signposts living god’s love, justice, and inclusion · 1 corinthians 15:1-11; john 20:1-18 april...
TRANSCRIPT
Newsletter Title
Special Events:
• Project Share
April 19
• Bake Sale for a
Cause April 22
• Chili Cookoff
April 29
Living God’s Love, Justice, and Inclusion
April 1, 2018
Volume 45, Issue 4
Inside this issue:
From the Pastor 2
NM Faith Coalition
Event
3
Church
Merchandise
3
Prayers 4
Scriptures 4
Compassionate
Conservation
4
Family Promise
Sweet Jazz Concert
4
Children, Youth,
and Family News
5
NM Interfaith Power
and Light Event
6
Signposts
BAKE SALE FOR A CAUSE
In our ongoing year round
Stewardship efforts, our next
Bake Sale For A Cause is Sunday,
April 22nd and will benefit
PROJECT SHARE! Our last Bake
Sale For Cause raised around
$400....let’s beat that figure for
PROJECT SHARE!
Holy Week Events/Services
Thursday, March 29th – Maundy Thursday Dinner Church
Join us at 6 pm in the library as we eat a meal, receive communion, and remember
Jesus’ last supper with the disciples.
Friday, March 30th – Good Friday Urban Way of the Cross 9:00 am -11:30 am
Join people from various congregations on a pilgrimage through downtown
Albuquerque’s community of need. This pilgrimage of prayer and reflection,
solidarity, hope and healing begins and ends at Immaculate Conception Catholic
Church, 619 Copper St NW. Maya Bode will speak about gun violence at one of the
stations. Join us as we walk with those on the margins: neglected children, the
homeless, the elderly, the poor, and the immigrant.
April 1st - Easter Sunday
Come for a delicious pancake breakfast between 8:30-10:00 am. Donations
support our youth activities.
Enjoy worship with brass and celebrate the resurrection at 10:30.
Following worship, the children will participate in an Easter Egg Hunt. There will not
be a first Sunday potluck due to the pancake breakfast.
For our next Stewardship opportunity, we are
having a Chili Cook Off after Church on Sunday,
April 29th. Each Ministry Team will have a pot
of Chili from their own special recipe and a one
pager describing all of the volunteering
opportunities their Team oversees. Sample all
of the Chili and vote for your favorite; Sample
all of the Volunteering Opportunities and sign
up for some. As they say in Chicago, “vote early
and often”; remember that this is a chili cook
off, not a chile cook off!
Dear Friends,
We are entering Holy Week and I invite you to join us for two unique services. On
Maundy Thursday (March 29th), we will have a dinner church at 6 pm. We will gather
in the library and share a meal around tables and take communion as we reflect on
the scripture together. If you can help with prep or clean up, please let me know.
On Good Friday (March 30th), we will participate in the ecumenical Urban Way of the
Cross from 9:00 – 11:30 am. We will begin and end at the Immaculate Conception
Catholic Church (619 Copper St NW). We will join with people from other churches on a
pilgrimage through downtown Albuquerque’s community of need. Maya Bode will
speak about gun violence at one of the stations.
Easter Sunday will be a grand celebration with brass, a delicious pancake breakfast
(served from 8:30 – 10:00 am), and an Easter Egg hunt after church. We will not have
a first Sunday potluck due to the pancake breakfast.
In the Sundays following Easter, we will begin sharing our stories each Sunday. You are
invited to reflect on what this church means to you and speak for three minutes about
that. If you are willing to tell a story about your experience of this church, please let me
know.
We are deep in the season of nominations where we recruit people to serve on teams
for the coming year. We welcome your participation on Social Justice, Faith
Development, Congregational Life, Building and Grounds, Finance, Circles of Concern,
Stewardship, or planning programs for children, youth, and families. If you are open to
serving, please be in touch with a member of our Ministry Leadership Team and we will
help you get connected. When you share your gifts, you make ministry possible.
You may have heard that Crossroads for Women will be moving this summer and the
Vassar property will be available. We are in conversation with the NM Dream Center
about a possible partnership and teen drop in center. We are continuing to explore
options until we have a firm commitment. Please share any ideas you have. If you
know of a group looking for a home/office space, please let me know.
Are you aware of our car donation program? We have recently received two car
donations. One came from a church member and one from a friend of mine who wants
to support our work. Please continue to let people know about this program. It is the
easiest way in the world to give. They will take any kind of vehicle (car, boat, camper,
motorcycle, etc) in ANY kind of condition (running or not) and 60% of the proceeds go
to the church. One Community Auto does ALL the work. My mechanic and two friends
have made donations of vehicles. Who do you know that might be interested in making
a donation? April 15th is quickly approaching!! Let me know if you would like more
information.
