Announcements

• Quarterly Congregational Meeting Sun, Sept 25, 11 AM

  The meeting will be held in Wersebe Hall immediately following worship.

  Agenda:

  • Approval of minutes from June 12 Annual Meeting
  • Committee Reports
  • 275th Anniversary Activities

  See you there!  

   (Co-clerks)  Henrietta Small and Peter Armstrong
• Tag Sale at Milton Church Sept 23 thru 25

  Milton Congregational Church will hold its annual Tag Sale on Friday, September 23,  Saturday, September 24th and Sunday afternoon, September 25th.   The sale will run from 10-3 on Friday and 9-3 on Saturday.  Antiques, furniture, china, glassware, books, collectibles, toys, and Christmas decorations abound.  Register at 8 am on Friday to participate in a brief live auction of special finds, beginning at 9:00 am.  Amazing deals on whatever is left may be had on Sunday afternoon from 12-3.

  Tom Kyasky will be selling his famous Salty Dog Hotdogs and you can purchase a treat to take home from the baked goods table. 

  Milton is a small village, an historic part of Litchfield, located 4 miles off #202 between Bantam and Goshen.  Check Milton Congregational Church Facebook page for  information about the tag sale and this lovely country church.  The congregation welcomes all, and sincerely appreciates the support of friends and neighbors.
• Concert Across America to End Gun Violence

  Click image below to view your invitation larger.

  
• Loaves and Fishes - Food service training

  Loaves and Fishes Hospitality Kitchen has scheduled some volunteer meeting/trainng sessions.  It is very important that we have several people from our church attend this training so that at least 1 person in our serving group for each date we host (2 is better) has gone through this training.  We espectially need backup for Annie and John for the times that one or both of them cannot be on the serving team. 

  Annie Baur and John Turner will be attending the training on September 29 and would love it if more people interested in serving could attend with them.  This particular date follows dinner on our next service date and so is very convenient.  If you are interested in attending but cannot make it on Sept 29, you may be available for one of the other sessions listed below. 

  Tuesday Sept 27, 2016  @ 6 PM
  Thursday Sept 29, 2016 @ 6 PM
  Saturday October 1, 2016 @10AM
  Monday October 3, 2016 @ 6 PM
  Wednesday October 5, 2016 @ 6PM

  If you plan to attend a training, please email Annie to let her know. 

  If anyone in our church has any current Safeserve Certification, they can be counted towards fulfilling this training requirement.

  Thanks again to everyone for your enthusiastic participation in our missions program! 
• Youth Group resumes Sunday, September 25 - Open to Youth in Grades 6-12

  Youth Group resumes on Sunday,  September 25.   This meeting we'll be having fun, as usual.  Come with your ideas and enthusiasm!

  The First Congregational Church of Washington's Youth Group is for grades 6-12 and all are welcome! We meet on the last Sunday of every month from 5-7 pm at the Parish House. Every meeting involves a group discussion focusing on the current month's faith practice, food, games, and much more. If you have any questions, please contact Emelie Samuelson, Mike Burl, or the Church office.
• New Divorce Support Group Series Begins Tues, Sept 27

  Find solace, compassion, empathy and laughter in a welcoming community.

  New Beginnings of Northwest CT is now taking reservations for its next Divorce Support Group which begins Tuesday evening, September 27, 2016 from 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM.  It runs for ten weeks and is held in the parish house of the First Congregational Church at 6 Kirby Road on the Green in Washington. 

  The group is designed for people who are separated or currently in the process of divorce.  It is also intended for those who are beyond the initial crisis of divorce but may still be struggling with unresolved issues relative to the loss of their intimate relationship.  It is a closed group after the second week because of the type of personal sharing that takes place and the need for members to feel safe in their vulnerability so that healing may occur.  Previous participants have been extremely enthusiastic about the positive impact of this program on their personal growth and well-being.  As one previous participant commented, “If you are feeling stuck, come to this group.  If you are caught up in anger or bitterness, come to this group.  If you believe that no one could possibly understand the depth of your pain…come.  Here you will find solace, compassion, empathy, and laughter.  Give   yourself this gift.”

  Each support group is led by experienced lay facilitators.  Pre-registration is required.  For further information on this group or subsequent groups please call the Church Office of The First Congregational Church in Washington at 860-868-0569 or call Barb at 203-266-4706.

  For regular reminders on this and other upcoming activities and events, subscribe to them in our online calendar.
• Celebrating our 275th Birthday - Worship throughout the ages

  Each Sunday in October our worship service will reflect a different century in our history until contemporary times and beyond.  Come experience a bit of our heritage and learn some interesting things about how congregations worshipped in the past and how different and new things are available to us in our contemporary age.  Note that all services will have modifications to adapt to current audiences.  Most prominent is the significantly shortened service from most of the day down to just about an hour!

  October 2 - 18th Century (A typical service in the 1700's)

  October 9 - 19th Century (Featuring the Reverend WHH Murray, or pastor in 1862)

  October 16 - 20th Century (A 1950 service - you are invited to come and dress the part!)

