FIRST
CONGREGATIONAL
CHURCH
Then Jesus called them to him and said, “Allow the children to come to me.
Do not forbid them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people like these children.
I assure you that whoever does not welcome God’s kingdom like a child will never enter it.”
Luke 18:16-17 (Similar texts in Matthew 19:14 and Mark 10:14)
About Our Summer Season 2020
To say that this spring has been different than any of us expected is a gross understatement. Many of us feel weary, worried and ready to get back to life as we knew it before COVID-19 and our heightened awareness of systemic racism.
But what if the invitation is not to go back but forward? What if the goal is not so much return but renewal? What if God’s call is to see the world with fresh eyes - to see what is most important to us, to see how we are all interconnected, to see the everyday miracles of gardens and trees, friendship, kindness and love? This summer, we invite you to look at the world Through the Eyes of a Child.
Summer Worship
We currently plan to continue to gather virtually through the end of August (unless something dramatic changes), and our worship seeks to make the most of this virtual format. Our order of worship invites us to simplify, to see through fresh lenses, and to cultivate curiosity, awe and hope. Each Sunday will focus around a particular theme.
Sacred Space
Children have a profound sense of awe and wonder and so see the sacred all around them. Please be intentional about creating sacred space. You may want to include something from outdoors, something growing, a candle, favorite children’s book and a photograph of yourself as a child and/or a beloved child in your life.
Worship Activity
Each Sunday will include an activity to do during worship that invites us to engage with our whole selves -- bodies, minds, and spirits -- and that connects with that week’s theme. These are intentionally childlike and we hope you will delight in them.
Sharing
To help us engage more deeply with the week’s theme and with one another, a member of our congregation will reflect briefly on the theme and then we will have a chance to share our own thoughts in small groups of no more than four using breakout rooms.
Weekly Themes
June 14 CURIOSITY
June 21 HOPE
June 28 FEAR
July 5 TRUST (Rev. Laura Nelson, Guest Preacher)
July 12 JOY/EXCITEMENT
July 19 JUSTICE/FAIRNESS
*July 26 COMMUNITY/FRIENDSHIP
August 2 WONDER/AWE (Guest Preacher)
August 9 VULNERABILITY (Jason Morgan, Guest Preacher)
August 16 WOUNDS
August 23 RESILIENCY
August 30 PLAY
Sept 6 LOVE
*July 20-Aug 1 Rocky Mountain Conference Annual Celebration
We hope that in our summer worship, you will find yourself looking at the world through renewed and revived eyes.
That you will cultivate your curiosity, sense of fairness, wonder, joy and hope.
And that you will, like a child, know deeply the power of God’s love to transform us and our world.
Summer Videos
During our summer season, our children and youth lead us into worship. You can find links to each Sunday's Call to Worship below. You can also find some links to the reflections shared by our members each Sunday.
Sunday, June 14 -- Curiosity
Call to Worship led by Anthony & Natalie Stelwagon
Sunday, June 21 -- Hope
Call to Worship Adapted from "We Have Hope" by Julie Martin
led by Grayson & Gavin Snyder and Jeslyn & Mya Haux
Sharing Our Stories of Hope -- Tammy Sharmer
Sunday, June 28 -- Fear
Call to Worship Adapted from "The Shallow End" by Wayne Hawkins
led by Lucas Gardner and his grandpa Lee Daniels
Sunday, July 5 -- Trust
Call to Worship led by Braelyn & Matthew Frank
Worship Recording with Sharing Our Stories of Hope -- Jon Haux
Sermon by Rev. Laura Nelson
A Child's Prayer for Communion by Alex Clare Young
led by Natalie & Anthony Stelwagon, Giovanni & Celia Glantz and Cora Dale-Ferguson
Sunday, July 12 -- Joy
Call to Worship led by Lucas Gardner and Cora Dale-Ferguson
Sharing Our Stories of Joy -- Maria Greaves
July 19 -- Justice
Call to Worship Adapted from “Tablets of oppression: A Litany” by Alex Clare-Young
led by Chloe & Emma Ogle and Jeslyn & Mya Haux