And, mark you calendars – the Village Coffee House returns on April 15th!
Join us at 3:00pm for KindKIDS Music. Donations will be accepted at the door.
KindKids Music is a dynamic duo with original music, puppets, and a highly interactive performance that shares tools for emotional resilience, fosters kindness, and encourages wellness all while having FUN!
Join us at 7:00pm for music by Jim Gallant. Tickets will be $10 at the door.
Mix a little Americana, Blues, Folk, Bluegrass and Rockabilly with some great original music and you have the music of the Jim Gallant Band. Jim is a well-known New Gloucester musician and always a favorite at the Coffeehouse.
The events of Christ’s Passion, which take place during the last week of Jesus’ life, often don’t receive enough time in our worship and study. These stories are important to our faith journey and our identity as followers of Jesus. And yet we often move too quickly from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday with little time to take in the dramatic story of that last week. Throughout the six weeks of Lent we will “freeze-frame” moments in Holy Week so we might put ourselves in the picture, thereby “Entering the Passion of Jesus.” How might taking a closer look at the ancient story open us to deeper conviction for our role in its ongoing message?
Each Sunday we will use scripture, story telling, and art to put ourselves into the Holy Week story. Click the links below to see the artwork.
February 26 – The Parade
Scripture – Matthew 21:1-11 Art – “Entry Into the City” by John Swanson
March 5 – The Temple
Scripture – Mark 11:15-19 Art – “Cleansing of the Temple” by Pieter Artsen
March 12 – The Teaching
Scripture – Matthew 22:15-22 Art – “The Tribute Money” by James Tissot
March 19 – The First Dinner
Scripture Mark 14:3-9 Art – “Mary Anoints Jesus’ Feet” by Anonymous
March 26 – The Last Supper
Scripture – John 13:1-16 Art – “Washing the Disciples Feet” by David Paynter
April 2 – The Garden
Scripture – Mark 14:32-52 Art – “Christ on Gethsemane” by JESUS MAFA
This worship series is adapted from materials written by the Worship Design Studio.
Bible Study
Want to dig deeper into these stories? Join us for Bible Study every Wednesday in March from 4:30-5:30pm.
Lent At Home Devotional
We have copies of “Henri Matisse and the Colors of Lent” available in the church office. It uses the art of Henri Matisse to explore the themes of Lent. If you want quick links to all of the paintings referenced in the devotional click here. And if you would like a version of this devotional that you can access on your phone/tablet, contact the church office. Thanks to The Salt Project for producing this beautiful resource.
It’s time for the annual meeting! All members of the First Congregational Christian Church of New Gloucester are encourage to attend the meeting on January 22. Meeting will be held in the Vestry after worship. We will be approving a 2023 budget and recognizing the new search committee.
There will also be a budget workshop on January 15 after worship for those who wish to take a deeper look at the 2023 budget.
Celebrate Christmas with First Congregational Church
December 24th
The New Gloucester Food Pantry will be open on Christmas Eve from 8am-9:30am for any New Gloucester resident in need of food assistance.
4:30pm – Carols on the Lawn
Join us in singing our favorite Christmas Carols around the fire. Hot Cocoa will be served and we will be collecting donations for the Fuel Assistance Fund.
7:00pm – Lessons and Carols
Join us in the sanctuary as we celebrate the birth of Christ through scripture, song, silence and candlelight.
December 25th
9:30am – Christmas Worship in the Vestry
We will sing carols, read a Christmas story, and enjoy cookies and waffles as we celebrate Christmas together.
Our collection of Mini Warmth Kits continues through the entire month of December. You can drop off assembled kits, or donate individual items and we will assemble the kits here.
The angels that appear in the story of Jesus’ birth share a short, but simple message with those they encounter, “Do Not Be Afraid!” This Advent, we will contemplate the message they bring to Zechariah, Mary, Joseph and the Shepherds, and then find ways to carry God’s message of more hope, more peace, more joy, and more love into the world.
Here are a few ways you can celebrate the season with us:
Sunday Worship – Join us each Sunday for worship in the sanctuary at 9:30am. On December 18th, worship will include special music from the church orchestra!
Advent Book Study – We’ll be using Susan Robb’s new book “The Angel’s of Christmas” to guide our discussion, but you can come even if you don’t have the book. We’ll meet on Wednesdays from 4:30-5:30 starting on November 30th.
Christmas Mission Project – We’re assembling mini-warmth kits for Maine Needs that will be distributed to unhoused folks across the state of Maine.
