This Week At First Church

A JOYFUL COMMUNITY - DIVERSE IN SPIRITUAL BACKGROUNDS & BELIEFS

THIS WEEK AT FIRST CHURCH

IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION

Senior Pastor's Message
Quarterly Meeting February 2
New Member Classes
Souper Bowl Soup Sale
Volunteer Sign Ups
February Friendsgiving
MLK Event At YWCA
Church School
Annual Giving
Meetinghouse Flower Donations
Line Dancing February 6
Community Corner
Regular Weekly Happenings

Click on the image above to see our Sunday Bulletin

SENIOR PASTOR'S MESSAGE

Greetings Friends,

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus made his inaugural address in his hometown synagogue. The crowds were amazed at what he said until he challenged their expectations, which led them to try and throw him off a cliff. How do we respond when people upend our expectations and challenge us to think in different ways?

I hope you can join us this Sunday as we explore the depths of this well-known passage.

Grace & Peace,

Patrick

QUARTERLY MEETING FEBRUARY 2

Plan to attend the quarterly meeting following the worship service to hear important updates in the life of First Church from your Church Council.

NEW MEMBER CLASSES COMING SOON

If you are interested in learning more about First Church and joining as a full member, please save the date for our upcoming new membership classes on Sunday, March 2 at 11:00 a.m. & Wednesday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m.

SOUPER BOWL SOUP & CHILI SALE

THE 2025 “SOUPER BOWL” SUNDAY SOUP & CHILI SALE

Calling all cooks! It’s time to show-off your soup-making skills once again by volunteering to make and donate a quart (or quarts) of soup or chili to benefit the First Church Women’s Fellowship!

The sale will take place in the auditorium on Sunday, February 9, 2025 following worship. Quarts of homemade soup and chili will be sold for $10 each.

Please sign up to donate after church in the auditorium beginning Sunday, January 12th and continuing for the next several Sundays. Restaurant-style food containers will be available when you sign up. You can also click on THI S LINK to sign up to make soups/chili. This annual event has proven to be easy, inexpensive and popular for those who love to cook and those who love to eat! This is the only Women’s Fellowship fundraiser for the year. Please contact Sue Wilder for more information swilder102@gmail.com

VOLUNTEER SIGN UPS FOR THE NEW YEAR

Now that the holidays are behind us, please sign up to especially volunteer to do the

Call to Offering or Worship Reader in the coming months. We have a regular group of Ushers, but they could always use some help. Same with the other options. These forms of volunteering are a great way to meet new people and make new friends.

Click: FCCOG Volunteer Signup Center

NOTE: the link above is on the bottom left of all webpages on https://www.fccog.org/

Fight the winter blahs and join us! You'll feel good about yourself.

FEBRUARY FRIENDSGIVING

MLK EVENT AT GREENWICH YWCA

CHURCH SCHOOL

Church School continues January 19 and 26.

ALL AGES WORSHIP (AAW)

AAW is a Sunday morning experience for the whole family of faith

to sing, pray, hear stories and partake in communion together!

February 2 - March 2 - April 13– Palm Sunday

ANNUAL GIVING 2025

Update from the Annual Giving Committee!

As of January 15, we have received a total of 176 pledges which represents 80% of our goal. These pledges amount to $600,368 which means we have reached the 92% mark towards our goal of $650,000. To those who have already pledged, we thank you. There is still time to make your pledge count for 2025 to help First Church continue to provide the services for our community and beyond.

As you stay warm this week, it is a great time to click on this link to make your pledge: https://www.fccog.org/giving/

Annual Giving Committee

Click Here for instructions on how to Pledge online.

DID YOU KNOW?

If you wish to schedule your giving for 2025 in weekly, monthly, or other ways, First Church has the capability of auto-payments from your bank account or credit card! Please use this link to access the church’s ACS system and enter the necessary information.

https://secure.accessacs.com/access/memberlogin.aspx?

If you set up, changed, or plan to continue your automatic monthly online through MyFirstChurch.com for 2025 please know that you still need to submit a pledge form. Pledges can be submitted through the digital pledge form at www.fccog.org or by returning a paper pledge card to the office.

If you have any questions, please contact Greg Girolamo at the church office or Philip Wentworth at 203-992-9500.

MEETINGHOUSE FLOWER DONATIONS

MEETINGHOUSE FLOWERS

Flowers in the Meetinghouse on Sunday mornings are something we all enjoy. These flowers not only beautify our worship space,

but are given to honor very special people or occasions in our lives. In addition to remembering a loved one, you can give flowers in celebration of:

• Marriages

• Anniversaries

• Baptisms

• Birthdays

• To say “congratulations” or “thank you.”

Donors can be an individual or a group.

This year, why not consider a Sunday when you would like to thank God and honor a special person or memorable moment in your life with a gift of flowers? Mail or drop off your check for $100 to the Church Office (payable to First Congregational Church) with detailed information on who or what you would like recognized, and we’ll take care of the rest!

Following worship, your flowers can be taken home or will be reorganized into smaller arrangements and distributed to homebound or ill members who would enjoy a token of beauty in their homes. Deadline for donations is at least 2 weeks in advance of the Sunday to guarantee floral arrangements. Contact Craig Symons (craigs@fccog.org) for further information.

