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"Bible
Top 40"
We have had a
great start to our new integrated bible program called "Bible Top 40."
Over the course of the 2012-13 church program year, we are taking a look
at 40 of the most well-known stories in scripture.
Each Sunday,
one of these stories serves as the scripture lesson and sermon focus.
Then at 11:30 (after you have had a chance to get some goodies at coffee
fellowship), adults and middle/high school youth are invited to gather in the
Fireplace Room until 1:00 pm (at the latest) for further discussion.
Free child care is available each Sunday until 1:00 pm on the lower level
for children up to grade 5. Please feel free to come to these
discussions every Sunday, once in a while, or whenever you can!
Each week,
along with your worship bulletin, please pick up a special handout with
commentary on that particular Sunday's passage, a prayer, and questions to
ponder during worship and at the discussion.
At the end of
each service, you will also be able to take next week's handout in order to get
a "head start" on the following Sunday; handouts from previous Sundays are
available on the table in the back of the sanctuary should you miss a
week. We also have red folders in which you can put each week's
handout so that, by the end of the year, you will have a complete set of "Bible
Top 40" notes, prayers, and comments to which you can refer in the future.
In scripture,
40 is the number of transformation, and we hope that "Bible Top 40" is a
transformative experience for the congregation as a whole and for you as an
individual.
THIS SUNDAY:
NOAH and the ARK
Growing up, many of us may have had some kind of Noah’s ark toy or picture or book – and why
not? In this passage from the Bible are all the elements of a great
kid’s story -- a big boat, lots of animals, and, to top it off, a beautiful,
colorful rainbow.
Yes, it’s a great
kid’s story... as long as you do a lot of editing and sanitizing, because the real
version is one of the most somber and disturbing tales in all of
scripture. It is a story of God’s
despair over the human race, God’s sorrowful regret at having made us in the
first place, and God’s decision to put an end to us all by sending a flood. But it is also a tender and redemptive story
about God’s great love for creation.
Come this Sunday to hear the eternal message that lies at the heart of the story of Noah and the Ark.
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WOMEN'S
FELLOWSHIP
Come and celebrate a new year of Women's Fellowship!
Join us on Monday, September 24th at 6:30PM for our New Year's celebration! There will be fun and games for women
of all ages! We will begin our evening with a pot luck supper. Please bring a
dish to share!
We have an exciting year planned. Details at the meeting.
Bring your friends!
If you need a ride or have any questions, please contact Dana Barnes
at (508) 718-7783. Come and ring in the New Year!
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FAITH4LIFE
This Sunday, September 23 --
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Pizza lunch followed by
trip to
Patriot Place to participate in
5Wits Program - "Espionage." The cost
of this event is $15.00. (but if that's not in your budget, please let Dana or
Pastor Jean know; no one will be denied participation in our youth events due to
inability to pay).
Permission slips
will be required.
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.
Quiet Your Soul at
our
TAIZE PRAYER
SERVICE
Thursday,
September
27 ~ 7:00 pm
Do you long for peace in your heart? Is your
soul hungry for spiritual nourishment? Do you yearn for something the world
cannot supply? Did you enjoy our Sunday morning worship service on August
26?
Then please join us in the
sanctuary
Thursday, September
27, at 7:00 pm
for a Taizé prayer service, which will last
approximately 45 minutes.
Taizé (pronounced "Teh-ZAY") worship is
marked by a spirit of contemplation, prayer, and extended periods of silence.
The playing of simple yet beautiful Taizé music enables us to let go of the
clutter of our minds and to listen and pray to God with our hearts.
If you long for peace and
quiet... If you want to pray for yourself or for
others... If you love to feel the words of Scripture wash over you...
If you yearn for a deeper connection with
God...Then
please join us.
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Finally!! It's time to discover who your Secret
Sister has been for the past year! Sunday, October 7, at Coffee Hour is the
revealing time!
It's also your opportunity to join the fun for the upcoming
year!
Join us whether you've been involved this past year or if you are
participating for the first time. It's a wonderful program to assure a special
someone that she is in your heart, thoughts and prayers.
More information will be in the October LINK.
