No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here!
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In this issue of the eBulletin:
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The Meeting Ground * ONA Reaffirmation & Survey
Fall Family Movies * Bridge Bread
Women's Book Group * And much more!
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Worship at 10:30 AM in the Sanctuary
Fall Kick-Off & Birthday Sunday
Rev. Dr. Bill Smutz Preaching, "Forward Looking"
Greeters: Janet Tiede, Mary Lou Mellish
Ushers: Vicky Stringer, Tom Stringer, Damien Richardson, Elisa Wang
Welcome & Announcements: Ann Kittlaus
Liturgist: Jennifer Garrison Brown
Infant-Preschool: Anne Chao
K-2nd Grade: Jon Tiede, Melissa Wurst
3rd-5th Grade: Karen Smethers
Middle School: Emily Stokes, Ward Klein
Counters: Bill Piper, Mary Lou Mellish
Bridge Bread Coordinato
rs:
Tiede Family
Music Ministry Team:
Jeral Becker, Carol Bell, Mary Brown,
Dan Brodsky, Jim Kemp, Carol Klein, Bill Mellish, Sheila Merrell,
Leila Sadat, Hannah Rice, Stephanie Ruggles, and Nathan Ruggles
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FALL KICK-OFF & PICNIC
Sunday September 9
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Join us as we celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of the school year this Sunday! During worship we will bless our Sunday school teachers and begin the fall Sunday school classes. After worship we'll have a potluck picnic! Membership & Fellowship is providing veggie burgers and hot dogs, and we're all invited to bring a side dish, salad, or dessert to share. Please help us fill out our picnic table!
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BRIDGE BREAD FOR SALE
Sunday September 9
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This Sunday we will have Bridge Bread products for sale, focusing on newer products; especially the classic bagels! Bridge Bread is a local social enterprise designed to provide job opportunities for people experiencing homelessness. Please help keep Bridge Bread bakers in jobs and homes by spending your bread, pastry, and bagel money here at church.
Other upcoming BB sales at FCC:
-Sunday October 7
-Sunday November 18
-Sunday December 16
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Learn more about
Bridge Bread
at
bridgebread.org
, and watch their video, "Hope in the Baking".
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MEET OUR NEW STUDENT PASTOR
Connor Filkins
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Hello FCC family! My name is Connor and I am excited to join you all this year! I am in my final year at Eden Theological Seminary, seeking to become an ordained pastor in the United Church of Christ! I came to St. Louis in 2016 from my home town in Connecticut after graduating from Albertus Magnus College, where I played volleyball and earned a degree in Religion and Philosohpy! When I am not pouring over my seminary reading and writing papers, I enjoy playing and coaching baseball, as well as volleyball! I look forward to a fruitful and fun year and am grateful for being welcomed into your church family!
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WATCH OUR SERVICES ONLINE
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If you can't worship with us in person, you can join us virtually on our livestream! Each Sunday at 10:30 AM we broadcast our worship service live on Ustream, which you can access online
HERE
. All of the worship services from the past month are saved on our Ustream page, so you can go back to view services you missed or would like to revisit.
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BECOME A SUNDAY LITURGIST
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"Liturgy" means "the work of the people," so we like to add voices to our worship services. Would you like to become a lay liturgist to help lead the worship liturgy on Sunday mornings? Let us know!
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We gather after worship for a time of fellowship with coffee and treats. We provide the beverages, and coffee hour hosts bring sweet and savory goodies.
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THE MEETING GROUND
Thursdays Sept. 13-Nov. 15
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If you're thinking of attending The Meeting Ground, especially for the first one, please RSVP by Monday at noon!
First Congregational Church of St. Louis is embarking on a new and exciting journey this fall as we kick off The Meeting Ground on Thursday nights for ten weeks. This is a weekly opportunity for our faith community to come together for music, meal, and learning. Through this new endeavor we hope to strengthen relationships and dig into the fundamentals of our faith. We will also focus more on inter-generational opportunities for our youth.
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Thursday Evening Schedule
4:30-5:30: Bell Choir Rehearsal & Out Before Dark Study
- The Bell Choir is directed by Sarah Bereza, and is for adults and youth 6th grade and older.