COMMUNITY CORNER -

HAPPENINGS IN OUR FIRST CHURCH BUILDING

LINE DANCING THURSDAY FEBRUARY 6

Thursday, February 6 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Get Your Boots On and Join Us for a Night of Country Line Dancing!

Grab your cowboy boots, put on your best dancing hat, and come join us for a fun-filled night of Country Line Dancing!

Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or a complete beginner, this is the perfect opportunity to learn some new moves, meet new people, and enjoy a lively night out.

What to Expect:

Step-by-step instruction for all skill levels
Fun, upbeat music to keep your feet moving
Refreshments
A welcoming atmosphere with great company
No partner required! Come solo or bring your friends!

$20 at the door

STICK YOGA: Saturday mornings, from 10.30 - 11.30am

FREE TRIAL CLASS for members of First Church and after that $20 per class.

Bamboo stick yoga is a captivating fun way to explore stretching, balancing, conscious breathing and coordination, using a long light (bamboo) stick. It improves spatial awareness, posture, mobility and a mind-body connection, releasing stress. Supporting flexibility, stability and ease in our bodies, appropriate for any age. Some movements come from a Qigong method.

Please bring a yoga mat, and a yoga stick. You can purchase one online (e.g. the Karma Heart Yoga Stick), or make one, or use a broomstick. The stick should be approximately as tall as you. It could also be helpful to have a blanket if you like support for your head or knees. Email teacher Herma Hale for more information: hermahale@hotmail.com

TAI CHI: We meet at the First Congregational Church of Old Greenwich 9:30am Monday or Thursday (with advance sign up). All monies go straight to First Church. Please sign-in before class. Contact Will Morrison for more information: wdmorrison@gmail.com

This week’s classes

Monday, 9:30 - Drop-in / Fundamentals Form
Thursday, 8:30 - Drop-in / Fundamentals Form Pls confirm your attendance in advance

Next week’s classes

Monday, 9:30 - Drop-in / Fundamentals Form
Thursday, 8:30 - Drop-in / Fundamentals Form Pls confirm your attendance in advance

New joiners:

Where: 108 Sound Beach Ave, Old Greenwich. Enter the church’s parking lot from Forest Avenue and park anywhere. Please give the parents dropping off their children lots of room.
Which entrance: Enter through the door labelled Church Offices noted by the arrow. Once inside, go up the stairs immediately to your left which lead directly to the Auditorium, where we will be playing.

REGULAR WEEKLY HAPPENINGS

Bring your little ones to church -

we completely EMBRACE them.

At First Church, we believe the way we welcome children in worship directly affects the way they respond to God, to the church, and to one another.

To welcome children as they are in worship, we have our PrayGround, located in the Chapel (front right side of the Meetinghouse), where children and others of all ages can engage in worship through movement, sensory materials, and prayerful play.

The presence of all God’s children is a gift to the church, which offers hope for all.

Scan the QR code to access PrayGround FAQs and Helpful Tips.

Amalia Samuel, a staff member, is the PrayGround Supervisor.

Announcing….. the new FCCOG VOLUNTEER SIGNUP CENTER

One location for all volunteer sign ups!

We are consolidating all volunteer signups for all Committees and events at FCCOG. This will help Committees fill volunteer needs and will help volunteers easily signup for projects and events of interest.

There is a new updated link on the FCCOG website homepage titled

FCCOG VOLUNTEER SIGN UP CENTER

This link will also be publicized in every Friday e-blast and the Sunday Bulletin. You can also access the Volunteer Signup Center by scanning this QR Code.

Thank you so much for the time you give volunteering for First Church!

BLOOD PRESSURE SCREENING

Sue Asselin, Parish Nurse, is available for blood pressure screenings and health consultations following the worship on Sunday, January 19. During community hour find her in her office, just to the right of the Auditorium stage. During the week, she is available by appointment. Call 203 637 1791 ext 821 or email susana@fccog.org

GET YOUR FAMILY WEEKLY CHURCH SCHOOL &

RYM (REGIONAL YOUTH MINISTRY) NEWSLETTER

Using your smartphone camera, scan the QR code here to sign up for our weekly Family Ministry newsletter. You can read about Church School, Regional Youth Ministry, and more!

FIRST CHURCH OFFICE HOURS

This coming week the Church Offices will be open regular hours, M to F, 9 am to 4:30 pm. Please remember to make an appointment with any member of staff you wish to meet with. Find staff contact details here.

THE RUMMAGE ROOM

The Rummage Room is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday,

11 am to 3 p.m., for shopping and to receive donations. Come and see us!

NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR DONATIONS

Every donation directly helps those in need.

This basket is in the Meetinghouse near the front door, and donations can be dropped to the Church Office. Most needed items include canned meat, cereal, canned fruit, canned vegetables, and shelf-stable milk.

CALL TO OFFERING, OR USHER

We have a sign-up-page to read scripture, usher, or read a call to offering. All of the previous individual pages are now combined in one, with tabs at the top of the page to flip between each signup.

Simply click on each to navigate to the appropriate signup. To access that signup, click here