The church office will be closed from December 26th - January 1st

Rev. Kristal and Jennifer will be out of the office from December 26th through January 1st and returning on January 2nd.

During this time, please try to refrain from emailing, texting or calling Rev. Kristal unless it is in need of pastoral care. If you do have a pastoral emergency, she can be reached at 920-627-0401.

If you have questions or are in need of assistance that are non-critical, but can not wait until the office re-opens on January 2nd, please contact Jennifer Falk at [email protected] or at 920-207-6080 or Kelly Haefs at [email protected] or at 920-912-4602.

First Congregational's

Christmas Offering

This year we will designate 50% of our Christmas offering to be donated towards the Sheboygan County Warming Shelter and 50% towards our General Fund to support our operating expenses.

The Sheboygan County Warming Center is run by a group of inter-denominational churches, organizations and friends who have joined together to provide overnight shelter for any adults during the cold winter months. The Warming Center is located inside Ss. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church at 828 New Jersey Ave., Sheboygan.

I thank you, in advance, for your generosity in supporting this important ministry that helps our neighbors in very real and tangible ways! It is such a gift to be able to share – even a small amount – God’s abundant provision with others! 

There are three ways you can give to the Christmas Offering!

1. Offering envelopes will be mailed in your Christmas letter and can be deposited in the offering plates on Sundays, mailed to church at PO Box 438, Plymouth WI 53073 or you can drop them off in the drop-box in the entryway.
2. Through eGiving. You can download the FREE GivePlus+ Mobile app on your Apple or Android phone by searching for “GivePlus” in the App Store or Google Play.
3. On our website at www.1congoucc.com

Thank you for your continued generosity

The Greater UCC's

Christmas Fund Offering

There are four ways you can give to the Christmas Fund Offering!

1. Offering envelopes will be mailed in your Christmas letter and can be deposited in the offering boxes on Sundays, mailed to church at PO Box 438, Plymouth WI 53073 or you can drop them off in the drop-box in the entryway.
2. Through eGiving. You can download the FREE GivePlus+ Mobile app on your Apple or Android phone by searching for “GivePlus” in the App Store or Google Play.
3. On our website at www.1congoucc.com
4. Directly through the Pension Board by clicking here

Thank you for your continued generosity!

Blessed Are The Crazy

Adult Faith Formation Book Study

Make one of your New Year's resolutions to join Adult Faith Formation!

We meet in the Carpenter classroom about 10 minutes after Sunday worship ends. We will be reading and discussing Blessed Are the Crazy starting in January.

This is a great opportunity to become more knowledgeable and supportive of our W.I.S.E covenant.

Please let Mari Falk know by December 31st if you would like a copy of the book. You can contact her at 920-960-4157 or [email protected]

Pacifico Grill

January 9th at 6:00pm

Ladies Night Out is scheduled for Tuesday, January 9th at Pacifico Grill, in Plymouth, at 6:00 p.m.

You can sign up using one of the easy methods below. 

• Click here for the Sign-up Genius Link

• Go to our website and click the link under Online Sign-Ups

• In person using the Sign-Up Clipboard in the Narthex

• Calling Jan McGill at 920-946-4412 or emailing her at [email protected]

We had 6 ladies altogether at Deo’s in November, and I would love to have more of you join us. If you like Mexican food (I happen to inhale it), Pacifico is the place. So please join us as we all wind down from the holiday season and gather to enjoy each other’s company and some great food.

Blessings,

Jan

Will You GIVE UP

This Holiday?

Help us reach our goal of 15 family units to GIVE UP.

It is estimated that our Heritage Fund will be depleted by the end of 2024 or early 2025. How can we stop or delay this from happening? By pledging to GIVE UP.

To help support our operating expenses, and preserve our Heritage Fund, we are asking our First Church family and friends to consider GIVING UP. If each family giving unit increases their offering by $5/week it will go a long way.

So what are some ways you can GIVE UP?

1 - Sign up for automatic withdrawals (ACH) for your offerings. This provides the church with a steady reliable income. Already using ACH? Increase the amount today if you are able.

Click here for an ACH Form. Return completed forms to the church office.

2 - Use eGiving. Available through the Vanco App or on our website.

3 - Commit to increase your giving on a weekly/biweekly/monthly basis. 

