A Word from Jeff

jeffS

From the Archives

2014 July-December

2014 January-June

2013 July-December
2013 January-June

2012 July-December

2012 January-June

2011

June 25, 2015

As some of you may have noticed our church grounds have never looked better.

This is thanks, in large part, to Mike Dimmer who cuts the grass around the church and who edges and trims the sidewalks, and to Bill Greymont who cuts the grass in our Creekside Commons park space. We also need to thank all the people who have been weeding.

This coming Saturday morning, June 27, we have a whole crew of people showing up to spread mulch in the beds.  If you are able to come and lend a hand that would be wonderful.  We will be working around the church from 9:00 to 11:00.

If I don’t see you on Saturday I will hopefully see you on Sunday morning.

June 17, 2015

So, listen to this!  This coming Sunday, June 21, is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year, the first day of summer.  It also happens to be Father’s Day.

Why don’t you get up early and start the day by coming to church.  If you are able, why not bring your dad with you.

Afterwards, you can go out for coffee, or breakfast, or go play golf, or just enjoy the summer day.

It would be great to see you!

June 10, 2015

Once we have celebrated Confirmation Sunday and Graduation Sunday it begins to feel like summer in the life of our church.

Summer Sundays are almost always quiet and gentle, a good time to sit and ponder and pray.

This coming Sunday, June 14, the service includes the Sacrament of Baptism.

If you are able, please come and join us.

June 4, 2015

This coming Sunday, June 7, is Graduation Sunday in the life of our church.

As part of our morning service, we will recognize all of our high school graduates and ask them to share a little bit about their plans for the future.

The service also includes the Sacrament of Holy Communion and the reception of New Members, so there is a lot to celebrate.

If you are able, please come and join us.

May 28, 2015

This coming Sunday, May 31, is Confirmation Sunday in the life of our church.

As part of our morning service, the youth in our 8th Grade Confirmation Class confirm their faith and become full members of our church. 

The Service of Confirmation includes hearing the kids share a brief statement of faith.  We then pray for the Holy Spirit to come upon them, to guide, comfort, and challenge them all the days of their lives.

If you are able, please come and support our Confirmands and their families.

May 20, 2015

Please don’t forget that this coming Sunday morning, May 24, we move to one service at 9:00.

Sunday is known as Pentecost Sunday in the life of the church.  It’s the day that we celebrate that the Holy Spirit came upon Christ’s disciples. 

In the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles we read: And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting.  Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them.  All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit…

I hope that you are able to join our celebration.

May 14, 2015

This coming Sunday, May 17, marks the last Sunday of our church program year and the last Sunday of our Church School program.   The Senior Handbell Choir will be with us for the 10:00 service.

Immediately following the second service, we will celebrate our 7th Annual Church Picnic in Fellowship Hall and the Creekside Commons.  The good news is that the Fellowship Team will be providing sub sandwiches, salads and refreshments, so all we have to do is show up.  As always, there will be lots of wacky games for children and adults alike. Please feel free to come to church dressed for the picnic.

I hope you can join us!

May 7, 2015

Our Gospel reading for this coming Sunday morning, May 10, is taken from the fifteenth chapter of the Gospel of John (John 15:9-17).  Jesus says to his friends and followers, This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  It seems fitting that we should read these words on Mother’s Day.

The Senior Choir will be with us at the 10:00 service.

If you are able, please come and join us!

April 30, 2015

This coming Sunday, May 3, is a busy day in the life of our church.  To begin, we celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion at both services.  Kai-i Tien will provide our special music.

Please don’t forget that on the first Sunday of each month we host a Fellowship Hour following both services, if you are able, please stay and join us for coffee and treats.

Let me also remind you that this coming Sunday is the date of our annual Spring Congregational Meeting.  The meeting will be held in the church sanctuary immediately following the 10:00 service.  Our only item of business is the election of Church Council officers and team representatives.

On Sunday morning, we have also scheduled a Church School Parents Meeting to review the past year and to discuss our vision for the year to come.  The meeting will be held in the Dennett Room immediately following the 10:00 service. Nursery care will be available.

As always, I hope you can join us!

April 22, 2015

This coming Sunday, April 26, we celebrate our last Family Service of the program year at 10:00. 

