Straight to the Point (STTP) Newsletter for the Week of January 10, 2023

Straight to the Point

January 10, 2023

166th Annual Meeting This Sunday

The FCUCC annual meeting will be held following Sunday worship on

January 15th.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Join the Sioux City NAACP chapter Monday, January 16th @7pm in the FCUCC sanctuary.

MLK Fellowship

Thanks to all of you that signed up to bring cookies or bars for the fellowship time on January 16 and to Anne Shaner and Suzanne Johnson for taking care of the set-up. Please bring the cookies to church on Sunday, January 15, or during the day on Monday, January 16. You can put them in the kitchen.

Hosts For Fellowship

We have several openings for the Fellowship time after the Sunday church services. Please look over the sign up sheet which is on the table by the front door and see if there is a Sunday that would work for you to take a turn.

Choir Off

Choir will not meet for the time being following Noah's resignation. We will make an annoucement when we decide how to move forward.

Hy-Vee Receipts

I bet many of you have accumulated lots of Hy-Vee receipts from groceries you have purchased for the holidays. I know I had many of them. Please take a few minutes and gather them together, bring them to the church and put them in the balloon box on the table right outside the office. I will get them to the person who gathers and counts them for Irving School. I have found that it is easier to do that in small bunches than to wait until April and try to do the

entire school year. Please remember that receipts for prescriptions and gas are not accepted. If you have any questions, please contact me.

Donna Popp, dpopp1980@gmail.com or 712-251-5535.

From the Bridge Pastor

Annual Meeting on January 15. Please plan to remain after worship for the 166th Annual Meeting of First Congregational United Church of Christ.

Handel’s Messiah at Blessed Sacrament Church. This event was supposed to take place in December, but Mother Nature forced it to be postponed. The Missouri River Choral Society will present selections from this famous oratorio at 2:00 PM, Sunday January 15.

Bible Study at Pierce Street Coffee Works Continues. Women and men of First Congregational United Church of Christ, please join us for a weekly Bible study at 1920 Pierce Street on Thursdays at 1:00 PM. Our next meeting will be this Thursday, January 12. The study is open to all members of First and any guests they would like to invite. Please bring a Bible, a pencil, and your curiosity for details of a select number of women in the Bible. We will utilize a Yale Divinity School Bible Study.

This week we will look at Sarah, the wife of Abraham. Through her story, we will discover how gender can inform your reading as you explore how these stories relate to your own faith journey.

Backpacks at the Foodbank of Siouxland. We have a maximum of 15 slots available to fill backpacks on Tuesday, January 17. The sheet is on the door of my study. Thank you.

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

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

The family of Ron Holmberg

The family of Marv Iddings

Pam Ridgway

Pastor Al Hohl

The Family of Carole Baker

Ruth Holder

Dick Owens and family

Kelley McCarthy

Ben Hart

Thank You, Volunteers!

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

Worship Leader- Suzanne Johnson

Live Stream- Jerrod Kiernan/Pam Ridgway

Sound/Lighting- John Kiernan

Screen- Jerrod Kiernan

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 December 2022

Updates from Church Treasurer

Giving last month amounted to $6,824, 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