TODAY's Sunday Church Update is Here!

First United Sunday Update

October 4, 2020

Today's Sunday Morning Update

Our church morning started with this week's ZOOM gathering of the weekly Adult Sunday School class led by Pastor Luke at 8:30.

At our 9:45 Worship Service, we continued our "Sharing the Light of Christ" stewardship focus by exploring the question - How are we reflecting God's light in the world today? We also heard another personal example from Kaen Schmidt, shared messages from two more of our ministry groups, and celebrated the Lord's Supper.

The second meeting this fall of our JAM and CORE Youth Groups took place at 11am outside by the fire pit. They'll be gathering on the 1st and 3rd Sundays following our worship service while our Sunday School classes for all ages will be gathering on the 2nd and 4th Sundays at 11am in various outside locations.

If you'd like to worship with us in person next Sunday, remember that many safety measures are being taken to protect you each week. We're also offering live streaming of our service on Facebook Sunday mornings. Recordings of our services are also available on our website and on our Facebook page. We hope you'll join us whenever it's convenient for you. It's so wonderful that we can worship together in so many ways!

Scripture - 1 Chorinthians 12:12

"For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body - Jews or Greeks, slaves or free - and we

were all made to drink of one Spirit."

Reflection - The Mosaic That Shows Us the Face of God

A mosaic consists of thousands of little stones. Some are blue, some are green, some are yellow, some are gold. When we bring our faces close to the mosaic, we can admire the beauty of each stone. But as we step back from it, we can see that all these little stones reveal to us a beautiful picture, telling a story none of these stones can tell by itself.

That is what our life in community is about. Each of us is like a little stone, but together we reveal the face of God to the world. Nobody can say, "I make God visible." But others who see us together can say, "They make God visible." Community is where humility and glory touches.

Excerpt from Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith by Henri J. M. Nouwen

Prayer - "With Me, Lord"

Before I awaken this morning you are with me, Lord, and even as I open my eyes you greet me with the gift of this new day. May I take this certainty of your presence

with me into all this day can hold. Be with me now as I go forth - not as some weird and ghostly watcher-over-me, but as a deeper and truer awareness within: an awareness which is constantly opening my heart to trust, to hope, to sharing and giving, to the call of the needs of my fellow creatures; an awareness which is constantly opening all of my senses to the hidden joys, the tiny discoveries, the lesser celebrations, and the

overarching wonder of your gift of life.

J. Barrie Shepherd, Diary of Daily Prayer.

Each week our “Taking Faith Home” information provides daily readings, prayers, devotions, and service opportunities following the Lectionary readings. It's a great resource for exploring your faith all through the week. Click here for this week's edition.

It's Agape Time Again!

Invite your friends and neighbors. Our next Agape Drive-Thru Dinner is set for this Wednesday (Oct. 7) at 5:45pm. Drive by the front of the church and pick up your free meal(s) of chili, crackers, fruit, and cookies. Feel free to circle around to our garden or side yard to share your meal with friends (with safe distancing please). Be sure to bring utensils, a drink, and a seat.

Many hands make light work. Please join the Buildings & Grounds Ministry to help with mainly outdoor cleanup this Saturday (October 10) beginning at 8:30am (rain date will be October 24). We're grateful to Kevin Spiegel and the Building & Grounds Ministry members for their dedication to our building, but they could use your help. Come on out and lend a hand (with safe distancing) to get our grounds spruced up and ready for winter.

October 18 is "Commitment Sunday" for Turning in Your 2021 Estimate of Giving

This week, we continue with highlights of how your offerings are planned to be used during 2021.

The Worship & Music Ministry had a simple goal in mind when we started 2020: to bring an attractive and thought provoking worship experience to First United. But we quickly learned that our primary goal would be to maintain basic accessibility to our core Presbyterian service, which we achieved. We were even able to share with other churches, thanks to investments in technology for our sanctuary and the diverse skill sets of our Co-Pastors, Organist, Communication and Video/Audio manager, Worship and Music team. With the streaming service well established and in-person worship now available, we will continue to look for innovative ways to add to our worship experiences. Worshiping in-person still means a great deal to us, which is why we prepared the sanctuary for anyone who wishes to safely attend. But in truth, when we hear the first chords of, “Here We Are to Worship,” we’re grateful to have creative and adaptive minds at work and we are a church wherever and whenever we participate in worship.

Our Building & Grounds Ministry will continue to make sure our church is safe and clean for our members to use the building for church service, Sunday School, meetings, and events. We also will maintain the grounds and building. We will look at ways to be more energy efficient, such as replacing several large windows that have lost their seal lowering the efficiency of the windows. We'll also maintain the mechanical equipment to extend its life expectancy. In 2021, we will continue to seek to improve our technology including use of our new church management and accounting software, “Church Windows” which replaced “Power Church.”

TODAY (10/4) - Amy Nelson & Jonas Wirtanen

Monday (10/5) - Mary Khabbaz

Wednesday (10/7) - Seth Hau & Bo Baxter

Thursday (10/8) - Bruce Solberg & Dave Leiber

Saturday (10/10) - Joyce Smith, Tom Paulson & Peggy Dorn

Next Sunday (10/11) - Huck Wood

Why not call, email, or send them a card?

> Pastors in the Parking Lot - Tuesday (10/6) 10am

> Agape Drive-Thru Dinner - Wednesday (10/7) 5:45pm

> Zoom Check In - Wednesday (10/7) 7pm

> Pastors in the Parking Lot - Thursday (10/8) 10am

> Talbot Circle Meeting - Thursday (10/8) 11:30am *Members should meet in the Family Life Center and bring a sack lunch like last month.

> Fall Church Clean Up Day - Saturday (10/10) 8:30am

> Adult Sunday School (Zoom) - next Sunday (10/11) 8:30am

> Sunday Worship - next Sunday (10/11) 9:45am (Sanctuary open to everyone with masks & safe seating - everyone else please join live stream on Facebook)

> Sunday School Classes for all ages (in various spots in side yard near fire pit) - next Sunday (10/11) at 11am

> Contemporary Readers Group - next Sunday (10/11) 5:30pm

> Scoopie Night at Culver's (Lawrence Drive, De Pere) - Tuesday (10/13) 5-8pm

*10% of all sales goes to support the De Pere Christian Outreach Christmas Store

> Guided Meditation Gathering - Sunday (10/18) 7pm

*Contact Pastor Meggan if you have questions about any of these gatherings

or if you want information about scheduling another meeting.

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