First United Church - United Church of Christ http://firstuniteducc.com Whoever you are, wherever you are on life's journey, you are welcome here! Tue, 07 Jun 2011 05:24:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 50 days… http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/06/50-days/ http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/06/50-days/#comments Tue, 07 Jun 2011 05:24:51 +0000 Pastor DBGF http://firstuniteducc.com/?p=176 Continue reading →]]> So, we have come to the end of our yearly celerbation of the passion, death and resurrection of our Beloved and join those earliest of disciples in prayer and urgency for the mighty Spirit of Christ to come and breath life into our dreams, our hopes and our futures. Throughout this sacred time we have welcomed new life into our midst in so many different and varied ways. Like the Christ who was not at first recognizable to his dearest of friends this side of the resurrection, we have come to know Easter through the birth of little ones, the celerbation of love and life over years and years of someones life, the growth of this little community, the fragility of peace, the problem with setting a really, really public deadline, a royal wedding which would name all our couples “Royal” and the beginning of our Confirmation students on their journey.

May the Holy Sprit enliven and encourage, nurture and challenge you throughout all the moments that lie ahead. May the resurrection bring you a deeper understanding of God’s unending love for you.

]]> http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/06/50-days/feed/ 0 looking to Sunday…05.08.2011 http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/05/looking-to-sunday-05-08-2011/ http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/05/looking-to-sunday-05-08-2011/#comments Thu, 05 May 2011 14:31:51 +0000 Pastor DBGF http://firstuniteducc.com/?p=173 Continue reading →]]> Know that you are held in love and prayer this day! Please remember this community in prayer as well.

 Our confirmation folk…”confirmands” to be proper about it (G) met on Tuesday night and have begun a very special journey of discernment and exploration. Please remember in a special way, Destiny, Keegan, Maya, Nicole and Nigel.

This Sunday we will celebrate and dedicate the young Alexander Scott to a similar journey along with his proud parents and family.

We’ll also celebrate a Blessing for Mothers at the service.

Saturday we have a religious ed. family day planned…if you are planning on attending, please give me a shout so I can prepare materials and such. 10am.

In the face of all that is being expressed in our nation today the President of the UCC, Rev. Geoffrey Black has offered this reflection and Call to Prayer. http://www.ucc.org/news/a-call-to-prayer-for-the.html

]]> http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/05/looking-to-sunday-05-08-2011/feed/ 0 For the week of 04.25.2011 http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/04/for-the-week-of-04-25-2011/ http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/04/for-the-week-of-04-25-2011/#comments Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:09:43 +0000 Pastor DBGF http://firstuniteducc.com/?p=147 Continue reading →]]>
Hello! Know that you are held in prayer this day.
Please say one for our little community of faith and for your pastor!
THANK YOU to all who came forward to help make this Lent, Holy Week and Easter so wonderful and moving for all involved!
 
A very special thanks to our Music Minister extrodinare, Michael!
A couple of announcements for the week.
 
This Sunday is the first of the month…and the first Sunday of the month, so bring in your change and help make it a truly noisy collection.
 
Codfish Fest 2011  Thanks to the folks who came in to make this possible! Thanks also to all who came and supported by purchasing our Lenten fare!
 
Next Saturday, May 7th is our Family Religious Education Day. We begin at 10am and continue through to lunch at 12pm. The entire family is welcome and friends are also a welcome addition!
 
As we grow into all that the new life of the resurrected Christ has in store for us as a community of faith, let us hold one another in love and in prayer,
 
Peace and all good stuff!
Pastor DBGF
]]> http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/04/for-the-week-of-04-25-2011/feed/ 0 The Days We Name, “Holy” http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/04/the-days-we-name-holy/ http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/04/the-days-we-name-holy/#comments Wed, 06 Apr 2011 03:19:38 +0000 Pastor DBGF http://firstuniteducc.com/?p=138 Continue reading →]]> As we draw near the culmination of our Lenten journey in Easter, pleaese join us for these special opportunities to mark the days we call “holy” as a community of faith.

