Believe it or not: a modern Christian church that accepts all people as they are

In 1955 there was a bold group of Houston Christians driven by a vision to invite people of all colors and cultures to grow together spiritually as a church. They did it, and the church, First Congregational Church of Houston, survives today. In doing so, they set an example for the nation’s most racially and ethnically diverse city, and for Christianity in the American South, that all people are welcomed and loved by God. That same spirit exists today in FCC's membership, and our purpose remains as it was: to do what we can to fulfill God’s vision of love for all people.

 As part of our mission to further engage our community, we want to open our doors wider and invite more of Houston’s residents to worship with us in a less-traditional way. Starting December 1st, 2013, we begin holding two worship services on Sunday: our traditional service at 10:00 am, and a new modern service at 1:15 pm. In between the two worship services there remains Coffee, Tea and Conversation at 11:00, and Christian Education classes at 11:30. We are also introducing a community lunch at 12:30, open to all.

 The new service is designed to be accessible to anyone, in particular those who do not attend church because they feel uncomfortable with traditional worship. The music and format of our 1:15pm service is contemporary, and the focus is very much on building a spiritual connection with God and community. Those who self identify as “spiritual but not religious” should find home here. Theologically, FCC is progressive. You won't find proselytizing here, where we believe you are welcome whoever you are and wherever you are on life's journey. This means you can be an atheist, a seeker, a devout Christian, a confused Christian, or anything else and you will be welcomed to join in the conversation and rediscovery of what it means to be Christian in the 21st Century.

 The service itself is at times be more energizing and spirit lifting, yet also more contemplative, with long silent reflection. Language is simple and everyday. Prayer is interactive, inviting people to speak aloud, and sometimes sung. Music is central. We sing simple but emotionally engaging songs, supported by piano and string bass. The aim is to be down to earth, relevant and meaningful, and to continue to focus on our core values. These values are to be open to the new and different, spiritual at our core, reflective and thoughtful as we go, and responsive in the way we put ourselves into action to support what we believe.

 If you've ever attended FCC in the past, or thought of doing so, we invite you to come now and try the new contemporary, spiritual service. Invite a friend and come together, because at FCC we're all about community.

 If you don’t attend church but are interested in finding a church that can feed you spiritually and not ask you to check your brains at the door, come give this a try. And if you really want to explore questions of faith, come to our adult classes preceding the service at 11:30 am. Bring your children, too, because there are classes for children of every age up to adult. These classes allow you to go more deeply into the issues and ask questions, and to meet others who are doing the same.

 Or maybe you are just looking for a contemporary Christian church that truly values all people as they are, regardless of their skin color or culture or sexual identity or any other trait. In the words of one member, remarking about their first visit to FCC, "I was amazed to find such a remarkably open and embracing Christian church here in Houston, in the middle of the fundamentalist Christian South." Indeed for many, who's perception of Christianity is based solely on the pervasive conservative and fundamentalist rhetoric circulated by media, you will find FCC a breath of fresh air, and you may start to see faith in a whole new (and intriguing) light.

 In faith,
Eric

CE stands for Christian Exploration

"CE", in the vernacular of Christian churches, stands for Christian education. I don't know, but this term appeared some time over the decades I wasn't paying attention. It used to be called sunday school. I was in sunday school as a kid, but I remember my parents attending adult sunday school, also. So, for as long as I've known, sunday school is church school for kids and adults. I guess Christian education displaced the term "Sunday school" because it sounds more serious or more grown up, or maybe more to the point; and CE is what you say if your life is so busy you don't have time to say "Christian education," which is true for most people.

I'm a big fan of education. I hope I'm learning my entire life. I love learning about many things, and Christianity is a big focus area for me. However, I get hung up on the term "Christian education" because Christianity is not a subject in which you school yourself like you can for Spanish, math or biology. Although I accept that there can be some uncertainties in school subjects, generally you can expect to be taught the facts of Spanish, math, and biology the same as anyone else would learn studying the same thing in another school.

Christianity, however, is not a science, or even a study of facts. Christianity is a faith, and faith is a personal thing. Faith is not something everyone can be taught to practice like everyone else. It is not like learning to ride a bike, or to conjugate verbs, or how to do long division. To me, it's bothersome to think I should be educated in what my faith should be. I can't imagine sitting through a class that aims to teach me what I must do or think to be a Christian. Yet, that is exactly what Sunday school, or Christian education, has long aimed to do. Fine, if you're six years old; but as an adult I know life and God and my spirituality are anything but simple, and they do not lend themselves to textbook rendering or classroom instruction.

