Pianos, Periods, and Commas...

"Never place a period where God has placed a comma."    -Gracie Allen

On Christmas Eve as I was rolling the piano into place for our service, the back leg fell off and the piano crashed to the ground. It turns out that a 9 foot, 1100 pound concert grand piano isn't designed to be extensively moved around, and it certainly wasn't going to budge from where it landed.

I was, to say the least, discouraged. At the end of a year of so many changes and losses for our little church, here was another link to our history laying on the ground (but not, thankfully, on my foot). The piano, of course, will be repaired, but we will have to be more judicious in how and when we use it in a sanctuary we no longer own. A part of me can't help but feel like I let down those, whom many of us knew, that arranged for our church to receive that piano over thirty years ago.

Over the course of our lives, we come to places that feel like endings, like periods at the end of a sentence...

You can read the rest of Pastor Jason's post on our website.

Join us on Sunday January 8th after worship for our monthly community meal. Bring what you are best at it or what you can manage and join us as we share a meal together.

Memorial Service for Steve Lipman

Next Sunday, January 15th, at 2:00 PM we will gather in the sanctuary to remember and celebrate the life of Rev. Dr Stephen Lipman. Steve is a previous pastor of First Congregational Church and a long time member and friend of the congregation. For decades, he served as a chaplain for hospices and hospitals in Palm Beach County. 

Every January, all who journey with the lectionary experience the baptism of Christ, when Jesus is publicly claimed as God’s son and called beloved. Every year, we receive this invitation into a new way of seeing. We are slow to welcome this new perspective, but that doesn’t stop God from this invitation to see differently. Join us this Sunday at 10:30 as we are reminded  in word, song, and ritual that we are God's beloved! Join us in person or online.

Thank You for Your Generosity!

Thank you for your generosity during the Advent and Christmas season. You brightened the holiday for 33 families in Palm Beach County by contributing gifts to Salvation Army Angel Tree. Our Women's Fellowship baked, and you bought, $562 worth of baked goods. And you were amazingly generous in your support of our Christmas Offering for Vita Nova, giving $3,083 to support young adults 18-25 exiting the foster care system.

Join us in worship at 10:30 on Sunday mornings January 15th - February 19th as we begin a new series, “On the Brink of Everything.” Together we will examine our thoughts and feelings about aging and explore the opportunities that different stages of life bring based on the wisdom of speaker, writer, and activist Parker Palmer.

UCC Webinar

Our present economic system is a train barreling toward increasing environmental disaster, but what would a sustainable economy look like? To answer this question from a place of faith and values entails prioritizing matters of equity, justice, and the common good. To help us cast an alternative vision for our economy, this webinar will feature Edith Rasell who recently authored the book, The Way of Abundance: Economic Justice in Scripture and Society. The webinar will be on Wednesday, January 11th at 1 pm ET/12 pm CT/11 am MT/10 am PT/8 am HT. Register for this webinar to learn more!

A Great Listen...

Speaking of her recent two part interview with Father Richard Rohr, Brene Brown says: I flew to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to spend the day with Father Richard Rohr. We laughed, I cried a little, we laughed some more, and I told him why his work pisses me off sometimes. He thoroughly delighted in that last part. In Part 1 of this special two-part series recorded at the Center for Action and Contemplation, we focus on his writing in Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps and just a few of the quotes—on spirituality, suffering, gratitude, and grace—that have changed and rearranged me over the years.

You can listen to her podcast, "Unlocking Us," here.

November Financials

Budgeted Income $13,833

Actual Income $8,648

Our November financial recap can be viewed here. 

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!

• Grocery Bags
• Peanut Butter
• Pouches of Tuna and/or chicken
• Canned Vegetables (tab top and/or single serve sizes are best)
• Ravioli, Spaghetti, Beefaroni (tab top)
• Canned Soups/Stews (tab top)
• Single serve ready to eat meals

We are in desperate need of the following mens' clothing items: 

• T-Shirts sizes L & XL
• Socks
• Boxer Briefs sizes L & XL
• Athletic shorts sizes L & XL
• Backpacks 

Dan Hecker, Mark Stanford, Barbara Forsyth, Harvey Littlefield, Gary Sitler,  
Terry Ralston, Pat Gregg, Victor Stanley, Bob and Gail Howell, Brigitte Ermansons, The Zook Family, Barbara Derryberry, The Family of Bob Davis, 
The Gonzalez Family, The Spangler Family for the loss of Benjamin, The Stone Family, Bob Lily
 

Thursday Morning Chat & Fellowship

Join us on Thursday mornings at 10:00 for virtual chat and fellowship in our “virtual parlor.” 

You can join us by clicking here. The password, if you need it, is fcclw. If you join us by computer, clicking the link will download the necessary software and take you right into the “parlor.” If you are joining on your smart phone or pad, you will need to download the Zoom app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. You can also call 646-558-8656 and enter Meeting ID: 718 419 400 and then Passcode: 839769.