UPCOMING EVENTS AT FCC
UPCOMING EVENTS AT FCC
Stay up to date with what's going on!
WORSHIP AT FCC
Sundays At FCC!
Information For Worship Service
Join Us This Sunday, December 10, for Worship at 10:30am in the Sanctuary
Join us each week at 10:30am as we grow closer to God and one another through our Sunday morning service.
CLICK HERE FOR THE BULLETIN.
Tune into the livestream of the service.
Join Us for Coffee Hour in the Guild Room following worship!
All are welcome to join us for food and fellowship in the Guild Room after worship. If you would like to host an upcoming coffee hour please reach out to Lisa Marie Bronson lisamariebb@gmail.com or CLICK HERE to sign up online.
Volunteers Needed For Coffee Hour
Looking for a great way to meet FCC folks and contribute to our hospitality? Consider helping with coffee hour! We need help to make this possible every week!
Interested in finding out more? Please contact Lisa Marie Bronson at lisamariebb@gmail.com.
You can also click here to sign up for a specific Sunday.
Underground Church,
Saturday 12/16, 10:30am in the Sanctuary
Underground Church is a unique and dynamic gathering that combines the intimacy of Jesus' early community with creative and inventive worship experiences. In the warmth and safety of community we explore the scriptures, live out the questions through discussion, and share innovative rituals that bring us closer to each other and to our still-speaking God. Together we create the unity of spirit that helps us find God's presence in the messy and beautiful experience of living today. All are welcome!
Qigong at FCC: December 9, 12Noon in the Guild Room
Come and practice some Qigong at FCC. Class is led by Joanne Kornoelje. Joanne has been practicing Tai Chi and Qigong for over 30 years. She has taught all levels from children to seniors, and it remains a daily practice in her life. Come and give it a try!
Calendar of Advent Events
*This year we are adjusting the scheduled lectionary calendar to begin Advent on Sunday, Nov 26 (instead of December 3). This allows for four full Advent Sundays to include all of our special events.
Third Sunday of Advent, December 10
Join us for worship on this Sunday of Joy, 10:30am
Saturday, December 16, 10:30am
Underground Church
Experience the shared community of Underground church with a special Advent worship in the Sanctuary
Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 17
Special FCC Choir performance of John Rutter's Gloria. Come celebrate the sounds of the season with a special in-worship performance of this glorious musical masterpiece, 10:30am!
Thursday, December 21, 7:00pm
Winter Solstice Singing Bowl Sound Meditation 7:00pm in the Sanctuary (followed by The Longest Night Service.)
Thursday, December 21, 7:30pm in the Sanctuary
Longest Night Service. Join us for a contemplative and healing service to acknowledge the shadow side of the season present within the light. Sometimes the Christmas season is not so merry - if you are needing comfort this season join us. We will begin at 7pm with a Sound Meditation on singing bowls and then at 7:30 we will begin our contemplative service of readings and music, a time to pray individually with our pastors, receive an anointing with oil, and an opportunity to walk the labyrinth, or sit quietly in the sanctuary. You are not alone. Join us for moment of comfort and hope. All are welcome.
Saturday, December 23, 11am-1pm
Celtic Labyrinth Walk in the sanctuary
THERE WILL BE NO MORNING WORSHIP ON DECEMBER 24.
Christmas Eve Schedule,
5pm and 8pm Services
5pm: Family Service of Story and Song
8pm: Contemplative service with Communion
Celebrate the dawning of Christ's light in our world through two special worship services with classic carols, the nativity story and candlelight in our beautiful sanctuary.
THERE WILL BE NO WORSHIP SERVICE ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
Union Cong Women's Retreat 2024 January 12-14th
FCC Women Invited
FCC is invited once again to join our sister church, Union Cong, for the annual women's retreat in beautiful Trinity Retreat Center in West Cornwall, CT, for a weekend of spiritual growth, rest, and fellowship. Click here to view Brochure page 1 & page 2. And here for the registration form. Deposit due by Sunday, December 17th. Questions? Contact Joy Mishkin joymishkin@gmail.com.
ONGOING EVENTS
Weekly Labyrinth Walks:
Wednesdays 11am-1pm in the Sanctuary
Please note: The Labyrinth Will Be Closed 12/27 due to the Christmas Holiday.
Take your soul for a walk on the labyrinth. We are pleased to offer labyrinth walks each Wednesday as a chance to connect with your soul in our beautiful sanctuary.
The labyrinth is an ancient spiritual tool , a mode of “walking prayer” that invites us to go deeper in our walk with God. Our labyrinth, modeled on one in Chartes Cathedral in France, sits as the center of our Sanctuary, a constant metaphor for our spiritual lives. Just like the labyrinth, our lives are not linear, but filled with twists and turns. Sometimes we make great progress, and other times we feel we are going backwards. But if we trust in the path we will find our selves in the center: the heart of God. All are welcome to take their souls out for a walk... no experience necessary!
You can CLICK HERE to find out more about walking the labyrinth. Check out this lovely write up on our labyrinth on Baristanet in the Spring of 2014.
Slow Motion Adult Bible Study:
See Dates & Time Below
"Reading the Bible Again for the First Time"
Led by Rev. Ann Ralosky and Rev. Jack Cuffari
This class will be approximately every other Thursday at 7pm on Zoom from Sept 28 through Feb 1. Full Class Schedule: Sept 28, Oct 12, Oct 26, Nov 30, Dec 14, Jan 4, Jan 18, Feb 1, Feb 15
"Reading the Bible Again for the First Time" : "This welcome book removes many of the barriers that separate thoughtful people from the wisdom of the Bible." -Rabbi Harold Kushner
Many folks at FCC are inspired by the fresh interpretation of scripture they hear during worship but wonder why it sounds so different. If this is you, please join us for a thought-provoking exploration in to the scriptures through the book, Reading the Bible Again for the First Time by Biblical scholar, Marcus Borg. Borg offers an accessible and deeply insightful understanding of how to read the Bible through the lenses of history and metaphor that lets the scripture come alive. To order the book, CLICK HERE.
Whether this is the first time you've cracked open a bible, or you've been reading for years, you are welcome to join us! Questions? Email Rev. Ann (acralosky@msn.com) or Rev. Jack (jack@cuffari.com)
Click HERE to join! Meeting ID: 874 8676 2412
Passcode: 985645 Phone only? Dial 646 558 8656
Full Spectrum Schedule!
(FCC's LGBTQ+ Group Events)
Join us for friendship, fun and faith!
Full Spectrum is the LGBTQ+ group of First Congregational Church, and if you are part of the LGBTQ+ community we would love for you to join us! We gather on the first Friday each month for a social event (pot lucks, movie nights, picnics, etc) and on the third Friday of each month we gather for Full Spectrum Spirituality, a supportive group to talk about our spiritual journeys, ask questions, and delve into our faith and scripture through a queer lens. To learn more, please text Lori Boggess (862-228-1084) or Alexis Lourenco (856-332-7448).
Full Spectrum LGBTQ+ Community Schedule
*** First Friday Fun:
Join us on the First Friday of each month for a fun, social event.
PLEASE NOTE: DECEMBER'S MEETING WILL BE SWITCHED TO DECEMBER 22ND.
***Third Friday Full Spectrum Spirituality:
Special small group discussion on spirituality, scripture and faith.
PLEASE NOTE: DECEMBER'S MEETING WILL BE SWITCHED TO DECEMBER 8.