March 1
Ash Wednesday
5:00 pm - Ash Wednesday Service
(First Congregational Church Sanctuary)
5:30 pm - Ashes To Go
(Stamford Train Station)
March 5
The First Sunday in Lent
Silver Lake/Communion Sunday
Scripture: Matthew 5:1-12
Sermon Title: TBD
Guest Preacher: Rev. Ryan Gackenheimer
Guest Musician: Steve Avitabile Holy Communion and Deacons Fund and Downtown EATS Offerings
March 12 The Second Sunday in Lent
What the Lord Has Done in Me Sunday
Scripture: Matthew 17:1-9
Sermon: "Transfiguration"
March 19 The Third Sunday in Lent
Scripture: John 4:5-42
Sermon: "Woman at the Well"
March 26 The Fourth Sunday in Lent
Christian Education Sunday
Scripture: John 9:1-41, Sermon: "Lazarus" One Great Hour of Sharing Offering
March takes us into the heart of Lent, a forty day period of spiritual preparation for the celebration of Easter. Lent is practiced in many different ways by many different kinds of Christians. It may involve periods of fasting, of identifying something to let go of or some spiritual discipline to take on, like daily devotions, community service, rededication to weekly worship or some other service to the church. I’d encourage you to find your own way to observe Lent and then identify someone to share it with. Together you can encourage each other and hold each other accountable for your practice.
At FCC, we will have two offerings:
Adult Christian Education in the West Parlor following worship. This is a 12 week series entitled “Covenantal Restoration” and will be led by Maureen Matthews and Denise Gajadhar.
Tuesday evening Adult Small Group “Transforming through Love” at Waleska Williams’ home (please contact Wally at wallywilliams07@aol.com for details). For more details on Lent and Holy Week at FCC 2017, see the article below.
Our Community Lunch and Food Pantry takes place on the 2nd Saturday of each month at 11:30 am. Help volunteer or come share a meal with friends. This month's meal will take place on March 11th.
To donate flowers for our Sunday worship service, contact the church office for more information or fill out the form. The cost for a bouquet to decorate the chancel is $60. Checks should be made payable to FCC Stamford with “Flowers” in the memo section and may be mailed to the church or placed in the offering plate on Sunday. Please contact the office for open dates.
Prudential Council met on February 8. We were happy to be joined by Bill Matthews, who filled in for Bob Godzeno representing the Nominations board.
Pastor Todd led us in a devotional on Matthew 5:21 about the destructive consequences of conflicts that go unresolved. In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he encourages us not to let disagreements go unchecked, but to do all that we can to make amends.
Lisa Bauerle reported by email that Stamford’s historic review board triggered a 180-day delay and review period on the proposed demolition of our building’s north wing. A small group from the church and our architect will meet with the historic board on March 7 to discuss and respond to their concerns. Based on feedback from the congregational workshop a few months ago, the redesign team has decided to keep our full allocation of 60 parking spaces and air condition the entire building, but scale down the renovations to balance the redesign budget. Provided that Copperline remains on schedule with the design for their building, we hope our redesign team can present a proposed plan and budget for our renovations to the congregation this spring.
Regina Perry has been hired as acting director of Christian Education. Please join us in thanking Regina for taking on this role and in supporting her in this position. A search is underway for a new music minister as well.
We are very excited that five new members volunteered for church leadership positions at the Nominations Fair on February 12! If you are wondering how you can help support our church with your time and talents, please speak with Bob Godzeno or Bill Matthews, or contact the church office.
Special thanks to Virginia Atkinson, Lynne Koellner and Linda Peters and all others who helped make the hospitality reception on February 5 a special one for Tim Wallace’s last Sunday with us, and please join us in praying for a successful and fulfilling future for Tim.
