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Welcome to the FCCWH October newsletter!
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At the end of September and through October we have been having weekly outdoor Sunday Services. These were made possible through careful planning and follow health guidelines set by the city and state. The main guidelines are:
- Masks were required while at the service and we asked that you bring your own chair, contacting the church office if you needed a seat provided.
- Upon arrival there was a short questionnaire before being ushered to an assigned space.
- We asked for those attending to pre-register so that we can maximize the number of people that can attend. Find the form here.
We are hoping to move future services inside using similar guidelines. Please stay tuned for emails on the church member mailing list for more information when it is available. Updates will also be posted to the church website and Facebook page.
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As we begin having small in person services we will still be posting sermons online for those that are not feeling well or not comfortable worshipping in person. Videos are available online on both the church website and FCCWH YouTube Channel.
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.
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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.
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A Note From Christian Education:
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On October 18th, we held our first in-person Sunday School class since the Church suspended worship and Sunday School last March. We met in the back parking lot of the church, socially distanced and with masks on. It was great to be back teaching the children in person. The picture below shows how the tables were set up for the children. Each table was pre-set with the handouts for class, a bible, crayons and a pencil at each end of the table; two students to a table. Though we are holding Sunday School in person while outdoor worships are taking place, we are continuing to offer Sunday School via Zoom. Details are e-mailed to families each week.
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Students have completed the first unit of The Gospel Project. Throughout the first unit, the children learned that God created the world and people, how sin entered the world, Noah and the Ark, the Tower of Babel, and the suffering of Job. As we move into our next unit, the children will learn about how God Formed a Nation.
As we are quickly approaching the Christmas season and, in an effort to provide our children with a little bit of normalcy, we will be moving forward with our annual Christmas Pageant. Though it will be a little different this year than in past years we are confident we can put on a great performance for the members of FCCWH. We will be wearing masks, socially distancing ourselves, and the whole thing will be recorded for everyone to see. Rehearsals will be starting very soon. If you would like your child to be included in this year’s pageant, please reach out to Kirsten Vargo ( vargo@fccwesthaven.org) right away.
As we continue to teach our children to pray and how important it is in their faith journey, please talk to your children and tell them that it is ok to pray wherever they are. It shouldn’t be limited to just church. To continue to encourage our children (adults too) to pray each day, here is a monthly calendar of ideas to help. |
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Lastly, the Board of Christian Education has begun working to clean out a lot of items that are no longer needed but still have a lot of life left in them. Many of the items were inherited by us when the Nursery School closed. We have little kids’ toys, books, chairs, and many other things. If you or someone you know may be interested in these types of items, please have them reach out to Judy Iversen at 203-934-2269 as soon as possible, as they will not be around for much longer.
If you have any questions regarding Sunday School, children’s programs or how we are navigating our programs during COVID-19, please do not hesitate to reach out to Kirsten Vargo, Interim Christian Education Director at kvargo@fccwesthaven.org.
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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.
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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: |
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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.
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Recordings of past sermons are available on both on our website as well as the YouTube channel.
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