Rev. Don Niederfrank, our Minister of Visitation, will offer the Meditation, I will offer a special Children’s Meditation, and our 8th Grade Confirmation Class will assist in leading the service.  The Carol and Chapel Choirs will provide our special music.

I hope you can join us!

April 17, 2015

We are now celebrating Eastertide in the life of the church, the fifty days that lead us from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.

During Eastertide we read all the stories that describe the Risen Christ appearing to his disciples and friends.  Many of these stories seem thoroughly unbelievable and yet they contain valuable, and often unexpected, lessons about life and faith.

Please come join us as we listen to these ancient stories and ponder their implications for our lives right here and now.

April 9, 2015

Special thanks go out to everyone who assisted with our Holy Week services, our musicians, readers, acolytes and ushers.  I thought that the entire week went well and that it was a wonderful celebration of the story of our faith.

This coming Sunday, April 12, we read a story from the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John, which is often referred to as the story of Doubting Thomas.  It describes a couple of dramatic events that are said to have taken place in the week following Jesus’ resurrection.  Kai-i will provide our special music.

If you are able, please come and join me.

March 26, 2015

This coming week is known as Holy Week in the life of the church, an ancient drama of love and life.

On Palm Sunday everyone receives palm branches as they enter the sanctuary and we lift them up with shouts of Hosanna!  The Carol and Chapel Choirs join the celebration at 10:00 along with the 8th grade Confirmation Class.  We will be serving hot cross buns following both services.  

On Maundy Thursday we celebrate with a service of Holy Communion and Tenebrae. Tenebrae is a Latin word that means shadows. As we read the story of Jesus' last night together with his disciples, the sanctuary is filled with shadows, ending in almost total darkness. Special music will be provided by Barb Bahr, Tracy Greymont, Scott Oftedahl, and Mike Spalding.

On Good Friday we burn frankincense and myrrh as we listen to a reading of the Passion Story. Special music will be provided by Kathy Bretl.

On Easter Sunday morning, we celebrate Jesus' resurrection with three services at 6:00, 8:00 and 10:00. The 6:00 sunrise service includes the sacrament of Holy Communion. Our Senior Choir and Easter Brass join the celebration at both 8:00 and 10:00.

If you are able, please come join us!

March 18, 2015

This coming Sunday, March 22, we celebrate the fifth Sunday in the church season of Lent.  The music at both services will be provided by Kai-i Tien and David Martin.

Let me remind you that a Special Congregational Meeting will be held immediately following the 10:00 service.  The only item of business is a vote to approve our 2015 Church Budget.  All members of the church are encouraged to attend.

See you on Sunday!

March 6, 2015

As many of you know, last Saturday evening the church hosted a 25th Anniversary Dinner in my honor.  I was completely surprised and overwhelmed!

I want you to know that I am utterly grateful for all the support and encouragement that you have shown me and my family over all these years. Thank you for all the wonderful words about my life and ministry in this place.

I continue to laugh-out-loud when I think about seeing so many of you wearing black sweaters and khaki pants. 

I am especially thankful for the three members of our church staff, Amy Gilhooly, Beckie Perez and Holly Ternes, who planned the entire celebration, behind my back!  Their spirit, energy and commitment to our church have been a tremendous gift to me, in large part because they often ignore me.  I told them, months ago, that I didn’t want to make a big deal out of my anniversary!

Thanks to you all!

February 25, 2015

This coming Sunday, March 1, we celebrate the second Sunday in the church season of Lent with the Sacrament of Holy Communion.  The 10:00 service also includes an adult and child Service of Baptism.

As many of you know, the church season of Lent is forty days long, not counting Sundays.  It began on Ash Wednesday and concludes with the celebration of Easter.  Lent symbolizes the forty years that the Hebrew people wandered in the wilderness before reaching the Promised Land and the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness before beginning his ministry.

Lent has always been a time for study and reflection, a time to ponder what is most important in our lives.  Beginning this week, I will, once again, host a service of Reflection and Communion in the church sanctuary each Thursday evening at 6:00.  If you are able, please come and join me.

February 18, 2015

This coming Sunday, February 22, marks the first Sunday in the church season of Lent.  We celebrate with another Family Service at 10:00.  The Carol and Chapel Choirs will sing and our 8th Grade Confirmation Class will help lead the service.

