Announcements for the week of September 01, 2024

by | Aug 30, 2024 | 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 09/08)
  • Usher sign up – Click here (needed 09/01, 09/08, & 09/15)
  • Flowers sign up – Click here
  • Coffee Hour Host sign up – Click here (needed 09/08 & 09/15)
  • Communion Server sign up –Click here
  • Community Kitchen sign up – Click here (needed 09/17)
  • Bloomington Pridefest – Click here (needed 09/14)
  • Online Commitment/Pledge Card – Click here
  • Donate to First United Online – Click here
  • First United Vimeo Channel – Click here

DON’T FORGET

Covenant Groups – Input Requested

Are you looking for a space where you can connect with others from First United and explore topics that interest you? The Member Relations Committee (MeRC) is organizing another year of Covenant Groups and wants your input! Please share your interests and willingness to get involved though this brief Google form here (complete by Saturday, August 31st).

First Sunday Food Drive

The Board of Outreach invites you to offer food donations on the first Sunday of each month. On Sunday, September 1st, 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. As always, all of the collected food and cleaning/hygiene items will go to Monroe County United Ministries (MCUM), and pet food will go to Area 10 Agency on Aging. Please note that MCUM is in great need of cleaning and hygiene items at this time. Also, click here to for a list of MCUM’s ongoing needs, including their special request for Carrots, Potatoes, Tomatoes and tomato sauce, Ramen, Baking mix, Crackers, Laundry soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, and Feminine hygiene products.Thank you for your donations to meet ongoing community needs.

Office Closure

The church office will be closed for regular hours Monday, September 2nd through Friday, September 6th for the Labor Day holiday and while Lisa Stanger is away on vacation. Please contact Mitchell Farmer should you need immediate assistance on September 2nd, and Pastor Jessica September 3rd-6th.

NEW/UPDATED THIS WEEK

Happy Birthday!

Please remember in your prayers and give thanks for 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!

Feminist Women’s Book Club

Our feminist women’s book club will meet after worship on the third Sunday of September 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 September 15th book selection is “Our Best Intentions” by Vibhuti Jain. During summer break one day, Angie, the teenage daughter of an Indian immigrant, is walking home after swimming at the high school pool when she finds a white classmate from a wealthy family, stabbed and bleeding on the football field. The police immediately focus their investigation on a runaway Black girl who disappears after the stabbing. The incident sends shock waves through the community and reveals jarring truths about the lengths to which families will go to protect themselves. Covering multiple perspectives, Our Best Intentions is a gripping story about a father and daughter re-examining their familial bonds and place in the community that explores how easily friendships, careers, communities, and individual lives can unravel when both privilege and racial biases are exposed. Check out our book club’s Pinterest listing: http://pinterest.com/reginammoore/feminist-book-club/. For Zoom information or more information about the book club contact facilitator Cindy Stone, stonec@indiana.edu.

Poetry Reading

First United member Lisa Kwong will read poetry and memoir this Saturday, August 31, 3:30pm, at this weekend’s Fourth Street Festival as part of Writers Guild at Bloomington’s Spoken Word Stage. The full lineup is here.

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. Patty Williams, Laurie Eynon, and Molly Koontz will serve those who gather in person and could use some help.

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. Keith Gerber will present the day’s scripture and serve as our congregational lead. Additionally, 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 will lead us in song. Linda Smith and Bill Perkins will offer a warm welcome to all those who will gather in the sanctuary; sign up here to help. And, Kyle Hetrick and Herbert Sizek will welcome all who join via Zoom as they ensure the audio/visual pieces run as smoothly as possible. Jessica Petersen-Mutai and Martin Mutai will provide a beautiful floral arrangement in honor of their wedding anniversary. Finally, be sure to join us in Fellowship Hall after worship 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 Sunday evening 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 2024-2025 season this Fall! 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 of the choirs, please reach out to Eric Meincke (ericdmeincke@gmail.com). Hansol Kim, whom we are delighted to have in her new position as Assistant Music Director, 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:

Jordan, Linda, and Lori Bable and Virginia McClure (Christina Ruiz’s friends)

Anne Wright (Mary Peckham’s sister)

Sara Cole

Sam Troxal

Danielle Sheets Ivey (Sara Ivey Lucas’s sister-in-law)

Lisa Kwong

Christopher Meincke (Eric’s brother)

Jeanne and Norm Overly

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, September 6th, 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 5pm Thursday, September 5th if you’re planning to attend.

Poverty Simulation

All are encouraged to participate in a Community Action Poverty Simulation, hosted by SCCAP Thriving Connections in partnership with the Bloomington Multifaith Alliance Faith for Racial Equity Team. The simulation will take place on Saturday, September 7th, 1-4pm, at St Mark’s United Methodist Church (100 Indiana 46 Bloomington). Participants must be 14 years of age or older, and minors must be accompanied by an adult.

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 in the Poverty Simulation, 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 access the flier with additional information and here to visit the Eventbrite page (where you can register). Space is limited, and registration is required.

Represent First United at Pridefest

The Board of Outreach has secured a booth for Bloomington Pridefest on Saturday, September 14th. 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. Festival hours are from 2-8pm. 

Sign up on the sheet available in the Narthex or the online Sign Up Genius (click here). Thank you for helping however and whenever you can!

FREE First United Yard Signs

Spread the word about who we are as a progressive community of faith with your very own “Critical Thinking Encouraged” First United yard sign. Signs and stands are available to all at no cost. Pick them up in the Narthex on Sunday or stop by the church office during regular office hours. Post them in your lawns, offices, windows, etc. as a simple way to share that “We take the Bible too seriously to take it literally.”

People’s Market

First United houses the People’s Cooperative Market in our Fellowship Hall regularly each Saturday, 9:00am-1:00pm. 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 person or online 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-sesson study: “The History and Archeology of the Bible” with Dr. Jean-Pierre Isbouts. Previous participation and perfect attendance are not required. Those interested and able are welcome to gather in Roger Williams Hall; those choosing to join online via Zoom can do so here.

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 the Children’s Time. Many thanks to Sandra Meder and Noel Koontz for leading CLT this Sunday.

Due to relocations, we have lost two of our regular CLT leaders. 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 Molly Koontz, 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 Molly Koontz if you are interested and with any questions.

CONGREGATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS

A Financial Update

As of June 30, the Church’s overall income was $160,000 (55% of budget), with pledges and regular giving at $94,000 (61% of budget). Overall expenses were at $162,600 (45% of budget), which is $2,600 over the total income. This deficit is likely to grow due to increased payroll and insurance expenses and decreased facility usage fees (because the Head Start lease has expired). Upcoming special expenses include repairs to the Sanctuary roof ($75,000 funded by a Sacred Places Grant and lead donations from two individuals) and substantial upgrades to the function and design of the Church website ($14,000 funded by the endowment). We will also need to fund repairs to one of the Sanctuary’s main audio monitors (amount TBD). Special offerings over the past few months include over $600 for Hotels for Homeless, $1,270 for One Great Hour of Sharing, over $1000 for the church’s Love Fund, and over $900 for the Bloomington Refugee Support Network. As always, thank you to everyone who generously supports our faith community’s ministries and outreach efforts as they are able!

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.

2024 Offering Envelopes and Direct Deposit

We are using leftover 2023 offering envelope boxes for 2024. Envelope boxes are available on a table outside of the Sanctuary entrance closest to the chancel. Whether you’ve used them before or this is your first time, you are welcome to pick up a box! 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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