Our church fellowship area is filled with good food smells and visiting voices every Sunday evening.  And we’ve been especially busy this summer at Second Helping.  Total number of meals served (counting second helpings and sack lunches) for June, July and August was 1,944, with an average of more than 150 meals per Sunday.  First helpings (the number of people) totaled 967, about 76 per evening. Last year the average was about 64 first helpings per meal.  We have been blessed with the generosity of cooks, crew, greeters, and dessert makers every Sunday this summer.  Fresh produce (i.e. 200 pounds of tomatoes, 2 crates of fresh corn and other items from the Breadbasket; ten-gallon buckets of cucumbers, green beans and apples from community members; eggplants, beans, and other produce from church members) have enhanced our healthy meals and have provided items for the Free Table for our guests to take home.  
Linda Thurston, 2H meal coordinator



A little something to help…

A couple of weeks ago, after the meal, one of our regulars came up to me to thank us for the meal.  They also said – I know these meals cost a lot and I would like to help.  A shaky hand reached out and gave me four crumbled $1 bills.  I offered thanks and said it was our honor to serve the meals….”see you next week; we’re having chicken!” 
Linda



Ready to pitch in - again?

In the past several years every member of our church has helped with our Sunday community meals in some way – cash and food donations, preparing and serving the meals, making sack lunches and desserts, picking up groceries, coordinating lunches and volunteers.  There are many ways you can continue to pitch in.  First, we always need volunteers – talk to Les or go to the sign-up page on the church website.  We also need donations of cash and food.  Despite the blessings of Flint Hills Food Recovery, the Breadbasket, and USDA Food Bank and Soup Kitchen commodities, we still need dollars.  Our biggest expenses are the sack lunches (we don’t get sandwich bread and lunch meat from any of our sources) and the recyclable/compostable items we use for serving Dine-In meals and To Go meals.  Costs for these items usually runs more than $500 a month – significantly more that several years ago.  Thank you for your prayers, your time and your cash.





If you’re headed to Sam’s or Cosco….

Sam’s and Cosco have the large size cans and containers we love at 2nd helping.  (How long do you think it takes to open 36 #300 cans of green beans?)  Next time you head to one of the big stores, consider bringing home one or two of these items for Second Helping:
Ranch dressing
Baked beans
Instant oatmeal
Breakfast bars
Snack crackers
Mushroom soup



Where does 2nd Helping food come from?

We are blessed with regular donations and deliveries that provide much of the goods that go into our weekly Sunday suppers for 2nd Helping.  Have you wondered where the items come from that the cooks and crew prepare every week?  Here’s a list:

1. USDA commodities from the Kansas Food Bank and Soup Kitchen program based in DFC.  We send in a monthly inventory and order, although we don’t always need to order – the items they offer vary from chicken drummies to dried cranberries.  Most of the meat and canned veggies we serve comes from commodities.  
2. Flint Hills Food Recovery is part of the Farm and Food Council in Riley County.  They manage the pick-up and delivery of catered food such as the prepared food we get from the K-State training table caterers (Sudexo). They also recover items like 20# boxes of bacon (we took 3!), cases of frozen bread dough, and fresh produce.  We signed up for this program and I get alerts or a phone call from Vickie James, the coordinator, when food is available and will be delivered. We love recovered catered food – our 2H cooks just need to heat it up!
3. Panera Bread is delivered almost every Friday by Larry from First Lutheran.  We usually get loaves and baguettes, but sometimes we get fancy muffins.  Extra goes in the freezer or is packaged and put on the Free Table for our Sunday supper guests.
4. Hy-Vee gives us a discount for our weekly orders, which are usually fresh items such as salad materials and items for the sack lunches.  The order goes in on Monday and Jackie picks up our order every Wednesday.
5. Pastor Sue orders bulk items when we need them – such as the butter and jelly packets for meals, breakfast bars and, of course, the service items we need.
6. The MHK Community Chest, organized by the Manhattan Community Foundation and staffed by volunteers, sometimes has food items we can use with our meals or can put on the Free Table.  They also have personal items such as toothpaste.  You never know what is available, and Stephanie checks for us weekly to see if there are items we can use.
7. Flint Hills Breadbasket sometimes has fresh items that they need to move before the items spoil. A call to Ryan will let us know if there’s anything available and I’ll go pick up what is available if we can use it.  I usually check with Ryan the end of the week so we’ll have something for Sunday.  This summer:  200# tomatoes; 2 bushels of corn (husked by my neighbor, Thom); a case of summer squash; and zucchini, kale, lettuce, bananas, and more.
8. Church members, neighbors, and community members provide cookies, desserts, garden produce and more!  If we can’t use items like a 10-gallon bucket of apples right away, we put them on the Free Table for our guests.  A friend brought 60 zip-lock bags of washed green beans for us to put on the Free Table.  Church members bring oatmeal packets and breakfast bars as well as garden produce.  ESA collects items for us at some of their state-wide meetings.  

