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ORDER OF WORSHIP: 4-25-21
Greeting, Welcome & Announcements
Pouring of the Baptismal Water
Responsive Call to Worship
Opening Hymn of Praise
Unison Prayer/Assurance of Pardon
Gloria (new—see screen)
First Reading: Psalm 23
Song of Response
Gospel Reading: John 10:11-18
Hymn of Preparation
Message: “Practice Resurrection:
Trust the Shepherd”
Musical Interlude
Sharing Celebrations & Concerns/Silent Prayer/Pastoral Prayer
Lord’s Prayer (new—see screen)
Invitation to Give/Offering/Doxology (new—see screen)/Dedication Prayer
Closing Hymn
Blessing & Sending Forth
OUR CHURCH CALENDAR THIS WEEK
Monday, April 26
12:00 pm “Racial” book study on Zoom
Tuesday, April 27
May newsletters go out in email
6:30 pm Prayer Connection
Wednesday, April 28
May newsletters go out in regular mail
3:00 pm Virtual Coffee
Thursday, April 29
10:00 am Walk outside – start @ Big Ole
10:30 am Confirmation on Zoom
6:30 pm Prayer Connection on Zoom
Next Sunday, May 2/Radio Sunday
10:00 am Worship online
Pastor Jill invites everyone to join her Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm for “Prayer Connection” using Zoom. As a participant, you can use the general Zoom connection information printed in these Announcements. Prayer Connection is a drop-in sort of session and no attendance is taken, so join us whenever you wish. We are reminded by these gatherings how much we need each other and each other’s prayers!
Virtual Coffee Time is each Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 pm. It is a BYOC (bring your own cup) kind of event, but there is no agenda except to catch up with each other. Please join us on Zoom or dial in by phone.
Our Church’s general ZOOM connection information:
1) TO JOIN VIA YOUR CONNECTED DEVICE:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/9990015170?pwd=MGMwU0lycTNQSFI0cVJVT0xpcC9Udz09 Meeting ID: 999 001 5170
2) To dial in by phone:
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 999 001 5170 Password: 427210
Outdoor Walking: Joy, Chair of the Board of Spiritual Life, continues to invite folks to join us for walking outdoors on Thursday mornings at 10:00 am. Note: We will leave from Big Ole this time and walk the path. There is plenty of parking there. Come join us!!!
We have online giving available on the Church website: www.firstcongregationaluccalex.com. Click on the “give” button to give directly. Or you can text the word “Give” to 1-(844) 913-1752. We have several folks who have been taking advantage of this means to support the Church they love. Thank you for your generous and ongoing support!
Status of Giving: A statement of your Church giving to date can be prepared at any time. Just contact the Church office!
Great, easy news!!!!! Jay Clark has found us a really nice and easy way to access our worship services online!!
Go to http://tiny.cc/firstcongo or
http://tiny.cc/FirstCongo
Give it a try! Thank you, Jay!
Our Annual Programmatic Meeting with election of officers is scheduled for Sunday, May 16, by Zoom. Please have
your annual reports turned in to the Church office by Friday, April 30, so the booklets can be prepared. We plan to distribute them on Sunday, May 9, at the worship service at City Park. They could also be picked up on Tues–May 11, Wed–May 12, or Thurs—May 13 at the Church office. We want to make them accessible ahead of the date of the meeting so you can review and prepare to vote on the issues. We will also be voting to approve the proposed slate of officers for the 2021-22 year. Thanks for picking up a booklet so we don’t need
to mail them.
Birthdays coming up:
May 1 – Becky Strand
May 4 – Stuart Henrickson
Per Capita Letters went out in the mail to our Church members in late March. Dues are $25 for individual membership and $50 for a family. So far we have received $1,525 toward this obligation we have to our UCC Conference. Thank you for helping with this extra annual expense.
Worship in the Park!!! We have reserved the Bandstand/ Gazebo area at City Park for Sundays, May 9 and May 23, as well as several upcoming Sundays in June and July. We look forward to meeting again in-person and as safely as currently possible on these beautiful spring days. We hope you will join us on those special occasions when we can come together and feel more like the amazing family we are.
