Sunday, December 4, 2022

Week 2 of Advent

Please join us for worship service on Sunday at 10:00 AM.

Bulletin

Music

Prayers of Intercession

(new names added will be in red)

To view the live-streamed 10 AM service, please use one of the links below.

Youtube Link

Facebook Link

The Children's Faith Formation News and Information is updated weekly!

Introducing…The Welcome Desk

We are literally rolling out the welcome on Sunday mornings! Before and after worship, the Welcome Desk will be in the parlor and staffed by a knowledgeable Greeter. This is the place to go with any questions, to get connected into the life of the congregation, get a name tag, as well as to sign-up for Action Teams and events. Stop by! We’d love to welcome you! 

Christmas Fair

Saturday, December 3

9 AM - 2 PM

Gift Basket Raffle, Handcrafted items,

Cookie Walk, Homemade chocolates, Poinsettias, Boxwood Trees, Granny’s Attic, Treasure Room,

Jewelry, $1 jar for kids,

Lunch and our signature corn chowder

Music with Friends: Sunday, December 4

“Prepare the Way of the Lord” by singing with Music with Friends for 10:00 worship on Sunday, December 4. Come learn a simple Advent song at 9:15 just prior to the service. All you have to do is show up and sing!

Festival of Carols Action Team Needed for December 17

An action team of 3 is needed to help direct cars for parking, beginning at 4 PM until 5:30 PM. If you also wish to attend the Festival, we will reserve your seat. Please contact Nancy Stover by email or phone 203-910-5489. 

Quiet Christmas: Monday, December 19, 2022 at 7 PM

For those who grieve for many kinds of losses, the Christmas season can feel lonely and the journey of grief even more painful when it seems that the rest of the world is celebrating. This is a quiet worship service of prayer, Scripture, and music that lifts up God's presence in these lonely times and God's Word that comes to shine light into the darkest places of life. All are welcome, including the wider Cheshire community, family, and friends.

If you have suffered a loss of a loved one, please bring a picture of them.

Christmas Day Worship: December 25 at 10 AM

A relaxed Christmas celebration with scripture and songs around the piano.

2023 Generosity Campaign

We are nearing the end of the Generosity Campaign for the 2023 church budget, and we are really encouraged by the positive signs we are seeing within our church family. Increased participation in worship and program activities and a very positive reception to the “Living a Generous Life” theme has strengthened our church family’s ministries. You can MAXIMIZE YOUR IMPACT with a matching opportunity!! Thanks to the generosity of members of our congregation that love our church, and believe in our mission, there is an opportunity for your dollars to go further this year. A total of $40,000 has been made available for pledges that are increased by more than 7% over what you pledged last year. An easy way for you to pledge is to go to www.firstcheshire.org/pledge

Christmas Gifts for Christian Community Action

It’s gift choosing time for our friends at Christian Community Action and there are a few tags left. Just take a tag from bulletin board in the parlor, write your name and what you’ve chosen on the posted list and then buy and wrap and return to church by Sunday December 11. The Outreach Ministry team thanks you!

UCC Christmas Fund Appeal 

The Christmas Fund has been caring for active and retired clergy of the United Church of Christ for over 100 years, providing emergency grants, supplementation of small annuities and health premiums and Christmas “thank you” gift checks each December to our lower-income retirees. Please show your continued gratitude for our active and retired UCC clergy who need our support. Checks can be made out to the First Congregational Church with Christmas Fund in the memo line or donate online at UCC Christmas Fund.

General Food Collection 

Due to the economic challenges that families and fixed income residents in particular are currently facing, we are resuming food donations to the Cheshire Food Pantry and (GWIM) Greater Waterbury Interfaith Ministry. Donations can be dropped off at church in the parlor shopping basket. 

Would You Like to Serve on One of the Church’s Ministry Groups?

The Nominating Committee is looking for members (or soon-to-be members) who are interested in potential service on a Ministry Group next year. Here’s a short description of each Ministry Group. Please email Karen Helene or phone 203-671-4702 if you’d like to learn more.

Read more about Opportunities Available...

