First Congregational Church

News and Announcements

Latest Recorded Worship Service

In Memoriam

• Jane Suddendorf died on Sunday morning, July 4. A private memorial service was held for the family.

• Rhonda Dunn died on Thursday, June 17. Pastor Scott conducted a private service and scattered Rhonda's cremains on the garden bed of our church patio on Thursday morning, July 8.

Special Thanks

• To the following folks who were involved in feeding 14 guests of Family Promise the second full week of July: Lynn Barber, David Franks, Jeanne Mantsch, Terry McManus, Louise Mollinger, Sarah Riemer, Terry Sdun and Jane Spalding.

• To Rhonda Thompson who has been elected to serve as Clerk on the Executive Team of the Church Council and Jennifer Dimmer who was elected to serve as Fellowship Team Representative on the Council.

• To Kathy Bretl who has been elected to serve a term as Treasurer on the Executive Team of the Church Council after she was appointed to the role last fall. Mike Spalding was elected to serve as Liturgy Team Representative and Jason Jacque was elected to serve as Stewardship Team Representative, both were appointed to these roles back in June of 2020.

• To Jim Clements who served two terms as Property Team Representative and Marti DeMario who served a term as Fellowship Team Representative.

• To Bill Bond was elected to serve as Property Team Representative on the Council. Bill is transitioning to this role after serving a term as Clerk.

• To Rev. Don Niederfrank for conducting our Sunday services the first three weeks of June.

• To John and Christa Karrels for maintaining the flowerbed at the corner of Wisconsin and Webster Streets. They also planted a rose bush to beautify the area even more!

• To Joe and Bev Mueller for maintaining the Sculpture flowerbed and replacing old shrubs with new boxwood shrubs.

• To Brenda Shupe for managing our Little Free Library here at church.

• To the Church Grounds Maintenance Team: Miriam Mitchell, Jana Zimmerman, Jeanne Weir, Kurt and Kelly Blum, Joe and Bev Mueller, John and Christa Karrels, and Mike Dimmer. This is the second year these folks have adopted a flower bed and maintained it from summer to fall.

• To Mike Dimmer for making a brace for our a/v equipment to help us record the services in the Sanctuary.

"Congregational Connections" E-Newsletter

SUMMER WORSHIP SERVICES - SUNDAY MORNINGS AT 9:00

During the summer months, from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend, we have one service on Sunday mornings at 9:00. Please come and join us!

HELP HAUL AWAY THE TEASEL ON SATURDAY

Creekside Commons had an infestation of teasel, a tall invasive plant that was cut to the ground this week and needs to be hauled to the City Yard (they have an invasive plant dumpster). If you are able, please come to the church at 10:00 this coming Saturday, July 21, to help. Mike Dimmer will be there with his truck and trailer.

THE PASSING OF JANE SUDDENDORF

Jane Suddendorf passed away at home on Sunday morning, July 4th, after battling Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma since January 2020. You may click here to read the obituary for Jane. Please keep the Suddendorf family in your prayers during this difficult time.

HYMN SING IN MEMORY OF JANE

Join us this coming Sunday afternoon, July 25, at 2:00 outside on the church patio for a Hymn Sing in memory of Jane Suddendorf. Jane was an active church and choir member for thirty years. To celebrate her life, we are going to sing a selection of some of her favorite hymns.

ICE CREAM SOCIAL ON JULY 25

Everyone is invited to attend an Ice Cream Social hosted by the Church School Team at 3:00 in Fellowship Hall this coming Sunday, July 25. Stay after the Hymn Sing and/or before the Family Swim Time at the pool! This will be nice opportunity for our church family to gather for fellowship.

SUNDAY FUN DAY AT THE POOL ALSO THIS SUNDAY

After the Ice Cream Social at 3:00 this coming Sunday, July 25, we will head to Pirates Hollow Waterpark for some swimming and fun. We will partake in the pool's Family Swim Time (inflatables allowed) which runs from 4-6 pm. We will hand out admission tickets for those who do not have a pool pass.

