First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ

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Faith matters

"Jesus and Joe" is a weekly gathering, Saturday mornings from 10:00-11:00. Each week, we discuss a different teaching from the life of Jesus, things like "Hang Out with the Wrong Sorts of People", or "Live Simply", "Learn from Children". We meet in the Cafe area outside the Global Goods store, where you can get a cup of coffee and then join the discussion! Facilitated by Pastor Cheryl.

"The Gospel of Mark for Everyone" is a weekly gathering to discuss the Gospel of Mark, chapter by chapter. We meet Tuesday evening from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Cheryl's office. Facilitated by Dr. Mary Lin Hudson and Pastor Cheryl.

Find Support

Parenting is a challenge! Our monthly support group for parents offers a chance to dialogue with other parents about the stresses, challenges, questions and joys of parenting. We gather for breakfast and conversation at Marsha Walton's house monthly, Saturday mornings from 9:00-10:30 a.m. Topics and dates are as follows: February 21st ("Kids and Social Pressure"), March 28th ("The Sibling Thing!"), April 18th ("Do Your Children have Privacy?") and May 23rd ("Summer... A LOT of time at Home!"). Facilitated by Dr. Marsha Walton and Julia Hicks. Email Julia Hicks for more information and location.

Are you caring for someone with a chronic illness or disability? Come to "Compassion for Caregivers", a monthly support group to offer support and shared wisdom for those of us who are in this challenging situation. Facilitated by Pastor Sonia, the group meets on the first Thursday of each month, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. in Pastor Sonia's office.

Find Community

Our Peace Fellowship meets monthly for dialogue and conversation about the ways we witness for peace. Gathering for a potluck dinner on the third Sunday of the month (6:00 p.m.) at the home of Elaine Blanchard and Anna Neal, we use Brian McLaren's book, Everything Must Change, as a starting point for dialogue and then discuss our own thoughts and challenges.

Good Books, Good Friends--The First Congo Book Club meets monthly on the first Sunday of the month (from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.) at the home of Sue Westmoreland and Tom Carlson. Check the calendar for list of books under discussion, and email Cheryl Cornish for more information or directions.

Kids and Youth

Nursery care on Sunday mornings is from 9:30 a.m. - noon. Newborns and Crawlers meet in Room 120 (directly across from Cafe Congo and the Ladies Restroom). Toddlers and walkers are welcome to go to Room 122 for supervised play activities from 9:30 a.m. - noon.

Children are encouraged to come to the worship service. About 15 minutes into the service, after a Children's Sermon, children from Kindergarten - 6th grade are guided to the Fellowship Hall for supervised activities and can be picked up there after worship. Children participate in worship as candlelighters, layreaders and as members of the choir.

Our Sunday School for children begins at 9:45 in Classroom C on Sunday mornings. We adjourn at 10:30 for worship. We meet with Marsha Walton (Professor of Developmental Psychology at Rhodes College) and explore our questions about the world, ourselves and God!

Junior and Senior Highs gather immediately after worship (from 11:45-1:00 p.m.) in the Youth Room (Room 121) with Julia Hicks and Jenny Bartlett-Prescott. Our Youth Fellowship is a place of free dialogue, activities, and support. At First Congo, we offer our teens an opportunity to share concerns and question in an atmosphere of respect and confidentiality-and we use the way of Jesus and other spiritual leaders to enhance our discussions. We have great times together! Last year, we went to Denver with PeaceJam to hear 10 Nobel Peace Laureates. We camped in Chickasaw State Park, had a picnic swim party and two overnights retreats at the church building. We also sponsored a church-wide energy survey to kick off First Congregational's commitment to becoming a "green church"! For more information, email Julia Hicks or call 278-6786, ext. 3.




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