The 2022 CROP Hunger Walk will be held on Sunday, October 16. See Ellen Shaner or Pastor Del to sign up for the First Congregational UCC Team! After walking, you’ll be hungry and can go to Buffalo Alice for a great meal and the fundraiser for the Siouxland Foster Closet!

The Siouxland Foster Closet is a volunteer-run organization whose mission is to follow God’s commands to love, to care for children (James 1:27), and to give out of what we have (1 John 3:17, James 2:15-16) by supporting families who have opened their homes to children in need. Children placed by the system often arrive in out-of-home placement with little to no extra clothing, or they are lacking seasonally appropriate or well-fitting clothes. These items can be supplied by the Siouxland Foster Closet. Please see more about them on their Facebook page:

Please bring any spare winter coats that you would like to donate to the Mayflower UCC Coat Drive to church this Sunday!

Pastor Del and Todd at the Joint Annual Meeting

This week Pastor Del and Todd went to Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) for the Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota Conferences in the United Church of Christ.

Attending the conference with so kindred spirits with so much passion for what they do, was an inspiring experience for both Del and Todd. Del and Todd saw, that many churches face the same challenges we do at First Congregational—like dwindling numbers. Yet Del and Todd left the conference with new friends, new connections, and renewed hope about the work of the church.

The Apostle Paul’s analogy about all the different parts of the Body of Christ, is so true. Pastor Del and Todd heard so many amazing speakers, like Martha Brunell, Phil Hart, Kristen Leslie, Dyanis Conrad, Kelly Galliger, Dustin Bartin, Kerry Steever, and Laura Renault.  

There were many very interesting speakers, like Rev. Dustin Bartin, who said, “Instead of saying, ‘Hey, Everyone, come visit us.” He said, “Let’s start going to them.“ Rev. Bartin, brings the Lord’s Supper to the downtown public sidewalk in his town, and practices communion with anyone interested. He writes individual letters to LGBTQ+ students at the local school who have faced hatred. And he does a little bartending with theology on the side at a local bar.  

Or like Rev. Laura Renault in Hubbard, Iowa who was profoundly disturbed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and wondered what she could do. She organized a prayer service with a bunch of local farmers who drove their tractors into the shape of the peace symbol. Somehow the event raised $21,000 dollars to help refugees displaced by the war.

Or like Rev. Kerry Steever in Norfolk, Nebraska who invited a charismatic Spanish speaking congregation to share their space. Language barrier aside, the two groups have figure out ways to work together to repair things and be a model to the community of God’s love.

We should take a moment to pause and consider what a beautiful thing we’re a part of at the UCC.  Leaders in our faith, say fresh things like:

“Sin is a failure to grow.”—Gregory of Nyssa

“All flourishing is mutual.” –Martha Brunell

“Listening is foundational to every significant relationship.” —Martha Brunell

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and then do it.” –Howard Thurman

“Let’s talk about personal wholeness in a time of overwhelm.” –Kristen J. Leslie

“We need windows into a new world, not just mirrors into groups that look just like mine.” –Dyanis Conrad

“Being in covenant with each other is the water we swim in.” —Kelly Galliger

On that point, Rev. Galliger said that being in covenant is not a static one-time thing. The covenant evolves through dialogue. It’s as Rev. Oliver Powell once said, “What a beautiful, heady, exasperating, hopeful mix it is to be in the UCC.” Pastor Del and Todd left the conference feeling hopeful and renewed and refreshed. Pastor Del and Todd are grateful for the chance to have attended the conference. And they hope that that fresh spirit of renewal and hope will permeate or church moving forward.

In Matthew 25:31-46 we read Jesus’ parable helping people in need. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You who are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment but the righteous into eternal life.”

It very easy to observe people in need…especially when you are certain area in Sioux City. Those living below the poverty line in 2021 was 14.2% which includes 11,376 people including children. 

Todd Seiker and I attended JAM in Sioux City Sunday (10/9) afternoon, Monday (10/10), and Tuesday (10/11) morning. Todd has submitted his own report and I offer mine.

Thank you, for allowing me to represent First Congregational United Church of Christ in Sioux City. I was very good for me to meet several members of the leadership of our denomination. Even though I had no vote, I was able to listen and learn from the discussions and keynote speakers. I also had the opportunity to have dialogue with the Rev. Phil Hart, the Interim Executive Conference Minister; the Rev. Samantha Houser, Associate Conference Minister; the Rev. Kendy Miller, Associate Conference Minister; and the Rev. Sarah Rentzel Jones, Associate Conference Minister. From conversations with each one of them, I have gained useful knowledge that will assist me in more ably assisting you in your process of becoming ready to look at beginning the process to call a new pastor. I have asked both Phil and Samantha about their willingness to visit us for a time of discussion about where you’ve been and where you would like to proceed into the future.

As always, if you are someone you know would benefit from a pastoral visit, please call the office, and let Michael or me know.

In Christ,

Pastor Del

   Our Mission of the Month for October is The Warming Shelter. They will be opening on November 1 and will be in need of individually wrapped snacks, hygiene items, socks, underwear, gloves, stocking caps. These items can be put in the shopping cart by the front door at church. If you would prefer to do a cash donation you can make your check out to the church and put Warming Shelter on the memo line.

It is time to save Hy-Vee receipts again for the schools to cash in and get monies for extra things that the school budgets cannot provide. The balloon box will be on the table outside the office and receipts dated beginning in August can be deposited there. I will get them to the schools for their sorting and calculating. They cannot accept receipts for gas or prescriptions but all receipts for other items are acceptable. This is a very simple way to help our neighbors, so start

collecting and bring them to church. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Donna Popp

In supporting the 'gift' of moving on, we fill lives with hope and household essentials for those leaving transitional housing at Safe Place and Welcome Home.

bath towels

cake pans

can openers

3-quart saucepans

pot holders

small plastic glasses

toasters

Kelley McCarthy 

A big "thank you" goes out to our volunteers who helped with services this week.

Fill in Minister-Todd Siefker

Worship Leader-  Barb Knepper

Sound/Lighting- John Kiernan

To access the directory online visit members.instantchurchdirectory.com and you should be able to create a login using the email listed in the church directory. If you need any help accessing the directory or would like a copy emailed to you, contact the church office for assistance.

Click HERE

Giving last month amounted to $14,799, from mail-in, online giving, and Sunday offerings.

You can help us stay on track by mailing in your check or setting up an automatic payment from your bank. You can also contribute through a simple app called Tithe.ly. 

Go to http://get.tithe.ly to sign up online, or download the app on any iPhone/Apple or Android device.

Sunday 11:30am-3:30pm

Monday-Thursday 9am-1pm

Monday 8:30am-12pm, 1pm-4:30pm

Tuesday 1pm-4:30pm

Wednesday 1pm-4:30pm

Thursday 8:30am-12pm, 1pm-4:30pm