WORSHIP this SUNDAY
We continue to worship on Facebook live at 10:30 Sunday mornings. We also have worship on our website and by CD’s. If you need help connecting, let the office know.
This Sunday begins a new series, “Listen”. During the month of June we will quiet things down and heighten our attention to the “still, small voice” of God and our own true self. Listening through prayer as well as meditation on sacred texts is an ancient spiritual practice. We invite you to join us, to find a place of quiet rest and listen.
Our scripture reading each month will be a bit different. The primary lesson will be read twice. It will be read by one of the pastors and then there will be a time of instrumental music. During that time you are invited to write down a word or phrase that speaks to you. Then, the passage will be read a second time. This is an abridged “lectio divina” format–which means “divine reading.” It is our hope that this spiritual practice will enhance our understanding of the passage.
The scripture for Sunday is 1 Kings 19: 11-12. You might want to read the whole chapter before Sunday.
We will also be celebrating the Sacrament of Holy Communion.
Special music will be provided by Dea Bishop and Patricia Kerr. They will sing “Keep On The Sunny Side”.
Tuesday Prayer Group
The Tuesday Prayer Group will meet on line this Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. You can join the meeting by going to Zoom.us and go to JOIN A MEETING. There you will enter the phone number 269-214-8924.
If you have prayer requests, please let us know. These will be added to the Tuesday and Sunday lists .
Please hold the following in your prayers this week:
- Brad Ayers
- Miriam Dick
- Elsie Hoffman—3 yr. old great-granddaughter of Ann Gruber is home
- Janet & Ron Danczyk
- Doyle Bingham
- Juanita Wellever—Florida
- Craig Arms
All affected by the Coronavirus. (CoVid 19)
Prayers for peaceful protests.
We pray for our brothers and sisters at
First Congregational UCC (ONA) in Coloma.
South Haven supports #BLM
Join local law enforcement, city leaders and residents as we stand, pray and march peacefully at Elkenburg Park Saturday, June 6th at 2 p.m.
Church Council
The Church Council will meet on Wednesday night. They will be discussing a date for holding in person worship given the Governor’s recent lifting of the stay at home order.
FCC Trivet
The church office has acquired two trivets that have the picture of the church that existed before the current was built. I’m sure they were made for a previous years celebration.
Anyone wishing to have one you can call or email the church to put their name in the hat (one name per family).
On June 15th two names will be pulled.
Youth Group to Meet
During the month of June the Congregational Youth Group will be biking and hiking and paddling in order to raise funds for the Good Shepherd Orphanage in Haiti. The Congregational church helps sponsor this orphanage and many of our youth have visited and worked there over the past few summers. With the Covid 19 virus about to devastate the island of Haiti it is important that we help the orphanage survive in these very rough times. We are asking the congregation to sponsor the students for either 50 cents or 1 dollar per mile up to 10 miles. Donations can be sent to the church office. Please specify your donation as going toward the Youth Orphanage Fundraiser.
Any questions about the fundraiser please contact Rick Olsen or Mike Tupper.
Open and Affirming Process
This is the fifth in a series of posts from the Open and Affirming Team. This article is written by Joyce Hagen-McIntosh.
What Opening and Affirming Means to Me:
In fourth grade my friend Jill asked me, “why do you always talk about Pam, she’s not even in our class?” I’ve known since that age that I’m gay. Here’s the thing, pink is my favorite color. I love kids and always looked forward to having a baby. In fact, I carried around a baby doll that was so lifelike that when my mom carried her around Greenfield Village for me – by the arm – people thought she was abusing a real infant. Maybe it’s the fact that I dressed her in real (and pink) dresses. And I was that girl who has always known what song I wanted to walk down the aisle to. I’m thankful that I am now a mom of two beautiful boys and I got married (we had a destination wedding) in Iowa in 2010. It was important to me to have a marriage rather than a civil union.
I’ve attended church my whole life. Being part of a church community is as important to me as my relationship with God. I was born and baptized in the United Methodist Church and attended Portage United Methodist Church through high school, but I never joined. It is a great church, but I felt that on some level I didn’t belong. I began the coming out process in 10th grade and my sophomore year at Michigan State I came out to my parents and my brother. My mom’s first question was, “can you still talk to Jesus?” I said, yes, of course. Then she cried. And she said she didn’t cry because I was gay. She cried because she didn’t want my life to be hard because I’m gay. I am so thankful for my mother, I miss her and wish she’d been alive to be with me when I joined a church for the first time. Plymouth Congregational Church of Lansing, Michigan, when I was 30. It took me that long, but I’d found a theological home. And a supportive, religious community.
Twenty some years later the United Church of Christ is still my theological home and for me that includes First Congregational Church in South Haven.
This month I’ll be sharing a video about my journey with First Congregational Church of South Haven and I look forward to our conversations together – whether that is in person or online – over the coming months.
Masks
The church is handing out cloth masks. If you make these and would like to donate some for the church, that would be most helpful. We are most thankful for the ones that have been donated so far.
Thank you.
JUNE BIRTHDAYS
9— Griffin Larson
11— Jamie Popp
12— Bryce Campbell
15— Paul Stephenson
16— Art Ayers
Nathan Morey
19— Beth Ayotte
21— Robert Gleason
24— Ann Raue
25— Michelle Rawsky
29— Jason Popp
30— Matt Larson
Barb Musgrove
JUNE ANNIVERSARIES
6— Phil & Lynda Clemons
10— Bob & Lynn Gabel
13— Jeff & Barbara Reber
17— Matt & Jacquelyn Bennett
18— Jeffrey & Lynn Dick
19— David & Nancy Daugherty
24— Troy & Beth Ayotte
28— Larry & Midge Lewis
JUNE MEMBERSHIP ANNIVERSARY
Gail Brodhagen—45 years
How Can You Help
You can mail weekly church offerings to:
First Congregational Church
651 Phoenix Street
South Haven, MI 49090
Pastors
Jeffrey Dick 269-214-8924
Mike Tupper 269-303-3743
Church Office: 268-637-3804
Church Building: Here at church the doors are locked and the church building is closed. Victoria will be here in the office M/W/F from 9:30—1:30 to do the most needed work. Pastor Dick will be here as well on a limited basis.
The Food Pantry continues to be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 10 to noon. Very steady flow of people coming through. We are very thankful for the many donations of food and money from members and friends. Thank you.
How Can We Help
You should be receiving a call from a member of the church each week to see how you are doing. If there is something at the church we can assist you with, please let them know or call the church.
