JOIN US ON SUNDAYS:Worship 9:30 am Sunday School 10:00 am

Nursery available Fellowship following Worship

OCTOBER 2016 WORSHIP HIGHLIGHTS

and Common Lectionary Readings:

October 2 Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY

On this Sunday, we gather in Spirit with Christians around the world to celebrate our common calling.

We’ll worship outdoors on our deck and welcome the promise of new day!

Musicians: Senior Choir

and Guest: Ken S

Lamentations 1:1-16; Lamentations 3:19-26 or Psalm 137 or Habakkuk 1:1-4, 2:1-4; Psalm 37:1-9; 2 Timothy 1:1-14; Luke 17:5-10

October 9 Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7; Psalm 66:1-12 or 2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c; Psalm 111, 2 Timothy 2:8-15; Luke 17:11-19

October 16 Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Musicians: Senior Choir

Jeremiah 31:27-34; Psalm 119:970104 or Genesis 32:22-31; Psalm 121, 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5; Luke 18:1-8

October 23 Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Joel 2:23-32; Psalm 65 or Sirach 35:12-17 or Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22, Psalm 84:1-7, 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18; Luke 18:9-14

October 30 Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Our worship today will center on the theme of caring for this Good Earth.

Guest Musicians: The Carpenters

Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4; Psalm 119:137-144 or Isaiah 1:10-18; Psalm 32:1-7;2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12; Luke 19:1-10

OCTOBER 2016“IN THE FIRST PLACE”

First Congregational United Church of Christ

An Inclusive, Open & Affirming Congregation

Mankato MN 56001 507-387-6592

www.mankatoucc.org

Check us out on Facebook!

AND LOOKING AHEAD...

November 6th

All Saints Sunday

In worship we’ll remember loved ones who have died during this past year-- those in our personal lives

and in the life of our faith community. Names will be read aloud and bells will be tolled.

If there is someone you would like mentioned, please call or e-mail the church office by November 1st,

and let us know your relationship to them.

Consecration Sunday This is also the final Sunday of our stewardship drive, and we’ll share in a blessing

on our future together.

November 23rd, Wednesday, 7pm - THANKSGIVING WORSHIP

This year the all community Thanksgiving service will be held in our sanctuary, and it will be an interfaith

celebration!

Details to follow...

EDUCATIONAL MINISTRIES/FAITH FORMATION

Adult Studies:BOOK/BIBLE STUDY CONTINUES!

Sundays 4-5:30 pmOctober 2, 16, 23, 30All are welcome to stop in as we have just begun reading Brian McLauren’sNaked Spirituality: A Life with God in 12 Simple Words

The Mankato Islamic Center Tutoring Project:

A project has begun to tutor children at the Islamic Center in downtown Mankato, which at this point will go from October 3rd through December 7th.

Mondays from 4-6pm and Wednesdays from 3:30-7pm are the slots available. You don’t need to be a teacher with special skills! Just a person with patience and love of learning...

Come for the whole time or just part! Children range from the very young through middle school. Come be a helping bridge between cultures.For more details, talk with Pastor Dana.

Youth Faith Formation:

CONFIRMATIONWednesday from 7:15-8:15pm October 12th, 19th November 2nd, 16thFriday November 18th we journey with youth from the Islamic Center to a synagogue

for a tour and a service.

THE GATHERING Wednesdays from 6-7:15pm October 19th November 16thFriday November 18th we journey with youth from the Islamic Center to a synagogue for a tour and a service.

Children’s Communion Class: Wednesday, October 12th, 6-7pm

On Wednesday, October 12th from 6-7pm, there will be a gathering in the Fellowship Hall for those in 3rd through 6th grades to learn about Communion: where it comes from and why we share it.

We’ll read stories in the bible, explore questions that emerge, and we’ll prepare the elements in our kitchen.

Parents, please join us for the last 15 minutes as we will celebrate this holy meal together.

Please contact Pastor Dana by October 5th if you would like your child/children to join in.

MN CONFERENCE YOUTH EVENTS AT PILGRIM POINT

The theme for this year’s CYE is Creating Racial Justice In Our World

FALL MIDDLE SCHOOL EVENT: OCTOBER 7-9TH FALL HIGH SCHOOL EVENT: OCTOBER 14-16TH

Check it out on the kiosk in the church narthex, or on MN Conference website: uccmn.org/events and if you are interested.

