General Synod 27 in Grand Rapids, MI

Pastor Jim went to Grand Rapids Michigan for the last week of June 2009 to serve as a voting delegate from the Wisconsin Conference.
Here are some of his photos from that wonderful week!

Graduation Day 2009

Congratulations to our Graduates - the rain held off and the sun came out for a couple of hours on Sunday, just enough to enjoy the tradition in the Vollrath Bowl, and to sell parking spots and brats/burgers for the Youth Mission Trip!!

Ceil's Meal

Great time at Ceil's Meal (Breakfast) this morning. There was a wonderful spirit among all the servers and diners alike.
Here is a slideshow:

Last Snow?

Here is the last bit of snow in the neighborhood, in our parking lot. It will be gone by morning! Yeah! Will we get any more?

Studio Go! Game Show VBS - the week has come

Here are pictures taken on Pastor Jim's camera. But Heather A. and others have taken more. Stay tuned. We're having fun!

Vacation Bible School - Spring Break!

Studio Go! Game Show - commercial was aired in worship on March 1st!
Check it out:

"Out of the Blue" - March 8th at 3:00 p.m.

Nate Griffith and Yale singing group, "Out of the Blue" - here at FCC on March 8th, 3pm.
Here's a link to a promo they did on a CT TV channel:

http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/on_air/gmc_weekend/newhaven_wtnh_out_of_the_blue_200902071254

We are a Vital Church!

It was a delightful morning on Feb. 14th at the Holiday Inn in Neenah as we gathered for 2 ½ hours with representatives of 12 other UCC congregations in our Northeast Association. Each of the 13 churches invited and present received a certificate of recognition/appreciation by our Association Minister, Rev. Arthur Wille, for being a “vital church.” I have a certificate to prove it, and will post it on the Wider Church bulletin board in the narthex (by the north door).

What is a vital congregation? Art Wille used as his basis five characteristics from a book by Robert Schnase, a United Methodist bishop, entitled Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations. They are:

1) Radical Hospitality
2) Passionate Worship
3) Intentional Faith Development
4) Risk-Taking Mission and Service
5) Extravagant Generosity

If you attended my presentations for “Food for Body, Mind & Spirit” this past January (on the “Power Surge”), you may remember me writing these five characteristics on the white board during session #2. It was good to reflect on these again in this new context.

Rev. Art Wille took it a step farther and selected one of those five characteristics for each of the 13 local churches he celebrated. (though it was apparent that all of the churches represented was strong more than just one!). The noteworthy characteristic of FCC Sheboygan, in Rev. Wille’s opinion, was #4 – “Risk-Taking Mission & Service.” As the morning went on, I jotted down a list of what he might have been thinking of, including:

Youth Mission Trips (including GROUP and NYC trips)
CSB Grants
Hosting the Winter Farmer’s Market
Meals on Wheels
Members very involved in the community
Shawl Ministry
Hosting a GROUP workcamp a couple years ago
Visiting Haiti in 2003
Hosting many community groups in our building
Sponsoring scouting troops and events
Labyrinth
Taize and Peace Prayer Circle

What became clear as we heard summaries of each church’s ministry was that many factors contribute. But the single most important factor in church vitality seems to be the vision and faith of the leaders: the pastors, yes, but even more the lay leadership. Committed lay leadership makes all the difference. It was truly inspiring to be part of such a faithful group of persons. And I felt so grateful for the faith and openness of so many of you. Thank you!

And thanks for reading!

Pastor Jim

Volleyball League

We're playing volleyball as part of a church league sponsored by the Sheb. Falls YMCA - games are Sunday evenings at 4pm and 5pm thru Feb. 22nd.
Above: a photo from Feb. 8th of 2 of our 3 teams as they played each other (this way we all win!)

Pulpit Upgrade

Carl Rauerdink, of the Old Oak Shop in New Hostein, built the pulpit and lectern as well as the ornate wooden panels with crosses high above our altar. He was back yesterday to add an extension to the floor/platform portion. It's the part with the 45 degree angles, screwed into the existing platform and leveled. Made of hickory wood, it matches what was already there, and just gives a few more square feet to those who stand on it. I like it a lot, and now don't worry about someone falling off of it during a funeral eulogy, etc.
Thanks for reading,
Pastor Jim

Winter Retreat to be at FCC

The retreat on Friday/Sat. 1/30 and 1/31 has been changed to be at the church.
"Listening to Your Life and Nurture Your Soul" - Call the church to speak to a pastor if you'd like to learn more.
920-457-4818

What's in your heart?

This video is pretty popular these days - check it out:

Winter Retreat: January 30-31, 2009 at Pilgrim Center

Hi friends, I hope you will consider the following WINTER RETREAT for FCC members/friends - 24 hours away at lovely Pilgrim Center on Green Lake, with pastors Julia and Jim (yours truly) as your "tour guides." This is for singles or couples; note: this was to be a couples retreat but we have now opened it up to all adults. Feel free to invite a friend.

It's a brief time away but still packs the potential to be a great kick-start for the new year:
Friday, Jan. 30th (6:30 p.m. - starts with sub sandwich supper) thru Sat. Jan. 31st (ends 2:00 p.m.). We'll stay at lovely (and relatively new) Oak Mound Lodge. There are 15 rooms available, five of them with private baths, the others with shared baths. Couples who register will get priority for private bathrooms, so register asap!

Cost is $45/person, double occupancy.

The theme is "Listening to Your Life and Nurturing Your Soul." It is designed to give time and space to explore the relationship between the inner life of the mind & spirit and the outer life of work & service in the world. There will be time for both individual reflection and group discussion; free time will also be part of the agenda.

Questions? Speak to Jim or Julia today (or tomorrow)!