First Congregational Church

300 S. Minnesota Ave | Sioux Falls, SD 57104

(605)336-3072 | fcc@firstcongucc.com

Thinking Faith. Unbounded Welcome. Creative Worship. Generous Service.

May 2, 2024 | The Good News

May | At a Glance

Thursday, May 2: Altar Guild, Food To You Volunteering, Grille Girls, and Men's Fellowship

Sunday, May 5: Confirmation Sunday

Sunday, May 12: Mighty Middles Open House, Thrive Together (visitors), Lois Nicholas' Birthday Celebration, and Lorah Houser Jankord's Ordination Service

Friday, May 17: Out and About Baseball

Saturday, May 18: Spring Cleanup Day

Sunday, May 19: Volunteer Appreciation Day Breakfast and Becky Pagone's Ordination Service

Thursday, May 23: Dow Rummel Visit

Friday, May 31: Pride Trivia at Spirit of Peace

Church Ladies' Lunch

Meet up for fellowship, food, and fun on the second Tuesday of the month at 11:30 am with the Church Ladies' Lunch Group!

The location has changed to Perkins on 41st St.

2604 W 41st St, Sioux Falls, SD 57105

Ordination Services

We are excited to announce two Ordination services happening in May!

May 12: Lorah Houser Jankord - Representatives from Oahe, Prairie Lakes and Two Rivers Associations will participate. Clergy are invited to wear red or multi-colored stoles. All are welcome to come to the worship service and the reception to follow.

May 19: Becky Pagone - The Two Rivers Association and the Tri-Conference of the United Church of Christ invites you to the Ordination and Installation of Becky Pagone. Clergy are invited to wear red or multi-colored stoles. The service will take place at 3:00 pm in the Sanctuary with a reception to follow in Jones Hall.

Watercolor Painting

We had a relaxing time of painting and fellowship in the Sanctuary on Saturday, stop by Sacred Grounds to see everyone's artwork!

Lois Nicholas' 90th Birthday Celebration!

Celebrate Lois on Sunday, May 12, from 2:30 - 4:30 pm in the Prairie Creek Residence Dining Room. RSVP to 970-213-4533 or Sarah@jubilationranch.org

Send birthday cards to:

4400 Creekside Drive #201

Sioux Falls, SD 57106.

Take Me Out to The Ballgame!

Out & About will be heading to the Birdcage to watch the Canaries vs. Fargo Morehead! This is their opening game of the season with fun things in store (like fireworks)!

Details:

Hosts: Dick and Lori Menke

Date: Friday, May 17th

Time: 7:05 pm game

Address: 1001 N. West Ave. SFSD

Tickets: $13/person (food, beverages, etc. available through concessions)

IMPORTANT INFORMATON: Please contact Lori Menke directly @ 605.261.2833 if you are interested in attending. We need to have a definite number of attendees by Thursday, May 9th!! The Menke’s will meet you in front of the Birdcage to get your tickets to you. See you at the game!

Mighty Middles Mother's Day Open House

All are welcome on May 12th, from 9:15 am - 10:15 am to tour through the Mighty Middles Sunday School Room to learn about the class and what the students have learned in the last year. We are excited for the new Middle School students to join the Mighty Middles in the upcoming school year!

Building and Grounds Spring Cleanup Day

The Building and Grounds Team is hosting a Spring Cleanup Day on May 18th, from 9:30 am - 12:00 pm, to help spruce up the Church for a fresh start to the Summer. Bring gloves if you have them.

Painting outside railing
Seeding
Distributing mulch
Planting for the Living Quilt Garden - bring your plants (see below).

Work has begun in the back of our church for a meditation space including a Living Quilt Garden. Like a patchwork quilt, it represents our community that is vibrant, life-giving, sometimes messy, and full of love and variety! To reflect these qualities, we are offering space for any congregants to bring a perennial plant or two from your own garden that brings you joy, and plant it in our Living Quilt Garden outside by the back door. This space will be open for contemplation, meditation and prayer.

Summer Sow 2 Grow

God is a surprise, and so are our garden bags! This Summer, all youth from the Terrific 2's through High School students are invited to take a garden bag home with them starting in May.

There is a mystery assortment of vegetables and plants inside each one, and whatever it yields, children are able to keep the produce or bring it to church or school, and are encouraged to take pictures of the plant throughout the summer and send it to the church office to share in the newsletter.

Volunteer Appreciation Sunday - May 19th!

We are very fortunate to have a dedicated community of volunteers to keep our church running! Please join us to celebrate and show gratitude for all our volunteers with a catered breakfast from 9:15 - 10:15 am on Sunday, May 19th.

South Dakota Educational Scholarships

The South Dakota Conference UCC values education, young people, and those who answer a call to ministry at any age. To support all those who God calls to serve in many professions for the work of ministry, we offer scholarships each year to high school seniors, undergraduates, graduate students, and seminarians active in their South Dakota UCC congregations.

Scholarships may also be available to applicants pursuing programs not offered in South Dakota institutions. Some special funds are earmarked for those who are entering into ministry as a second career and have the challenges of family, jobs, and extra travel.

The amount given varies from year to year.

https://ucctcm.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Scholarship-Application.pdf

All applications require the following:

General application with essay and transcript
Pastor reference
Educator reference

If you have any questions, please feel free to call the SD Conference office at 605.338.8738 or send an email to info@ucctcm.org.

