I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E :

From the

Pastor’s

Screen

2

News in Brief 3

Council

Highlights

3

July

Volunteers

4

July

Calendar

5

From the

Prayer Chain

5

Mark Your

Calendar!

6

The Good News S P E C I A L

P O I N T S O F

I N T E R E S T :

Centering Prayer

will continue on the

third Thursday of

each month. In July

we will meet on

July 19 at 6:00 p.m.

These sessions are

led by Jeff Smith;

all are welcome!

Men’s Breakfast

meets at Mama’s

Place at 8:00 a.m.

on the first, third,

and fifth Tuesdays

of July.

F I R S T C O N G R E G A T I O N A L U C C

A N G O L A , I N J U L Y 2 0 1 8

Pride Festival – Fort Wayne

Join us on Sunday, July 15, at 11:30 a.m.

as we welcome Kristi Geiger, Develop-

ment Director at Crossroad Child & Fami-

ly Services. She will tell us about some

new programs at this facility which was

founded in 1883 by the churches that

merged to form the United Church of

Christ.

We will also be scheduling a tour of

the Crossroad facility later this fall for

those who would like to see the program

firsthand.

PULSE Features Crossroad

FCUCC will have a table at the annual

Fort Wayne Pride Fest July 27-28 in Head-

waters Park. We will be next to Plymouth

UCC, Fort Wayne.

This is a great

way to let the

LGBTQ community

– and its allies –

know that there is

a church in the An-

gola area that welcomes them and believes

all people are loved by God.

We will be handing out promotional

items to those stopping by our table; if

you would like to donate toward this pur-

chase or the purchase of a banner, please

see Dawn or Erica Mays or the staff in the

church office.

Hope to see many of you in Fort

Wayne on July 27-28!

Picnics TBA We will not have a picnic on July 4.

We hope to see you at Michael Eyster’s

on July 11 at 6 p.m. Take a dish to share,

lawn chairs and table service.

There are several Wednesdays that are

still open and need hosts, including July 18

and 25.

Welcoming Class Sunday, July 22

Pastor Deb will have a Welcoming

Class at 11:30 on July 22. This is a class for

those who want to know more about the

UCC and our local church. Please let the

office know you plan to attend.

T H E G O O D N E W S

P A G E 2

Congregational Polity Explained Again, the power belongs to the con-

gregation, and the congregation alone.

That is at the core of Congregational poli-

ty.

At the June 10 meeting of Council,

members voted to amend our church's

bylaws to change the number of people on

the Pastoral Search Committee from its

current 7 to a range of 5 to 9 (the Nation-

al UCC guidelines suggest 5 to 9).

Because I had left the meeting before

Council chose the Pastoral Search Com-

mittee, I was not there to remind them

they did not have the power to change the

bylaws. Again, only the congregational

body as a whole can do that.

That is why we will have a Congrega-

tional Meeting on July 1 to ask the congre-

gation to vote on the bylaw change.

This may all seem like a lot of trouble,

but the reality is that our polity is essential

to who we are – both as a denomination

and as a local church.

That polity, embedded in our local

church bylaws, safeguards against any one

person – or any one group – gaining too

much control in a local church because

again, we believe that the group as a

whole will make the best decisions.

I hope this helps explain why we are

having the July 1 meeting and at base, who

we are.

Blessings,

The blessing, and the curse, of the Unit-

ed Church of Christ is that we have an

“upside down” leadership model ... at least

it is upside down compared to almost all

other churches!

However, the UCC elders, at the time

of the 1957 merger of the Evangelical Re-

formed Church and the Congregational

Church that formed the UCC, believed

that our “upside down” model was the

best way to do church.

And so we are left with a polity – or

practice – that gives the power to the

people in the pews ... to the congregation.

We have the national setting, we have the

Indiana-Kentucky Conference and we have

the Northeast Indiana Association ... but

none of those entities can tell the local

church what to do. Rather we are in cove-

nant with these other settings.

They can ask, suggest, even plead, but

again, the power belongs to the people in

the pews and the reason for that is be-

cause those UCC elders in 1957 believed

that the whole congregation taken togeth-

er could do a better job of leading the

church than any bishop, or district super-

intendent, or executive minister.

