First Congregational United Church of Christ, Sioux Falls, SD

05/29/2026

Only TWO more weeks until the Rainbow Chorus of Sioux Falls presents Don’t Just Dream It… Be It! 🌈✨

Join us:

🎶 Wednesday, June 10 at 7:00 PM — Spirit of Peace
🎶 Thursday, June 11 at 7:00 PM — First Congregational Church

05/28/2026

We’re excited to be hosting portrait photographer Tim Barrick in our community in June!

He works with churches across North America creating relaxed and welcoming portrait experiences for individuals, couples, and families.

On Friday, June 12th, he’ll be offering Pay-What-You-Can outdoor mini sessions for individuals, couples, and families. These sessions are relaxed, low-pressure, and open to anyone in the community. Book your slot at the link listed below.

Friday, June 12, 2026 (sessions from 4:30-7:30 pm)
Located at McKennan Park
https://tim-barrick-photos.studio.cloudspot.io/booking/v/be_2YFovnUsDH6jnU5cUEkrJPFkj7Nv

To learn more about Tim and see his work:
https://timbarrick.photos/

04/28/2026

04/25/2026

Sunday, April 26, 2026, After Second Service, Please make plans to attend, we need at least 60 members present to form a quorum.

04/17/2026

The ordering deadline is quickly approaching and the ordering website will close on April 19, 2026 at 11:59pm! Don't miss your chance to purchase your Pride T-Shirt this year!

- Visit the link below.
- Browse through the available t-shirt and hoodie designs and select your preferred style and size.
- During the checkout process, make sure to choose the "Pickup" option. Our dedicated Outreach Team will be collecting all the orders at the end of May, just before the Pride parade, and you can pick it up at the church.

https://mrghauff.chipply.com/FIRSTCONG

04/05/2026

For Mary, Jesus truly became fully God and fully human. She loved all of him, because through him she had experienced a love that embraced all of her. This is the wholeness that heals the world and brings us into eternal life.

What would it look like for us to see Jesus as he is? Not merely as we want him to be, or even need him to be, but in the fullness of his glory—fully human and fully God? What would it mean for us to love him with our whole hearts, and live for him from that wholeheartedness?

—Rev. Danielle Shroyer (.shroyer), from her commentary on John 20:1-18

art: "Rabbouni!" by Rev. T. Denise Anderson ()

04/04/2026

Mary wept.
Shoulders shaking,
tears running down her face.
She said, They have taken my Lord away,
and I don’t know where they put him.

But here’s what Easter taught me:
if you think you’ve lost God,
if it feels like heaven has slipped through the cracks,
if you feel like the night will never end,
then know, there is no hide-and-seek with the divine
that doesn’t end in you being found.

Stay still.
Keep breathing.
God is closer than you think.

—excerpt from “Lost and Found” by Rev. Sarah Speed |

04/03/2026

I was thinking about the text as I was holding my five-month-old little boy. He had a fever and was inconsolable. I felt desperate to offer him comfort and solace; it felt like my heart was breaking open. And then it occurred to me: this perspective I was drawing was not a position of mockery, it was metaphorically the perspective of God the Creator looking at her son who was screaming out in agony...

This image represents the deep lament of God. It holds the desperation of a parent and the betrayal of a loved one. These acts of abuse, cruelty, and indignity were fired at the Creator of the Universe by the very beings into whom God breathed life. Perhaps God is crying out to us, “Why have you forsaken me?”

— from the artist statement for "Why Have You Forsaken Me?" by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman |

04/02/2026

You could cry with her when her dog gets sick.
You could remember how he likes his cookies—soft or crispy.
You could deliver Thai food and order extra sticky rice,
because sometimes we just need extra sticky rice.
You could drop off flowers.
You could tell the waitress, “It’s their birthday!”
There are a million ways to show someone your love.
Footwashing was his.

—excerpt from “Of All the Ways” by Rev. Sarah Speed |