Straight to the Point
November 23, 2021
November 21st COVID-19 UPDATE

The church council has decided that fully vaccinated people will not be required to wear masks in church. Those who are not fully vaccinated will still be required to wear a mask. The church will also be able to start singing in church.  The green tape will still remain in the sanctuary to encourage social distancing. Fellowship will also restart. We are requesting that you use prepackaged food and use rubber gloves to distribute the goodies. We will continue to Live Stream services on Facebook and YouTube.

If you have any questions call Pam Ridgway (712-202-8304) or contact the church office.
  Fellowship Time Returns

As of November 28, our Fellowship time after church will resume. The treats will need to be wrapped items. There will be a sign up sheet on the table near the front door. Please sign up for a Sunday that works for you. Someone will also need to make coffee each week. Please let Jan Nowlen know if you would be able to do that.
Thanksgiving Sunday

This Sunday, November 28, the Missions Committee will distribute checks in the amount of $1500 to each of eight local agencies. Representatives of these agencies will be present with us during worship to receive those checks and share a bit about their ministries~

  • Food Bank of Siouxland
  • Mary Treglia Community House
  • Safe Place
  • Sanford Center
  • Siouxland Soup Kitchen
  • Warming Shelter
  • Welcome Home
  • Women Aware

Please join us in worship to recognize the valuable contributions these agencies provide for our Siouxland community. A coffee fellowship will follow the service.
FCUCC Missions Committee~
Ginger France
Peggy Hoffmeyer
Ruth Holder
Jan Nowlen
Donna Popp
Congregational Meeting

There will be a short Congregational Meeting on December 12, 2021 immediately following the church service.  The purpose of the congregational meeting is to approve the bid received by Buildings and Grounds for a Control System Upgrade for the Heating and A/C system in the church with the funding of the project to come from the Endowment.
Advent Activity
Mission's commitee is hoping everyone will join in and contribute to the boxes under the Christmas trees at church or start your own at home. The Advent boxes will be delivered to the Soup Kitchen by the Book Club. Help make Christmas happier for those less fortunate.

Staff Christmas Gifts 

We would like to honor our Church Staff this holiday season. If you would like to donate towards a gift to our staff, please send your donation to the church and note “Staff Appreciation”. The funds received will be prorated and distributed accordingly to staff member’s schedule hours and length of employment. Please make sure to send your donations in by December 17th so that they can be distributed before Christmas. For questions, please contact Pam Ridgway, Council President.
Our Giving Tree

Giving holiday gifts to the clients of Siouxland Mental Health has been a longstanding tradition at First Congregational UCC, and a great way for
us to share the spirit of Christmas. Thank you for participating! Here’s how:

Because of the ongoing pandemic situation, we will be doing our gift giving for clients of Siouxland Mental Health like we did last year.

Instead of having items identified for certain clients, we will be providing $25.00 gift cards from Wal-Mart and the caseworkers will distribute them to the clients. Those who do not have transportation or who need help in shopping will be helped by their caseworkers.

Therefore, the Missions Committee is asking that if you want to participate in this important mission project you send a check to the church for $25.00 or multiples of $25.00 and identify in the memo line that it is for “The Giving Tree”.
The Missions Committee will then purchase the gift cards and get them to Siouxland Mental Health on Monday, December 13 th .

If you have any questions, please contact me: Donna Popp, dpopp1980@gmail.com or 712-251-5535.
Poinsettias

The church will be purchasing 10-12 poinsettias to display at the front of the church behind the pulpit for the Christmas Season. If you would like to purchase one for a family member or to enjoy after the Christmas Season, please send $20 to the church office and indicate it is for a poinsettia and we will let you know when they are available to pick up.
Why Are we Here?
Responses from our congregation

"In this place I feel safe, loved, and welcomed. I am grateful for the wonderful people here. God is in my church."
"We're here to enoy fellowship, music, and to hear God's word"
"To praise the Lord and become a better person"
"I don't know"
"We draw together with a community of people with similar views to serve the wider community"
" We have belonged to this church for 63 years since we were married"
"We don't know where else to go"
"To love and worship God. To love and serve others to help them know God"
"Here we can nourish eachother so that we can reach out and nourish others"
"I need to learn more how to be like Jesus"
"To be equipped to do God's work"
Admiration Series

Meets Sunday at 9:30 before Sunday worship. Currently studying:
The Apostle: A Life of Paul by John Pollock
HYVEE Receipts
Submitted by Ginger France
HYVEE receipts marked August 1 and later may be saved and turned in at church. They may be put into the balloon wrapped box on the table by the church office.
Moving-On Box Ministry
Submitted by Ginger France
In supporting the 'gift' of moving on, we fill lives with hope and household essentials for those leaving transitional housing at , Crossroads, Welcome Home, and Women Aware.

MOB Needs:
Small plastic glasses
Dishes/Bowls/Silverware
Saucepans
Cookie sheets
Cake Pans
Toilet paper
Kleenex
Calendars
Laundry Soap
Dish soap
Doug Siefker
Sharleen Sorum (Michelle Schwerin's mother)
Thank You, Volunteers!

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

Fill-in Minister - Todd Siefker
Worship Leader - Barb Knepper
Cantor- Billy Danner
Live Stream - Pam Ridgway/Jerrod Kiernan
Sound/Lighting - Kevin Knepper
Screen - Jerrod Kiernan
Strategy Design Team

An ad hoc Strategy Design Team has been established to develop a 1-5 year organizational plan for the church. Current committee members are Earl Miller, Jim France, Dick Owens and Barb Knepper. They are looking for 1-3 additional business minded members experienced in strategy design. If you are interested please let Michael know and he will pass that information on to the committee. If you have any questions regarding the committee please contact Pam Ridgway or any current member of the committee.
Pastoral Search Committee 
Submitted by Earl Miller
The committee has been actively receiving pastor profiles since we posted the church profile in early April.  Each candidate offers a unique opportunity for us and our goal is to bring forward a candidate that you all can embrace and rally behind. That is a tough goal but one we are committed to in our work. Our committee meets weekly on average as a group and several times a week in smaller groups. The future of FCUCC looks bright and we are carefully discerning who we would like to recommend to the congregation as the next pastor to help lead us. We are optimistic that we will find the right candidate in the time that God determines is appropriate.
 
Your prayers for our discernment are welcome.
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.

With Todd Siefker taking over the responsibility of the Sunday sermon and 9:30 a.m. book study, we have temporarily suspended our Wednesday night Admiration Series meetings.

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 October 2021
Updates from Church Treasurer
Giving last month amounted to $10,111, all from mail-in and online giving.

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

11:30am.-3:30pm. Sunday
9am.-1pm. Monday-Thursday

Church Staff:

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


office@firstcongregational.net

tsiefker@gmail.com

building@firstcongregational.net

jessica.orr@hotmail.com
4600 Hamilton Boulevard
Sioux City, IA 51104
(712) 239-3385