In the community: The Choirs of Wilfrid Laurier University present a winter concert on Saturday, January 31, 2015, at 7pm here at First United Church. Three choirs, conducted by Dr. Gerard Yun, Elvera Froese, and Dr. Lee Willingham will perform a wide selection of choral music, culminating with the exciting GLORIA by John Rutter, featuring organ, brass, and percussion. Admission is $10/$5 (students/seniors) Bach Vespers in Epiphany… Spiritus Ensemble and Nota Bene Baroque Players perform Bach Cantata 150, "Nach dir verlanget mich," Buxtehude, "Der Herr ist mit mir," and Schein, "Vater unser." Soloists Sheila Dietrich, Stephanie Kramer, Jennifer Enns Modolo, Steve Surian and Timothy Kauk. Kenneth Hull, Conductor. Sunday, February 1, 2015, 4 p.m. at The Church of St John the Evangelist, 23 Water Street North, Kitchener. Admission Free. Donations welcomed. Valentine Banquet... Saturday, February 7, 2015. Waterloo North Mennonite Church, 100 Benjamin Road, Waterloo. Refreshments at 6:00 p.m. Dinner at 6:30 p.m. catered by Bellzy's Catering. Entertainment is by Hank and Janet Sonnenberg, award winning Gospel Music Singers. Enjoy a wonderful evening out and support Mennonite and Brethren Marriage Encounter. Tickets are $40 each. Contact Marg Colmer at 519-884-2525. To celebrate Global Divestment Day and Valentine’s Day, Divest Waterloo is organizing the Breaking Up with Fossil Fuels Love Letter Contest. Write a love letter to renewables or a break-up letter to fossil fuels. Faith groups from across Waterloo Region are encouraged to participate in this contest. Be creative, have fun, create awareness and win cash prizes. For details etails visit the Divest Waterloo contest website http://divestwaterloo.ca/loveletter-contest/ Of happenings, events and concerns of our First United Church Family Sunday, January 25 10:30 Worship Service WEEKLY UPDATE Sanctuary Monday, January 26 9-4 Foot Care Parlour 6:30 Scouts HH 6:00 Gr. Big Theatre Chapel Tuesday, January 27 9–4 Quilters Parlour 8:30-2 Concert S/HH/K 10:00 English at First Board LR 7:00 Worship Office 7:00 H.O.P.E. Youth Room Minister The Rev. Kellie McComb 7:30 Narcotics Anonymous LR Minister The Rev. Eva Mezo Wednesday, January 28 January 25, 2015 Music Director Kathleen King Martin 10-11 Srs. Ex. HH 6:30 Sparks Basement 6:30 Brownies HH Church Administrator 6:30 CCB Dinner Ch/Kit Custodian Bell Choir Sanctuary 4:15 Jr. Choir Chapel/K 6:30/7 Bvrs/Cubs LR/HH 7:30 Choir Chapel WLU Rehearsal Sanctuary 3:00 OOTC HH/K Saturday, January 31 Sanctuary Sunday, February 1 10:30 Worship Service Janet McDougall Peter Ferry Waterloo, Ontario N2L 1J3 Office : 519-745-8487 8487 x201 Fax: 519-745-8488 8488 E Mail: office @firstunitedchurch.ca Friday, January 30 2:30-5:30 WLU Concert Jan Overduin 16 William Street West Thursday, January 29 10:00 6-10 Organist Emeritus Web Site: www.firstunitedwaterloo.com Chair of the Board: Heather Galt [email protected] Sanctuary Reader: Mary Joan Brooker Greeters: Beryl McIntyre Welcome Table… If you are new to the church and would like information and/or a name tag, please stop in at the Welcome Table in the lobby either before or after the service. First United is happy to provide assisted hearing devices… for our services. We have 6 of them, however, one is out for repairs and two cannot be found. If you have accidently taken one home, could you please return it. Prayer Calendar… Grace, Dunnville (Niagara Presbytery). Sunday Children’s Programmes: 1. Nursery newborns to 3 years in the Parlour 2. Godly Play Jr. Kindergarten to Grade 3 in the Labyrinth Room 3. Sunday Café Grade 4 and up in the room off the Labyrinth Room. Next Week’s Service… Junior Choir. Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Psalm 111, Mark 1:21-28. To ponder: What gods of this world grip us? What demons plague us? What gospel words speak to those demons? Thanks to everyone who participated in the Chili Lunch last Sunday. Michael Williams A special thank you… from all the women of the congregation who really appreciated the gentlemen running the Chili Lunch. Grocery Card Fundraiser…Grocery Grocery Cards will be sold each Sunday in Hilliard Hall. We earn 5% on the cards sold. This profit goes towards our expenses. Please see Jacqui McFarlane following worship and support this effort to fundraise for First United. Free Tuesday Noon Hour Concert… Please join us on Tuesday Jan. 27th for Willem Moolenbeek on saxophone and Boyd McDonald on piano. Lunch provided by the Choir Auxiliary is available from 11:30 for a reasonable onable price and the concert runs from 12:15 - 12:45. Visit www.firstunitedwaterloo.com for the complete schedule. from Monday, January Rev. Kellie will be on vacation…from th nd 19 through Monday, February 2 . Caring Community…Have Have you been a caregiver to a loved one? Are you offering care now? If so, the Pastoral Care Committee invites you to join us for an afternoon of th conversation on Wednesday, February 4 at 2:00 pm in the Parlour. Do you know how the proposed governance model will affect you? We invite you to the Governance Workshop on Saturday February 21 in Hilliard Hall (9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.). This will be an opportunity to review the proposed model and then to begin the discussions of how each Ministry Unit could function and what difference it might mean for current committees. We welcome all to attend. Don’t miss this opportunity to have input into the process. If you have any questions, please speak to Catherine therine Stewart Savage, Dave Parrott or Joan st Westcott. We hope to see many of you on February 21 ! 2015 Budget and Annual Meeting: st. Sunday, February 1 Pick ick up Annual Report Sunday, February 8 Information Meeting Sunday, February 22 Annual Meeting th UCW Rummage Sale…Friday, Friday, February 27 and th Saturday, February 28 . Winter Closure Policy for Sunday Services…The Services… Church Board Chair, in collaboration with the presiding minister, will declare the church closed due to stormy weather and/or hydro disruption by 7:30 am. Please check CBC radio 89.1 for announcements re inclement weather or phone the church office at 519-745-8487 519 for a message re closure. The following people will be immediately contacted: other ministerial staff, director of music, custodian, head ushers, co-chairs chairs of worship, greeters, and those in charge of coffee hour. James Wray, a youth member of First has been selected along with 18 other youth of United Churches in this area to go to Nicaragua in Spring Break 2015. They will be going to a coffee plantation and assist with repairing buildings. The cost of the trip is $3000. Fundraising is an integral ntegral part of planning. Donations can be made to First United Church, with TCOW in the memo line. Donations of $20 and more will get a tax receipt. James is planning some fundraising. Watch for further announcements. Parking Lot Closure…due due to LRT construction we will not have access to our parking lot next week, Monday, January 26 through Friday, January 30. The Waterloo Square lot can be accessed from Willis Way.