As many of you know, the church season of Lent is forty days long, not counting Sundays.  It begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes with the celebration of Easter.  Lent symbolizes the forty years that the Hebrew people wandered in the wilderness before reaching the Promised Land and the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness before beginning his ministry.

Lent has always been a time for study and reflection, a time to ponder what is most important in our lives.  Beginning next week, I will, once again, host a Lenten Reflection and Communion service in the church sanctuary each Thursday evening at 6:00.  If you are able, please come and join me.

February 11, 2015

This coming Sunday, February 15, is known as Transfiguration Sunday in the life of the church, the last Sunday in the church season of Epiphany.

We celebrate that Jesus took a little weekend retreat with three of his disciples.  The Gospel of Mark tells us that Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves.  And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.

If you are able, please come and join me as we think about what this ancient story might be saying to us.

Looking ahead to next week, let me remind you that on Tuesday evening, February 17, we celebrate Mardi Gras with a Pancake Dinner in Fellowship Hall and on Wednesday, February 18, we celebrate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the church season of Lent.

I hope you are able to join us for all of these celebrations.

February 4, 2015

This coming Sunday, February 8, we continue to celebrate the church season of Epiphany.  The Senior Choir joins us at the 10:00 service.

I also wanted to let you know that we will be beginning another Living the Questions study series entitled Saving Jesus Redux, this coming Sunday evening, February 8.  This is a wonderful opportunity to learn to think theologically with the help of some of our finest scholars and theologians. We will gather every Sunday evening for twelve weeks, concluding at the end of April. We will meet in the church sanctuary from 6:00 – 7:30.

Please help spread the word!

January 27, 2015

This coming Sunday, February 1, we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion at both services. As part of the 10:00 service, we will bless a new pottery communion set given to the church by Dick and Edie Webb. 

I also wanted to let you know that we will be beginning another Living the Questions study series entitled Saving Jesus Redux, this coming Sunday evening, February 1.  This is a wonderful opportunity to learn to think theologically with the help of some of our finest scholars and theologians. We will gather every Sunday evening for twelve weeks, concluding at the end of April. We will meet in the church sanctuary from 6:00 – 7:30.

Please help spread the word!

January 21, 2015

We are now celebrating the church season of Epiphany, a time of light and insight in the life of the church.

This coming Sunday, January 25, we celebrate another Family Service at 10:00, followed by our annual Winter Congregational Meeting.

Looking ahead a couple of weeks, I wanted to let you know that we are beginning another Living the Questions study series entitled Saving Jesus Redux, at the beginning of February.  This is a wonderful opportunity to learn to think theologically with the help of some of our finest scholars and theologians.

We will gather every Sunday evening for twelve weeks, beginning on the first Sunday in February and concluding at the end of April, meeting in the church sanctuary from 6:00 – 7:30.

Please help spread the word!

January 15, 2015

We are now celebrating the church season of Epiphany, a time of light and insight in the life of the church.

This coming Sunday, January 18, the Senior Handbell Choir joins us at the 10:00 service. The following Sunday, January 25, we celebrate another Family Service at 10:00, followed by our annual Winter Congregational Meeting.

Looking ahead a couple of weeks, I wanted to let you know that we will be beginning another Living the Questions study series entitled Saving Jesus Redux, at the beginning of February.  This is a wonderful opportunity to learn to think theologically with the help of some of the finest scholars and theologians working today.

We will gather every Sunday evening for twelve weeks, beginning on the first Sunday in February and concluding at the end of April, meeting in the church sanctuary from 6:00 – 7:30.

Please help spread the word!

January 8, 2015

Everyone knows that the big news for this coming Sunday is a repeat of the infamous Ice Bowl. Nonetheless, we will have church services on Sunday morning, with special prayers for our beloved Packers. The Senior Choir joins us at the 10:00 service. If you are able, please make church a part of your pre-game festivities!

Let me also remind you that we are now in the process of wrapping up our annual Stewardship Campaign. If you have not yet made a pledge to support the church financially in 2015, please return your pledge card as soon as possible.

I hope to see you on Sunday!

 

back to home

 

Home
About First Congregational Church | About United Church of Christ
Our Staff | Building Usage | Calendar | Music | Education | Executive Committee
Teams | Committees | Stewardship | Gallery | Contact Us