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The Tidings
First Congregational Church of La Grange
South La Grange Road at Cossitt
info@fcclg.org
708-352-0800
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Greetings!
Our Operating Plan for 2018 is a forthright response to the fear that inundates and permeates us. Each team, committee, and leader is focusing upon the question:
Are We:
- Attracting Friends
- Retaining Members
- Nurturing Spirits
- Deploying Agents of Change (Kingdom Builders)
- Growing Leaders
- Developing Partners
to build a movement of revolutionary love?
These are the benchmarks of our “being the church” for the coming year. Each Ministry Team and Committee is developing a plan for their work this year in terms of how their ministry will accomplish these benchmarks. In the last Tidings, the Ministry of Mission and Outreach Team shared their plan. This week, the Ministry of Nurture Team shares their plan.
Carly
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Ministry of Nurture: The Year Ahead
The February Leadership Retreat was an opportunity for members of Nurture to collaborate with the other Ministry teams to create a vision for the year ahead. The Ministry of Nurture was charged with supporting FCCLG by Attracting Friends, Retaining Members, and Nurturing Spirits.
Our team is excited to continue traditions which have consistently achieved these goals such as Fellowship/Coffee Hour, Kick Off Sunday Picnic, All Church Potluck, Memorial Services and Easter Continental Breakfast. As a group we are also eager to plan events that we haven't done in a few years such as a bowling outing and a spin on Dinners for Eight. Though many of the activities hosted by Nurture have become long standing traditions; we have recently taken pause to reflect on how Flower Delivery and Harvest Home, for example, may need to be altered to make them feasible for the volunteer support required while still achieving our overarching goal of nurturing spirits and reaching out to others.
If you have any questions about how to assist or ideas you would like to share please reach out!
Betsy Colombe, Jenny Geist, Gail Harris-Schmidt, Sammie Hickman, and Jean O'Brien and Amanda Ries
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Coffee Hour Volunteer Thank You
The Ministry of Nurture would like to thank those who answered the call last week when we asked for volunteers to host Coffee Hour. We started out the morning with 11 openings and were able to fill all but two! Coffee Hour is an important time for us to come together and connect with other members of the congregation and is made possible by the generosity of those who volunteer to host. If you have any questions about what is needed to host Coffee Hour, please reach out to Betsy Colombe or Amanda Ries.
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This Week:
Friday 3/2:
OA at 9 am, Alanon at 7:30 pm
Saturday 3/3:
Saturday Meals Program at 8 am, Kindermusik at 8 am,
STOW Tutor Training at 9 am
Sunday 3/4:
The Last Week Discussion at 8:30 am, Carillon Handbells at 9:00 am, Chancel Choir at 9:30 am, Worship at 10 am, Fellowship Hour at 11:15 am, Ring & Sing / Treble Choir at 11:15 am, Messy Church at 4:30 pm, OA at 7 pm
Monday 3/5:
Tiny Toes Music at 4:30 pm, AA for under 30s at 7 pm, Missions Book Discussion at 7:30 pm,
AA at 8 pm
Wednesday 3/7:
Be Still and Know 12 Step at 4 pm, Carillon Handbell Choir at 7:30 pm
Thursday 3/8:
Chancel Choir at 7:30 pm
Friday 3/9:
OA at 9 am, Spiritual Directors at 10 am, Alanon at 7:30 pm
Saturday 3/10:
Saturday Meals Program at 8 am, Kindermusik at 8 am,
STOW Tutor Training at 9 am,
Jeffrey Arnold Memorial at 2:30pm, 3rd Annual Trivia Night at 7pm
Sunday 3/11:
The Last Week Discussion at 8:30 am, Worship at 10 am, All Teams Meeting at 11:15 am, Fellowship Hour at 11:15 am, Ring & Sing / Treble Choir at 11:15am, Yzals Meeting at 6:30pm, OA at 7 pm
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Memorial Service for Jeffrey Arnold
We will have a memorial service on
March 10, 2018 at 2:30 pm
at First Congregational Church of La Grange with a reception to follow.
