News and Announcements
In Our Prayers
• Wendy and Jim Weber. Wendy is undergoing treatment for a recently diagnosed cancer.
In Memoriam
Special Thanks
• To Ella Gilhooly, Elijah Perez, Michael Bunyan, Eva Perez, Gabe Chandler, and numerous Port Pride high school students who helped unload 468 CHRISTMAS TREES on Tuesday, November 23 in 1 hour and 10 minutes!
• To Nick Sanem and Family, Libby Holmes and Family, Grant Eslinger and Family, and Dylan Crain and Family for providing Nursery Care in November.
• To Louise Mollinger and David Franks, Avery Roehrig and Family, and our Church School kids for hosting our Fellowship Hours in November.
• To Joe Mueller, Don Niederfrank, Jane Schneider, Mike and Jane Spalding, and Carolyn Heatwole for serving as our Worship Leaders in November.
• To Mike Dimmer for cutting back all of the shrubs and perennials around the entire perimeter of the church.
• To Joe and Bev Mueller for facilitating the Brat Fry, and to everyone who supported the event!
• To Jennifer Dimmer for coordinating Christmas Cookies made by church members and friends that were served at the Stewardship Team Brat Fry.
• To the anonymous member who paid for two new water heaters that were needed!
• To Mike Spalding for selecting our hymns for each Sunday service.
• To everyone who contributed food items to support Advocates.
• To the Church School Leadership Team for conducting Church School Sunday on Sunday morning, November 14: Savannah Anderson, Jennifer Dimmer, Tina Olson, Dawn Rychtik, and Shandy Roehrig.
• To everyone who helped set up our Christmas Tree Lot on November 13: Bill Bond, Steve Davidson, Brady Fleishmann, Austin Lemke, Angelo Lopez, Pastor Scott, Eric Olson, Ralph and Elijah Perez, Max Reyes, Joe Rychtik, Matt Schlehlein, Scott Symes, and Brayden Thompson.
• To Kerry O'Brien for helping with the Confirmation Experience to The Food Pantry on November 10. To Kelly Blum for being the parent helper during the November 15th class.
• To Bev Mueller and for stamping, labeling, folding, stuffing and sealing the Stewardship Materials. To Kay Rego for creating the envelope for the mailing.
• To Joe Mueller and Claude Zimmerman 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 Mondays of each and every week.
• To Karl Pradel for continuing to change our Christ Candle each and every week.
"Congregational Connections" E-Newsletters
Archives
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
36th ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TREE SALE
Our 36th Annual Christmas Tree Sale is underway. The Christmas trees (468!) arrived on November 23rd and were unloaded by high school students who are members of Port Pride. Not only is the Tree Sale the biggest fundraiser for our church, it has also become a beloved tradition within our church and community. Hours for the sale are 5-8 on weekday evenings, 9am-8pm on Saturdays, and 11am-5pm on Sundays.
Click here to help sell trees.
ADVENT CANDLELIGHT COMMUNION SERVICES
Pastor Scott will be conducting Advent Candlelight Communion services on Wednesday evenings in December leading up to Christmas. Join us this coming Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. for a brief service of scripture, prayer, and communion by candlelight in the sanctuary. The mid-week services will create a calm and peaceful space amidst the hurry and busy-ness of the season, concluding with a simple sharing of Communion. Come and enjoy a respite from the December rush in the beauty of our church.
NEXT CHURCH SCHOOL - DECEMBER 12
Church School meets on the second Sunday of each month at 10:00. All children 4K through 7th grade are invited to participate in our next Church School Sunday on December 12.
NEXT FAMILY SERVICE - DECEMBER 19
We celebrate a Family Service on Sunday, December 19. All children and youth, along with their families, are invited to attend the 10:00 service. It is typically on the fourth Sunday of each month, however in December, our Family Service will be held on the third Sunday due to the holidays.
CHRISTMAS GIVING
In celebration of Christmas, you are invited to order a poinsettia and/or donate to one of the six community organizations that our church supports on an ongoing basis: Family Promise, Habitat for Humanity, The Food Pantry, Ozaukee Family Services, Balance, and Advocates. Your poinsettia will help decorate our sanctuary for Christmas. Your gift of money will help lift the spirits of those who are in need within our own community. You may give in honor or in memory of loved ones. Names will appear in our Christmas Eve bulletins. Click here for the form. Please submit the information to the Church Office by Friday, December 17. You may contribute using a check or submitting a payment through our church PayPal.
