Faith Community United Church of Christ

07/30/2024

Good advice

In the Meadow this morning, Pastor Cathy tackled more questions from us and the last one from the United Church of Christ. Do you have one? Send it along and she will do her best to answer it in a future Sunday worship!

07/29/2024

On August 4th, please come and welcome Pastor Lisa Orris. Lisa has been the Lead Pastor at Hope Church in Crystal Lake for the past 10 years. She recently stepped down and is the founder of Grief Guide. Her mission is to guide people in their grief and provide sacred spaces for healing.

She earned a BA in Criminology from Gannon University and a Master of Divinity from North Park Theological Seminary. After graduating from seminary, she accepted a call to be the Director of Evangelism for the Evangelical Covenant Church, where she served for 5 years. In 2023, she was recognized as a Woman of Distinction in McHenry County for her work in the community.

You will often find Pastor Lisa out on the lake soaking up the sun, walking around to get in her 10,000 steps and sitting under warm blankets by the fire in the winter.

Pastor Lisa will lead her first worship with us at 10:00. Come early for refreshments!

07/29/2024

🙏🏾 Wishing you a gentle day.

(Overheard in the checkout line at a small rural market. This wish was gifted to the cashier by a patron. We could all use a gentle day. ❤️)

-Liz
Cambridge, NY

👉🏾 We are running low on prayers! Please help us keep this going by sharing your prayer to the People's Prayers for Peace initiative: https://ow.ly/QjNC50SM3Uk

07/28/2024

07/27/2024

"Pit Sunday" is this weekend (July 28). Lay-led, and always interesting, this week's topic is "A House Divided." The conversation begins at 10:00 in the community room. Join us earlier for refreshments!

07/26/2024

The Lord's Prayer...this is one way, among others, that Jesus may have prayed today.

07/25/2024

The executive leaders of the United Church of Christ have issued the following statement addressing the violence in Israel and Palestine and calling for

07/22/2024

Looks interesting!!!

Register now with an EARLY BIRD rate of $30.

Join us for a transformative online event, “Post-Doom Spirituality with Matthew Fox, Margaret Wheatley, and Brian McLaren,” on October 16th from 6-8:30 PM ET. In this 2.5-hour session, three of the most influential voices in contemporary spirituality and thought leadership will explore how we em...

07/20/2024

Our focus scripture on July 21 is Ephesians 1:3–14.

For Reflection
The ocean refuses no river, no river.
The open heart refuses no part of me, no part of you.
I am one with all that is, one with all;
All that is is one with me, one with all.
(Sufi chant)

07/19/2024

Our focus scripture on July 21 is Ephesians 1:3–14.
As the first Jewish Christians were encouraged to expand their understanding of the scope of God’s family we too are encouraged to wrestle with the challenges of dealing with people whose viewpoints differ from ours.

• What issues or obstacles make unity a challenge for you?
• How can discovering unity amid differences be a blessing?
• How can today’s reading from Ephesians inform our understanding of the unity of all people, even amid differences?

We pray…
Creator God, you have created a family, and you invite all people to become brothers and sisters with one another, and with Christ. May we heal the brokenness that divides us. May we grow in love for one another and the earth, and reflect the unity of your creation. Amen.

07/18/2024

Our focus scripture on July 21 is Ephesians 1:3–14.
In Ephesians 1:11 we read, “It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.” (From The Message by Eugene H. Peterson.)
• What does this story tell us about “what we are living for”?
• Where, this week, have you experienced unity amid difference or diversity?
• Where have you refused or resisted what life offers?