News and Announcements
Special Thanks
• To Kathy Bretl for donating a choral piece, "The Gift of Love, in memory of Jane Suddendorf. To Maritza Jackson for donating our new amplifier as part of our sanctuary sound system in memory of her husband, Wayne. Both were dedicated as part of our worship service on January 30.
• To Louise Mollinger, Jane Schneider, Carolyn Heatwole, David Franks, Jeanne Mantsch, Ric Probst, Kathy Bretl, Scott Symes and Jane Spalding for serving as Worship Leaders in January.
• To the Dimmer, Holmes and Eslinger Families for providing Fellowship Hour in January.
• To our dedicated Sunday Offering Counters: Phil Stepanski and Tracy Bretl and Kathy Bretl.
• To Brook Holmes for serving as parent helper for the January Confirmation class.
• To Ken Matthews for continuing to facilitate the Thursday Men's Breakfast each week.
• To the Garthus, Holmes and Sanem Families for providing Nursery Care in January.
• To Phil Stepanski and Tracy Bretl for changing out the stained glass in the Sanctuary windows for each of the church seasons.
• To Jane Spalding for creating yet another beautiful altar table arrangement for the season of Epiphany.
• To Mike and Jane Spalding for organizing the Sanctuary closets and organizing the Christmas decorations.
• To Jennifer Dimmer and Dawn Rychtik for organizing the first Church School Game Night and Dinner on January 19. A dozen kids enjoyed playing hide-and-go-seek in the dark in the church!
• To Jennifer Dimmer, Fellowship Team Chair, and the Team, for coordinating the Soup & Salad Dinner on January 26. It was great to be back again sharing in food and conversation!
• To Mike Spalding for selecting our hymns for each Sunday service.
• To Joe Mueller, Claude Zimmerman, and Gary Tackes for conducting weekly walk-throughs of the church building and grounds.
• To Brenda Shupe for filling our Little Free Library.
• To Peter Muehleis for placing the garbage carts at the curb on Tuesdays of each and every week.
• To Karl Pradel for continuing to change our Christ Candle each and every week.
"Congregational Connections" E-Newsletters
Archives
December 15, 2021
December 8, 2021
November 3, 2021
October 27, 2021
October 20, 2021
October 13, 2021
September 22, 2021
September 15, 2021
March 7, 2021
February 24, 2021
February 3, 2021
January 27, 2021
January 20, 2021
January 13, 2021
January 6, 2021
December 30, 2020
December 22, 2020
November 1, 2020
October 21, 2020
October 14, 2020
THE LENTEN SEASON
Adult Lenten Study
Embracing the Uncertain: Pastor Scott will be offering a weekly Adult Lenten Study at two different times. One group will meet after worship on Sunday mornings in Lent (beginning on March 6) from 11:15 to 12:15 in the Dennett Room and the other group will meet via Zoom on Tuesday evenings (beginning March 8) from 6:30 to 7:30. Both sessions will be using the book Embracing the Uncertain: A Lenten Study for Unsteady Times by Magrey deVega. Each week a different scripture text is studied in order to help us better understand issues like: faith and doubt, sin and forgiveness, trust and anxiety, life and mortality. It is a timely devotional book for this “uncertain” age. The book is available from Cokesbury, Amazon, and other online booksellers, as well as an eBook. The office will also be happy to order one for you if you would like (cost $10.00), but please get your request in by February 20.
Wednesday Lenten Vesper Worship
Each Wednesday during Lent (beginning on March 9) at 6:30 we will have an evening service of scripture, prayers, and a brief message. During the season of Lent, we prepare our hearts and minds for the trials of Holy Week and the joy of Easter. Join us for a time of centering and refocusing on following the way of Jesus.
New Members Classes
All those considering joining the church are invited to come to our two new members classes; Sunday, March 13, and Sunday, March 20 - both at 6:00 pm at church. The March 13th class will focus on learning more about the United Church of Christ as we share some history of the “wider” church beyond Port Washington. The March 20th class will focus on our local church’s past, present, and future. We hope to get to know one another better and answer any questions. If folks would like to join, they are invited to do so on Sunday morning, March 27, at the 10:00 worship service. We hope you will consider formally becoming a part of our faith community!
