July 9, 2020
Greetings!

Returning to worship: An update from your Council.
We know you are all eager to return to our beautiful FCCLG to worship in person. It seems so long ago that we intimately gathered, shared our prayer requests, sang God’s praises and shared the peace of Christ with each other.  The culinary treats, during coffee hour, are a fond memory where we could catch up on the lives of our church family friends. Each of us have our favorite parts of Sunday and sometimes Saturday worship. In our greater community of faith, we know that gathering together for worship is what we yearn for.
 
The Council meets monthly, via Zoom video conference and email conversations, to discuss the topic of when to safely return to in-person worship.  Our discussions center on how to best protect the health of our congregants while following the prescribed guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, Illinois Department of Public Health and our local government for recommendations. Our goal is to responsibly re-convene for worship and to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We wish to return to our normal services only when it is safe for all our congregants, regardless of age, pre-existing conditions or other factors to gather. 
For now, the consensus of the Council is to hold out until Illinois reaches the Governor’s Phase 5 recovery recommendations.  This generally means that there will need to be a vaccine, or widely available and highly effective treatment, or an elimination of new cases over a sustained period of time. 
As the health experts learn more about the character of the virus, and adjust their recommendations, we will make adjustments to our plans as well. We will strive to provide any updates or changes to our plans as frequently as we make them. We value your opinions on reopening the church for in-person worship. Please watch for a survey via email or mail in which you can share your thoughts to our planning process. We look forward to hearing from you.
 
Respectively,
FCCLG Council
            
Renee Bryant, Moderator
Erik Toman, Vice Moderator
Mike Ries, Past Moderator
Deborah Gardner, Member at Large
Tom Lowry, Member at Large
Sherri Ries, Clerk
John Moelmann, Treasurer
Carly Stucklen Sather, Pastor
Join Us in Virtual Worship
Click here at 10 a.m. on Sunday to watch the service or follow these instructions to watch through your Roku Device.

Made possible by the estate of Ginny Palansky and maintained by your gifts, offerings, and pledges.
School Supply Collection
We are collecting school supplies for the LeaderShop’s annual School Supply drive. Given the economic downturn, the need is likely to be greater than ever. This year we are collecting ONLY notebooks and markers. Our goal is to collect 250 wide-ruled, single subject notebooks and 100 boxes of 8 count, washable, wide tip, classic colors marker sets. Now through the end of July there is a collection box on Susan Schwall’s front porch at 308 South Spring Avenue, La Grange. Thank you for helping students get a good start on a challenging school year!
Food Pantry
The Ministry of Missions continues to collect donations for the Second Baptist Church’s food pantry. In July we suggest canned vegetables and tuna. Other nonperishable items are also accepted. Please leave your donations in the bin on Bobbie Nunez’s front porch at 507 S. Spring, La Grange. Thanks!
Green Team
Styrofoam Recycling
Please note that the Styrofoam drop-off in Western Springs is canceled until further notice. The new collection point for Styrofoam for our church will be at Laurie Braun’s house across the street from the church at 115 S. 6th Avenue, La Grange.
 
Please separate the food containers from the block type foam and place in a bag or box. Laurie, Dawn Mackie, and Claudia Byrne have offered to periodically drive the foam to the Dart Container Corp. collection site in Aurora to avoid the emissions created by unnecessary trips.
 
Remember that all Styrofoam should be clean and that foam peanuts or popcorn are not accepted.

Green Tip:
Alkaline batteries are okay to discard in the trash; lithium-ion batteries are not. Wait for a household hazardous waste collection. F or more information, click here.
Message from Missions
 Thanks to your generosity, this ministry is able to provide monetary help to many agencies, including Pillars and BEDS, both of which are providing needed services during the coronavirus pandemic.
 
Need Help?
The coronavirus pandemic is hard on everyone; for some, it can create an emotional crisis. Pillars Community Health is maintaining a COVID-19 Coping Help Line at 708-995-3898.
Music News
 Home Made Choir Anthem for July 19
Tired of baking? No more closets to reorganize? Then dust off the vocal folds and lend your voice to a beautiful setting of the tune “My Life Flows On in Endless Song” set to a text celebrating our role in maintaining our beautiful planet. All singers 7th grade and up are invited. Please contact ryan@fcclg.org as soon as possible with you interest. He will email you music, learning aids and recording instructions. Your recordings are due by noon on Wednesday, July 15. 

First Conservatory
First Conservatory teachers continue to teach high quality lessons and new students are always welcome. Both online and in-person lessons in the First Congregational Church building are offered to all ages and ability levels. We offer lessons on piano, voice, violin, viola, cello, bass, trumpet, clarinet, oboe, saxophone and others upon request. Click here for more info and to set up a first lesson. 


Friends of Music
Our church is fortunate to have a vibrant music program with volunteers as the cornerstone. Augmenting our volunteers with guest players and singers for special services is made possible through the Friends of Music fund. Choral Sermons, Easter and Christmas Eve musicians, as well as regular Sunday morning guests would not be possible without these gifts. The 2020 giving drive has begun and brochures are being mailed. If you do not receive one, or would like to learn more, please ask Ryan Cox .
Week at a Glance: July 9 to July 21
 Friday (July 10)
9 am: Overeaters Anonymous
Sunday (July 12)
10 am: Worship ( www.fcclg.org/videos )
10:45 am: Virtual Coffee Hour (Zoom)
Monday (July 13)
7:30 pm: Alcoholics Anonymous
Friday (July 17)
9 am: Overeaters Anonymous
Sunday (July 19)
10 am: Worship ( www.fcclg.org/videos )
7 pm: Overeaters Anonymous
Monday (July 20)
7:30 pm: Alcoholics Anonymous
  Prayer is at the heart of our relationship with God. Please lift these friends, family, and members in your prayers.
The Bain family at the death of Carol Bain.
The family of Emil Balz.
Laura Brown (a friend of Renee Bryant since 5th grade), and her family, lost her brother Erik, probably due to COVID-19. She also lost her sister Lou Ann to cerebral hemorrhage two days later.
The family of Don Caruso, Jennifer Sabella’s husband, who passed away on June 23 rd .
Jim and Vi Clayton.
The family of Ron Kloss, Janet Bednar’s and Jim Kloss’ father.
Stephanie McCollough.
The friends and family of Dottie McCormick, who died on June 6 th .
Margaret Melkonian, at home.
Sister Marlene Schemmel, Congregation of St. Joseph, as she battles kidney cancer.
Bob Taylor, who is fighting stage IV liver cancer that has spread.
The family of Richard Tobin.
Stephanie Turton, Dan Sather's sister, who is fighting COVID-19.
Eric Wodicka, boyfriend of Erin Swan (Chris and Renee Bryant’s daughter) who was diagnosed and hospitalized with leukemia.
Those killed, the injured, and their families in acts of violence.
Those at the border.
Those living in fear and without hope, and those who use fear to control others.
Those in the path of COVID-19. 


If you would like to add your loved one to the touch list with their permission, email your concern to info@fcclg.org, or text it to 708-294-3997.