REOPENING TEAM UPDATES - RESTRICTIONS LIFTED

The Reopening Team met on June 22. They reviewed the nine services that have been conducted since the beginning of May. The team also looked at the most current numbers for vaccinations, positive tests, and new cases in Ozaukee County. The data reflects that we can ease most of the restrictions we had in place. Because of this, they made recommendations to the Church Council which have been approved.

Face Masks are Optional for Fully Vaccinated Individuals. Masks are strongly recommended while in the church building for those who are not vaccinated.

Sign Up No Longer Required. We have eliminated the sign-up/reservation system. We will still have an usher greeting folks, recording names of those in attendance, and distributing nametags.

Social Distancing Still Encouraged. Please maintain a six foot distance between yourself and anyone outside of your household while in the building. Ushers will no longer seat people, but every other pew will continue to be closed.

JULY E-NEWSLETTER

Click here to view the entire July "Congregational Connections" monthly e-newsletter. Or, you can click on specific pages:

Pages 1 & 2: Pastor Scott's Lead Article & Annual Report
Page 3: Church Council Updates & Brat Fry
Page 4: Summer Sunday Fun Days Flyer
Page 5: Ways to Serve, Charitable Fundraisers, & Camp
Page 6: Thank Yous & Misc. Announcements
Page 7: Financial Administrator's Update
Page 8: Spotlight on Fellowship Team
Pages 9 & 10: Church Council Minutes
Page 11: Scripture Passages, Food Pantry Requests, & Lighthouse Updates
Page 12: July Calendar
Page 13: July B-days & Anniversaries
Page 14: Church Contact Information

SPRING CONGREGATIONAL MEETING MINUTES AND 2020-2021 ANNUAL REPORT

According to the Church Constitution, “A meeting of the congregation shall be held no later than the last Sunday in June to elect officers and team representatives to the Council. An Annual Program Report shall be presented at this meeting.”

We met as a congregation via Zoom on Sunday morning, June 27, to elect officers and accept team reports. Click here for minutes of the meeting. The minutes will be approved at the Fall Congregational Meeting.

Paper copies of the 2020-2021 Annual Report are available at church. You may click here to view the Report electronically.

CHARITABLE FUNDRAISERS

Every year, members and friends of our church participate in charitable fundraising events (walks, runs, bike rides, etc.) helping to raise thousands of dollars for a variety of worthy causes. As a church community, we support these efforts by contributing $100 per event from our Local Mission Fund.

If you are planning to participate in one of these fundraisers, please complete and submit the Charitable Fundraiser Contribution Request form.

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.

AA MEETINGS AT CHURCH

AA Group meets at our church every Sunday afternoon at 3:00. For more information, please contact the church office.

THURSDAY MORNING MEN'S BREAKFAST

Every Thursday morning at 8:00 a.m. a committed group of gentlemen from the church gather at The Beacon restaurant, which is located downtown on the first floor of The Harborview hotel. Ken Matthews has been their faithful facilitator, sending out email reminders to the men who have joined them previously.

The group is open to all the men of the church. Everyone places their own order and pays their own bill. The conversation is filled with laughter, stories, tall tales, anecdotes as well as the latest updates on what folks are doing and how things are going. It is a great way to spend an hour (or two) and begin your day.

If you are interested in attending, you are welcome to just come on down and join the group. Or, you can send Ken an email if you have questions and to make sure you are on his email reminder list (k0matthews76@gmail.com).

WEDNESDAY NOON GROUP

Our Wednesday Noon Group has decided to take a break for the summer. They will decide to start back up either in August or September. If you are interested in learning more, please email Pastor Scott (pastorscott@portucc.org).

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.

PASTOR SCOTT'S FIRST MONTHS AS OUR PASTOR

Our pastor, Rev. Dr. Scott McLeod, has enjoyed a great start here at our church. Scott invites you to call or email anytime, his new email address is pastorscott@portucc.org.

If you have a chance, check out the two newspaper articles on Pastor Scott's transition:
Ozaukee Press - FCC welcomes new pastor on Jan. 1
Elkhorn Independent - Pastor takes a leap of faith.

back to home