I prefer to use the term "Christian exploration" for "CE". I don't have to get the whole of Christendom to accept a yet newer term for the old "Suday school." I just keep using "CE", but change what is stands for to "Christian exploration."  To me, that is what CE is. It is an exploration of faith, of my spirituality, the Bible, God, Jesus, the stories, and the Christian life. It is from this exploration (and, yes, an education of things new to me) that I draw my faith. It is not, however, where I am taught, like naming the bones of the human skeleton, how to be a Christian.

I know for some this may be splitting hairs, as they say. Education is a form of exploration, and vice-versa. It's just that I cannot accept the notion of being taught what to think or believe or in what I must have faith. My faith is not mine and it is not faith if it does not derive from my own heart and soul and mind. My faith is from me, from my relationship with God and my connection with Jesus. These are, by definition, personal. I'm all open to learning new things, especially in the area of how to live my life more fully and happily and meaningfully. Just let me take from what I learn and determine for myself what I believe.

I am a Christian. You may be, too. We are probably, however, not at the same place on our respective journeys of faith, thinking and believing and understanding things exactly the same. I know I don't think and believe and understand the same as I did five years ago. My faith is always an evolution. It is a journey. It is an exploration. Happy learning!

in God's love,
Eric

Bring a Salad or Dessert to Church on Sunday!

Homecoming Lunch Sunday September 8

We are having lasagna and garlic bread for lunch, courtesy of the Activities Committee. YUM!

But what's lunch without dessert? For that matter what is lasagna without a salad? Bring your favorite salad or dessert to round out the meal. If you have any questions, call or email Jamie Strong.

Christian Education classes are cancelled for the day and we will eat at 11:00. I'll see you there.

--Julia

This sounds like an interesting church...

I missed the story on NPR, but I listened to it online. You can too.

Kentucky Church Allows Pooches As Parishioners

--Julia

Worth Reading

Jonathan Merrit, of RNS, the Religious News Service, recently interviewed Lillian Daniel.
Lilian Daniel is a UCC minister and a frequent author of the Daily Devotional. She is also the author of
When "Spiritual but Not Religious" Is Not Enough: Seeing God in Surprising Places, Even the Church. The Seekers read and discussed this book earlier this summer.

You can read the interview here. It's worth reading. Rev. Daniels can be thought provoking but abrasive. In the interview she says


"Any idiot can find God alone in the sunset. It takes a certain maturity to find God in the person sitting next to you who not only voted for the wrong political party but has a baby who is crying while you’re trying to listen to the sermon. Community is where the religious rubber meets the road. People challenge us, ask hard questions, disagree, need things from us, require our forgiveness. It’s where we get to practice all the things we preach."


- See more at: http://jonathanmerritt.religionnews.com/2013/08/13/answering-the-spiritual-but-religious-an-interview-with-lillian-daniel/?ref=leaderboard#sthash.ExsToKaV.dpuf


After you read the interview, you might want to read the discussion in the comments. There is even a response by David Hayward on the NakedPastor blog.  He says

"The SBNR [Spiritual But Not Religious] people I know are not a homogeneous whole but a diverse diaspora. For the most part, the ones I know are humble but confident. They are unusually deep and find ingenious ways of dealing with difficult situations. They are spiritually complex and fascinating. They hunger for a community they’ve concluded the church cannot seem to provide. They are fiercely and even defiantly independent. And they quit the church because they felt restricted, controlled or even harmed by the system, its ideology and the people who govern and administer them."

Read the blog posts. See what you think. And comment here or on one of those blogs.

--Julia

Sunday Service for August 18 Also: Last Play Date of the Summer

"We're on a mission from God!" If you remember the Blues Brothers from 1980's Saturday Night Live, you will remember that famous quote. I never figured out what mission the Blues Brothers were on but I think they may have been onto something. The reality is that if we profess to be a church, we are "on a mission from God" because we are all called to the work of carrying the light of God's love into the dark corners of life. As we near the conclusion of our summer series on the long range plan for FCC, we come to the place where we put into action all the values, purpose and vision statements that we have been learning about over the past two months. The question now is "what is our mission" and "are ready to accept it?" This Sunday's worship experience puts those questions before us. Are we really "on a mission from God?" Each one of us has to answer that question, for ourselves and for our church.


This Sunday, David Nussmann will be sharing two favorite hymns both with words by Erena Murray. The Anthem will be Sing a Happy Alleluia by Tracy Shirk, and the offering will be For the Music of Creation sung to the tune Ode to Joy by Ludwig van Beethoven. Organist, Gavin Craig, will play Paraphrase sur une mélodie de Beethoven by Marcel Dupré and Nun lob mein Seel de Herrn by Johann Christoph Bach. Our congregational hymns will be O God of Every Nation (LLANGLOFFAN); God of Grace and God of Glory (CWM RHONDDA); and By Gracious Powers (BONHOEFFER).

