First Church on the Waterfront this Summer!  Blessed by the beauty of Vermont summers, one of the best ways to celebrate God’s creation is to get outside and be in it! To help maximize your weekend time, and in hopes of a slightly cooler sanctuary, worship will be at 9:00am throughout the summer. Children’s programming and special music will continue throughout the summer months!

Worship on the Waterfront: On June 22nd, celebrate the start of summer with worship on the waterfront at the Community Sailing Center. A music-driven service will start at 9:30 (with bagels and coffee!) followed by time on the water for sailing, paddling, art activities, games, a cookout, and more! Wear sunscreen (and a swimsuit if you’re planning to get in the lake!), and bring a blanket or lawn chair for the post-worship picnic.

We’ve Got Peace Like a River!  Since 2018, we have gathered with College Street Congregational Church every summer for a multi-generational faith formation experience – PEACE CAMP! This year, we are focusing our fun and fellowship over two evenings, July 23rd and 24th. Registration opens next week. Email Ava@firstchurchburlington.org for more information.

Pull Together  Paddling with the First Church Dragonheart Vermont team is one of the best ways to connect with the church and enjoy the beauty of the Burlington waterfront. To learn more, email Team Captain, Baki Nelson, fn.info@icloud.com. Ready to sign up now? Here’s how to register with the Pull Together First Church team: https://bit.ly/DragonheartFCCB. The race day is Sunday August 3rd.

Welcome to First Congregational UCC of Burlington

You are invited to worship in person at First Church at 9am on Sundays (through the summer months) in our beautiful Sanctuary at 38 South Winooski Avenue in Burlington OR via the live-stream (or later recording) on the FirstChurchBTV YouTube Channel. Fellowship time follows worship at First Church.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summer Worship at First Church!  Blessed by the beauty of Vermont summers, one of the best ways to celebrate God’s creation is to get outside and be in it! To help maximize your weekend time, and in hopes of a slightly cooler sanctuary, worship will be at 9:00am every Sunday at First Church throughout the summer. Children’s programming and special music will continue throughout the summer months!

Worship on the Waterfront on July 20 and August 31… Celebrate summer with worship on the waterfront at the Community Sailing Center. A family-friendly, music-driven service will start at 9:30am (with bagels and coffee!) followed by sailing sessions, paddling, art activities, games, a cookout, and more! Wear sunscreen (and a swimsuit if you’re planning to get in the lake!) and bring a blanket or lawn chair for the post-worship picnic.

CLICK HERE or on the image above to register yourself or family members to sail on July 20th!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Order of Worship, Announcements, etc. for Sunday worship services will be linked below – prior to the worship service:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Where Two or Three Are Gathered In My Name

Head down to the Waterfront at 7:30am on the third Tuesday of July and August to share in a breakfast picnic! Bring your own meal, coffee or tea, and a chair or blanket and share in fellowship on the beautiful shores of Lake Champlain. AND that’s not all… Fellowship Breakfasts at the church will continue at 7:15am on the first Tuesday of each month – July 1 and August 5.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fiction? Non-Fiction? Why not both?!

Starting Wednesday July 16th, two book group offerings will be held over Zoom:

At 6:00pm, discuss a physician’s fictional parable for wise leadership and community building: In the Arms of Elders by William H. Thomas – a pick intended to inspire us to imagine new frameworks for building community.

At 7:15, gather to consider the non-fiction narrative Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder, and the ways that doctor Jim O’Connell created a community of care for his city’s unhoused population.

Copies of both books are available for purchase in the office.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We’ve Got Peace Like a River!  Since 2018, we have gathered with College Street Congregational Church every summer for a multi-generational faith formation experience – PEACE CAMP! This year, we are focusing our fun and fellowship over two evenings, July 23rd and 24th. Register at http://bit.ly/PeaceCamp25 or you can email abilton@firstchurchburlington.org for more information.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pull Together  This Sunday (June 15) after the 9am worship, join Dragonboat Team Captain Baki Nelson in the Chapel to learn more about paddling with the First Church team in Dragonheart Vermont – one of the best ways to get connected within the church and enjoy the beauty of the Burlington waterfront. Can’t make it this Sunday? Email Baki, fn.info@icloud.com. Ready to sign up now? Here’s how to register with the Pull Together First Church team: http://bit.ly/DragonheartFCCB  Dragonheart race day is Sunday August 3rd. Scholarships are available!

