“And pointing to his disciples, Jesus said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will

of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.’” – Matthew 12:49-50

Every church I have been a part of throughout my life has always had a special Sunday in September when the new church school year began, the choir resumed regular wor-ship leadership, and generally the church found renewed life after the summer months! For one church, this was called Rally Day and always came with a special theme (my favorite was the Hawaiian luau!). It was a time to “rally” the congregation, reinvigorate the life of the church with new energy after the summer, and have some fun. Another church, which had historically closed for a time in the summer and then embraced simplified sum-mer services, called this special Sunday “Welcome Back Sunday” as the congregation gathered again for regular worship. And, of course, all of these celebrations included food afterwards!

Still, I think my favorite term for this special Sunday is “Homecoming”. When we think of this as a homecoming, it reminds us that we are part of a chosen family. It re-minds us that we belong here! As Jesus spoke of to his dis-ciples, family is not only shared DNA, but a shared mis-sion and purpose. It is a commitment to journeying to-gether through all that life brings.

And so, as Sunday, September 8th approaches and we pre-pare to celebrate Homecoming Sunday, may we cherish this chosen family, may we commit to making it even stronger, and may we journey together through the year yet to unfold!

Happy Homecoming,

Josh

Rev. Josh Fitterling

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September 2019

SMILE! – Whole Church Photo Homecoming Sunday

September 8th

Mark your calendars and plan to be in worship (10am) on Sunday, September 8th! On this day, Church School begins, choir resumes, and we will take a church family photo on the front steps imme-diately following worship.

Special thanks to our photographer and church

member, Jim Nelon!

Homecoming Sunday & Cook-In— September 8th at 10am

Welcome home! Join us as we kick-off a new Church School year for the children, welcome the choir back from their summer break, take an all-church photo, and celebrate with a cook-in (all the fun of a cookout in Fellowship Hall) following worship! Hamburgers and hotdogs will be provided. If you are able, please bring chips, sides, or a dessert to share.

All are welcome!!

Sunday Night Bible Study

All are welcome to join us for Bible Study, Sunday evening from 7-8pm in Fellowship Hall. We will continue our study of the Letter of James, and will continue toward Revelations. In September, we will meet on:

September 8th, 22nd, and 29th

If you have any questions, please talk to Rev. Josh. Come for one or come for all!

Join us on September 1 to celebrate these birthdays!

Gail Burke Dianne Davis Joshua Fitterling Pam Frenier

Bill Leibenguth Deborah Miller Libby Mooney Ron Sanchez

Sally Sherman Bill Speed Kent Sullivan

Sky Wentworth Raymond Whitney Jim Wright

Can you help us raise $1700 more in the next week? Paying off our Church’s Steps Loan Update

Thanks to the generosity of this congregation and to the Church Council for approv-ing the use of $2442.19 in Memorial Funds, we are almost able to pay off our steps loan. Can you help us close the gap? Currently, we owe less than $3300 on our loan. If we raise $1700 more as a congrega-tion, we can combine that with what is left in our budget for the steps loan payments and pay off our loan!

Gift can be made by taking an envelope off the Bulletin Board in Fellowship Hall and placing it in the offering plate this Sunday or by dropping a check off at the church office (with memo “Steps

Loan”). We want to celebrate paying off our loan on Sunday, September 8th!

Thank you for your support! Together, can make the church debt free!

September 2019 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Communion & Family Worship 10am