MAUNDY THURSDAY, April 21st, 2011

  • 8:00pm   Church Family Supper   Come enjoy a wonderful moment of fellowship and prayer. Soup supper will be provided. Please bring a loaf of your favorite bread which we will use for a very special Communion. RSVP at firstuniteducc@aol.com

HOLY FRIDAY, April 22nd, 2011

  • 3:00pm   We will join St. Sebastian Independent Catholic Community for a time of prayer and introspection before the holy Cross. Find out more about this sister community of ours at www.saintsebastiancatholic.com

THE DAY of RESURRECTION, April 24th

  • 6:00am   Sunrise Service of Easter   Join us at the parish cemetery located at 6115 Odonnell Street for a very unique celebration of the earliest moments of Easter! The service is outdoors and about 20 minutes…dress accordingly! Coffee provided!
  • 10:45am  Morning Service of the Resurrection     Through music, prayer, communion and song we will proclaim to the world that He is risen! All are welcome to receive Holy Communion.
]]> http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/04/the-days-we-name-holy/feed/ 0 Lent 2011 http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/03/lent-2011/ http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/03/lent-2011/#comments Sun, 13 Mar 2011 04:43:54 +0000 Pastor DBGF http://firstuniteducc.com/?p=128 Continue reading →]]> As a church family we have once again come to a very familiar season. The days of this journey are among the most identifiably christian within our church year and have the ability to lead us to a deeper understanding of ourselves as followers of Jesus.

Some are traveling this road for the very first time, others for the first time in a long while. Some will find it a journey to the watery birth of Baptism and the confirming of that faith with the anointing oil of gladness. Some will find themselves on this journey and some will loose who they think they are as we take to the road in His footsteps.

Forty days and forty nights will lengthen the mighty sun’s hours of visiting the earth. The earliest understanding of these days is to do just that. Bringing an end to Winter’s death and a muddy birth to Spring’s awakening days, the world around us embraces change and growth, challenge and nurture. We will be called to do the same.

Our journey begins with a dirty reminder on the forehead of where we have come from and where it is we are headed. There is no shame in the ashen cross on our brow, but a loving reminder of the dawning days of creation and God’s breath within us.

The steps of this journey will lead our Beloved down a road of betrayal, dishonesty and the darkest of human days. Together we’ll stand at the foot of the cross and name the wounds our own…but that is really only where the story begins. For now, we walk forward; following the Holy Tree, not on some hill far away or in a garden we have been thrown out of, but here in our midst.

See our journey as one…with Christ, with one another, with Christians throughout the world. Let us hold one another in prayer and love, let us go forward then, in peace.

]]> http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/03/lent-2011/feed/ 0 Welcome http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/01/welcome/ http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/01/welcome/#comments Sun, 30 Jan 2011 01:01:15 +0000 Pastor DBGF http://firstuniteducc.com/?p=129 Continue reading →]]> This Sunday, January 30th we are joyful in welcoming our brother Andrew as a Member here at First United and in welcoming our new Church Council Members as well. During the service of welcome we will borrow from the Center for Progressive Christianity when we as a congregation will say… “We welcome you with joy in the common life of this church. We covenant with you to equip one another  for the work to which we feel called: striving for peace and justice among all people, protecting and restoring the integrity of all God’s creation, and bringing hope to those most vulnerable.”

Know that you are included in that welcome as well. Won’t you come and visit us this week for worship on Sunday and see what God is up to at First United Church!

