Straight to the Point (STTP) Newsletter for the Week of October 18, 2022

Straight to the Point

October 18, 2022

From the Bridge Pastor

On the sixth day God completed all the work that God had done, and on the seventh day God rested from all the work that God had done. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all the work of creation. (Genesis 2:2-3)

God demonstrated to humankind the necessity for rest. Vacations are an important part of human life. Jane and I will be on vacation beginning October 17 and ending October 26. During that time, I have arranged for colleagues to cover emergencies at First Congregational United Church of Christ: Rev. Gary and Rev. Bev Panko [(308) 991-8322)] who will cover October 17- October 22; Rev. Jay Denne [(712) 898-1678)]; and Rev. Chuck Meyer [(402) 800-7531)] who will cover October 25-October 26.

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

Mission of the Month for October

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.

Hy-Vee Receipts

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

Moving-On Box Ministry

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.

Current MOB Needs:

bath towels

cake pans

can openers

3-quart saucepans

pot holders

small plastic glasses

toasters

Dick Owens

Kelley McCarthy

Ben Hart

Ron Holmberg

Carole Baker

Thank You, Volunteers!

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

Worship Leader- Ruth Holder

Live Stream- Jerrod Kiernan/Pam Ridgway

Sound/Lighting- John Kiernan

Screen- Jerrod Kiernan

Special Thanks to Our Choir Members!

Directory

Managed by the Office

We are using Instant Church Directory. Printed versions of our directory are available in the narthex or by request. Please inform the office of any directory updates that you would like to include for yourself or your family. You can also pick up one of the directory update forms on the table outside the church office or find it on our website.

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.

Join Us

We invite you to engage and strengthen your faith with these practices:

THE PRACTICE OF WORSHIP: Live Streamed on Facebook and Youtube, and recorded

We Live Stream our Sunday morning worship service via the church’s page on Facebook and Youtube at 10:30am on Sunday mornings. Every service is recorded and available to play at any time on those platforms. If you have trouble, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the church for help.

THE PRACTICE OF LEARNING: Zoom learning sessions each week 9:30 a.m. each Sunday.

Engage your mind in learning through theological reflection, asking hard questions about God and life, and test your embedded theology to see if that where you want to be.

A Closing note about ZOOM:

If you don’t have the ability or the equipment to use Zoom or Facebook to participate in these practices, please call the office. We will be happy to help you find a solution to fully participate in the life of the church.

Link to our Youtube where you can watch our services live and recordings of past services:

Click HERE

FCUCC Finances for September 2022

Updates from Church Treasurer

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.

Tithe.ly is our online, app and web-based giving system. It's convenient because it:

Accepts debit, credit or bank account info
Can be set up for a one-time payment, or automatic regular payments
Can be changed at any time (there are no contracts or commitments)

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

Remember to Support FCUCC Financially During this Time!

Church Office Hours

Sunday 11:30am-3:30pm

Monday-Thursday 9am-1pm

Pastor Del's Office Hours

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

Tuesday 1pm-4:30pm

Wednesday 1pm-4:30pm

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

During posted hours, Pastor Del might be called to visit someone in the hospital or who is homebound. It will be a good idea to call ahead to ensure that he is available for an in-person visit.

Church Staff:

Rev. Del Olivier

Michael Danner, Church Office/Organist

Todd Siefker, Intergenerational Coordinator

Jim McCrory, Custodian

Jessica Orr, Nursery Coordinator

Church Contact Information

(712) 239-3385

office@firstcongregational.net

www.firstcongregational.net

Pastor Contact Information

(712)-574-8292