FCC Identity & Mission Statement
Guided by the Holy Spirit, the purpose of First Congregational United Church
of Christ in Elgin is to seek God's Truth, practice Christ's teachings, and love
others unconditionally.
Sunday Morning Schedule 8:15 am: Open Door Worship
in the Chapel 10:15 am: Worship in the Sanctuary 10:30 am: Sunday School Google Map, Directions & Parking Childcare and free parking is available.
Join us for Breakfast with the Bible every Sunday morning at 9:30 am.
Emergency Message Mailbox
Just call the church number (847-741-4045) and then dial extension 16 to hear
if activities have been cancelled or changed.
"I
saw the church and thought it was beautiful on the outside,
but then I discovered there were beautiful people on the inside."
— Joe Drozd
FCC Mission Grants
Through the generosity and thoughtfulness of
others, the endowment fund of First Congregational United Church
of Christ has some means to help fulfill this mission. In working
to be good stewards of this money, we are seeking members and organizations
that have programs with a similar philosophy. The 2012 grant application
will be available on this website by June 1st. Read more
Miss our Service? See it Right Here! May 13, 2012
First Congregational Church, the oldest church in Elgin, is
pleased to offer video taken at our weekly 10:15 a.m. worship service. Now you
can see
what all the excitement is about at F.C.C.! Click the button
to watch the video of our most recent service. If you are unable to play the
video, you will need to download and install Adobe's
Flash Player and restart your web browser before viewing the video.
Once you start the
video, you can click
this
button
on the player to change the video quality to a higher resolution.
To see videos dating back to January 1, 2011, please click
here to access the archives. Thanks for visiting our site!
Music Sunday, May 20, 2012
What's so musical about the number 1150? It's the number
of times music is referenced the Bible! David is always
singing in the Psalms. ALWAYS. In fact, I am sure his
enemies grew tired of it. But here at FCC, we never tire
of music — at least those on the music ministry
hope we don't! We are so very blessed with unique and
musical talent in this church. Most, if not all of us
couldn't imagine a Sunday without music: no organ, no
piano, no singing, no bells, no choir...how empty it
would seem! Sunday, May 20 is our congregation's chance
to say THANK YOU to those who produce such fine music
that enhances our worship. The music provided is not
entertainment -- the music is for everyone to focus our
minds and hearts on worshipping God, to bring the words
and notes out and speak to our hearts through that music
and let the Holy Spirit do the rest. The next time you
hear the choirs sing, the bells play, listen with wonder,
worship and thankfulness. Our congregation wouldn't be
the same without it. And for the rest of the congregation,
make a joyful noise whatever your level of singing -
God hears it with perfect ears! Bible Study Opportunities for Everyone at FCC!
Breakfast with the Bible We continue to study the Old Testament book of Exodus.
There are so many foundational, familiar, fascinating,
and frustrating stories to explore. Bring your Bible
to fellowship hall at 9:15 for an in-depth look at of
one of the Bible’s most interesting books. Remember,
breakfast is served each Sunday, beginning at 9:00, and
childcare is
available.
Beer, Burgers, and the Bible
Each month on the 4th Monday, the men of our church meet
at the Elgin Public House for Bible study and good eats. “Say
WHAT?” is the current theme of our Bible study
for Beer, Burgers, and the Bible (a.k.a., “Dude-maris,” or “Triple
B”). We are taking a close look at some of the
Bible’s problematic passages. This month we will
meet on May 21st (because the 4th Monday Memorial Day)
at 6:30pm at Elgin Public House, 219 E. Chicago Street.
Order something to eat (it’s half-price burger
night), if you like, and come upstairs for an hour of
Bible study for dudes only.
Ever Wondered About the Amish
and Their Beliefs? Check out the Women’s Study
Group!
Our Women’s study group is meeting on Thursdays
at 11:30 a.m. – 12:45p.m. We are currently reading
and discussing the book Everyday Sacred by Sue Bender.
Sue spent time living with the Amish to discover more
about their peaceful lifestyle. As a part of our study
we will be taking an overnight field trip to Shipshewana,
Indiana on Monday, May 14th and Tuesday, May 15th to
visit the Amish community. We will tour Menno-Hof which
is an interactive museum about the Anabaptist faith,
drive around the countryside to see the beautiful farms,
and of course spend some time shopping. A highlight of
our trip will be a buggy ride and a dinner in an Amish
home. Feel free to call Lois 847/741-4045 if you have
any questions about this study group. Vacation Bible School 2012 – Operation
Overboard will be held July 15-19! We are so excited to have this
new program for VBS this year!
The program dares kids to “Go
Deep with God!” In
this action-packed adventure, your kids will swim with
humpback whales and seahorses, scuba through a vibrant
coral reef, and take a personal submarine to the ocean
floor, where eels and octopi play. Through interactive
lessons that are easy for kids to apply to their lives
today, they will “go deep” into God’s
Word, exploring Bible stories of people who revealed
deep faith by knowing how to:
• Depend on God
• Dare to care
• Claim Jesus
• Choose to follow
• Change the world
It’s a really cool program for our young disciples
at FCC to learn and be engaged in the word of God!