]]> http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/01/welcome/feed/ 0 We share in our brother’s loss http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/01/we-share-in-our-brothers-loss/ http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/01/we-share-in-our-brothers-loss/#comments Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:20:58 +0000 michael http://firstuniteducc.com/?p=123 One of our own lost his father this past week.  Our prayers are with Wes, Emily and his family at this time.  The obituary appears at:  http://hosting-24680.tributes.com/show/John-McMahon-90516190

]]> http://firstuniteducc.com/2011/01/we-share-in-our-brothers-loss/feed/ 0 All our days are in your hands… http://firstuniteducc.com/2010/12/all-our-days-are-in-your-hands/ http://firstuniteducc.com/2010/12/all-our-days-are-in-your-hands/#comments Wed, 29 Dec 2010 04:36:48 +0000 Pastor DBGF http://firstuniteducc.com/?p=118 Continue reading →]]> As we prepare to welcome a new year the First United Church Community wish you peace, joy and love throughout each day, week and month that lie ahead in 2011.

  • Come join us for an early New Years Eve celebration on Friday, December 31st!
  • Church Supper at 6pm   Bring a salad or desert to share if you are able.
  • Bowling in our historic 4-lane Duckpin bowling alley till about 8:45pm
  • 9pm   A special and simple Service of Thanksgiving for the year that is passing and prayers of consecration for the new year.
]]> http://firstuniteducc.com/2010/12/all-our-days-are-in-your-hands/feed/ 0 Come to Bethlehem and see… http://firstuniteducc.com/2010/12/come-to-bethlehem-and-see/ http://firstuniteducc.com/2010/12/come-to-bethlehem-and-see/#comments Wed, 22 Dec 2010 17:35:21 +0000 Pastor DBGF http://firstuniteducc.com/?p=114 Continue reading →]]> The days of our advent-waiting have drawn to a close and our hearts and minds return to Bethlehem, that “House of Bread” where Love was born again in our midst.  As we prepare to tell the story, sing the carols and embrace the wanderer this holy season, come join us around the manger and marvel at the beauty of the Child…seen in the hearts, hands and eyes of each of you.

  • Friday, December 24th, 2010   CHRISTMAS EVE   7:00pm   Evening Service of the Word and Table   As a UCC communiy, we offer Holy Communion to all who are drawn to this moment of sharing and receiving. All are welcome at this Table.
  • Sunday, December 26th, 2010   CHRISTMAS SUNDAY   10:45am   Christmas Un-pluged Service   We’ll sing carols, share the Word and have lunch together at this simple Christmas service.

We share our historic 161 year-old church home with a group of Independent Catholics who will celebrate a traditional Midnight Mass beginning with a musical prelude at 11:30pm on Friday, December 24th. They too, share an open communion and all are welcome.

May you and those you love find in this holy season, love, peace and all the joy you can hold.

    ]]>     http://firstuniteducc.com/2010/12/come-to-bethlehem-and-see/feed/ 0     3rd Sunday in Advent http://firstuniteducc.com/2010/12/3rd-sunday-in-advent/ http://firstuniteducc.com/2010/12/3rd-sunday-in-advent/#comments Sun, 12 Dec 2010 03:50:11 +0000 michael http://firstuniteducc.com/?p=109 Continue reading →]]> Please join us at 10:45 for the 3rd Sunday in Advent (wear your pink). The rose-colored candle signifies the turning of our Advent season from watchful anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ in our midst to the joyful remembrance of the first coming. As we prepare to celebrate again the birth of Love in the Child of Bethlehem, please join in our Christmas celebrations.

    • Sunday, December 19th     10:45am   Morning Service with Christmas Pageant
    • Sunday, December 19th     7:00pm   Fifth Annual Winter Solstice Concert
    • Friday, December 24th     7:00pm    Evening Service of the Word and Table for Christmas Eve
    • Sunday, December 26th    10:45am    Christmas “Un-plugged”   Simple Morning Service of carols and reflection with a luncheon to follow.

    Congratulations to John Lowensen, who was honored on Anniversary Sunday for his decades of faithful service to First United.  We also honored Clint Lowensen and Quo Vadis Democratic Club for their generous gift.

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