Easter: Sunday, April 4th, 2021

/in , /by

Easter Sunrise: Sunday, April 4th @ 6:30am via http://facebook.com/firstcongregationalej/ We will not be physically meeting for our Easter Sunrise Service this year, unfortunately.  However, Rev. Mendes will again have a live sunrise service in some beautiful location on the church’s Facebook page where we will all experience a Vermont sunrise as we celebrate the miracle of Christ’s resurrection.  This will be a special ecumenical event for Rev. Mark Mendes will be welcoming Rev. Karen Mendes and the First Baptist Church of Burlington to this sacred event.  Rev. Karen Mendes will save Rev. Mark and our entire community by bringing her angelic voice to the occasion.  Together, they will worship Jesus, commemorate his resurrection, and proclaim the continuing presence of Jesus within our world and our midst.  You will not want to miss this once in a lifetime occasion.  They will begin their live stream at 6:30 a.m. on April 4th.

Easter Celebration: Sunday, April 4th @ 10am via http://youtube.com/c/fccej. With Easter being such a high and grand occasion, the Staff and Executive Committee determined to pre-tape the service and play it at 10 a.m. on Easter morning.  With so many churches planning streamed services at 10 a.m. on Easter morning, we did not want the most sacred of all services to suffer a technological crash.   Both the Sanctuary Choir and Finally @ First are busy recording some magnificent music.  The Staff and Deacons are all preparing their parts and Rev. Josh is ensuring that it is all expertly pieced together and ready to go.  You will be able to reach the Easter Celebration by going to our webpage and clicking on the live service tab. 

Note: The Bulletin for this service is linked below.

View Easter 10am Celebration BulletinDownload

Palm Sunday: March 28th, 2021

/in , /by
View BulletinDownload

View the service on our official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/fccej

Everyone likes to wave palms and remember when Jesus entered Jerusalem. And many of us like to keep our palms from Palm Sunday and put them up somewhere to remind us of last year’s Holy Week remembrances and celebrations. And those of us that are religious fanatics like to save our palms to burn them for the following year’s ashes on Ash Wednesday. So, despite not being in worship on Palm Sunday we are going to place palms on a clearly marked table out in the parking lot on March 28th / Palm Sunday. You are free to come by any time between 9:00 a.m. and 12 noon. Enjoy and be sure to wave them out the window on your way home!

Special Service: Ash Wednesday 2021

/in , /by
View BulletinDownload

Ash Wednesday. Wednesday, February 17th, 2021 @ 7pm via Zoom.
Zoom ID# 882 4274 4962 or use this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88242744962?pwd=RU9CNW1VUHc0N1RwWGg4TTVsa1daZz09
Lent is one of the sacred times in the life of the Christian Church. It is a time to reflect on our faith and how we live it out in today’s world. It is also a time to remember some of the more difficult experiences in Christ’s life that culminated in his death. Christians have long used this time as an opportunity to delve into life issues that might be a bit deeper and more meaningful than usual. During this Covid time, we will be trying to continue this long tradition and offer some of the usual offerings with a technological twist. Lent begins with Ash Wednesday, a time when we place ashes on our head to remember our shared humanity; traditionally we remember our shared culpability in human sin, but we also remember that ashes ground us in the earth, a common element in all our creation and a sacred gift from God. Traditionally, the ashes come from last year’s palms that we waved to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem and each year I burn last year’s palms. However, with Covid, I invite all of you to burn your own palms [if you saved one and if my stash of last year’s palms will be available in the Church Street entryway] and place ashes on your own forehead or wrist or those of your family’s when we invite you to do so during the service. Hope to see you there.

Grab ‘N Go Chili Dinner

/in /by

Photo by Klaus Nielsen from Pexels

Friday, February 26th

The First Congregational Church of Essex Junction is hosting a Grab ‘N Go Chili Dinner! Choose between contact-less pick-up or free (local) delivery. Each meal-to-go contains a quart of homemade chili (either meat or vegetarian), 2 pieces of cornbread, and shredded cheese for a topping. Plan on 1 dinner for every 2 adults in your household.

All of this for only $10!

Reserve by Wednesday, February 24th using the SignUp Genius links below. Orders can be paid with cash or check at pick up or delivery. Proceeds benefit the church’s outreach projects.

Thank you for your support!

Donations

Drop-off Feb. 26th from 9am – noon

FCCEJ members – to donate chili and/or cornbread, click on the SignUp Genius button below.

Sign Up!