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES
We have planned three services for Christmas Eve at 5:00, 7:00, and 9:00. We hope you can join us!
DECEMBER E-NEWSLETTER
Click here to view the entire December "Congregational Connections" monthly e-newsletter. If it is easier, you can click on specific pages:
Pages 1: Pastor Scott's Lead Article
Page 2: Advent Candlelight Communion
Page 3: Christmas Announcements
Page 4: Church School Plans & Tree Sale
Page 5: Christmas Eve Services
Page 6: Learn More About Advent & Liturgical Seasons
Page 7: Stewardship & Brat Fry Updates
Page 8: Worship Leaders in December
Page 9: Scripture for December Worship
Pages 10: Summary of Fall Congregational Meeting
Page 11: In Memoriam & Lighthouse Information
Page 12: Confirmation Updates
Page 13: Action Shots of Tree Sale Preparations
Page 14: Letter From New Lighthouse President
Page 15: Thanks and Prayers
Page 16-18: Council Minutes
Page 18: December Birthdays & Anniversaries
Page 19: December Calendar
Page 20: Church Contact Information Including Hours
WHEN GATHERING INSIDE THE CHURCH BUILDING...
Masks are strongly encouraged at this time.
ANNUAL STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN
The Stewardship Team is wrapping up their fall campaign. Members and friends are asked to make a formal pledge to support the church financially in the year to come. Receiving pledges is the only way the Church Council can plan and execute a balanced budget. Click here to view the materials. You may also go to the Stewardship page.
CHURCH FUNDRAISER TO SUPPORT OUR PARTNERSHIP WITH LIGHTHOUSE YOUTH MINISTRY
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 now 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! Feel free to join the Chancel Choir within the next few weeks and then sing on Christmas Eve!
LOOKING FOR WORSHIP LEADERS
Pastor Scott is developing a list of Worship Leaders to help with either the 8:00 or 10:00 worship services on Sunday mornings and maybe an occasional special service. Worship leaders would lead the congregation in responsive readings (Call to Worship), unison prayers and read scripture passages before the sermon. He has already begun reaching out to a number of church members but is a little reluctant to ask too many because he’s not sure who is comfortable in front of people and for whom this is their worst fear! He hopes to have 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? Then send Pastor Scott an email at pastorscott@portucc.org and let him know if you prefer the 8:00 or 10:00 worship. He is also looking for several people to help at each of the Christmas Eve worship services. The calendar will be filled up on a first come-first served basis. Thanks for helping!
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.
SUPPORT FOR LIGHTHOUSE
Lighthouse Youth Ministry is a shared ministry of five congregations from three denominations in Saukville and Port Washington. These five churches joined forces in 2018 to establish Lighthouse because we all saw the need for a vibrant Christian group which welcomes youth grades 5-12 of all faith backgrounds. The idea has been that together we could all seek to create a welcoming and safe community where youth could grow in their relationships with God and with each other. As you can imagine the pandemic has been very difficult for this new youth ministry program to manage; the challenges are unprecedented. At the October meeting of the Lighthouse Board it was announced that the youth director, Erica Brooks, was resigning (but will serve in the position into December). The Board is currently making sure Lighthouse’s mission and purpose are clear and will begin a search for a new youth director soon.
Right now, we are in need of two things - your financial support and two volunteers:
First, we are asking for donations toward Lighthouse to complete our annual gift to the organization. We budgeted $2,500 in 2021 toward Lighthouse’s ministry and hope to raise an additional $2,500 to fulfill our obligation before the end of the year. Please visit the board in the upper narthex to take a tag in the amounts of $10, $25, $100, and $250.
Second, we are also looking for two of our church members or friends to step forward to help with this important community ministry by serving on the Board of Directors. If you are interested in making sure Lighthouse is able to fulfil its mission of creating a safe and welcoming space for youth in the community, than we have an opportunity for you! If you would like more information, please send Pastor Scott a note at: pastorscott@portucc.org. There is great potential and a real perceived need for this group, but we need your help.
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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