News and Announcements
Congratulations
• To the members of the 2019 Confirmation Class who were officially dedicated on Sunday, September 23: Caitlin Calder, Connor Cowen, Sydney Garthus, Ella Hoffmann, Emma Kasza-James, Eva Perez, Abbey Proctor, DJ Rudser, Elaina Ternes, Colin Umhoefer and Grace Wilsnack.
• To Melissa Davis and Josh Zausch, son of John and Janet, who were married at the church on Saturday afternoon, September 22.
• To Kayla Raguse and Adam Bahr, son of Barb, who were married on Friday afternoon, September 21, in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin.
Special Thanks
• To Caitlin Calder and her family for providing Nursery Care on Sunday morning, September 23.
• To Joy Bloemer for handwriting names in all of the Confirmation Class Bibles.
• To the following folks who supported our commitment to Family Promise the second week of September: Lorraine Halls, Dave and Jeanne Mantsch, Louise Mollinger, Mark and Terry Sdun and Jane Spalding.
• To Savannah Anderson, Sarah Bloemer, Jennifer Dimmer, Tina Olson, Shandy Roehrig, Dawn Rychtik, Grace Wilsnack and Joe Wilsnack, members of our Church School Team, who conducted our Church School Sunday in September.
• To Ray Shupe and Miriam Mitchell for serving as our representatives on the Ecumenical Youth Ministry Board of Directors. Ray was recently elected President of the Board.
• To Joe Mueller who has volunteered to serve as our church Custodian. He has already completed lots of small fix-it projects throughout the church!
• To Mike Dimmer, who serves as our church Groundskeeper, for weeding and mulching the church beds, and trimming all of the bushes.
From the Archives
February 7, 2018
January 31, 2018
January 24, 2018
January 17, 2018
December 27, 2017
December 20, 2017
December 13, 2017
December 5, 2017
NEIGHBORS IN NEED
This coming Sunday, October 7, we receive our annual Neighbors in Need offering, which supports the outreach work of the United Church of Christ throughout the United States. For more information, go to ucc.org/nin. You may contribute through the end of the month.
MINISTRY TEAM
Our church is in the enviable position of having three clergy as members of our church who are not currently serving other congregations! This summer they volunteered to be part of a Ministry Team to better serve our congregation. Don Niederfrank is our Minister of Visitation, Craig Modahl is our Minister of Special Services, and Bonnie Jacque-Gorecki is our Lay Licensed Minister.
SUNDAY EVENING SERVICES
Rev. Craig Modahl, a member of our Ministry Team, conducts Sunday Evening Services, from 6:00 to 6:30, on the first and third Sundays of each month. The first Sunday of the month will include the celebration of Holy Communion. The next Sunday Evening Service will be October 7.
CHURCH SCHOOL SUNDAYS AND FAMILY SERVICES
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 October 14. Please take a look at our Church School Schedule for the next three months.
We celebrate a Family Service on the fourth Sunday of each month at 10:00. Our next Family Service is Sunday morning, October 28.
SUNDAY EVENING CONVERSATIONS
Bonnie Jacque-Gorecki, a member of our Ministry Team, is conducting Sunday Evening Conversations, from 6:00 to 7:30, on October 14 and November 11, in the church Library. The conversations will focus on the Theology of the Lion King. Bonnie will be showing the movie and stopping at different points for discussion.
ECUMENICAL YOUTH MINISTRY
Our church has partnered with four other churches in Port Washington and Saukville to begin an Ecumenical Youth Ministry. The Youth Ministry Board of Directors is in the process of hiring a part-time Youth Director. Please click here for a complete job description.
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.
FEBRUARY WOMEN'S RETREAT
We are planning a Women's Retreat from Noon on Saturday, February 23 to Noon on Sunday, February 24 at the ChristPond Retreat Center just north of Random Lake. For more information, please contact Bonnie Jacque-Gorecki, a member of our Ministry Team, at jacquebonnie@yahoo.com.
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.
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.
MEN’S BREAKFAST
Men in the church are invited to gather for breakfast every Thursday morning, at 8:00, at the Dockside Deli. The group often has fun considering a Question of the Day.
YOGA AT CHURCH
A gentle 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.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS
An AA Group meets at our church every Sunday afternoon at 3:00. For more information, please contact the church office.
CHURCH TEAMS AND COMMITTEES
Our church has a whole variety of teams and committees that conduct and facilitate all of our church programs and activities. Members and friends of the church are not elected to serve on these teams, they simply volunteer! Serving on a team or committee is a great way of learning more about how our church works and a wonderful opportunity to meet other members of the church. If you would like to learn more about serving the church in this way, please speak to Jeff or Ray Shupe, our Church Moderator.
