

If you would like an announcement included in next week’s church email, please have your item to Lisa Stanger by noon on the Wednesday before.

2025 Offering Envelopes and Direct Deposit

We will be 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