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Easter Lilies
Are you ready to order a lily to grace the sanctuary on Easter morning? You may stop by the office or come to the Founders’ Room after worship today through Palm Sunday, March 25th. The cost is $13.00 per plant, and the lily is yours to take home after the Easter service
.
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One Earth Film Festival
Beginning
tomorrow
,
March 2
and continuing through March 11, the One Earth Film Festival offers more than 50 environmental films at 45 venues. Tickets are inexpensive, and for some showings, only a free will offering is suggested. Take advantage of this great opportunity for all ages to learn about a wide range of environmental issues, from climate change to sustainable agriculture to historical perspectives.
https://www.oneearthfilmfest.org/
--Positively Green Team
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Adult Discussion Group
In the movie
The Passion of the Christ
we get Hollywood's interpretation of Jesus's last days. But what does the Bible
really
say about that week?
The Last Week: What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Final Days
During this eight session discussion, we'll discuss the work of Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan by the same name. The book is available through the public library system, at Anderson Bookstore, on smile.Amazon.com, and other online sources. It is also available in Kindle and audible versions both online and through the library.
The book follows Jesus' from Palm Sunday to Easter in eight days through chapters. Join us as we wonder about this dangerous Jesus giving up his life to protest power without justice and to condemn the rich who lack concern for the poor.
March 4: Tuesday, Mark 11:20-25
March 11: Wednesday, Mark 14:1-11
March 18: Thursday, Mark 14:12-16
March 25: Good Friday, Mark 15
April 1 – No Class
April 8: Holy Saturday, Harrowing of Hell
April 15: Sunday, Resurrection, Mark 16:1-8
We gather with Coffee and Snacks on Sundays from 8:30 to 9:15 am in the Drawing Room.
Nurturing Spirits Growing Leaders Deploying Kingdom Builders
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Messy Church
Messy Church will be
on
This Sunday
at 4:30 pm. Our theme is
Love Rules!
Come and have a great time and grow in faith and in your love of others on the journey. Click
here
for flyer. We need volunteers!
4:30-5:15pm:
Crafts and Stories
5:15-5:30pm:
Celebration
5:30-6:00:
Dinner
Attracting Friends Retaining Members Nurturing Spirits
Developing Leaders
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Missions Book Discussion Group
Our discussion on
Evicted
by Matthew Desmond is on
March 5th.
Come to the drawing room at 7:30 to discuss this important book. It will forever change how you understand poverty.
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Trivia Night
Think you're smart, or at least have smart friends? Put it to the test at another FCCLG Trivia Night. Join us on
Saturday, March 10th
for a night of fun and laughs, as we put all your knowledge to the test. Doors open at 7 and the questions begin at 7:30. Each team can have up to 10 players. Gather nine friends or come alone and join a team on the fly. Contact Mike Ries at
708-308-0426
to save your spot or table.
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One Great Hour of Sharing
This is a special Mission offering of the UCC. By making a donation you help fund the UCC’s ministries both locally and internationally. These ministries assist the refugees and people displaced in war-affected countries throughout the world. Assistance also goes to training and housing those who are displaced and rebuilding their homes, villages, and livelihoods in Haiti, Puerto Rico, and throughout the Caribbean. Please give generously to those in need! You can give during March, with your donation marked OGHS. Thank you for sharing with others the love of God and his abundant blessings worldwide. We will have an offering on
March 11th
during worship.
http://www.ucc.org/oghs
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The Positively Green Team
The PGT meets again following worship on
March 18th from 11:15 to 12:30
. All are welcome to attend. If you have ideas or topics you’d like to know more about, please let us know.
Tip of the Month
:
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Zackley Work Trip
The annual Zackley Work Trip is
March 24th-April 1st
! We will be going to Edisto Island but to make this trip happen this year, we need help! We need safe church trained people to go on the trip but also people to help organize logistics for the trip and to help with stock sales! Please let the office know if you are willing to help out this year!