COMMUNITY NEWSOur local Outreach Food Shelf is well-stocked (thanks in part to the generous contributions of our congregation) and ready to provide various grocery items to anyone who needs them. They are open by appointment Monday through Friday by calling 320-762-8411. To maintain social-distancing, they have changed their delivery method to drive-up only. Clients will be given a variety of meat, dairy, produce, bread, and non-perishable items. There are no income restrictions.
OUR CHURCH CALENDAR THIS WEEK
Monday, January 18
Newsletter items for February due in Church office
6:30 pm Prayer Connection
Tuesday, January 19
5:45 pm Ad Board – contact Clayton w/any issues
6:30 pm Prayer Connection
7:15 pm Church Council meets on Zoom
Wednesday, January 20
3:00 pm Virtual Coffee (note time change)
6:30 pm Prayer Connection
Thursday, January 21
6:30 pm Prayer Connection
Next Sunday, January 24
10:00 am Worship online
ANNUAL FINANCIAL MEETING: Today at 11:15 am, following the Worship Service, please join by Zoom connection for our Annual Financial/Fiscal Meeting
when the expenditures of the Church for the past year will reviewed, and the proposed Budget for 2021 will be approved by vote of the members. Pertinent documents for the meeting were sent by email on the Holy Hot Line. Printed copies of the documents can also be prepared and may be picked up at the Church (please call ahead) or they can be mailed
to you.
Our Church’s general Zoom connection information:
1) TO JOIN VIA YOUR CONNECTED DEVICE:
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/9990015170?pwd=MGMwU0lycTNQSFI0cVJVT0xpcC9Udz09 Meeting ID: 999 001 5170 Password: PRAY
2) To dial in by phone:
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
Meeting ID: 999 001 5170 Password: 427210
Pastor Jill invites everyone to join her Monday through Thursday evenings at 6:30 pm for “Prayer Connection” using Zoom. As a participant, you can use the same connection instructions printed above (see the item about the “Annual Financial Meeting Today.” This
is the general Zoom connection for all our Church virtual meetings. Prayer Connection is a drop-in sort of session and no attendance is taken, so join us whenever you wish. We are reminded by these gatherings how much we need each other and
each other’s prayers!
Virtual Coffee Time is weekly each Wednesday afternoon at 3:00 pm (note change of time). It is a BYOC (bring your own cup) kind of event, but there will be no agenda except to catch up with each other. Please join us on Zoom or dial in by phone.
We have online giving available on the Church website: www.firstcongregationaluccalex.com. Click on the “give” button to give directly. Or you can text the word “Give” to 1-(844) 913-1752. We have several folks who have been taking advantage of this means to support the Church they love. Thank you for your generous and ongoing support!
Status of Giving: A statement of your Church giving to date can be prepared at any time. Just contact the Church office!
Stewardship reminder: It’s not too late to turn in your pledge for 2021. It will greatly help with creating the Church Budget for the coming year. Thank you!
Helpers needed for preparing bags of groceries for the United Way Food Drop on Thursday, January 28. Thanks to your caring generosity, we have collected $2,485 in funds through our “Tree of Lights” campaign to purchase meat and protein from our local stores. This is our share of the gifts to provide groceries for those in need in our community. A note will be included in each of the bags that the gift of meat/
protein was from our Church. Please let Barb Brown know if you’d be available to help fill bags on January 28.
“Remember Your Baptism” letters that contained shower tags were mailed this past week. If you did not receive one, please let us know and we can get one to you.
OUR CHURCH CALENDAR COMING UP
Next Sunday, January 10/Communion/
First Sunday after Epiphany/Baptismal Renewal
10:00 am Worship online
Our thanks to Rev. Marc Blakesley for leading our worship this morning while Pastor Jill is out of the office until next Sunday, January 10. Marc is on call for pastoral emergencies and he may be reached at 6 1 2 3 2 5-1 4 6 7.
