Twelveth Sunday after Pentecost* August 31, 2025
*Indicates please stand in body or in spirit
WE BECOME AWARE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD
PRELUDE UCC Praise Band
You will be Found (from Dear Evan Hansen)
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS Rev. Michael Fritz
POURING OF THE BAPTISMAL WATER Pastor Michael
*CALL TO WORSHIP Pastor Michael
Leader: This is the day that the Lord has made.
All: We will rejoice and be glad in it.
Leader: This is God’s holy day.
All: Let us set aside narrow interests to honor God in word and deed.
Leader: May we use the gift of another Sabbath Day.
All: Let us make today sacred and Spirit-filled.
Leader: We will be renewed by Christ’s words and by our fellowship.
All: We will praise God by honoring this time and by honoring each other.
*GATHERING SONG Day by Day from Godspell on screen and in music handout
*UNISON PRAYER Pastor Michael
Gracious God, we still need You. This life sometimes gets the best of us. We are even tempted to see our faith as an obligation, rather than as liberation for our spirits. So we are grateful when You encourage us to catch our breath. To take the time to refocus. To gather our strength. So that we may respond faithfully to the world around us. Restore us once more, that we may be closer to You in our hearts, and be agents of love in the lives of others. Amen.
*PASSING OF THE PEACE Pastor Michael
GOD SPEAKS TO US
MOMENT WITH THE YOUNGER CHURCH Pastor Michael
Jesus Loves Me
SCRIPTURE READINGS Pastor Michael
Deuteronomy 5:12-15
12 “ ‘Observe the Sabbath day and keep it holy, as the Lord your God commanded you. 13 Six days you shall labor and do all your work.
14 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you.
15 Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day.
Mark 2:23-3:6
Pronouncement about the Sabbath 23 One Sabbath he was going through the grain fields, and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.
24 The Pharisees said to him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food,
26 how he entered the house of God when Abiathar was high priest and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions?”
27 Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath, 28 so the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
The Man with a Withered Hand 3 Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand.
2 They were watching him to see whether he would cure him on the Sabbath, so that they might accuse him. 3 And he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come forward.”
4 Then he said to them, “Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath, to save life or to kill?” But they were silent.
5 He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.
6 The Pharisees went out and immediately conspired with the Herodians against him, how to destroy him.
Song OF PREPARATION When You Believe from “Prince of Egypt” On screen and in music handout
MESSAGE Rev. Michael Fritz
WE RESPOND TO GOD
PRAYER SONG Lord Listen to Your Children,
SHARING OF JOYS AND CONCERNS, Prayers of the People
PRAYER OF OUR SAVIOR
Our Father, who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name,
Thy Kingdom Come,
Thy Will be Done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors,
And Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil,
For thine is the kingdom the power and the glory forever.
Amen.
INVITATION TO GIVE & OFFERING OUR GIFTS
OFFERTORY MUSIC
*DOXOLOGY Holy Spirit
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION Pastor Michael
*CLOSING Song O Happy Day from Sister Act 2
*BLESSING AND SENDING FORTH Pastor Michael
POSTLUDE O Happy Day from Sister Act 2
NEWS IN THE PEWS: SUNDAY August 31, 2025
Today, Sunday Aug 31
10:00 Worship in person and online
11:00 Coffee Fellowship
Monday September 1, Labor Day
Labor Day, no activities
Wednesday Sept 3
5:15 Choir rehearsal
6:15 First Sunday Rehearsal
Thursday Sept 5
9:00 Walking Group @ Big Ole
12:00 Women’s Fellowship, 11 am Bd meeting
4:30 Holy Happy Hour
Saturday Sept 6
8:30 Dasha’s Dream fundraiser at Holmes City Trinity Lutheran
Next Sunday September 7
10:00 Worship in person and online, Communion, First Sunday Music
11:00 Coffee Fellowship
PASTOR JILL’S Office Hours
Pastor Jill’s office hours will be resuming on September 2. If you need pastoral care before Sept 2, please contact Rev. Marc Blakesley. If you need his contact information reach out to Joy or the office. Pastor Jill is available throughout the week for pastoral care, conversation, or coffee! She is typically in the office on Tuesday mornings—and other times as well. It is always best to schedule a time if you want to talk. She can be reached directly at jill@firstcongregationaluccalex.com or (319) 361-0737. Shetypically takes Fridays off.
Choir rehearsal
The Choir starts their fall rehearsal schedule this week. Every Wednesday at 5:15 pm. They will also sing on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month and will rehearse before church. If you are interested in joining them, feel free to come to a rehearsal.
Praise Band Practice
Rehearsal for the 1st Sunday Music will be on Wednesday at 6;15.