Nurturing Spirits Deploying Kingdom Builders Developing Leaders
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H
ooks and Needles
Our next scheduled meeting will be on
Monday, March 26th
. We meet every 4th Monday of the month. Feel free to drop in anytime and join us at 7 pm in the family room off the Chapel. Because of winter weather cancellations, please call Linda Lauterbach (352-5332) or
email
to confirm we are meeting. Winter is a great time for charity knitting!
Nurturing Spirits
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Music News
The
"Joyful Noise"
orchestra will be resurrected for Easter! You are invited to play the instrument you regularly practice, or the one you need to dust off. Pros and amateurs alike will combine their talents to joyfully accompany the "Hallelujah Chorus." Children and youth who are confident players are invited too! You will get music ahead of time to practice at home, then we will rehearse as a group the morning of at 9:30am. Please contact
ryan@fcclg.org
to sign up.
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Evening Book Club
Note: This event has changed dates!
Evening Book Club will meet on
Thursday, April 5th
at 7:30 in the Chapel Conference Room. We will read “In the Garden of the Beasts” by Eric Larsen, love, terror and an American family in Hitler’s Berlin.
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Food Pantry
Dry goods month! In March we’re collecting dry goods for the Second Baptist Food Pantry. Please bring pasta, rice, couscous, graham crackers, potato mixes, etc. Other non-perishable foods are also welcome. Thanks to all who brought paper products last month. The Pantry staff was delighted to see so many overflowing bags of donations.
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C
an’t Get To Sunday Services?
You can watch them live Sundays at 10 a.m. on the web.
Click here
to see Sunday worship streamed live and past worship services as well.
Or, check out
these instructions
on how to watch through your Roku Device. Contact the church office (
mainoffice@fcclg.org
) to have the worship bulletin emailed to you on Fridays. This ministry is brought to you by the estate of Ginny Palansky, and maintained by your gifts, offerings, and pledges.
Attracting Friends Retaining Members Nurturing Spririts
Developing Partners
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Winter Warriors
Do you ever wonder how the church entries, sidewalks, and parking lot are kept clear of snow?
A. The new glycol snow-melt system that was funded by the church's budget surplus
B. Magical elves
C. It doesn't really get cold enough to snow in La Grange
D. None of the above
Yes, D is the correct answer. The snow is cleared and entries salted from a pool of just eight volunteers who make time amid their full-time jobs, parenting, and/or other responsibilities in the community. Typically, only two are able to come out any given snowfall. If you think you're up to helping out occasionally, please contact Erik Sander 708-557-4859 to be added to the snow-alert text distribution list.
Full article.
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Thank You!
We just received a bunch of vases which will be used to deliver altar flowers to our members who are shut-ins. Thank you very much! We'll be stocked up for a while.
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Give back to FCCLG when you shop on Amazon!
Click here
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Prayer is at the heart of our relationship with God. Please lift these friends, family, and members in your prayers.
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Prayers for the family and friends of our organist, Jeffrey Arnold, who died on February 6th.
Emil and Maria Balz, who have moved to Oak Brook Care.
Fred Bell, who is recovering from leukemia.
Ann Fish, as she recovers from surgery.
Prayers for Jane Heil to gain strength and comfort.
Prayers for Barbara Hultman as she recovers from hip surgery.
Prayers for Dayne Hultman, Barbara Hultman’s grandson.
Renee Meier, who is dealing with cancer.
Prayers for Margaret Melkonian.
Prayers for Jim Palansky as he recovers from a serious bout of pneumonia.
Petra Palmer’s granddaughter’s friend Summer who is having chemotherapy for leukemia.
Prayers for Billy Payne, who is in the hospital struggling with health issues.
Prayers for Tom Pitman, who is living with cancer and recovering from broken ribs.
Prayers for Steve Roper, as he recovers from open heart surgery.
Prayers for Mike Tobin as he recovers from cancer surgery.
Prayers of gratitude from Nancy Coleman’s friend Sharon Veltre, who is now in remission.
For Vera Weiss to regain her strength and fight cancer.
Those living in fear and without hope, and those who use fear to control others.
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