ADULT Education: October 25, 2026

I am Elevating!



Did you know…..

…..that the Social Equity Implementation Committee of Oberlin has created a unique loan and grant program for qualified Oberlin residents?

The Adult Education class for this Sunday will be presented by Ralph Thompson, a member of the current Oberlin Social Equity Implementation Committee. Beginning in 2020, Ralph has been on the three committees that have developed the Oberlin Social Equity Plan of 2025.

Ralph will be sharing about project, I am Elevating! I am Elevating is the brand name for a new fund created by the Lorain County Community Foundation called the “Oberlin Legacy Contingent Loan and Grant Fund”.

Created by a grass roots effort of Oberlin residents, I am Elevating is designed to help accomplish four goals expressed in our city’s Social Equity Plan. They are -  

1. Create a Down Payment Assistance Loan program to support first time Oberlin home buyers.
2. Create an Education & Training Expense Loan program for adult Oberlin students.
3. Create an Entrepreneur Loan program to help develop Oberlin businesses.
4. Create a Guaranteed Basic Income Grant program to support Oberlin families.

First Church is committed to advancing values of fairness & justice and addressing the needs of protected classes in our community. If you desire to learn more about this cutting edge project in Oberlin’s community development, and how your support of I am Elevating can help us to fulfill our church’s Mission Statement, you will definitely want to attend this class! 

THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 25TH, 11:00 a.m. in the JFO ROOM.

Myths and Hymns - Adult Education Slide Show

Following worship on Sunday, October 11, Director, Quinn Renbarger-Miller (‘27) and Assistant Professor of Theater Juliana Frey-Méndez provided some background on this Oberlin College Theater production that will be presented in the Meeting House November 11th -15th. To view the slide show from their presentation, follow this link.

To RSVP for a performance, scan this QR Code or follow this link.

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

Generosity is at the heart of this year’s stewardship campaign theme, Rooted in Faith, Growing in Generosity; Sowing Seeds of Hope. Generosity begins with the understanding that God has given each of us unique gifts to share. When we live from a mindset of abundance, we recognize that everyone has something meaningful to offer, whether through time, talents, resources, prayer, encouragement, or care for others.

As we consider stewardship, generosity invites us to look beyond scarcity and remember the many ways God is already at work among us. Our gifts may look different, but together they help strengthen the ministries of our church, care for our neighbors, and create opportunities for hope to take root and grow. Each act of giving, large or small, becomes part of a shared witness to God’s love.



This week, may we reflect on the gifts we have been given and the ways we are called to share them. When we offer what we have with open hearts, generosity grows, seeds of hope are planted, and our life together becomes a beautiful expression of faith in action.

Are You Interested in Learning More About Joining First Church?

Please join us for an informal Inquirer’s Gathering in the JFO Room following the worship service on November 1st. 

Wherever you are on your faith journey, your questions are welcome, and conversation is invited.

ALL are invited!

We look forward to seeing you!

The church will receive new members on November 15th.

The Ministry of Hospitality 

Being able to host the After-worship Coffee Clatch is something to be proud of, for sure. It is a ministry that allows those in the congregation who want to spend time together after worship to be present with one another while, enjoying juice, coffee or water, store-bought cookies or homemade ones. If everyone volunteered... this delightful after worship time would be a time we could all count on and enjoy.

There is a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the hall into Fellowship Hall. Please sign up a couple of times over the course of a year.

Offerings can be as simple as juice or water. Cookies are nice but optional. The Fellowship Committee provides essentials like compostable plates, napkins, and cups, half and half, sugar, and juice. We keep some Gluten free cookies in the freezer, to be used during this time, as needed. If you feel like doing something more special, have at it. But, all offerings are much appreciated.

There are very clear written instructions in the kitchen and there’s no way you can make a mistake! We promise!

If you want assistance, or have a question, speak with any member of Fellowship Committee and one of us can assist you. We are Denise Capers, Rhys Price Jones, Alana Kelley, Anne McCormick, Karla Sanderson and Lori Taylor. 

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!