Upcoming dates: March 1 – Ash Wednesday service at FCC, followed by Ashes To Go at the Stamford Train Station March 12 – Training for new Ushers / Acolytes March 18 – UCC Super Saturday workshop in Wilbraham, MA, where our own Pastor Todd is leading a session (contact the church office for registration details and carpooling arrangements) April 1 – Mark Charles, a prominent Christian leader, will facilitate a regional discussion on race and faith. April 3 – Deadline for boards and officers to submit annual reports to Lydia Lord in the church office April 17 – Blood drive at FCC
Lent is an ancient Christian season of 40 days (not including Sundays) prior to Easter of self-examination, prayer and fasting leading up to the celebration of Christ’s resurrection. The dates of Lent change each year depending upon the lunar calendar; this year, we observe Lent from March 5 to dusk on April 19, the Saturday before Easter Sunday. Lent dates to the early church when new believers were mentored in the Christian faith prior to their baptisms at the Great Easter Vigil. Over the generations of faith, different spiritual practices came to be associated with the season. Fasting is one; but there are other spiritual practices, such prayer, acts of charity, and journal-keeping. Some people choose to take on something new for Lent: a resolve to lessen their Carbon Footprint, to be more patient, or even practice thankfulness. It is a personal choice.
Ash Wednesday, March 1, begins the season of Lent: the service of Ash Wednesday is an ancient ceremony during which pastors mark the foreheads of worshippers with the sign of the cross in ashes with the words from Genesis 3:19, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” “With these words, disciples are reminded of their mortality and, when combined with the sign of the cross, they are also reminded of the hope of the resurrection… Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent provide time to explore the mystery at the heart of the gospel that being a Christian means a new life through Christ.” We will be meeting at 5pm for a short service and then going to the Stamford Train Station to offer people “Ashes To Go.”
HOLY WEEK
Palm Sunday, (April 9) commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem for Passover, the great annual pilgrimage feast commemorating God’s liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. As Jesus entered the city, the crowds welcomed him by throwing their cloaks on the road before him, waving palms, and shouting “Hosanna,” “save us”. Pastors Todd will lead the jubilant service at the usual worship hour of Sunday, 10:30am.
Maundy Thursday (April 13) commemorates the Last Supper of Jesus with his disciples. The story of Jesus breaking and blessing bread at the Passover meal, as a reminder of his life given freely for all, is told in the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. This Passover act became the sacrament of Holy Communion in the Christian church. Service TBD.
Good Friday (April 14), on the Friday before Easter, we remember the crucifixion and death of Jesus. The day is called good to remind us of Jesus’ blameless, good, and pious life. Watch the April newsletter for opportunities to remember Good Friday.
Easter Sunday (April 16) is the center of the Christian year. We gather to celebrate that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Easter is the central Christian event, the time of transformation, of becoming a resurrected people, God’s new people. Easter is a celebration of the power of God and love that shatters death, enabling believers to live and serve God and neighbors in newness of life. Pastors Todd will lead the joyous service at the usual worship hour of 10:30 am.
“If the church…will speak and act fearlessly and insistently in terms of justice and peace, it will rekindle the imagination of mankind and fire the souls of man…"
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Salt &Light was pleased to welcome to our meeting two members of the Unitarian Universalist Church, Rev. Francis Sink and Ann Preston. We discussed the outreach and social justice that our two congregations were involved in currently and how we might expand our collaboration beyond Downtown EATS.
Highlights of the meeting included:
The 2017 trip to South Dakota is cancelled for this year due to limited participation. We will continue to support Simply Smiles and will explore possibilities for 2018.
Anne Mochulsky and Anne Firmender prepared a meal for Pacific House on January 30. We hope to increase this service from 2 to 4 times/year.
Some other upcoming events include:
Blood Drive to be held on April 17. Flyers that we can distribute to friends, neighbors and families will be available.
Mark Charles of the Navajo nation will speak at FCC on Saturday, April 1, 2017. The founder of 5 Small Loaves, Mark speaks about racial conciliation through a shared understanding of our history and respectful conversation. SAVE THE DATE.
Downtown EATS on March 11th, Thrift Shop open on March 18th, and Cooking for New Covenant Center on March 26th. Consider volunteering!
There are other activities in the pipeline and we always welcome ideas and suggestions from the congregation. Lets “speak and act fearlessly” as Martin Luther King Jr. lived and died.
The Community Bulletin Board on our front lawn is an invitation to those that pass by to connect with us by sharing their thoughts. The first week we started the conversation with two words, "LOVE IS..." Very quickly the board was filled. Below is a Word Cloud with all that was shared.