Birthday Sunday

2 OFFICE CLOSED FOR LABOR DAY

Game Night 6pm

3 Garden Club Board Meeting 1:30pm

4 Organ Society be-gins 9:30 am

5 Garden Club 10am-3pm

Choir 4pm

6 7 Pilgrim Lodge Haitian Potluck 11am-2pm at For-est Cabin

8 Worship & Church School 10am-Homecoming Sun-day & Cook-in All-Church Photo

Stewardship 6pm

Bible Study 7pm

9

Game Night 6pm

10

Trustees 6pm

Sheepsot Chorus 6pm

11 Organ Society 9:30

The First Photos Ever — Jib Fowles, 11am FH

12

Choir 4pm

Rev. Josh vacation Sept. 12-18

13 14

15 Worship & Church School 10am

Diaconate AW

16

Game Night 6pm

17

PEO 9am-12pm

Sheepscot Chorus 7pm

18 Organ society 9:30

Marketfest Meet-ing Upstairs 9am

19 Communications Committee 10am

Choir 4pm

20 21

22 Worship & Church School 10am

Wedding Recep-tion & Buffet Luncheon 11-2

Bible Study 7pm

23

Game Night 6pm

24

Sheepscot Chorus 7pm

25 26 Choir 4pm

Council 7pm

27 28

29 Worship & Church School 10am Blessing of the Animals Noisy Offering Christian Ed AW Bible Study 7pm Summerfest Dis-tribution Mtg AW

30 Wiscasset Green Coffee 9:30 am

Game Night 6pm

Pastor Josh on Vacation Thursday, September 12th through

Wednesday, September 18th

Pastor Josh will be on vacation for this week preparing for and celebrating his

wedding on Sunday, September 15th. While Josh is away, church related inquiries

can be made to Janet Leonard, our Office Administrator, at 207-882-7544 or

fccw@myfairpoint.net. For urgent pastoral care needs, please contact Rev. Char

Corbett at 860-202-4785 or pastorchar44@gmail.com.

Reception & Buffet Luncheon – Sunday,

Sept. 22nd , following worship, 11am to 2pm

You are cordially invited to this special event as the church celebrates the marriage of Pastor Josh and his partner, Mason. Join us in Fellow-ship Hall after worship on September 22nd for lunch, a champagne toast, and wedding cake!

This reception is generously hosted by the Pastoral Relations Committee and the Or-

gan Society.

Blessing of the Animals Service Sunday, September 29th at 10am

Bring the pets in your lives and join us for this special Sunday morning worship service on the front steps of the church! If your pets are unable to join us for any reason, bring a photo in-stead! Children are also invited to bring their stuffed animals for a blessing (adults can bring one too!). All God’s critters are welcome!

Donations of pet food and supplies will be collected to benefit Midcoast Humane. In the event of rain, the service will be held in the sanctuary.

Bring a chair and bring a friend! Let us bless the animals in our lives and celebrate

the blessings that our animals are to us!

Sunday Morning Volunteers Needed!

As we enter September, please consider signing up to help in one of the following ways:

Providing flowers for worship Being our scripture reader for a Sunday

Helping out with Coffee Hour Serving as our Church School Assistant for a

Sunday (i.e. simply being present with Colleen and the kids!)

Being an usher or a greeter

You can sign-up in Fellowship Hall or by calling the

church office. As always, thank you to everyone who

faithfully shares of themselves on Sunday mornings

Thanks from Paul Cappers and the Hingham Singers

Thanks to everyone who helped set up and bring to fruition our concert on July 19. We all had a great time in Wiscasset, kayaking at our home on Westport Island, eating at a cookout at Sarah Whitfield’s rental house, rehearsing and performing at the church, and sampling the food at Sarah’s Restaurant and Red’s Eats. Many walked around town and enjoyed the “Museum in the Streets” and the lovely homes on High Street and other roads.

The trip to Camden included a schooner ride on the “Surprise” as we serenaded the other customers onboard, and concluded with an evening concert at the Camden Congregational Church. Sunday we finished off our tour by participating in Nancy Duncan’s service at Broad Bay UCC in Waldoboro.

All in all a great experience, in no small part because of you.

The First Photos Ever: Daguerreotypes in America — Jib Fowles Wednesday, Sept. 11th, 11am, Fellowship Hall

Do you have photos of loved ones close at hand? So too did mid-19th century Ameri-cans. Learn about the similarities and differences between their pictures (the first photos ev-er) and ours. During this 1-hour presentation, you will be able to hold and examine typical daguerreotypes--beautiful, ultra-precise cased images.

Jib Fowles, Ph.D., a retired college professor, has taught courses on photographic histo-ry for many years. He is the author of seven books and over 70 articles, which have ap-peared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Down East, and elsewhere.

