Announcements for the week of March 26,2023

by | Mar 24, 2023 | 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 04/02)
  • Flowers sign up – Click here (needed 04/02)
  • Coffee Hour Host sign up – Click here (needed 04/02)
  • Communion Server sign up –Click here (needed 04/02)
  • Donate to First United Online – Click here
  • First United Vimeo Channel – Click here

DON’T FORGET

Sermon Talk Back

This month’s sermon talk back will take place after worship on Sunday, March 26th. You are invited to head down to Fellowship Hall to grab a drink and a snack and say “hello” to some church friends, and then gather near the fireplace to engage in informal conversation spurred by the day’s sermon. Share with fellow congregants how the sermon connected with you and your life and ask any questions of clarification or curiosity and be enriched by their sharing. Rev. Rebecca Hoke-McCall will be available to address questions, elaborate further on the day’s message, and share additional thoughts she may have had while preparing her sermon. This opportunity is offered in person only.

Time To Order Easter Lilies!

This Lent we are restarting the tradition of decorating the sanctuary with Easter lilies. If you would like to help by purchasing one or more potted lilies, please let Lisa in the office know. If you wish to dedicate your Lily in the memory of a loved one, please let that be known with the order, and a dedication note will be placed along with the Lilly in the Sanctuary. The cost is $9.99 per plant. We will need your order and check by Friday March 31. Be sure to make your check payable to First United Church and in the memo area put “For Easter Lilies”. Thank you!

NEW/UPDATED THIS WEEK

MeRC at Work

Your hard-working Member Relations Committee is constantly creating opportunities for welcome, fun, and fellowship in our church family. Invite a friend, bring family, celebrate community with us!! Questions? Want to help? Contact Mary Peckham mkpeckham59@gmail.com    In April, please join us for:

•       April 9th Easter Morning Egg Hunt with coffee and pastries before church at 9:30 

o      Parents—please respond to the email from MeRC asking if your children will be present for the fun, as age-appropriate goodies will be assembled for each attendee.

o      Everyone—you are gratefully invited to bring muffins, morning buns, even a breakfast bake if you are so inclined.  Questions and notification to Mary

•       Fifth Sunday Potluck on April 30th after worship. This will be a pitch-in in Fellowship Hall, and ALL are invited—to come (with or without a food item), to help set up/staff/ clean up, to EAT and socialize

Photos Needed

To celebrate our big 50th anniversary of the First Baptist Church (ABC-USA) and Christ United Church (UCC) merger we are looking for photos from 1973 to 2023. We are working on creating a slideshow and would love a range of photos of our members and friends during this time. Please email the photos (jpeg or pdf) to Rebecca Keith at rekeith@iu.edu or bring them to the church office by April 4th.

First Sunday Food Drive

Next Sunday, April 2nd, the Board of Outreach encourages you to bring non-perishable food items for our community members in need and place them on the table in the Narthex. As always, all of the collected food and cleaning/hygiene items will go to Monroe County United Ministries (MCUM), located in the Crestmont neighborhood of Bloomington, and pet food will go to Area 10 Agency on Aging. Click here to for a list of MCUM’s ongoing needs. And, note their special request for meal helpers for rice or other dry pasta, tuna helper or similar, Jiffy mix, saltine crackers, and cereals. Thank you for your donations to meet ongoing community needs.

Our results from last month’s donations was 226 lbs. Thank you!

Spring Workday

The Board of Building and Grounds is having a spring workday on Saturday, April 1st, 8am-11:00am. Come join us as we prepare our beautiful church grounds for spring!

Help with raking, spreading mulch, and removing last year’s growth is much appreciated!

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, April 7th, 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, so please let Pastor Jessica know by Thursday, April 6th if you’re planning to attend so she can be sure to have enough food for all and account for any dietary needs.