_____________________________________________________________________



Our last FCC Play Date will be Monday, August 19. Parents will need to bring a lunch for themselves and their kiddos if you want to eat. Plenty of water is encouraged as well. This is a great chance to get our kids together, but also to hang out with other parents! Contact Rev. Katelin Warren at katelin@fcc-houston.org with questions. Hope to see you there!!

  

Please Note:  This is not a "love 'em and leave 'em play date." You are responsible for the care and feeding of your children while they are here.  Please do not plan on dropping them off and leaving.  We want to get to know our parents as much as our kids want to play together.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

This Sunday's Service

Okay, we've spent the previous two weeks discussing how hard it is to love strangers and those closest to us.  For this last week of consideration of how we share God's love (our purpose), we take on loving the one person that usually gets left out of the mix, ourselves.  Maybe that's because we feel giving our own selves any attention is being conceited or narcissistic.  So, how do we reconcile Jesus words to "love our neighbor as ourselves." Maybe the real catch is that it's impossible to love others until we can truly love ourselves.  Come and join in the conversation this Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

This Sunday ensemble singers will present If Ye Love Me by Thomas Tallis. Organist Gavin Craig will play Matines, Op. 58, no. 1 by Louis Vierne; Vater unser im Himmelreich, BWV 636 by Johann Sebastian Bach; and Postlude in C Minor by William T. Best.  Our congregational hymns will be Seek Ye First (SEEK YE FIRST); O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee (MARYTON); and God of Our Life, Through All the Circling Years (SANDON).

Seeker’s Invitation: Join us in August as we start a new book

We eat, but we are not a dinner group;  we read books, but we are not a book group;  we study, but we are not a class;  we  discuss, but we are not a discussion group;  we pray, but we are not a prayer group.  We are a group of spiritual seekers who share our lives with each other and are committed to be present as much as we are able.  We seek to deepen our relationship with God, and our experience of the sacred.  We seek to expand our vision of how we might contribute to peace and love in the world.

The Seekers meet on Wednesdays.  On August 7th we will be starting a new book called The Raft is Not the Shore.  It is an account of conversations about Buddhist-Christian awareness between Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist Monk, and Daniel Berrigan, a Jesuit priest.

We meet for brown-bag supper in the assembly room at 6:00, then go to the sanctuary room for the rest of our activities at 6:30, concluding about 8:00.

We rotate leadership by the week or section of the book.  Sometimes we just discuss topics.  We occasionally go on retreats.  Everyone is invited.  If you are interested and/or have questions, call Sylvia. Her number is in the church directory, or you can leave a message for her at the church office. 

Poimaino: An Opportunity to Serve a Free Lunch

Hi Everyone!

Our next Poimaino meal is Saturday, July 20th , which is the third Saturday of the month. 

 

Again we will go with our summertime menu of sandwiches.  So the cooks (or preparers in this case) will get to sleep in late again! 

Set up will start at 10:30am, and “minglers” are to arrive by 11:00am.  The meal will be served at 12:00 noon with a concurrent 50-cent garage sale.  Donations for the garage sale can be either:

·         Dropped off at St. Peter UCC between 10am-2pm Tuesday or Wednesday

·         Delivered to FCC on Sunday or during office hours.

·         Brought with you Saturday morning.

If you drop off your donations at FCC or St. Peter, be sure to mark your boxes/bags with “Poimaino”.  The garage sale has been a big draw for us, so bring what you can.

Here are the details.

What:            Poimaino Community Meal

When:          Saturday, July 20th, 10:30am – 2:00pm

Where:         St. Peter UCC, 9022 Long Point Rd

Who:             Volunteers needed for cooking, set-up, preparing sandwiches, garage sale, cleaning and mingling with our guests

Instead of bringing cornbread, those who want to contribute food might consider a chilled sandwich filler such as tuna salad, egg salad, etc. or something that compliments sandwiches (not soup!).   

If any questions, please call Burton  or me (– I’m in Nigeria this week!).  I’ll be sending out an Outlook Calendar notice as well. [Phone numbers for Burton and German are in the church directory.]

Please let me know if you can commit to volunteer this Saturday so I can get a headcount.  

Thanks,
German

Houston Pride Festival

Houston Pride Festival

 

Booth hosted by First Congregational UCC, Bethel UCC, Grace UCC, and Plymouth United Church UCC. — at LGBT Pride Houston Celebration.

Sunday July 17, 2013

This Sunday's Service

"Love, love, love" the Beatles sang, and almost every other song writer in history. We talk about love a lot, but do we really know what we are talking about? How often do we really think about "love" in a rational sense? The motto of FCC is, "where heart and mind meet." How do we, as Christians, go about exercising the intentional love that Jesus' life and ministry were all about? The purpose of FCC is "to fulfill God's vision of love for all people." How do we carry that out as a congregation and in our own lives? The sermon title is "God's Vision of Love Within Us." The Adult Sunday School class will also delve into this topic following Coffee, Tea, and Conversation starting at 11:30 a.m.

