I hope you are all well and staying safe in the recent storms.
Just below, you can open/view/download the August Forecaster edition. I had some extra space in this issue so I included an “All Around the Community” section to give you a taste of upcoming events.
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.
Historic First Congregational Church, Binghamton, N.Y.
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.
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!
Even before a word is on my tongue, O Lord, you know it completely.
~Psalm 139:4
The single biggest problem in communication
is the illusion that it has taken place.
~George Bernard Shaw
Communication is so important! How could we ever live together in
families, work cooperatively, get anything done, and show our love and emotions, if we couldn’t express ourselves and be understood?
In a lovely psalm of being known by God, the Psalmist says God even
knows what we’ll say before we say it.
Unfortunately that’s not the case of us humans for one another!
Far more true is the quote from Bernard Shaw. How many times have you shared with your friend, spouse, or child something that has happened, only to hear them say later, “You never told me that!”?
All too frequently in the church we put announcements in the bulletin and in the newsletter, share during worship, even send out a special email regarding an upcoming event, then have someone indignantly proclaim: “I didn’t know that was happening!”
One of the difficulties with communications today is the sheer amount of information bombarding us. We’re overloaded. It is hard to take it all in.
The Archangel Gabriel (the Communicator!), c. 1430 by Masolino da Panicale.
Experts say that a message has to be given 10-12 times through a variety of means before it penetrates our consciousness. It’s no wonder things get missed!
Despite all that, please keep making the effort!
This wonderful congregation has so many worthwhile activities taking place and we extend our building to many outside groups as well.
That makes good communication — rather than operating in ‘siloes’ or assuming others’ know (or don’t need to know) — is really very important.
In church scheduling alone, considerate, proactive communication helps to avoid double booking and to keep everyone in the loop.
Before you announce an event, tell your group when your next meeting is, etc., please check with Li (Lisa Roth, our new church administrator) to make sure nothing else is on the calendar for the space and time you want.
Then keep Li in the loop for announcements, newsletter articles, and the website so the communications extend to the wider community.
Again, the more ways we can spread the word, the better!
God is doing good things in and among us. Let’s get the word out!
Grace and Peace,
Lisa
What else is in this edition of The Forecaster?
Pentecost is coming right up (June 9th) — check out ideas for getting ready for the Pentecost service;
FCC community goes to the baseball park (June 24th) — get the details (download below);
The Profile Committee — part of the Transition process — had its initial meeting on Thursday evening, May 30th. Tom Brucker is the Profile Committee chairman. Learn more in the full edition (link below);
The UCC annual meeting update (and who represented FCC);
Mark Your Calendar (particularly for August’s annual events) — Veterans for Peace at FCC (August 9th); FCC’s Back-to-School Ice Cream Social (August 29th); and FCC’s Rally Day (September 8th).
This and more … read the full newsletter via the link below.
The Rev. Dr. Art Suggs in Worms, Germany. Photo taken by Clare Price.
December 2018 marked the last month of the Rev. Dr. Arthur Suggs’ pastorate with us, and so starting in January 2019, F.C.C. embarks on the next cycle of our adventure and growth.
Rev. Suggs was our Senior Pastor here at F.C.C. for 11 years, and we wish him very well as he retires from ministry to pursue the callings and interests on his life adventure.
The Transition Team has organized a Celebration meal and event for Sunday, January 13th, 2019, following that Sunday’s service.
(We opted out of doing the Celebration in December, given the hectic nature of Christmas and the year-end flurry of activities.)
After the Sunday service on January 13th, we’ll head to the social hall to share a meal and offer any gifts, cards, and stories to celebrate Rev. Suggs’ time with us and send him on his way with well wishes and love.
Members can share thoughts and memories of Art’s time at First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ.
While Art has joined our congregation as a member, protocol requires him to stay away until a new pastor is settled in with the congregation, so we’ll welcome him back as a member of our congregation then.
If you’re not able to attend the Celebration meal following the service on January 13th, you can send along any cards, letters, or gifts to the church office with the designation, “Art’s Celebration”.
Speaking of the Transition Team & the Search for an Interim Minister
The Transition Team has been interviewing candidates to serve our church as an interim pastor. They will present their suggestion to the Board of Deacons when they are done.
As of this posting, it looks very good that we’ll have our interim pastor in place by February 1, 2019.
Interim Pastoral Care and Who’s in the Pulpit in January
F.C.C. sanctuary at Christmas 2018. Photo: The Forecaster.
Although our Transition Team is close to making a recommendation for our Interim Minister, we enter January without a pastor for our congregation.
In the meanwhile, we have four different worship leaders for Sundays in January:
• January 6 – Rev. Lisa Heckman, who recently completed a successful interim pastorship in Owego, N.Y., where she served for just shy of three years.
• January 13- Clare Price, a lay preacher who was a licensed interim pastor in Newark Valley, N.Y.
• January 20- Zach DuBord, a Minister in Discernment with the Susquehanna Association.
• January 27- Rev. Jim Dunn, a retired minister in the United Church of Christ.
If you have questions or need pastoral care, just ask Clare Price, any of our deacons, or simply contact the F.C.C. office:
Phone: 607 723 8981
Email: fcc ‘at’ binghamtonwireless ‘dot’ com
Jazz Vespers in January
Rob Weinberger. Image courtesy of Woodwiz.
Rob Weinberger will be performing at Jazz Vespers on January 13th.
Rob has performed and recorded for 10 years in the NYC’s Lower East Side music scene with groups as diverse as The Worms, Blues Traveler, and Joan Osborne. He has also been the music director aboard cruise ships based out of Hawaii.
Since he relocated to upstate New York, he has been active in the regional musical community as a composer, arranger, teacher and performer.
Rob is a musical chameleon! At the time of this printing is deciding in what incarnation he will appear for this Jazz Vespers.
No matter what it is, I can guarantee you will love the sound he offers and the ambiance he creates. Join us on January 13 at 5:00 PM in the F.C.C. church sanctuary.
More F.C.C. News & Activities
You’ll find news on upcoming events, our most recent new members, the Trustee’s Report, the Church Directory update, the abundance of Christmas gifts (more than 50!) donated to students from the Woodrow Wilson school, and more, in the full edition of The Forecaster.
