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First Things First
A weekly eNewsletter from
The First Church in Oberlin, United Church of Christ
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An open and affirming, Just Peace, Green Justice, Global Mission Congregation
No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here!
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First Church is taking steps to maintain our worship life and programming while keeping all of us safe.
Click on the video to hear David talk about some of the Protocols and Guidelines and how they affect some of the events at First Church.
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Our Deepest Sympathy: Jim Deitz |
Rev. James G. Deitz died in the early morning of Wednesday, May 11 at The Trinity Community at Beavercreek. Jim served a number of churches in our conference before retiring and becoming a member of First Church along with his wife, Lou. Memorial arrangements are not known at this time. Please remember Jim's family and friends in your prayers during this time of grief and loss. If you'd like to send a note or card to Lou, please address it to "Mrs. Elizabeth C. Deitz (or Lou Deitz), 4414 Moraine Ridge Ln., Kettering, OH 45429."
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O God, whose days are without end and whose mercies cannot be counted, awaken us to the shortness and uncertainty of human life. By your Holy Spirit, lead us in faithfulness all our days. When we have served you in our generation, may we be gathered with those who have gone before, having the testimony of a good conscience, in the communion of your holy church, in the confidence of a certain faith, in the comfort of a saving hope, in favor with you, our God, and at perfect peace with the world; through Jesus Christ our Redeemer.
Amen.
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AV Support Needed
We are in desperate need of expanding our AV team to ensure the continued live-streaming of Sunday worship services, as well as other church related and community events.
This is an urgent matter as we currently have only two trained AV technicians and if they are not available we risk not being able to reach church and community members who connect with us remotely.
No prior AV experience necessary.
If you know your way around a smartphone or tablet you can learn how to set up and run our AV system.
Please contact the church office to arrange for training. Thank you.
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Music Sunday and Sunday School Reception is May 22nd!
Join us Sunday, May 22nd at 10 am for our family friendly Music Sunday service, where we celebrate God's gift of music in its various forms and expressions. We then invite you to attend a reception immediately following worship, where we will recognize our Sunday School teachers. Come one, come all to help us have a ball! You can worship with us either in-person in the Meeting House or via our Facebook page. We hope to see you there.
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Sunday Youth Group is May 22nd!
Our next Youth Group Event is May 22nd from 6-8 pm. We will be outside, weather permitting! Come enjoy some of our outdoor games, and bring a healthy snack to share picnic-style! (A gentle reminder: some of us are gluten-free, so please keep that in mind...) Looking forward to seeing you al fresco!
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Short Term Housing Needed
Due to unexpected circumstances, Bill Hamilton is in urgent need of short term housing (1-2 months). If you have a spare living space or know of someone who does please contact him ASAP. Compensation available. willmh@msn.com (646) 322-6637.
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Sunday School Wrap-Up!
Our last Children's Church and Sunday School times before summer will be this Sunday, May 15th. The Zoom link for Sunday School is below.
The Children have been invited to sing on Sunday, May 22nd, as part of the Music Sunday Extravaganza! Please arrive at 9:30 am that day to practice with the choir. Children will remain in worship for the whole service on Music Sunday.
We will start Summer Storytime on May 29th. Join us for Leah Henderson's A Day for Rememberin' - a story inspired by the events of the first Memorial Day.
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Friends Of ASP
Our ASP-Oberlin team is on track for another week of "Warmer, Safer, Drier" home repair June 12th - June 18th with the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) in Harlan, KY. There are a couple spots remaining, if there are any interested volunteers, please contact Erik Andrews (erik.g.andrews@gmail.com). As always, we request your thoughts and prayers for the upcoming mission trip.
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ASP Kicks Off New Initiative
Friends of ASP: Today, Friday, May 13th at 7pm in the JFO Room, please come listen to ASP Executive VP Melisa Miller speak about a new initiative: ASP is coordinating/leading an effort to build new homes for families displaced by flash flooding in Waverly, TN last fall.
Her talk, along with a Q&A session, is expected to last one hour.
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Summer Storytime is coming!
Do you want to get to know the youth of the church? The perfect opportunity is on the horizon! You are invited to come read a story on a summer Sunday to our children and help supervise them for a short play period during the sermon time. You will be provided with the story - all you need to bring is you!
A sign up sheet for the weeks of our summer break is currently in the gallery. We invite you to pick the week that seems best to you. Thanks in advance for making a commitment to our youth this summer!
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To All United and Uniting in Christ:
I’m writing to invite you to participate in one of several upcoming listening sessions for the General Minister & President (GMP) search process. We hope to hear from anyone who is involved in any of the various ministries of the United Church of Christ.
The purpose of these sessions is for us to hear your sense of where the United Church of Christ is right now, and how you understand the challenges and opportunities our next General Minister & President will face. The listening sessions will be facilitated by members of the Isaacson Miller team, and members of the search committee will be listening. What we hear from you will shape the position profile, which is the document that will officially invite prospective candidates to apply.