 

This Sunday special guest singers Julia Boldt Swindle, Jeff Newton, and Michael Salinas will join Interim Choir Director KeiCee Newton to sing two gospel pieces, I Will Lift My Weary Eyes and You Better Get on Board. Both of these songs were written by local composer and choir director at Northwoods Presbyterian Church, Kinley Lange. Guest pianist, Janice Fehlauer, will play Bist Du bei mir by Johann Sebastian Bach and Trumpet Voluntary by Jeremiah Clarke. Our congregational hymns will be They Asked, "Who's My Neighbor" (NEIGHBOR); O Lord, Almighty God, Thy Works (YORK); and Let Justice Flow Like Streams (ST. THOMAS).

mission trip

Youth Mission Trip

Sunday afternoon, seven youth and two adults will travel to Austin, Texas, for our summer mission trip. Working with a group called Reach Beyond Mission, we will work with several inner city agencies such as food banks and soup kitchens. As we send them off Sunday, we pray for the blessing of their hearts and their minds as they work with God's children. If you are interested, Rev. Katelin Warren will be posting pictures on Facebook© throughout the week; so check out the church Facebook page for updates!

Worth Reading

If you missed the Leonard Pitts column in Sunday's Houston Chronicle, you should take a look.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/06/3483892/leonard-pitts-a-universal-explanation.html#storylink=cpy

Here's one of my favorite lines:

“Finding is important,” said God. “But seeking is important, too. Seeking teaches patience, opens your mind, shows you your own limitations. That’s where wisdom begins.”

(Perhaps I should mention that the Seekers group meets on Wednesday evenings. Contact Sylvia for more information.)

This part made me giggle:

The kid behind the counter handed the water bottle to God, who handed it to me.
“Don’t forget to recycle,” He said. “My oceans are not garbage dumps.”

Did you look? What do you think? Leave a comment!

---Julia

Sunday, July 7, 2013

This Sunday's Service

This Sunday we consider the last of the four core values of First Congregational Church, openness. As our founding members declared in 1955, "let us build an open church." The challenge of being open to those who society has shunned has been a constant over the years at FCC. As we have opened our doors and our hearts to those of different ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations, how do we continue to practice the value of openness as a faith community in the 21st century? These are thoughts to ponder as we journey through the long days of summer! Come and share the journey and share your thoughts and perspectives on this timely question.

This Sunday Melissa Fristche will sing Love Ye the Lord (Largo) by George Frederic Händel, then she will be joined by KeiCee Newton for The Voice of My Beloved Sounds from Melodious Accord by Alice Parker. Our congregational hymns will be God of Grace and God of Laughter (SOUTH BRANCH); Blessed Be the Tie That Binds (DENNIS); and Called as Partners in Christ's Service

(BEECHER).

Pride Parade

Pride Festival

Next Saturday ~ June 29 ~ 1-7 PM

FCC is joining with three other ONA (Open and Affirming Congregations) to host a booth at the annual Pride Festival from 1-7 p.m. on June 29. Our message is that UCC is a welcoming place. "We are a people of Extravagant Welcome," reads the card that we will hand out to festival goers, along with cool cloths to wipe their faces and colorful beads to wear.

The other host congregations are Bethel UCC, Grace UCC, and Plymouth United Church UCC. FCC's Church in Society Board (CIS) is coordinating our church's participation in this event.

FCC Play Date

Next FCC Play Date

Monday ~ June 24

Greetings Parents and Friends of FCC! If you are looking for something to do with your kiddos this Summer, then you are in luck!

Every Monday until school starts in August, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., parents and kiddos will be gathering at FCC to let our kids play on the playground and enjoy some games in the Assembly Room. Parents will need to bring a lunch for themselves and their kiddos if you want to eat. Plenty of water is encouraged as well. This is a great chance to get our kids together, but also to hang out with other parents! Contact Rev. Katelin Warren at katelin@fcc-houston.org with questions.

Our next play date will be on Monday, June 24th. Hope to see you there!!

Sunday, June 23,2013

This Sunday's Service

 

"As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?" Psalm 42:1-2.

These opening words from Psalm 42 describe a deep longing within each one of us. We search for something beyond our everyday lives; something beyond that which we can explain or control. We call this desire by many names, but in Christianity we often say it is the sacred or the spiritual. The Christian church has been many things over the years but whenever it loses that sense of the Spirit, it usually loses its ability to affect people's lives. Our worship this Sunday addresses one of the four core values of FCC, the essence of the Spirit of God that we seek to know in our lives. During Adult Sunday School time, we will get together to discuss this topic further. How can FCC convey this sense of the Spirit to the world around us?

