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One Great Hour of Sharing - March 2021

3/2/2021

 
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One Great Hour of Sharing – Let Love Flow

Nobody  hungry,  nobody  thirsty,  shade  from  the  sun,  shelter  from  the  wind,  For  the  Compassionate  One  guides them, takes them to the best springs.” –  Isaiah 49:10

Every day and every week, we see our congregation giving tirelessly to reach out to meet critical needs of neighbors in our community.  Less visible to most of us, but equally important, is to work with Our Church’s Wider Mission to allow congregations and individuals to meet people at points of critical need in their lives. During the month of March, we encourage our church members to support the UCC Special Mission Offerings for One Great Hour of Sharing which provides resources to reach out in places lacking health and educational resources and/or where disaster has struck. Here are a few examples of how your support can make such a difference in peoples’ lives.

Water is life, water is love - Access to clean fresh water is vital for all of humanity, but for women in particular, water access means the difference between life and death for them and their families. The United Nations International Observance of World Water Day (March 22) reflects on the importance of water in our daily lives and remembers those who lack access to adequate drinking water supplies.  For women and girls around the world, it can be a 12 hour walk to the nearest water source to collect water to maintain basic needs and crucial hygiene practices during the COVID-19 pandemic.  With your support,100 families will benefit from the Water Well project, sponsored by the United Church of Christ in Mozambique (UCCM). When you give to One Great Hour of Sharing, you invest in the hopeful future of women and girls around the world and serve as co-workers with God to build a just world for all.

Food security – Imagine not knowing where your next meal will come from, living in constant fear of political unrest, battling climate change, farmers battling obstacles to get crops to harvest.  For many people in the world, this is their reality.  In Nicaragua, families find it harder to believe that food security can be an attainable goal. Several of the families there have lost several harvests to the effects of climate change. Farmers in their community found that when it rains too much, the crops die from disease or are washed away. When it doesn’t rain enough, they dry up. Either way, farmers lose everything. Through One Great Hour of Sharing programs, farmers and their families are finding new ways to earn a living and secure their food supply, such as raising stingless Melipona bees, which produce medicinal honey to sell or raising poultry that produce eggs, plus another 140 chickens to sell!

Your Board of Mission urges you to join in Our Church’s Wider Mission give generously to One Great Hour of Prayer which helps people in such need to imagine and attain a better life, with clean water, better sanitation, and secure food systems. 

You may  make your gift any time during the month of March by indicating "OGHS" in the memo line of your check or online gift. For more information about how to give to and through First Congregational, please click here. 


Living Room Worship - Feb. 28, 2021

2/1/2021

 
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Join us for Living Room Worship Online! LRW is an informal experience for those who desire to connect more with each other and with God through small group discussion, prayer, and singing. While we can't yet be together in person, we hope you'll join us virtually via your own living room! For more information, you can contact Kerry Priest (kerry.priest@gmail.com). 

Sunday, February 28
7:00 pm


Click to Zoom
Or call 1-669-900-6833 and enter
Meeting ID: 931 8438 5398
Passcode: 848935
(Note: long-distance charges may apply when using the call-in option.)

Worship Road Trip - Feb. 14, 2021

1/18/2021

 
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While Pastor Caela is on vacation, the Deacons would like to invite you to join them for a “road trip” to Colonial UCC in Prairie Village on Sunday, Feb. 14th. While many churches in the KO Conference are continuing to worship online for safety reasons, it’s a great opportunity to connect with other congregations in our conference and see the diversity in worship throughout Kansas and Oklahoma. 

How to worship on Feb. 14th:
We hope you’ll worship with Colonial UCC in real time at 8:30 or 10:15 a.m. You’ll find their livestream at https://colonialucc.online.church/. You can also worship on demand via Colonial’s YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/CCYouTubeVid. Links to both of these options are available at www.colonialucc.org.

How to fellowship on Feb. 14th: 
We will still gather for our regular Zoom Fellowship Hour at 11:30 a.m.. We hope you can join us for a time of conversation and connection! You’ll find that Zoom link at uccmanhattan.org/online

Even with all of the challenges of 2020 it can be uplifting to take advantage of some of the things we can do now that we couldn't before. Worshiping with another congregation in the KO Conference is a gift!

Lent Pick Up & Drive Through Communion - Feb. 7

1/18/2021

 
When you come for Drive Through Communion on. Feb. 7th, it’s also time for our Lent Pick Up. You can pick up ashes to use for Ash Wednesday (Feb. 17th) and a hard copy of the Illustrated Ministry Family Prayer Devotional. Click to read Pastor Caela's invitation to lengthen your faith this Lent and see all the options available as you choose your own Lenten adventure. You can also download the at-home worship service for Ash Wednesday at uccmanhattan.org/lent (note: the password to download the file is on the envelope of ashes or you may e-mail the church office for the password). 

