Special Meeting of the Congregation

There will be a special meeting of the congregation on September 27 immediately following worship.

The purpose of the meeting is to act on proposals for the kitchen renovation, and for the installation of a new church sign.

A quorum of fifty members is required, so please plan to attend.

Join us for this 2nd Hour session 10/4 after worship

What’s the big deal about Pronouns? Learn why they matter - especially to our LGBTQ+ neighbors, friends and family! Walk the talk of our Inclusive Welcome!

Many of us were taught to see the world one way. Now we're learning new ways to show care - Come learn why pronouns are in the spotlight.

Please join us after worship on Sunday, October 4 as we welcome NiK Peavy, Director of Gender, Sexuality, and Attraction Initiatives within the Center for Intercultural Engagement at Oberlin College & Conservatory. NiK has graciously agreed to spend about 45 minutes with us to help us grow together! They will share insights and practical tips.

Many of us are uncertain about how to address or refer to a friend, neighbor, colleague, or relative. Using the correct pronoun is fundamentally a sign of respect - of caring enough to address someone properly. Indicating your preferred pronouns lets others know that we see them, respect them - that they are safe to be themselves with us. NiK’s appearance is brought to you by your Open and Affirming Workgroup.

For more information, please contact Barbara or Scott Reed. Barscoreed@aol.com

FIRST CHURCH GOES TO THE THEATER

On Saturday, October 3rd at 7:30 p.m. First Church’s own Cecil Eastman will be performing in the play, Angel Street (Gaslight) at Clague Playhouse, 1371 Clague Rd, Westlake, OH 44145.

The Fellowship Committee is recommending that we purchase tickets for that date - and if that doesn’t work for you, there are other options including Sunday matinees!

You may purchase your tickets online or by calling the theater. They are $25.00 each, $24.00 for Seniors. Cecil recommends purchasing middle of theater tickets as soon as possible. (Avoid A1:1-5, A2:1-5) As we have learned, seats are selling very fast! 

We’ll plan to meet for dinner somewhere before the show, for those interested! More information to follow. For ticket information check the Clague Playhouse website or call the theater Box Office at 440-331-0403 Wed. through Sat. from 1-6PM with any questions or to order tickets.

Questions: Alana Kelley or Lori Taylor.

First Church Goes to the Theater - UPDATE!

A number of people have tickets for Angel Street at Clague Theater, and in fact, some have seen the show already and recommend it highly!

If you plan to attend the Oct 3 show at 7:30:

Those of us who are driving will meet at the church by 4:45 and we can arrange car-pooling for those needing rides. If you plan to drive directly to the Restaurant, Mitchell’s Tavern, 24282 Center Ridge Rd. Westlake, Ohio, is about 35 mins from Oberlin, we plan to be there by 5:30 p.m. The theater is a 3 min drive from the restaurant. They begin the show promptly at 7:30 pm. Mitchell's is not too far from the theater.

Looking for occasional substitute helpers with our youngest children

We have wonderful staff who teach and care for our children during every church service. On occasion, one of those workers needs to be absent, especially in the summer months. To make sure we always have coverage, we are looking to build a pool of church members who can be called upon to help. If you can be part of this pool, please talk to Sarah Colson or email her at noramomma@yahoo.com.

2026 Stewardship Campaign: 

Rooted in Faith, Growing in Generosity; Sowing Seeds of Hope

Gratitude is more than a polite response or a seasonal sentiment; it is a way of seeing our lives as gifts from God. When we pause to give thanks, we recognize that all we have—our time, our talents, our relationships, our resources, and even the opportunities to serve—has been entrusted to us by a generous and loving Creator. Gratitude shifts our focus from what we lack to what we have received, opening our hearts to notice God’s grace in both ordinary moments and extraordinary blessings.

In a stewardship campaign, gratitude is the foundation for faithful giving. We do not give out of obligation or pressure, but in response to what God has already given us. A grateful heart asks, “How can I use what I have been given to bless others and strengthen the mission of the church?” Whether our gifts are financial, practical, relational, or spiritual, each offering becomes an expression of thanksgiving and trust. Through gratitude, stewardship becomes less about meeting a budget and more about participating joyfully in God’s work among us.

