Welcome to First! We’re glad you are here!

 

Rev. Hoeun Lee will be in the office Monday, Tuesday & Thursday from 9 am to 3 pm. Phone: 519-745-8487 (ext. 208)

Cell: 519-722-5990

Email: rev.hoeun.firstunited@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, January 19 – Second after Epiphany

 

Lectionary Readings:

Isaiah 62:  1-5, Psalm 36: 5-10 (VU p. 762), 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11, John 2: 1-11

 

 

 

 

 

Deadline for submission to the weekly updates is Tuesday by 12:00 p.m.

 

CONTRIBUTIONS: 

To get your offering to the office you can use PAR, e transfer to firstunitedchurch@rogers.com, website donation www.firstunitedchurch.ca or send a cheque. Cheques can be dropped off at the church mailbox which is located at the Entrance on the William Street side of the building.

      Also, you may send your cheque to

      First United Church

      16 William St. West

      Waterloo ON

      N2L 1J3

Reminder, credit card companies have a fee of around 3-5%.  If you wish First to get the full amount, then please add that percentage to your contribution.

 

 

ANNUAL REPORT INFORMATION

 

PREPARATION OF THE ANNUAL REPORT

 

All groups and committees preparing information for the Annual Meeting on March 9, 2025, are reminded of the following timelines:

 

Friday January 17, 2025  All reports must be in Word Document format, are to be sent electronically to the new address only (not the church office). firstunited.annualreport@gmail.com

 

Please submit Financial reports to treasurer, Paul Miller  pmiller0324@rogers.com

 

 

 

 

TUESDAY NOON HOUR CONCERTS

47th SEASON! Join us on Tuesday Jan. 14th for the opening of our 47th season of FREE Noon Hour Concerts! Larry Larson (trumpet) and Lori Gemmell (harp) will thrill us with a performance you won't want to miss.  Remember to pre-order your lunches by Thursday Noon at firstunitedconcerts@gmail.com. (egg, ham, salmon or tuna on whole wheat $6;butter tart, nanaimo or date square $2; tea or coffee $2) See you there!

 

Fridays at First

Our weekly Fridays at First program which operates during the winter months (November 1 to mid-April) to serve people who need a time for socializing and a nutritious meal, is in need of money. The program depends on donations, and we have not asked for help in the past year or so.

The group also provides meals to Better Tent City. The Food Bank provides boxes of ingredients, and Cathie Stewart-Savage and her faithful volunteer crew prepare about 100 meals (40-50 for Fridays at First, 60 for Better Tent City). Other volunteers come in to serve, and others to clean up. Guests begin to arrive about 2:00 for socializing and snacks, dinner is served at 6:00, and the doors close about 7:30, when the clean-up crew takes over.

As we all know, food is very expensive, and even with the Food Bank donation, there is much to purchase--between $800-$1,000 per month. Boxes from the Food Bank arrive on Thursday, and from that Cathie plans a menu and purchases what is needed, always with good nutrition in mind.

There are envelopes available for donations. In order to receive a tax receipt, cheques should be made out to First United Church, with Fridays at First in the allocation line. Any amount will be greatly appreciated. If a tax receipt is not required, the cheque can be made to Out of the Cold, First United Church.

Shirley Irish, Treasurer, on behalf of Fridays at First.

 

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

 

(JanUARY 18-25, 2025)

During the Week for Prayer for Christian Unity in 2025, we will have a pulpit exchange with St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Kitchener. Rev. Sebastian will preach at First United on January 19th(Sun) as our guest preacher, while Rev. Hoeun will preach at St. Matthew's Lutheran. Let us come together in prayer and unity as we celebrate our shared faith.

 

Messy Church Returns!

In collaboration with Trillium Lutheran Church, our Messy Church program resumes on Saturday, January 18, at 4 PM. This month's theme is "Jesus Heals Bart" and features fun crafts, engaging activities, stories, hymn singing, and a shared meal.

 

Explore the story of Bartimaeus through interactive tools like vision simulators, a cane, braille items, and games like goalball. It's a hands-on, family-friendly experience you won't want to miss!

 

 

 

 

joint youth group

Hello Friends!

Wednesday, January 8th is our first youth group meeting of the new year! We will be holding a craft night, so bring along any craft you are working on, or make use of the supplies we will provide! In addition, get ready to hear about Moses and how he was a unique kind of guy. We will meet at Parkminster United Church from 7-8:30pm in the youth room.

 

Our next dates:

Wednesday, Jan 22nd, Wednesday, Feb 5th, Wednesday, Feb 19th

 

We'd like to kindly remind everyone to fill out our registration forms if you have not done so this fall. This is essential as we enter into another year of safely running youth group!  

 

Come as you are! We strive to create a brave space for all of you by being an explicitly 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive and neurodiverse accepting group! We also recognize that youth group can be intimidating for Indigenous and racialized youth, and we are committed to building a welcoming and inclusive group. Please feel free to contact us at bethany.mcmullen@parkuc.ca if you have any questions.

