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February 2
, 2017
First Congregational
United Church of Christ
Memphis, TN 38104
901-278-6786
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Cheryl & Mark gathered at Clayborn Temple as the
"Memphis We Belong Here" Call-To-Action began in
support of our immigrant brothers & sisters. There's
more photos of First Congo participants below!
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We worship on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m.
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We Believe ...
- That God created the world - and that every single one of us has good work to do in life.
- Our "good work" has to do with living in ways that reflect God's agenda of love, joy, compassion and hope for the world and all its creatures, even in the midst of struggle.
- Jesus showed us how to do this. He had radica
 l trust in the Goodness of God and our ability to share God's agenda of life for the world. We can have this trust and share this agenda too, by following in his way.
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We feel more alive when we're living from our sense of connection - with God, with each other, and with life
itself.
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A Note from Our Senior Pastor:
"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night
stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."
This is the unofficial motto of the United States Postal Service, but add "fire" and I think you could be talking about First Congregational!
As you all know, we had a fire last Su
nday evening. The fire itself was quite contained to the Sunday School room, but smoke damage is extensive and we'll be working with ways to deal with that as we move forward. Our UCC Insurance representatives have been wonderful to work with, but it takes some time to assess what actually needs to be done in terms of clean-up, and that's the stage we're in now.
In the meantime, let's give thanks for the fact that this has barely slowed us down - and that's due to so many of us stepping in with help. Jamie Jones, a Resident Assistant in our Hostel, detected the smell of smoke. She and Danny Grubbs were quick to call the Fire Department. They were very quick in response, which meant that the fire had little time to spread.
Julia headed down to the church immediately, and many of you, I know, came by to see what was going on and if help was needed. Joli Williams and Vernessa Lester "walked" the building with Julia and Danny to see the extent of the damage.
And the minute this went more public on the television news . . .
so, so many of you emailed, called and offered help. Our Missouri-Midsouth Conference Minister, Rev. Ginny Brown Daniel called a couple times, offering assistance, and our friends at Holy Trinity UCC here in Memphis were gracious about offering help as well!
AND, hats off to our church staff! Juan Salter and Amy Shaw have been diligently at work, dealing with soot and smudge. Mark Ratay kept the community lunches going, despite the smoke in the room!
Our Children's Ministries will continue! We'll move everything up to the third floor. And again, huge thanks t
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our Children's Church leaders for the way they've offered to help with this relocation and provide supplies as we figure out where we go from here.
God provides! And we'll have worship as usual this weekend!
Blessings,
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We have 10 teams registered so far for our Winter Trivia Game
on NEXT Saturday, Feb. 11th at 6:00 pm
REPLY to this email to Register your Teams of 6 players
or let us know you'd like to join a team.
$20 per player - you can pay when you arrive.
Bring your own picnics & beverages!
Thanks SO much to question-master & scoreboard manager, Sherrie Walker and Martha Lanier, for creating these delightful evenings for over a decade ... raising tens of thousands of dollars for the church!
Tim Taylor will lead a meditative discussion of "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" at our Adult Sunday School class this Sunday morning at 9:45 am in the Conference Center.
Tuesday Evening Prayer
Time to "Unplug and Reboot"
 Everyone is welcome to join us for time to reflect and re-set your week. This is a quieter, more contemplative service that includes readings from scripture, poetry, and other inspirational writings, along with meditative music and a bit of quiet time to reflect.
You're welcome to join us any Tuesday evening at 6 PM in the sanctuary. The service typically last about 40 minutes. Come unplug and reboot with us.
FREE TAX ASSISTANCE!
Once again, Attorney Sterling Owens is providing free and professional assistance at First Congo for folks needing help with filing their taxes. She reminds us that the IRS will delay refunds this year in an effort to cut down
on fraud, so we are encouraged to file our returns EARLY!
Tuesdays at 4:00 - 8:00 pm
Saturdays by appointment only
February 7 - April 11
For more information or to make an appointment, email [email protected]. THANKS, Sterling!
Time to Join a Dinner Group!
 This is a SUPER way to meet new friends and enjoy three fabulous potluck suppers with about a dozen First Congo folks during the next few months. Just reply to this email and let us know if you'd rather be in a group that will meet on Friday nights, Saturday nights or Sunday nights. We'll get you booked in a group and a host will contact you within a few weeks!
SAVE THE DATE:
Pastors' Birthday Celebration on April 9th
 We are excited to celebrate the birthdays of BOTH of our pastors on Sunday, April 9th! Pastor Cheryl's birthday is on April 2nd, and Pastor Sonia's is on April 10th, so we'll enjoy a wonderful celebration for the blessings of this "divinity duo"! This celebration is a fundraising benefit for our Mission & Vision Fund ... and more info will be coming very SOON - be sure to mark your calendars NOW!
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This Week at First Congo:
 Thanks to Angela Richards (right), who was our layreader last Sunday, and Judy Drescher (below right) who lit our worship candle.
Click on these links below to enjoy again the worship music from the past two Sundays: 
(left) It was wonderful to see Howard PHeelgooD, previously our Minister of Dance, visiting from his home in Las Vegas. You look great, Howard!
 Our Intersections Group enjoyed lunch together in the Hub (thanks to Mark Ratay) and a short intro session with Gail Murray before visiting the National Civil Rights Museum together last Sunday. As you can see, they had a large group of 35 folks!
We enjoyed a top-knotch ensemble of musicians at worship this week, which included Brennan Villines, Lisa Gaddy, Chris Burgess, and guest artist Jana Misener on cello!
