1st Congregational UCC Votes Overwhelmingly to Become Open & Affirming
On Sunday, June 4, after a full year of study, discussion, book groups, panel discussions, and guest speakers, our congregation voted overwhelmingly to become an Open and Affirming church as the United Church of Christ defines it. This vote makes official what our congregation has felt for a long, long time, namely that we want our purple doors to be open to everyone…period. Just as our communion table has a place for everyone, so does the full range of activities and ministries that our church provides. Here is our church’s official statement, the covenant we made with each other and with God when we voted to become Open and Affirming:
We, as participants of 1st Congregational United Church of Christ, Charlevoix, Michigan, seek to follow the life and teachings of Jesus in all we do, so that we may obey the Great Commandment to Love. We will open our purple doors more widely to all people who seek God.
In this particular age, we seek to be especially sure that people of any sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or family configuration will find safety, love and full inclusion among us. We affirm people in the LGBTQ+ community as children of God and enthusiastically invite their full participation in the life and leadership of this congregation.
We officially adopt the UCC’s Open and Affirming designation. With the Holy Spirit’s guidance, our family of faith will continue to learn and grow by ongoing education, sensitivity, language, and action to truly become a spiritual home for all people.
We will never exclude anyone on the basis of their gender identity, expression, or family configuration. If you want a church that celebrates and fully includes all people, the church with the purple doors at 101 State St. in Charlevoix may be the right one for you. Check us out!
This Week’s Service Information:
Special Holiday Notice
In observance of the Christmas and New Year Holidays, our Church Offices will be closed from December 23, 2024 to January 7, 2025. We will still have regular services on Sundays during that time, and a special Candlelight Christmas Eve Service will be held on December 24th at 7pm. There is no Christmas Morning service.
There will be no CMA hours during that office closure, and the Scripture Discussion Group will not be meeting during that time as well.
Merry Christmas to All and a Bright and Happy New Year too!!!
Online Worship Services
Please join us for our live-streaming online worship each Sunday at 10:30 am
This Sunday, we’ll continue our exploration of the 4 names Isaiah gave for the coming Messiah 700 years before Jesus actually came. This Sunday’s name is “Mighty God.” In what sense is Jesus the Mighty God? And if Jesus IS the Mighty God, why do we so often NOT experience his power. 2000 years ago he healed the sick, calmed the storms, and raised the dead. But why don’t we experience that divine might now…today…in our lives? Come and see!
We gather every Sunday at 10:30a in our Sanctuary. Can’t make it? Join us online by clicking on the following link: December 8, 2024
Also, if you or anyone you know is going to have a particularly tough holiday season due to illness, loss, isolation, or depression, please plan to join us at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, December 18 for our annual “Blue Christmas” service – a quiet, contemplative, supportive gathering for all those whose holiday is not likely to be filled with holiday cheer. Thank you for spreading the word.
Be sure to check out the weekly podcast entitled “Toby’s Take”. It can be found on Spotify, where new episodes drop every Thursday. Follow this link: Toby’s Take. Each episode is less than 10 minutes long, and, as Toby likes to say, “If you give me ten minutes, I’ll give you a whole new way of seeing something.” Check it out!
SCAM ALERT!!
We have been made aware of a phone scam going around to participants in our church. It is in the form of a text message and/or an email sent seemingly by our Pastor and/or our Office Manager, Stacey. In this message, they are asking if the recipient is available and to respond by text, and they sign off as “Rev. Toby Jones” or “Stacey Luoma Office Manager.”
The first thing to recognize the scam is that the Pastor and Office Manager will NEVER text you to ask to respond to them only by text. If they needs to reach you, they will call you or email you from the church accounts.
They will NEVER ask to have someone buy gift cards for others, or try to solicit any money for anything.
The Pastor will NEVER refer to himself as Rev. Toby Jones. Those who attend 1st Congregational know what he refers to himself as.
The best thing to do is to NOT respond to the text and block this number. If you respond in any way, the scammer will know they have a “Live Person” on the other end and you might get more texts from different numbers with the same scam.
We are looking into what we can do on our end to figure this out. In the meantime, the Login Required page of our website has been removed. Please contact the office if you need to access any reports. Church Directories will be available at the church for pickup, or you can call us directly to request one be sent to you.
Thank you for your understanding as we work to try to rid ourselves of these scammers.
Streamers! We Need to Hear From YOU!
We need to know who you are and where you are. You have become such an important part of our family of faith that we really want to connect with you. More importantly, we want to be able to connect with each other as streaming participants. We are in the process of setting up a Virtual Coffee Hour for our streamers that we hope will happen once a month. To make this happen, we need you to take two minutes right now and go to this link:
Please simply fill out your information at the bottom of the page it sends you to and click “Submit.” Then we will send you a Zoom link the week before our next Virtual Coffee Hour, which will take place immediately after the worship service. Toby will be your host and you’ll all have a chance to “see” each other and have some casual conversation.
If you have already notified us that you are a Streamer, you don’t need to fill out the form again. We have already noted this in your profile and you will get updates and invites automatically.
We look forward to hearing from you soon! Thank you for being a part of our community!
Scripture Discussion Group
Did you know that we have a Scripture Discussion Group here at FCUCC? Every Tuesday from 10a-11a we meet LIVE in Ransom Hall and share coffee, snacks, and a lively discussion of the scripture that will be a part of the following Sunday’s service. There are questions that stimulate conversation, and help us better understand the Word and each other. Everyone is welcome!
Feel free to stop in – you will be glad you did! Can’t make it to the in-person group? No problem, we also live-stream by Zoom, and you can also participate that way. Call the church office at (231) 547-9122 to be added to the Scripture Group’s Zoom list.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE WILL BE NO SCRIPTURE DISCUSSION GROUP ON
DECEMBER 24 OR DECEMBER 31
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
Our church community seeks to embody God’s Spirit and live the teachings of Jesus. We offer a sense of belonging to each other and to all our neighbors, as we build a just and sustainable world for all.
On Sunday, June 4, after a full year of study, discussion, book groups, panel discussions, and guest speakers, our congregation voted overwhelmingly to become an Open and Affirming church as the United Church of Christ defines it. This vote makes official what our congregation has felt for a long, long time, namely that we want our purple doors to be open to everyone…period. Just as our communion table has a place for everyone, so does the full range of activities and ministries that our church provides. Here is our church’s official statement, the covenant we made with each other and with God when we voted to become Open and Affirming:
