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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.  The students are back, parking is harder to find, and we're ready for another year of learning and growth. Sunday School for children and adults will resume this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and the choir will be back from their summer sabbath. Guess who else is returning from sabbath? Pastor Caela will be back in our pulpit as her sabbatical draws to a close.
During worship we will also be blessing learners and educators of all ages. You don't want to miss it, so join us at 10:45 a.m. in-person or online. Kids and grown ups who are students, please bring along your backpacks to receive a blessing. Educators, please bring along your work bag or another object that represents your work. A big thank you to the Ministry of the Decorative Scissors for creating backpack tags again this year. We will be handing out backpack tags for students and educators of all ages during worship in the sanctuary, but if you worship online or are out of town, please contact [email protected] to request your tag.  Since the late 1990’s, our faith community has held a Thursday night worship service of prayer and song, inspired by the worship tradition in the community of Taize, in southern France. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we moved this worship experience online, meeting over Zoom on Thursday evenings. We have been on a summer vacation since May, however, and as we resume, we will be making some changes. Beginning on October 19, we will resume worshipping together in person only, in Pioneer Hall. We will meet once a month, at 7:00, for prayer and song, on the third Thursday of each month thereafter. We have missed the communal aspect of our songs and prayer, and look forward to being together again. We extend a loving invitation to all of our church family to join us for this quiet, approximately 30-minute time together.
 This week marks the beginning of the fall semester at First Congregational and we can't wait to see you!
Join us during worship for the Blessing of the Backpacks and Educators + hear from our youth about what they learned on their summer service learning trip. And....the choir is back! Plus...it's time for Sunday School for all ages to kick off again! 🎉 Kids ages 3 through 5th grade are invited to join us in the church building for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. 💡 Adults also have Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. and we meet in-person or via Zoom for this class. This class begins with a two week series on praying the Psalms. We will study some of them and then write our own prayer based on the Psalm we choose. This will be a guided activity. Come! Be like David and write a Psalm! 🍩 Youth in grades 6-12 are typically meeting twice a month - once for donuts and conversation and once for Confirmation Class. This Sunday is our first Confirmation Class at 9:30 a.m. If you're not receiving regular updates from Pastor Caela about youth events, please let us know.
 This fall we'll have two oportunities for those who are new to First Congregational to gather. Sunday, Sep. 25th for lunch and Sunday, Oct. 30th for dinner. These are lovely opportunities to brea bread and get to know each other. Those who attend will be given an opportunity to ask questions about First Congregational and meet some of our long-time members. If you are new to the church and want an invitation to one of these welcoming events, please e-mail Pastor Caela.
 Fall classes kick off on August 21st!
Sunday School for Children - 9:30 a.m., in person only Kids ages 3 through 5th grade are invited to join us for Sunday School at 9:30 a.m. Each week we'll do some singing and learning together. 1st through 3rd Sundays are traditional Sunday School with Bible stories and activities. 4th and 5th Sundays are times for service learning with special guests! If your child plans to attend, please be sure and fill out a Child Information Form and reach out to Brandy with any questions. Adult and Teen Sunday School, 9:30 a.m., in-person or via Zoom The Table is at the center of Christian community. Receiving the bread and cup - also known as names like Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, and the Eucharist - is a central practice in Christian worship, of course. And community also happens around the table as we study our holy texts together. These acts of sharing food, stories, knowledge, questions, conversation shape us as we seek to live generously, with Jesus as our guide. Join us this fall as we explore 8 central stories from the Bible that invite us to think more deeply about The Table and commit ourselves to live generously in God’s ways of love for all. If your teen plans to attend, please be sure and fill out a Youth Information Form. Questions? Reach out to Pastor Caela. Tuesday Class, 11:30 a.m., via Zoom The Tuesday Bible Book Club took a summer hiatus – but we were only partially through a book. Beginning on Tuesday, August 23rd, we will continue reading Trust Women: A Progressive Christian Argument for Reproductive Justice by Rebecca Todd Peters. It is timely reading: Trust Women is an extremely thoughtful examination of the issue of abortion. Even if you didn’t start the book with us, please know that we have only read a third of it – it will be easy to catch up! The book group has found what we have read so far to be personally and spiritually challenging, inviting us to think about the lives of women in new ways. Please consider joining our lively discussions. The Bible Book Club is led by Pastor Sue and meets via Zoom every Tuesday from 11:30 to 1:00. We hope that you will join us on August 23rd. Questions? Reach out to Pastor Sue. Join Pastor Caela and other friends from First Congregational for some fun on the town this summer. Stop by for conversation or prayer. Grab a quick blessing on your way somewhere else or stay for a spell. Upcoming opportunities to connect: 🍽 Wednesday, May 25, 5:00-6:30 p.m. at Tallgrass Taphouse (enjoy a beverage, snack, or early dinner) ☕️ Wednesday, June 15, 8:30-10:00 a.m. at Radina’s Bakehouse (enjoy a beverage, snack, or breakfast - we can also go sit by the splash pad) 🌅 Tuesday, July 19, 8:00-9:00 p.m. at Tuttle Creek Observation Point (bring a chair and enjoy the sunset together)   Wow! ECM at K-State is celebrating 101 years of ministry! Join us on Sunday, May 8th at Long's Park as we welcome guests from ECM and celebrate with them. And then on Sunday, May 15th we'll have guests from ECM with us at 9:30 a.m. (church basement or via Zoom) to share about what ECM is up to and answer our questions. We're excited to welcome these partners in campus ministry and deepen our relationship with them.
You can learn more about ECM on their website (https://www.ecmatkstate.org/) and you're encouraged to sign up for their e-mail list and/or follow them on social media. Are you ready for some in-person socializing? Join Deacons for an Outdoor Fire Pit Event on Friday, March 25th at 7:00pm. We will provide s’mores and hot cider and all you need to do is bring a chair and enjoy socializing with friends. Thank you to the Maseberg-Tomlinson family for hosting us in their yard for this event! Please RSVP at uccmanhattan.org/sign-ups (or contact the church office) and you'll receive the Maseberg-Tomlinsons' address as an auto-response when you submit your RSVP online.
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