The Epistle “Grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ”

(Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians 1:2)

God is Still Speaking

First Congregational Church United Church of Christ An Open and Affirming Congregation

1275 Adams Ave Pastor: Reverend Kay Grice Rock Springs, WY 82901 Pastor Email: kgricefirstrock@gmail.com 307362-3530 Church Email: churchfirstrock@gmail.com www.firstrockucc.org Office Hours: Tues-Thurs 12:30-3:30

Worship Time: Sunday 10:30 a.m. Growing Faith following the Thought for All Ages

November 2017

It is the season to be thankful. Look around and take note of God’s awesome beauty. Enjoy it,

share it, and give thanks.

Thank you to the Diaconate for the wonderful brunch on October 8. What a glorious morning!

And we added $1,330 to the Savin’ for Pavin’ coffers. Thank you. We need to put on our thinking

caps and come up with some more fun ways to get this done. We still need about $19,000. Share

your ideas with any Trustee (Lynne Fech, Paul Legerski, Lee Pendleton, Linden Olson, or Rob

Wilmetti) or our moderator, Diana Wiig.

Holy Communion has invited us to join them to Bless the Animals on Sunday, October 29 at

10:30. This should be lots of fun because they have sheep and goats and ponies and dogs and cats

and all sorts of animals which must be on leashes or in cages. Hope you will join us with or with-

out a pet. I am excited and I am not necessarily a pet kind of person. But I am not totally a lost

cause, I do love the deer outside my office window – this morning there were two bucks.

November 5th we will remember our saints who have gone before us and celebrate the 500th anni-

versary of the Reformation and the beginning of the Protestant movement. We, Christians, began

as a protest movement against the established church. Protesting is how we got our name.

Protesting is a part of who we are, and music has often been a part of that protesting, a way to ex-

press our concerns and our hopes. So, we are going to enjoy some of the songs that have been

part of various protest movements. November 5, we are remembering and celebrating and not

necessarily protesting anything. However, maybe we should be, if we are going to be faithful fol-

lowers of Jesus. Our faith should make us comfortable enough with who and whose we are, that

we can protest, that we can lovingly and civilly speak truth to power. This past month, we have

repeatedly heard Moses to so with God.

God is love and that love empowers us and gives us plenty of reasons to give thanks. Hope you

will join us in doing so.

Peace, K

NOVEMBER 5TH- YOUTH CHOIR REHEARSAL 9:30 A.M.

NOVEMBER 11TH- HOLIDAY BAZZAR 11:00 A.M.

NOVEMBER 12TH- DIACONATE MEETING 9:30 A.M.

ALL AGES CHOIR REHEARSAL 9:30 A.M.

YOUTH GROUP (6th graders and up)

5:00 P.M. HOLY COMMUNION

NOVEMBER 13TH- WOMEN’S FELLOWSHIP @ OUTLAW INN 11:30

NOVEMBER 19TH- ALL AGES CHOIR REHEARSAL 9:30 A.M.

NOVEMBER 22ND- THANKSGIVING EVE WORSHIP

@ MOUNT OF OLIVES 6:30 P.M.

NOVEMBER 23RD & 24TH- THANKSGIVING- *OFFICE CLOSED*

NOVEMBER 26TH- YOUTH CHOIR REHEARSAL 9:30 A.M.

YOUTH GROUP (6th graders and up)

5:00 P.M. HOLY COMMUNION

NOVEMBER 29TH- TRUSTEES MEETING 6:00 P.M.

NOVEMBER 30TH- COUNCIL MEETING 6:00 P.M.

Don't forget our annual Holiday Ba-zaar coming up on Sat., Nov. 11, from 11:00 to 1:00. Please con-sider how you may contribute, as you are able, with donations, bring-ing something for the bake sale or bringing in craft items or gently used home décor, jewelry, etc., and by selling and buying raffle tickets. Also join us for lunch and great fel-lowship. We hope to see you there!!!

Thanksgiving Eve Service

Pie and Worship

November 22 at 6:30 p.m. at

Mount of Olives Church

Mission Moments

We donated $530.82 in September and $165.20 in October to disaster relief.

We are collecting feminine hygiene products and men’s

razors for a community service project with Holy Communion,

Mount of Olives, and Union Churches. Please bring these items

and put them in the basket by the office.