We hope you will join us for one of these four sessions. Please note that there is one session specifically for people who self-identify as a youth or young adult, and one session for people who self-identify as a person of color. If these identities do not apply to you, please choose one of the Open sessions instead.
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Open Town Hall #1 -Tuesday, May 10th, 6:00pm EST. Register here.
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Town Hall for Youth & Young Adults - Monday, May 23, 7:00pm EST. Register here.
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Town Hall for People of Color - Wednesday, May 25, 7:00pm EST. Register here.
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Open Town Hall #2 - Thursday, May 26th, 5:30pm PST (8:30 EST). Register here.
In addition to the sessions above, members of the search committee and IM team will also be meeting with a variety of leaders throughout the settings of the church, including local church ministers, Conference Ministers, national staff, staff of affiliated ministries, and others.
If you would like to offer feedback but are unable to join any of these sessions, please contact us at gmpsearch@ucc.org.
For more details and ongoing updates on the GMP search and call process, please visit the dedicated webpage.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Blessings,
Rev. Emma Brewer-Wallin
Chair, GMP Search Committee
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Book Group
The First Church Book Group continues to meet by Zoom every Tuesday, 4 - 5:30 pm. The books to be discussed in the coming months include:
On April 19, 26, and May 6: The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women’s Rights by Dorothy Wickendon. Discussion led by Marci Peterson.
On May 10 and 17: Tender at the Bone, an autobiography by Ruth Reichl. Discussion led by Janet Kelsey Werner and Mary McDaniel.
On May 24, 31, and June 7: Destiny of the Republic by Candace Millard (bestselling account of the rise of James Garfield). Discussion led by Linda Gates.
The group takes a break over the summer and a small task force uses that time to develop a list of 25 - 30 books to be considered at the first meeting in September. Everyone who wants to participate in Book Group will vote at that time to create the reading list for 2022-2023.
Feel free to join in at any time. To get the Zoom invitation, email Laurel Price Jones who is serving as the Group contact: lpricejones@gmail.com.
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Mobile Senior Program
All seniors are invited to First Church in Fellowship Hall on Mondays from 10 AM to 3 PM! Join in some Senior Center activities, such as, exercises, lunch at 11:30, then movies and/or games in the afternoon. Come for any or all activities and meet some nice fun people. We hope to see you there!
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Service of Thanksgiving for the Life of Ann Craig
Sunday, May 22, 1:30 p.m.
The First Church in Oberlin, UCC
All are welcome. This event will also be livestreamed on the church's Facebook page, "First Church in Oberlin, UCC."
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Mozart Requiem
As part of Oberlin's Commencement/Reunion weekend, there will be a performance of the Mozart Requiem, with orchestra, in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Oberlin's performance at the National Cathedral in response to the Kent State tragedy.
All singers are welcome to join in this performance, please sign up using the form here. If you know of singers who might be interested, please also share this link with them.
Here's the schedule:
Fri., Jun. 3, 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. - Optional Rehearsal, Orchestra and Chorus, for musicians who have already arrived on campus. Conservatory C25
Sat., Jun 4, 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. - Choral Rehearsal, Conservatory C25
Sun., Jun 5, 12:30 p.m. - Combined rehearsal, First Church, 106 N. Main St.
Sun., Jun 5 - 1:30 p.m. - Performance, First Church, 106 N. Main St.
Since we'll have such a small amount of rehearsal time, preparing our parts in advance will be crucial!
Marked Choral Score (click to download) - if possible, print and bind this in a black 3-ring binder prior to coming to campus. If you use your own copy of the score, please copy all markings from this score. (You'll notice many places where one voice part is added to double another, to help with balance, for instance.)
For access to the practice part recordings, please contact First Church's office and they will send the link to you. These recordings are licensed specifically for our use on this project, please do not share this link publicly.
Performance attire: All black, with masks (which do not have to be black).
If you're available, I hope you'll join us for this performance!
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Letter from Our Friends at AARP
Dear Pastor Hill and members of First Church,
The volunteers of the AARP Tax-Aide Oberlin site have completed a second successful Covid-modified tax season during which we were able to file 229 current tax season returns. Your generosity gave us a perfect location for the second year in a row. On behalf of our volunteers and the taxpayers we served with our free service, I want to thank you for allowing us to use the facilities of First Church again this tax season.
On Tuesdays and Wednesdays for 10 weeks, we interviewed taxpayers and scanned their forms and documents at First Church and finalized completed returns from the previous week. Three experienced tax counselors plus two newly trained volunteers worked in person and three additional volunteers worked solely from their homes using computer and phone to prepare returns and contact taxpayers. The taxpayers let us know every day how much our service was appreciated.
Thanks for the help you gave to Tax-Aide. You support our community in so many ways and housing our service is only one of them.