This Sunday the Summer Choir will sing Come All Who Thirst by Luigi Cherubini. Guest organist Mi Wha (Michelle) Choi will play Suite du ze ton (basse de cromorne) by Louis-Nucolas Cle'rambault, Prelude BWV 539 by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Sonata No. 5 in D major, Opus 65 Movement 1. Andante by Felix Mendelssohn. Our congregational hymns will be As Longs the Deer (O WALY WALY); Come, Living God, When Least Expected (RENDEZ À DIEU); and Many Are the Lightbeams (LAGORNA ÄR MANGA).

Sunday, June 16, 2013

We welcome Darnell Fennell, our guest preacher this Sunday. Darnell is a member of First Congregational Church and has just completed his second year at Pacific School of Religion, working toward a Master of Divinity degree. Darnell was recently granted "member in discernment" status by the Houston Association. The title of Darnell's sermon is "I'm Glad Someone Said Something." The scripture reading is Galatians 2:11-21.

This Sunday, LaVerne Meline and Naomi Black will sing Give Ear Unto Me by Benedetto Marcello and In the Garden arranged by Jerry Ray. Guest organist Mi Wha (Michelle) Choi will play Suite du ze ton (duo) and Suite du ze ton (plein jeu) both by Louis-Nicolas Clérambault. Our congregational hymns will be Great God, as We Are Gathering (MORNING SONG) reprinted with permission through onelicence.net #A-710879; O, Worship the King, All Glorious Above (LYONS); and Savior, Again to Thy Dear Name (ELLERS).

Sunday, May 12,2013

This Sunday, The Meeting House Choir will offer "A Service of Light." This is not the usual Cantata, but is a special compilation of some different musical pieces put together with various readings from the Bible, secular writings, and spiritual mystics. The theme that ties them all together is "light." Light is probably the most universal symbol for things spiritual in most of the world's religions. Bring a friend and enjoy a different sort of musical experience.

Please join the Meeting House Choir & Decibells this Sunday for a special Service of Light. There will be many varied musical offerings. Organist Gavin D. Craig will play Berceuse by Franz Liszt. The Decibells will play Comfort Ye by Margaret Tucker, a piece commissioned in memory of Jeff Harper. They will be joined by Matt Wilson on cello and Denise Zoch on oboe. The Meeting House Choir will sing Morning Has Broken arranged by John Rutter, Shine On Us by Michael W. & Deborah D. Smith, Lux Aeterna by Tom Porter, and Waitin' for the Light to Shine from Big River arranged by Mark Brymer. Jeff Newton will be presenting Hari Om by Randall and Kristen Brooks and I Am the Light of My Soul by Jeff Newton. The congregational hymns include: O Splendor of God's Glory Bright (PUER NOBIS NASCITUR), This Little Light of Mine - vs 1&3 (THIS JOY), See How the Galaxies Are Always There (NEUFIELD), and The Sun is on the Sea and Shore (BROTHER JAMES' AIR).

Sunday, April 21, 2013

This Sunday's Service

According to the Liturgical Church Calendar, the 4th Sunday of Easter (the six weeks between Easter Sunday and Pentecost) is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The scriptures deal with the image of God, and, or Jesus as the Good Shepherd. We are all familiar with this metaphor, and it is one of the most cherished scriptural references to the loving God. Of course, the most well known passage is the 23rd Psalm. Even people who are not church goers are usually familiar with this beautiful passage from the Hebrew scriptures. This Sunday we will consider the 23rd Psalm as we go on a meditational journey through these beloved verses. Let us walk in right paths, and beside still waters, for the Shepherding God is with us in all of our journeys.

The Meeting House Choir will sing Allelujah by Dr. William Boyce, and My Shepherd Will Supply My Need arranged by Mack Wilberg with Denise Zoch on oboe. Organist Gavin D. Craig will playThe King of Love by Charles Villiers Stanford, In Green Pastures by Harold Darke, and Scherzo from Symphony II by Charles-Marie Widor. Our congregational hymns will be The King of Love My Shepherd Is (ST. COLUMBIA), Precious Lord Take My Hand (PRECIOUS LORD), and Crown Him with Many Crowns (DIADEMATA).

BAGS

BAGS Program

FCC has started a new missions effort called BAGS (Be A Good Samaritan). This program,

entirely voluntary, consists of FCC members providing aid to homeless persons on street corners.