Therefore, local churches have the

authority to determine their own worship

style, organization, pastoral leadership,

constitution and bylaws.

That is why in our local UCC church,

Church Council functions at the pleasure

of the congregation.

“local churches

have the

authority to

determine their

own worship

style,

organization,

pastoral

leadership,

constitution

and bylaws”

Pastor Deb Davis

News in Brief P A G E 3 F I R S T C O N G R E G A T I O N A L U C C

No-Book Book Club We are gathering for breakfast

at 8:00 a.m. on the second and

fourth Wednesdays at the

Village Kitchen. We have no

agenda and no book to read!

Just come for breakfast and fun

conversation!

Women’s Book Study Women’s Book Study will meet

on Tuesday, July 10, at 2 p.m. in

Pastor Deb’s office to continue

our discussion of the book, The

Devil in the White City, by Erik

Larson.

Soup & Scripture Pastor Deb leads a Soup &

Scripture session at Cahoots

each Tuesday at 12 noon. Join

us for a look at the lectionary

scriptures for the next Sunday.

Friday Prayer Group The Friday Morning Prayer

Group meets each Friday at

9:00 a.m. at Cahoots. All are

welcome to take part.

Cahoots

needs a group

of folks to

volunteer to

provide snacks

once or twice a

year for MRT.

If you can help,

contact Nancy

Krohn at

665-5751.

Missions: Lois thanked council

and congregation for the sup-

port of the mission trip to Peru.

She is also looking for a local

mission for the congregation to

support.

Trustees Report: The trus-

tees are prioritizing jobs that

need to be done. The door of

the Chapel needs to be re-

placed but because of its unusu-

al size, will be difficult to find. In

the meantime, they are trying

to make it work as well as pos-

sible. Bruce submitted a plan to

have parking space lines painted

on the new parking lot, which

Kim Rentz (engineer) drew out.

Bruce found a source who

would do the job for about

$450. This is especially needed

during the winter months.

New Business: Faye

Brocherding, Successful Transi-

tion to Employment and Pro-

Social Skills (STEPS) Job Coach

at Cahoots, presented a request

for students of the STEPS pro-

gram to be able to use the

Church Council met on Sunday,

June 10, and the following items

were among those discussed/

approved/reported:

Worship and Music: Lynn

Syler was pleased with the con-

gregation’s response to the

UCC Boys’ choir performance

this morning. Since she will be

gone a good portion of the

summer, she is hoping for solo-

ists and groups to volunteer to

contribute to the worship ser-

vices.

Pastoral Relations: Michelle

explained that Pastoral Rela-

tions serves as a go-between

for members of the congrega-

tion and the minister as needed.

Welcoming: Marj Lilley has

prepared popcorn packets, with

the assistance of the Sunday

School kids, to hand out to visi-

tors/newcomers as a welcome

gift. Members are encouraged

to get one from the basket

when they greet a visitor.

Church Council Highlights church kitchen during the

school year (on file with minutes).

Rod will check on the church’s

insurance coverage. If this pro-

gram is approved at the July

council meeting, Faye will initi-

ate the program and communi-

cate scheduling needs through

the church office.

John Eddy reported that some

members see the pastor as hav-

ing control over the running of

the church. Most council mem-

bers expressed that they were

not aware of this, nor did they

agree. It was suggested that

information regarding the role

of the pastor and the role of

council be gathered from state-

ment(s) in our bylaws or from

the denomination’s website, and

communicated to the congrega-

tion through the bulletin or

monthly newsletter.

The next Council meeting will

be Sunday, July 8, following

worship.

Join us at 6 p.m.

Thursday, July

12, for a lively

conversation at

WordHouse!

We will meet

this month in

the downstairs

lounge.

P A G E 4

Join us for worship

at Wing Haven on

Sunday, August 19!

July Volunteers

July Birthdays and Anniversaries

1 – Brad Crossland

9 – Paige Powers

10 – Kathy Armstrong

11– Adeleine Rentz

12 – Jeff Smith

19 – Abby Conover

22 – Jill Powers

27 – Lisa Johnloz

28 – Cecil Fugate

29 – Judith Behee

29 – Lynn Simons

31 – Crane McClennen

31 – Ralph McDowell

T H E G O O D N E W S

Upcoming in August! August 5, 12, 19, 26 – Summer Picnics 6:00 p.m.