Sincerely
Gail Wood
Oberlin Local Coordinator
AARP Tax-Aide
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Additional Links and Information |
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2022 Juneteenth
Oberlin, OH—The Juneteenth Oberlin Executive Board is proud to present this year’s annual Juneteenth Celebration Festival, “Dancing and Celebrating through the Second Line: Releasing Enslaved Spirits to Freedom” on Saturday, June 18th, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. This year our focus is on the Second Line and releasing enslaved spirts to freedom. The celebration will be located at the Underground Railroad Center–Station Square–behind the McDonalds on S. Main St. The festival will include a parade with the African pride dancers, drumline, praise dancers and other local performers marching from Spring St. Park down Groveland St. to Pleasant St. and ending at the Underground Railroad Center. There will be games, face painting, raffles, various vendors and food trucks.
This Juneteenth Celebration will feature a New Orleans Second Line parade. The Second Line will be led by Oberlin College graduate Kevin Lewis from New Orleans that specializes in Second Line music using the traditional Dirge. We will honor the spirits of Black People, when death was one of the ways our ancestors were free from slavery; Jim Crow laws; lynching; the Reconstruction Era; Black Codes; and segregation. The Second Line parade will be going down Morgan Street to the Westwood Cemetery–singing and dancing-celebrating our ancestors' release to freedom.
Juneteenth—originally June 19th, 1865—is considered the date when the last enslaved people in America were freed. Although the rumors of freedom were widespread prior to this, actual emancipation did not come in Texas until June 19th, two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1st, 1863. Juneteenth symbolizes the end of slavery and the beginning of freedom. While its roots are in Texas, Juneteenth has become a day to celebrate freedom all over the United States. Oberlin’s history of commitment to abolition and the cause of freedom makes the community uniquely qualified to celebrate Juneteenth.
This year the Maafa prayers will go up for all the souls of the slaves from Louisiana and around Oberlin, Louisiana. Maafa, also known as the Holocaust of Enslavement, is a national celebration commemorating the pain, suffering, and loss of life of Africans in the Diaspora.
Immediately following the Maafa there will be the Potter's Field Celebration. The Potter’s Field Celebration will pay tribute to "Oberlin's Glory", the African American soldiers of the 54th and 55th Massachusetts Regiment. The known graves of these soldiers at Potter’s Field will be cleaned and will receive a floral wreath. This is a unique event created by local published historian Margaret Christian dating back over 10 years. The Maafa and the Potter's Field Celebration will be held at Westwood Cemetery in Oberlin at 6:30 pm - 7:30pm Saturday June 18th, 2022.
We are a community festival and would like to acknowledge the following organizations for their support; City of Oberlin, local churches, Oberlin Public Library, the Oberlin Business Partnership, and Oberlin College Alumni. We are currently looking for volunteers and booth vendors to make this a successful community festival. Booth applications will be available online at www.juneteenthoberlin.org and at the Oberlin Library and must be turned in by May 31, 2022, if additional time is needed, please reach out to Chairperson of Oberlin Juneteenth, Valerie Lawson or Adenike Sharpley, Board Member, at 440-774-4327 or asharple@oberlin.edu. Booth applications can be sent to P.O. 604 Oberlin, OH 44074.
Come join the fun, learning, good food, and Second Line on Saturday June 18, 2022 from 9am – 6pm located at the Underground Railroad Center.
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- UPCOMING ROAD CLOSURES -
Oberlin College
Sustainable Infrastructure Program
Oberlin College is beginning year two of its four-year Sustainable Infrastructure Program that will help obtain the goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2025. This project will upgrade the campus energy infrastructure to allow for a major shift from using fossil fuels to renewable geothermal energy as the primary source for heating and cooling campus buildings.
Please note the following road closures to allow for construction of the project:
(Map Below)
Woodland Street - April 27-May3West Lorain Street - May 4-9 & May 10-13- Woodland Street - May 16-20
- Union Street - June 10-12
If you would like to receive regular SIP project updates from the college (via email), follow this link then scroll down to SIP Construction Updates and sign up for the email updates.
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Click on the flyer for more information and the application form. |
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OMLPS/ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT
Journeyman Lineman
The City of Oberlin is accepting applications for a Journeyman Lineman position in the Distribution Division of the Oberlin Municipal Light & Power System (OMLPS)/Electric Department. Duties include the operation, maintenance and routine construction of the electric distribution system.
Minimum Qualifications:
High school diploma or equivalent; successful completion of journey line worker apprenticeship program; and four (4) years’ experience as an apprentice lineman; or an equivalent combination of education and experience which provides the skills and abilities necessary to perform the job
- Valid State of Ohio Driver’s License
- Valid Ohio Class “A” Commercial Driver’s License
- Journeyman Line Worker Certification
Salary Range: $28.73- $35.92/Hour D.O.Q.
OPEN UNTIL POSITION FILLED
Apply Online:
To request a paper application or for assistance, please contact the Human Resources Department at 440-775-7205
The City of Oberlin is a Drug-Free Workplace and an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.
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COVID VACCINES NOW AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE 5 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER |
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If you are searching for ways to become more fully engaged in the life of the church, please contact Rev. David T. Hill by calling the church office at (440) 775-1711 or by sending an email to the church office.
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Submission information:
Deadline for articles and information is Wednesday at 10 AM. Thank you.
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