Let’s “Pull Together” and Support Our Paddlers:
Dragonboat donations – made by check to First Church, MEMO: Dragonboat – or online through Realm – CLICK HERE and choose Dragonboat from the fund options – will be used to support the participation and sponsorship of our paddlers.  Thank you for contributing!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

All Choirs resume in the fall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GOOD NEIGHBOR CREWS help make sure the church grounds and our surrounding neighborhood are kept clean, tidy, and safe for all to enjoy. Volunteers are needed to help with daily cleaning sweeps of the grounds and spend time out on the porch connecting with community members. To find out more and volunteer, email Office Administrator, Will Gunger, office@firstchurchburlington.org.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OUR THRIFT STORE – THE POSSIBILITY SHOP:
• Our Thrift Shop has a long history of serving the community and church!

Donations & Volunteers are needed!  Please bring Possibility Shop donations to First Church any time between 10am and 3pm – Wednesday though Friday. Clean clothing and household items in good condition are always needed.

VOLUNTEERS INVITED:
• Greet customers in the midway (near Church Office) – a great opportunity for readers and knitters!
• Assist with the financial aspects of the shop, @two to three hours per month.
• Handle and help sell older, valuable items that are donated to the shop.
• Questions? call Karan Dewar 802-922-3821 or Brenda Fraser 802-862-4747.

Thank you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The FCCB Climate Justice Team offers articles via the Climate Corner (website page) to share ideas about what we can do to help preserve this beautiful world and the life on it that we’ve inherited. CLICK HERE to check out the on the First Church website Climate Corner

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our FirstChurchBTV Outreach Team invites volunteers to donate meals for youth at Outright Vermont gatherings. Want to know more? Please contact Outreach Team member Louise Brewster at lrbrewster@gmail.com for details and potential dates.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MEAL TRAIN: A First Church Pastoral Care Ministry!
Our PIPC – Partners In Pastoral Care – Team and affiliated volunteers known as: “Friends at First” have been busy in the ministry of providing meals for many years. In collaboration with our clergy, PIPC coordinates meal deliveries within our church community in response to various times of need. Interested in participating in an upcoming Meal Train? Contact: Lucy Samara at lsamara@firstchurchburlington.org

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NAME TAGS BUILD COMMUNITY  Please drop by – or call the Church Office – 802 862 5010 ext 4 to request a name tag – let us know your specific name request (nickname, pronouns, etc.). Thank you!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

STEWARDSHIP is GIVING to FIRST CHURCH: The ministries and missions of First Congregational Church UCC of Burlington rely on the pledges and support of all of our members and friends.  See below for information about giving online and via check – about any current special offerings – and about making a pledge to support First Church during 2022 and about how to make a 2023 pledge.  Thank you.

Online/E-Giving & Giving by Check: One-time donations & recurring pledges  – all of your donations fuel the missions and ministries of First Congregational Church.

TO GIVE ONLINE – connect to First Congregational Church’s secure Online/E-Giving system by clicking here.  Use the drop-down menu provided in “Fund” to designate your donation.YOU CAN TEXT A DONATION to FCCBUCC to 73256 – standard text message rates apply.

Or… GIVE by CHECK – made payable to First Congregational Church (to designate a specific use – such as the Pastoral Care Fund – or a special offering – use the MEMO line on your check) and mail to: First Congregational Church, 38 South Winooski Avenue, Burlington, VT 05401

____________________________________________________________

Current Special Offering:

One Great Hour of Sharing – Be the Light 

Our Outreach Team invites your donation to One Great Hour of Sharing. This annual UCC offering empowers both emergency responses and development work globally.  Learn more on the UCC website. Give to OGHS online at https://bit.ly/givefccbonline – selecting the OGHS option or give by check to: First Congregational Church, Memo: OGHS. Thank you!

____________________________________________________________

Stewardship 2025

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~