Pastor Doug’s upcoming office hours

Friday, September 18 (today); 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (this is a change from the originally published time)

Thursday, September 24; 2-4 p.m.

A Thank You from Doug and Karen

I offered spoken thanks for the wonderful “anniversary celebration” that our church family held for us on September 6, but I wanted to reiterate those thanks in writing.  We are most grateful for the kind words, the cards and the gift you gave us, but even more grateful for the laughter and love in our fellowship hall that morning!

Outdoor Worship Service on Sunday Morning, September 20 [Note: sadly, the forecast for Sunday does not look good. If it rains, or there is an imminent threat of rain, we will move the service into our sanctuary. Please still bring an item or two for the Sharing Cupboard!]

We are going to hold our Sunday morning 10 a.m. worship service on September 20 on the Common. We will be worshipping with our neighbors from George Whitefield United Methodist Church. We will be celebrating the “Season of Creation” recognized by many Christian churches on the Sundays from the beginning of September through the first Sunday of October, and praying for good weather!  We’ll also be asking everyone to bring a donation for the Sharing Cupboard in place of your customary offering (save that for the following week). More details are in a notice in the September Glad Tidings.  Think about inviting a friend to join us that morning, and let’s look forward to celebrating God’s unconditional love for all God’s children under open skies that Sunday!

Prayer Requests

JoAnn Bakulski (still seeking housing)

Lois Bennett (now at Overlook Masonic Health Care Center, Charlton)

Bible Study        

Our six-week Bible study has begun and we have class again next Thursday! We are doing a six-week study entitled Signs and Wonders: A Beginner’s Guide to the Miracles of Jesus, by Professor Amy-Jill Levine.  We meet on Thursday afternoons from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m., and the remaining dates will be September 24, and October 8, 15, 22 and 29. This is another wonderful chance for us to learn together! I will mention that all are welcome to drop in for one or more class sessions, even if you have not bought a book.  There are always short videos and handouts in each session, so folks who drop in will have some insights into the week’s material.  For those in the class, if you have not yet paid for your book, please make checks out to the church and give either a check or cash to Pastor Doug at church on Sunday or at the next session of class. Thank you!

FLEA MARKET ON THE COMMON – THANK YOU!

Our sincere and HUGE thanks to all of you who supported the Flea Market on the Common this year. It was a wonderful success, but it couldn’t have been done without each of you doing all that you did – from the smallest job/contribution to those who were there all day – thanks to each of you! Approximately $4000 was raised to support the general fund and the missions of our church. A great day!

 Looking for help to move furniture!

The Parish Board is looking into getting a junk trailer to get rid of the old furniture that is upstairs as well as a bunch of stuff that is downstairs.  If you are able and or know someone that is willing to give us a hand, please contact Karen Murphy at kmurphy718@charter.net or 508-801-7692 with your availability.

We are looking at doing this the beginning of October.  Thank you in advance for your help.

Sunday School

Would you consider taking a turn teaching Sunday School occasionally? We are hoping to get Sunday School class sessions started again soon—with classes lasting 25 minutes following the Youth Message in worship on Sunday morning.  We would like to have classes on the 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th Sundays of the month.  We have just ordered a wonderful new story-based curriculum that makes planning and leading classes easy.  No one will have to teach every week, so if you would be willing to volunteer to teach once every other month or “once in a while,” you would help immensely!  If interested, please talk with Nancy Arsenault or Pastor Doug some time soon!

Sharing Cupboard Needs:

The Sharing Cupboard currently needs mayo, mustard, ketchup, cookies, crackers cereal and coffee. Thanks to the wonderful community outreach, our shelves are well stocked with other items. Please leave all donations in the donation box at the church entry.

Meetings This Week

Church YouTube Channel

Did you know that we now have a church Youtube channel?!

Miss a Sunday but still want to hear Pastor Doug’s message and Stephen’s beautiful music? Tune in!

https://www.youtube.com/@FirstCongregationalChurchofW.B