Christmas Concert featuring the Coastal Winds Community Band
December 13th at 6:30pm in the sanctuary. Donations for the fuel assistance fund and non-perishable food items for the food pantry will be collected at the door.
Christmas Eve Celebrations – December 24th
4:30pm Caroling and Cocoa on the church lawn
7:00pm Service of Lessons and Carols in the sanctuary
Christmas Day – December 25th
9:30am Worship in the Vestry
This will be a cozy service with Christmas Carols and a Christmas story. Bring some cookies to share!
Join us for our fall worship series, “I’ve been meaning to ask…” (a resource from Sanctified Art).
Some of the best conversations start with good questions—questions we’ve been meaning to ask, questions that keep us curious, and questions that lead us deeper into courage and connection. Our guiding questions for the season will be: “I’ve been meaning to ask… Where are you from?… Where does it hurt?… What do you need?… Where do we go from here?” These are deep questions that invite us to tell our stories, share our pain, care for one another, and dream about a new way forward together.
We’ll have some extra time for conversation and connection throughout this series. Each Sunday, a question will be posted on the wall to prompt coffee hour conversation (or, for you to share your written reflection).
And there are a few special events planned, too:
September 18th -Ice Cream social on the lawn after worship
October 9th – Blessing of the Animals 11am – bring your beloved creatures (be they furry, feathered, scaled or shelled) to the church lawn for a brief ritual of prayer and blessing. For everyone’s safety and comfort, please bring your animal companions on a leash or in a carrier. You can also bring a picture if your animal friends don’t travel well! Kids can bring a favorite stuffed friend to be blessed, too.
October 23rd – Curiosity and Connection Worship – We’ll gather in the Vestry around tables, inviting deeper connections through conversation, listening and refreshments.
Want more opportunities to join the conversation?
Join us on Tuesdays from 3-4pm for Bible Study and conversation (begins 9/20)
Stop by the church for a printed Study Journal with art, reflections on scripture, and poetry to prompt conversations at home (or email Pastor Kelli if you’d prefer a digital copy)
Find us on Facebook where we’ll be sharing questions, reflections, and art each week.
What have you been meaning to ask? Come wonder and connect with us every Sunday at 9:30am.
Join us on the lawn (or in the vestry if it rains) for our summer book chats. We’ll be discussing the books that Pastor Kelli is using for summer worship.
In July we’ll discuss the book of Jonah. In August, we’ll talk about Help, Thanks, Wow by Ann Lamott.
Bring a lawn chair if you have one.
For the entire month of May, when you purchase a $2.50 reusable Fight Hunger Bag at the Hannaford in Gray, $1 is donated to the New Gloucester Food Pantry.
You can pick up a Fight Hunger Bag on displays around the store and at the checkout or online via Hannaford-To-Go.
Don’t need more reusable bags at your house? Pick one up to support this fundraiser, then bring the bag to the food pantry and we will use it to help pantry clients get their groceries home.
The New Gloucester Food Pantry distributes food to any New Gloucester resident on the second and fourth Saturday of each month.
Thanks to Hannaford for their continued support of the pantry.
We hope you will join us for Holy Week and Easter services
Dear friends,
We are two years into the Covid-19 pandemic, and we continue to adapt the ways we gather in order to protect ourselves and our community.
At our meeting last week, the Church Council took up a discussion of continuing our requirement to wear masks for church gatherings, including worship. The decision was made to continue our mask requirement through at least Easter Sunday (April 17th). We expect larger that usual crowds for both Linda’s retirement service and Easter Sunday, and it seems wise to continue to act with an abundance of caution to protect those who want to worship in the sanctuary for these important celebrations. The council will take up this discussion again at our meeting on April 5th.
If and when we decide to change our mask requirement, I pray that we will bear with one another with grace, patience and love. It was clear from the Council’s discussion that while some folks are ready to move about without masks, others are reticent to gather without them. People’s decisions to wear masks or not are often complex and highly personal. If our requirements change, we expect folks will continue to do what feels safe for them and their families. This might feel uncomfortable and messy at times – but if we extend each other a bit of extra grace and compassion, we can navigate this phase of the pandemic together.
We are also mindful that COVID continues to be part of our collective reality, and protocols for protecting one another will continue to be strengthened and relaxed as necessary. As always, we will strive to be a community of mutual care and concern.
With hope,
Marianne Cowan, Church Moderator
Rev. Kelli Whitman, Interim Pastor
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