ANNOUNCEMENTS

CONTENTS

1. Open, Welcoming and Affirming Statement

2. Habitat Project Report

3. Children's Choir Meeting

4. Welcome University Students!

5. New Course: The Heart of Christianity

6. Fall Christian Education

7. Peace Week

8. Middle School Youth Group News

Check our blog for more on our activities!

1. Open, Welcoming and Affirming Statement.  A vote by members of the congregation to adopt this statement as an offical policy of the church will take place immediately following services on September 14.

2. Habitat Project Report.  A big thank you to First United volunteers for their work in connection with the Habitat For Humanity Interfaith Build project.  There wiill be a dedication ceremony on September 14 at 3:00 p.m. at the house (422 North Hopewell Street).  There will be a tour of the house afterwards. 

3. Children's Choir Meeting.  Immediate following worship on Sunday, September 7, all parents of children who would like to be in the new First United Children's Choir are invited to a brief planning meeting in Room 6.  We will discuss rehearsal times, parental involvement, and more.  If you have questions before the seventh, please contact David Wood.

4. Welcome University Students!  All returning university students are invited to stay for a free, home-cooked lunch immediately after the service each Sunday during the month of September.  Also, if you would like to get more information about upcoming events with other students at First United, please look for our Facebook Group -- "First United Church - College Zone."  

5. New Course: The Heart of Christianity.  On our faith journeys, each of us will encounter guides who inspire us and just seem to “make good sense.” One of my guides as I have sought to understand the Bible and find my own way of being Christian has been Marcus Borg. This fall, I will be leading a group through a 12-week program called Experiencing the Heart of Christianity. In the introduction to this book, Borg writes, “We live in an exciting time in the life of the church. In the past few decades, an emerging vision of Christianity has begun to take root among both clergy and laity in mainline denominations in North America. It is a vision of Christianity that takes the Bible, God, and Jesus just as seriously as did the earlier vision of Christianity. But the emerging vision removes the unnecessary intellectual stumbling blocks generated by the earlier vision….”

During this study, we will use Marcus Borg's book along with DVD clips and lots of interaction and discussion. The group will meet on Tuesday mornings, September 9 through November 25, from 10:00-11:30 a.m. in Room 5. If you are interested in participating, please let me know so I can order enough books. The book is available to preview in the church library (it is sitting out on the table, behind the “return” box).  Caela Wood, Assistant Minister

6. Fall Christian Education.  Hopefully you have received a copy of the fall Christian Education offerings brochure and are making plans to attend a class or two. Most classes will start just after Labor Day. The following classes are beginning on Sunday, September 7 th: Middle school class (Wayland Room, 9:30 am) and Saving Jesus (Room 6, 9:30 am). On Tuesday, September 9, Jack and Caela will start their weekday classes: Marcus Borg (Tuesday mornings at 10:00am, Room 5) and Living the Questions 2 (Tuesday evenings at 7:00pm in Room 5). The following classes are continuing uninterrupted and you may join them at any time: Adult Seasons of the Spirit (Room 5, 9:30 am), Sojourners: Experiencing the Word (Roger Williams, 9:10 am), KidsWorship (Room 2, 9:30 am), both Children's Learning Time classes (Rooms 3 and 4, during worship).

7. Peace Week.  The first annual "Peace Week" in Bloomington is set for Sept 21-27, featuring lectures, workshops, discussions, celebrations and various artistic expressions from local children and adults.  This initiative, inspired by local residents, is affiliated with The Peace Alliance, a national non-profit organization ( www.thepeacealliance.org ). The group is also collaborating with the director of Bloomington's 'Safe and Civil City' program to initiate a district-wide dialogue leading to concrete steps that will enhance harmony at every level of our cities.  If you are interested in learning more about how Bloomington might become a national model for a "city of peace" you may contact Gail Merrill at ( 812) 361-0995 for more information.

8. Middle School Youth Group News.  Our new Sunday School class will start meeting at 9:30 am in the Wayland Room on Sunday, September 7.  Be there!  Bring a friend!