“Tree of Lights:” The Missions Committee is so grateful for your amazing generosity in supporting our ”Tree of Lights” project for this season. We have received more than $2,185 so far!! We will continue to take donations until January 12th. Please get donations to the Church by that date with the notation, “Tree of Lights.” After that date, the Missions Committee will notify local businesses of the amount of meat needed to fill about 250 food bags for the January 28 United Way Food Drop. We will also include a note in the grocery bags that this gift is from the members and friends of First Congregational United Church of Christ in Alexandria. We can use volunteers to help on January 28 during the food drop. Please contact Barb Brown if interested in helping. They are asking us to commit to a 2-hour shift. Thank you again for your generous giving.-Missions Committee
Our Missions Committee is also reminding us of the annual Conference campaign, ”Christmas Fund,” which provides emergency support for our retired UCC Clergy. Please indicate on your check “for Christmas Fund.” Thank you for your generosity.
Prayer Connection is on a brief sabbatical until Monday, January 11, when Pastor Jill returns. During this interim,
please continue your prayers for each other and perhaps make some telephone contacts or have your own face-time session with the people who make your life special.
We have online giving available on the Church website: www.firstcongregationaluccalex.com. Click on the “give” button to give directly. Or you can text the word “Give”
to 1-(844) 913-1752. We have several folks who have been taking advantage of this means to support the Church they love. Thank you for your generous and ongoing support!
Status of Giving: A statement of your Church giving to date can be prepared at any time. Just contact the Church office!
Stewardship reminder: It’s not too late to turn in your pledge for 2021. It will greatly help with creating the Church Budget for the coming year. Thank you!
We have the following birthday coming up:
January 11: Randy Sukovich
We are excited to share your special days with everyone, and we have been compiling a list of dates so we can all celebrate together. We hope to hear from more of you!
Please note: We will close the financial books for 2020 very soon. If you wish to have your gift recorded for 2020, please send it to the Church before next Sunday, January 10, with a notation that it is intended for the year 2020. Otherwise, we will credit your giving statement with the gift for 2021. Thank you so much for your faithful support in this very “different” year.
THINGS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN JANUARY
Our worship service on Sunday, January 10, will be a renewal of baptism. Please have a bowl of water handy when you join us on YouTube that morning.
Pastor Jill is offering a weekly Virtual Coffee time on ZOOM beginning Wednesday, January 13, at 2:00 pm.
It’s a BYOC (bring-your-own-cup) event; no agenda, just a chance to “catch up.”
To connect to Zoom, click the following link—https://zoom.us/j/9990015170 Meeting ID: 999 001 5170 or to Dial in, call: +1 312 626 6799 (audio only)
Thursday, January 14, is another opportunity to go for a walk outdoors with Joy and the Board of Spiritual Life. Meet at the west door of the Church at 10:00 am unless it’s a very cold wind chill, icy, or snowing.
Sunday, January 17 – Annual Financial Meeting on Zoom
when the finances of the past year will be reviewed and discussed, and the Budget for 2021 will be presented for a vote by the congregation. Connection information will be made available ahead of time for this important meeting.
Thursday, January 28 – is the United Way Food Drop when we will participate by way of our gift of funds collected from the “Tree of Lights” campaign to provide meat/protein for groceries for those in need in our community. Let Barb Brown know if you’d be available that day to help.
ORDER OF WORSHIP: 1-3-21
Welcome & Announcements
Responsive Call to Worship
Opening Hymn
Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
Silent Reflection
Unison Prayer of Confession/Words of Assurance/Gloria
Passing of the Peace
Gospel Story: Matthew 2:1-12
Preparation Hymn
Message: “Dreaming of Another Way”
Meditation Music Video
Sharing Joys & Concerns
Silence & Personal Prayer
Pastoral Prayer/Lord’s Prayer (using debts)
Invitation to Give/Doxology/Prayer of Dedication
Closing Hymn
Benediction & Blessing