There are other sources of items that are essential is helping us provide a weekly hot meal and sack lunch for those in need of food and community.   We are blessed with this abundance. 

Some think of curiosity as just for kids or as a negative thing in our faith journey, but curiosity is valuable for ALL of us. Being curious about the world around us is a spiritual practice. We can be curious about other people which leads to empathy, community and a desire for social justice. We can be curious about God which leads to prayer and reflection. We can be curious about ourselves, leading to better mental health and healing. In this series, Be Curious: Surviving and Thriving in an Angry World, we will explore, experiment, and challenge ourselves to Be Curious! We will follow Jesus’ example, worshipping in curious new ways and asking plenty of questions. We will connect in ways that encourage curiosity about our community. We will be compassionate for others as we recommit ourselves to Loving Every Single Other. This divided world needs more curiousity. Let’s explore together!

For more information, contact Gretchen Lewis.
Church Choir
Our choir rehearses each Sunday morning in the sanctuary at 8:30, and we'd love to have some new singers join us. Please see Gretchen if you are interested. We are looking forward to singing in worship this year. 

We are also looking forward to participating in a late September choral workshop with well-known contemporary composer and choral clinician Mark A. Miller. Dr. Miller will be in Wichita September 27 - 29 for a United Methodist Event, and Dr. Amy Rosine, choir director at College Ave Methodist, is organizing an ecumenical song festival here in Manhattan on the afternoon of September 29. She has called our local event: Songfest, Songs of Hope, Compassion and Joy. Further information will be upcoming about the time of the local concert. If you're interested in attending the workshop, talk to Gretchen for more information.


Congregational Handbells
The bell choir will resume rehearsals in September. The first rehearsal is Tuesday, September 3, at 5:00 pm in the sanctuary. If you'd like to ring with us, and you're free on Tuesday evenings, please reach out to Gretchen.  We aim to offer a Handbell Prelude in worship once a month.

First Congregational Mini Hymnal
We had some excellent congregational singing this summer. I'd love to put together a kind of First Congregational mini hymnal of hymns you'd like to sing every two or three months. If you have favorite hymns to suggest, please send me some hymn titles. If we have a good response, we can select the 15 - 20 greatest hits, and put them in a rotation. Thank you! 

The Member Engagement Committee or Nominating Committee is responsible for filling the positions on Committees and Boards that serve the church and work to fulfill our mission.

It is that time of year when we work to fill openings on these Committees and Boards to serve next year, 2025. Members of the Nominating Committee will be contacting all who attend First Congregational Church to ask if you will serve. We know that many of you are already committed to serving on a Committee and Board and will continue in that role next year. Thank you! However, there are several openings that we will work to fill before the entire slate is approved and installed by the Congregation. It is our hope that we can complete this task by the end of September. Please consider taking on a role of service on a Board or Committee if asked. The church cannot continue to flourish and grow unless all who are able and willing will take on a role of service in this way.

First Congregational Church does so much for so many in our congregation, community, and beyond our area. That can only continue if we all do our part. Serving on a Board or Committee can be such an effective way to support the church. Boards and Committees are the foundation upon which all the good that is done flourishes.

In most cases, board membership does not require a great deal of time…one meeting each month (usually through Zoom), and one or two activities to aid or support their work.

The Board of Mission works to coordinate the programs we support that serve all the people. Their focus is Second Helping, which requires a number of volunteers beyond those on the board.

The Board of Christian Education strives to assist our staff and volunteers who provide the many educational opportunities for all who attend First Congregational. Sunday School, Youth Group, Adult Education, and other educational outreach programs are the focus.

The Board of Deacons serves the spiritual life of the church, coordinating with the pastor on matters relating to worship and the care of members. They also coordinate volunteers to help with worship activities.

The Board of Facilities is charged with taking care of the building and grounds. They collaborate with the custodial staff and outside contractors as well as take on projects that can be completed internally with the help of volunteers.