You can also drop off donations for the Second Helping as we “fill the breadbasket” the first Sunday of each month.

Weather permitting, we will have two opportunities for receiving Communion on Feb. 7th:
  1. Communion at Home @ 10:45 a.m. : we will offer Communion during our Sunday morning online worship service which will be via ZOOM and you can bring your own elements to eat and drink. Meeting ID 899 1685 3476, Password 66502. 
  2. Drive Through Communion from 12:15-12:45 p.m.: drive through the alley behind the church building to receive prepackaged Communion elements (no sign up needed). In case of inclement weather, an announcement will be made on our website, e-mail list, and social media on Sunday morning.




Zoom Worship - First Sunday of Each Month

1/18/2021

 
When we gathered for worship on Zoom during the Christmas season, many of us found we deeply enjoyed the sense of connection we felt as we saw familiar faces on our screens. The Deacons recently decided we’d like to try gathering for worship via Zoom on the FIRST Sunday of each month, beginning Feb. 7th. This will allow us to share Communion together in real time in a way that feels more intimate than our regular Facebook service. It also gives our worship leaders (staff and volunteers) a break from video production and allows us to save costs on video editing each month. Worshiping via Zoom also means those who aren’t into doing pre-recorded videos can assist in leading worship by reading scripture or sharing the benediction or call to offering by simply unmuting! Glory!

We know that some folks will prefer our Facebook Live services and others Zoom. Each platform has its advantages and drawbacks. We are probably ALL in agreement that we long for the day when we can gather together safely in our Sanctuary. Until then, we will continue to faithfully and prayerfully gather for worship in new and creative ways, confident that the Holy Spirit can work with any platform.

Visit uccmanhattan.org/online for the Zoom link for worship.


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Worship for Jan. 3, 2021

12/30/2020

 

There's a place for you in worship. 

We are gathering for worship this Sunday on Zoom ONLY (we will not be on Facebook Live or YouTube today). The Zoom room will open at 10:40 a.m. and the service will begin at 10:45 a.m.

Click to Zoom or call 1-669-900-6833 and dial meeting ID 899 1685 3476​# at the prompt. Meeting password is 66502. Note: long-distance charges may apply if you use the call-in option. 

View the order of worship for Dec. 27th here. ​

Announcements:

  • Fellowship Hour today will take place on the SAME Zoom link as worship, so just stay put after the postlude for fellowship. 
  • Drive Through Communion is available today from 12:15-12:45 p.m. on the north side of the church building. Please come into the church parking lot and then turn right into the alley on the north side of the building. Pastor Caela will meet you by Juliette. You are also invited to help "fill the breadbasket" for Second Helping by dropping off items when you come through. More information about Communion here
  • Christmas season isn't over until Jan. 6th and you can still visit the church grounds to offer your Christmas prayer at the interactive prayer station on our front lawn. Paper and pens are provided so you can write down your prayer and staple it onto the chain with the others. The prayer creche will be available throughout the 12 Days of Christmas and will be taken down on January 6th. Learn more here
  • Adult Sunday School is on winter break until Jan. 24th. You can read more about upcoming adult classes here. 
  • Living Room Worship is back! We will gather on Zoom on Sunday, Jan. 24th at 7:00 p.m. You'll find the full details and Zoom link here
  • All members of boards and committees are invited to the Leadership Kick Off on Wednesday, Jan. 13th at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. At this meeting we will have a chance to share tips for our ministry together and we will break out into individual boards/committees for our January meetings as well. Details here
  • We will have our January Congregational Meeting on Zoom on Jan. 24th at 11:45 a.m. At the meeting we will approve the 2021 budget. Members of Cabinet are also hosting an informational/listening session the week before the meeting at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 17th via Zoom. You'll find details about both meetings and the Zoom links here. 
  • A reminder that we have several opportunities to gather via Zoom each week - Sunday and Monday School for adults and kids, Tuesday book group, youth group, and Thursday Prayers. You'll find the links here. ​

Living Room Worship - Jan. 24th, 2021

12/30/2020

 
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As we move into the new year, we invite you to join us for Living Room Worship Online! LRW is an informal experience for those who desire to connect more with each other and with God through small group discussion, prayer, and singing. While we can't yet be together in person, we hope you'll join us virtually via your own living room! For more information, you can contact Kerry Priest (kerry.priest@gmail.com). 

Sunday, January 24
7:00 pm


Zoom link: 
https://ksu.zoom.us/j/96711977572?pwd=WmlLZnllRlpVRUdYQXlEbUdDTnR5QT09
Or call 1-669-900-6833 and enter
Meeting ID: 967 1197 7572
Passcode: 364255
(Note: long-distance charges may apply when using the call-in option.)

Worship for Dec. 27, 2020

12/22/2020

 

There's a place for you in worship. 

