Over the years First Cong members have written about their life experiences. The Memoir Writing Group has now expanded their repertoire to include other genres: essays, travelogues, journals, family history, and more. They have discovered that writing helps process experiences and learn a lot about themselves and one another. These essays also help tell our life stories to loved ones. Join us to learn one way to share your legacy as members of the Memoir Writing Group read their writings.

During worship on Sundays in August, we’ll have fun, faith-filled activities for children and youth. Everyone will begin in worship, and then kids preschool through grade 12 are invited to join Lianna. This Sunday, weather permitting, we’ll break out the sidewalk chalk and “paint” the plaza – wear outdoor clothes and sunscreen! Check each Friday’s email for weekly updates. Regular Sunday school resumes September 15.

Contact Lianna with any questions.

RISE Against Suicide helps youth at risk of suicide by removing the financial and social barriers to treatment, enabling them to find hope and healing. The LGBTQ+ & Allies Ministry, the Mental Health Ministry, and the Missions and Justice in Action Board (MJA) are sponsoring our annual Christmas in August Fundraising Campaign to provide financial support for services as students return to school at a stressful time. Please consider donating here.

We gather in sorrow and in hope to remember and give thanks for the life of JC Lodge. You are warmly invited to attend a service for JC Lodge's life in our Sanctuary on Sunday, August 17 at 1:00 p.m. followed by a reception in Plymouth Hall.

Is there a book you’d like to discuss with others? A subject you’d like to tackle? A spiritual practice you’d like to learn more about? A group of folks you would like to ski or hike with? YOU can organize that group! Most of the Small Groups at First Congregational are initiated and organized by members of the congregation. Deadline for the Fall Catalog is Friday, August 15, 2025. Contact Susan Wilkinson or Linda Kowatch for more information.

The Social Justice Coalition invites you to a House Meeting – small group, 90-minute gatherings to listen to what is most pressing to our community in this moment, particularly in light of the current threats to our democracy. We’ll share what’s keeping us awake at night, strengthen our connections with one another to prepare us for the work ahead, and reflect on how the church can respond. Meeting organizers will use the results from these listening sessions to focus our future collective actions. Groups are limited to five participants with a trained facilitator and note taker. Sign up to join the conversation. If there are no available times for you to sign up, please email Linda.

Allison Hamm will host the midsummer FOG gathering in her lovely backyard at 754 Furrow Way, Lafayette on Friday, August 22 from 6 to 8 p.m. Bring your favorite summer wine and an appetizer to share (or just one or the other if you are coming solo) along with the spirit of Fellowship. Everyone over 21 is invited, and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. Blue house, second one in from street on east side of Furrow Way. Call Allison at 316-259-5682 if you have any trouble finding the house. Cheers.

We are never completely ready to say goodbye, but preplanning and communicating our final wishes for after we die can provide us with peace of mind, allowing us to more fully live today. This session will include planning for the final resting place of your earthly remains and planning your memorial service. This endeavor is also a gift to our loved ones when they will go through a time of intense loss and grief.

Soup Kitchen is Sunday, 8/24/25. We still need 4 volunteers for the first shift (9:00 am 11:30) and 3 for the second shift (11:30am -2:00pm), especially in these hot temperatures. I have heard several of our unhoused neighbors appreciate the air conditioning, the good food, and the friendly people that provide Sunday Dinner at First Cong. Sign Up here. For info or questions contact: Soo Rhee or Linda Kowatch.

Questformation returns—and all eighth and ninth graders are invited! This beloved program lets youth explore their faith, beliefs, and calling in an encouraging community. Together, we’ll tackle Big Questions and discover resources for temporary answers. Two informational meetings are offered—please choose one for your youth and at least one adult family member to attend. If they’re interested but can’t make it, let Lianna know. We look forward to seeing you on the 24th!

Rev. Dr. Lorraine Leist, serves as Associate Pastor for Congregational Care and Older Adults at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church in Denver. Previously, she served as a palliative care chaplain at Swedish Hospital in Seattle. Before that, as a treasured member of First Cong, Lorraine was involved in the development of our Ministry of Last Things. Following worship and a quick coffee break, Jean Abbott, the chair of our Ministry of Last Things, will join Lorraine in facilitating a congregational conversation on the topic: Is Dying More than a Medical Event?

