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ADVENT VESPERS SERVICE
Are you already dreading the holiday rush and hassle? Are you already wishing you could find some way to “keep Christ in Christmas”? Then mark your calendars for our fifth annual Advent Vespers Service on November 30 at 6:00. Along with readings appropriate to the Advent season, beautiful music will be provided by the Chancel Choir, the Handbell Choir, the Fox River Trio, and a children’s ensemble. Make plans now to attend this special service. You’ll be glad you did.



THANKSGIVING SERVICE
This year’s interfaith Thanks-giving service will be held on Sunday, November 23rd at 7:00 at Epworth United Methodist Church located at 37W040 Highland Avenue (northwest corner of Randall and Highland). This is an excellent opportunity for us to celebrate all the blessings for which we are grateful in an ecumenical, interfaith setting. Let’s join our sisters and brothers in faith in a time of praise to the God who loves us all!

NEW! Adult Christian Formation Opportunities
FaithWalk is a comprehensive program designed to give you the foundations and tools you need for the journey of discipleship. Each of the three classes described below focuses on a different aspect of the Christian life, but they need not be taken sequentially. Come be a part of this ongoing process. Come and discover there is more to church than membership. Click here to read all about FaithWalk opportunities.

Dinner with 8 or Dine with 9 begins again!
Do you like to eat and have a great time? FCC has a great program which involves food, laughter and good old fashioned fun. What a great way to get to know your fellow church members and also eat great food! Information is available in this month's church life. Click here to read about it.

MUSIC, MUSIC, MUSIC!
FCC is proud of its musical heritage. We continue that heritage with singing and ringing! See below for information where you can use your musical gifts!

Get Ready to Rock the Word! Joyful Noise and Cherub Choirs Begin September 14
We are excited to have the choirs start up again. Rehearsals will be after 10:15 a.m. worship this year and will only be for 30 minutes. While your kids (ages 4 - 8th grade) sing, you can have coffee and light refreshments during coffee hour. Please contact Letty Jocius through the church office for any information.

ATTENTION: ALL SINGERS AND RINGERS
The Chancel Choir and Handbell Choir will kickoff their season with rehearsals beginning on Wednesday, September 3. Handbells will join up in the sanctuary at 6:30 p.m. and Chancel Choir will meet in the choir room in the basement at 7:30. Pass the Word!

Looking for a church?
Well, you've found the right place. We would love to have you join us for worship, fellowship and praising our wonderful God. Worship times are listed to the right and if you'd like to pre-shop for a church, check out last week's worship service listed above. Archived services are available on the website as well. We hope to see you very soon.

FCC Renovation Update
Praise God! We are excited to start Phase 1 which was approved at the meeting following the August 24 worship service. This will include a complete renovation of the building exterior, as well as changes to the parking lot, interior washrooms, and other improvements. We are faithful stewards of our own homes; may we remember we are faithful stewards of God’s house as well. More updates to come!
Folk Music Service A Resounding Success!
(Photos taken by Matt Gerber)
On April 27th the FCC sanctuary was filled with the rhythms of guitars, banjos, mandolins, string bass, steel drums and voices lifted in wonderful melodies as the congregation celebrated worship with the sounds of folk music. Performers included the Fox River Trio, John Kauffman and John Schlomann, and many others from the congregation. It was a joyous day and everyone left the service with smiles on their faces and beautiful melodies fresh in their minds. Watch the video here.
Elgin's First Congregational looks to origins to restore '60s wing
(Article & Photos appeared in a Daily Herald article on 4/20/08. Written by Jerry Turnquist.)
One of Elgin's most historic buildings is about to look even more historic.

In the next few weeks, the First Congregational Church of Elgin -- a church that traces its roots to the city's founder, and whose building has served as a community center equivalent to the Hemmens Cultural Center -- will launch a campaign to restore its 1960s wing. Read more>
Vacation Bible School
June 23 - 27

Preparations are underway for an exciting adventure with VBS this summer. We will be holding VBS at Trout Park this year instead of Wing Park. We will be in the shelter that is near the ball diamonds (furthest from Dundee Ave.) Our program will be held the week of June 23rd ­ June 27, 9:30 - 12:30. In case of rain we will meet at church.

