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To view the live-streamed 10 AM service, please use one of the links below.
Youtube Link
Facebook Link
| The Children's Faith Formation News and Information is updated weekly! | |
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Nature Walk RESCHEDULED due to to rain
Join us, Saturday, April 8 at 10 a.m. at Roaring Brook Falls Preserve for a walk led by expert naturalist Laurie Sanders. She will point out and explain signs of Creation’s reawakening for spring, as well as how this beautiful area came to be the way it is.
The first hour will be on level, easy terrain for all participants; the second hour will be more challenging, as we ascend to the falls. Come for part or all. Please carpool- there is limited parking at the preserve.
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April 2 Palm Sunday
9:45 AM Gathering on the Green
10 AM Palm Sunday Liturgy & Grand Procession, starts on the Church Green, with Star the Donkey
April 3 Holy Week Labyrinth
Set up begins at 9:30 am; help is needed. (more information below)
April 6 Maundy Thursday
7 PM Service of Communion
9 PM to 8 AM (Good Friday) Silent Vigil
All slots have been filled! Thank you.
April 7 Good Friday
6 PM Carrying the cross through the neighborhood, with pauses for prayer, Scripture and reflection. Beginning outside at the church and ending inside the church for the
7 PM Service of Reverencing the Cross with herbs and flowers
April 9 Easter Sunday
6 AM Sunrise Service on the Green
8 & 10 AM Easter Festival Worship – Choir, Organ and Brass
11:00 AM Children's Easter Egg hunt, immediately following worship
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Holy Week Labyrinth; Ways to Take Part
Prepare: 150 more canned goods needed for construction (14.5 or similar size). Donations received in Parish Hall along the wall facing Route 10.
Set-up: Monday, April 3 at 9:30 am; 8-10 people needed.
Walk: Labyrinth open daily for individual walks, 9 AM- 8 PM. Guided walks, inspired by each day’s events, lasting 30 minutes.
- Fig Tree Monday: 12 Noon and 6 PM
- Temple Tuesday: 12 Noon and 6 PM
- Spy Wednesday: 12 Noon and 6 PM
- Maundy Thursday: 12 Noon
- Good Friday: 12 Noon
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Lenten Journey Mosaic
Lent invites us to walk with Jesus; as individuals and as a church community. To honor the duality of this journey, we invite you to help create a Lenten Journey Mosaic, on the wall leading up to Parish Hall.
Add a Reflection or Prayer Tile to the wall each week, or when the spirit moves you. Tiles, pens, markers, and instructions can be found on the table at the base of the ramp.
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ALL ORDERS MUST BE RECIEVED BY SUNDAY, APRIL 2
It's been our tradition for many years to fill the Sanctuary with flowers (tulips, daffodils and or lilies) on Easter Morning, provided by our Congregation. You can order plant(s) for $10 (link below) and bring it home after the 10 AM Easter service or you donate to someone who is homebound or in the hospital.
Order Flowers Here or at church (order form is located in Sunday bulletins for the next 2 weeks).
Also, we are assembling an Action team to deliver any donated flowers. If you would like to help with this you can sign up at the Welcome Desk or through this Signup Genius link
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Outreach Ministry in April
Thursday, April 6
FCC Sponsored CCA Easter Egg Hunt and Pizza celebration from 3:30 - 5 PM
Come join us! Jack Sellati, Team Leader
Saturday, April 22
Cheshire Earth Day clean up and observance with EJT. Action Team volunteers needed – Details forthcoming
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Outreach Ministry is HAPPY to announce the return of Cheshire Food Pantry donations on the first Sunday of every month. Any donations brought to the church can be left in the shopping carriage in the Parlor
Donation Wish list:
Ketchup, Mayonnaise, Mustard, Salt, Pepper, Cooking Oil, Olive Oil, Spices, Baking Mixes (various). You can visit their website for more items needed.
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April is Earth Month! During the month of April, the Environmental Justice Team suggests that you collect litter around your neighborhood or in public spaces as part of the Clean Up Cheshire initiative. Take pictures of any interesting items and record how many bags you’ve collected. Separate the “nips”(50- or 100-ml. liquor bottles) you find and bring them with you to the Church Green on Earth Day, April 22. From 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. we, along with others from Cheshire Creation Care and the town, will gather for an Earth Day Rally to celebrate God’s Creation with displays, food, activities, and prizes. Mark your calendar! If you want to help email, text, or call Anne McNulty (annesmturtle@gmail.com) 203-217-2908. Report where you’ve cleaned, and how many bags you have collected, to Diane Visconti. | | | |
On Sunday, March 26, we welcomed 11 new church members!
Tracy Begic, Bogan Brooks, Christine Bruenn, Erica DeFrancesco, Nancy Demac, Patty Drenzek, Caleb Kroon, Jason Kroon, Sara Kroon, Andie Mackey, Steven Uricheck
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Laity Sunday – April 16, 2023. It’s that time of year when the congregation gives Alison and James a break! Laity Sunday is a day for members of the congregation to plan and lead the weekly church service.
The Worship Ministry Group has been tasked with planning this year’s laity service, and the membership is invited to help out. Included in this is the opportunity to preach a sermon, which could be done by one person, or many people preaching shorter versions. It all depends upon how many people are interested in participating, and what the participants would like to do.
If you are interested in being part of this special opportunity and event, please contact Worship Ministry chair Anthony DePaolo via email or cell phone (text or call) at 203 996 8029.
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CAFÉ Conversations Bible Study
Sunday, April 2, 5 PM.