First United’s Feminist Book Club

Our feminist women’s book club will meet Sunday, April 9th, at 12pm, in Roger Williams Hall and via Zoom for an hour-long lively discussion on “Miss Benson’s Beetle” by Rachel Joyce — It is 1950. London is still reeling from World War II, and Margery Benson, a schoolteacher and spinster, is trying to get through life, surviving on scraps. One day, she reaches her breaking point, abandoning her job and small existence to set out on an expedition to the other side of the world in search of her childhood obsession: an insect that may or may not exist—the golden beetle of New Caledonia. When she advertises for an assistant to accompany her, the woman she ends up with is the last person she had in mind. Fun-loving Enid Pretty in her tight-fitting pink suit and pom-pom sandals seems to attract trouble wherever she goes. But together these two British women find themselves drawn into a cross-ocean adventure that exceeds all expectations and delivers something neither of them expected to find: the transformative power of friendship.

Feminist women of all ages are invited to join us. You may check out our book club’s Pinterest listing: http://pinterest.com/reginammoore/feminist-book-club/ which has our group’s past selections. You don’t have to have an account to see our picks. For Zoom information or more information about the book club contact facilitator Cindy Stone, stonec@indiana.edu.

Reader’s Choice Book Group

The Reader’s Choice Book Group will meet on Monday, April 10th at 1:30pm in the home of Nancy Martin (1047 E Sassafras Cir, Meadowood).

The book for this month’s discussion is “Hiding in the Spotlight” by Greg Dawson—Zhanna, a young Jewish girl from Ukraine, also happens to be a gifted piano prodigy and is giving concerts by the age of six. When disaster strikes her hometown and her family is condemned to exile and execution, Zhanna manages to escape the famed Nazi death march to Dorbitsky Yar and uses her rare musical gift to help her survive. Performing and giving concerts for the occupying German troops as they move throughout Europe, Zhanna keeps her true identity a secret until a young American soldier with ties to Julliard adopts her. Upon her emigration to America, Zhanna’s gift flourishes and she becomes one of the first Jewish refugees to enter Juilliard.

If you like to read, come join the group at any or all of its meetings at 1:30pm on the second Monday of each month.

UPCOMING WORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Sunday Morning Hybrid Worship

Join us for worship each Sunday morning at 10:30am. This Sunday will feature Rev. Rebecca Hoke-McCall in the pulpit. Michael Shell will present the day’s scripture reading and serve as our congregational lead. Eric Meincke and Hansol Kim will lead us musically throughout the service, with the First United Vocal Choir offering the day’s special music.

Rebecca Keith will highlight some of the many ways we are invited to engage in the life of the church and our wider community. Laurie Eynon and the Koontz family will offer a warm welcome to all those who gather in the sanctuary, while Dave Meyer will welcome all who join via Zoom. Laura Kao will provide a beautiful floral arrangement in honor of her daughter’s birthday. Finally, Kyle Hetrick will ensure the audio/visual pieces run as smoothly as possible. And, be sure to stick around for conversation and coffee hour graciously hosted by Rebecca Keith.

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

Holy Week Worship

You are invited to gather together in the Sanctuary on Holy Thursday evening, April 6th, 5:30pm-7pm, as we share a simple meal and join together in worship in remembrance of Jesus’s final gathering with his earliest followers and friends. We will gather around the communion table for a meal of soup and bread and then engage in worship with communion using Marty Haugen’s Holden Evening Prayer. This predominantly-sung service uses contemporary and inclusive language and offers space for quiet meditation, spoken prayer, and the presentation of scripture. Then on April 7th, 12:10pm-1pm, you are encouraged to gather in our lovely Chapel for a contemplative Good Friday service as we mark this mournful day together with song, prayer, silence, and reflection. These services will be offered in person only.

Share Your Favorite Hymns

Pastor Jessica’s invitation to share the hymns that you love, that enrich your faith life, that inspire and comfort you is still open! This invitation is for old-timers, new-comers, and everyone in between, because it is together that we are First United. In addition to sharing the name of your beloved hymns, you are encouraged you to share a bit about why and how they are meaningful to you. Additionally, in your communication to Pastor Jessica, please indicate whether you would be willing to have your first name and last initial shared on the church bulletin board that is already coming alive with your hymn favorites. Share hymns via email, text, or conversation (phone or in person). Or write your hymn on the bulletin board in the hallway. As evidenced the past couple of Sundays, Pastor Jessica is committed to actually providing you opportunities to sing your favorite hymns on Sunday mornings further enriching our experience of worship together.

