We gather to give thanks for the life of Shelley Sampson, beloved member of our Chancel Choir. We hold her family and friends in our prayers and extend our heartfelt condolences. All are invited to join us in remembering Shelley’s life and faith. A reception will follow the service in Plymouth Hall.

We have more stories to share! Over the years dozens of First Cong members have written about their life experiences as part of the Memoir Writing Group. The 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, in the process, 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.

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!

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.

When our children aren't in worship, you can find them in the Faith Center learning about different Bible stories, playing silly games, making gorgeous art, and so much more. We have some incredible lead teachers but we are looking for 3-5 more volunteers to work with our preschool and elementary children on Sunday mornings. Can you help out a Sunday or two this semester? Your job will be to be the second adult in the classroom, just helping with activities and getting to know our amazing kids. Please let Lianna know how you’d like to get involved!

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

Sunday, 9/7 – Sanctuary Worship begins at 10:30 a.m.

(one service only this day).

Sunday, 9/14 – *Note, Chapel Worship returns at a new time...

Chapel Worship – *8:15 a.m.

Worship in the Sanctuary – 10:30 a.m.

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. RSVP by Friday, 9/5.

We are delighted to welcome a solo exhibition by Martie McMane, who served as our Senior Minister from 2000-2016. Inspired by Catherine of Siena’s words, “All the way to heaven is heaven,” the art reflects heaven found along the way – in beauty, presence, and wonder. Attend the Receptions on Sunday, September 28 and Friday, October 3, an Artist Talk on Sunday, October 12, and a SoulCollage Workshop on Sunday, November 2. View the art now in the Heritage Room and Hallway.

You're invited to participate in one of our upcoming Communication Needs Focus Sessions as we seek to strengthen how we stay connected and informed as a church family. We encourage you to attend one of these important gatherings led by our Communications Committee. Your input will help us better understand how we can meet the communication needs of our diverse congregation. Your voice matters in shaping a more connected community.

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 6:30-8:00 p.m. 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, RSVP requested. Please 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.

In the UCC, we believe that God Is Still Speaking, and one way God speaks is through the Bible. On Sunday, September 14th, our congregation blesses and presents Bibles to our kindergarteners and third graders. Please let Lianna know if you have a child in those age groups who would like a Bible! Do you have an older child in your life who did not receive a Bible from us? Let us know about that too!

Contact Lianna.

Did you know that the majority of church choirs these days have paid section leaders and support singers? Our FCC Chancel Choir is one of the few choirs that does not follow that trend; we are all volunteers, and hope that we can keep it that way. So, we always welcome new members, and since we are just getting started for the fall, now is a really good time to visit and try us out. We meet on Thursdays 7:00-9:00 p.m., and sing on Sunday morning in the Sanctuary. You don’t need any previous singing or choral experience; we are just happy you want to sing with us. And if we still haven’t convinced you, try out pop-up choir this Sunday, August 31, at 9:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Welcome!

Small groups are an important way for people to connect with others while pursuing spiritual transformation in our lives. The Small Groups Booklet Fall 2025 edition has just been updated and is available. Click here to peruse the small groups available at First Congregational. Also, paper copies are available in the Narthex. Take special note of the first section titled New Groups This Fall. If you have more questions, contact Susan Wilkinson or Linda Kowatch.

King Soopers and Safeway help FCC support Flatirons Habitat for Humanity, building affordable housing for low-income families in Boulder County. Enroll your Sooper Card for King Soopers purchases or use a special Safeway Gift Card – each gives a 5% kickback to FCC. To enroll with King Soopers, log into your account and click “My Account” (under your name), “Community Rewards” (left sidebar), then select “First Congregational Church UCC Boulder.” For a Safeway Gift Card, email Tom Woods or call 303-931-4600.

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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