Reservations

Pick up Feb. 26th from 4 – 6:00 pm

This event is Sold Out – we hope to repeat this event next year.

For contact-less pick up, pull into the parking lot and your order will be brought to your car. Delivery is available within 15 minutes drive of the church, and will arrive between 4-5 pm.

Sunday, February 7th, 2021: Annual Meeting Sunday

/in , /by
Here is the bulletin for Sunday Worship. It begins at 9:45am (preparatory phase) and then fully kicks off at 10am.
View BulletinDownload
This is also Annual Meeting Sunday! The meeting begins at 11:15am and piggy-backs off of the Fellowship Hour meeting that follows worship. Please, click this link to read the Warning, access the Zoom teleconference link, and read the Annual Report. (Annual Report is embedded at the bottom of the Warning’s page.)
WARNING FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING: Sunday, February 7th @ 11:15am via Zoom Teleconference

WARNING FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING: Sunday, February 7th @ 11:15am via Zoom Teleconference

/in , , /by

WARNING FOR THE ANNUAL MEETING

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH OF ESSEX JUNCTION

Sunday, February 7th, 2021
11:15 A.M.

To the members of the First Congregational Church of Essex Junction,

GREETINGS IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST:

The Annual Meeting of the First Congregational Church of Essex Junction will be via Zoom (using this web link: https://bit.ly/31dXQ76)* on Sunday, February 7, 2021 at 11:15 A.M. to act upon the following business:

Article I: To hear and act upon the reports of the Church Officers, Committees and Recognized Groups of the Church.

Article II: To act and vote upon the proposed budget for 2021.

Article III: To elect all church officers and committees required by the by-laws of the Church and others as may be necessary.

Article IV: To give authorization to the Finance Committee to borrow money and sign notes pledging the credit of the Church, if needed, to meet the current expenses of the Church.

Article V: To transact any other business which may properly be brought before this Annual Meeting.

On behalf of the Church,

Christine Sinkewicz, Church Clerk

2020 Annual Report:

View ReportDownload Report

Christmas Eve 2020: 5pm & 9pm Worship Services

/in , /by
5pm Worship Service BulletinDownload
9pm Worship Service BulletinDownload

Watch both services on our official YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/fccej

Journey to Bethlehem: Christmas Offering

/in /by

It is with great joy that we come to the end of 2020: a rough year for the country, Vermont, and many of those we know and love.  We are grieving the 300,000 plus and counting Americans [100 Vermonters] who have died from the Coronavirus and for so many who feel isolated, depressed, or fatigued.  All our lives have been disrupted and we will remember these days for the rest of our lives. 

But I come to you with joy because First Church has weathered the COVID storm with grace and strengthened the ties that bind us together as people of faith.  With the health and safety of our members in mind, we have continued to stream our services but to an increased number of followers.  Administratively, we have met through Zoom and conducted the business of the church with aplomb.  Our many and varied social groups have continued to converse and support each other electronically even with new ideas coming to fruition to meet the ever-deepening isolation of some of our members.  We have continued to be a beacon to food insecure folks and maintain our community outreach.  And through it all, our members have kept up their giving which of course directly pays for all the many programs, staff, building upkeep and ministries. 

We have weathered this storm with joy because despite it all, First Church has expanded her scope, mission, and outreach during these crises.  It is a tribute to your faith and dedication and all of us on the staff and in leadership roles are grateful for your positive spirit.

Let me offer you one more opportunity to support and strengthen your church as we come to the close of a difficult year.  In the Spirit of Christmas, I would like you to consider making an end of the year financial gift to the church.  Last year, the governmental PPP Loan kept us in solid financial shape but next year we will not have the PPP loan to count on and our budget will be significantly tighter.  With your help, we can end the year financially strong and weather next year’s transition back to a more normal life with some grace. 

Due to not being in church when we collected the Per Capita collection, we are also way behind in that particular offering, an offering where we pay $ 14.50 for every member of the church to the Vermont Conference of the UCC.  Ideally, everyone chips in their share but that did not happen this year so again, I am offering you the opportunity to partner with the wider church in helping us meet that obligation. 

Everyone on the staff and leadership of the church wish you and yours a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.  May God bless all of you and First Church as we look to the future with a confidence and joy.

Christmas Blessings from Your Church Staff and Leaders!

Click Here to Download a Printer-Friendly VersionDownload

2021 Stewardship Campaign: Welcome to the Journey, Part 3

/in /by

By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept, remembering Zion.