Come grow with us. We invite you to jump in, roll up your sleeves, and enter deeply into the life and ministry of our congregation. Whether you're new to our community or have been walking alongside us for a while, this is a moment to say yes! We will receive new members during the 10:00 a.m. worship service on Sunday, August 24. If you feel ready to make this step or want to learn more about what membership means, please reach out to Julie Griffitts.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to ring those beautiful bells up front? Here is your chance to try them out. Music Director Kajsa Teitelbaum is offering four introductory sessions in the sanctuary, on August 25, 26, 27, and 28. All begin at 11:00 am. No previous musical knowledge needed. For questions, email Kajsa.

Join us on Sunday, August 31 as we celebrate ACCESS Sunday when we will be led by our Accessible to All Ministry. Our theme this year is neurodiversity. We will worship God and celebrate our all of God’s children. We will hear testimonies from congregation members whose families include those who are neurodiverse. Join us as together we learn about neurodiversity and how First Congregational Church can strive to become more inclusive.

Our last pick-up choir for the summer season will happen on Sunday, August 31. Please join us in the sanctuary at 9:00 a.m. where Music Director Kajsa will warm you up and teach you an anthem that we sing

in the service. This is a great opportunity to try out the choir and what it feels like to be a worship leader. No previous singing experience needed. Welcome!

As we turn the page into fall, we return to our regular worship rhythm.

Sunday, 9/7 – Sanctuary worship begins at our new time: 10:30 a.m. (one service only this day).

Sunday, 9/14 – Chapel Worship returns at a new time: 8:15 a.m.

8:15 a.m. – Chapel Worship

10:30 a.m. – Worship in the Sanctuary.

Whether you rise early or join a little later, come and let us worship God together.

Join us on Sunday, September 7 for worship at 10:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary and then on to Foothills Community Park for our All Church Fall Picnic. Lindsay’s Deli will provide box lunches and BCL will provide drinks. Please RSVP for this event, with your name(s) and choice for your box lunch, by Friday, 9/5 online or with Julie Griffitts by email or on Sundays where there will be bel a clipboard under the tv screen in the Link. All are welcome and warmly encouraged to join us for food, fellowship, games, and a playground for the kids.

This fall (and possibly extending into this winter), a book discussion group will commence which will be reading and discussing the 2002 Pulitzer Prize winning book The Metaphysical Club by Louis Menand. Given our current political and societal conflicts in this country, a review of the story of ideas in America would be especially helpful for us all! We will meet weekly, on Monday evenings starting at 6:30 p.m., MST and completing by 8:00 p.m., MST. It will be a hybrid class! For more info contact Kevin Pettit.

Explore the biblical roots of hospitality, learn the realities of immigration today, hear stories from immigrant neighbors, and discover ways to act with love and justice right now.

PART 1 – 9/14, at 9:00 a.m.

God of the Journey: A Biblical Theology of Immigration

PART 2 – 9/21, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Immigration 101: Understanding the Landscape

This session includes lunch, register online to help us get a meal count.

PART 3 – 9/28, at 9:00 a.m.

Crossing Paths: Stories from Our Immigrant Neighbors

PART 4 – 10/5, 9:00 A.M.

Love in the Neighborhood: Local Advocacy and Action

For more information click here.

FCC Silverbells (Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m., starting 9/9): A fun, low-pressure bell choir for adults – no musical experience needed and all materials provided.

FCC Youth Bell Choir (Tuesdays, 4:30–5:15 p.m., starting 9/9):

Open to all middle and high schoolers – snacks provided and no experience necessary.

Lunch Concert Series (Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m., starting 9/10):

Enjoy a 20-30 minute midday concert featuring a variety of musicians and styles. Bring your lunch and relax in the sanctuary.

Chancel Choir

Rehearses on Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. in the choir room. Everyone is welcome, regardless of previous singing experience.

Congregational Bells

Rehearses on Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m. in the sanctuary. Everyone is welcome, regardless of previous experience.

All events are free and open to all. For more info or to sign up for a bell choir, email Kajsa.

Our church library bookshelves are filling up! We've received generous donations and the goal is to freely distribute the reading materials. Take time to browse the "Book Nook" shelves located in the FAITH Center's west stairwell, as well as the smaller bookshelf outside Plymouth Hall. Books are there to be taken, no need to return...simply enjoy and pass them on! Questions or donations? Contact Jane Thomas at jane.thomas@colorado.edu or Pat Whitaker at patricia.whitaker@comcast.net.

All women are invited to a transformative weekend retreat—a sacred journey from gratitude through grief to active hope. Following Joanna Macy’s Active Hope spiral, we’ll celebrate God’s creation, honor our pain for the world, discover new ways of seeing, and discern our call to respond. Through reflection, small groups, playful activities, community, and worship, discover how faith shapes us as agents of healing and hope.

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