Highlights
First United Church and its offices are closed for worship and all non-essential events except the Beyond Hunger food pantry. (The Housing Forward PADS emergency shelter has moved clients into individual accommodations.) Church staff are working remotely as much as possible, but the church is still there for you.
Send prayer requests via email: Anyone wishing to send a prayer request to staff, to be included in the weekly time of Joys and Concerns, can send in a prayer request in advance of Sunday's live-streamed worship service to prayers@firstunitedoakpark.com.
Need assistance? Church members are available to run errands for those unable to leave their homes. Contact Alicia Reese if you need help or are willing to volunteer.
Need a mask? Volunteer sewers have cloth masks available for church members who don't have one. Contact Alicia Reese if you need a mask or can join the sewing or delivering brigade.
Evotional
Grieving Together and Apart
Grief can seem a backwards thing. It makes Abraham insist on paying handsomely for what would have been freely given. When the Hittites offer to share in some of Abraham’s grief his response is, “No, this is mine." Abraham was right to insist on grieving his own way. And the Hittites were right to allow him to do so. They offered what help they could imagine, then they had the grace to take “no” for an answer.
If you are in the grips of grief today, remember the example of Abraham. You can grieve your own way, even if it doesn’t make sense to others, even if it is costly.
And as you encounter other people, know that they are all of them in grief. Our whole nation is swimming in grief. And remember the example of the Hittites. Offer what help you can imagine, then have the grace to take “no” for an answer.
— John Edgerton
Calendar
During this time of social distancing, First United is offering online fellowship and events through YouTube, Facebook, and Zoom. Here's how to join in the life of the church:
Mondays — Prayer Shawl Ministry via Zoom, 10 a.m. Join the group at this link.
Mondays — Sing along with Bill Chin via Zoom, 12:30 p.m. Join the hymn sing at this link.
Mondays and Wednesdays — Sacred Story Time for children on the First United YouTube channel.
Tuesdays — Weekly Evotional
Thursdays — Virtual "coffice" hour (coffee + office) with one of the pastors, 2-3 p.m. Join the group for conversation at this link a few minutes before it starts, and bring your own coffee.
Sermons
An Apple, Sin, and the Fall?
Genesis 3
I do not find in Genesis 3 the basis for the doctrine of original sin and the fact of the matter is, we do a disservice and serious damage when we interpret this story to say “Humans are evil, fallen creatures.” ... But if we believe that at the heart of our nature is blessing, that we were created good and that sometimes we make bad choices, then we have the ability to change, to grow, and to respond to and reciprocate God’s love.
— Alicia Reese
About Us & Registration Forms
Messenger Bell
Weekly Bulletins
Church School Registration
Youth Group Registration
Online Giving
First United Mission Partners
First United Nursery School
First United Strategic Plan
Centennial booklet
Chapel window booklet
Poetry booklet
Mission Calendar
2018 Annual Report
Information for newcomers
What’s Happening
A more efficient and more effective committee structure will soon be coming to First United.
The Council has approved a plan to reorganize the church’s current committees into a coordinated structure that groups them into five separate ministries made up of related teams. The purpose of these ministries is to meet the goals of the church’s new ministry outline: engaging fully with the congregation and the outside world; cultivating ways of working together; and enhancing the church’s finances.
The entire plan with all of the details of the new structure, along with the aims of the new ministry outline, will be sent out soon.
Farewell to First United Nursery School Director Joan White (from a distance)
First United Church Nursery School Director Joan White is retiring after 43 years of service. Classes have been canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic since March, but students, teachers, and parents bade a special farewell to Joan on May 21. Parents drove around the church parking lot while students waved to the surrounding teachers, who were all at least six feet apart. The Nursery School Board has set up the Joan White Fund for Tuition Assistance. The school also will plant a tree in her honor and hold an open house in the fall to honor Joan, who officially retires at the end of June. People also are invited to offer congratulations and share memories of Joan to "Joan White's Retirement Boombox" at the link below by June 12.
