Life is challenging and can be discouraging at times. Jesus told his disciples, and us, a parable for encouragement — One about a woman needing justice persistently demanding it from the local, unscrupulous judge.
Listen to and download the full sermon here.
Featured Image Credit: Axele P, PD Pics.
Pastor’s Ponderings
Dear friends,
In September, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the church building.
In the service, we rededicated the building and elements for worship. We “built” our sandwiches at our luncheon afterwards.
It was great, too, to see the history of the congregation that Arlene and Clare Price put together and presented, with a little help from their friends.
This building has nurtured and housed our ministry for well over 150 years. It is the place where our church family gathers for worship and fellowship, learning and eating. Here, we extend a warm welcome and foster the diverse conversations that take place.
From here, we reach out to the community around us with the annual Rummage Sale, Ice Cream Social, the new children’s Peace Fair, and a hospitality tent at parades down Main Street.
In the past, the CHOW pantry, and after the 2011 flood, the church building served as a hostel for mission teams coming to the area to help with the post-flood cleanup.
Mission-Inspired Action
The building itself, though, is a ministry to the community.
It has nested the congregations of Unity of the Southern Tier and the Christian Scientists. In the Sangha room, the Binghamton Buddhist meditation group, 3 Jewels Zen meditation group, and the B.U. chapter of the Binghamton Buddhist meditation group meet each week.
And there’s more: Conversations with God, A Course in Miracles, and Conscious Evolution classes delve into their spirituality in the church Parlor.
The Spiritual Book Group gets together on Wednesdays to discuss whatever book they’re currently reading (and discussing) together — in October, that will be America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, by Jim Wallace, writer, founder, justice activist, and Founder of Sojourners magazine and community.
The Fellowship Hall is the practice space for the Mason Warrington Orchestra, and the spot for the Two Rivers Photography Club to share their works.
The Eden Room nurtures bodies (and minds, and spirits) with Tai Chi, book studies, and Unity and Taize services.
The building is also home to the Sophia Spirituality Center and Southern Tier Solar Works.
And we can’t forget to mention the Jazz Vespers!
So much happens here! (Learn more about our Mission-Inspired Action here.)
In recent years, out building has been the location for special events, too, such as the MICAH Prayer Service for Racial Unity last March; the Spiritual Happenings event occurred here for the past two Springs; and the Face It! Theater Group had performances here last Autumn and expects to have more here in the future.
FCC congregation member, Doug Garner, has organized special community discussion forums throughout the year.
Our facility offers a marvelous ministry, but it can’t do so separately from the congregation. These events need member involvement to assist the organizations in charge and to provide access and security to the building.
The ministry wouldn’t be possible without the wonderful support of Cindi West-Davidson and Lisa Roth.
May our building continue to shelter, nourish, and support the ministry of our congregation and the community beyond our walls for the next 150 years!
Grace and Peace,
Lisa
Get the rest of the news – Download the full edition of The Forecaster – October here.
Featured Image Credit:
“We all want more of something,” said Rev. Lisa Heckman. ” The disciples asked Jesus for more faith. But why? What does having more faith get us? What do we do with it?”
Listen to the full sermon here.
Featured Image Credit: Christ Walking on Water, by Amédée Varint (1818-1883). PD Wikimedia.
Guest speaker, Zach Dubord, explores our current connections to, or meaning from, Romans 18-25:
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time…”
Explore the connection between this bit of scripture and the current time in Zach’s full sermon.
Listen to the full sermon here.
Featured Image Credit: Pumpkin Spice from Pixabay (PD Image – thank you!)
There is always a rich history in a place. The beautiful and historical First Congregational Church church building provides an inspiring sanctuary and meeting place for FCC’s congregation as well as a diversity of other spiritual groups who gather in FCC’s community spaces.
For the 150th anniversary of our historic church building, Clare and Arlene Price put together this historical tour:
Open and/or download the FCC Historical Tour.
Rev. Lisa reminded us that, “The Storms of Life rage around us. Some are literal storms like Dorian. Others are illnesses or tragedies that impact us personally. Through them all, Jesus is in our boat, to bring calm, to see us through.”
Download and/or Listen to the full sermon here.
Featured image credit: Ludolf Backhuysen:
Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1695). PD Wikimedia.
We continue to celebrate the Season of Creation with Fauna and Flora Sunday. With readings from Job 39 and Psalm 104, we are reminded of our interconnectedness to the animals and plants in our lives and the rest of creation.
Listen to the full message here.
Featured Image Credit: Autumn Lake, PD Pictures.
Rev. Lisa shares, “A woman was bent over from some ailment for 18 years. A brief encounter with Jesus, one Sabbath day, healed her and set her free.”
“What burdens weigh us down?” she asks. ” What has us bent out of shape?”
“Perhaps Sabbath can be freeing for us too.”
Follow the “Set Free” theme – listen to the full sermon here.
Learn more about First Congregational Church (UCC) Binghamton’s Mission-Inspired Action.
Here’s Rev. Lisa’s teaser for Sunday’s sermon:
“A rich fool had an overly abundant harvest and planned to keep it all for himself. Riches may not fall into our laps, but we all have abundance that we hold onto and don’t share. We all have our “toybox” of favorite things we collect. But what we hold onto leaves little room for God.”
Listen to the full sermon here.
Feature Image Credit: Abundance of Riches, public domain image, Pixabay.
The 8th annual Ice Cream Social neighborhood event is coming right up — just before Labor Day Weekend.
Mark your calendar for Thursday, August 29thth, from 5-7 p.m. (with the raffle drawings at 6 p.m.).
All activities, ice cream sundaes, and Back-to-School kits are free, scooped and served up by FCC and our volunteers.
The free event offerings include:
The community ice cream sundae serve-up and party will be held in the parking lot of church, rain or shine.
In the case of rain, we can move to the social hall, but in recent years we’ve had sunny weather.
FCC’s previous Ice Cream Social events drew between 300 and 600 neighbors, children and adults, to enjoy the community event together.
This year’s Ice Cream Social event will be the Thursday before Labor Day — on August 29th between 5 and 7PM. The raffle drawing is about 6:00PM.
Download the PDF of the Event flyer to share.
“Like” and share it on Facebook here.
or,
Pass along the PressConnects Event page for the social, here.
Featured Image Credit: Stuff Point Wallpapers, PD Image.