FCC members that want to participate can pick up an empty bag after worship on Sundays, along

with a suggested shopping list for simple food items, a note that tells that the aid has been

provided by an FCC member, and a HELP CARD in both English and Spanish. The HELP

CARD gives contact information on: emergency shelters, crisis intervention hotlines, food

pantries, housing, health clinics, mental health services, and other vital resources for the

homeless. Participating FCC members will then add food items of their choice to the bag, keep

them in their cars, and pass them out to street people as appropriate occasions arise. Participants

are encouraged to give feedback to the church office on how the program is received by the bag

recipients.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

This Sunday's Service

 

The man known as Saul, later to become Paul, figures greatly in the history and development of Christianity, sometimes perhaps not in a very positive light. Many of Paul's writings have been taken out of context and used to form rigid doctrinal understandings of Christianity, far from the original teachings of Jesus. However, one of the taken for granted, and so overlooked parts of Paul's life is his conversion experience on the road to Damascus. This facet of the Apostle's life lifts up one of the truly mystical and spiritual aspects of who Paul was and can point us on a fruitful journey within our own lives. Join us for worship as we journey down the "Long and Winding Road". The scripture reading is Acts 9:1-20.

This Sunday there will be special music featuring choir member Brian Kosior. He will sing My God is Real arranged by Kinley Lange and Easter! from Five Mystical Songs by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Guest organist, Alice Hopkins, will play Morning Has Broken arranged by Diane Bish, and Jubilation by Gordon Young. The congregational hymns will be I Look to You in Every Need (O JESU), Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty

(NICEA), and Joy Dawned Again on Easter Day (PUER NOBIS NASCITUR).

Mission 4/1 Earth at FCC

First Congregational Church tree planting as part of the United Church of Christ Mission 4/1 Earth - 50 great days of resurrection and renewal. See www.ucc.org/earth for more info and to purchase or donate trees!

This Sunday's Service

Last Sunday was a "glorious" celebration of the resurrection of Jesus, otherwise known as Easter. We had beautiful music from the choir and bells, a ton of excited children ready to hunt Easter Eggs and a Meeting House filled with joyous people. What more could you want on Easter? Now, here we are at the first Sunday after the Resurrection, and how are we supposed to feel? Is there any reason to feel less joyful than a week ago? Or, do we hit a pothole on the road to realizing new life that tends to dull our excitement? The scriptures for Sunday are Acts 5:27-32, John 20:19-31.

The Meeting House Choir will sing Rejoice! by C.O. Beck, and Hosanna! by Sonja Poorman. Organist Gavin D. Craig will play Offertory on O Filii et Filiae by Alexandre Guilmant and Lord of Majesty by Richard Lloyd. Our congregational hymns will be Open Now Your Gates of Beauty (UNSER HERRSCHER), Let It Breathe on Me (BREATHE ON ME),and Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain (ST. KEVIN).

Easter Sunday

This Sunday is Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. We will here the familiar account of Mary at the tomb, meeting Jesus and mistaking him for the gardener, and finally realizing that she has met the risen Christ. It's an uplifting story that signals God's attempt to lead humanity into a new way of living. In the long run, it doesn't matter if we have been to the empty tomb if we refuse to see the new life that God is giving to us every day. Easter is the call to begin again in a new way with a new purpose. Christ has risen; we have risen! Hallelujah!

This Easter Sunday we will have music from both the Decibells and the Meeting House Choir. The Decibells will play Bell Fanfare by David Burton Brown for our introit. Then, they will join the Meeting House Choir in On the Third Day by Allen Pote. The choir will also sing Empty Now by Joseph Martin. Organist Gavin D. Craig will play Christ is erstanden, BWV 627 by J.S. Bach and Final from Symphonie I, Opus 14 by Louis Vierne. Our congregational hymns will be Christ the Lord is Risen Today (EASTER HYMN), Now the Green Blade Riseth (NOËL NOUVELET), and Thine is the Glory (JUDAS MACCABEUS).

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday

On Sunday, Easter morning, our youth will guide us through an 8:00 a.m. service which focuses on the question, "what Easter means to me."

• Following the youth-led service, the Activities Committee will host an Easter Breakfast beginning at 8:30 a.m.
• Our regular Easter worship will be at 10:00 a.m. with the celebration of Holy Communion.
• Following the worship service, all the children are invited to take part in the annual Easter Egg Hunt.

We hope all the children will find a big basket full of eggs, but we hope you will come away from Resurrection Sunday with something more!

Sunday, March 24, 2013

This Sunday's Service

This Sunday is known as Palm Sunday. It is the day we celebrate Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem at the beginning of the celebration of Passover. As we know, the shouts of "Hosanna" were soon drowned out by shouts of "crucify him." How do we go from joy to sorrow and then back to joy? I guess the answer would be scriptural: "for people it is impossible, but with God all things are possible." We celebrate the triumphant arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, but then we follow the events of the upcoming week, all the way through Good Friday. Come and meditate on the God with whom all things are possible, and prepare for the rebirth of Easter.

