ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND EVENTS
Post-Election Gathering
This Saturday, November 9, from 7-8:30p.m, please join me at First Church for a time of fellowship, discussion, and spiritual nourishment. The Meeting House will be open for those seeking a place for silent reflection and prayer. The Children's Church room will be available for those who wish to walk the indoor labyrinth. The Fellowship Hall will be available for those interested in some lightly structured tabletop conversations. You need not limit yourself to one option, and are encouraged to move between spaces as best suits the well being of your soul. Light refreshments provided. All are welcome. Please share this invitation with others who may find this gathering helpful.
The Temperature is Dropping
As we await the completion of the new heating system at First Church please be sure to dress appropriately as temperatures continue to drop. The building gets a bit cooler each day and you may wish to consider an extra layer or two of clothing when attending events at First Church until the heating system is fully operational.
After Worship This Sunday
The Stewardship Committee will be offering a coffee hour following the service of worship on November 10. It will take place in the Fellowship Hall immediately following the worship service and will accompany the performance by Bel Canto (the hand bell players).
Jen Bertoni - Approved for Ordination Pending Call
Yesterday, Jen met with the Committee on Ministry of the Living Water Association of the Heartland Conference of the United Church of Christ. Following a worship service that she created and led (including sermon), the committee had the opportunity to thoroughly question Jen and determine if she exhibited the Marks for becoming a Faithful and Effective Authorized Minister in the United Church of Christ. The committee unanimously affirmed Jen's gifts for ministry and she was granted the status of "Approved for Ordination Pending Call" which means she can now circulate her profile (i.e., ministerial resume) and once she acquires an ordainable call (e.g., local church pastorate, chaplaincy, etc...) she can be ordained. Please join in extending our heartfelt congratulations to Jen for reaching this milestone in her journey towards ordination.
Wednesday Night Supper
The November Wednesday Night Supper will start at 5:45 on Wednesday, November 20. It's TACO NIGHT! Our wonderful cooks will be Maria Lorenzo Juan and Lidia Regalado Martinez, both from Guatemala. We don't want to run out of food, so be sure to sign up. Sign-up sheets are in the hallway or here. Four individuals might want to sign up to bring cake for dessert. Otherwise, you don't need to bring anything. Donations on the night of the supper are gladly accepted.
Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread!
Thanksgiving is Coming - and so is the Youth's November fundraiser! We are experimenting with a new treat this year - chocolate chip pumpkin bread! We are using Chelsey's famous recipe from Kendal Day Care, so I'm sure it will be delicious! The youth will be baking on November 23rd, and loaves will be ready for pickup after church on November 24th.
Reserve your loaf today! You can sign up at church on the sheet in the gallery, or by clicking the link below. Loaves are $12, and payment is due at pickup.
The funds raised will all go to buy gifts for children in the Holiday Helping Hands program at OCS. Please buy some pumpkin bread and help our youth help others!
I Have No Clue Who That Was
It's happened to all us - someone walks up to us at church and begins a conversation. They seem to know who you are and although you recognize them as a fellow parishioner you can't remember their name or have never been introduced. Wearing a name tag, whether a long-time attendee or recent visitor, helps model the extravagant welcome we proclaim and aspire to extend to one another. Be sure to stop by the name tag rack when you're up at the church or swing by the welcome table if you need to request one
Adult Ed event - November 24th after worship!
Please join us November 24th after worship in the JFO Room, where Carl Jacobson will be sharing his impressions of Cuba. Refreshments will be provided. Hope to see you there!
Carl writes, "In October, Deb and I visited Cuba for a week on a Road Scholar Tour. It was crammed with lectures and walks in the old squares of Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad (a city in Cuba) visits to arts, music, and social venues, including a senior center, a Sephardic Synagogue, and the Zapata Swamp Flora and Fauna Conservation Center. Though I thought I knew it well, I learned a lot from a visit to the Bay of Pigs Museo Giron. Claiming no expertise, I will offer some photos, observations on life and travel, thoughts on past and present US/Cuban relations, and hopes for the future."
Thank you from the Outreach and Service Committee!
Thanks to the overwhelming support from the congregation, we were able to provide SIX fully prepared Emergency Cleanup Buckets for various disasters, to be distributed by Church World Service! Thank you so much for all of your donations and your support – we appreciate it so much! We even received more than we were expecting – so much so that we were able to donate the extras to Oberlin Community Services! Your outpouring of love is so appreciated across the world and has a huge impact, thank you so much!
Thanks to the Hills, a time to gather for gratitude, thanksgiving and celebration at Templed Hills, will be November 16th, 10am to 4pm. Mark your calendars today and save the date! We will have activities all day including hiking, crafts, sing-a longs, gaga ball, archery, fishing, campfires with treats, a garage sale and silent auction of Templed Hills memorabilia, and a Closing Worship and farewell blessing of Templed Hills.
The event will be free. A potluck style Thanksgiving lunch is scheduled, and the Conference will provide all the hot food. Guests are invited to bring cold or shelf stable sides, salads, and desserts to share. A free will offering will also be taken. Guests will also have the option to “rent a room/continental breakfast” to share with family or friends for Friday and/or Saturday night. We will have the traditional camp coffee cake, fruit and other goodies for the Continental breakfast. Saturday night dinner and evening activities are on your own. However, we will keep the campfire going weather and interest permitted.
Please plan to join us! Reservations for Saturday event are highly encouraged and reservations for Friday and/or Saturday night are required.
Do You Enjoy Singing?
We are looking for people who enjoy singing to join the Finney Choir. We meet Thursdays 6:45-8PM, and at 9AM on Sundays before the service. You don’t need to have a lot of experience or read music - there are many friendly people in the choir to help you out! If you just want to come for part of the year, like preparing for Advent or Easter, you’re very welcome to. You can write Tom at musicdirector@firstchurchoberlin.org if you have any questions.
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.
When sending in your submission, you must have
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RECURRING EVENTS:
Faith Formation News!
As always, call Jen or the office to get a link for any and all of these events!