Straight to the Point
January 12, 2021
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Annual Congregational Meeting
Our annual meeting will be held on ZOOM on January 24th following the church service. The bylaws states that there needs to be 25 members attending to have a quorum. Please plan to attend!
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NEW! Community Central
Hosted by Lois Darrow
Please Join us for our new meet and check-in with eachother time! We will be hosting a Community Central Zoom Meeting each Sunday at 1:00 p.m. to check in with everyone and keep that church family connection going even though we cannot be physically present with one another right now. If you have questions please ask Tiffany in the office or Lois Darrow.
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Obituaries:
We regret to inform you of the passing of a wonderful member of ours, Katherine Trautman. Please join us in keeping Dick Morgan and their family in your prayers.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Concert
First Congregational and Mayflower Congregational churches will co-host the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day community concert on Monday evening, January 18. The concert is a celebration of MLK Day and the program presentation will be held in the sanctuary at First Congregational Church, Sioux City.
But, things will be a bit different from previous concerts. All precautions are being taken to be safe and stay healthy. A small group of area musicians and community activists have organized an evening of music, dance, and speeches which focus on the life of Dr. King and the needs for our community to end racial injustice. Also, a video review of the artwork by area students at Sioux City Community Schools will showcase their creative talents.
The concert will be a live presentation on YouTube and Facebook Live, as well as recorded for replay. The audience is actually unlimited; though not present at the venue. We look forward to providing the great music and thoughtful reflections to a wide array of community audiences not limited by city limits, state lines or national borders. The powerful message from this group of community volunteers, the strong acoustical presentation in the church sanctuary and the impact of live streaming will come together on Monday night, January 18th. You won’t want to miss this event.
This concert will also recognize the 25th Anniversary of the Sioux City Chapter of NAACP. During 2021, the group will be focusing on the work of building racial justice and this concert is one part of their planned activities for the year.
The work of eliminating racial injustice continues to be critical to the growth and prosperity of Siouxland. Following the very successful concert event last year, community leaders, members of the religious community and the NAACP agreed that the work of racial justice needs to be ongoing and is important to our well-being as a family oriented, just community. 2020 has been a difficult year to promote community collaboration and so it is particularly important that this concert be a “starter” event to kick off the work needed to be done in Siouxland during 2021.
Link to our Youtube where you can watch it live: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrzSAUiEPfuzOTSZIKva0mg/featured
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Pastoral Search Committee
We are looking for members that are willing to be on the next search committee. If you are interested, please contact Tiffany at the church office and put your name on the list. We hope to have a committee chosen and ready to begin working by February 1st.
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Join Us:
We invite you to engage and strengthen your faith with these practices:
THE PRACTICE OF WORSHIP: Live Streamed on Facebook and recorded
We are now up and running to Live Stream our Sunday morning worship service via the church’s page on Facebook at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Each service is recorded and then available to play at a time that is convenient for you. If you need help in figuring out how to access the worship service via Live Streaming or to view the recorded services, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Tiffany, our church administrator. We will be happy to show you how to use this resource.
THE PRACTICE OF LEARNING: Zoom learning sessions each week 9:30 a.m. each Sunday.
This time of social distancing and staying well and warm indoors, is a great time to engage your mind in learning, to do some theological reflection, to ask some hard questions about God and life, and to test our embedded theology to see if that is where you are now, or where you want to be.
With Todd Siefker taking over the responsibilities of sermons on Sunday morning services and the 9:30 a.m. book study, we have temporarily suspended our Wednesday night meetings. Please see our note above for our NEW community check-in time on Sunday afternoons!
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A Closing note about ZOOM:
If you don’t have the ability or the equipment to use Zoom or Facebook to participate in the practices we have named, please call the office. We will be happy to work with you in order to find a solution that will enable you to fully participate in the life of the church during this time of pandemic We don’t want people feeling excluded or feeling isolated from our church community because of the challenges or barriers of technology.
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Remember to Support FCUCC Financially During this Time!
Updates from Church Treasurer
During this COVID-19 event, having no in-person services has impacted our normal income. Thank you to those who have mailed in checks!
FCUCC Finances for December 2020
Giving in December amounted to $11,420, all from mail-in and online giving.
You can help us stay on track by mailing in your check or setting up an automatic payment from your bank. You can also contribute through a simple app called Tithe.ly.
Tithe.ly is our online, app and web-based giving system. Tithe.ly is convenient because it:
· Accepts debit, credit or bank account info
· Can be set up for a one-time payment, or automatic regular payments
· Can be changed at any time (there are no contracts or commitments)
Go to http://get.tithe.ly to sign up online, or download the app on any iPhone/Apple or Android device.
