First Church Weekly Newsletter

Our souls are like a chapel in our personality, where God meets us and we form covenants of shared responsibility. We will imagine through poetry and Scripture how we and God make decisions of faith in childhood, young adulthood, midlife and the elder years.

Our leader, John Afman, is a member of our church, and a retired pastor and marriage and family therapist. If you are interested in attending, please email Alison McCaffrey

Our new musical group, “Music with friends,” is beginning to flourish! Throughout the fall, about a dozen people from our congregation joined with our chancel choir to offer music during worship. Included were church members, middle and high school students, families and children, people visiting our church for the first time, and chancel choir members. We would like to encourage and energize even more participation from our congregation.

To do so, “Music with Friends” will sing next on Sunday, January 22, and on the third Sunday of each month going forward: February 19, March 19, April 16, May 21, and June 18.

No preparation is required. All you have to do is show up to practice a simple song at 9:15 prior to worship. It’s simple, fun, and a great way to meet others in our church through the joy of music. To learn more about "Music with Friends," please contact Music Director, Joe D’Eugenio.

Our beautiful sanctuary stars have made their annual Advent through Epiphany Sunday appearance. Now, slowly through the Season of Epiphany, they will gradually disappear once again. Help is needed on Thursdays January 19 and 26 to take them down and prep them for safe storage. We'll meet at 9:30 am for about an hour or so for each week's lines. Also, I am in need of cardboard, approximately 2 by 3 feet. Hope to see you there! Pastor Alison

“Secrets to Home Comfort and Saving the Planet” will be discussed by Cheshire resident Walter Gayeski, who has almost 25 years of experience making homes more comfortable, cost-efficient, and environmentally ethical. His talk, on Wednesday, February 1, at 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall, is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. The talk is sponsored by our Environmental Justice Team and Cheshire Creation Care.

Through renovating houses, conducting efficiency performance tests, and consulting with owners, builders, and architects, Walter Gayeski has developed sharp insights in home energy strategies. A recent retiree, he lectures part time at Connecticut technical high schools on building performance and healthy housing principals. He has served on Cheshire’s Energy Commission since 2008.

CALL TO THE ANNUAL MEETING

A meeting of the First Congregational Church of Cheshire, United Church of Christ, is called by the Church Council for Sunday, January 29, 2023, and will commence at approximately 11:15 AM. In the event of inclement weather, this meeting will be rescheduled for Sunday, February 5, 2023. Information will be available in the Bulletin and E-blast prior to the meeting. The meeting will commence for the purposes of:

1. Accepting the Annual Report for 2022

2. State of the Church

3. Extension of the governance pilot program for an additional year

4. Election of Church Council, Ministry Group Members and other church officers

5. Approving the budget for 2023

6. Brief presentation of proposed Environmental Justice covenant

7. Other business

Leah Sanders, Clerk

General Food Collection

Due to the economic challenges that families and fixed income residents in particular are currently facing, we are resuming food donations to the Cheshire Food Pantry and (GWIM) Greater Waterbury Interfaith Ministry. Donations can be dropped off at church in the parlor shopping basket.

The church staff will NEVER ask you for money or gift cards, etc. In addition, please remember that all church staff email addresses end with "@firstcheshire.org." While a scammer might use staff member names and titles, their email addresses will be different.

Sunday Flower signup

Would you like to donate flowers for Sunday worship service in memory or in honor of someone? There is a signup sheet in the Parlor for you to fill in your name and contact info. Any questions, please contact Jane Brown.

Fellowship/Coffee Hour

Caring Ministry invites all members of the congregation and their families to join together and host an after service coffee hour in the coming months. Guidelines and assistance will be provided to all hosts. To schedule a coffee hour, please sign up on Board in the parlor or email Jane Brown or by phone at 203-535-9193.

Flower Delivery to Home-bound

Caring Ministry and Parish Care are once again able to deliver altar flowers to members unable to attend services. If you would like to participate in this uplifting program and help brighten someone’s day, please email Jane Brown or call (203) 535-9193.

Save The Stems: Some of those dry gray and brown stems in your garden may seem homely, but to many pollinators they are welcome in the winter. They can add an unusual beauty (think of lace-top hydrangeas, for example) to an off-season garden. Assuming you haven’t already carted away spent flowers, stems, seed heads and other vegetation, you should consider leaving them in place until the spring. Vertical hollow or pithy stems provide spring nesting opportunities for bees and other beneficial insects. Birds, too, benefit from seed heads left in place, because they are off the ground and thus less likely to be eaten by rodents. About 30 percent of New England’s native bees, necessary to the ecosystem, build nests above ground. A great way to support these above-ground nesting bees is to leave dead plant stems standing in gardens. Bees will lay and provision offspring in hollow or pithy stems. But doesn’t dead vegetation look ugly? Some would say yes, but removing old stems and flowers to a brush pile can be almost as beneficial as leaving them in place, professionals say. Also, you can plan ahead: When selecting plants in the spring, look for perennials, grasses, shrubs, and trees that will stand up well in winter weather or look good even when their season has passed. Here's the Link of the List.

To learn more about our church’s Environmental Justice Team, email Anne McNulty or Karen Schnitzer.

Week of January 15

Calendar and Announcements

Sunday, January 15

10:00 a.m. Worship, Sanctuary

11:00 a.m. Fellowship, Parish Hall

11:15 a.m. Scripture and Theological Foundations for Creation of Care, Chapel (child care will be provided)

5:00 p.m. High School and Middle School Youth Group

Monday, January 16 – Martin Luther King Day (Office Closed)

1:00 p.m. 2^nd Annual MLK Day Children’s March,

begins at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church

7:30 p.m. Facilities Ministry Group, Parish Hall

Tuesday, January 17

2:00 p.m. Parish Care, Library

4:00 p.m. Staff Meeting, Chapel

7:00 p.m. Membership Ministry, Chapel

Wednesday, January 18

12:45 p.m. Caring Crafts, Parlor

7:00 p.m. Choir Rehearsal, Music Room

7:00 p.m. Scripture and Theological Foundations for Creation of Care, Zoom (link above)

Thursday, January 19

9:30 a.m. Advent Star take down, Sanctuary

Sunday, January 22

10:00 a.m. Worship, Sanctuary

11:00 a.m. Fellowship, Parish Hall

11:30 a.m. Confirmation Class, Whiting House

11:30 a.m. Confirmation Parents Group, Room 10

Other Important Information

A reminder that the Prayer Net Prayer Ministry Team stands ready to pray for any requests. Simply email Alison the prayer request and she will send it on to our prayers in complete confidence unless otherwise noted. Let us support one another with the power of prayer.

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