 

YOU ARE LOVED. YOU MATTER TO US. EVERYONE IS WELCOME.

 

Blessings, 

Bethany McMullen and Rebecca Whiting

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMUNITY EVENTS

 

Speaker Series:

United Against Hate: Racism, Religion & Conflict in the Middle East and at Home

You are invited to join Islington United Church on Sunday, January 19, 26 and February 2, 2025 at 1 pm for a Speaker Series entitled United Against Hate: Racism, Religion & Conflict in the Middle East & at Home.  Virtual or In-person in Toronto.

 

The Anti Racism Working Group of Islington United Church is hosting this three part education and information speaker series and the talks will take place in the sanctuary of the Church. The speakers are passionate experts who will help shed some light on these important and urgent issues. 

 

Speakers include Dr. Karen Mock, whose talk will focus on Antisemitism; Amira Elghawaby, who is Canada's first special representative on Combatting Islamophobia; and Brian Carwana of Encounter World Religions, who will help us understand the historical causes of the Israeli Palestinian conflict. We invite everyone to join us in person or online by zoom for all three dates. Registration is at islingtonunited.org.

 

 

CONRAD GREBEL EVENTS:

 

LOOKING FOR MORE PURPOSES IN YOUR LIFE?

Whether you are interested in exploring vocations of ministry and service, deepening your understanding of Christianity and the church, or seeking personal enrichment, the Master of Theological Studies program at Conrad Grebel University College could be a great fit for you.  Apply by February 1st.  Full tuition scholarships available for full-time Canadian students.   www.uwaterloo.ca/theological-studies

 

MASTER OF PEACE AND CONFLICT STUDIES (IMPACS) PROGRAM

Create meaningful impact with the Master of Peace and Conflict Studies (IMPACS) program at Conrad Grebel University College, University of Waterloo.  Combine interdisciplinary scholarship and experiential learning with a focus on nonviolent peacebuilding and community-led change.  Apply by February 1.  Discover more at www.uwaterloo.ca/impacs or register for an upcoming information session.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday, Jan 12

 

10:30 am

Worship – The Baptism of Jesus

Sanctuary

12:00 pm

MTSpace (Homecoming)

Chapel

2:30 pm

MTSpace (Ukranian Dance)

Labyrinth Room

4:00 pm

MTSpace(Cinema Club)

 

 
Monday, Jan 13

 

9:00 am
Baileys Foods

Hilliard Hall/Kitchen

5:00 pm
KWYO – Sinfonia

Sanctuary

7:00 pm
Board Meeting

Parlour

7:00 pm
Scouts

Hilliard Hall

 
Tuesday, Jan 14

 

8:00 am

Noon Hour Concert Prep

Hilliard Hall/Kitchen

10:00 am

MTSpace (BID)

Chapel

12:15 pm

Noon Hour Concert

Sanctuary

5:00 pm

KWYO – Strings

Sanctuary

5:15 pm

KWYO – Preludium Strings

Chapel

 
Wednesday, Jan 15

 

10:00 am
MTSpace (BID)

Chapel

6:30 pm
Sparkes

Chapel

6:30 pm
Embers

Hilliard Hall

 
Thursday, Jan 16

 

10:00 am
Bell Choir

Sanctuary

12:45 pm
Musicians

Parlour

1:00 pm
Sr Sing-A-Long

Chapel

4:00 pm
Family Choir

Chapel

7:00 pm
Gallery Choir

Chapel

 

Friday, Jan 17

 

1:00 pm
Fridays at First
Hilliard Hall/Kitchen

 
Saturday, Jan 18
 

9:00 am
Knitting Group
Parlour

1:00 pm
MTSpace(Ukranian Dance)
Chapel

1:00 pm
Dundgeon & Dragons
Labyrinth Room

2:00 pm
Messy Church
Hilliard Hal/Kitchen/ Labyrinth Room

 
Sunday, Jan 19

 

10:30 am
Worship – 2nd after Epiphany

Sanctuary.

11:30 am
Refreshments & Conversation

Hilliard Hall

2:00 pm
MTSpace (Ukranian Dance)

Chapel

 

 

WEEKLY UPDATE

of happenings, events and concerns of our

First United Church Family

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

January 12, 2025

 

            Minister                                             Rev. Hoeun Lee      

            Music Director                           Kathleen King Martin   

            Church Administrator                      Sheena Curwood

            AV Technician                                       Harold Arnett                                      

            Custodian                                                Jay Brooker

            Assistant Custodian                              Craig Lennox

 

16 William Street West

Waterloo, Ontario N2L 1J3

Office: 519-745-8487 x201

Office Hours: Mon-Thu 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 

  

email: office@firstunitedchurch.ca

website: firstunitedchurch.ca

 

Chair of the Board

email:  firstunitedboardchair@gmail.com

Greeters:            Ken & Nola Mott

           

Readers:            Douglas Facey

                       

Serving refreshments this month:  UCW

 

                          

 

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