Join the McMane Arts Ministry and the wider community for the NoBo First Friday Reception with Rev. Martie McMane. Greet Martie, our Senior Minister from 2000-2016, enjoy refreshments, and view her art exhibit inspired by Catherine of Siena’s words, “All the way to heaven is heaven.” Her work invites us to glimpse heaven in beauty, presence, and wonder, honoring what is and sharing the sacredness she sees in the world.

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 – Now available to watch online here

God of the Journey: A Biblical Theology of Immigration

PART 2 – Now available to watch online here

Immigration 101: Understanding the Landscape

PART 3 – 9/28, 9:00 a.m. | Read the story our speaker shared here.

Crossing Paths: Stories from Our Immigrant Neighbors

PART 4 – 10/5, 9:00 a.m. | Plymouth Hall

Love in the Neighborhood: Local Advocacy and Action

For more information click here.

Join the Social Justice Coalition to hear Summer House Meeting outcomes and discuss our path forward. We'll review key insights, explore next steps, select projects for your participation or leadership, and connect with other members. Whether you attended summer meetings or not, your voice is vital to our collective response. Come ready to listen and contribute to meaningful action. Hearty snacks will

be served.

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.

The 40th anniversary of Boulder’s CROP Hunger Walk will take place on October 12 in at the Boulder Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 1241 Ceres Drive, Lafayette, and we are searching for walkers and contributors. Register to walk and join our team or contribute to help Church World Service and Community Food Share. Both are lacking sufficient funding to help our undernourished friends in Boulder County. Please support our church youth who will be participating and available in the Link before church and at coffee hour to help you register or answer questions. Checks must be payable to CWS/CROP or donate directly online.

What if the word “homosexual” was never meant to be in the Bible? Join us on Open & Affirming Sunday (ONA) for Lunch and A Movie to watch 1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted Culture. This feature documentary follows the story of tireless researchers who trace the origins of the anti-gay movement among Christians to a grave mistranslation of the Bible in 1946. The church will provide lunch. Invite your friends and family. Please RSVP here.

Watch (at home) the movie The Penguin Lessons which is streaming

on Netflix. Then join us in the Heritage Room to discuss the film on Friday October 10 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.  Bring a movie snack to share

and something to drink for yourself. For more information contact Dean Fowler.

A fun and educational group for young adults, and anyone who would like to get to them better. We will gather for an introductory potluck dinner at the home of Jill and Bob von Trebra, and plan some events (like plays, films, hikes, etc.) for upcoming months. Main course provided; bring something to share, and some ideas! RSVP for dinner and interest in future events to Bob or Jill.

How is God calling our church to secure our future financially? This session kicks off the conversation we will have over the next 6-8 months exploring the feasibility of a capital campaign to strengthen our operating budget and sustain our shared ministry. Today’s topic: What does our financial future look like and how will this process work?

Are you new to First Congregational Church and hoping to get more connected? Join us after the 10:30 a.m. service on October 12 in the Heritage Room for coffee and conversation. You’ll have a chance to meet some of our ministers and leaders, ask questions, and learn about the many ways you can participate in our life together, including joining us

as a member.

Keep Our Republic's Article III Coalition and the University of Denver Law School present a program on judicial independence and the rule of law. Three retired federal judges will speak on the history and importance of judicial review in our system of checks and balances. The judges (David Tatel, ret'd U. S. Ct of Appeals, D. C. Circuit; Judge Deanell Tacha, ret'd U. S. Ct of Appeals, 10th Circuit, Denver; and Judge Liam O’Grady, ret'd U. S. Dist. Court E. Dist. Va.) are nominees of Republican and Democrat Presidents. Contact David Skaggs.

Election season is upon us, and ballots will be mailed on October 10. Do you know the 11 candidates for City Council? If not, consider attending the Climate and Energy Candidate Forum on October 14th at 6:00 p.m. The event is online. Register here.

The FCC Fall Highway Cleanup will be on October 11 from 9:00-11:00 a.m. We will gather on Lefthand Canyon Dr. adjacent to the Greenbriar Inn to conduct this cleanup on Route 36 (FCC Adopt a Highway site). Covered toes and long pants are strongly recommended. Some work gloves provided. Orange vests and bags provided by CDOT. It's a beautiful area of the county and the cleanup is much-appreciated by bike riders passing by. Coffee and donuts will be provided by the Climate Action Team. Contact Allison Hamm to volunteer.

The Climate Action Team (CAT) is excited to announce that First Cong

is going solar! In the spring of 2023 CAT, with Jean Nelson as point person, began exploring joining a community solar farm being built by PIVOT Energy to go online in 2025. Through two years of behind the scenes work by Jean and the Board of Management, we are proud to announce the farm is going live. Join us for this forum with Matt Brenn from PIVOT Energy tells us how it works!

Exodus is the heartbeat of the Hebrew Bible, the defining story that shaped Israel’s identity and faith. As our Sunday sermons trace this wilderness road, a small group will gather to dive deeper into the story. Guided by video dialogues with biblical scholars and Yale Divinity School professors Joel Baden and John Collins, we’ll explore themes of liberation, covenant, and God’s presence on the journey. Come for as many of the eight weeks as your schedule allows. No biblical background required. Hearty snacks will be provided to sustain you over the dinner hour. Facilitators: Chris & Phil Braudaway-Bauman. Sign up, email Chris.

Happy fall y’all! Our fall is full of fun activities for our children and youth. Take a look at everything we have planned by checking out this Children and Youth brochure. To keep up-to-date with everything going on, please contact Lianna to get on the weekly family email or to join our private GroupMe chat. Can’t wait to see you all at our family fellowship activities!

At its meeting on Wednesday, September 17, the Church Council discerned that the Declaration by People of Faith in Support of the Lives and Rights of Immigrants is in keeping with our congregational Covenants. The Council therefore approved a request from the Racial Justice Ministry for our church to join other congregations and individuals across Colorado in signing the Declaration. You may read the letter here. If you are so moved, you are welcome to add your own signature.

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