MARCH E-NEWSLETTER
Click here to view the entire March "Congregational Connections" monthly e-newsletter. You can also click on specific pages:
Page 1 & 2: Pastor Scott's Lead Article & Ash Wednesday
Page 3: Adult Lenten Study
Page 4: Vesper Services & New Member Classes
Page 5: Ministry Options Survey
Page 6: Spring Card Making Workshop
Page 7: Action Photos
Page 8: Finding Lent on Our Liturgical Wall Calendar
Page 9: Welcome Our New Financial Admin. & Lighthouse
Page 10: March Scripture Texts
Pages 11: Thank Yous
Page 12 & 13: Church Council Meeting Minutes
Pages 14: March Birthdays & Anniversaries
Page 15: March Calendar
Page 16: Church Contact Information
"THANK YOU" FROM THE MELICHAR FAMILY
Sherri Melichar would like to thank the church for all the prayers, kind words, food, and cards during Jim’s sickness and then as these continued at Jim’s death. She would also like to thank the choir for the beautiful music they provided for Jim’s Memorial service. “I really can’t thank everyone enough.” --Sherri
CHILDREN'S CHOIR
The Carol and Chapel Choirs are condensed into one Children's Choir at this time, led by Sherri Melichar. The choir rehearses from 5:45-6:30 on Monday evenings, in the Sanctuary, and performs on the 4th Sunday of every month.
All elementary and middle school kids are invited to participate! 7th and 8th graders can choose between the Children’s Choir and the Chancel Choir. Invite your neighbors and friends! Come as you are able - no long-term commitment required. Join at any time!
HANDBELL CHOIR
Come join Handbells! The Handbell Choir is under the direction of Lydia Clough. The choir rehearses for an hour at 7:00 on Wednesday evenings in the Music Room and performs on the third Sunday of every month.
CHANCEL CHOIR
The Chancel Choir, under the direction of Brett Dimmer, rehearses for an hour at 6:30 on Monday evenings in the Sanctuary and performs on the second and fifth Sunday of every month. The choir is open to anyone 7th/8th grade and up. No experience is necessary, just a desire to sing! You do not need to know how to read music. Come as you are able - no long-term commitment required. Join at any time!
WORSHIP LEADERS
Pastor Scott has enlisted a team of Worship Leaders who help with either the 8:00 or 10:00 worship services on Sunday mornings and maybe an occasional special service. Worship leaders lead the congregation in responsive readings (Call to Worship), unison prayers and read scripture passages before the sermon. He has recruited over a dozen folks, but hopes to build a roster of 30-35 people who are willing to help lead worship on a rotating basis, so that no one will do it more than 3 or 4 times a year.
Would you like to help with the Sunday morning worship? Please send Pastor Scott an email at pastorscott@portucc.org and let him know if you prefer the 8:00 or 10:00 worship.
WEDNESDAY LUNCH GROUP
You are invited to come to church on Wednesdays at noon for lunch and Bible study. The group meets in Fellowship Hall and everyone brings their own bag lunch and beverage. After they eat together they read through the Bible passages that will be used in worship on the next Sunday. Pastor Scott provides some Biblical background materials and some questions for discussion and then the conversation begins. You don’t need to be a Bible scholar to participate, just a curiosity to explore and reflect on the text. The conversation is always interesting and there is usually laughter and sharing of stories, opinions and an insight or two. Give it a try, there is always room for more around the table.
THURSDAY MORNING MEN'S BREAKFAST
Every Thursday morning at 8:00, a dedicated group of gentlemen from the church gather at The Beacon restaurant, which is located downtown on the first floor of The Harborview hotel. The Thursday Morning Men’s Breakfast Group is open to all the men of the church. Everyone places their own order and pays their own bill. It is a great way to spend an hour (or two) and begin your day. You are welcome to join the group at any time!
FELLOWSHIP HOUR
There will be a Fellowship Hour following our 8:00 service on the first Sunday of each month, and following our 10:00 services on the second and fourth Sundays of each month.
STEWARDSHIP
Members and friends are asked to make a formal pledge to support the church financially each Fall. However, you may pledge at any point during the year. Stewardship page
RECORDINGS OF WORSHIP SERVICES
Our Sunday worship services will continue to be recorded each week; if you would like to view the service as soon as it is uploaded, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel ("First Congregational Church of Port Washington"). This allows you to receive immediate notification.
PAYPAL ONLINE GIVING
If you are interested in giving to the church through PayPal, please look for the PayPal button on the home page. Please contact us if you have any questions or any problems using this giving feature.
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