Please note you will have to download, print and fill out the application and return it with your references to info@ucctcm.org

2024 Mission Trip - Sign Up by June 9!

August 11-17, 2024 OutReach is hosting a Mission Trip to Alamosa, CO.! High School Students (with chaperones) and Adults will be traveling to serve the La Puente Home with various projects you can choose from including:

Painting, stocking and reorganizing shelves in the thrift store, and doing basic maintenance
Maintaining the V.E.G.I. Program Vegetable Garden
Cooking and serving meals at the community center
Serving at the food bank

Transportation costs will be covered by FCC - traveling by bus. The cost will be about $550 per participant. Please sign up in Fick Hall before June 9th to let us know if you can commit to going on the Mission Trip.

Young Adults Tie Dye Night

Join us for a colorful and creative night to gear up for Pride with a tie dye party on Saturday, June 1, at 4:00 pm, in the Gerlinger Room. Drinks will be provided, feel free to bring a snack to share. Bring a white cotton t-shirt or any other garment you'd like to tie dye, and we'll provide all the necessary supplies. Please RSVP by May 26th so we can have enough supplies for everyone. Sign up in Fick Hall. All are welcome to come, from the young to the young at heart!

Altar Guild Volunteers

Our wonderful Altar Guild crew faithfully fixes up and freshens the Sanctuary area on the first Thursday of each month at 9:00 am. We are looking for 1 or 2 more people who would be able to give an hour of their time once a month to join the Altar Guild. If you are interested, please contact the Church Office: FCC@firstcongucc.com.

Sioux Falls Pride has announced that the Pride Festival this year will be held at the Sioux Falls Canaries Stadium. The Parade will take place downtown (location TBA). Pride Weekend is June 8th-9th.

Pride Trivia: Friday, May 31, 6:30 pm, Spirit of Peace UCC. Beer, wine and other non-alcoholic refreshments and appetizers will be provided. You’re also invited to enjoy our signature drink in a

one-of-a-kind PRIDE Trivia cup, available for purchase at the event. Donate today and join us for this exciting event celebrating the kick-off to Sioux Falls PRIDE! All proceeds from the event will be distributed to Sioux Falls Pride and the Rainbow Chorus of Sioux Falls. Donate here before May 28th to receive an exclusive study guide before Trivia!

Rainbow Run: Saturday, June 1, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm, at Fawick Park. Support the Transformation Project and go all out on your rainbow attire for the Rainbow Run 5K! Ticket sales will help them to pay for programming, community events, building costs, and more. FCC a sponsor for this event! Sign up for the 5K here!

Rainbow Chorus of Sioux Falls: Thursday, June 6, 7:00 pm. Get ready to embark on a musical journey that celebrates resilience, courage, and the power of unity. Each song has been carefully selected to reflect the themes of bravery, hope, and the triumph of the human spirit. A free will donation will be taken at the concert, and half of the proceeds will be donated to Lost&Found. https://www.rainbowchorus.org/home

The Week Ahead

Sunday - 05/05/2024

Worship Service - 8:30 am

Breakfast - 9:15 am

Sunday School - 9:45 am

Worship Service (Confirmation Sunday) - 10:30 am

Fellowship Time - 11:30 am

Monday - 05/06/2024

Contemplative Prayer - 6:00 pm

Tuesday - 05/07/2024

Staff Meeting - 10:00 am

Church Council Meeting - 6:00 pm

Tuesday Night Yoga - 6:00 pm

Wednesday - 05/08/2024

Chancel Choir Rehearsal - 7:30 pm

Thursday - 05/09/2024

Gentle Yoga - 9:00 am

Fumble Through Bible Study - 10:30 am

Al-Anon Meeting - 5:30 pm

Sunday - 05/12/2024

Worship Service - 8:30 am

Breakfast - 9:15 am Thrive Together (visitors) - 9:15 am

Mighty Middles Open House - 9:15 - 10:15 am

Sunday School - 9:45 am

Worship Service - 10:30 am

Thrive Together (visitors) - 11:30 am

Fellowship Time - 11:30 am

Ordination - Lorah Houser Jankord - 3:00 pm

Remember in Prayer

Search Committee | Our Future pastor, still unknown to us

Need Prayer or Support?

The FCC Staff and congregation is available to provide support for you and your family when hard times come. If you would like prayer, you can write prayer requests on your Prayer and Offering bulletin insert on Sunday Mornings, you can reply to this email newsletter, or you can email Becky Pagone for direct support: BPagone@firstcongucc.com

Weekly Lectionary Scripture

John 15:9-17

As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

Next week's Scripture: John 17:6-19

Ways to Give

We want everyone to have the accessibility to give, serve, and be a part of this faith community, so here are a few ways that you can consider giving:

Cash
Check/ACH Withdrawal
PayPal Recurring Gifts
NEW! Venmo (https://www.venmo.com/u/fccsiouxfalls)
Volunteering with OutReach Opportunities
Volunteering for serving breakfast, offering childcare, teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, building and grounds projects, and more!

The Behavioral Covenant

First Congregational Church adopted our Behavioral Covenant in 2023. You can find the document on our website:

https://www.firstcongucc.com/behavioral-covenant

If you would like a printed copy and do not have access to a printer, please contact the Church Office for a printout.

Church Profile

View our Church Profile from the Pulpit Committee here:

https://www.firstcongucc.com/search-and-call

The mission of First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ is:

To create a Christian community based on the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth by growing in our relationships with God, each other, and our neighbors through a thinking faith, unbounded welcome, creative worship, and generous service.

Whoever you are, wherever you are on life’s journey,

you are welcome here.