PROGRAMS FOR ADULTS

Our church offers many programs and activities for adults of all ages...discussion groups...social groups...craft groups, etc. Below are listed some of the programs we offer.

The MOMs Book Group meets at 10:00 a.m. in the church library from October through June. If you are interested in childcare, please contact Ann Guay or Wendy Stacey.

We hope you had a great holiday!  The Book Club will meet again on Friday, January 9, 2009, in the First Congregational Church Library located at 25 Great Road.  Our January Selection is The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan.  If you are interested in child care, please contact Ann Guay or Wendy Stacey.  For those who like to read ahead, our February Selection is The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.  A complete list of books to be read for the remainder of the year will appear in the January newsletter. Have a wonderful Holiday Season.
Introduction to The Middle Place:  For Kelly Corrigan, family is everything. At thirty-six, she had a marriage that worked, two funny, active kids, and a weekly newspaper column. But even as a thriving adult, Kelly still saw herself as the daughter of garrulous Irish-American charmer George Corrigan. She was living deep within what she calls the Middle Place—"that sliver of time when parenthood and childhood overlap"—comfortably wedged between her adult duties and her parents' care. But Kelly is abruptly shoved into coming-of-age when she finds a lump in her breast—and gets the diagnosis no one wants to hear. When George, too, learns that he has late-stage cancer, it is Kelly's turn to take care of the man who had always taken care of her—and to show us a woman who finally takes the leap and grows up.

Introduction to the Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao:  The long-awaited-and thrillingly satisfying, genuinely original-first novel from the unmistakable voice behind the story collection Drown.  Winner of the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2008 Pulitzer Prize, for Fiction.

Our knitting ministry knits prayer shawls to give to those who need comfort. And our knitters have been busy! If you have been in church recently to see the shawls on the altar waiting to be blessed, you would have seen a rainbow of colors. Many of our shawls were taken to Louisiana with our Mission Teams this year.

A BIG THANK YOU to all who are helping with this ministry!! Every shawl counts. So it doesn’t matter if you knit fast or slow, every one you do is appreciated. If you have never knit a shawl and would like to be a part of our ministry, instructions and assistance are available by contacting Nancy Guetersloh.
Questions:
Where do I get the yarn? The supply of yarn is in the office wing closet across the hall from Loryne Koebele’s office. It is in one of the three blue storage containers in the bottom of the closet; instructions are there too.

What do I do with my shawl after I have finished knitting it? Please leave it in the church office (not in the closet in the office wing). Our pastor then places it on the altar in the Sanctuary, where she blesses it during the Sunday service.

Are there special prayer shawls for children? Yes, they are smaller and have a pocket in them. We put a tiny stuffed animal in the pocket.
Where are completed prayer shawls kept? They are stored in two of the three blue bins in the office wing closet.

What do I do if I want to give a prayer shawl to someone? First, go to the closet and look at the list of recipients taped to the lid of one of the bins. Check carefully to be sure nobody else has already given a shawl to the same person. If in doubt, check with a staff member. Second, write the name of the person you are giving the shawl to and also include the date. Third, choose a shawl, and be sure in include the brochure and card that go with each shawl. Remember the brochure is different for children.

How much does it cost to make a shawl? The price varies. If the yarn is not on sale it costs $15 to make one shawl; if it is on sale, the cost is $11 (used to cost $10).

Should I donate yarn? Special yarn is used and Nancy Guetersloh purchases it for us. We prefer a monetary donation to cover the cost of the yarn we buy.

How do I make a monetary donation to the prayer shawl ministry to help pay for the yarn? If you would like to make a donation to the prayer shawl minnistry to help pay for the yarn, please write your check to First Church of Christ, Congregational, with a notation in the lower left corner, "Prayer Shawl Ministry."

We did it again! We arrived at 4:30 p.m. and left at 9:45 p.m. after making 63 apple pies. All ingredients were donated—flour, sugar, butter, sugar. Fifteen pies were baked and used for the Turkey dinner. The remaining pies were frozen, half will be baked and half will be sold frozen at the Food Table at the church Fair. Thank you, each of you, for your donations, and to each of the 22 pie makers!

The 8:15 Group meets most Sunday mornings from September through mid-May at 8:15 a.m. in the Church Vestry to discuss a book or to watch a video from an interesting TV program while enjoying a continental breakfast and coffee. They take turns bringing a light breakfast and have lots of good discussion and fellowship.  The group will not meet the last two Sundays in December.

We are currently discussing Beyond Tolerance by Gustav Niebuhr.

We always welcome new people. For more information, contact Ken or Pat Konkle.

Handicrafters meet most Monday afternoons from May through October. They welcome new ideas and workers. If you would like to help, contact Shirley Muir. Below is a photo of them making items for the Fall Festival and also a photo of the afghans they knit for VA Veterans. They also knit blankets for Project Linus and hats for newborns at Emerson hospital. Others in the church help with the knitting projects too. (they welcome donations of yarn!) This year, they made 90 baby hats for Emerson Hospital’s nursery, 15 blankets for Project Linus for children in area hospitals, 10 women’s cancer hats and 9 afghans for the VA hospital. They thank everyone who has donated yarn or fabric for these projects. They always put it to good use. They appreciate yarn or 8-inch knitted squares (for the afghans)—a good winter project. If you would like to help knit, contact Shirley Muir.