2010… The year of the pigs
We’re not growing corn... We’re not growing soybeans… This year, together with our Foods Resource Bank partner churches Zwingli UCC of Paoli and Washington Reformation UCC of Monticello, we are growing eight pigs! Start imagining how good well cared for locally produced bacon, chops, ribs, steaks, etc. will taste this fall and think about how much you would be willing to donate to help support our partnership to support farmers in Cambodia. Not a fan of pork? You can still support the project by offsetting the cost of a pig (~$30) or the feeding of the pigs (~$10/pig/month). We will also have the garden market on Sunday mornings through September. Stop back to check-out the produce and learn more about the pigs. If you have questions or would like to be a market manager for a Sunday, contact Erin Jones at 217-9917 or ejones1@wisc.edu. Also, save the date, October 16th, for the big fall shin-dig “Swing ’N Swine”. We’ll have farm games, pulled pork sandwiches and potluck, auction of pigs, and square dancing!

New Member Orientation
If you are thinking about joining First Congregational UCC or would like to know more about the church, please join us for New Member Orientation sessions. The next three week session has been scheduled for September 26, October 3 and 10. We meet in the Student Lounge from 9:00-9:45 am. We will get to know each other and some current members, learn about the UCC, and more specifically about First Congregational Church. Childcare will be provided. Please let Eldonna know if you will be attending, or if you have any questions.

Sunday Morning Parking
Parking on Sunday morning can be a challenge, particularly if you are trying to be helpful to visitors to our church by parking somewhere other than in one of our three lots. There is construction going on in the parking lot of the U.W. Health Service/Union South building across the street, and the bad news is that come October of 2010, parking in that lot will be gone forever, due to a new U.W. building going in there. The University prepared an overhead map showing the church, our parking lots, and two U.W. lots that are near the church. That large map will be put on the back wall of the Sanctuary indefinitely. Please look at it and consider using one of the two other U.W. lots when you come to worship on Sunday mornings. Thanks for your understanding and your efforts in this.

Calling All Artists!
First Congregational’s Special Needs Committee is inviting all church members and friends to a special art event on Friday, Sept. 17. People of all ages (families too) will gather in the Dining Room at 6:30pm, along with members of ARTS4ALL, a group of artists with disabilities, to create a masterpiece. Regardless of medium: paint, fiber, photography, jewelry etc…, individuals will have a square of fiberboard to express their interpretation of the theme TOGETHER. The squares will then be displayed in worship on Sunday, September 19 as part of First Cong’s continued efforts to be a community accessible to all. Contact Jeff Rabe if you are interested in being a part of this event!

Community Meals Day is Thursday September 2. Food must be delivered to the Pink Kitchen no later than 10:00am on that day. Why 10 o’clock? The Spanish rice must be in the oven at Luke House by 10:30am. Meal service begins at 11:30am.

Building on Faith is an annual week-long celebration of church partnerships and a worldwide sermon of God’s love. During this week, local Habitat affiliates and their church partners host building events and celebrations.

In Madison, on Saturday September 18, Habitat for Humanity is planning a day of wall-building….not the kind that separates people, but the kind of walls that bring people together and create housing for those who need it. On that Saturday, groups of churches will work in a specific time slot building walls.

This building celebration will be located downtown on Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. The city has granted HFH a permit to use half of the street. There will be three “stations” with churches building, and there will be a fourth station for people who happen to drop in to help build. There will also be an area with activities for children. As the walls are finished they will be loaded onto a truck and stored for use in the coming months.

Our church’s time slot is 9:45 to 11:15 Saturday morning. We need 8 volunteers to come build. And we are hoping that a couple of these volunteers will be from S.S. Morris AME Church.

If you are interested in wall building on September 18, contact Janet Pugh (233-2139; janet.pugh@charter.net).

CROP WALK
Madison Area CROP Hunger Walk First Congregational Church will again be hosting the Madison Area CROP Hunger Walk on Sunday, October 17. Last year, nearly 600 walkers raised $65,000! These funds were used around the world by Church World Service (CSW) to alleviate hunger, poverty and to assist with disaster relief. Haiti, China, Chili and Pakistan are just a few of the countries that received assistance from CWS. $16,000 of last year’s total assisted local food pantries and meal programs. Help will be needed to make this year’s CROP walk an even bigger success. Contact Jeff Rabe at the Church office for more information.

THREE BIG WAYS TO HELP:
1) WALK: We Walk Because They Walk! Pick up a pledge form after worship or from the Church office. Families are encouraged to walk together! (1 mile or 3 miles) Join the First Congregational UCC MADWALKERS online team at www.cropwalk.org

2) VOLUNTEER: Help will be needed the day of the walk for setup, marking the walk, a water stop, food servers and parking. Donations of bread and fruit are also needed!

3) SUPPORT: Sponsor a walker or support the First Congregational UCC MADWALKERS online!
Go to www.cropwalk.org and follow prompts to the Madison Walk!

First Congo Welcomes All
How can you play an active role in welcoming all to our community of faith? It’s easy. Commit to coming 20 minutes early, one Sunday a month to help greet visitors and members as they walk through our doors. Volunteer as an individual, as a couple, or as a family. We are looking for men and women greeters of all ages and walks of life. Interested? Call Liz Michaels 845-9260.

FALL FESTIVAL!
Sunday, September 19
Following Worship
Dining Room
Potluck
Fellowship
Guessing Games
BINGO!
Fun for ALL Ages!

News from Oakhill Prison
According to Elizabeth Armstrong, volunteer at Oak Hill, the donations from our congregation to the Family Center at Oakhill really, REALLY make a difference to the men behind the wall.

Elizabeth has a list of supplies needed for card making, which allows the men to stay connected with children and family members, which just might help with recidivism. The men feel remembered and cared for when the community contributes to the Family Center with small items. If you can help out with donations, or would like to hear some great stories of reconnections and continued relationship between incarcerated fathers and their children or nieces/nephews, neighbors, etc. OR of your interest in coming some Tuesday night to be a presence there, please call Elizabeth Armstrong at 836-7299.

There will be a box in the back of the sanctuary for anything in the way of pens, pencils, stampers, glue, card stock, etc. you can donate. You can also call Elizabeth or the church office for a specific list of supplies needed.

CHANCEL CHOIR – starts Wednesday September 8, from 7:30 until 9:00 in the Chapel. They sing at most Sunday morning worship services and also participate in other worship services throughout the year.
CHERUB CHOIR – The Cherub Choir meets immediately following worship on Sunday mornings until 11:45am in Room 301 beginning September 12. They sing in worship on the second Sunday of the month, with occasional changes. In addition, they sing at the Family Service on Christmas Eve.
CELEBRATION RINGERS – The Celebration Ringers meets on the first and third Sundays of the month at 5:00pm in Room 301. They play in worship once during Advent, Lent, and on Youth Sunday. Ringers starts October 3. If you have any questions
about any of the choirs, please contact Don DeBruin, Director of Music Ministries.

McDonald’s Coupons, Bus Tickets Needed!
Please help–you can get $5 coupon books (preferred over the plastic cards) from any McDonald’s restaurant. Donations are needed for bus tickets, as Metro Transit will only sell individual bus tickets to the church.