  October 23 - Contemporary service

  October 30 - Contemporary service featuring a "praise band"
• Blessing of the Animals - Sunday, Oct 2

  Stories abound of how St. Francis of Assisi (1182 - 1226) could communicate with animals and lived at one with all creation.  In honor of his birthday, an interfaith Blessing of the Animals will be held at the Riding Ring near the main parking lot of Steep Rock Preserve.  Dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, hamsters, parakeets...all creatures great and small are welcome to bring their human companions and receive a blessing for health and well-being between 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 2nd.  Photographs of beloved animals who are no longer with us can also be brought for blessing.  Please do ensure all beloved animals are properly leashed/restrained.  Volunteers from Steep Rock Association will welcome you while First Congregational Church of Washington volunteers will be on hand to offer blessing and refreshments of all sorts for animals and their human attendants.
  Registration is not necessary. 
• Meeting for New/ Prospective Members, Sunday, Oct 16
  

  The Church Council, along with Pastor Cheryl, would like to invite anyone interested in joining our church to a New/Prospective Members Lunch immediately following worship on Sunday, October 16.  Whether you have been attending for a while, already know this church is your church, or have only attended a few times and are unsure and have questions, this event is for you!  

  Please join us for good food and good conversation, we would love to have you!    RSVP to Pastor Cheryl
• CLOTHING DRIVE: new or gently used mens clothing and baseball caps needed!
  

  Blankets or sleeping bags for men who sleep under bridges and other not very hospitable places would be greatly appreciated, too!

  As always, MEN’s new or gently used clothing and baseball caps needed! 
  A collection box is located in the Parish House downstairs hall.

  • Used pants, shirts, sweaters and sweatshirts, outerwear, baseball caps, shoes, boots and belts. Please make sure donations are clean and in good wearable condition. All sizes are welcome. The greatest demand is for larger men’s sizes.
  • New Socks
  • New Men’s Underwear

  The clothing will be distributed by CHURCH STREET EATS, a Ministry of Christ Church Cathedral (Episcopal) in Hartford.

  Church Street Eats is an award-winning volunteer staffed and operated soup kitchen and basic necessities outlet that serves hungry, homeless, and disadvantaged people from Hartford and surrounding communities. Now starting its twelfth year of operation, each  month  it serves on average 800 meals and provides free clothing, toiletries, and other necessities to approximately 200 people. Because of differences in social services available to them, about 80% of the people served are men, 20% are women and children.
• 5th Annual Coat Drive NOW!
  

  As you put away those winter clothes to make room for warm weather togs, please put aside those GENTLY USED coats, mittens, hats and gloves you no longer need.  All sizes are needed and are now being accepted in the Parish House.
• Women’s Retreat with Pastor Cheryl - Oct 21-23

  Growing in Faith: Praying in All Mediums

  A Women’s Retreat at Silver Lake October 21-23, 2016

  "In silence and quiet, the devout soul becomes familiar with God."    --Catherine McAuley

  On this retreat, led by Pastor Cheryl, we will nourish the spirit within us and water the seeds of our faith.  We will explore ways to deepen our relationship with God and one another: praying with scripture, with color, with song and silence, with movement, and with the beauty of nature at Silver Lake Conference Center in Sharon, CT.   The retreat will include: 2 nights’ lodging and 4 meals, great conversation, inspiration and new tools to help you in your spiritual journey.   Cost:  $175.  Contact the church office to sign up:  860-868-0569 or by email at admin@firstchurchwashingtonct.org.      

   
• Womens Gathering at Salem Covenant Church - Oct 15

  Held. Together.  When life seems to be falling apart.

  9 am to 3 pm at Salem Covenant Church, 96 Baldwin Hill Road.

  The Salem Covenant Church invites all women to a day of inspiration, worship, encouragement and collective wisdom as three women share their experiences of being lost and the Lord finding them.

  Click here for a pamphlet and registration form.  Contact Salem Covenant Church for more information.  Contact info is included in pamphlet.
• Georgia Middlebrook - cards and letters, please!

  Georgia Middlebrook is now living in Boston near her daughter, Julia. 
  She would really enjoy hearing from her friends.  Cards and letters should be addressed to her c/o Mrs. Julia Forbes, 2 Hawthorne Place #16N, Boston, Ma. 02114.
• Helping New Milford Social Services
  

  On February 28, Peg Molina, Director of New Milford Social Services, provided an eye-opening and compelling picture of the faces of need in our greater community.  The work of Social Services provides help and hope for a growing number of people who never thought they would find themselves in a situation where they needed to ask for that help. 

  If you missed the that service, a recording is available from the church office.

  If you’d like access to more information on the topic or a list of what you can do to help, contact the church office or go to www.firstchurchwashingtonct.org/page/missions_resources  or New Milford Social Services.

   
• Get regular calendar updates from First Church

  You can do it the "old fashioned" way and go to our calendar page for the full calendar, or check our home page for the upcoming week's activities.  OR...  you can subscribe to our calendar to syncronize with the church calendar right on your PC or other electronic device.  Simply go to http://www.firstchurchwashingtonct.org/icalhowto.php to download the synchronizing file, which integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook and other calendar programs.  (Save to your device and then open the file.  It will be updated whenever an event is added or changed on our website.)