First Congregational Church United Church of Christ

Rev. Dr. Sara Rabe, Pastor Email: revsarafortucc@gmail.com

10:00am Sunday Worship - Hearing devices, large print hymns and bulletins are available from the ushers.

Senior Choir Director: Marvin Olsen Christian Education Director: Tammy Green

Church Office: (920)563-4802; Fax: (920)563-9958 Email : officefortucc@gmail.com

Moderator (Mike Rankin): mail2rankin@gmail.com Website: www.fortfcc.org Like us on Facebook!

*DOXOLOGY (unison) Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures

here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son,

and Holy Ghost. Amen

*OFFERTORY PRAYER (unison)

We give to you, dear Lord, not because we may but because we must.

We have learned that it is in giving that we find joy, in giving we

discover the good feeling that our lives are making a positive

difference. And we receive the inner assurance that we are doing

our part to spread the Good News of Christ. Furthermore, our gifts,

O Lord, are an expression of our undying gratitude for our salvation

through Christ and for your boundless love that supports us even

when we are unworthy servants. Accept then, these tokens of our

stewardship and use them according to your will. In Christ’s name,

we pray. Amen.

*HYMN OF SENDING FORTH “Ye Servants of God” #38 *BENEDICTION *POSTLUDE *Indicates people shall rise

ALL SAINTS’ DAY Sunday, October 31, 2021

If you have a deceased family member or friend that you would like to have listed in our bulletin and remembered at our All Saints’ Day service, please return this form to the Church office by Tuesday, October 26th. Be sure to include your name and phone number for contact if there are any questions.

Remembering: (Be sure to print full names) ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________ Submitted by: _________________________ Phone# _____________

GATHERING MUSIC Karla Pratt Corcoran GREETING, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AND RITUAL OF FRIENDSHIP [Please sign your name and pass the pad to your neighbor to help us all get to know each other better.]

PRELUDE *CALL TO WORSHIP

One: We praise you, O God, for the beauty of this day; for the blessings

you shower upon us and upon this world.

Many: The Lord builds up Jerusalem; God gathers the outcasts of

Israel. God heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their

wounds.

One: O God of the outcast, healer of the brokenhearted, we lift up to you

those who are in need of your Spirit of wholeness...

Many: God determines the number of stars, God gives each one a

name.

One: O God, you are concerned for every matter in heaven and on earth;

we lift up to you the forgotten, the friendless and the oppressed...

Many: Great is our Lord, and abundant in power, who covers the

heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, and

makes grass grow on the hills.

One: O God who gave us stewardship over this earth, we lift up to you the

concerns of this world and all who live in it…

Many: The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those

who hope in his steadfast love. O God, who cares for each

of us and calls us to discipleship, we pray that you would

make us ever faithful to you and your Son, in whose name

we pray. Amen.

-Based on Psalm 147

*HYMN OF PRAISE “Count Your Blessings” #786

*MORNING PRAYER (unison)

Loving God, you who hold us so gently, teach us the art of letting go of

anything that keeps us from your embrace. We grab and clutch things that

are often only a passing fad. We go after success and recognition as if they

will fill our deepest ongings. We saddle relationships with unrealistic and

unfair expectations. Loving God, lead us to a deeper sense of gratitude, a

growing sense of trust in your ability to provide. Teach us what treasures

will last until heaven. Show us the blessings of giving with joy, loving

without conditions, sharing from our abundance. Amen.

ANTHEM “Leaning On Jesus” READING Job 38:1-7, (34-41) *GLORIA PATRI (unison)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost: as it

was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen. Amen.

GOSPEL Mark 10:35-45 SERMON HYMN “I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go” #668 PASTORAL PRAYER THE LORD’S PRAYER (unison)

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom

come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day

our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is

the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever. Amen.

STEWARDSHIP MOMENTS OFFERTORY

Order of Worship October 17, 2021

Monday, October 25th 8 am Peanuts Processing

6:30 pm Bridge Club Wednesday, October 27th

10 am Mail Broadcaster

7 pm Choir Rehearsal Thursday, October 28th

9 am Bulletin Article Deadline

6 pm Bell Choir Rehearsal Sunday, October 31st All Saints Day Service

8:45 am Adult Christian Education Class

9 am Confirmation Class– Zoom

10 am Worship Service

11 am Fellowship Hour Monday, November 1st 8 am Peanuts Processing

6:30 pm Bridge Club Tuesday, November 2nd 2 pm Evangelism Mtg.

Sunday, October 17th

8:45 am Adult Christian Education

9 am Confirmation Class—Zoom

10 am Worship Service

11 am Fellowship Hour Monday, October 18th 8 am Peanuts Processing

6:30 pm Bridge Club Tuesday, October 19th

5:30 pm Moderator Mtg.

6 pm Council Mtg. Wednesday, October 20th

9 am Prayer Quilts Thursday, October 21st

9 am Bulletin Article Deadline Sunday, October 24th

8:45 am Adult Christian Education Class

9 am Confirmation Class-Zoom

10 am Worship Service

11 am Fellowship Hour

Schedule of Events

A joyous greeting to all who have come to worship. It is our hope that each of you may find encouragement, inspiration and direction

for living. Above all, we pray that you may sense the loving presence of God.