Blessings,
Sue
From the Pastor Page 2
From the
Pastor
Around the Parish…
We offer prayers for:
Kadhim Albumohammed and
Reham Majeed in the death of
their son, Jafar.
Mike Bluespider in the death of
her daughter.
Marla Shin who has entered
hospice.
Ruth Rahe who is recovering
from a broken hip and
pneumonia.
Roxanne Sikes who is
recovering from a recent
choking incident.
This new part of the newsletter is a
place to hear what is happening in
the lives of our members. Please
let us know if you have news to
share: births, baptisms, illness,
recovery, retirement, deaths of
loved ones. Here we will share our
lives together. We will not publish
news without your permission and
we hope you will submit
milestones so that we can let
others know what is happening in
your life.
Place of Honor
The recently purchased
bricks honoring members of
the congregation, friends
and family members will be
on display in Fellowship Hall
on Easter Sunday. This
project supports the church
budget. The bricks will be
installed in the Place of
Honor in mid April. Andy
Zawadzki has agreed to
manage the installation.
Thank you to the members
and friends of First
Congregational for
purchasing the bricks and
supporting the church
financially.
Page 3
April 15—Third Sunday of Easter
Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4;
1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:34b-48
April 22—Fourth Sunday of Easter
Acts 4:5-12; Psalm 23;
1 John 3:16-24; John 10:11-18
April 29—Fifth Sunday of Easter
Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:25-31;
1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8
April 1—Easter
Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24;
1 Corinthians 15:1-11; John 20:1-18
April 8—Second Sunday of Easter
Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133;
1 John 1:1--2:2; John 20:19-31
Scriptures for April
We are collecting
change in April to
help provide funeral
expenses for Jafar
Albumohammed.
Meth, Craig, Wesley, Glenn,
Amanda, Marla, Allen,
Eleanor, Roxanne, Anita,
Heather, Ann, Francis, Jill,
Emily, Ruth, and all who
mourn.
We Remember
in Our Thoughts and Prayers
Page 4
Change for
Change
Compassionate Conversation Workshop
We are called to be peacemakers as Christians and follow the example of Jesus but it's not always
easy. Our current culture is full of arguing and finger-pointing. On April 8th after church there will be
Compassionate Conversation workshop; the second half will be April 15th. Do you have friends,
relatives, teenagers, allies, non-allies that you wish you could talk to but their views are very different
from yours? Does it always degenerate into an argument or a decision to just not talk about it? Come
to this free workshop to learn some new techniques and ways to change hearts and minds. This is a
very fun, interactive practice. Mac Morrison will be teaching it from a strength-based perspective.
Please rsvp to the church office.
Page 5 Children, Youth, and Family News
5th Sunday- Family Fun April 29th
Immediately following worship you are invited to participate in the 5th Sunday Family Fun event.
Stations will be set up around the church with crafts, music, making a healthy snack, and other fun
activities for people of all ages to enjoy. The fun will wrap up by 1pm. If you'd like to be part of the
planning, please connect with Lilly.
Easter Book Study
Parker Palmer, Let Your Life Speak and A Hidden Wholeness, Easter book study Thursdays from April
12th- May 17th from 6-7:30pm. Please purchase books in advance or find them at your local library.
Look for the sign-up sheet starting Easter Sunday in Fellowship Hall. Once you sign-up, you'll be emailed
the reading goals and guiding questions for each week. If you must miss two or more of the book
studies, please pass on this opportunity. Continuity is important to this experiential learning and
community building opportunity. A light vegetarian supper will be provided.
Let Your Life Speak is described in the following way: "Let Your Life Speak is an openhearted gift to
anyone who seeks to live authentically. The book's title is a time-honored Quaker admonition, usually
taken to mean “Let the highest truths and values guide everything you do.” But Palmer reinterprets
those words, drawing on his own search for selfhood. “Before you tell your life what you intend to do
with it,” he writes, “listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and
values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you
represent.”
A Hidden Wholeness is described in the following way: "In A Hidden Wholeness, Parker Palmer reveals
the same compassionate intelligence and informed heart that shaped his best-selling books Let Your
Life Speak and The Courage to Teach. Here he speaks to our yearning to live undivided lives—lives that
are congruent with our inner truth—in a world filled with the forces of fragmentation.