Anne Firmender, Anne Mochulsky, Daniel Cheyne, Jean Meyer,
Maureen Matthews, Warren Richardson, Pastor Todd Yonkman
Please join us following Worship for a special time of education and reflection on the reality of racism in our lives. Together we will listen to voices from around the world who work to restore the covenantal relationship with God that is broken by racism. Together we will seek to find our own voice as we understand how racism lives in our lives, our church, and our country. And together we will renew our hope in a God who forgives and shows us the way of healing. The dates are as follows: February 19 & 26, March 5, 12 & 19, April 2, 9 & 23, May 21, and June 4, 11 & 25.
"Transforming through Love" We will have a new adult small group session on Tuesday evenings March 14 & 28, and April 11 from 7-9 pm at the home of Wally Williams. Please RSVP to Wally directly for details, if you are interested in attending. As we continue to live our faith and our values in a challenging world, let's explore together questions like:
*Who is God? *What kind of God do you believe in? *How can we become active participants in God's dream of wholeness? *What give you hope? *How far does love go?
The session starts with a video followed by group discussion and prayer. Join us and invite a friend!
Our very own Pastor Todd will be leading session #11 on Urban Church Turnaround. Downtowns are amazing places to do ministry, but they require open, flexible congregations that can adapt to the community's changing needs and demographics. Learn how to align staffing, building, program, and worship to maximize your mission!
- Pastor Todd Grant Yonkman, First Congregational Church
Some of the members who are already registered would like to carpool.
If you would like to share a ride, please let the office know.
On Sunday, March 26th, we will receive the One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) special mission offering of the United Church of Christ. This offering involves you in disaster, refugee/immigration, and development ministries throughout the world. When a disaster strikes or people are displaced or made refugees by violence or extreme poverty, you are part of the immediate response and of the long-term recovery. Through OGHS you engage in holistic development programs including health care, education, agriculture, food sustainability, micro-financing and women’s empowerment. Because the UCC relates in mutual partnership to churches and organizations through Global Ministries and worldwide response & recovery networks, your contributions to One Great Hour of Sharing put you in the right place at the right time for the relief, accompaniment and recovery of the most vulnerable. You meet immediate needs and you address the underlying causes that create those needs in the first place. Please prayerfully consider digging deep and giving to those in need through your donation to OGHS!
March is a very exciting time. The thought of spring being right around the corner and the weather hopefully getting warmer is an amazing concept! This month, we are going to start with Silver Lake Sunday on March 5, and then continue our lessons from the curriculum from Deep Blue for the rest of the month. This curriculum has some very fun and new ways of learning about how to love God, love our neighbor and love creation.
Regina Perry
Acting Coordinator for Youth/Children's Ministries
Thrift Shop January Hours:
Thursdays: 10:00 am - 3:00 pm
Saturday, March 18: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm New volunteers always welcome.
For information about volunteering see a committee member or sign up here.
In February we were delighted to help support the Thon Met African Peace Foundation with a gift of $2,000. This money will be used by the foundation to build a home for a South Sudanese refugee family in a new safe village in Ethiopia. The foundation came about through the efforts of fellow church member, Nya Chambang, and we are happy to help support Nya and her work.
This year we are trying something a little different. We decided to start the winter ½ price sale by featuring specific items at ½ price for one week only leading up to the big 2 week ½ price winter clothing sale in late March.
Expenses:
There were no expenses incurred in the month of February.
The Thrift Shop Committee
Candice Bryan, Helga Downing, Anne Firmender,
Kathie Laug, Elfriede Mallin, Jean Meyer, Linda Peters, Pam Riley
On Monday, March 27 we will discuss Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly. The three narrators of this novel are based on actual women whose destinies converged at Ravensbruck, Hitler's concentration camp for women in Poland. One of them is Caroline Ferriday, a New York City socialite who became involved with helping the Ravensbruck survivors after the war. Ferriday's summer home, the Bellamy-Ferriday House and Gardens in Bethlehem, CT now belongs to the Connecticut Landmark Society and is open to the public.
In April we will return to nonfiction with The Island at the Center of the World by Russell Shorto. We meet in the church parlor at 7:00 pm. New members are always welcome.
Our contact information is:
First Congregational Church of Stamford
One Walton Place
Stamford, CT 06901
Tel: (203) 323-0200, Fax: (203) 348-2270
email: office@fccstamford.org
Church Directory Pastor Todd - Transitional Senior Minister: pastortodd@fccstamford.org Regina Perry - Acting Coordinator for Youth / Children's Ministries - rperry@fccstamford.org Lydia Lord - Office/Communications Manager: office@fccstamford.org
