THE EPISTLE
Volume 14 Issue 1 JANUARY 22, 2009
40 DAYS OF DRIPS:
Lenten Project Announced
D
o you hear the dripping?Water is essential for life – both human and eternal.Our faith is awash with theimagery of water. Before theworld had shape and form, weacknowledge God’s Spiritmoved over the waters.
Drip,drip
. God washed the earthwith the waters of the flood.God led the Israelites throughthe Red Sea waters from slav-ery to freedom.
Drip, drip.
During baptisms, we speak of our Lord, Jesus Christ, whowas nurtured in the water of Mary’s womb, baptized inthe River Jordan, becameLiving Water to the Samarianwoman, washed the feet of the disciples and sent themforth to baptize all the na-tions.
Drip, drip, drip,drip…
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Water, so often taken for granted, yet so critical toour very existence. We bathe in it. We cook with it.We drink it to survive. We don’t even think about it.
Drip, drip, drip…
You are invited to join us, as we embark on our Lenten journey 2009 beginning Sunday, February 1.The theme, this year, is
Forty Days of Drips
.
Thegoal of this Lenten program is three-fold: First, it isdesigned to help us find and draw closer to Jesus, the“living water,” through our six-week small groupstudy. Second, we hope to provide clean, safe drink-ing water to our brothers and sisters in South Sudanand to brighten up a soup kitchen here in Rochester.Finally, we hope that participating in this study andoutreach effort will deepen the sense of community,fellowship and unity within our church family.
Drip, drip, drip…
Join A Small Group
We have five small groups meeting at varioustimes and on various days. Please check the roll-ing bulletin board in Fellowship Hall to seewhich day and time works best for you. Our small groups will meet weekly for the six weeksof Lent (Feb. 25 – Apr. 5). These study and dis-cussion groups will use the curriculum,
The Je- sus I Never Knew
, based on book (with the sametitle) by Philip Yancey, editor of
ChristianityToday
magazine. Each class will include view-ing a 15 minute video and group discussion.Participants’ guides will be available for $8 atthe first small group meetings (or you can pur-chase one from Kelly Weidman).
Help Make a REAL Difference :
Give the Gift of Clean Water
During the six weeks of Lent, our church family will work to provide the most basic of human needs – clean drinking water – for up to 3,000 people in South Sudan. Currently, vil-lagers (mainly women and children) walk hours each day to collect unsanitary drinking wa-ter, which they and their families rely upon for their very survival. Ironically, drinking thecontaminated water results in pain, sickness and often death for these destitute people.Water for Sudan is a Rochester-based not-for-profit organization founded by Salva Dut,once a “walking boy of Sudan” who fled the war-torn country as a child. Water for Sudandrills wells for clean, potable water for communities throughout the southern part of Sudanin Africa. One well may serve up to 3,000 people.Once a well is drilled, the community springs to life. Women and children no longer need towalk miles to collect one bucket of water. They are able to attend school or do work to en-hance their livelihood. Life expectancies increase. Women experience healthier pregnan-cies. Schools and marketplaces are built, as the community becomes stable and more se-cure.Our goal is to raise the $8,000 required to drill a well. We plan to hold one or two major community fund-raisers toward which all of our members may participate (versus havingeach small group hold their own fund-raiser). Watch for more details regarding these fund-raisers.
Continued on p.3
Drip, drip, drip…
Brighten A Soup Kitchen
Closer to home, our church members willhave the opportunity to roll up their sleevesand provide “sweat” versus financial equity.First Congregational church member Ted Av-gerinos will lead a team of interested workersin painting and refinishing the gymnasiumfloor at the Salem Nutrition Center. The costof supplies has already been covered.All we need is your muscle to brighten thissoup kitchen, which provides a hot meal toover 300 guests each week.Most of the work will take place Feb. 23-27and March 16 –20
th
. If you are interested inhelping with the labor, contact Ted Avgerinosdirectly (number below) or sign up for a shiftin Fellowship Hall.
Dripping Kicks Off February 1
On
Sunday, February 1, everyone is invited tolearn more about 40 Days of Drips and our as-sociated mission projects during a delicious brunch held for all church members in Fellow-ship Hall following the worship service. We
A Valentine Invitation to the“Seniors” in Our Church
The youth group of First Congregational UCCwould like to cordially invite all First Church“seniors” to a special Valentine’s Day Luncheonon
Sunday, Feb. 8
following adult education classat approximately 11:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. Itis our joy to wish you a “Happy Valentine’s Day!”Please let us know if you can attend by signing upon the rolling bulletin board in Fellowship Hall.
Boy Scout Sunday– FEBRUARY 8
Our regular church service on SundayFebruary 8th will recognize the partner-ship between our church and Boy ScoutTroop 207.Scouts, leaders, and scout parents will be in attendance to help celebrate the 99thanniversary of the founding of the BoyScouts of America.
will have speakers from both Water for Sudan and the Salem Nutrition Center share their missionswith us.
Join Us!
C’mon! Let’s do something real. Something meaningful. Something that shows our praise andgratitude for the Living Water. Are you with us? Let’s turn on the tap and let the water flow!Questions?Contact: :Pastor Cedarleaf 223-0224KellyWeidman: 223-8978 Karen Hamill 425-1958Jim Franzen 223-8074 Bill Harris 223-5617Ted Avgerinos 388-1355
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Epistle Jan 2009
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