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COVID-19 CLOSURE NOTICE:
Due to the widespread coronavirus in our area, we have closed our building to prevent the spread of the coronavirus to our congregation. The council has voted to close the live - in church services until further notice. We will continue with the live streaming of our church service online.
If you have any questions call Lois Darrow at 712-490-5969 or the church office.
Office Hours:
Our office hours will also be changing. Our custodian, Jim, is at the church from 7:30am to 11:30am Mon-Fri if you need access to the church. Tiffany plans to support the office in the afternoons but will be flexible with hours for a bit and will update with official hours next week. If you need access in the afternoon or evening please email or call Tiffany to ensure there will be someone to open the doors for you.
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Directory
Managed by Tiffany Watts, Church Administrator
We are going back to using Instant Church Directory and printed versions of our directory are available by request. Please contact Tiffany in the office if you need help gaining access to our directory or wish to receive a printed version.
Please inform the office of any directory updates that you would like to include for yourself or your family. You can also pick up one of the directory update forms on the table outside the church office or find it on our website.
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Time to Save Receipts
Submitted by Ginger France
Please save:
*HyVee grocery receipts (dated Aug 23 and after)
*Boxtops for Education
There’s a collection box wrapped in balloon paper in the narthex near the office.
Thank you~These will be donated to a local school and shared with Mayflower Congregational’s preschool.
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Sanford Center
Submitted by Jan Nowlen
The after school program at the Sanford Center could use donations of the following items:
Chicken Nuggets
Hot dogs and buns
Individual packaged servings of chips,
Treats (no peanuts),
Fruit cups
Juice boxes
Large cans of Nacho Cheese
6 pack boxes of macaroni
(These two items can be purchased at Sam’s Club)
Large cans of chicken noodle soup
You can drop your donations off at church or at the Sanford Center. If you would prefer to send a monetary donation, please send it directly to the Sanford Center and mark it after school meals. Thank you!
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Nan Cord
Summer Cord
Carol Wassmuth
Dick Morgan and family
Randy Peters
Steve Lundberg
LaDonna Peters
Family of Donna Goetknecht
Laura Traum
Ty Quade
Audrey Ercolini's Family
Madison Darrow
Jan Nowlen
All Teachers and Students
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Thank You, Volunteers!
A big "thank you" goes out to our volunteers who have helped with Sunday Services this week. These were:
Fill-in Minister - Todd Siefker
Worship Leader - Suzanne Johnson
Live Stream - Jim France
Sound/Lighting - Kevin Knepper
Screen - Jerrod Kiernan
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Moving-On Box Ministry
Submitted by Ginger France
MOB Needs:
Dishes/Bowls
Glasses (plastic, if possible)
Cookie Sheets
Toasters
Frypans
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The Warming Shelter
The Warming Shelter is one of the local agencies that we try to support. If you would like to donate to them, their currents needs list is below:
Cash to pay utilities and security staffing
Granola bars of any kind,
Tube Socks,
Brown Jersey Gloves (inexpensive ones 10/$10)
Men’s and Women’s underwear( Medium and large sizes).
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The Soup Kitchen
Updates from Jan Nowlen
The Soup Kitchen has been hit hard with the expanded need of families and individuals needing food assistance during COVID-19. They have been serving well over 3000 meals per month and are runing critically low on some items and are completely out of others.
Current Needs:
Stick Butter
Bread
Hamburger Buns
Lunch Meat for Sandwiches
Egg Noodles
Sandwich Bags
Dishwasher Soap Pods
Face Masks
Erik's Closet:
Hats
Gloves
Jeans
Underwear
Tennis Shoes
Shampoo
Conditioner
Lotion
Deodorant
Toothpaste
Kleenex
(Travel Sized Toiletried Preferred)
You can drop donations and gift cards off at the Soup Kitchen or Mail them to:
717 W. 7th Street
Suoix City, Iowa 51103
They also have Venmo and Paypal for those who would like to donate through that method. Here is the info from them:
If you are wanting to make a donation please use the following:
Venmo : @siouxland-soupkitchen
All donations can be issued a receipt for tax purposes.
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Rummage Sale
Updates from Jan Nowlen
At this time we have postponed the Rummage Sale, however, those of you who are cleaning and de-cluttering your home during this time, there is plenty of room to store things you wish to get rid of.
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Church Office Hours
While the church is currently closed due to COVID-19, our church administrator has been keeping the office going. Our office hours will be changing soon. If you have any questions please call or email the office.
Church Staff:
Tiffany Watts, Church Administrator
Todd Siefker, Intergenerational Coordinator
Jim McCrory, Custodian
Rick Darrow, Organist
Jessica Orr, Nursery Coordinator
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Church Contact Information
(712) 239-3385
www.firstcongregational.net
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4600 Hamilton Boulevard
Sioux City, IA 51104
(712) 239-3385
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