Welcome! Thank You for Worshiping With Us Today!
Welcome to the First Congregational Church of Southington, dating from 1724, & worshiping in this Meetinghouse since 1830. We are one of the larger, more vibrant United Church of Christ churches in New England. Our purpose is to love & worship God; extend God’s radically-inclusive love to all people everywhere; make more & better disciples of Jesus Christ; & inspire people & society to become more & more just, loving, compassionate & Christ-like. You will find here an accepting, caring, non-judgmental community, where lives are transformed, faith is renewed & power for positive living is received. Welcome!
January 29, 2006 T.G. I. Sunday: Contemporary Worship 11:15am & 6:00pm
Our most important and fundamental task as Christians is to learn God’s story. All our Christian beliefs, experiences & actions are dependent upon our internalization of God’s story, that is making God’s story our story.
-- John H. Westerhoff, III --
The Prelude
The Welcome & Welcoming One Another
*A Time for Singing
O God, as we worship You, lead us into life in all its fullness. Help us to worship with all we are
and have. Let our laughter and our tears be instruments of prayer. Let our loves and our delights
fly out in a sky-parade, painting our world and our worship with color and sound. Make our doubt
the clay from which we shape our faith. Let our fears boil within us until they emerge as shining
hope. And let the Light of the World be born in us until we radiate the love that is Christ. Amen.
Children’s Message Bonnie Plourde
Children & Teachers Exit to Church School
Meditations I LOVE TO TELL THE STORY !
11:15am Rich McCarty Cristy Shamus
6:00pm Sandy Sullivan Steve DeVito Cristy Shamus
Prayers of the Church Ted Andrzejczuk & Sandy DiStefano
The Sharing of the Bread and Cup (Please come forward, break off piece of bread & dip it into cup.)
The Act of Blessing (A blessing by anointing is offered during communion to all who wish it.
After partaking of communion, go to either kneeling bench, & kneel or stand.)
*Prayer of Thanksgiving & Lord’s Prayer (using sins….. please join hands)
*Song & Offering (An offering will be received during this song. Please pass baskets through your pew &
then to pew behind you. If you are a visitor, worship is our gift to you. We urge those
who worship here regularly to share the costs of our church & worship life. Thank you!)
*Benediction
*Response Lord, I Lift Your Name On High!
PLEASE JOIN US DOWNSTAIRS NOW FOR COFFEE & CONVERSATION
Greeters: 11:15am = John & Sandy Walker and Chuck Williams 6:00pm = Sally Thielman
Joys & Concerns for Prayer: We pray for the Kalat family, grieving the death of Andrea’s mother, & the McCarty family, grieving the death of Rich’s grandmother. Hospitalized: Andrea Sinclair, Clive Greenough, Jeannette Faitella. We continue to pray for Diane Lamb; Matthew Plourde; Judy Costa; Maureen Curtis; Pat Diego; Janis Leger; Dorothy Greenough; Mary Lou Thompson; Donna Morin; John O’Connor; Matthew Currao; Pat Livingstone; our Stephen Ministers & care-receivers.
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SOUPER BOWL OF CARING NEXT SUNDAY: Our youth will receive this special Super Bowl Sunday offering following each service NEXT Sunday to help alleviate local hunger. Please help!
CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR PASTOR THIS TUESDAY: Join Gordon Ellis in rooms #201/202 at either 10am or 7pm THIS Tuesday for conversation. He wants to hear your joys, concerns, criticism, suggestions, hopes, fears & dreams regarding your church & its ministry, programs & missions. He’d also like to hear your thoughts about our proposed Open & Affirming Statement.
JOIN US TONIGHT TO DISCUSS THE EXONERATED: 7:30pm, room 201/202. All welcome!
MOVIES IN THE MEETINGHOUSE happens again on Friday, February 10, 7:00pm, with the movie, Fiddler on the Roof (sing-a-along). Sue Meissner & Clare Lindsey will lead a discussion on Fiddler on the Roof on Sunday, February 12, 7:30pm, in rooms #201/202. Join us for discussion whether you watch movie at church or at home… FUTURE Movies: March 10 (7pm) Life is Beautiful with discussion on 3/12, 7:30, led by Clare Lindsey & Sharon Vocke; April 21 (7pm) The Scarlet & the Black with discussion: 4/23, 7:30pm, led by Gabe Selmi & Alice Niemczyski & May 12 (7pm) 12 Angry Men with discussion: 5/14, 7:30pm, led by Gordon Ellis & Sue Meissner. JOIN US!
JIM COLE IN CONCERT: Jim Cole, the James Taylor of Christian music, is known across the globe for songs like Humble Yourself as a Child, Master of My Heart, Every Generation, & In Bethlehem Tonight. Mark your calendar: Jim Cole will be with us all day on Sunday, March 26. He’ll share songs alone & with our choir or band at all 4 services, then offer a wonderful, Spirit-filled concert in our Meetinghouse at 7:00pm! Tickets: $10 (from Church Office). DON’T MISS IT !
2006 CALENDAR FOR EVERY DOLLAR FEEDS KIDS: For $25 you get a 2006 Wall Calendar that puts you in a drawing for a weekly thank you gift (average value: $25). Call Church Office.
QUIET WORSHIP IN THE STYLE OF TAIZE is offered EVERY Tuesday, 6:30-7:00pm, in our chapel. It includes 10 minutes of silence, along with scripture, prayers & simple choruses. Join us!
MUSIC MINISTRY CONCERT: Our church is blessed with a fantastic music ministry! Join us to hear all of our musical groups: Senior Choir, Mustard Seeds Children’s Choir, The Celebration Ringers (handbell choir) and Branches (our T.G.I. Sunday worship band & singers). It happens Saturday, March 11, 7:00pm, in our Meetinghouse. A special free-will offering will be Southington Social Services.
CHECK OUT OUR CHURCH’S WEBSITE, www.firstchurchsouthington.org. You’ll love it!
EVERY DOLLAR FEEDS KIDS OFFERING ENVELOPES are available next to Church Office.
VIDEOS OF SUNDAY SERVICES & SPECIAL EVENTS are available in our Church Library.
CHILD CARE for infants/toddlers is offered at all 4 Sunday services in our Infant/Toddler Nursery.
Proposed Open and Affirming Statement
(to be voted on by the congregation at our Annual Meeting of the Church on Monday, June 19, 2006)
We, the members of The First Congregational Church of Southington, Connecticut, hereby declare ourselves to be an open and affirming congregation. We accept the challenges and joys of Christian faith, a faith profound enough to embrace even uncertainty. We struggle with the difficult issues of our day, understanding that God’s Word touches and guides us as a congregation and as individuals.
With God’s grace, we welcome and affirm the total identity of all people as beloved children of God. We are a congregation that seeks to break down the barriers of prejudice, declaring respect for the worth and dignity of all persons, embracing differences in age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status, and physical, emotional, and mental capability. We also recognize and affirm loving, committed, and diverse families. We actively welcome all people to become members of our church and to share fully in our church’s life and leadership, ministry and fellowship, worship and sacraments, and responsibilities and blessings.
(Watch for educational & discussion opportunities coming soon.)