4 - Indulgence Drops. Once a week GIVE UP an indulgence then add the amount saved to your offering. This could be things like:

•Sweet treats like candy bars, desserts, donuts (est. $5/week)

•Special cup of coffee or tea (est. $8/week)

•Fast Food or Take Out (est. $15/week)

•Happy Hour (est. $20/week)

The Food Pantry Is

In Great Need Of:

Personal Hygiene Items

or Monetary Donations

The Plymouth Food Pantry has contacted us for help in collecting personal hygiene items, which they are in great need of. They are looking asking for donations of standard size toiletries items (not travel size) like: shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, tooth brushes, tooth paste, razors, shaving cream, lotion, maxi pads, tampons, etc.

If you would like to donate any items to the Plymouth Food Pantry, you may set them on the Giving Corner shelf in church or place them in the breezeway at any time. Please remember that all donations need to be new, sealed, and not expired.

If you would like to give a monetary donation, please write "Food Pantry" on your giving envelope.

Thank you for your compassion.

"Night To Shine"

Prom For Those With Special Needs

"Night to Shine" is an unforgettable prom night experience, centered on God’s love, for people with special needs, ages 14 and older. This coming year, on Friday, February 9, 2024, Night to Shine will celebrate its tenth anniversary as hundreds of churches and volunteers around the globe come together to honor thousands of guests with special needs.

For Sheboygan County's "Night to Shine", the event will be hosted by Christian Life Church in Plymouth and St. Paul Lutheran Church in Sheboygan Falls. It is primarily funded through business donations, as well as a small grant from the Tim Tebow foundation. However, additional individual contributions are greatly appreciated, and needed.

Help make this year's Night to Shine event a special one for our Kings and Queens by purchasing something from our Amazon Wishlist.

All items should be ordered by January 5th, and when checking out, use this address for shipping: Christian Life Church, 300 Rustic St. Plymouth, WI.

Or if you would like to make a monetary donation, please make the check payable to: St. Paul Lutheran Night to Shine and give it to Kelly Haefs who is First Church's representative on the planning committee for the event. You can also contact her with any questions at 920-912-4602 or at [email protected]

Operations Summary 

as of 12/17/23

YTD Offerings $117,219

YTD Other Income $12,352

YTD Total Income $129,571

YTD Total Expenses $147,742

YTD Shortfall <$18,171>

Above is a summary of our year to date (YTD) income compared to our operating expenses and the correlating operations shortfall.

Automatic Withdrawals... 

A Holly Jolly Way To Give!

Holidays are stressful, but giving to the church doesn't need to be. Simplify your life by using automatic withdrawals!

Never again will you have to worry if the church is open or closed, if you are in town or traveling, or if you need to find the checkbook or run to the ATM - no matter the situation, it's taken care of! And by using automatic withdrawals (ACH), you can provide the church with a steady, reliable income. This will help us to meet our budget and plan our operations. 

So if you want to sign up for ACH, or change your existing ACH 

amount, click here or call/email Jennifer at the church office at

920-893-3411 or [email protected].

So Simplify Your Life and Be More Merry - 

Sign Up For Automatic Withdrawals For Offerings!

Click here for our online calendar of events.

December Birthdays & Anniversaries

HAPPY BIRTHDAY:

12/04 - Micah Falk

12/04 - Jim Haucke

12/07 - Nikki Klemme

12/13 - Jamie Kuhn

12/15 - Rev. Kristal Klemme

12/16 - Sue Hellmer

12/16 - Deondre Klemme

12/16 - Steve Klock

12/16 - Alex Pearsall

12/18 - Jennifer Arneson

12/22 - Ty Arneson

12/22 - Cindy Backhaus

12/24 - Julie Luedtke

12/25 - Barry Kraemer

12/31 - Cooper Gosse

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY:



12/05 - Darren & Cindy Munson (25 yrs)

12/11 - Gary & Susie Bournoville (47 yrs)

12/22 - Phil & Kristal Klemme (22 yrs)

Sign Up To Host Fellowship

Would you like to host fellowship?  

There are three easy ways you can sign up:

1.     Through Sign-Up Genius by clicking here

2.    On the clipboard in the Fireside Room on the coffee table

3.    Go to our website. Click on “What’s Happening” then “Online Signups”

Not sure what hosting involves, click here to find out.  If you have any questions, please contact Laurie Volkomener at 920-893-0837 0r at [email protected]

Click here if you would like sign up to host fellowship.

Whats News With You?

• Wisconsin Conference Life Newsletter (December 6th) - Click Here

• Greater UCC News Digest (December 12th) - Click Here

• Greater UCC ONA News (November edition) - Click Here