This Palm Sunday we will have a wonderfully music filled service. We will begin with a prelude from organist Gavin D. Craig, O Lamm Gottes unschuldig, BWV 656 by J.S. Bach. Our children's choirs (Joyful Noise and JNITs - Joyful Noise In Training), led by Anne Amador and Elizabeth Hale, will sing Hosanna to the Lord by Becki Slagle Mayo. The Meeting House Choir will also be singing. Their selections are Procession and Hymn for Palm Sunday setting by Craig Courtney, and When Jesus Wept arranged by Linda Spevacek. The congregation will get to sing a wide variety of hymns this week: All Glory Laud and Honor (ST. THEODULPH), Christ at the Table with His Friends (MAUNDY THURSDAY), Go to Dark Gethsemane (REDHEAD NO. 76), Ah Holy Jesus (HERZLIEBSTER JESU), O Sacred Head Now Wounded (PASSION CHORALE), and What Wondrous Love is This (WONDROUS LOVE). Gavin will complete our musical offerings with the postlude Improvisation on Hosanna Filio David.

This Sunday's Service

What does Mary anointing Jesus with oil have to do with Paul's proclamation that "I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ?" We usually remember Mary's act of devotion, but try to forget some of the misunderstood statements of Paul. However, the words of Paul can sometimes lend a much deeper understanding of life and how we are called to live in it, if we allow our understanding and imagine to be stretched beyond our comfortable levels. The sermon title for this Sunday is "Anointed for Living."

The Meeting House Choir will sing A Gaelic Blessing by John Rutter, When the Lord Restored Zion by Dave & Jean Perry, and Kyrie by Sonja Poorman. Organist Gavin D. Craig will play Arioso on "Breastplate of St. Patrick" by Richard Proulx and Kyrie, Gott heiliger Geist, BWV 671 by Johann Sebastian Bach. Our congregational hymns will be Said Judas to Mary (JUDAS AND MARY),We Yearn, O Christ, for Wholeness (PASSION CHORALE), and Give Up Your Anxious Pains (ICH HALTE TREULICH STILL).

March 10, 2013

This Sunday's Service

 

In the reading from the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament) this Sunday, Joshua is preparing the Israelite people for their entry into the promised land after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Joshua tells the people that God is preparing them for a new start in the land of Canaan. In order to do this, the people must renew their covenant with God. This puts behind the past of slavery in Egypt and the transgressions of the wilderness and sets before them the new beginning that God has prepared. In every generation we are called upon to renew our commitment to seeking God's presence in our lives and working together to advance the reality of God's love among people. It's a tall challenge, but when we covenant to work together, the task can become a work of joy. The sermon title is, "All Alone in the Midst of a Crowd."

The Meeting House Choir will sing Make a Joyful Noise Unto the Lord by Hal H. Hopson, and My Song is Love Unknown by Edwin T. Childs. Our congregational hymns will be It Was God Who Ran to Greet Him (WILBUR), Softly and Tenderly (THOMPSON), and All My Hope on God is Founded (MEINE HOFFNUNG).

Sunday, March 3, 2013

This Sunday's Service

 

This third Sunday of Lent we welcome Rev. Rita Wilbur as our guest preacher. Rita grew up in FCC and is currently the Houston Association Minister. She will be sharing some of her thought on the doctrine of the Atonement, and how it influences our perceived relationship with God.

The Meeting House Choir will sing As Pants the Hart by Dr. Samuel Arnold and A Rose Touched by the Sun's Warm Rays by Jean Berger. Organist Gavin D. Craig will play Attende Domine* by Jeanne Demessieux, Wenn wir in Höchsten Nöten sein, BWV 641 by Johann Sebastian Bach, and Fughetta in C minor, op. 123a, no. 2 by Joseph Rheinberger. Our congregational hymns will be Come to Tend God's Garden (King's Weston), Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah (CWM Rhondda), and O Jesus I Have Promised (Angel's Story).

Tonight come see what Rev. Katelin Warren is up to! "Finding God on the Journey" Midweek Lenten Worship Service 6:30 p.m. - FCC Assembly Room

Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013

This Sunday's Service

As we journey through Lent, we are constantly surprised at the many and varied ways that we find God. This Sunday's sermon will be one of those experiences, because I am going to be as surprised as all of you. At this point I have no idea what it is going to be about! Maybe that in itself is what we should be considering during this Lenten journey: allowing the unplanned discoveries of God to take the place of our carefully controlled way of organizing things. After all, most of the things we think we have control over are really just illusions that we create in our own minds. It's probably no different with sermons. Where will we discover God this Sunday morning during that 15-minute window of time called "Sermon"? Come and find out. It will be a surprise for all of us!