Women’s Fellowship
Women’s Fellowship will meet on Thursday, September 4 at Noon. Bring your own bag lunch and Kay Sukovich and Julie Thompson will serve a sweet treat and coffee. Carol Zavadil will lead a thoughtful devotion time. Our speaker will be Nancy Alvarado, from the mission Bricks to Bread, a mission associated with bread baking in a brick oven. The Board meets at 11 am.
Dasha’s Dream
Dasha Dream Fundraising breakfast will be at Trinity Lutheran Church Holmes City MN. Saturday Sept 6 at 8:30 am until 10:30. The breakfast is to raise funds to help Dasha Shyroka continue her education at Gustavus. Dasha was an exchange student from Ukraine in Alexandria when Russia invaded her country. If you are unable to make the breakfast you can still donate at calvaryalex.org/donate
Our Missions Committee has donated money to her education fund in the past.
Frozen Pies Available
There are a few pies still available. $15 a pie.
Harvest Table
Once again, we are opening our harvest table. Please bring in any excess produce, flowers or herbs from your garden. Free will offering will go to support our Missions Committee activities.
The Good Samaritan Fund
We have given a lot of gas cards, grocery cards and a few one- or two-night stays in hotels since we collected for the Good Samaritan fund last year. The ability to provide these gifts to people in need is an important part of our extravagant welcome mission. We are currently in need of donations to this fund.
VIRTUAL GIVING OPTIONS: ONLINE AND TEXT
Check out our updated website: firstcongregationaluccalex.com. Click on the word “Give” at the top of the screen. You can also text (844) 987-4483 to give to our general fund. Please contact the office if you need help setting up a giving account online using our provider, Churchtrac.
UCC Disaster Ministries
Over the past week or so, there has been a series of severe weather events across the United States. This includes the flooding of the Guadalupe River in Kerr County, Texas, remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal in central North Carolina, and flash flooding in Ruidoso, New Mexico.
The Disaster Ministry Team at the National Ministry of the United Church of Christ has been in contact with the Conference Disaster Response Coordinators and the Conference Ministers for the impacted conferences to monitor the situation and determine how best to support communities as we learn more about the devastation from these storms.
We continue to hold all of those affected by the storms, and their loved ones in our prayers.
To support the relief and long-term recovery of those affected by these severe storms, and other communities that have experienced similar events across the US, click here, and select “Severe Storms” as the designation.
WORSHIP SERVICE VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We need readers, ushers, greeters, tech staff and coffee fellowship servers through the end of the year. Sign up is at the back of the sanctuary.
BIRTHDAY AND ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS
Pam Kamholz 9/03
Joan Holverson 09/07/46
Marcie Watson 09/07/50
Norma Woodward 09/07/30
Lee Becker 09/09
Donna Jamieson 09/09/35
Pastor Jill Sanders 09/09/64
Hodges/Puyear anniversary 09/13/13
If we have missed your birthday or other important date, please let us know.
FAVORITE HYMNS NEEDED
Those who select hymns for our traditional services would like to hear suggestions favorite hymns. The list will then be used when possible as they choose hymns for us to sing that might fit into the theme for a Sunday. Please fill out the forms in your bulletin or email your choices to the church.
ANGEL CARE TEAM September VOLUNTEERS
August volunteers are Judy Kuhlmann (320)763-6033 and Mary Mische (320) 491-0341. If you would like a visit or know someone who needs a visit, please contact one of them.
Sacred Sites tour
Healing Minnesota Stories is an effort to create understanding and healing between Native American and non-Native people, particularly those of faith communities. The tour led by Jim Bear Jacobs and Kelly Sherman Conroy will visit sites located around the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota rivers. We will leave church at 9:30 on Sept 20 and return around 7 pm. Bring your lunch with you. The cost to participate is $50, this includes a donation to the Minnesota Council of Churches the sponsor of Healing Stories MN and for transportation. Please make your check payable to First Congregational UCC. It is limited to 50 participants. For more details contact Jill at jill@firstcongregationaluccalex.com or to the office.
UCAN Luncheon Table
The 25th Annual Domestic Abuse Awareness Luncheon is Wednesday, October 15, 2025 from 11:30 – 1:00 P.M at the Broadway Ballroom. We will host 2 tables this year for the October 15th UCAN luncheon. There is a sign up at the back –the luncheon is $25 in cash or check payable to UCAN. (If we have more than 16 people we can get additional spots right now—but the deadline is approaching quickly).
ALZHEIMER & DEMENTIA CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP
Join us at the Public Works Dept. meeting room (526 Willow Dr) on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 3-4:30. Please contact the facilitator Stephanie Aasness at 320-766-1856, to learn more.
We are an inclusive community that welcomes extravagantly, seeks God and follows Jesus into the world.
We are also a member of the Open and Affirming Coalition of the United Church of Christ and honor the dignity of each person created in God’s image. All are welcome here.