This fall, Jib will be teaching a course titled "Captured Images: The Amazing Story of Photography in the Nineteenth Century" at the Coastal Senior College (www.coastalseniorcollege.org) in Damariscotta's Skidompha Library. This 6-week course begins Wednesday September 25.

From Pastoral Relations Dear Congregation, Don't forget to give us your feedback! We cannot stress enough the importance of your par-ticipation in the “Comments, Concerns, and Suggestion” cards, located in Fellowship Hall. It is the best way for you to help in the advancement of our church and our role within the community. Your thoughts, both positive and constructive, are so important to our Pastor and the leadership of our church. The bulletin for Sunday September 8th will include a comment card. Please write your com-ments/concerns and suggestions and drop in the box in Fellowship Hall at your conven-ience. For September, we especially want to hear your feedback on our Pastor as we prepare his yearly evaluation. What strengths do you see? Are there areas of improvement? Please consider areas such as worship, pastoral care, leadership, and community involvement. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and helping us to be the church together!

Thank You from Pastor Josh

Thank you to everyone who helped with the recent renovation and update of my office! From those who donated furniture, time, and talents, I am so grateful and I feel so blessed by the care of this congregation. Special thanks to Ron Sanchez for his efforts in coordinating, designing, and facilitating the remodel. This new office is such a peaceful place in which to do the work of ministry as I serve with you in the heart of Wiscasset! If you haven't seen it yet in person, please stop on by! And again, thank you!

Church World Service

The Feed Our Scholars 1st annual Set for Success event was held Sun-day, August 11th at the Wiscasset Elementary School. It was a fun af-ternoon filled with smiles and excitement as about one third of the school’s students arrived with their parents to receive their new backpack and teacher requested school supplies. There were repre-sentatives from many groups and organizations explaining their missions and ser-vices; 3 hairdressers were kept busy the entire time providing free haircuts; children had their faces painted; and they enjoyed refreshing popsicles from the P.I.E. group. The remaining backpacks were filled with the appropriate supplies for the children that could not attend. The teachers, especially, were thrilled with all the boxes of Kleenex that you all provided. Thank you again for all your help to make this event a success. Your kindness is much appreciated!

A reminder, our church is one of the founding members of the Feed Our Scholars pro-gram. One of the ways we contribute to the ongoing mission is by collecting redeema-ble cans and bottles. You can leave your cans and bottles in the box located under the church mailboxes in the hallway (to the right - looking from Fellowship Hall toward the sanctuary). Thank you for your support.

To our Coffee Hosts for September:

Christian Education

Mark your calendars for October 5th, 10am-2pm for Oktoberfest! Donations for the si-lent auction and yard sale are more than welcome. We're also looking to change things up a bit this year and would love help from those with new ideas! Please con-tact Sarah Whitfield (207-350-1316, sarahmariewhitfield@gmail.com) if you're interest-ed in helping and hope to see you all there!

A Note from Our Church School Teacher

Happy September! Welcome to the beginning of an-other Church School Year on Homecoming Sunday, September 8th. I am looking forward to seeing all the girls gathered in the classroom upstairs after the first half of our church service.

Perhaps new students will be there as well. The annual barbeque after the lesson should be fun, too. However, I’ve enjoyed seeing our church school students and their parents as well as other parishioners at Summerfest and the Set for Success event a few weeks ago. Welcome home!

Colleen Crowley

Lay Spiritual Visitor Training Program

To Serve Residents & Patients of Mile’s Campus & St. Andrew’s Village

Tuesdays and Thursdays 9am-12pm, starting Sept, 24, 2019, for 3 weeks

Venue: Cove’s Edge

Applications on Bulletin Board outside the Church Office

Meeting House Chimes

First Congregational Church, U.C.C.

P.O. Box 350, 28 High Street

Wiscasset, ME 04578

September

2019

First Congregational Church

United Church of Christ

28 High Street, PO Box 350

Wiscasset, Maine 04578

We welcome you to the First Congregational Church of Wiscasset.

We are an open and affirming congregation and are open

theologically, growing spiritually, and concerned socially.