This Week at FCCLW 4/23/17

Published: Thu, 04/20/17

April 23, 2017

Heart of the Matter - Love Is Our Religion

Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Much like Mary Magdalene at the tomb, we marvel at the Resurrection. The despair of only a few days ago has disappeared. Jesus’ body is gone. Has he risen from the grave? Yes, he has. And the joy of this moment is contagious! Mary Magdalene shares the news of the resurrected Jesus with the disciples. We, too, must share the news of resurrection, the joy of a living and loving God, with everyone around us.

This week, look for the joy of the Resurrection that’s around you. Find, read, and then share at least three joy-filled news stories with three people this week.

You can watch the sermon here.

April 23 With Glad Hearts
April 30 Straight From the Heart
May 7 Hearts Overflowing
May 14 No Trouble in My Heart
May 21 Kept In Our Hearts
May 28 Open the Eyes of My Heart – Ascension Sunday
June 4th The Heart of the Matter – Pentecost Sunday

Children's Book Drive You have probably noticed that there are now dozens of Little Free Libraries across the City of Lake Worth – including right here at First Congregational. While the libraries contain books for all ages, we want to make sure they are all stocked with plenty of children’s books so that no child in Lake Worth is ever more than a few hundred yards from a book to read – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We want to help fill the libraries by collecting children’s books here at the church. Do you have children’s books at your home that you would be willing donate? Would you be willing to purchase a couple on your next trip to the bookstore? Bring them here to the church and we will make sure they are dispersed throughout the city! On Our Way Join us beginning May 3 at 6:30 PM in the parlor for a mini-group, On Our Way: Practices for Abundant Life. Together we explore some ways we might “answer the call to practice faith, mercy, and justice in community.” We will hear from different teachers by video and engage in conversation and worship around a weekly theme of faith, mercy, or justice: May 3 Living in the Presence of God May 10 Friendship & Intimacy May 17 Discerning God’s Call May 24 Honoring the Body The book of the same title will be available for purchase although it will not be necessary to read it for the class. New Members' Orientation Join us on Sunday, May 7, from 12:00 until 1:30 PM to learn more about First Congregational United Church of Christ and what it means to be a part of a faith community that is "answering the call to practice faith, mercy, and justice in community." Attendance does not obligate you to you to join, but those that would like to will be received into membership on Sunday May 14. Earth Weekend Activities On Sunday, April 23, after worship, the movie Merchants of Doubt will be shown. Inspired by the acclaimed book by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway, Merchants of Doubt takes audiences on a satirically comedic, yet illuminating ride into the heart of conjuring American spin. Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the curtain on a secretive group of highly charismatic, silver- tongued pundits-for-hire who present themselves in the media as scientific authorities – yet have the contrary aim of spreading maximum confusion about well-studied public threats ranging from toxic chemicals to pharmaceuticals to climate change. Facebook Live As much as we love gathering together on Sunday mornings, there are times when we are out of town or otherwise unable to be there in person. You can now watch our worship service live on Facebook right on your computer, tablet, or smart phone. At 10:30 on Sunday just head over to our Facebook page and join us!		Rohr On Being This week on the radio program On Being, Krista Tippett interviewed Father Richard Rohr. The interview is a wonderful introduction to this contemporary spiritual master's work. You can hear it here. Why Did We Switch Coffee? Pastor Jason explains why we are using different coffee and cups here. Hint: It's about answering the call to practice faith, mercy, and justice in community. Church Clean Up On April 30, we will meet at 8:30 AM, before worship, to do some cleaning around the campus. Bring some cleaning supplies and wear your cleaning clothes. We will work together and then worship together at 10:30. Pre-Mother's Day Potluck We will be having a potluck after worship on May 7th, the week before Mother's Day. You can sign up for what you are best at on the list in the sanctuary lobby. Online Giving Have you explored the opportunity of electronic giving? You can choose to have a set amount taken from your bank account on a regular basis or you can make a one (or more) time gift by checking account or credit card on our website. Your regular electronic giving means that your gift is available for ministry even when you are away (or forgot your checkbook!). Thank you for your continued support of the ministry of First Congregational Church! Hey, Thanks! You're sharing this newsletter with your friends! More people read (or at least opened) our newsletter than we send out. If there is something here that interests you, it may interest someone else. If a friend sent this to you and you would like to receive it regularly, you can subscribe on our website. Facebook First, go to our page and "Like" us. However, just liking us does not mean that you will see everything we post. Each of our Facebook posts only goes to about 2% of the people who like our page. To make sure you see everything, after you like us, go to the pull-down menu on the "Like" button and click "Get Notifications." This way everything that we post will show up on your own Facebook wall. If you are on Facebook, you can keep up with what is happening "between Sundays" on our Facebook page.