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October 2020
Welcome to the FCCWH October newsletter!  
September Recap
Online Resources
As part of ongoing social distancing efforts, in-person gatherings continue to be temporarily suspended at FCCWH.  September sermon videos, as well as all sermons since the suspension began, are available online on both the church website and FCCWH YouTube Channel.  The prayer list will temporarily be off the website as it is reconfigured.  Hymn lyrics are posted when available, the link to view lyrics included in a sermon can be found at the top of the Sermon page on the website or in the video description if viewing it on YouTube.

Below are all the links you'll need to access content that has been posted online.  We will continue to post new material as it is available until we are able to meet in person again.
Recordings - YouTube
Recordings - Church Website
Online Giving - Church Website
A Very Happy Birthday!
Long-time church member Katherine Held celebrated her 105th birthday this month!  Church members collected at a distance outside her home to her celebrate her 105th year and wish her a Happy Birthday. 
She also received a special personalized birthday poster made by Pam Ignatovitch on behalf of the Deacons and all her friends at FCCWH.
Describing the poster, Pam said, "The picture is supposed to be the ocean( her favorite) she has her aides drive her by the beach as often as they can, and flowers she loves them, too...There are about 900 tiny crystals around her name and the 105!"
Zoom Meetings
Pastor Carl continued holding Zoom meetings for people to keep in touch while in-person meetings are suspended.  Currently he is hosting:
 
Bible Study & Sermon Review
(based on that week's sermon) 

Tuesdays from 6:30-7:10pm

and

Open Office Hours
Wednesdays from 2:00-4:00pm

Information about joining is sent out by Pastor Carl, if you are not receiving it and would like to attend, or, would like to meet one-on-one instead, email him directly at revcarl@fccwesthaven.org.
October Updates
Monthly Mission Emphasis
The Mission Emphasis the month of October is NEIGHBORS IN NEED (NIN) is a special mission offering of the UCC that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States.

One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry(CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries(JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants. Neighbors in Need grants are awarded to churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities. These grants fund projects whose work ranges from direct service to community organizing and advocacy to address systemic injustice. Funding is provided through donations to the Neighbors in Need offering.

Please mail your contributions to our monthly emphasis and notate check October Monthly emphasis/NIN or donate online via Square here.
 
The Mission Committee thanks you for your support of Neighbors in Need.
A Note From Christian Education:
The new Sunday School year began on September 13th. Registration forms were sent to families either by e-mail or mail. I will need a registration form for each child who will be attending Sunday School. If you have not received a registration form from me please contact me and I will send you one. Also if you know anyone who is looking for a Sunday School program for their child(ren) please pass along my contact information and have them contact me. 
 
The Sunday School students are enjoying the new curriculum this year. The curriculum is called The Gospel Project. The curriculum begins with creation and goes through the entire Bible over three years. It will provide the children with a strong foundation for when they get to Confirmation. 
 
Teaching our children to pray to God is an important part of their faith journey. Teach them to pray wherever they are, it shouldn't be limited to just church. Below is a monthly calendar of ideas to help encourage your child(ren) to pray each day. This monthly calendar is not just for children, adults you are welcome to use the calendar too.
Sunday School classes are still being held over Zoom each week. If you are not receiving the weekly e-mail from me with login information for your child to attend and you would like to please contact me at kvargo@fccwesthaven.org. Also if you know a family who would like to have their child(ren) join our class each week, please contact me and provide the family's contact information. 
 
A Note from the Board of Trustees:
Hello Church Family!

As you may have seen, we are working on replacing the exterior doors on Savin Avenue, Church Street and the Chapel Patio. The doors are installed, and our security company will next upgrade the fob system and add fob access to Savin Avenue. Once the upgrade is complete, all you will need is your fob to enter just like on Campbell Avenue. All exterior door locks will be changed, but your fobs will remain active and working. Trustees will be issuing keys to those who need access to the facility and override the fob system. This is being done so the Trustees can better safeguard the facility by knowing precisely who has fob access and key access.

This month the Trustees met with GNCB, our engineering firm on the Sanctuary ceiling and steeple project, to review restoration options for the steeple. In order for the Church to start fundraising for the project, certain decisions on material and methods need to be made. GNCB was able to answer the Trustees' questions, and we will begin discussing the options later this year. I will be upfront; this is going to be an expensive project, but it is a necessary one. Given our inability to fundraise due to COVID-19, the project is being down the road. Trustees approved wrapping the remaining portion of the belfry the same way we did in 2017, which should buy us some time. 

I hope those of you who were able to attend the outdoor service enjoyed yourselves. You are all missed and I hope to worship with you all soon!

Chris
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Candle of Honor
If you would like to request a Candle of Honor dedication while services are suspended, contact Barbara Brown at 203-430-0298 or bbrown19@snet.net.  The suggested donation it $5.  Dedications are shared in the monthly newsletter as well as on the church website, Facebook page, and Instagram.
Contact Information
While there is limited in-person office coverage the best way to get in touch is via email.  The general church office email address is: office@fccwesthaven.org

If anyone would like to reach out to Pastor Carl directly, his email is:
revcarl@fccwesthaven.org

If anyone has questions about Christian Education (CE) programs, Kirsten Vargo, Interim CE Director, can be reached at:
kvargo@fccwesthaven.org

Ruth Costa, Chair of Deacons, can be reached at:
sccrmm247@aol.com
As always, feel free to contact me about anything regarding social media - Have any suggestions or comments? Questions about how to access specific content? Send it in!  You can reply to this email, send a message to pr@fccwesthaven.org, or click the Email button below.
Email
Email
Facebook
Facebook
Website
Website
YouTube
YouTube
Instagram
Instagram
Recordings of past sermons are available on both on our website as well as the YouTube channel.
Copyright © 2020 FCCWH, All rights reserved.


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