Families at First Congregational Church

August 8, 2023

There’s a lot planned for the 2023-2024 school year! The calendar for the year ahead is below.

2023-2024 Program Year – Intergenerational Sundays

You spoke, we listened! We know it’s difficult for families to get to church in person on Sundays. To help make things easier, there will be 1 Intergenerational Sunday per month specifically designed to include hands-on learning and music. There will still be Children’s Messages on the steps and our interactive corner each and every Sunday, but you’ll want to put these Sundays into your calendar if you want to plan to come to church on these days!

  • September 10 – Back to School – Worship with prayer stations, backpack blessings, and assembling school kits for kids in need. After church, enjoy the Reading Street Fair downtown!
  • October 1 – Taste and See – Learning about Communion all over the world, what Communion is, and why we still do it.
  • November 19 – Ending Hunger – Thanksgiving Sunday and collection for Lawrence and Reading Food Pantries.
  • December 17 – Celebrating Christmas – Pick-Up Christmas Pageant where anyone and everyone has a role to play!
  • January 7 – Inter-Galactic Sunday with Star Words
  • February 25 – What is Lent, Anyway?
  • March 17 – St. Patrick’s Day Brunch Church
  • April 28 – Lessons about Jesus
  • May 19 – Confirmation & Pentecost Sunday

We are also exploring a multi-church youth group for grades 8-12, a confirmation class for grades 8-10, and Our Whole Lives programs . Click here to learn more.

Nursery Care
Nursery Care will be available the following Sundays throughout the 2023-2024 program year. This calendar is arranged by taking into consideration Intergenerational Sundays, holidays, and vacation weeks with the assumption that families would be least likely needing nursery care. If you know you’d like to have Nursery Care on an additional Sunday, please reach out.

September
September 24 		December
December 3, 10		March
March 3, 10, 24, 31
October
October 15, 22, 29		January
January 21		April
No nursery care in April
November
November 5		February
February 4, 11		May
May 5, 12, 19
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Summer Service Opportunities

July 6, 2023

Common Cathedral – August 27

On Sunday, August 27, members and friends of the Mission Ministry will provide lunch and fellowship for the Common Cathedral in downtown Boston. This year, we will be partnering with members of the Blackstone Valley United Methodist Church in Whitinsville, MA. Stay tuned for more information.

Church World Service School Kits – Back to School, Already! 

School is out, but we are already planning for the next school year! Once again, the church’s Mission Ministry will be assembling Church World Service School Kits to be shared with children in the US and around the world. 

For those who are new to this project, it is a simple and fun way to share our resources with young students around the globe. Who doesn’t love buying a new box of crayons for a child?  The list of items required for each kit is included below. You may purchase a complete kit or any quantity of the individual components. 

We will also be accepting monetary donations to cover the cost of the cloth school bags, donations offset our shipping expenses, and for the $2 per kit that CWS requests to be used to cover their own delivery costs. 

Keep these items in mind as you visit stores or websites this summer and as you scan the back-to-school ads.  

  • One pair of blunt scissors removed from the package (rounded tip, only)
  • Three 70-page count spiral bound notebooks or notebooks totaling 200-210 pages (no loose-leaf or filler paper)
  • One 30-centimeter / 12” ruler
  • One hand-held pencil sharpener removed from the package
  • One large eraser (no pencil cap erasers)
  • Six new, unsharpened pencils with erasers (remove from packaging and use a rubber band to to hold the pencils together).
  • One box of 24 crayons (only 24)

Drop off your supplies T-TH, between 10 AM and 1 PM, in the box near the Music Room door or any other time the church is open. 

Checks may be dropped off in the office (not in the kit collection box) or mailed. Please add “CWS School Kits” in the memo field on checks.  

Or donate online at https://www.churchofreading.org/donate/.  Use the first drop-down menu to select CWS School Kits as the fund.

Keep your eye out for updates throughout the summer. Last year, we assembled 37 kits! Thank you to all who participated.  We can do it again!…

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June Pride Programming & Justice Opportunities

June 1, 2023

June 3 – Trans Resistance March Trans Resistance MA is an organization of Trans and BIPOC LGBTQIA+ community members formed in 2020 after years of contention about a lack of representation in Boston Pride. The Trans Resistance March will begin at 11:30 AM at the Stony Brook T stop on the Orange line, followed by a festival from 12-5 PM at Franklin Park Playstead. Members of the Southern New England Conference, clergy, and churches will be in attendance. If you would like to join the march, please let Rev. Emelia know by tomorrow, June 2.

June 4 – LGBT Asylum Task Force will visit our church during worship and Fellowship Hour. Learn about this ministry of Hadwen Park Congregational Church in Worcester that supports LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers.

June 7 – “Improper Bostonians” Virtual Lecture with Reading Public Library to learn about LGBTQ history in Boston. Click here to register.

June 14 – “Let’s Talk” about Pride! Join our monthly conversation group in the Parlor at 1:30 PM for a conversation about Pride and LGBTQIA+ issues, topics, and education. Have a question? Want to better understand pronouns? Curious about legislation across the country? Come to discuss!

June 17 – Reading Pride Car Parade & Celebration begins at 3 PM in the Reading Library parking lot. The route follows Grove, Franklin, and then Main Streets ending at the Common. A celebration will be held at 3:30 PM in the Common. Would you like to volunteer? Or have a cheering station of church members along the route? Let Rev. Emelia know.…

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3rd Annual Reading Pride Parade

May 10, 2023

Interested in volunteering to assist with this year’s Pride? You can sign up to help out on the day of or sign up to host a cheering station along the parade route. Interested, but not sure how to help? Contact Rev. Emelia.

Interested in collaborating to have a First Congregational Church car (like a float)? Definitely contact Rev. Emelia! Multiple volunteers can assist in decorating the car.

Car Parade & Cheering Station Sign Up
Volunteer Sign Up
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Spring Recital & Fundraiser

May 9, 2023

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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It’s Time to Share!

May 1, 2023


This Sunday our congregation will celebrate One Great Hour of Sharing. OGHS is one of four special Mission offerings of the United Church of Christ. Through OGHS you engage in holistic development programs including health care, education, agriculture, food sustainability, micro-financing and women’s empowerment. Please give generously! Checks can be made out or sent to the church the notation “OGHS” in the memo line. Or, you can give online from your computer or smart phone with the link below.

One Great Hour of Sharing
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May 21 – Save the Date

April 28, 2023


New Member Sunday, Membership Celebrations, & Annual Meeting

We will be welcoming new members into our church during worship as well as celebrating some major membership milestones (plus the orchestra plays, a full Sunday for sure!).

Join us after church to review a full year of ministry, vote on next year’s budget, hear what’s going on, and say “thank you” to all the volunteers who make it happen.

Please contact the office with any questions at office@churchofreading.org.

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