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Blessed Children's
Nursery
Blessed Children's Nursery is open every Sunday morning, (even when
Sunday School is not in session) from 9:45 am - 11:15 am during worship and
Sunday School Classes for children up to age 3. For parents of children who will
be attending the Bible Top 40 Program, child care is also available following
worship for children ranging from nursery ages through Grade 5 until 1:00 pm.
Age appropriate activities will be provided during the Bible Top 40 Program. It
is staffed with two adults at all times, our Childcare Coordinators, Lisa
Antonius-El Kary and Rosemary Amadeo.
Our nursery room is located on the lower level; take a left after the
church office, it is the first room on your right. You can drop off your
children through age 3, prior to worship, get them settled, and come up to
church OR you can bring them down at anytime during the service. After worship,
children up through Grade 5 are welcome, if parents are attending the Bible Top
40 Program.
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If you would like to sponsor Altar Flowers, please contact Gale
DiBeneditto at 781-344-4728, or leave your information with the church office,
781-344-2371.
Please give specific information as to when you would like the
flowers placed on the altar and if it is in celebration, remembrance or in honor
of someone and a telephone number where we can contact you. The cost to sponsor
a standard arrangement is $25.00. Checks for flowers can be made out to "Nancy
Sullivan."
If you have any questions you can contact Nancy Sullivan at the
church office @ 781-344-2371 or Gale DeBeneditto @ 781-344-4728.
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Cleaning out your closet, garage, attic?
Ready to get rid of "stuff"
you'll never use again?
From now until the end of
October, we will be collecting items for our church's annual Holiday Fair.
We will be accepting the
following items in good condition:
White
elephant/ attic treasures, dishes, small working
electronics, small furniture or home décor items, fiction books, CDs, DVDs,
Holiday decorations, children's books and toys
PLEASE: NO
COMPUTERS, NO TVs or VCR recorders,
NO clothing,
textbooks, magazines, exercise equipment
or large
items of any kind.
(If
you think it has value, call Marcia Olson first
before bringing it
over)
Drop items by the church on
Sunday mornings or during regular church hours (mostly mornings before noon), or
contact Marcia and make arrangements to have them picked up.
While we are so thankful for
your donations, it takes a lot of work to organize and clean items for sale at
Attic Treasures. We appreciate your consideration in making sure your
"treasures" have all their parts and are in clean, good working
order.
We are also seeking donations
for our Silent Auction - if you are able to make a donation of a gift certificate, tickets
to a play or sporting event, sports memorabilia, or some other item, we would be
most grateful.
For pick-up or
questions contact Marcia Olson,
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TREASURE HUNT!
We are
collecting jewelry early this year to give us more time to sort, clean and
prepare your donations for sale at our annual church fair in November. If you, a
neighbor, relative, friend or co-worker have jewelry (old treasures) to part
with, this is a perfect place to donate your cast-offs and benefit our
church.
We accept estate jewelry, fine jewelry, and costume jewelry of any
style or type. Just put your pieces in a clear plastic bag and leave them in the
church office, or contact: Elaine Henriksen -781-344-0789; eshenriksen@verizon.net, or Dee Hayes - 508-238-1296.
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Fall is coming and we could
use your help t o make it a banner year for the Church Fair.
If you are looking for yarn
to make items for the hand-knit table, please contact Maurine Upton.
We are looking for people to make hand made items such as children's
sweaters, baby items, afghans, towels, pot holders, mittens, hats, scarfs plus
any new suggestions for the table.
Please call Maurine Upton at
781-344-4609. Thank you.
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  AREA RUGS AVAILABLE
FOR SALE:
We received a generous donation of several
area rugs of varying sizes for Attic Treasures. Rather than store them till next fall, we wanted to offer
them for sale now.
The rugs are currently in the open area
outside the music room with prices ranging from $15-60. Three have already been
sold.
If you are interested, please
contact
Nancy Sullivan in the church
office(781-344-2371).
Many thanks to Bill and Laura Murphy, friends
of Russ and Stephanie Clough, for this donation as well as many others
throughout the years.
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First Congregational Church
of Stoughton
United Church of
Christ
An
Open and Affirming Congregation
Our Vision
We are called
together
to embrace God's
transformation
of our lives and our
world
by becoming and
serving
as Christ's
disciples.
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Quick Links...
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