Author: Emelia Attridge

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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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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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 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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During July & August 2022 we will worship in a variety of locations each Sunday at 9 AM (in-person and online), unless otherwise noted.

Please note locations may change based on weather;
check the weekly e-news to make sure you are in the right place! Email office@churchofreading.org to sign up for weekly e-news mailings.

August 7	Communion Sunday – Outdoors* on the lawn on Sanborn St. *weather permitting; in Guild Hall downstairs in case of inclement weather
August 14 @10 AM	Worship with Unitarian Universalist Church of Reading  (239 Woburn Street) in their fellowship hall (air conditioned). This Sunday we will explore what it means to be in relationship together as a wider community of many faiths.
August 21	DIY Sunday – Outdoors* on the lawn on Sanborn St. *weather permitting; in Guild Hall downstairs in case of inclement weather
August 28 @ 10 AM	Worship on the Cape We join our coastal neighbors on the Cape at First Parish Truro for worship this Sunday. Click here if you’re interested in carpooling (as a driver or rider). Spend the day on the Cape or join us online. There will be no in-person worship on site in Reading this week.
September 4	Communion Sunday/Labor Day Weekend Outdoors on the lawn on Sanborn Street (weather permitting; in Guild Hall in case of inclement weather)
September 11	Outdoors* on the lawn on Sanborn St. *weather permitting; in Guild Hall downstairs in case of inclement weather Reading Street Fair after church
September 18 @ 10 AM	Homecoming Sunday – We return to our 10 AM time and worship in the Sanctuary

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The Memorial Service & Celebration of Life for Robert L. Fuller will be held in the Sanctuary at First Congregational Church of Reading. The service will also be streamed online on Zoom. A small collation reception will follow the service in the Chapel. Click here to view the obituary for Robert Fuller.

Sign up below if you would like to receive the Zoom link to attend this memorial service virtually.

Visitation Wednesday, May 25, 2022 3:00 PM – 7:00 PM Douglass, Edgerley & Bessom Funeral Home 25 Sanborn St. Reading, MA 01867

Memorial Service Thursday, May 26, 2022 11:00 AM First Congregational Church 25 Woburn St. Reading, MA 01867

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Click here to sign up to donate blood on April 8.
Search by date or location (First Congregational Church 25 Woburn Street, Reading, MA)

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This month we are collecting new and gently used linens, towels, and washcloths for Emmaus Inc. Shelter and Services in Haverhill, MA. Emmaus is in particular need for twin sized sheets. Additionally, small packaged snacks (like chips, cookies, etc. in individual serving bags) are needed.

We will be collecting the above items throughout the month in the box outside the office door by the music room.…

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Each year, we host a day of service with Reading Cares. It’s a morning of activities on the Saturday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s Birthday weekend, where volunteers from all over town, of different ages and backgrounds, come together to spend time working on different projects to give back to various local organizations. When we couldn’t meet last year because of COVID, Reading Cares found a way to create a virtual socially-distanced way to give back. Instead of one morning, we have 21 days of service. Click the button below to read about the various projects you can sign up for. Once you select the project(s) you’d like to participate in, a volunteer will contact you with more details.

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