Order Christmas Poinsettias

Contribute to our Christmas display by dedicating a plant in honor or in memory of a loved one.

Order Deadline – December 10th

Prices and options are as follows:
4 inch red – $5
6 inch red – $8
6 inch white – $8

Contact the church office at 781-944-0205 or office@churchofreading.org with any questions.

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Service of Celebration for the Life of Joe Kingston

A Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving for the Life of Joe Kingston will be held on Saturday, September 23 at 11 AM followed by a collation at First Congregational Church of Reading.

If you are unable to attend in person, and would like to receive the Zoom link, please add your email below and click “submit.” We will send an email out with the Zoom link the morning of the service.

If you already receive the weekly E-News and Sunday Zoom links, you are already on the mailing list.

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Spring Recital & Fundraiser

Join us for a special concert at 6:45 PM on Tuesday, May 9!

The concert will be held in the sanctuary with free admission (as well as online on Zoom & Facebook Live). The Zoom link will be sent out via church e-news.

If you are attending in person, we invite you to stay afterwards for a reception with refreshments downstairs in the Dining Hall.

This concert will feature the musical talents of our sabbatical Minister of Music, Jeongweon Lee, accompanied by friends and guest musicians. The concert is free, and guests are invited to contribute a free will donation which will go towards Jeongweon’s visa process.

If you’re unable to attend, but would still like to make a donation, please go to www.churchofreading.org/donate and select “John Lee Gift” from the drop-down menu. …

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Easter Sunday 2023

Join us for worship on Easter morning at 10 AM on Sunday, April 9 in the Sanctuary with Brass Ensemble, Choir, and Handbells

Are you visiting for the first time? Click here for tips on where to park and other notes.

Children’s activities will be available at our PrayGround area and table. Children are welcome to stay with their parents in the pews, sit at the table, or parents may accompany children to sit at the table too. Activities and books will also be available at the back of the church if children prefer to sit with their parents.

Easter Egg Hunt after Worship

Join us after church on the lawn on Sanborn Street for an Easter Egg Hunt! All are welcome. Worship will end around 11 AM, and the hunt will begin soon after that (about 11:15 or 11:30 AM). A lighter version of our fellowship hour with coffee will be available in the Library after worship for those who would like to stay. …

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Holy Week Services

Maundy Thursday

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Potluck Soup Supper at 6:30 PM downstairs in the Dining Hall
(Accessible entrance available through the driveway on Woburn Street. Park in the driveway and enter the building through the lower door there if you cannot use stairs)
Service at 7 PM downstairs in Guild Hall

Good Friday

Friday, April 7, 2023

Good Friday Vigil Service at 7 PM at Old South United Methodist Church
6 Salem Street, Reading, MA (Parking available on the street, behind the church by the food pantry entrance, or in the Town Hall Parking Lot)…

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Celebrating Rev. Dr. MLK Jr

Start the weekend with service, and end with reflection and learning!

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Start the new year off feeling great by doing good! There are 13 projects you can sign up for, some able to be completed at-home and some to be completed on January 14th at 9:00am at the First Congregational Church. If you choose to work at home, indicate that when you sign up and a volunteer will send you complete instructions for your chosen project(s). Volunteers will also be at the January 14th workshops with instructions and supplies.

Choose one or several projects:
Knit or Crochet Hats for adults or children.
Make no-sew fleece blankets for the Linus Project.]
Make cards for local health care workers.
Sew dresses for girls around the world.
Decorate positive bookmarks for our neighbors.
Prepare and bag meals for Lazarus House in Lawrence.
Decorate the Peace Tree with your own leaf.
Move and pack household items at Mission of Deeds.
Decorate and fill individual bags with snacks for DPW, RFD, RPD and Pantry workers.
Write a Valentine’s Day card for LGBTQ+ incarcerated people in Massachusetts.
Sort and move items at the Reading Food Pantry.
Donate money towards grocery gift cards for the Pantry.
Donate pajamas and diapers for children in the care of DCF.

To sign up for projects: https://tinyurl.com/MLK2023SIGNUP

To donate to the Reading Food Pantry: Go to Gift Cards for the Food Pantry 2023

Please contact info@ReadingCares.org with any questions. Thank you!

Monday, January 16

Come to the RMHS Performing Arts Center at 9:30am for a community breakfast followed by a special interfaith invocation by the Reading Clergy Association, performances by student groups including Mixed Choir and RMHS Jazz Band, an art exhibit, and more! This year’s guest speaker is Lynnette Marshall, co-founder and Director of Learning and Collaboration for The Flourish Collective, a racial and social justice organization. This year’s program theme is “True peace is the presence of justice”. Everyone is welcome to attend this commemoration of the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his ongoing influence in the world.
For more details, contact the Office of Equity & Social Justice, oesj@ci.reading.ma.us. The event location is wheelchair accessible and ASL translators are available on request. We look forward to seeing you there!…

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Jazz Sunday – Oct. 23

Join us on Sunday, October 23 at 10 AM for a jazz-inspired service. This Sunday will feature live jazz musicians, a piece composed by Jeongweon Lee just for the occasion, choir, and soulful music. It’s a Sunday you won’t want to miss!

Childcare will be available, including our all-ages Sunday School classroom which will be doing a special activity this week. There’s always something for everyone at the activity table as well.…

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Sept. 18 – Blessing of the Backpacks

September 18 is Homecoming Sunday — when we all come back from our summertime adventures and vacations to join together to kick-off the program year at church. Worship will begin at 10 AM in the Sanctuary and online (on Zoom and Facebook Live).

It’s also the kick off to Sunday School, and a special Blessing of the Backpacks! Bring your backpack, tote bag, work bag, briefcase, laptop bag — whatever it is you daily carry to get to school and work. We’ll bless these bags together as we bless bags of school supplies going to kids in need through Church World Service.

See you there!…

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The Olde Redding Faire is back!

The Faire is on Saturday, October 1 from 10 AM to 2 PM. But you don’t have to wait to get your fall favorites! Order mums, food, peanut brittle, and fudge online and check out the silent auction online, too (bidding starts Sept. 24). Click here!

Interested in getting involved? Click the link above for information on how to donate books, puzzles, jewelry, and baked goods for the faire.

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