On the poplars of that land we hung up our harps,

There our captors asked of us the lyrics of our songs and urged us to be joyful.

“Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” they said

How could we sing a song of Zion in a foreign land?

Psalm 137:1-4

Dear Friends:

Luckily, the Israelites did sing and offer prayers to God in Babylon and they became the only deported people of their day to ever maintain their national identity.  Within a generation they returned home, re-built their temple with a renewed spiritual awakening, re-established civic organization, and watched as the economic underpinnings became strong once again. 

First Church continuing to sing our song in the midst of the worst pandemic in a hundred years is a tribute to the faith and devotion of our members and friends.  Worship, music, meetings, giving, outreach, and mutual support are all continuing to occur because of you…..thank you!  Like the Israelites in Babylon, all of you know the importance of keeping First Church running smoothly now so that our witness to Christ’s love in the future might remain strong.

The importance of keeping our pledges steady during the next year of uncertainty is crucial to our continued well-being.  Let me encourage everyone to spend a little time thinking about the importance of First Church in your lives and in the wider life of Essex and then pray some and figure out what you intend to pledge to the church this next year.  Please consider level funding your pledge and if possible even raising it a bit to make up for the government coronavirus loan/grant that we will not be getting in 2021. 

Together, we can remain strong and keep our beloved church looking to the future with hope.  Your pledge will allow us to create an accurate budget and keep paying our bills. 

On behalf of the Church Council, I offer you

Blessings and Gratitude

Rev. Mark Mendes

View a Printable Version of the 2021 Pledge CardDownload

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Some statistics and charts shared in Part 2 of our Stewardship Campaign drive were miscalculated. Please, review these details by visiting this link:

2021 Stewardship Campaign: Welcome to the Journey, Part 2

2021 Stewardship Campaign: Welcome to the Journey, Part 2

/in /by

Dear Friends:

First Church has changed quite a bit since I first arrived here in 2008, but all institutions and people change with time; circumstances, both good and bad affect how we engage the world.  Those changes in turn demand our spiritual work in discerning where God’s Spirit is directing our attention.  When civil unions awakened our culture’s conscience, First Church took up the call and listened for the Spirit’s leading and over a decade ended up voting to be an Open and Affirming Church and allowing GLBTQ marriages in our sanctuary.  For 150 years, First Church has changed to answer God’s call to spread Christ’s love to the wider Essex community. 

The same is true for 2020.  To spread Christ’s love in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the percentage of our budget shifted dramatically from 2019 to 2020.  Mission spending, as a percentage of the total budget, went up from 11% in 2019 to 16 % in 2020 and that does not even include the physical food we distributed to food insecure folks in our community.  We have also taken advantage of no one being in the building during the pandemic for Building and Grounds spending as a percentage of the budget went up from 30 % in 2019 to 37 % in 2020 and that does not even include the money spend on the facility from the capital campaign! 

In addition, overall expenses have been below the budgeted amount and overall income has increased thanks to our members faithful giving throughout the year as well as the US Government’s PPP loan that totaled $ 62,135.  If we continue along these lines, then what started out as a deficit budget in January has turned into a surplus budget in October.  Good news for this year.

But next year is up for grabs.  We do not expect another PPP loan and as our church begins to open up in safe and prescribed ways, normal expenses are projected to return.  So, the key is maintaining or even increasing our income and the largest part of our income stream is our giving from members and friends.  This year, with the PPP loan, our pledges made up 66% of our income but last year without the loan it made up 80%! 

We need your help to keep our church actively spreading Christ’s love and making Essex a better place in which to live.  Look at the trifold and see where we spend our money.  Your giving supports our Worship & Spiritual Care, our Building & Grounds, our Music, our Faith Formation & Youth Groups and our Mission & Outreach.  Look at the bar graph and see where your pledge registers and see if you can nudge it over to the next higher category. If you do not pledge, seriously consider supporting our church financially…. now is the time when the need is so obviously clear.

Next week you will receive our final letter and pledge card and on October 25th, we will celebrate everyone’s support in worship.  Think and pray about your gift and get ready to send your pledge in with some prayers for the continued well-being of our church. 

May  God’s  Blessings  Be  With  You  All

Rev. Mark & the Stewardship Team

Click to View a Printer-Friendly Version of the Stewardship TrifoldDownload

First Congregational Church of Essex Junction, 1 Church Street, Essex Jct., VT 05452 | (802) 878-5745