Choir and Bell Choir Rehearsals

All music lovers are welcome to join both the vocal and bell choirs. The vocal choir rehearses in the Choir Room on Thursdays at 7:30pm. The bell choir is on hiatus and will resume their regular 6:15pm Thursday evening rehearsals in Roger Williams Hall on April 27th.

COMMUNITY CARE

Volunteer with Community Kitchen

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

First United Composting

First United Church, through a donation from a member, plans to sign up for a self-serve drop-off composting service provided by Earthkeepers Bloomington Compost. A composting bucket will be kept in the church kitchen to collect leftover food scraps from coffee hour, potlucks, Pizza & Play Fridays, etc. Unlike the typical backyard compost setup, Earthkeepers takes ALL organic waste—meat and dairy included—along with food-soiled paper products like napkins and pizza boxes. If it grows, it goes! Look for future announcements asking for weekly volunteers to take the compost to a nearby drop-off cabinet.

Our Honduran Friends and the Displaced Immigrant Support Program

Recently Exodus coordinated a “graduation meeting” for the Gutierrez/Mendoza family the church has been sponsoring. This means that the church’s relationship with the family has transitioned from being our guests to becoming our friends. Dara and José have impressed us with how determined they are. Their capabilities in managing the huge transition in their lives has amazed all the DISP church volunteers.

We are still seeking help with some supports–looking for summer camps for the kids, documents from the BMV, and other items, but they are doing really well in their new apartment and lives. José has been working for the last couple of weeks at IU as a full-time custodian, and Dara will start a new full-time job at Bell Trace as a housekeeper next week.

When DISP met this week, we discussed whether we are ready to sponsor a new family and agreed that we are. When a new family is assigned to us there will be many new challenges as well as new joys. We need more church volunteers to help as well as additional funds to support new refugees. Funds for the displaced immigrant program are independent from the regular church budget. Do you have a gift of time or treasure that you can share to help a new family feel welcome and gain capability in our community? Contact Dave Meyer (dwm@davemeyer.org) or Hopi Stosberg (hopi@stosberg.com) for more information.

Take the IKC ONA Discernment Survey!

The Indiana-Kentucky Conference (UCC) has designated a group of leaders to engage the Open and Affirming process at a conference level. Just as individual congregations can go through this process (as First United did), each conference of the UCC is invited to have this important conversation as well. To that end, the IKC team has put together a few questions that you are invited to answer honestly. Your responses will help them better understand where we are as a conference and discern the best way to move forward. All individuals and congregation/governing bodies are encouraged to complete this survey. Your help is much appreciated as we seek to offer extravagant welcome to our LGBTQIA+ siblings in Christ.

UCC General Synod Volunteer Opportunities

The 34th General Synod of the United Church of Christ will convene in Indianapolis June 30th-July 4th, 2023. Yes, you read that correctly, the Indiana-Kentucky Conference (UCC) will host this biennial meeting of the wider church! And, the IKC needs your help to extend an extraordinary welcome to our siblings in faith from across the country and around the globe as they gather together in our home conference. Learn about volunteer opportunities and share your interests by clicking here. Sign up to serve as a volunteer here.

With Synod taking place so close this time, you are encouraged to consider attending this meaningful event as a guest and getting to know this part of our wider church family better whether you are interested and able to volunteer or not (though volunteering will certainly help with the registration fee; think $275 for regular full registration compared to $65 if you volunteer!). Visit the UCC’s General Synod website here to learn more about what’s in store for General Synod 2023.

A Coffee Hour Every Sunday!

The Member Relations Committee (MeRC) is encouraging our congregation to offer simple fellowship after worship every Sunday. You can sign up here, and click here to view revised instructions. Fellowship is vital to a strong community and easy to support with the gift of minimal time and effort. Malissa Sparks or Mary Peckham can answer any questions you may have. And, a reminder that, while hosts are free to supplement items if they wish, all food, drink, and serving supplies are provided by the church.

EDUCATIONAL OFFERINGS 

Off-Topic Scripture Circle

You are invited to join with members and friends of First United 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. We meet via Zoom only in an effort to be more accessible; join the Zoom meeting here.