This week, as we reflect on gratitude, we are invited to look honestly and hopefully at the abundance already present in our congregation. We give thanks for the people who worship, teach, lead, care, welcome, pray, and serve. We give thanks for the ministries that form faith, build community, and extend compassion beyond our walls. And from that place of thanksgiving, we are called to respond generously—not because we must, but because gratitude naturally overflows into love, service, and shared commitment to the future God is shaping through us.

SAVE THE DATE!

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2 - 3:30 pm in the JFO Room - “GOOD PLANTS GONE BAD and Some Alternatives,” by Jennifer Windus of Ohio Invasive Species Council. Co-sponsored by Oberlin Native Plants Club & First Church Green Team.

Neighbors in Need Offering on October 4th!

The Neighbors in Need offering, which we will receive on October 4, supports the UCC’s ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC’s Justice and Witness Ministries to fund a wide array of local and national justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects. One-third of the offering supports the UCC’s Council for American Indian Ministries (CAIM). CAIM is an invaluable resource for more than 1,000 individuals from dozens of other tribes and nations who are members of other UCC congregations in the U.S.

In 2026, the Neighbors in Need offering focuses on advocating for change. With your generous support, the United Church of Christ (through the Neighbors in Need special offering) helps its members live out their beliefs via acts of service. Please see the attachments for more information on this special offering and mental health justice.

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ loved us."

-Ephesians 5:1-2

It is possible to contribute in one of three ways: 

1. By mailing a check made out to The First Church in Oberlin with “NIN” in the memo line to the church office, 
2. By using the offering envelopes on the Welcome Table and depositing your donation in the donation boxes in the Meeting House by the doors exiting the room, 
3. Or, by going to our First Church website, scrolling down and clicking on "Donate Online" and then going to the “Neighbors in Need” section. Alternatively, click here and it’ll bring you to the page.



Please see the bulletin insert, for more information on this special offering. More information can also be found on the UCC website.

Let your gift help to put prayer into action.

First Church building rental opportunities

The First Church buildings offer numerous opportunities for meetings, rehearsals, concerts, weddings, and family events. After long study, a reasonable rental fee schedule has been worked out to offer fair use of the facility to our members and our neighbors. Large rooms (the Meeting House, Fellowship Hall, or JFO Room) and small rooms (upstairs classrooms, Room 4, Reading Room) can be reserved by the hour or by the half day. Discounted rates for church members and community partners may be available. The city of Oberlin has limited spaces available for events, and we are happy to offer our facility to help fill that need for our neighbors.

There Are Requirements for Making Submissions to our First Things First eNews!

In an effort to make our eNews more readable and shorten the length, we have created new guidelines for submitting posts! The guidelines are as follows.

1. As usual, the deadline for submissions for the upcoming First Things First is Wednesday prior to 10 AM.
2. We will not be putting in any non-First Church job postings.
3. We will not be putting in any full flyers as the submission (however, we will put in a button that links to a PDF of the flyer).
4. There is a word limit of 100 words for the text of a submission.
5. You may insert links into the text post for more information, either by button or hyperlink in the text.
6. You may insert PDFs (accessible by buttons) for more information, a flyer, or anything else that would be helpful for the post, but the document must be in PDF format. Any other document format will not be included in your submission.
7. You may send one picture that you have the rights to use (i.e. a picture that is not subject to copyright, we suggest using the site pexels.com).
8. The submission will run for a maximum of 2 weeks in the eNews. These 2 weeks do not have to be consecutive.

When sending in your submission, you must have

• The title of the post
• The text of the post (maximum of 100 words)
• Which 2 weeks you'd like for your submission to run

When sending in your submission, you could have

• If you'd like, one picture
• If you'd like, PDFs (and what you'd want the title of the button that links to it to be)
• If you'd like, the links for spots in the text post (and which word(s) you'd like to be the hyperlink or what you'd want the title of the button to be)

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we try to make our eNews experience more manageable for our readers!