Join us for worship on Facebook Live at 10:45 a.m. Central on Sunday (no login required).
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​If you are having difficulty accessing the online services, please don't be shy. Reach out to our church office so we can assist. We are also happy to send you a copy of the sermon via U.S. mail or e-mail. 

• Cassidy Moreau is going to be leading a class on The New Jim Crow this Wednesday evening via Zoom. You can find the details you need here. 
• We are in need of volunteers to read scripture on Sunday mornings. You can sign up here and we will send you instructions on how to record your video. 
• ​We plan to welcome a group of new members during worship on July 26th. If you are interested in learning more about membership, please indicate your interest to the church office no later than July 8th. More information here.
• The Board of Justice and Witness is supporting organizations that are promoting justice by keeping up on meetings and activities. Manhattan Alliance for Peace and Justice will be meeting July 25 online from 3 - 5 PM. All are invited to attend. Details are available here.
• We hope you’ll join us for Summer Prayers @ 700 Poyntz. Stop by our church grounds anytime for a quiet space to pray. More information here. 
• Our summer devotionals are here and you can download/print them at uccmanhattan.org/unraveled or request a copy from the office and we will mail one to you. ​

​Join us for worship on Facebook Live at 10:45 a.m. Central on Sunday (no login required).
​
​If you are having difficulty accessing the online services, please don't be shy. Reach out to our church office so we can assist. We are also happy to send you a copy of the sermon via U.S. mail or e-mail. 

You are invited to join a conversation to inform action around race and mass incarceration in America. A new book study of The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander is beginning July 1st via Zoom.

This group will meet every other week on Wednesdays at 7 pm. The study will be facilitated by Cassidy Moreau and will be open to the community.

​The group will involve reading the book, discussing questions, and action steps to help us all--together--chip away at the systematic racism in our country. The book can be found digitally through Kindle, and similar apps. It is also available via Hoopla through the public library. If you have any questions, please contact Cassidy directly or email the church office to get in touch with her. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us04web.zoom.us/j/71411719856?pwd=QWRTZTEwbE16MldwTElORGVoM1NzQT09
Meeting ID: 714 1171 9856 / Password: 66502

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• We look forward to Blessing the Animals next Sunday during worship. Join us at 10:45 a.m. on Facebook Live for this special blessing. We will also be saying goodbye and blessing our members who are moving away from Manhattan this summer. 
• We are in need of volunteers to read scripture on Sunday mornings. You can sign up here and we will send you instructions on how to record your video. 
  
• We are also seeking volunteers for The Second Helping. Learn more about the needs here. 
  
• ​We plan to welcome a group of new members during worship on July 26th. If you are interested in learning more about membership, please indicate your interest to the church office no later than July 8th. More information here.
• We hope you’ll join us for Summer Prayers @ 700 Poyntz. Stop by our church grounds anytime for a quiet space to pray. More information here. 
• Our summer devotionals are here and you can download/print them at uccmanhattan.org/unraveled or request a copy from the office and we will mail one to you. 

Join us for worship on Facebook Live at 10:45 a.m. Central on Sunday (no login required).
​
​If you are having difficulty accessing the online services, please don't be shy. Reach out to our church office so we can assist. We are also happy to send you a copy of the sermon via U.S. mail or e-mail. 

• Blessing of the Animals coming up later in June! If you have a pet you’d like to have blessed, please send us a photo by June 19th. You’ll find details here. 
• ​We plan to welcome a group of new members during worship on July 26th. If you are interested in learning more about membership, please indicate your interest to the church office no later than July 8th. More information here.
• Pastor Caela will be on study leave all next week as she begins the Souljourners training program for spiritual directors. If you have any urgent pastoral care needs while she's gone please contact the church office, a Minister of Care, or Pastor Sue.
  
• We hope you’ll join us for Summer Prayers @ 700 Poyntz. Stop by our church grounds anytime for a quiet space to pray. More information here. 
• Our summer devotionals are here and you can download/print them at uccmanhattan.org/unraveled or request a copy from the office and we will mail one to you. 

​Watch the service on Facebook Live at 10:45 a.m. Central on Sunday (no login required).
​
​If you are having difficulty accessing the online services, please don't be shy. Reach out to our church office so we can assist. We are also happy to send you a copy of the sermon via U.S. mail or e-mail. 