Tuesday Morning Café and Discussion

Join us in Roger Williams Hall or via Zoom (click here) on Tuesday mornings, 10am-11:30am, as we continue to explore the 36-session video series “The History of Christianity II: From the Reformation to the Modern Megachurch” presented by Dr. Molly Worthen. These weekly gatherings are a great opportunity to connect with First United friends though informal conversation (first 30 minutes) followed by thought-provoking theological study and discussion. While we’d love to see you every Tuesday, perfect attendance is not required, neither is previous participation. See you there!

Children’s Learning Time

Each Sunday, kids in kindergarten and up are welcome to Children’s Learning Time (CLT) in Room 2 after Children’s Time during the morning worship service. Many thanks to Sandra Meder and Sabine Lammers for leading CLT this Sunday. Interested in joining our CLT assistant teacher rotation? Contact Molly Koontz.

Nursery Care

Our youngest children are welcome to spend time from 10am-11:45am playing in the nursery or on the playground, weather permitting. Molly Koontz and Lena Stosberg 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

Anniversary Celebrations!

We have two exciting events coming up to celebrate some milestones at First United Church. The date of the First Baptist Church (ABC-USA) and Christ United Church (UCC) merger for our congregation was on Palm Sunday, April 15th, 1973, and the date that we changed our name from First Baptist Church-United Church of Christ to First United Church was May 18th, 2003. So, we have two great anniversaries to commemorate!

  • 50th Merger Anniversary Potluck after worship (entertainment, too!) on Sunday, April 16th (Sunday after Easter)
  • 20th Naming Anniversary Potluck after worship (with Songwriting Festival/Sing-along) on Sunday, June 11th (also the date of the Congregational Meeting too!)

Plans are underway, and YOU can be part of making these wonderful events a grand celebratory success! Email or call Rebecca Keith to join the fun: rekeith@iu.edu or 812-325-0145.

First United Songwriting Festival

First United will host a songwriting festival on Sunday, June 11th in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of our church merger and the 20thAnniversary of our name change. Help us celebrate these milestones as you put your love of First United into song. Take a favorite tune and give it new First-United-inspired words or write a completely original song music and all. Not sure about taking this on alone? Ask a First United friend or two to partner with you! And don’t forget to call on the great musical resources we have in so many talented members and friends of our faith community including but surely not limited to our Music Director, Eric Meincke. Please have submissions in by April 16th (if you would like assistance with transcribing the music or need any other assistance from Eric) or by May 1st so the choir can start learning the songs in preparation for a performance/sing-along event on June 11th in conjunction with a celebratory potluck following our Congregational Meeting.

Nominating Committee Formed

The 2023 Nominating Committee—Mary Peckham and Sam Troxal (Co-chairs), with Barb Clark, Julia Lebeau, Enrico Lunghi, and Michael Shell (representing their boards)—is now meeting. We are prayerfully seeking to fill officer and board vacancies—Vice President and Assistant Treasurer, plus Board of Building & Grounds (1 or 2 3-year spots), Board of Education (3 spots for 1, 2, and 3 years), and Board of Worship (2 3-year spots). You can nominate yourself or suggest that we approach someone you think has gifts to offer; no one is formally nominated without their knowledge and full consent! Please ask us about our work and about these opportunities to serve our faith family!! And, in the spirit of letting each of you know that we see you and all you have to offer, if we approach you, know that if the time is not right for you this year, a seed is being planted for the future. Contact Mary with questions.

First United Stickers

Been looking for a simple, non-intrusive way to share about First United? Well, look no further! First United stickers are here! Thanks to a generous donation from one of our members, you can now spread the word about our open, welcoming, and affirming community of love and acceptance with a simple yet informative 4” round sticker. Put one on your office door, backpack, laptop bag, bulletin board at your favorite coffee shop, anywhere and everywhere to spark curiosity and perhaps conversation about First United. And, if you can and are so inclined, perhaps donate a dollar for each sticker you take home. Stickers will be available in the church office throughout the week and near the Sanctuary entrances on Sunday mornings. Let’s spread the word about our fabulous faith community!

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