When is it? We are holding VBS from 6-8:30 p.m. so that
more kids from our church and the community can be involved,
so spread the word! Of course, VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED
to make this VBS program a success. Won’t you help
out for these few hours to teach Jesus to our young kids?
Please join
the planning meeting on May 14 at 7 p.m. in the conference
room. Thank
you
for
your
consideration! Lenten Season Concerts A Wonderful Success For
35 years the Jane Hampton-Chipman Memorial Lenten Concert Series have been performed
featuring local and internationally-known musicians. This year’s series
was spectacular and culminated with the Fauré Requiem. A huge thank you
to soloists Tanya Kruse Ruck and Peter van de Graaff, Jason Flaks and the EYSO
Brass, the Highland Ave. Church of the Brethren and Jon Warfel and his Chamber
Choir for making this Good Friday truly one to remember. You can hear the concert
by clicking the link below. It is approximately 45 minutes long. Easter Blessings!
Listen to the Good Friday Concert featuring the combined choirs of FCC and Highland
Avenue Church of the Brethren accompanied by EYSO brass singing the hauntingly
beautiful Requiem by Gabriel Faure.
F.C.C.'s Own YouTube Channel We
now have our own YouTube channel where you can view larger size videos of past
worship services. Please help us promote this channel by telling your friends
and anyone who might be looking for a church. The channel can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheFCCElgin or
by searching YouTube for TheFCCElgin.
ONLINE GIVING FCC is truly coming into the 21st century. At its April
meeting, the Church Council approved the option of online giving
to our church. Now you can choose
to have your regular offering, or renovation pledge, or any other gift automatically
transferred from any bank account. This service is available through the United
Church of Christ and will operate just like your online bill payments. It will
promote consistent giving and make it easier to forecast cash flow. FCC will
have complete control over contribution information, and confidentiality will
be maintained as in the past. Click here for
more information and to download the authorization form.
Click Below For
The First Steps Page
Listen to Last
Week's Service
Entire Service (5/13/12) Real Audio(streaming) MP3(please
download first)
Sermons Only (5/13/12) The Adult Voice
— Dr. Paris Donehoo Real Audio(streaming) MP3(please
download first)
May 6: Fifth Sunday of Easter
Faith Statement by the Confirmands
Anthem: Train Up a Child by Pepper Choplin Confirmation Sunday Holy Communion
May 13: Sixth Sunday of Easter
Preacher — Dr. Paris Donehoo
Scripture readings:
Deuteronomy 5:8-10
Mark 3:31-35
Sermon: The Adult Voice
Anthem: Think On These Things by J. W. Peterson
May 20: Last Sunday of Easter
Preacher — Dr. Paris Donehoo
Scripture readings:
Deuteronomy 30:15-20
Luke 6:27-31
Sermon: Blessing and Cursing Choir: Sing and Praise His Wondrous Name by Craig Courtney We Sing Your Mighty Power, O God trad. Shaker, arr. Hal Hopson
Handbells: Meditation on 'Beautiful Savior' by Cathy Moklebust A Call to Celebration by David Angerman Music Ministry Sunday
May 27: Pentecost
Preacher — Dr. Paris Donehoo
Scripture readings:
Galatians 3:23-29
Acts 2:1-21
Sermon: When "All" Is Not Enough Anthem: Breath of God by Eugene Eglert
The United Church of Christ.
Where God is Still Speaking.
Visit www.ucc.org
button
to watch the video of our most recent service. If you are unable to play the
video, you will need to download and install 
Once you start the
video, you can click
this
button
on the player to change the video quality to a higher resolution.
We are so excited to have this
new program for VBS this year!
The program dares kids to “Go
Deep with God!” In
this action-packed adventure, your kids will swim with
humpback whales and seahorses, scuba through a vibrant
coral reef, and take a personal submarine to the ocean
floor, where eels and octopi play. Through interactive
lessons that are easy for kids to apply to their lives
today, they will “go deep” into God’s
Word, exploring Bible stories of people who revealed
deep faith by knowing how to:
For
35 years the Jane Hampton-Chipman Memorial Lenten Concert Series have been performed
featuring local and internationally-known musicians. This year’s series
was spectacular and culminated with the Fauré Requiem. A huge thank you
to soloists Tanya Kruse Ruck and Peter van de Graaff, Jason Flaks and the EYSO
Brass, the Highland Ave. Church of the Brethren and Jon Warfel and his Chamber
Choir for making this Good Friday truly one to remember. You can hear the concert
by clicking the link below. It is approximately 45 minutes long. Easter Blessings!
The United Church of Christ.