• Our friends at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Manhattan have invited us to join them for their discussion of Ibram X. Kendi's "How to Be an Antiracist,” Sunday, June 7th at 4:00pm via Zoom. Here’s the link. 
• Our summer devotionals are here and you can download/print them at uccmanhattan.org/unraveled or request a copy from the office and we will mail one to you. 
• Blessing of the Animals coming up later in June! If you have a pet you’d like to have blessed, please send us a photo by June 19th. You’ll find details here. 
• We hope you’ll join us for Summer Prayers @ 700 Poyntz. Stop by our church grounds anytime for a quiet space to pray. More information here. 
• ​We plan to welcome a group of new members during worship on July 26th. If you are interested in learning more about membership, please indicate your interest to the church office no later than July 8th. More information here.

Watch the service on Facebook Live at 10:45 a.m. Central on Sunday (no login required).
​
​If you are having difficulty accessing the online services, please don't be shy. Reach out to our church office so we can assist. We are also happy to send you a copy of the sermon via U.S. mail or e-mail. 

Rev. Dr. William J. Barber's sermon used with permission. If you choose to SHARE this sermon (and we hope you will!) we ask that you please share this website, not our video. That way people will be directed to Repairers of the Breach. Thank you. 

We have an annual tradition of blessing the animals in our congregation each summer. This year we will bless our pets during our online worship on Sunday, June 28th. Please submit photos of your pets using our online form.

The deadline for submissions is June 19th. 

The Deacons would also like to drop off a treat for your pet on your porch. If that sounds good to you, there's a place to indicate your interest on the online form. 

During worship on the 28th, be sure to have your pet nearby. As the photos are shown, please hold your pet close and offer a blessing. We've included some suggested words below or you can use your own. If your pet doesn't mind water, you can also sprinkle some water on your pet. 

Words for Pet Blessing:
NAME, beloved creature of God. Know that you are a blessing and we are so grateful for your presence in our lives. Amen. 

• New to First Congregational? We hope you'll join us for Discovering First Congregational after worship at 11:30am today. Learn more here
• Lunch Bunch meets this Wednesday
• Kansas Interfaith Action (KIFA) Annual Event is happening via Zoom on Tuesday. 
• Learn more about the Wear Orange event with Moms Demand Action. 
• Read the most recent COVID update from our congregation's leadership
• Coalition for Equal Justice is meeting this Friday at 4:00pm to discuss fair and impartial policing in Riley County. Contact the church office for Zoom information. 
• Learn more about the Kansas-Oklahoma Conference Medical Debt Relief initiative. 
• Yard signs are here and we would love to drop one off to you. They are double-sided with the images below. Just let your Neighborhood Captain or the office know if you’d like one and we’ll get it delivered to you (contactless, of course).​
• There are daily opportunities for connection including Monday Evening Fellowship, Tuesday Book Group, Wednesday youth group, Thursday prayers. 
• ​During this time of continued physical distancing, our Ministers of Care want to invite you to reach out and write a note and send it in the mail to someone in our congregation. If you need a suggestion for someone who might enjoy a note, contact a Minister of Care or your Neighborhood Captain. 
• We would also like to remind you to please take a moment and make sure you have a photo in the church directory, which is so helpful right now when we can’t see each other. You can e-mail the office to submit a photo. 

Watch the service on Facebook Live at 10:45 a.m. Central on Sunday (no login required).
​
​If you are having difficulty accessing the online services, please don't be shy. Reach out to our church office so we can assist. We are also happy to send you a copy of the sermon via U.S. mail or e-mail. 

As we continue to worship online, we’ve learned in tangible ways that “real good church” can happen anywhere. Many have told us they kind of like worshipping in their PJs or cuddled up with family and pets on the couch! We also know that many of us miss the connection with have with our church building. It is a sacred space and something about being there opens our hearts to the movement of the Spirit in real ways. 

If you are missing that connection with our church building or simply need a “set aside” place to pray, we invite you to spend some time in prayer outside our church building at 700 Poyntz. You could bring a picnic blanket and sit on the lawn or bring a lawn chair from home. You might want to gaze up at the cloud floating overhead beyond our limestone walls or watch people pass by on Juliette or Poyntz. The front steps of the church, the big limestone sign, and the space outside the Juliette entrance are all nice places to find some quiet. As you come to the property to pray, we ask that you do not congregate with other people. If you notice someone else is praying, please come back at a later time. 

We encourage you to snap a photo and/or write down your prayer to share via social media. You might even want to record a video of your prayer time. You can share these in the Facebook group or upload on our website at uccmanhattan.org/photo-video-portal. Please note if you do NOT want your post shared publicly via our Facebook page. Think about how neat it would be to see a prayer from one of our members every day this summer. Even though we can’t be together in the sanctuary right now, we are still united through the Spirit. 

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