News (fyi)

  Each week, the new Kid's Corner space is for our youngest members - and the grown-ups who love them - to explore faith in fun and meaningful ways. Easter Sunday, we began a new series all about butterflies: those tiny miracles that remind us how change can be slow, surprising, and full of wonder. The series will last a few weeks into the season of Easter. Yes, Easter is a season - not just a day - lasting for seven weeks, until Pentecost Sunday! Here's the content shared for the first week of the series: Kid’s Corner: God Works in the Goo Each week, this space is for our youngest members, and the grown-ups who love them, to explore faith in fun and meaningful ways. Becoming: A Butterfly Series — Week 1 We’re beginning a new series all about butterflies: those tiny miracles that remind us how change can be slow, surprising, and full of wonder. ++++++++++++ 🐛 Did you know that when a caterpillar is inside its chrysalis, it doesn’t just grow wings? It  melts  into goo! I...

  Kid’s Corner is the new section in our newsletter for our youngest members—and the grown-ups who love them—to explore faith in fun and meaningful ways. On most Sunday mornings, Dena Smith, chairperson of our Children’s Ministry, gathers with the children for the Time for All Ages part of our worship. And in the weekly newsletter, there will be ideas for parents to use at home to expand on the theme with their children. To get these weekly lessons, sign up for our newsletter on the home page of our website (www.piucc.org). Here's what our the first Kid's Corner looked like: Kid's Corner: What's YOUR gift at God's table? 🌍 God's table isn't just full of food - it's full of gifts!   Psalm 23 says that a table is prepared for us, and we bring something special, too. Maybe you're great at making people laugh, being a good friend, or sharing big ideas.   🍽️ Setting the table for joy : Sometimes, grown-ups feel overwhelmed. Your kindness, silliness, a...

  Lent is a 40 day season of preparation for the resurrection of Jesus. We mark this time as different through our actions. The days are counted from Ash Wednesday through the Saturday before Easter. Sundays are not counted in Lent’s 40 days. Beginning Ash Wednesday, you’ll find a Lenten Micropractice posted each day on our Facebook page to help guide you on your journey. These small spiritual practices can be done on the spot, some during the day, and others will take some time and/or preparation. Traditionally, there are three pillars of Lent: praying, fasting, and alms giving, which come to us from Matthew 6:1-18. The daily practices will rotate through these themes, along with additional practices that don’t fit neatly in one of those categories (“more”). There will also be some practices focused for kids. Engage with the practices when and how you can. There is no right or wrong way to do them. You are no more or less holy by doing them all or only a few. Feel free to adjust ...

One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) is one of the 5-for-5 mission offerings of the United Church of Christ. OGHS connects us to disaster relief, refugee assistance, and development efforts around the globe. When disasters strike, or when individuals are displaced due to violence or poverty, OGHS ensures immediate response and ongoing recovery. Through our support, OGHS funds comprehensive development programs in areas such as healthcare, education, agriculture, food security, microfinancing, and women's empowerment. By partnering with Global Ministries and international response networks, OGHS maximizes its impact. Our contributions help meet urgent needs while addressing the root causes of vulnerability, ensuring long-term, sustainable solutions for affected communities. We invite your offerings of support for OGHS anytime in the month of March . Thank you for prayerfully considering your gift!

Advent Facebook Posts: Hope - Peace - Joy - Love During the season of Advent, our Digital Team will be sharing brief devotional posts about Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love on our Facebook page. Watch for them on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you find these posts meaningful, please react with a “Like,” and consider sharing the posts with others who might be blessed by the posts. You may also download a journal containing all of the posts for the season. The journal can be printed, and comes in two versions - for individuals and/or family devotions. Devotional HPJL Individual Booklet (pdf) Devotional HPJL Family Booklet (pdf) The posts are created by Rev. Jo Nygard Owens (Vibrant Church Communications). 

  The Redemption of Scrooge  Go from “Bah, Humbug!” to a Blessed Advent and Merry Christmas. Ebenezer Scrooge is a man in dire need of a second chance. Is redemption possible for such a greedy, dark, and sad character?  The Redemption of Scrooge , from  Matt Rawle ’s The Pop in Culture Series, shows us how the teachings of Jesus can be found in Dickens’ Christmas classic. From the ghosts of Christmas past, to the Life of the present, and the resurrection of Christmas future, this Advent study will “bless us every one” and reinvigorate our spiritual journeys as we look at this familiar story through the lens of faith.   (** From the Cokesbury.com website) This 4-session Advent Study will be led by Dena and Parker Smith. The group will meet online via Zoom on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm. The first session will be Tuesday, November 26. Interested? Email or speak to Dena , especially if you’d like to order a book through the church. You can also o...

Alphabet of Gratitude is a resource for a daily reflection on gratitude. Beginning Sunday, November 3 through Thanksgiving Day (November 28) we will post three social media images on our  Facebook page   each day. The first image gives the definition for the word of the day and a question for reflection. The second image gives a quote that connects with the word, and the third image is a Bible verse. This gratitude practice takes you through the letters of the alphabet and guides you through a different word and question for reflection each day. The words are designed to expand your vocabulary of gratitude. May you be blessed with a deeper sense of gratitude in this season of Thanksgiving!  Download and print  the entire alphabet booklet for reading offline. Alphabet of Gratitude is a product of  Vibrant Church Communications .

  "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." Matt. 7:12 September 2, 2024 In our newsletter and in the September 1 digital worship, there was a soft introduction to  Do Unto Others ,  A Campaign for Kindness  that we are excited to bring to our community! This campaign is an invitation to consider how we want to be treated, and how we treat others, even those with whom we disagree. The Golden Rule—“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”—is a call to treat others with the same kindness we would want to receive in return. Yet during an election season, division and polarity often take center stage. We can choose a better way. What’s possible when our community leans into kindness? Join us as we come together to find out! Let’s cast a “vote” for kindness, one small act at a time. #DoUntoOthers Do Unto Others is a grassroots movement launched by Resurrection , a United Methodist Church in the Kansas City area, to encourage people to be intentional a...