Women’s Fellowship November meeting will be

Monday, November 13th at 11:30 a.m.

at the Outlaw Inn!

Future meetings:

December 11– Lunch at the Outlaw

January 14– Chili Sunday

What a great way to get to know

each other outside of church.

Yeah Fellowship!!!

October 29th

at 10:30 a.m. Holy Communion

Please have all pets on leashes

or in cages.

If you are a able to volunteer in Rock Springs to

ring the Salvation Army Bell during the

holidays, please contact Julie Godfrey at

307-922-3897 or Linda Cornell at

307– 922-3647.

First Congregational Church – UCC

1275 Adams Ave. (362-3530)

Holiday Bazaar

Saturday, November 11, 2017

11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Crafts -Next to New Items

Bake Sale- Luncheon

Drawing for Hand Crafted

Wooden Bench, Gift Baskets

Donation: $1.00 each ticket or

Book of 6 tickets for $5.00

Menu- Chicken Noodle Soup or Hamburger Soup Bowl- $8.00

*Includes Beverage, Hard Roll & Dessert

Children’s Menu– Small Soup

*Includes Beverage, Roll & Dessert

Drink and Dessert---$3.00

COUNCIL’S CORNER

Council met October 25. Diana Wiig (moderator), Sharon Pribyl

(ice-moderator), Liz Strannigan (secretary), Rob Wilmetti (trustee)

and Kay Grice were present. Absent were Connie Jensen (at

large), Melinda Ransom (at large), Diaconate and Growing Faith.

Board Reports:

Trustees talked about the updating of the unisex bathroom which we hope to start November 1

and completed before the bazaar. This month the furnaces here and at the parsonage were

cleaned and filters changed. The sprinkler systems have been put to bed. The faucet in the open

area in the basement was replaced. The weeds outside the fence were cut and the snow blower

serviced to get ready for the winter. There were discussions about the security system and the

possibility of solar panels. Rocky Mountain Power has an incentive program for renewable energy

for which we may be eligible. We will just check it out.

Growing Faith will be making Flat Stanleys, a book and national literacy program, on November

12. The youth will cut out and decorate a Stanley and then we will take a group photo. We will

mail a Stanly, a photo, and a note to churches around the country. We are focusing on churches in

areas that have experienced hurricanes and fires. Hopefully we will get a picture back.

Missions is considering how to reach out during the holiday season. They have ordered some

Equal Exchange items for the bazaar.

Diaconate had no report. Thank you again to them for the brunch in October.

After these reports, Diana talked about the ONA Webinar she and Kay recently watched. Rob

will check to see if there is a LGTQ group at the high school we might reach out to and at least

let them be aware that there is a church that welcomes them. Kay will also check with the college.

We talked also talked about the possibility of doing a dinner for the International Students at

WWCC Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving and decided to make this happen.

There was also conversation about the You Tube music which has been used in worship. Appar-

ently, some have not been able to hear them. It has been looked into and determined that the vol-

ume merely needed to be adjusted.

Then we talked about themes for the Stewardship Campaign which will be November 12 and 19

with pledge cards being received on December 3.

If you have any comments, suggestions, questions, or want more information, talk to any of the council members or email dwiig54@gmail.com, slpribyl57@gmail.com, or kgricefirstrock@gmail.com

Thank

you

for

your

help!

We hold these folks in our prayers:

Oscar Erickson, Shelia Pendleton, Ann Clifton, Donna Hay, Nancy Robins,

and Hannah Soltis.

Deacon of the

Month

Monica Campbell

5th–Jan Zans

12th– Amy & Jeremy Wiig

19th-Marietta’s

26th-Legerski/Godfrey

5th–Godfrey Youth

12th– Mary Ruth Powell

19th-

26th-

EDIE KOROGI 1

JUDY HOWE 5

LEE HOWE 7

LEE JACOB WILMETTI 10

HELEN KENNEDY 13

JAN ZANS 25

DIANA WIIG 25

PAUL LEGERSKI 26

DAVID WILSON 26

AUBRIELLE MAES 28 Monthly

Art Gallery

Jeremiah Fennell

Don't forget to register and

use www.smile.amazon.com when

shopping online.

Register First Congregational

Church, Rock Springs, WY as your

charity of choice and we will

receive a rebate on every purchase

you make.

Don’t forget your

aluminum and

tin cans!

Our proceeds

support the

Discretionary Fund.