Mapping an inner journey that we take in solitude and in the company of others, Palmer describes a
form of community that fits the limits of our active lives. Defining a “circle of trust” as “a space between
us that honors the soul,” he shows how people in settings ranging from friendship to organizational life
can support each other on the journey toward living “divided no more.”
Shared Service Opportunity at St. Martin's Hospitality Center/Hope Works 3rd Saturdays
A small group of 6-8 people is needed on the third Saturday of each month to serve at St. Martin's. Kids
and adults are welcomed to serve. On April 15th a group will meet at FCUCC at 4:00pm and carpool to
St. Martin's. We'll have pizza together afterward. If you/your family would like to be part of the crew and
get reminders, please RSVP via call or text to Lilly (505)234-0694.
We are preparing for our May Annual Meeting where we approve nominations for the coming year.
We would like to know where you want to serve. Are you interested in Congregational Life which
plans fun events and fundraisers? Would you like to be on Faith Development and plan education
events? How about Social Justice where you can be part of outreach? Building and Grounds to
take care of our campus? Stewardship? Finance? Worship? If you aren’t interested in these
teams, would you like to teach Sunday School or help with the youth group? There are many
places to serve. Please let Sue or a member of our Ministry Leadership Team (Marcia Harris, chair)
where you would like to serve.
Where Will You Serve?
Page 6
Leadership
Marcia Harris
Moderator
Rev. A. O. Ferguson
Vice Moderator
Laura Pugatch
Secretary
Claudia Klesert
Treasurer
Rev. Gail Joralemon
Covenantal Partner in Ministry
Rev. Susy Gaffney
SWC Mission Board Delegate
Andy Zawadzki
Building & Grounds
Robin Gaupp
Faith Development
Steve Winton
Congregational Life
Pastor & Staff
Rev. Sue Joiner
Senior Minister
Kris Nolan
Director of Congregational
Preschool
Paul Morbitzer
Administrative Assistant/
Bookkeeper
Tim Beach
Building Superintendent
Lilly Irvin-Vitela
Director of Children, Youth,
and Family Ministries
Ruth Striegel
Director of Music
Venessa Vogel
Nursery Attendant
Reba Joe
Nursery Assistant
Paul Hook
Sunday Assistant
Rev. Mary Browne
Social Justice &
Outreach
Spencer Hatcher
Web Master
God is Still Speaking.
2801 Lomas Blvd NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106
Phone: 505-265-5749
Fax: 505-265-5740
E-mail: [email protected]
First Congregational
United Church of Christ
An Open and Affirming,
Peace with Justice, and
Green Justice Congregation
Living God’s Love, Justice,
and Inclusion
As our parking lot fills up, we are
inviting you to park in the Jefferson
Middle School lot across the street. If
you are able to do so, please park
across the street and make room in the
church lot for visitors and those who
need to park close to the building.
First Congregational United Church of Christ
Electronic giving available on our
website: http://firstuccabq.org
Page 7
April 2018
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30
7:30 am Meal Prep 5pm Meal Serving
Project Share
6 pm Preschool Committee
10:30 am Text Study 6 pm Fitness Class 7 pm Meditation Group
6:30 pm Ministry Teams, Executive Committee
1 pm Prayer Shawl Ministry
Sunday School for Children and Adults 9:30 am Sunday Worship 10:30 am
Pastor’s Day Off
Pastor’s Day Off
Pastor’s Day Off
Pastor’s Day Off
10:30 am Text Study 5 pm Finance Comm. 6 pm Fitness Class 7 pm Meditation Group
10:30 am Text Study 6 pm Fitness Class 7 pm Meditation Group
4 pm Youth Group
Deadline for Signposts Articles
Communion in the Chapel
6 pm Fitness Class
6 pm Fitness Class
6 pm Fitness Class
10:30 am Text Study 6 pm Fitness Class 7 pm Meditation Group
Church Office Closed
Communion in the Chapel
9 am Personnel Committee
6 pm Fitness Class
Communion in the Chapel
Communion in the Chapel
6 pm Fitness Class
Congregational Life
Compassionate Conversation Workshop
7 pm Bell Choir Rehearsal
7 pm Bell Choir Rehearsal
7 pm Bell Choir Rehearsal
1 pm Prayer Shawl Ministry
Bake Sale for a Cause
Compassionate Conversation Workshop
Chili Cookoff
Pancake Breakfast Easter Egg Hunt
Easter Sunday