First Church Survey of Interests

Church Council and The Re-engagement Team are conducting a survey to help us determine what everyone’s talents & interests are and to categorize what aspects/events the congregation may be interested in. It is only a page long and will only take a moment to complete. Please join us in the spirit of generosity, by taking this short, but very important survey by the link or scanning the QR code. 

Sunday Flower signup

Would you like to donate flowers for Sunday worship service in memory or in honor of someone? There is a signup sheet in the Parlor for you to fill in your name and contact info. Any questions, please contact Jane Brown.

Fellowship/Coffee Hour

Caring Ministry invites all members of the congregation and their families to join together and host an after service coffee hour in the coming months. Guidelines and assistance will be provided to all hosts. To schedule a coffee hour, please sign up on Board in the parlor or email Jane Brown or by phone at 203-535-9193.

Flower Delivery to Home-bound

Caring Ministry and Parish Care are once again able to deliver altar flowers to members unable to attend services. If you would like to participate in this uplifting program and help brighten someone’s day, please email Jane Brown or call (203) 535-9193.

A More Ecological Christmas:   The season of Good Cheer is too often the Season of Too Much Waste, but there are ways we can change that.  Here are some suggestions from the Stanford University Recycling Center:  Wrapping paper – which generally can’t be recycled – is often used once and thrown away. Try using colorful pages torn from magazines to wrap small gifts, and old maps or the Sunday comics for larger boxes.  Leftover holiday-themed pieces of fabric make great wrappings. Turning an empty potato chip bag inside out gives you a piece of shiny metallic paper. Avoid using paper entirely by using reusable decorative tins, baskets or boxes. If you do buy wrapping paper, look for recycled paper. Reusable cloth ribbons can be used in place of plastic bows.  Unwrap gifts carefully and save wrappings for reuse next year. (Some members of the Environmental Justice Team have re-used paper for years and years, wrapping ever-smaller gifts!)  Look for gifts with an environmental message: a nature book, a refillable thermos bottle, a canvas tote bag, a battery recharger or items made from recycled materials. Choose solar-powered instead of battery-powered products – or better yet, ones that require no power at all.  If you send holiday cards, look for ones made of recycled paper. Avoid cards with glossy, shiny, or gold foil coatings, because these cannot be recycled. Save the cards that you get, cut off the front pictures, and reuse the back sides as tags for next year’s gifts.  To learn more about our church’s Environmental Justice Team, email Anne McNulty or Karen Schnitzer

Week of December 4

Calendar and Announcements

Sunday, December 4 – Advent Week 2

10:00 a.m. Advent Worship, Sanctuary, Music with Friends

11:00 a.m. Fellowship, Parish Hall

11:15 a.m. 300^th Anniversary Committee, Chapel

11:15 a.m. Budget Committee, Room 11

11:30 a.m. Advent Play Rehearsal, Sanctuary

5:00 p.m.  Middle and High School Top Chef

Monday, December 5

11:00 a.m. Elim Park Communion, Nelson Performing Arts Center

7:00 p.m.  Caring Ministry, Chapel

Tuesday, December 6

2:00 p.m.  Parish Care, Library

4:00 p.m.  Staff Meeting, Chapel

7:00 p.m.  Environmental Justice Team, Chapel

7:00 p.m.  Outreach Ministry, Offsite

Wednesday, December 7

7:45 a.m.  Advent-themed Communion service, Sanctuary (30 min.)

12:45 p.m. Caring Crafts, Parlor

7:00 p.m.  Choir Rehearsal

7:00 p.m.  Bible 101, Chapel & online (Read Genesis chapters 1-3)

zoom.com  ID: 868 6697 6573   Passcode: 524002

Thursday, December 8

6:30 p.m.  Worship Ministry, Chapel

Saturday, December 10

11:00 a.m. Festival of Carols practice, Sanctuary

7:30 p.m.  Elm City Girls Concert, Sanctuary

Sunday, December 11 – Advent Week 3

10:00 a.m. Advent Worship, Sanctuary

11:00 a.m. Fellowship (hosted by 300^th Anniversary Committee), Parish Hall

11:30 a.m. Advent Play Rehearsal, Sanctuary

4:00 p.m.  Stepping Stones (Grades 5 & 6) Christmas Caroling

5:00 p.m.  Middle and High School Youth Group, Parish Hall