We wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the following members and friends who are celebrating their December birthdays:
01 - Scott Grzanka
08 - Terri Houston
11 - Jackie Waszkiewicz
13 - Joyce Townsend
16 - Gary Porrett
18 - Doug Manska
18- Shannon Vivona
22 - Bill Wagner
24 - Carol Kulman
25 - Robert Reindel
29 - Norma Werth
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the children of our church who celebrate a birthday this month:
31 - Makenna Handrow
We also wish a HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to the following members whose wedding anniversary is in December:
06 - Lantz & Jennifer Northam
09 - Doug & Joselyn Manska
23 - Henry III & Jackie Schroeder
BEST
WISHES
TO YOU
This year's Holiday Gift Auction was another great one, thanks to You!!! We had many new and handmade gift items that brought in a total of $2,618.
We cannot host this auction every year without our wonderful congregation. You contribute items, make yummy goodies, and of course, you open up your wallet to work on your Christmas shopping. Thank you also for inviting your family and friends.
Sue and I want to thank our
church famous auctioneer Glen Porrett, our awesome cashiers Sharlene Haws and Niki Schrote, our on-the-spot spotter Darrel Haws, our runners, Logan and Shane Northam and Carissa Sugg. Also, thanks to Rich Weinert and Ron Schrote for just pitching in wherever you were needed—Thanks Guys!
New Tables for Our Fellowship Hall
You may have noticed that we now have new round tables in the church basement. Several years ago we applied for and received a grant (Innovation Award) from the Michigan conference to use towards implementing innovative ideas. Some of the original plans for using this award were not implemented, so we had unused funds from this award.
Before Pastor Denise left, she suggested that we replace the rectangular tables in the basement with round tables to offer an innovative way to promote conversations during coffee hour and at other events that take place at the church. This past month the church council approved the purchase of the round tables with the cost being covered by the Innovation Award funds.
The Flower Calendar isdisplayed on an easel in the narthex for those who would like to donate altar flowers on a specific Sunday during the year. The postcards on the calendar reflect the dates when flowers are needed.
Pick a postcard that corresponds to the day you would like to provide flowers, address it to yourself, add your dedication and submit it to the church office. Please do not keep the card. We need the returned cards to acknowledge the donators and their dedications in the weekly bulletins. As your date draws near, Diane Porrett will mail your post-card back to you as a reminder to order your flowers.
Flowers on the altar can be an expression of celebration for awedding, birthday or other spiritual, life-altering moment. They can be a solemn remembrance of deceased family members and/or friends. Altar flowers are a beautiful expression of thanks for all of God’s blessings.
Thanks to all the past and future contributors—your flowers make a beautiful addition to our church.
The temperatures are dropping and snow may soon be in our forecast. If you can help keep our church grounds safe by shoveling the walkways around the church when the snow flies, please look at the schedule
that is placed on the table in the narthex. Write your name on the arrowed line for the week or weeks that you would like to shovel the snow.
Thank you.
A Gift of Time
Too many of our older and disabled neighbors are lonely and isolated. They long for just a brief visit now and then from someone who will take the time
to sit and chat. And other families in our community are struggling to take care of a loved one at home. For these full-time caregivers, a break to run errands, go to their own doctor appointments or just relax for an hour is often impossible because their parent or spouse cannot be left alone.
If you have a few hours, once or twice a month to
visit or just sit with an olderor disabled adult, your gift of time will make a huge difference for our lonely and struggling neighbors. No hands-on care or nursing experience is needed.
For more information, call the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers at 586-757-5551. [Learn more about our work at www.ivcinfo.org]
Please Support the Horseback Riding Therapy for Keith
First UCC has committed to paying for two horseback-riding therapy sessions per month for our friend, Keith Murphy. Keith has cerebral palsy as well as injuries sustained by abuse when he was a baby. Riding therapy helps him with his sense of balance and coordination. And he loves it!
You can contribute to Keith’s joy and overall well-being by contributing to his horseback-riding therapy fund. The cost of each session is $70. Some of our members have made contributions to this fund in honor of birthdays andanniversaries. Some have organized family gifts to the fund. Put your contributions in the box on the oval table in the narthex. Or include them along with your offering, clearly marked: Keith’s Riding Therapy.
