Allison Hamm will host the midsummer FOG gathering in her lovely backyard at 754 Furrow Way, Lafayette on Friday, August 22 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Bring your favorite summer wine and an appetizer to share (or just one or the other if you are coming solo) along with the spirit of Fellowship. Everyone over 21 is invited, and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. Blue house, second one in from street on east side of Furrow Way. Call Allison at 316-259-5682 if you have any trouble finding the house. Cheers.

We are never completely ready to say goodbye, but preplanning and communicating our final wishes for after we die can provide us with peace of mind, allowing us to more fully live today. This session will include planning for the final resting place of your earthly remains and planning your memorial service. This endeavor is also a gift to our loved ones when they will go through a time of intense loss and grief.

Questformation returns – and all eighth and ninth graders are invited! This beloved program lets youth explore their faith, beliefs, and calling in an encouraging community. Together, we’ll tackle Big Questions and discover resources for temporary answers. Two informational meetings are offered – please choose one for your youth and at least one adult family member to attend. If they’re interested but can’t make it, let Lianna know. We look forward to seeing you on the 24th!

RISE Against Suicide helps youth at risk of suicide by removing the financial and social barriers to treatment, enabling them to find hope and healing. The LGBTQ+ & Allies Ministry, the Mental Health Ministry, and the Missions and Justice in Action Board (MJA) are sponsoring our annual Christmas in August Fundraising Campaign to provide financial support for services as students return to school at a stressful time. Please consider donating here.

We are delighted to welcome a solo exhibition by Martie McMane, who served as our Senior Minister from 2000-2016. Inspired by Catherine of Siena’s words, “All the way to heaven is heaven,” the art reflects heaven found along the way – in beauty, presence, and wonder. Attend the Receptions on Sunday, September 28 and Friday, October 3, an Artist Talk on Sunday, October 12, and a SoulCollage Workshop on Sunday, November 2. View the art now in the Heritage Room and Hallway.

When our children aren't in worship, you can find them in the Faith Center learning about different Bible stories, playing silly games, making gorgeous art, and so much more. We have some incredible lead teachers but we are looking for 3-5 more volunteers to work with our preschool and elementary children on Sunday mornings. Can you help out a Sunday or two this semester? Your job will be to be the second adult in the classroom, just helping with activities and getting to know our amazing kids. Please let Lianna know how you’d like to get involved!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ring those beautiful bells up front? Here is your chance to try them out. Music Director Kajsa Teitelbaum is offering four introductory sessions in the sanctuary, on August 25, 26, 27, and 28. All begin at 11:00 am. No previous musical knowledge needed. For questions, email Kajsa.

We gather to give thanks for the life of Shelley Sampson, beloved member of our Chancel Choir. We hold her family and friends in our prayers and extend our heartfelt condolences. All are invited to join us in remembering Shelley’s life and faith. A reception will follow the service in Plymouth Hall.

The Social Justice Coalition invites you to a House Meeting – small group, 90-minute gatherings to listen to what is most pressing to our community in this moment, particularly in light of the current threats to our democracy. We’ll share what’s keeping us awake at night, strengthen our connections with one another to prepare us for the work ahead, and reflect on how the church can respond. Meeting organizers will use the results from these listening sessions to focus our future collective actions. Groups are limited to five participants with a trained facilitator and note taker. Sign up to join the conversation. If you want to attend a House Meeting but you cannot make the dates available, please email linda@firstcong.net

We have more stories to share! Over the years dozens of First Cong members have written about their life experiences as part of the Memoir Writing Group. The group has now expanded their repertoire to include other genres: essays, travelogues, journals, family history, and more. They have discovered that writing helps process experiences and, in the process, learn a lot about themselves and one another. These essays also help tell our life stories to loved ones. Join us to learn one way to share your legacy as members of the Memoir Writing Group read their writings.

Join us on Sunday, August 31 as we celebrate ACCESS Sunday when we will be led by our Accessible to All Ministry. Our theme this year is neurodiversity. We will worship God and celebrate our all of God’s children. We will hear testimonies from congregation members whose families include those who are neurodiverse. Join us as together we learn about neurodiversity and how First Congregational Church can strive to become more inclusive.

Our last pick-up choir for the summer season will happen on Sunday, August 31. Please join us in the sanctuary at 9:00 a.m. where Music Director Kajsa will warm you up and teach you an anthem that we sing

in the service. This is a great opportunity to try out the choir and what it feels like to be a worship leader. No previous singing experience needed. Welcome!

As we turn the page into fall, we return to our regular worship rhythm.

Sunday, 9/7 – Sanctuary Worship begins at 10:30 a.m.

(one service only this day).

Sunday, 9/14 – *Note, Chapel Worship returns at a new time...

Chapel Worship – *8:15 a.m.

Worship in the Sanctuary – 10:30 a.m.

Whether you rise early or join a little later, come and let us worship God together.

Join us on Sunday, September 7 for worship at 10:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary and then on to Foothills Community Park for our All Church Fall Picnic. Lindsay’s Deli will provide box lunches and BCL will provide drinks. Please RSVP for this event, with your name(s) and choice for your box lunch, by Friday, 9/5 online or with Julie Griffitts by email or on Sundays where there will be bel a clipboard under the tv screen in the Link. All are welcome and warmly encouraged to join us for food, fellowship, games, and a playground for the kids.

You're invited to participate in one of our upcoming Communication Needs Focus Sessions as we seek to strengthen how we stay connected and informed as a church family. We encourage you to attend one of these important gatherings led by our Communications Committee. Your input will help us better understand how we can meet the communication needs of our diverse congregation. Your voice matters in shaping a more connected community.

This fall (and possibly extending into this winter), a book discussion group will commence which will be reading and discussing the 2002 Pulitzer Prize winning book The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand. Given our current political and societal conflicts in this country, a review of the story of ideas in America would be especially helpful for us all! We will meet weekly, on Monday evenings 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m. It will be a hybrid class! For more info contact Kevin Pettit.

Explore the biblical roots of hospitality, learn the realities of immigration today, hear stories from immigrant neighbors, and discover ways to act with love and justice right now.

PART 1 – 9/14, at 9:00 a.m.

God of the Journey: A Biblical Theology of Immigration

PART 2 – 9/21, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Immigration 101: Understanding the Landscape

This session includes lunch, RSVP requested. Please register online

to help us get a meal count.

PART 3 – 9/28, at 9:00 a.m.

Crossing Paths: Stories from Our Immigrant Neighbors

PART 4 – 10/5, 9:00 A.M.

Love in the Neighborhood: Local Advocacy and Action

For more information click here.

All women are invited to a transformative weekend retreat – a sacred journey from gratitude through grief to active hope. Following Joanna Macy’s Active Hope spiral, we’ll celebrate God’s creation, honor our pain for the world, discover new ways of seeing, and discern our call to respond. Through reflection, small groups, playful activities, community, and worship, discover how faith shapes us as agents of healing and hope.

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