Weekly Bulletin
GUIDE POSTS
Sunday, April 1 – Palm Sunday
9:00 a.m. – Chancel Choir Rehearsal (Chancel)
10:00 a.m. – Worship (Sanctuary)
11:30 a.m. – Chancel Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room)
Tuesday, April 3
10:00 a.m. – Staff Meeting (Conference Room)
Wednesday, April 4
5:30 p.m. – Children's Choir Rehearsal (Children’s Music Room)
6:15 p.m. – Fellowship Dinner (Small Dining Room)
7:00 p.m. – Lenten Series (Guild Room)
Thursday, April 5 - Maundy Thursday
7:00 p.m. – Maundy Thursday Service (Sanctuary)
Friday, April 6, Good Friday
7:30 p.m. – Good Friday Service (First United Methodist)
Sunday, April 8 – Easter Sunday
8:30 a.m. – Chancel Choir Rehearsal (Chancel)
10:00 a.m. – Worship (Sanctuary)
Monday, April 9 – Easter Monday
Church Office closed
7:00 p.m. – Membership Meeting – (Cora Brown Parlor)
Tuesday, April 10
10:00 p.m. – Staff Meeting (Conference Room)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Welcome to First Congregational Church! We invite visitors to sign the Guest Book and join us for refreshments Fellowship Hall (in the lower level of the building) after worship. If you are visiting today with children, they are invited to join us for Sunday School after Disciple Dialogue with a recessional to our Church House, three doors away. We also have an infant room, with a changing table, crib and comfortable rocker on the lower level. If you need those facilities during worship, an usher will be happy to escort you.
The rose in the chancel is a “peace rose.” It sits on the communion table to symbolize our prayers for peace in a troubled world.
The chancel flowers are given in loving memory of Eleanor Boynton by Susan and Tom Ward and John Boynton III.
Thank you to Bernice Valantinas and Jeff Roseberry for hosting today’s coffee hour.
Our greeters today are Lacey and David Ogbolumani.
You are welcomed and seated today by Nancy Anderson, Eric Erickson, Jean Herbert, Vosse R. Lewis and Tom Lindsey.
The Sunday School Lenten Offering for Heifer is due Easter Sunday, April 8. If you need a Lenten bank, please see Deb Shamlim.
Joys and Concerns: Please inform the pastor or church office if we have missed anyone.
About today’s service: This one is a bit unusual, but Palm/Passion Sunday is not an ordinary day. We first celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem by reading the story from Luke’s Gospel, and enacting a parade of Palms as we sing the familiar hymn. We will celebrate Holy Communion, using the story from Luke’s Gospel. Then we will hear selected portions from the Passion narrative as told in Luke’s Gospel and concluding with the death of Jesus. This service journeys from ecstasy to agony. The Lukan narrative of that journey is interpreted today by selections from Part 2 of Handel’s Messiah (based on Psalm 24: 7-10, John 1: 2 and Isaiah 53: 3-6). We pray that this Palm/Passion service along with other observances this week, will prepare us for the joy of Easter, next Sunday.
Easter sale - Please come to Coffee Hour in Fellowship Hall and look over our Easter treats. The benefit is “The Heifer Foundation” Our Sunday School children will bring in their donations to the Heifer on Easter Sunday.
The Membership Team invites you participate in its work in the following ways: serve on the team (there is currently one open slot); sign up to host a coffee hour or serve as a Sunday greeter; bring us your ideas for fellowship opportunities; assist us in implementing events; work with us to be in contact with members we haven't seen for a while; make a special effort to talk to someone you don't know at Sunday services and other church activities; let people know what a wonderful community we have and invite them to be a part of it. We need to hear from you. Please be in touch with the church office or Beth Babbitt Borst, Membership Team Leader, at tomandbethborst@msn.com or (847) 864-6959 to let us know how you will participate in this very important work in the life of our church.
Good Friday Service – We are invited to the Good Friday service (April 6th) at First United Methodist (at Hinman and Church). The service begins at 7:30 pm. Rev. Roghair will be a part of this service.
Sunday Afternoon Book Discussion Group - On Sunday afternoon, April 15th at 4:00 pm the Book Discussion Group will meet in the Brown parlor to discuss: TERRORIST by John Updike. Glennis Lundberg will lead the discussion. John Updike’s novels have won many awards including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. This book is about Ahmad Ashaway, an 18-year-old, who is in the thrall of Shaikh Rashik who runs a store front mosque and preaches divine retribution for “devil.” Everyone is welcome join this informal discussion.
You are invited to join the virtual prayer circle at First Congregational Church. It is a wonderful way to develop a richer prayer life and stay connected to the needs of those in our congregation and around us. An e-mail is sent around weekly or so with a list of people to pray for and a suggested prayer for the week. If you are interested in being part of the church's virtual prayer circle or if you have a prayer concern you would like to offer up, please send a note to joysandconcerns@gmail.com. We want to respect privacy so we ask that you seek a person's permission before offering up their needs for prayer. We look forward to hearing from you! Pam Daniels, Prayer Circle Coordinator
Last Updated: Wednesday, February 6, 2008