- Out Before Dark is led by Bill Smutz, and is a book study for those who prefer not to drive after dark. We will meet in the Parlor. The book we'll walk through together is "Daring Greatly" by Brene Brown. We have ordered copies and they will be available this Wednesday.
5:30-6:15: Communal Meal
- Simple catered meal in the Social Hall; Suggested donation of $8/person, $20 max. family cost.
6:30-7:30: God's Blue Earth Elementary Study & Multi-Generational
Back to the Text with Jonah
- God's Blue Earth is led by Emily Stokes, and is for children in kindergarten-5th grade. We will meet in the Social Hall and celebrate the sacred gift of water.
- Back to the Text with Jonah is led by Bill Smutz, and is for those in grades 6-106. We will read, explore, and perform together the book of Jonah. We will meet downstairs in the Fellowship Hall.
7:30-9:00: Chancel Choir Rehearsal
- The Chancel Choir is directed by Sarah Bereza, and includes volunteer and professional singers. High school youth are welcome.
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BE A PART OF OUR CHILDREN'S FAITH JOURNEYS
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We have an urgent need for teachers for our K-2nd grade class!
If you are interested in helping our kids and youth on their faith journey we could use your help! We are in need of Sunday school teachers for the Kindergarten-Second Grade class this 2018-19 school year. We ask teachers to commit to teaching twice a month and teachers always teach in pairs. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, please contact
Emily Stokes
.
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Our littlest ones are taken care of by volunteers on Sunday mornings. We have a need for some more people to join our team, so if you are interested, please contact
Anne Chao
or
Emily Stokes
.
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CONVERSATION WITH OUR VICE-MODERATOR
Sunday Sept. 16 after Worship
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Our vice-moderator, Ward Klein, will lead us in a conversation about FCC’s mission, vision, and core values. Please join us! More details to follow.
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ONA REAFFIRMATION & SURVEY
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In June, a new program was announced to explore and reaffirm our congregation's commitment to being open, welcoming, and affirming of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer members and friends. In the UCC, it’s known as being Open and Affirming, or ONA, and First Congregational voted to become an ONA congregation in 2005. We welcome your participation in an online survey (or we have paper copies available at the church). This survey, which should take less than 10 minutes to complete, is one element of a four part listening phase underway this summer. A session to discuss the results will be held in September.
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We are very fortunate here at First Church to experience God’s abundance in helping us all live God’s Love, do God’s work and learn God’s word. To ensure that we have the financial resources to meet our goals we need to continuously review where we are, what we have and what we need. Therefore the S&A committee with support of the council has determined that we need a year round stewardship program to develop strategies, plans and actions to ensure that our short, medium and long term financial resources are in place to both meet our current requirements and help fund our longer term goals. We will be communicating with the congregation weekly so that everyone knows where we are and what we need financially so that we can successfully do God’s work. A team is being set up and we are looking for 2-3 volunteers to work for no more than 4 meetings to set up our Year Round Stewardship Program – anyone interested please contact either
Pastor Bill
or
Paul Brady
.
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ARTS & FAITH ST. LOUIS INTERFAITH CONCERT
Sunday Sept. 16, 5:30 PM
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The theme of this year's free concert is "Great Music of Many Faiths," and it will take place at the Sheldon Concert Hall. The concert will feature both adult and young singers and musicians from faith communities across the metropolitan area who will share their most treasured music with us. For more information, visit
ArtsFaithSTL.org
or call 314-533-9900.
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FOOD OUTREACH WORK DAY
Saturday September 22, 8:00 AM
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Come join our volunteer team (ages 16 and up) on our annual trip to assist Food Outreach with packaging and storing meals for people living with HIV/AIDS or cancer. We need at least 20-25 people. Food Outreach is located at 3117 Olive. If you wish to carpool, please meet at the church at 7:30am (and please note that when you sign up). We usually work until 11 am.
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WOMEN'S BOOK GROUP
Wednesday October 3, 7:15 PM
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The First Congregational Book Group is reading
Silence
by Shusaku Endo for the October 3rd gathering.
Silence
is set in Japan circa 1630 and is the story of a Portuguese Jesuit missionary at that time, a time when Christianity had been outlawed and was being cruelly repressed. This book delves into difficult questions and the challenges of religious faith and what it means and looks like to be a Christian. There are sections of this book which may be difficult to read, skip over them and keep reading.
Silence
is elegantly written and compelling, a book definitely worth reading.
Please join the group when we meet on the 3rd at 7:15 in the church parlor. The discussion will be led by Janet Hoyne. The book can be found at the library or in bookstores.
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OUTDOOR FALL FAMILY MOVIE NIGHTS
October 12, and November 2
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We have two more outdoor family movie nights coming up this fall! We'll watch family-friendly movies on the garth on our blow-up screen. You bring a chair or blanket and your favorite movie snack, and we'll provide hot chocolate and popcorn.
Oct. 12 at 6:30
Sing
* Nov. 2 at 6:00
Coco
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STAYCATION BIBLE SCHOOL
Sunday September 23
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Our last Staycation Bible School event is a trip to Powder Valley Nature Center on September 23 after worship. Bring a picnic to enjoy with the rest of the group, and then we will explore God's creation on hikes through Powder Valley.
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We are putting together a First Congregational Church cookbook. We need recipe submissions from our members and friends! We are looking for a variety of recipes that include good for kids, parties, coffee hour, etc. Please pick up a submission form at church. If you need help adding a recipe please feel free to email
Chelsea Safe
. We will be selling the cookbook for $20/book.
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ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
Saturday October 20, 6:30 PM
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Because last year was such a fun success, this year's fundraiser to support the ministries and mission of FCC will again be a Chef's Tasting Dinner, featuring delicious tasting portions from our very own FCC chefs. We'll also have silent and live auctions full of exciting offerings from our members, friends, and local organizations and businesses. If you have something to donate to our auction (like a gift basket, handmade item, party, vacation home, etc.), please contact
Hannah Rice
. If you would like to attend, sign up at the church office or online
HERE
. You can sign up to host a table of 10 ($500) or for individual seats ($50). If you'd like to help underwrite the cost of beverages, you can purchase a wine sponsor seat ($100).
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UNLEASHING POTENTIAL'S
ART & SOUL FUNDRAISER
November 2, 6:30 PM
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Unleashing Potential (one of our mission partners) has its annual fundraiser at the Four Seasons Hotel on Nov. 2. UP has been working with low income St. Louis children since 1913 and now serves over 1700 kids.. Elisa Wang serves on their board and would love to get a couple of First Church tables at the celebration. If you’re interested, please talk with Elisa!
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JOIN "HOME PLATE" - HOST DINNER FOR WASH U STUDENTS
Starting this Fall
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Washington University is looking for warm-hearted families to host 2-3 students for casual dinner and conversation. Help them feel at home in St. Louis and your family can enjoy the company of Wash U's incredibly smart and talented kids. We only require that you have 2-3 get-togethers over the course of the academic year. We also try to match students to family interests. Many students stay with their families throughout their Wash U years! E-mail
Risa Zwerling
to sign up! We will ask you to host your first dinner this late September or early October.
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Sunday September 9
10:30 am Sunday Worship
11:30 am Fall Picnic
Monday September 10
6:30 pm Worship & Education Meeting
7:00 pm Stewardship & Administration Meeting
Tuesday September 11
10:00 am Sacred Studies & Fellowship
Wednesday September 12
7:00 am Wydown Men's Club
12:00 pm FCC Staff Team Meeting
Thursday September 13
12:00 pm Mama Cat & the Potbangerz
The Meeting Ground:
4:30 pm Bell Choir Rehearsal
4:30 pm Out Before Dark Study
5:30 pm Communal Meal
6:30 pm Community Learning
7:30 pm Chancel Choir Rehearsal
Sunday September 16
10:30 am Sunday Worship
11:30 am Coffee & Community
11:30 pm Mission/Vision/Value Conversation
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Contact Us Via Email
Phone: 314.721.5060 Fax: 314.721.2716 Preschool: 314.721.7404
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