NEWS IN THE PEWS
February 23, 2025
FIRST UCC MEN’S CLUB: Are you interested in having a Men’s Club at First UCC? If you answered yes, then please sign up on the bulletin board. Additional information and a meeting notice will follow once we have a number of interested men. Brian Sherry
CHILI COOK-OFF – April 6, 5:00 PM: Are you proud of your homemade chili? Think it’s good enough to be crowned number one? Here’s your chance to prove it! Cook up your best chili and bring it to the First UCC Chili Cook-off, where everyone will have the chance to taste and vote for their favorite. Not a chili chef? No problem! You don’t have to cook to participate - we need plenty of tasters and voters, too. The signup sheet is on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. Invite a friend and bring a snack or dessert to share!
EUCHRE TOURNAMENT NIGHT: Sunday, March 9, 4:30 - 6:30 PM. Calling all euchre players. Come join us on March 9th and/or March 30th for an evening of Euchre. Signup sheets are located on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall. Invite a friend and bring a snack to share. BYOB if you please.
THE NEXT CONFIRMATION SESSION will meet today from 2:00 – 4:00 P.M. at Henrietta UCC, 1400 Lehigh Station Road, Henrietta.
ANNUAL GIVING STATEMENTS: 2024 giving statements are now ready. They can be picked up in Fellowship Hall, on the table outside the church office.
LENTEN PROJECT 2025: Let’s Be A Blessing To Others! Imagine struggling to make ends meet. Perhaps things are unraveling quickly in your world, when suddenly someone hands you a special bag filled with items you can’t afford right now but desperately need. Items like warm socks, snacks, simple Band-Aids, Chapstick, tissues, a toothbrush…How wonderful it would feel to think that someone out there cares! This Lent, please help the Board of Missions make this blessing happen for those who are struggling. We will be collecting monetary donations to purchase items (in bulk) to fill “Blessing Bags.” (The cost to assemble each Blessing Bag is approximately $8 - $10.) Donations can be sent to the church or given at our Missions table in Fellowship Hall during coffee hour from Feb. 2 – Mar. 2. Please make checks in any amount out to: First Congregational UCC. Write “Lenten Project” on the memo line. These gallon-size plastic bags will be filled with needed items and distributed to Loop Food Pantry and Salem Soup Kitchen on April 8, just in time to share a little Easter blessing with our neighbors in need. We hope you’ll join us in making this blessing happen.
FIRST CHURCH BOOK CLUB will meet at 1:00 on Monday, February 24 to discuss The Reading List by Sarah Nisha Adams. Our March 31 book selection is The Phoenix Crown by Kate Quinn and Janie Chang.
KNITTING CIRCLE meets at 1:00 every Monday except the last Monday of the month. You can knit or crochet if you have that skill or learn something new knitting a hat on a circular loom. New this year is knitting a scarf on a long loom. Come join the fun and fellowship. All are welcome. We donate many of our hats to various charitable organizations. Questions: contact Irene Utter at iutter@rochester.rr.com or call 585-425-7408.
PERINTON CONGREGATIONS FOR GREATER ROCHESTER HABITAT FOR HUMANITY is looking for volunteers to help finish construction of its house at 207 Melville St. In Rochester. If you would like to help, look for the display on the wall behind the Coffee Hour tables. Choose a date(s) from the lists and print your name and phone number. Call Frank Stein at 704-4510. He will forward your information to the work coordinator. Thank you for your interest in this important work. The Board of Missions and Outreach.
SAVE THE POP TABS to help the Rochester Ronald McDonald House. Place them in the plastic jug in Fellowship Hall.
IN-PERSON WORSHIP: The bulletin can be accessed via the QR code on your mobile phone or tablet. Prayer requests must be emailed to Pastor Greg at revgregrup.ucc@gmail.com by 8:00am on Sunday with the subject line Joy or Prayer Concern. You can view the Virtual Worship Service on Facebook Live at https://www.facebook.com/First-Congregational-United-Church-of-Christ-Fairport-NY-174043249305098/. An audio Worship Service will be uploaded to our church’s website each week, usually on Monday. If you wish to give an offering to the church, there are offering plates in the front of the church as you enter the sanctuary and in the rear of the church in the narthex.
PERINTON FOOD SHELF current list of most needed items can be found on their website at https://perintonfoodshelf.org/#needed. SMALL SIZES ARE PREFERRED.
LIGHT THE NIGHT: Thank you to Wade and Irene Utter for “lighting the night” in February in memory of Dan Utter.
THIS WEEK IN THE CHURCH
Sunday:
10:45 AM Service for Healing & Wholeness
Monday:
1:00 PM Book Club
Thursday:
7:00 PM New Life AA
Rev. Gregory J. Rupright, Pastor
Rev. Dr. John N. Cedarleaf, Pastor Emeritus
Beatrice Benedict, Organist
Heather Watras, Director of Music Ministries
Vicki Sherry, Administrative Assistant
Christian Copyright Licensing International #2320160
Phone: 585-223-0224; Website: fairportucc.org
Office email: vsherry.ucc@gmail.com