Service to the Church - AcolytesThe children from Sunday School enjoy helping during worship. Families are signing up as Acolytes

and helping prepare the congregation for worship by lighting the candles. If you would like a turn to help, please sign up on the Acolyte list found on the kiosk or text/call Pat, Christian Education Director, with a date that works for your family. Thank you.

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1st Church Block Party – Saturday, October 1st

3:30 pm - Block Party from 3:30-6:30 pm

Food, Line Dancing, Karaoke, Music by Dueling Pianos, Games for all ages, Face

Painting, Bonfire.

All are welcome, bring a friend!!

MISSION AND MINISTRIES NEWSNeighbors In Need:

The Neighbors In Need offering, which we will receive October 2, is aspecial 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). The remaining funds are used by UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries (JWM).You will receive a letter in the mail explaining how your dollars are used in this important mission.

Thank You Note: CADA HouseTwenty-one gift cards to Payless Shoe Store were given to CADA House.

The $25 gift cards enable children to begin school with a new pair of shoes and will help children who need shoes in an emergency situation.

Thank you for supporting this mission.

Salvation Army Noon Meal:On September 25, First Church served a delicious meal to 92 appreciative folks at the Salvation Army. The meal consisted of brats, hamburger hotdish, chicken alfredo, scalloped potatoes and ham, corn,

beans, baked beans, cole slaw, pasta salad, banana bread, bread, cookies, bars, milk and coffee. The next opportunity for serving is December 11. Please sign up to help with this important mission

of this church.

Trick-or-Treat with Fair Trade Chocolates!It's time to think about Halloween again already. We will be taking orders for Fair Trade trick or

treat mini chocolates again this September through October 9th after the service during Fellowship. The minis are 2 cents each. You can order them in units of 25. 25 would be $5.00, 50 would be $10.00

etc. If you would like to have an ethical, environmentally sustainable alternative or addition to non-Fair Trade Halloween candy you hand out, please place your order. The chocolates should arrive for you to pick up after the Sunday service October 16th, 23rd and 30th.

Fair Trade chocolate guarantees cocoa farmers a living wage, makes sure there is no child or slave labor on the farms, requires that children go to school, provides extra money for community development, cuts out the middlemen, offers farmers low interest loans and assures sustainable farming practices.

Church Kitchen CompostingYou have probably noticed that we are now separating our compostable food and paper waste at

Fellowship time. By doing so, we reduce our trash volume and use the waste for a very valuable purpose, providing a soil enriching product.. Kindly put all food and food soiled paper products in the waste basket marked organic waste recycling for composting. These products include: Napkins, paper towels, Kleenex, food scraps, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags. All other products, plastic items including creamers, go in the other trash waste basket. The compostable bag goes to the outside bin marked organic waste for composting, next to the trash and recycling bins.

Thank you for your environmental stewardship commitment.

Fair Trade:Mark your calendar for two Fair Trade Events October 27th by MAFTTI (Mankato Area Fair

Trade Town Initiative) that you won't want to miss.

MSU CSU from 9:30 to 2:30 will be sponsoring a conference on Fair Trade with workshops and keynote speaker, Mark Ritchie, who is the former Minnesota Secretary of State and Director of Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. That evening MAFTTI will hold their 5th anniversary celebration at Christ the King church 7:00 p.m., featuring Mark Ritchie as speaker, a Fair Trade jeopardy game and comments by the mayor as well as Fair Trade refreshments. Both events are free and open to the public.

The day workshops will be: Sustainability in coffee by Lee Wallace, the head of Peace Coffee; EcuadorBanana production by Carrie Bluth, MSU graduate student and Anibal Cabrera, Ecuador banana farmer; Free Trade Versus Fair Trade by Kaela Berg, Director of the Minnesota Fair Trade Coalition; and Fair Trade Versus Fast Fashion by Margo Druschel and Molly Yunkers.

Mankato Zero Waste will have 3 launch events for the drop-off sites at Sibley Park, North Mankato and Lake Crystal. These will be opportunities for residents of these 3 cities to pick up free starter kits with compost bags and information about organic waste recycling when they sign up for free use of the sites.