We had great turnout and conversation on March 19 and are looking forward to the next meeting on April 2.
Programming and child care starts at 5:30. There is a suggested contribution of $5-$10 to cover the cost of meal and child care. From 5 – 7 pm High and Middle School meeting in Parish Hall for Top Chef.
Adults can sign up for bible study and childcare by scanning the QR code above or by using this LINK
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Lenten Challenges That Help the Earth (update)
Weeks 5/6: (March26/April 2): Experiencing rebirth: the natural world awakens for us to observe: getting out into nature. Solomon 2:11-12 “For behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.” To care for Creation, one has to know it.
Challenge: Look for signs of spring by taking a walk on the trail or other outdoor venue. Pay attention to what’s around you. Earbuds not allowed! Get to know the flora and fauna. Bring a bag to collect trash. Check the EJT bulletin board for a list of things to look for at this season and let us know how you did in finding them! Send us pictures to post on social media!
Join us, Saturday, April 1 at 10 a.m. at Roaring Brook Falls Preserve for a walk led by expert naturalist Laurie Sanders. She will point out and explain signs of Creation’s reawakening for spring, as well as how this beautiful area came to be the way it is. The first hour will be on level, easy terrain for all participants; the second hour will be more challenging, as we ascend to the falls. Come for part or all.
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"Good morning! Hello! It's so nice to see you! Welcome to Church!"
What a joyful thing it is to be so warmly welcomed on a Sunday morning! Our team of Greeters and Ushers are the first ones to welcome everyone with Christ's all-embracing love. Did you know anyone of any age can be a greeter? And we make signing up easy with Sign-Up Genius. You don't need a Sign-Up Genius account, just visit our website: firstcheshire.org/worship and you'll be taken to the schedule where you can decide when and where, and how often you'd like to greet. If you would like to serve as an Usher, Nancy Stover welcomes your interest. All you need to bring is the love in your heart for all God's people.
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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 the third Sunday of each month going forward (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.
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On Sunday, April 30, 4:00pm, at the Santo Fragilio Performing Arts Center at Middletown High School, don’t miss one of the region’s most anticipated symphonic choral events: Johannes Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem). Come experience its beauty and grandeur with the combined musical forces of The Greater Middletown Chorale, Elm City Girls Choir, Orchestra New England, internationally-acclaimed soloists, Sherezade Panthaki and Mark Womak, and conductor, Joseph D’Eugenio. For tickets, go to GMChorale.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Fight Against Nip Pollution: Many types of plastic harm the environment, but a particular style of liquor bottle is worse than most: the 50- or 100-milliliter “nips” also known as “airplane bottles.” The particular problem with nips is that when they end up on roadsides, they slip into storm sewers because they are too small to be caught by the grating. They also can’t be recycled for the same reason: they fall through sorting grates. Many are tossed out of car windows: Primary purchasers of nips are underage or problem drinkers, and they want to get rid of the “evidence.” The nips then end up in our waterways, where eventually they disintegrate into microplastics. It’s not a little problem; last year, some 62 million nip bottles were sold in Connecticut, 340,000 in Cheshire alone. What can you do to reduce this dangerous pollution? (1) Don’t buy nips. (2) If you see them by roadsides, pick them up. (3) Work to ban their sale; efforts are underway to do here what has already been accomplished in Rhode Island. A perfect time to go on “nip patrol” is April – “Clean Up Cheshire Month” – before the roadsides green up for spring and hide the bottles. The nips shown here were collected in 40 minutes on a short stretch of Higgins Road in town.
To learn more about our church’s Environmental Justice Team, email Anne McNulty or Karen Schnitzer.
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April 2 - April 10 Calendar | |
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Sunday, April 2 – Palm Sunday
10:00 a.m. Worship, Sanctuary
11:00 a.m. Fellowship, hosted by Jane Brown and Emily Massimino
5:00 p.m. CAFÉ Bible Study, Chapel and (Room 10 for childcare)
5:00 p.m. Youth Group (Middle and High School Youth) Top Chef, Parish Hall
Monday, April 3
9:30 a.m. Labyrinth setup, Parish Hall
12 & 6 p.m. Guided Labyrinth Walk (30 minutes): Inspiration: Fig Tree
Tuesday, April 4
12 & 6 p.m. Guided Labyrinth Walk (30 minutes): Inspiration: Temple Tuesday
7:00 p.m. Caring Ministry, Chapel
Wednesday, March April 5
12:45 p.m. Caring Crafts, Parlor
12 & 6 p.m. Guided Labyrinth Walk (30 minutes): Inspiration: Spy Wednesday
7:00 p.m. Environmental Justice Committee, Whiting House
Thursday, April 6 – Maundy Thursday
12:00 p.m. Guided Labyrinth Walk (30 minutes)
6:00 p.m. Maundy Thursday Service, Parish Hall
9:00 p.m. Silent Vigil begins in Sanctuary
Friday, April 7, - Good Friday (office closed)
8:00 a.m. Silent Vigil ends in Sanctuary
12:00 p.m. Guided Labyrinth Walk (30 minutes)
6:00 p.m. Good Friday Cross Walk, starts on the Green, ends in the Sanctuary
7:00 p.m. Good Friday service, Sanctuary
Sunday, April 9 – Easter Sunday
6:00 a.m. Sunrise Service, Church Green
8:00 a.m. Worship, Sanctuary
10:00 a.m. Worship, Sanctuary
11:00 a.m. Children’s Easter Egg hunt immediately following worship
Monday, April 10
Please note that the office and building will be closed
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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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