 (above left) This nice photo op of Mary Lin Hudson visiting with Judy Drescher was just too beautiful to resist! (above right) A BIG thanks to Facilities Committee member, Tim Combs, who is pictured here with our housekeeper, Amy Shaw. Tim is busy installing a total of 35 new toilet paper dispensers all over the church because our TP brand changed and we can't use the old ones ... [sigh].
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Senior Pastor:
Rev. Cheryl K. Cornish
Associate Pastor:
Rev. Sonia L. Walker
Director of Mission:
Julia
Hicks
Director of Food Justice Ministries:
Mark Ratay
Revolutions Bicycle Co-op
Director: Sylvia Crum
Minister of Music:
Dennis W. Darling
901-289-0513
Music Ministry Team:
Music Ministry Team:
Chris Burgess
Music Ministry Team:
Lisa Gaddy
Maintenance: Mark Allen
Danny Grubbs
Custodial Assistant:
Bryant Wilhite
Minister of Child Care:
Kenitra Higgins
Anitra Higgins
Pilgrim House Hostel Staff:
www.hostelmemphis.com
901-273-8341
 Kim Kamga
River Park
Dalton Jones
Ron Marion
Jamie Jones
Parks Dlugach
MaryPat Harris
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Look what's
Our free Community Lunches are served at
Cafe Congo on weekdays at 11:00 am till 1:00 pm.
- The Food Pantry is open on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays during lunch hours.
- The Clothes Closet is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays during lunch hours.
Thanks to one of our deeply committed volunteers, Mae Yancy (right) for her loving hours in the clothes closet!
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If you'd like to help provide groceries:
The following items are regularly needed for preparing the Community Lunches.
If you can pick up a couple of these items during your own grocery shopping - and then drop them off at The Hub on weekdays between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. or bring to church with you on Sundays, this is a VERY helpful way to contribute.
- white paper dinner napkins
- liquid chicken and beef broth
- roasted chickens
- stick salted butter
- Blue Bonnet 48 oz tub butter
- organic 2% and whole milk
- iceberg lettuce
- Romaine lettuce
- tomatoes
- celery
- green and red bell peppers
- cucumbers
- green, white, and yellow onions
We're also grateful to Jonathan McCarver (right) who spent several hours hauling cases of food from the Fellowship Hall into a storage room so that we could have room for our Trivia Night game next Saturday!
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 The Food Justice Ministry
for February
has been given by a
generous and anonymous donor.
(left) Carter Beard and Mark Ratay spend lots of hours chopping & cooking & staying cheerful as they prepare for our Community Lunches!
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 Also located in The Hub ... 
GLOBAL GOODS
Fair Trade Store
is OPEN on Saturdays
9am till 3pm
and after church on Sundays.
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Here's a few First Congo folks we caught at the Call-to-Action for our immigrant brothers and sisters last night:
 
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The Week Ahead at First Congo
- The Hub is OPEN for Cafe Congo and the Food Pantry: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
- MAGY Meeting: 7:00 - 10:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall
Saturday, February 4:
- Global Goods Fair Trade Store is OPEN: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm in The Hub
- "No Hungry Seniors" Food Pick-up: 9:00 am at the back entrance of The Hub
- Adult Sunday School: 9:45 am in the Conference Center
- Children's Sunday School: 9:45 am (new temporary location on 2nd floor)
- Nursery: Childcare is available for babies & toddlers in new location on 2nd floor from 9:45 till noon
- Coffee & Fellowship: 9:45 am till 10:30 am in the Commons
- Worship: 10:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary
- Children's Church: After the children's sermon at worship, our leaders will take the children to their classroom where they will have their own "church" and activities. Parents may pick up their children here after worship.
- Global Goods Fair Trade Store is OPEN: after Church in the Hub
- Youth Group: gather after church in the Conference Center Cafe - we'll meet till 2:00
- Open Shop in Revolutions Bicycle Co-Op: 2:00 - 6:30 pm
- Good Books, Good Friends: 5:00 pm at Sue Westmoreland's home (1589 Goodbar 38104)
- The Hub is OPEN for Cafe Congo and the Food Pantry: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
- Open Shop in Revolutions Bicycle Co-Op: 6:30 - 9:00 pm
- Open Art Studio: 6:30 - 9:00 pm
Tuesday, February 7:
- The Hub is OPEN for Cafe Congo and the Clothes Closet: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
- Finance Committee Meeting: 5:30 pm in Pastor Cheryl's office
- Tuesday Evening Prayer: 6:00 pm in the Sanctuary
Wednesday, February 8:
- The Hub is OPEN for Cafe Congo and the Food Pantry: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
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Vocal Choir Rehearsal: 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary
Thursday, February 9:
- The Hub is OPEN for Cafe Congo and the Clothes Closet: 11:00 am - 1:00 pm
- Revolutions Bicycle Co-Op Open Shop: 6:30 - 9:00 pm
- Open Art Studio: 6:30 - 9:00 pm
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Looking a bit Further Ahead -
Mark
Your Calendars for these upcoming events in the next few weeks & months
Saturday, February 11th at 6:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall
Congregational Quarterly Meeting & Potluck Lunch
Sunday, March 19th after morning worship in the Fellowship Hall
Pastors' Birthday Celebrations!
Sunday, April 9th
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First Congregational Leadership 2017:
Officers:
....   ....  ....  
Moderator, Co-Moderator, Secretary, Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer,
Teddy Crum Kevin Williams Angela Richards Joe Pfeiffer Bill Tupis
Committee Chairs:
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