Scripture Readings: October 17—Job 38:1-7, (34-41) and Ps 104:1-9, 24, 35c; Isa 53:4-12 and Ps 91:9-16; Heb 5:1-10; Mk 10:35-45 October 24—Job 42:1-6, 10-17 and Ps 34:1-8, (19-22); Jer 31:7-9 and Ps 126; Heb 7:23-28; Mk 10:46-52

Short Stories by Jesus - The Enigmatic Parables of a

Controversial Rabbi By Amy-Jill Levine

Adult CE class starts October 17th at 8:45 am in the Werthmann room. View the video on Amplify Media prior to class or during the class. Contact the church office for instructions (563-4802). Facilitated by Joe Slaney The renowned biblical scholar interweaves history and spiritual analysis to explore Jesus' most popular teaching parables, exposing their misinterpretations and making them lively and relevant for modern readers. Jesus was a skilled storyteller and perceptive teacher who used parables from everyday life to effectively convey his message and meaning. Life in first-century Palestine was very different from our world today, and many traditional interpretations of Jesus' stories ignore this disparity and have often allowed anti-Semitism and misogyny to color their perspectives. Amy-Jill Levine offers a fresh, timely reinterpretation of Jesus' narratives. In Short Stories by Jesus, she analyzes these "problems with parables," taking readers back in time to understand how their original Jewish audience understood them. Levine reveals the parables' connections to first-century economic and agricultural life, social customs and morality, Jewish scriptures and Roman culture. With this revitalized understanding, she interprets these moving stories for the contemporary reader, showing how the parables are not just about Jesus, but are also about us--and when read rightly, still challenge and provoke us two thousand years later.

It is time for our Annual Fall Church Cleanup Day. This year’s Fall Church Cleanup Day has been scheduled for Saturday, November 13th from 8 am - 12 pm. We are in need of volunteers to help with washing windows, raking leaves, fertilizing the grass and to clean out the gutters. Arrive anytime between 8 am - 10 am; stay as long as you can. All family members are welcome! Extra rakes, lawn & leaf bags, would be appreciated. Come join us for some fall fun & fellowship as we cleanup our Church and get things ready for winter. No sign up is necessary, we just need you to come and join us. More hands will make less work for all.

Ushers David & Sharon Wisch

Audio Operator Kurt Wesemann

Lay Reader Sharon Wisch

Greeters Ann & David Lueder

Covid unfortunately derailed our plans to produce a tshirt so that we can promote our congregation. We want to apologize to those of you who entered and ask that you resubmit your entries. We are again looking for designs for a tshirt. Please send your designs to kakruk@hotmail.com Kathy Kruk

Peanuts are once again being made at First Congregational Church!

The price for an 11oz bag is just $8.00. Call 563-4802 during office hours to order yours before our fall production is sold out.

Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or Because of You … imagine by God's power at work within us. Ephesians 3:20 “For it is in giving that we receive.” ― St. Francis of Assisi Generosity is daring to dream. It is a way of giving of your time and talent to help others and benefitting from seeing others receive your generosity. Time is the one thing that the church depends on when it comes to fulfilling our mission. Your generosity of time to help volunteer at the Food Pantry or for Meals on Wheels, the giving of time to help support Shoes that Fit, bring items in for the Food Pantry or be willing to drive someone to church. These are all things that your generosity of time benefits the church and those who receive the end result. Both the giver and the receiver benefit from the giving of time to help others. Please give prayerful consideration to how you will offer some time in 2022, then fill out the time and talent sheet along with your pledge card and mail it back or drop it off at the church. Our thanks to all of you who have already done so. Vicki York, Stewardship Committee chairperson

Please help us provide shoes for area children! Did you know that 1 in 5 American children is in need of proper footwear? Our church has partnered with Jefferson County Head Start for more than a decade to provide shoes and boots for area preschoolers.

How to help: If you would like to purchase the shoes and boots yourself, please contact Dana Bertelsen from the Outreach Committee to be assigned a child by November 14. Dana will assign you a preschooler and tell you their name and shoe and boot size. After you purchase the shoes and boots, Dana will do a no contact pickup of the shoes and boots from your porch. Shoes do not need to be gift wrapped.

If you would like to donate money to help the church buy shoes on your behalf, please send money to the church by November 14. Please put "Shoes that Fit" in the memo. On average, it costs $50 to purchase shoes and boots for one child.

There are currently 25 children on the list, but the teachers have additional names of children in need if our church is able to support them. Last year, we provided footwear for 43 children. Due to the pandemic, there is an even greater need than when we started this process more than a decade ago.

Thank you so much for helping improve the lives of area children! Please contact Dana to sign up or if you have any questions about Shoes that Fit! Dana Bertelsen - dana.bertelsen@gmail.com or (715) 497-2600.

Meals on Wheels Volunteers – “You Are the Best !!!” A “Special Thank-You” is extended to the following volunteers who helped to deliver 575 meals during the month of September, despite the Covid pandemic! Without their cooperativeness and eagerness to serve others, our church would not be able to participate in this program that reaches out to some of the elderly and homebound in our community. In grateful appreciation of your time and spirit, we thank: Marsha and Roger Anderson Carol Maasz Connie Czech Brett Maasz Sharon Haupt Mary Ellen and John Miller Karen and Roy Hetts Mary and Larry Narkis Amy Lueder Tom Sehnert Ann & Dave Lueder Sue Simonson & Bill Wild

Remember – February, 2022, will be the next month that our church is responsible for

supplying volunteers for “Meals on Wheels.” If you have any questions about the program

or would like to volunteer, please contact Mary Ellen Miller (563-9085).