Our theme for the week will be Beach Party! We’ll spend the week surfing through the scriptures and exploring God’s love for us. This program has something to offer all ages. Everyone will enjoy hearing Bible stories, playing games, singing those catchy songs, and making crafts. The older children will enjoy their camp-like experience which will include time for nature study, hikes, games and storytelling. Please make this week a priority for your family. So spread the word. Tell your friends that you want them to join you for a week long beach party this summer. Please complete the registration form enclosed in this issue of Church Life. Remember this program is FREE and open to anyone ­ so pass the word on to your neighbors and friends.

Of course we always need more volunteers so let Lois know if you are available to help with any aspect of the program.

Downtown Elgin “Holy Hill” Walking Tour
Saturday, May 10th
Led by Anthony Rubano of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency and Jerry Turnquist, local historian and educator, the Holy Hill walking tour was a great success.

A crowd of about 40 experienced a unique walking tour concentrating on the church history and religious architecture located in Downtown Elgin, spanning more then a century’s worth of styles, shapes and purposes. Several local churches including First Methodist Church, Church of the Redeemer, Vineyard Christian Fellowship, and Iglesia Principe de Paz (Former Unitarian Universalist Church) will be open for all participants. The tour ended at the First Congregationalist Church for an interior tour by church parishioners and light refreshments. RSVP by May 2.

Sponsored by: Downtown Neighborhood Association of Elgin (DNA)
(Photo: Michael Smart/Staff Photographer, Courier News)
Renovation Recreation Gala
The first ever Renovation Recreation Gala held on Saturday, Feb. 23 was a joyful and hilarious success! Around 100 guests arrived for dinner to the sounds of the live trio of steel drum players in the Fellowship Hall, and dined on chicken, lasagna, salads and delicious desserts before making their way to the sanctuary for the variety show. Our show began with the Joyful Noise and Cherub choirs singing followed by joke telling by Max and Kyle, Betty and Stewart and a skit by the Cross I’d Players. The Smothered Brothers did a few sketches that were very reminiscent of the original Smothers Brothers and brought many laughs. The evening closed with the Fox River Trio serenading us with folk songs ending with “This Land is Your Land”. A great time was had by all and we are blessed with much talent in this church!
Joyful Noise and Cherub Choir Rehearsals Time/Day Change
I am so pleased with the choirs so far and would love to have more kids making joyful noises in each of them. In fact, due to the current rehearsal schedule, a few parents have expressed they’d like to have their children involved, but cannot because of weeknight conflicts. Thank you for your honesty. I have taken your requests to heart, and in order to make this happen and make it convenient for you and the kids, beginning January 13, both choirs will meet in the choir room at 9 a.m. on Sunday mornings. Really, it’s a win-win situation. This way, it’s convenient for you to attend Adult Formation classes just around the corner from the choir room in Fellowship Hall (breakfast is served!), and the kids can get their rehearsal in without interrupting your busy weeknight schedules. Please email , or call her at 847.608.0653 to sign your child up to join either choir – we’d love to have them and Easter’s right around the corner! Continuing on that joyful note, the choirs and I are so appreciative of the supportive response from everyone – THANK YOU! Remember, always make a joyful noise!
Christmas Eve at FCC
Once again the service held all the charm of so many Christmases before it with the candles aglow and Silent Night being sung. Before the lights went down and strains of Silent Night began, a service of Lessons and Carols took place. During the 5 p.m. service, the children's choirs, soloists and seasonal carols added to the unity of the Christmas season and the warmth that Christ's love can only bring. The 11 p.m. service was similar, but had the Chancel Choir to lead the congregation in song. Looking forward, January 6 brings Epiphany, a celebration of when Jesus manifests himself as God. During Epiphany, we see Jesus grow up and show his identity. It is during this time that we see him reveal himself in subtle ways to his disciples. It is the season before Lent.

All of us at FCC wish you a New Year filled with the blessings of our generous and loving God.

Third Graders Receive Their Bibles
Recently, our third grade class received their Bibles, a tradition that goes back many years at FCC. It’s special to receive this Bible at this age to start these young Christians on their strong road of faith. Each Bible is signed by a few members of the congregation with words of encouragement and love. Keep these girls in your prayers as they move forward and grow their love and faith in Christ. May we all have a childlike faith.