We are gathering for worship this Sunday on Zoom ONLY (we will not be on Facebook Live or YouTube today). The Zoom room will open at 10:40 a.m. and the service will begin at 10:45 a.m.

Click to Zoom or call 1-669-900-6833 and dial meeting ID 899 1685 3476​# at the prompt. Meeting password is 66502. Note: long-distance charges may apply if you use the call-in option. 

View the order of worship for Dec. 27th here. 

Announcements:

  • Reminder that on January 3rd we will be using Zoom for our worship service one more time (no Facebook Live or YouTube). If you still have the Star Word you received as a part of your December mailed newsletter, please bring it with you.  You'll find the order of worship and Zoom link for Jan. 3rd here. 
  • You are encouraged to visit the church grounds to offer your Christmas prayer at the interactive prayer station on our front lawn. Paper and pens are provided so you can write down your prayer and staple it onto the chain with the others. The prayer creche will be available throughout the 12 Days of Christmas and will be taken down on January 6th. Learn more here
  • Thursday Night Prayers & Fellowship WILL be meeting on New Year's Eve at 7:00 p.m. 
  • A reminder that we have several opportunities to gather via Zoom each week - Sunday and Monday School for adults and kids, Tuesday book group, youth group, and Thursday Prayers. You'll find the links here. 

IMPORTANT DATES IN JANUARY
Dec. 27 - Jan. 17 there will be NO adult Sunday School
Jan. 3 - Epiphany worship via Zoom only at 10:45 a.m., Drive Through Communion from 12:15-12:45 p.m.
Jan. 13 - Leadership Kick Off for all members of boards and committees
Jan. 24 - Adult Sunday School begins again, Congregational Meeting via Zoom at 11:45 a.m.

Worship for Dec. 20, 2020

12/16/2020

 

There's a place for you in worship. 

​Join us as we worship together in real time on Facebook Live at 10:45 a.m. Central on Sunday (no login required). The service will also be posted to our YouTube channel before 10:45 a.m. each Sunday. 
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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. 
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Announcements:

  • IMPORTANT NEWS ABOUT UPCOMING WORSHIP SERVICES: On December 24th, Dec. 27th, and January 3rd we will be using Zoom for our worship services. You can learn more about all our special worship services for the season here.
  • Three fun things happening at the Christmas Connections event on Saturday, Dec. 19th from 10am-noon: you can pick up your donated poinsettia, you can pick up a handheld candle to use for Christmas Eve, and you can drop off cookies for Second Helping. All exchanges will happen curbside with masks. You can read more here. 
  • Thank you to those who donated poinsettias for the season. You can read the dedications for them here. 
  • Are you missing the joy of Christmas music in our Sanctuary? We are, too. We've compiled some songs so you can listen or carol-along-at-home. Find them on our website here. 
  • As you complete your holiday shopping, don't forget about the "Give the Gift of a Warm Meal" program. You can donate an amount of your choosing to purchase meals for people in our community and Linda T. will send you a card you can share with your recipient. Learn more and make your donation here
  • You are encouraged to visit the church grounds to offer your Christmas prayer at the interactive prayer station on our front lawn. Paper and pens are provided so you can write down your prayer and staple it onto the chain with the others. Learn more here
  • A reminder that we have several opportunities to gather via Zoom each week - Sunday and Monday School for adults and kids, Tuesday book group, youth group, and Thursday Prayers. You'll find the links here. 

IMPORTANT DATES IN JANUARY
Dec. 27 - Jan. 17 there will be NO adult Sunday School
Jan. 3 - Epiphany worship via Zoom only at 10:45 a.m., Drive Through Communion from 12:15-12:45 p.m.
Jan. 13 - Leadership Kick Off for all members of boards and committees
Jan. 24 - Adult Sunday School begins again, Congregational Meeting via Zoom at 11:45 a.m.

Congregational Meeting - Jan. 24, 2021

12/9/2020

 
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Join us on Zoom at 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 24th for our January Congregational Meeting. All are welcome to attend and members will also be invited to vote. We will be approving the 2021 budget for our ministry. Documents for the meeting will be e-mailed to all members no later than Sunday, Jan. 17th. If you are a member and you have not received your documents by that date, please check your junk mail folder and then e-mail Sandy if you still cannot find the documents.

ZOOM INFORMATION FOR THE MEETING:
Zoom room opens at 11:35 a.m. Meeting begins at 11:45 a.m.
Click to Zoom or call 1-669-900-6833 and dial meeting ID 849 7636 0960# at the prompt. Meeting password is 66502. Please note: long distance charges may apply if you use the call-in option. 

The meeting will open at 11:35 a.m. Upon signing into Zoom for the meeting, you will be directed to type the names of all voting members in the chat so that we have a record of the meeting. Those members who call in will be able to state their names, which can then be entered manually into the record by a host.
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First Congregational United Church of Christ 
700 Poyntz Ave., Manhattan, KS  66502
785-537-7006

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