First Congregational Church

News and Announcements

Congratulations

• To Coen Giles Schultz, son of Caleigh and Adam, who was baptized into the Christian faith on Sunday, September 8.

• To Jim Melichar, who was recently awarded the Timothy Kaul Leadership Award on behalf of the Clean Farm Families Program of Ozaukee County at the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust annual dinner.

Special Thanks

• To Bill Greymont for bring cookies, Diana Schroeder for bringing her famous pineapple upside-down cake, and to Jane Spalding for bringing a homemade chocolate cake to our first Wednesday Lunch at Church.

• To the Fellowship Team for hosting Fellowship Hour after both the 8:00 and 10:00 services on Sunday morning, September 8.

• To Austin Lemke and his family for providing Nursery Care on Sunday morning, September 8.

• To Savannah Anderson, Sarah Bloemer, Jennifer Dimmer, Tina Olson, Shandy Roehrig, Dawn Rychtik and Grace Wilsnack, members of our Church School Team, who helped with our Church School Sunday in September. Special thanks to Jane Spalding for coordinating the mini "seasons of the church" calendar project!

• To Pru Palecek and her good friend, Glenyss Gilliam, for providing special music on Sunday morning, September 8, at both the 8:00 and 10:00 services.

• To Bruce Laabs, Sr. for faithfully cleaning and organizing the church pews for the past decade, and to Dawn Guschl and Bill Bond for offering to take over the job.

• To Claude Zimmerman for offering to assist Joe Mueller with many of the ongoing repair and maintenance projects throughout the church.

• To Jane Spalding for creating a lovely sunflower arrangement for the church sanctuary.

• To Dawn Guschl and Bill Bond for faithfully preparing Communion on the first Sunday of each month.

• To Jim Schmit for faithfully delivering our weekly contributions to the Port Washington Food Pantry.

SERVICES AT 8:00 AND 10:00

A new church program year is underway. We celebrate with two services at 8:00 and 10:00.

Those who are new to our church community might like to know that the 8:00 service is always simple and quiet, a wonderful service for those seeking time and space for personal meditation and reflection. The 10:00 service regularly includes special music from one or more of our church choirs along with special celebrations, baptisms and dedications.

On the first Sunday of each month, we always celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Communion at both services. On the fourth Sunday of every month at 10:00, we celebrate with a Family Service which includes the participation of our children and youth.

FAMILY SERVICE AND CHURCH SCHOOL SUNDAYS

We celebrate a Family Service on the fourth Sunday of each month at 10:00. The service includes the participation of our 8th Grade Confirmation Class and Children's Choirs. Our next Family Service is Sunday morning, September 22.

Church School meets on the second Sunday of each month at 10:00. All children 4K through 7th grade are invited to participate. Our next Church School Sunday is Sunday, October 13.

NURSERY

Every Sunday morning during the 10:00 service we provide a nursery for children newborn through 4-years-old. Care is provided by our 8th grade Confirmation students and their families. Parents are required to register their children, and to sign their children in and out of the nursery. We want to do our very best to make the nursery safe and secure.

FELLOWSHIP HOUR ON SUNDAY MORNINGS

We host 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.

JEFF'S RETIREMENT

As many of you know, Jeff is retiring at the end of October. His last Sunday will be October 27.

OPEN HOUSE FOR JEFF

The church is hosting an Open House Celebration for Jeff on Sunday afternoon, October 27, from 1:00 to 4:00, at the church. Please help spread the word!

SEARCH COMMITTEE UPDATE

The Search Committee recently completed a final draft of our Local Church Profile. Rev. Franz Rigert, our Conference Minister, will review it in the weeks to come. It will be sent out to prospective candidates before the end of October.
Meet the Search Committee

INTERIM MINISTER UPDATE

The Church Council is responsible for selecting an Interim Minister, who will begin serving the church on the first Sunday in November. They are now in the process of reviewing several candidates.

LIGHTHOUSE YOUTH MINISTRY

Our church partners with four other churches in Port Washington and Saukville to support Lighthouse Youth Ministry for middle and high schoolers. To learn more about the group, visit their website and check out Lighthouse - Port Washington Saukville Ecumenical Youth Ministry on Facebook. Click here for a number of updates and announcements. Their first event this fall is a Family Picnic and Open House this coming Sunday afternoon, September 15, from 4:00 to 6:00.

CHURCH MUSIC PROGRAM

One of the defining features of First Congregational Church is our wonderful music program. From the very beginning, our music staff has been trained musicians, committed to teaching both children and adults to sing and play in church. You might be interested to know that Lori MacRae, our Handbell Choir Director, is the Middle School Band Director for the Cedar Grove – Belgium School District and for St. John XXIII Catholic School. She also directs the Port Washington City Band. Brett Dimmer, our Chancel Choir Director, is the Middle School Band Director and a music teacher for the Grafton School District. Sherri Melichar, our Children’s Choir Director, teaches music at Lumen Christi Catholic School in Mequon.

CAROL CHOIR AND CHAPEL CHOIRS

The Carol Choir is open to all children 4K through 2nd grade. They rehearse every Monday evening from 5:30 to 6:00, and they sing at the 10:00 Family Service on the fourth Sunday of each month. The Chapel Choir is open to all children 3rd grade through 8th grade. They rehearse every Monday evening from 6:00 to 6:30, and they also sing at the 10:00 Family Service each month.

CHANCEL CHOIR

The Chancel Choir is open to all senior high youth and adults. They rehearse every Monday evening from 6:30 to 7:30, and they sing at the 10:00 service on the second Sunday of each month, and on the fifth Sunday of each month.

HANDBELL CHOIR

The Handbell Choir is open to all senior high youth and adults. They rehearse every Monday evening from 7:30 to 8:30, and they play at the 10:00 service on the third Sunday of each month.

8th GRADE CONFIRMATION CLASS

All 8th Graders in the church are invited to participate in our year-long Confirmation program led by Alex Funk and Emily Kapszukiewicz. The class meets one Sunday evening each month. The students also help conduct the 10:00 Family Service on the fourth Sunday of each month and go on several special adventures throughout the year.

WEDNESDAY LUNCH AT CHURCH

Every Wednesday at Noon, you are invited to meet Jeff at church for lunch and Bible study. The group always takes time to visit before reflecting upon the lectionary reading for the upcoming Sunday. Coffee is provided, but please bring your own lunch. The first gathering of the program year is this coming Wednesday, September 11.

MEN’S BREAKFAST

Men in the church are invited to gather for breakfast every Thursday morning, at 8:00. The group meets at The Beacon restaurant in The Harborview hotel in downtown Port Washington.

YOGA AT CHURCH

A yoga class is held in Fellowship Hall every Wednesday evening from 5:15 - 6:15. The cost is $10 per class. For more information, please contact Susan Niederfrank at susanniederfrank@gmail.com.

MEDITATION AT CHURCH

A meditation class is held in Fellowship Hall every Wednesday evening from 7:00 - 8:00. The cost is $10 per class. For more information, please contact Kierstin Cira at kierstincira@msn.com.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

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

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