Maundy Thursday Worship Service on Thursday, April 14 at 6:30pm.
Easter Sunday Worship Service on Sunday, April 17 at 9:30am.
A recording of the Easter Service will be posted on YouTube on Monday.
All Are Welcome!
Author: <span>Pastor</span>
First Congregational Church is hosting a Community Taize Prayer Service for Ukraine in our sanctuary on Thursday, April 7, 2022 at 6:30pm. Our guest speaker is Sasha Lugovskyy, a member of Urland Lutheran Church, who is originally from Ukraine. After the service, Sasha will stay with us to answer questions. Pr. Drew Yackel of Urland Lutheran Church and Pastor Grace will be co-leading the service. Please join us!
As we continue to witness these horrific events in Ukraine, Fr. Richard Rohr wrote the following in response to the collective suffering of those who are there. “How can we not feel shock or rage at what is happening to the people of Ukraine—As we watch their suffering unfold in real time from an unfair distance? Who of us does not feel inept or powerless before such manifest evil? In this, at least, we are united. Our partisan divisions now appear small and trivial.” Fr. Rohr is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and the founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation.
Hello All!
If you would like to see the sermon notes from Sunday, 3/13/22, here is a link:
Click to access 3-13-22-sermon-for-mailing.pdf
Blessings,
Pastor Grace
Hello All! If you would like a copy of the sermon from 3/6/22, here is the link:
Click to access 3-6-22-sermon-for-website.pdf
Have a blessed week,
Pastor Grace
Holy God, hear our prayers for all those who will die today because of war in Ukraine and other war-torn countries all over this world. Grant them an end to the suffering of this world and eternal peace that is found in You. We pray for the people of Ukraine, Russia and all nations – that war and bloodshed can be avoided and a new, just peace can be forged out of this crisis. We ask you, O God, to grant wisdom to the leaders of nations, calling them to end provocation on all sides and from the Gospel of Luke, that we invest instead in “the things that make for peace” as called for in all our faith traditions.
We pray for an end to the deep insecurity and mistrust on all sides, and call on leaders to build trust, based not on military might or alliances but on the basis of our shared future and common humanity. Now is a time in which past harm should be acknowledged and addressed and new partnerships can be envisioned. We pray for and call on our leaders to have the courage to take the steps toward peace, inviting others to reciprocate. Now is time to invest in conflict resolution, diplomacy and international cooperation.
Be with those suffering. Protect them from devastation in ways those positioned in authority will not or cannot. Shield and comfort them – men, women and children, the abled bodied, those with disabilities and those already on the brink of poverty or those who have lost everything. Be with all in harm’s way as they confront the terror of violence that surrounds them. Hold them close to your heart. And grant that peace come to warring nations by the hands of those courageous enough to stand and study war no more (Isaiah 2:4). Let Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
[adapted from prayer written by UCC National Officers: The Rev. John C. Dorhauer, General Minister and President; The Rev. Traci A. Blackmon, Associate General Minister; The Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson — Associate General Minister/ Feb 24, 2022]
Remember the Mary Tyler Moore show from the 1970’s? One of the lines of the theme song was “love is all around, no need to waste it.” I keep hearing the first part that love is all around and indeed it is! We just need to adjust our focus like a photographer and look for it. You’ll see it. It’s there behind the headlines, beyond the stereotypes and in our hearts. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians: 13:1-13) on Sunday, we read about a special kind of love called agape. It is the love we receive from God and the type that we share out in the world as we care for each other and those in need. So, may you find that love is all around in your day today and always. Pastor Grace
As a nation, we celebrate the birthday of the Rev. Martin Luther King this Monday, January 17th. And it is fitting that our scripture this Sunday is Paul’s letter to the Corinthians outlining the different and all important spiritual gifts. One of which is the gift of wisdom. Dr. King, full of intelligence and wisdom, used his gifts to create a vision, a vision of peace among all people. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, King “did not go where the path may lead, he went instead where there was no path and left a trail.” He envisioned a world in which he dreamed that his four little children would one day live in a nation where they are not judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. His dream was so much more and one that to this day, we strive for. So as we celebrate his courage, wisdom and legacy, may we continue to work to make his dream a reality.
Let us follow the angels in our midst as the shepherds did to find the Mary’s and Joseph’s of our world seeking refuge. Let us find the child swaddled in bands of cloth lying in a crib cold and hungry. It is when we find those in the shadows that we find God and we find Jesus walking among among them. Because when we shine the light on all who live in our world, it is when we see the fullness of God. Merry Christmas to all! Pastor Grace