The Board of Justice and Witness facilitates a strong faith-based movement of peace, justice, equality, and inclusivity. That board has joined with other churches to form an alliance to better meet this important mission.

Other committees that serve the church include Member Engagement; Gifts, Endowments and Investments; Pastoral Relations; Stewardship; and
Ecumenical Campus Ministry.

In addition, there are those who serve in capacities within the church who are indispensable to helping the church meet all its missions. The Archivist, Budget officer, Financial Secretary, Head Usher, Membership Clerk, Recording Clerk, Treasurer, Moderators, and Cabinet Members at Large fill these roles.

It takes many volunteers and helping hands to fulfill our promise to “Love Every, Single, Other.” We know that there are many ways you can do this. The Stewardship Committee is specifically tasked to secure your financial support. Those who have served for many years and now enjoy the support of the community as they retire to emeritus status are examples of how we must continue to support our church,
those who pray for others, those who quietly do the little things that are rarely noticed, and many others.

Nothing we do is accomplished without the help of everyone in whatever capacity they can serve. Agreeing to give your time, energy, and talent to a committee or Board is one way we are all called to support our church, our mission, and our community. When we ask, please prayerfully consider saying yes to this service.
​
Nominating Committee: Jeff W., Craig W., Di H-T.

Tuesday, September 17: 7:00 pm KIFA Faith and Public Policy Forum at the UUFM building on Zeandale Road (click for more info)

We've invited experts and passionate advocates from across the state. Panelists include Jayme Morris-Hardeman, an elected member of the USD 383 School Board, who will discuss the state of public education in Kansas; Emily Wagner of Kansas Housing Advocacy Network, who will discuss homelessness and housing policy; Micah Kubic of the ACLU of KS, who will discuss civil rights; and Heather Braum of Kansas Action for Children, who will discuss work and family supports.

Saturday, September 28: 10 am to 2 pm Climate Justice Revival Event at the UUFM building on Zeandale Road

As many of you know, our Justice and Witness committee at First Congregational UCC has joined with our Unitarian and Mennonite sister congregations to create a combined team, called the Manhattan Interfaith Justice Team. Since January, we have been meeting together to discuss how we can combine our witness for local justice issues. Support of KIFA is part of this, but we are discussing other activities to bear witness to our faith that God calls us to work for justice in our world.

The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Manhattan is hosting a Climate Justice Revival on September 28. The September event is part of a national Unitarian Universalist effort to address the specific topic of climate justice, an issue literally heating up in many parts of Kansas and our local community. There will be classes/activities for children, youth and adults, and we will all be invited to participate.

Tentative agenda
Collective Visioning
Making Connections
Building Capacity
Nourishing Relationships
Charting a Course

Snacks, drinks, and regular breaks will be provided during the event, and we'll have a potluck lunch to facilitate the fellowship aspects of the occasion.

You can sign up for the Climate Justice Revival here. 

​This year we have TWO options for free devotionals to help guide your Lenten journey.

1) Our Lenten Devotional Booklets from A Sanctified Art are available for pick-up beginning Feb. 11. You can pick up in the church lobby or in the plastic box outside the office doors. If you prefer a web-based version or would like a hard copy placed in the U.S. mail, please contact the church office. (This is the devotional that the Adult Sunday School class will use to guide their conversations throughout Lent.)

About the devotional: ​"Beginning with the First Sunday in Lent, this weekly devotional follows the scriptures of our Wandering Heart series through the Second Sunday of Easter. Each week offers commentary, poetry, visual art, hymns, and reflection prompts. We encourage you to walk through these weekly readings at your own pace throughout the season, following the rhythm that works best for you. The devotional features biblical commentary by our guest writers, Dr. Terence Lester and Dr. Karoline M. Lewis, and art and reflections by our guest artists, Rev. Nicolette Peñaranda and Rev. T. Denise Anderson.” (from sanctifiedart.com)

2) For those who prefer a daily devotional, we are pleased to offer Daily Devotional cards via email. Receive a daily invitation to a Centering Practice, Reflection Question, and Prayer. These cards were also created by A Sanctified Art and follow our Wandering Heart theme. If you’d like to receive one each day in your inbox, please email [email protected] and we’ll get you added to the list. ​

Use one or both of these great resources to guide your spiritual journey this Lent. And....don't forget about the Spotify playlist for when you need some music.