First Congregational United Church of Christ (River Falls, WI)

06/22/2026

We did it! Thanks to YOU we exceeded our 10,000 diaper goal and came up with a grand total of.......10,936 diapers all to be given to the River Falls Food Pantry, Our Neighbor's Place and Turning Point. Thank you! As a reminder this was sponsored by our church Mission Team as a way of blessing our community and honoring our parents. The drive start on Mother's Day and ended yesterday, on Father's Day. Here is what it looked like. The diaper wall is three boxes thick! You rock church!

06/20/2026

Happy Father’s Day! Join us at the 9:30 am summer worship service as the summer choir gathers this Sunday. Any and all singers are invited to join Sarah in the sanctuary at 8:30 am to practice a beautiful, yet easy to sing, choral piece which they will sing during worship. The church nursery will be open and staffed. Coffee Fellowship follows at 10:30 am. In addition to celebrating our dads, in worship we will be sharing our favorite scripture verses, so if you have one come and share it using the inserts in the bulletin or on the sign-up table. Lastly, we will be dedicating all the diapers given during the Mother’s to Father’s Day Diaper Drive which ends this Sunday. Our goal is 10,000 and as of today we have 9,446! Join us and invite a friend!

06/18/2026

Summer is here! But so are summer opportunities. This week was our first High School/College Bible Study at Selah Vie. Thanks to those who participated! Alex start the group by talking about Spirital Gifts--Ways God has gifted us and gave participants a survey to help them discern them. The next gathering is Wednesday, June 24th at 10am at Selah Vie in beautiful downtown River Falls. Alex is buying--sprad the word!

06/17/2026

We are in the final days of our Mother's to Father's Day Diaper drive. Here is what our Gathering Area looks like as of this morning. And our our total as of today is......8888! Our goal is 10,000 diapers by this Sunday. All of these diapers will go to area families via our mission partners (River Falls Food Pantry, Our Neighbor's Place and Turning Point). The deadline is this Sunday, Father's Day. Speaking of Father's Day, join us this Sunday for our first summer choir! All singers are welcome to join Sarah at 8:30am as she leads the group in a short, simple but beautiful piece to be shared with the congregation during 9:30am summer worship worship. Coffee Fellowship follows at 10:30am. Join us!

06/12/2026

We all know that Jesus was a great teacher, but another aspect of his ministry was his compassion. Simply put, Jesus had compassion on people. Compassion literally means to suffer with someone, which sounds strange, but also very Jesus like. Rather than run from pain, Jesus often went toward people in pain. Join us this Sunday as we explore our call to be compassionate creatures. Summer worship is at 9:30 am and Coffee Fellowship follows.

06/08/2026

Mark your calendars: It is time for the annual River Falls Days concert! Join us on the church lawn for some great music, great food and great company as we welcome back the Slapdash Bluegrass Band. The concert is on Thursday, July 9th from 6-8pm and the Rollin River Food Truck will be serving from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Plus there will be free cookies and drinks. Bring a chair, invite your friends and join us!

06/03/2026

We are a congregation of young and old alike. Baby Leo, who was baptized just two weeks ago is our youngest member, and two of our oldest members are turning 100 this year -- Lyle Wood on June 17 and Darlene Sumption later in September. This Sunday in the Fellowship Hall we will have cards available so you can wish Lyle well as he approaches this milestone. Lyle still somehow manages to ride his three wheeled bike around his neighborhood. Congratulations Lyle!

Here is a picture of him with his wife Helen.

06/03/2026

Join us on Monday, June 8th at 11am in the sanctuary as we celebrate the life of Joyce Kampstra, wife of the Rev. Roger Kampstra. There will be a visitation an hour before and a lunch to follow in the Fellowship Hall. Joyce will be remembered for many things: her wit, charm, loving parenting, but also for her call as faithful pastor's spouse and all that entails. Her obituary and a link to the livestream of the worship service is below. May her family be blessed with grateful hearts and warm memories.

Joyce Marilyn (Below) Kampstra of River Falls, WI passed away peacefully at home on […]

06/03/2026

Summer High School & College Youth Bible Study:

Our first gathering will be: Wed, June 17 at 10:00 am at Selah Vie Bistro and Coffee Cottage, 208 N Main Street, RF. Alex will buy coffee for the group! Join us all High School and College Youth! We hope to meet weekly at different local coffee shops. Contact Alex for more details.

06/02/2026

The next time you are at church please take time to admire the congregation’s new fused glass piece depicting Genesis 1:1—
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Be sure
to notice:
• Left panel: Darkness and chaos swirling in the upper left corner that turns to ordered aspects of creation, including the moon and stars, desert and desert flowers.
• Middle panel: Skies, mountain ranges, a meadow with flowers and butterflies, a sparkling stream, and a flowing river with fish.
• Right panel: The sun and a rainbow anchoring the top right corner giving way to a forest, river and deer.

The decorative borders on the right and left sides were created by pre-school and kindergarteners while the interior sections were made by elementary students, teens, and the Knitting Group women. Special thanks to the artist who helped us Theresa Charpentier and the anonymous donor who helped to pay for it.

It is located just to the right of the Third Street doors when you enter church. May it remind us of the beauty of God's creation and our call to be good stewards of it.