Advent Vespers Service, December 2nd
Everybody talks about “putting Christ back in Christmas,” but here at FCC you have the opportunity to do something about it, at least for a little while, if not for the entire Christmas season and into the New Year. Sunday, December 2nd, is the first Sunday of Advent. At 6:00 p.m. in the sanctuary we will celebrate the real reason for the season with our fourth annual Advent Vespers service. Bring your family and friends to this beautiful time of worship which music will be presented by the Chancel Choir, the Handbell Choir, the Cherub Choir, the Joyful Noise, and the Fox River Trio. Interspersed with the music will be readings appropriate to this important season of the calendar and church year. This is our opportunity to witness to our culture that Advent is not a time for conspicuous consumption, but is, instead, a time for reflecting on the incredible gift of God in Christ, our Redeemer and Friend. You say you cannot spare the time to attend this service? All the more reason why you need to come. We’ll see you on the 2nd at 6:00.

Congregation Votes to Proceed with Renovation
Great news! On November 18, our congregational meeting was held to approve the plan to go forward with the renovation process. The support is overwhelmingly positive and the Capital Campaign Committee couldn’t be more thrilled about beginning this new adventure. The vote, in short, was to hire The James Company as our consultant, use our current capital funds on hand to start the construction process, and begin construction in early summer of 2008. Our campaign kick off celebration will begin in early 2008 with lots of creative fundraising efforts. We hope each congregant and the community will take part in this incredible journey through volunteering, joining in on the fun fundraising efforts, pledging their gifts and of course, lots of prayer. God is with us!

Children's Sermon Highlight
Our children’s sermon for November 4 was based on 1 Samuel 17 where David is given Saul’s armor to fight Goliath, but it just didn’t fit; it was heavy and cumbersome. David just took what was comfortable to him: five stones from the brook and his sling. He learned that he was much better doing that than trying to pretend he was someone he was not. And guess what? He slew that Goliath with one stone! To demonstrate this to the children, Pastor Lois took a pastor’s robe, stole and cross necklace and put it on Aidan who couldn’t move! Just like David, Aidan was not comfortable in the garments! Just because he was dressed up as a pastor, didn’t mean he was ready to preach! Lesson for today: it’s much better to just be ourselves and use our lives as witnesses for Christ. Here’s Aidan trying to maneuver with the robe on – it just doesn’t FIT! We welcome all children to join in during worship each weekend and then learn more about Jesus during our Sunday School hour.

Fall Fest Success!
Set on a backdrop of a star-filled sky and a moon that was bright, many came out to Randall Oaks Park on Sunday, October 23 for our annual Fall Fest. Everyone enjoyed a hayride, hot dog roast and s’mores as well as joining in song around the campfire. We look forward to Fall Fest ’08!

Catching the Spirit on Rally Day 2007!

The entire congregation at First Congregational Church was moved by the Spirit as Pastor Paris Donehoo and Pastor Lois Bucher led worship filled with music, balloons and joyful enthusiasm. The Adult Choir entered the sanctuary singing and took their seats in the choir loft for another year while the congregation sang the opening hymn. The sanctuary was abuzz with children returning back to Sunday school for the Fall and ready to learn about the love of God. Pastor Paris delivered a rousing sermon about challenging ourselves to change the wind rather than blowing with it. Click here to read it. Our service concluded with a new song composed by Dr. Donehoo and music director Jon Warfel as everyone walked out to the Peace Pole with their balloons and cards for liftoff, signifying the start of the new Sunday school year and the Holy Spirit’s presence in our congregation and lives. At FCC, Rally Day also kicks off many new adult programs and classes which will be starting this Fall including a Bible study of the four Gospels called “Four Voices” with Dr. Donehoo and Controversial Conversations with Carl Flaks which meets meets on the fourth Sunday at 9:15 am. Breakfast will be held in the Fellowship Hall each Sunday.

What else is happening this fall at FCC? The Chimes Choir started rehearsals on 18th and rehearses at 6 pm in the sanctuary. The Cherub and Joyful Noise children choirs have begun but are always looking for more kids to sing! Their rehearsals are on Tuesdays at 6 pm for the Cherubs (5yrs through 2nd grade) and 7 pm for Joyful Noise (3rd grade through 8th grade) in the choir room in the church basement. Adult Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 7 pm also in the choir room. Stepping Stones mental health ministry has begun and meets the second Sunday of each month at 9:15 a.m., the Damaris group meets on the 4th Thursday of each month at various restaurants and the Dine with Nine/Dinner with Eight groups meet at various times. Please call the church office for more information. We hope you’ll get involved with one or all of the ministries! It’s a great way to meet new people, serve our Lord with the talents and blessings God has given, and have fun!