Lost and Found Box
If you’ve left anything behind after worship, look in our Lost & Found Box which is in the furnace room next to the refrigerator.
Call to Care Team:
Mary Alice Busch...586-727-7009
Shelley Champion...586-255-0387
Due to a parishioner allergy:
First United Church of Christ is now a pineapple free zone.
Please refrain from lotions, gums, fruit snacks, fruit juices, perfumes, air fresheners and any other scent or flavoring with pineapple in it.
Please do not bring anything for coffee hour that contains pineapple. This is really serious. Let's all do our best to take care of each other!
Kroger Rewards Update
We have received $83.80 from Kroger Rewards this quarter!
Thank you for supporting First United Church of Christ by being a member of the Kroger Community Rewards Program and designating First UCC as the recipient of reward cash when you use your Kroger Rewards card.
Our new account number is TY543. Please reference the new number when contacting Kroger for assistance. New members can enroll by searching for either the new number or the name of your organization.
Visit Kroger's website to register if you haven't yet or go to http://www.kroger.com for more information.
Register online at krogercommunityrewards.com
- Be sure to have your Kroger Plus card handy and register your card with your organization after you sign up.
- Don’t have a Kroger Plus card? The cards are available at the customer service desk at any Kroger.
- Click on “Sign In/Register.”
- If you are a new online customer, click on “SIGN UP TODAY” in the “New Customer?” box.
- Sign up for a Kroger Rewards Account: enter zip code, click on favorite store, enter your email address, create a password and agree to the terms and conditions.
- You will then get a message to check your email inbox and click on the link within the body of the email.
- Click on “My Account” and use your email address and password to proceed to the next step.
- Click on “Edit Kroger Community Rewards information” and input your Kroger Plus card number.
- Update or confirm your information.
- Enter NPO number (97155) or name of organization, select organization from list and click on confirm.
- To verify you are enrolled correctly, you will see your organization’s name on the right side of your information page.
- REMEMBER, purchases will not count for your group until after you register your card.
- Do you use your phone number at the register? Call 877-576-7587 to get your Kroger Plus card number.
- You must swipe your registered Kroger Plus card or use the phone number that is related to your registered Kroger Plus card when shopping for each purchase to count.
Thank you,
The Community Programs Staff
Our church now offers to “Text” or “Call” UCC members and friends who may not have email to receive important news from our church.
We are working on a new way to keep all our members and friends informed about important news such as the death of someone in our church family. We can continue to communicate such news by email, or we can call or send a text message to your phone.
If you would like to receive text messages regarding church news, please fill out the form below, cut it out and place it on the offering plate or mail it to the church office. Be sure to include the name of your cell phone service provider (ATT, Verizon, Sprint, etc.). If you would rather get an old fashioned phone call, fill in your home phone number and we will relay church announcements with a phone call.
If we do not have your email address, and you would like to receive our church announcements, please fill out the form below, cut and place it on the offering plate or mail it to the church office.
Equal Exchange:
Justice in every cup. Compassion in every bite.
Small Farmers! Big Change!
New products are in!!
Try some honey from Guatemala. Try the new K-cups for your Keurig coffee maker! Try the chocolate chips in your favorite recipe! Try the new chocolate raspberry bar! It is amazing. All products are in the basement of the church. Make your choices and put your money in the silver tin. If you have questions about prices, contact Shelley Champion (248-804-6915).
Equal Exchange's mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound, to foster mutually beneficial relationships between farmers and consumers and to demonstrate, through our success, the contribution of worker co-operatives and Fair Trade to a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world.
At Equal Exchange, our longstanding relationships with coffee co-ops allow us to source the best beans from each harvest. Then we carefully bring out the finest characteristics in these amazing coffee beans with each batch we roast.
Equal Exchange chocolates and cocoas are crafted using only the purest ingredients, grown with care by small farmer co-ops. We source from these small farmer organizations because we believe they are the heart and soul of the Fair Trade movement.
Our Fair Trade and organic teas come from our small farmer partners in India, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Most teas on the shelf - even Fair Trade teas - come from plantations where tea workers have little say. Join us in supporting a tea model in which farmers control their futures.