Straight to the Point
November 16, 2021
COVID-19 UPDATE:
Stay tuned for possible changes coming in November. The Council is monitoring guidelines from the CDC and Siouxland District Health.

Church is open for in person services.
Because of the increase of the Covid 19 and the Delta Variant in Woodbury County the Council has decided to put the green tape back up in the sanctuary and require that church members and others that use the building wear face masks when they are in close proximity with others (ie: church services, meetings, etc…). We have also suspended singing by the congregation at this time. The worship service will continue to be live-streamed on Facebook and You-Tube.

If you have any questions call Pam Ridgway (712-202-8304) or contact the church office.
Coffee!!!
 
Starting Sunday, October 24th, there will be coffee available in the Narthex if you would like to pour a cup and take it into church with you. Please be sure to discard your cup after services.
Book Club This Thursday!

Please join in the 2021-2022 Book Club this Thurs, Nov 18 at 9:30 AM-
We will be discussing Beautiful Country by Qian Julie Wang
Admiration Series

Meets Sunday at 9:30 before Sunday worship. Currently studying:
The Apostle: A Life of Paul by John Pollock
Remembering Pastor Roy Smith
Submitted by Marv Heidman
Karen and I recently received a note from Roy Smith's wife advising of Roy's passing from Parkinson's disease on September 16th in Denver. His funeral took place on October 16. Many of you will remember Roy's tenure as our pastor many years ago. He has kept in touch with us since leaving Sioux City. We remember Roy as an excellent spiritual leader, an intellectual, a civil justice activist, a caring friend and just a good, enjoyable person. He and I occasionally shared some time over martinis. We will miss his letters and phone calls. I have left several copies of his obituary at the church office for those who may wish to learn more about his very interesting life.

Click the link below to read
HYVEE Receipts
Submitted by Ginger France
HYVEE receipts marked August 1 and later may be saved and turned in at church. They may be put into the balloon wrapped box on the table by the church office.
Moving-On Box Ministry
Submitted by Ginger France
In supporting the 'gift' of moving on, we fill lives with hope and household essentials for those leaving transitional housing at , Crossroads, Welcome Home, and Women Aware.

MOB Needs:
Small plastic glasses
Dishes/Bowls/Silverware
Saucepans
Cookie sheets
Cake Pans
Toilet paper
Kleenex
Calendars
Laundry Soap
Dish soap
Bob Nicholson
Jay Rosenburg
Donna Popp
George Owings and family
Sharleen Sorum (Michelle Schwerin's mother)
Laura Traum
Madison Darrow
Thank You, Volunteers!

A big "thank you" goes out to our volunteers who helped with Sunday Services this week.

Fill-in Minister - Todd Siefker
Worship Leader - Suzanne Johnson
Cantor- Steve Lundberg
Live Stream - Pam Ridgway/Jerrod Kiernan
Sound/Lighting - John Kiernan
Screen - Jerrod Kiernan
Live Streaming Help Needed

If you are interested in helping with Live Streaming of our Sunday Services or with other parts of our Sunday Services, please give Pam Ridgway a call or text at 712-202-8304.  We would love to have more people join us.
Strategy Design Team

An ad hoc Strategy Design Team has been established to develop a 1-5 year organizational plan for the church. Current committee members are Earl Miller, Jim France, Dick Owens and Barb Knepper. They are looking for 1-3 additional business minded members experienced in strategy design. If you are interested please let Michael know and he will pass that information on to the committee. If you have any questions regarding the committee please contact Pam Ridgway or any current member of the committee.
Pastoral Search Committee 
Submitted by Earl Miller
The committee has been actively receiving pastor profiles since we posted the church profile in early April.  Each candidate offers a unique opportunity for us and our goal is to bring forward a candidate that you all can embrace and rally behind. That is a tough goal but one we are committed to in our work. Our committee meets weekly on average as a group and several times a week in smaller groups. The future of FCUCC looks bright and we are carefully discerning who we would like to recommend to the congregation as the next pastor to help lead us. We are optimistic that we will find the right candidate in the time that God determines is appropriate.
 
Your prayers for our discernment are welcome.
Directory
Managed by the Office
We are using Instant Church Directory. Printed versions of our directory are available in the narthex or by request. 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.

To access the directory online visit members.instantchurchdirectory.com and you should be able to create a login using the email listed in the church directory. If you need any help accessing the directory or would like a copy emailed to you, contact the church office for assistance.
Join Us

We invite you to engage and strengthen your faith with these practices:
THE PRACTICE OF WORSHIP: Live Streamed on Facebook and Youtube, and recorded
We Live Stream our Sunday morning worship service via the church’s page on Facebook and Youtube at 10:30am on Sunday mornings. Every service is recorded and available to play at any time on those platforms. If you have trouble, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the church for help. 
 
THE PRACTICE OF LEARNING: Zoom learning sessions each week 9:30 a.m. each Sunday.
Engage your mind in learning through theological reflection, asking hard questions about God and life, and test your embedded theology to see if that where you want to be.

With Todd Siefker taking over the responsibility of the Sunday sermon and 9:30 a.m. book study, we have temporarily suspended our Wednesday night Admiration Series meetings.

A Closing note about ZOOM:
If you don’t have the ability or the equipment to use Zoom or Facebook to participate in these practices, please call the office. We will be happy to help you find a solution to fully participate in the life of the church.

Link to our Youtube where you can watch our services live and recordings of past services:
Click HERE
FCUCC Finances for October 2021
Updates from Church Treasurer
Giving last month amounted to $10,111, 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. It's 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.
Remember to Support FCUCC Financially During this Time!
Church Office Hours

11:30am.-3:30pm. Sunday
9am.-1pm. Monday-Thursday

Church Staff:

Michael Danner, Church Office/Organist

Todd Siefker, Intergenerational Coordinator

Jim McCrory, Custodian

Jessica Orr, Nursery Coordinator
Church Contact Information

(712) 239-3385
office@firstcongregational.net
www.firstcongregational.net


office@firstcongregational.net

tsiefker@gmail.com

building@firstcongregational.net

jessica.orr@hotmail.com
4600 Hamilton Boulevard
Sioux City, IA 51104
(712) 239-3385