The Spirit is moving in this place — Come and Catch It!

Council Approves FCC Renovation Unanimously
On September 18 the FCC Church Council approved a plan presented by the Capital Campaign Committee for moving ahead with the renovation project approved by the congregation in January. Details of the plan will be presented to the congregation soon as well as the date for a congregational meeting to vote on the plan. Look for announcements in worship, on the website and in Church Life.

To give a refresher, the facets of the renovation will be interior improvement to the existing facilities, movement of offices, and façade restructuring to preserve the integrity of the building as well as keep it energy efficient. More to come soon, but in the meantime, you can check out the graphics and drawings in the narthex.

The committee believes God is in control of this project and will see us through it. Our blessings abound at First Congregational Church!

Blessings to you,

Your Capital Campaign Committee
New Mom’s Group!

Moms in the Afternoon

Our new group is geared towards moms to get together with other moms to share ideas, stresses, successes, and failures in the wonderful role of being a Mom. The group aims to support and help one another in trying to raise a family with Christian values in today’s world.

Here are the details:
For all moms with children from infancy through the 3rd grade
We’ll meet twice a month, starting October 11, from 4:30 until 6 p.m.
Don’t worry about dinner that night! A simple dinner to take home will be provided to you!
On-site child care will be provided for a small donation of $3 for the sitter
We’ll gather at First Congregational Church of Elgin, 256 E. Chicago Street

If you have any questions or can donate a meal for one of our moms, please contact Penny Donehoo at 847-695-2694 or at


Find Your Fit: Discover Who You Are
Ever wonder what your purpose is here on this earth and how you fit in? Ever think you have little to offer your church or community? What are you passionate about? Then we have the event for you. At LifeKeys 4 Teens and Young Adults you’ll find out a lot about yourself and others without judgment, pointing fingers or insecurity. Senior high youth and young adults (18 -25) are invited to this weekend retreat at Country Inn and Suites in Elgin. It will be held on Friday night, November 2nd (starting promptly at 6:30 pm) and all day Saturday, November 3rd (until 4:30). Then, we’ll meet at church for three Mondays (the 12th, 19th and 26th) from 7-9 p.m. Find Your Fit is an exciting program designed to help youth and young adults look at their lives through five different lenses: Talents, Personality Type, Spiritual Gifts, Values and Passions. As you begin to make career choices, life choices and enter the work world, it is our hope that this program will give you the tools you need to help you make your life most fulfilling. Now comes the important stuff. The cost for the entire event is only $35 for church members and $50 for non-church members. The cost goes up $20 for registrations after October 28th, so sign-up TODAY! Click here to download the PDF brochure and turn it into the church office with payment. We look forward to seeing you there!

New Member Classes Available
We welcome those visitors to our worship services and if you are interested in joining First Congregational Church, Dr. Donehoo and Rev. Bucher would like to meet with you after the 10:15 worship service on October 28 and November 4 in the library downstairs. At these sessions you will get to know the pastors, meet the staff and learn about FCC Ministries and programs. Each session will last no more than an hour and we’ll even feed you lunch! Child care will be provided if you let us know you will be needing it. After the two meetings, the new members will be received into the congregation at the November 18 worship service. Please call Pat Calvin at the church office (847.741.4045) to reserve your spot and request child care (if needed). We look forward to seeing you there!

Life Keys: Discover Who You Are
Have you ever said…?
I don’t have any gifts.
My gifts are unimportant.
I’m missing the right gifts.
It’s too late to develop whatever gifts I have.
If so, Life Keys can show you how gifted you are, how significant are your gifts, how you have just the right gifts for what God wants you to do, and how you can discover and hone your gifts. AND in the process you will discover ways to add meaning and purpose to your life. Check out the brochure in this month’s Church Life for when and where Life Keys will be offered in September. Come be a part of an event that will change your life and the life of our church. Registration forms are available in the church office.