Oct. 15th, 10:00 to noon, will be the North Mankato Riverbend Recycling Center, 600

Webster Ave along with their free fall junk drop-off and share it table. Oct. 22, 10:00 to noon, will be the Lake Crystal event at the recreation Center. Oct. 29, 10:00 to noon, will be the Sibley Park event by the Animal Impound and Kiwanis Lights Building. These events will have music, costumed veggies and fruits, games and snacks. Stop by to sign up and join the festivities.

CONGREGATIONAL LIFE The Men’s Group: Saturday, October 8, 8:00 am at the WOW! Zone

The Women’s Group: Saturday, October 8, 9:00 am at the WOW! Zone

“Dinner Out Event”Saturday, October 15th at 5:30 pm, will be held at India Palace on Madison Avenue. A sign-up sheet

has been posted on the kiosk in the church Narthex.Want to host a dinner out?? Instructions and dates available for hosting are also on the kiosk. Please

contact the Board of Deacons if you have any questions.

Come and Learn Basic Watercolor Painting Techniques! No experience necessary! FALL LEAVES

Saturday, October 15th

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

UCC Fellowship Hall

Each artist will leave with a leaf painting, suitable for framingin a 16 x 20 matted frame. Instruction and materials areincluded in the $69.00 fee. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Deacons! The fee is payable to Ann O. through Paypal: aobernolte@yahoo.com, (please pay through friends

and family) The class is limited to 12 adults. Payment reserves your spot in the class.

Adopt-a-HighwayThe fall Adopt a Highway clean-up will be on Saturday, October 22nd at 9:00 am. We are looking for

eight people to help out. With this amount it should only take a couple of hours. We will meet at the Eagle Lakeboat landing on County Rd. 26 (north side of the lake). A sign-up sheet will be posted at church.

Light refreshments will be provided. Due to program regulations, individuals under 18 must be supervised and those under 11 will not be able to participate.

HEALTH MINISTRIES:Blood Pressure Check:

Blood pressure check will be on Sunday, October 2. The Parish Nurse will be inthe Church Library after worship service.

Red Cross Blood Drive:We have been approached by the Red Cross to host a blood drive. There will be a sheet posted asking if

there is any interest in helping with a blood drive. Please let us know. Thank you.

Assistance Available:There are crutches, a walker and a wheel chair available for loan if someone has a need.

ALL IN THE CHURCH FAMILY:Prayer Requests:

PLEASE NOTE: Because of privacy issues, from now on we will only list the names of individuals for prayer when specifically requested by that person or an immediate family member. We are always happy to list any prayer concerns as you request them. Prayer requests will be listed for two months unless you indicate otherwise.

We lift up to God’s healing presence all those struggling in body, mind and spirit and pray for all

caregivers and all those serving our community, our nation and our world.

PASTORAL CONTACT: If there is a pastoral emergency, please call Pastor Dana Mann at (C) 1-917-202-3738.

FROM THE OFFICE COORDINATOR:

Church Office Hours

Monday 10:30 am - noon & 1-3 pm

Tuesday - Thursday 9:00 am - noon & 1-3 pm

Friday 9:00 am – noon

Sunday Helper Schedule:***If you are unable to be in church on the Sunday that you are scheduled, please

check the schedule and find someone to switch with. Please contact the Church Office at387-6592, if any changes are made to the schedule.

***New volunteers are always welcome! (Ushers, Greeters, Liturgist & Nursery) If youwould like to be included on the Sunday Coffee Helper Schedule, please contact the ChurchOffice. Look in the Weekly 1stNews for the up-coming Sunday Helper Schedule.

First Congregational United Church of Christ

150 Stadium Court, Mankato, Minnesota 56001

Phone: 507/387-6592 E-mail katoucc@mankatoucc.org

Web Page www.mankatoucc.org

Pastor: Rev. Dana J Mann dana@mankatoucc.org

Moderator: Silas Danielson

Choir Director: Angie Braunwarth-Hartwell

Organist: Diana Stoll

Director of Christian Education: Pat Thompson

Parish Nurse: Rochelle Major

Office Coordinator: Diane Bartelt katoucc@mankatoucc.org

Financial Secretary: Donna Sandon Web Steward: Darcy Stueber