The Meeting House Choir will sing Jerusalem by Thomas Roseingrave and Be Thou My Vision arranged by Kinley Lange. The Decibells will play Jesus Walked This Lonesome Valley arranged by Anna Laura Page. Organist Gavin D. Craig will play Recit de Chromhorne by François Couperin for the Prelude* and Fugue sur la Trompette also by François Couperin. The congregational hymns will be God of Abraham and Sarah (CONSTANTINE), Fairest Lord Jesus (SCHÖNSTER HERR JESU), and God is My Strong Salvation (MEIN LEBEN).

Sunday Feb. 3, 2013

How many weddings have you been to where the familiar passage from Paul's first letter to the Corinthians is read? After a while, we can get a little tired of "love is patient, love is kind, . . . ." Sometimes familiarity can breed contempt! While the words that spoke to the church in Corinth are useful for a couple starting out in marriage, they have a much deeper meaning for us in all aspects of our lives. In fact, they reflect the foundation of who we are as individuals created in God's image, but we have to take those words to heart. Love, love, love . . . and the greatest of these is love.

The Meeting House Choir will sing Jesus, Savior, Lord, Lo, to Thee I Fly arranged by Shanti Rasanayagam and Jesus! Name of Wondrous Love by Dale Grotenhuis. Organist Gavin D. Craig will play Prelude in G Major by Dietrich Buxtehude, Wie lieblich schoen, Herr Zebaoth by Jean Langlais, and Fugue in G Major by Dietrich Buxtehude. Our congregational hymns will be I Come With Joy (Dove of Peace), Though I May Speak (Gift of Love), and In Christ There is No East or West (McKee).

COUNSELING MINISTER’S MUSINGS:

What Language Shall I Borrow?

When I was in grad school forty-something years ago, I was troubled that psychology was defined

as “The Study of Human Behavior,” but nothing was considered true unless it could be measured.

Psychology was working zealously at being a hard science, and nothing was relevant except that

which could be empirically tested. Well, I thought, what about the Mysterium Tremendum: love,

spirit, eye contact across a crowded room, laughter so deep it makes you cry? Some will tell you

those things can be measured, but give me a break, not without forcing them into some kind of

mold that leeches the juice out of them.

Thankfully, over the years science has evolved and now, especially in the field of physics, there is

acknowledgement of the mysterious nature of the universe. They use language like “Zero Point

Field,” “Implicate Order,” and “Source of mind and matter,” but it’s fairly easy to translate. Physicist,

F.David Peat asks,”If this [unknown] source is truly the creative origin of all reality, then how is it

possible to speak of it, or for that matter think of it?”

My immediate response was: That’s why we have myths and stories – to explain the mystery to

ourselves. When we read a parable or good story we can often nod in recognition of some truth

we have experienced. When we study the great stories which have historical significance, we find

much truth that helps us to understand life. The trouble is that some people have to argue about

which is best, so we have wars about what is “right.” There are surely gaps in all of them because

they have been in human hands.

So I keep reaffirming and valuing my story, the story of Jesus and his teachings of love and

compassion. Also, I want to be open to other stories that help me to learn and experience something

new, for example, the stillness of Zen and the sweet innocence of the Bush people of the

Kalahari Desert.

At Christmas time, I think we are more vulnerable to the mystery – to the birth of love in the world,

and how it threatens those who would be powerful over others. We experience the joy as we sing,

and pray for peace. And it inspires us to be better persons as we move into the new year.

Physicist Peat states that everything in the universe, from the mechanical to the sublime emerges

out of a source he refers to as the “Implicate Order.” He says, “The complexity and subtlety of the

universe lie beyond all attempts to capture it in language. The spectrum of orders out of which

mind and matter emerge is extremely subtle and fast-moving…always involved in a constant

creative renewal, emerging out of the underlying Implicate Order.”

Translation: “God is still speaking!”

Sylvia Richards

Sunday, January 27

This Sunday is the Annual Meeting of First Congregational Church of Houston. Churches can get all caught up in programs and budgets and forget that the reason we are here is because God calls us together, and for a purpose. Churches get very involved in writing mission and purpose statements, but often forget the reason why they are there in the first place. In our scripture for this Sunday, Nehemiah 8:1-10, the people return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity and gather together to here the Law (Torah) read, from morning till sunset! It is a way of reconnecting them with who they are and why they are there. As we prepare to gather for our annual meeting, perhaps it's something we can all stand to meditate on beforehand: who are we and why are we here?

The Meeting House Choir will sing Worship Him as One by C. O. Beck and Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit arranged by Howard Helvey. Gavin D. Craig, our organist, will play selected music. Our congregational hymns will be Here in This Place (GATHER US IN),

We Are One in the Spirit (ST. BRENDAN'S), and O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing (AZMON).