Join us for a fall book discussion of “Hope: A User’s Manual” by MaryAnn McKibben Dana.
We will meet Wednesdays from 4:30pm-5:30pm starting on September 25th.
If you would like to join us via ZOOM rather than in the building, send us a message.
About the book
What hope is, what hope isn’t, and how to find it in hopeless times.
How do we cultivate hope to face each day? How do we find the energy to persevere, knowing things don’t always work out OK, no matter what the platitudes say? How do we pursue the work of justice, knowing that the task is too big for any of us?
This book addresses these questions. It’s MaryAnn’s attempt to write herself back into a sense of hope after a grueling few years of life and world events.
One thing is certain: real hope demands that we do something with it. That we live it out. That we use hope to participate in a bigger story playing out behind the bleak world we see on the news or in our social media feeds every day.
Did you know we share worship on Zoom every Sunday at 9:30am?
You can get the Zoom log-in information at this link.
Sunday at 9:30am doesn’t work for your schedule?
You can watch past Sunday services on our YouTube page.
Join us for the April Village Coffee House performance featuring the Gawler Family.
The concert will begin at 7pm in the Vestry. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Molly Gawler
Beck Welling
The trio of John and Ellen Gawler and daughter Molly are a fun loving family with shining smiles and joyful sounds. John and Ellen ae master fiddle and banjo players and their daughter Molly joins in to create a unique family sound. The band brings gorgeous music and high spirited sounds of string instruments (Fiddle, banjo, guitar) as well as harmony singing. Their songs and tunes are rooted in the traditional music of Maine and the Northeast.
The Gawlers will be joined on Saturday by Beck Welling, a sixteen year old fiddler from New Gloucester, Maine. Beck began taking lessons from Ellen Gawler at the age of four and a half, and has continued his musical journey by adding an additional teacher, Scottish fiddler Seán Heely. This past fall, Beck was awarded first place in the New England Regional Junior Scottish Fiddling Championships, and will go on to compete in the national competition in September 2024.
Our Vestry and kitchen space host many community and church events each year. From Coffee House concerts to community lunches and bell choir practice to baby showers, the Vestry is the space where we share food, fellowship, and community support.
This spring, we will be installing heat pumps in the Vestry and the kitchen. This project will allow us to heat and cool these important spaces more efficiently and reduce our use of fossil fuels by eliminating the need for one of our oil burning furnaces.
We are hoping to raise $15,000 to fund this heat pump project. We have already received $6000 to kick off this fundraiser, and with your help we will soon raise the rest. Any money raised for this project that is not needed for the heat pumps will be designated for future energy efficiency work in the Vestry.
We welcome your donations by check (payable to First Congregational Church, please note “heat pump” in the memo line),
or click here to donate via Pay Pal.
Send us an e-mail using the “Contact Us” tab if you’d like the link to join us via ZOOM for Palm Sunday or Easter.
Due to the timing and severity of the predicted winter storm, we will not gather for worship tomorrow, January 7th.
If you’d like to observe Epiphany Sunday at home, you can light a candle and read the scriptures for the day Isaiah 60:1-6 and Matthew 2:1-12 (find them online here).
For prayerful pondering as you read the text from Matthew:
Name and give thanks for a moment of wonder.
Resolve to offer your gift this year in a particular way.
Name a companion on the journey and give thanks for their support.
Turn on you favorite Christmas carols one more time. Offer a prayer for those who are in need of God’s hope, light and peace.
art by Lauren Wright Pittman
If you would like to choose a Star Word for 2024, you can pick one up at church next week or use this random word generator to choose one now.
Advent Worship Series – Those Who Dream
Join us every Sunday at 9;30 as we move through Advent with Those Who Dream. What does it look like to live as those who dream? The prophets, the psalmists, John the Baptist, Mary, Elizabeth, Joseph, the shepherds and the Magi—they were all dreamers. They received, discovered, and responded to God’s dreams for the world. This Advent, we step into the mystery and awe of God’s dreams and pray they shape our reality. Each week we will light the Advent candles and enjoy Advent hymns and special music from the choir, the Community Orchestra and the handbell choir. This worship series includes resources from A Sanctifed Art.
Our Advent season begins on November 26th. Join us after worship for a potluck brunch and Advent crafts, and pick up an Advent devotional filled with poetry, art, and reflections on Those Who Dream.
Open Sanctuary – Wednesdays in December
If you are seeking some quiet space to pray and breathe in December, our sanctuary will be open on Wednesdays from noon-6pm for quiet prayer and reflection. Coloring prayers, prayer shawls, devotional books and Bibles will be available for your use. Pastor Kelli will also be in the building if you’d like someone to sit and pray with you.
Concerts and Mission Project
As part of our continuing conversations about what it means to be an Open and Affirming church in 2023, we are reading and discussing The Savvy Ally by Jeannie Gainsburg.
The Savvy Ally is a vital resource for anyone who want to support and advocate for the LGBTQ+ people in their lives and help make the world a safer, more inclusive place.
This informative, encouraging, and easy-to-understand guidebook will jump-start even the most tentative ally.
Starting on October 24, we will gather on Tuesday morning at 10:30 for a discussion of each section of the book.
October 24—Part 1: Becoming Knowledgeable Allies
October 31—Part 2: Building Skills for Respectful Conversations
November 7—Part 3: Taking Action to Create Inclusive Spaces
November 14—Part 4: Allying Responsibly