August 19 – Worship at Wing Haven

6 – Mary and Jim Shearer

15 – Jeanine and Larry Samuelson

16 – Elizabeth and Bruce Andres

19 – Alida and William Frizzell

21 – Anne and Larry Watkins

Date Liturgist Greeters Children's Sermon

Jul 01 Rita Lechleidner Bun Mayer and Lauralee Macleod Vicki Harris

Jul 08 Marj Lilley Paul and Marty Diller Marj Lilley

Jul 15 Ron Hays Bev Gerner and Marge Mueller Michelle Olson

Jul 22 Jim Simons Janis Groth and Ari Mays Celia Motz

Jul 29 Lois McEntarfer Norma Baker and Madeline Smith Rita Lechleidner

Date Usher Refreshments Counter

Jul 01 Rod Lewis Doughnuts Gary VandenElst

Jul 08 Rod Lewis Olson Family David Syler

Jul 15 Rod Lewis Sponsored by Lillian Stoner Lois McEntarfer

Jul 22 Rod Lewis Rosie and Claudia Camargo Gayle Newton

Jul 29 Rod Lewis Redwood Parish Group Ralph McDowell

July Calendar

P A G E 5 F I R S T C O N G R E G A T I O N A L U C C

1 - Worship 10:00 a.m.

- Congregational Meeting 11:15 a.m. Sanctuary

3 - Men’s Breakfast 8:00 a.m. Mama’s Place

- Soup & Scripture 12 noon Cahoots

4 - OFFICE CLOSED – NO PICNIC

6 - Prayer Group 9:00 a.m. Cahoots

8 - Worship 10:00 a.m.

- Mission Trip Report 10 a.m. Sanctuary

- Council Meeting 11:30 a.m. Community Room

10 - Soup & Scripture 12 noon Cahoots

- Women’s Book Study 2:00 p.m. Pastor Deb’s Office

11 - No-Book Book Club 8:00 a.m. Village Kitchen

- Summer Picnic Hosted by Michael Eyster

12 - WordHouse 6:00 p.m. Downstairs Lounge

13 - Prayer Group 9:00 a.m. Cahoots

15 - Worship 10:00 a.m.

- PULSE/Crossroad 11:30 a.m. Sanctuary

17 - Men’s Breakfast 8:00 a.m. Mama’s Place

- Soup & Scripture 12 noon Cahoots

18 - Summer Picnic 6:00 p.m. Host TBA

19 - Centering Prayer 6:00 p.m. Sanctuary

20 - Prayer Group 9:00 a.m. Cahoots

22 - Worship 10:00 a.m.

- Welcoming Class 11:30 a.m. Pastor Deb’s Office

24 - Soup & Scripture 12 noon Cahoots

25 - No-Book Book Club 8:00 a.m. Village Kitchen

- Summer Picnic 6:00 p.m. Host TBA

27 - Prayer Group 9:00 a.m. Cahoots

- Fort Wayne Pride Festival Headwaters Park

28 - Fort Wayne Pride Festival Headwaters Park

29 - Worship 10:00 a.m.

31 - Men’s Breakfast 8:00 a.m. Mama’s Place

- Soup & Scripture 12 Noon Cahoots

In the hospital: JoAnn Boneff and

Joe Driver.

Congratulations to Liz and Bruce

Andres on the birth of granddaughter

Claire Emily Andres.

About the Community

From the Prayer Chain

Our Peru Mission team at work.

Phone: 260-665-9362

Email Office: info@angolaucc.org

Email Pastor Deb: revdebdavis@aol.com

Website: angolaucc.org

First Congregational United Church of

Christ, as an inclusive and caring Christian

community, welcomes into its full life and

ministry persons of every race, ethnic

background, gender identity and expres-

sion, sexual orientation, marital status,

God is still speaking,

Calendar

Marker

First Congregational United Church of Christ 314 West Maumee Street Angola, Indiana 46703

criminal history and faith background. As we serve those

within our church family, the community and the world in

the name of Jesus Christ, we celebrate each person’s

uniqueness and look forward to the gifts they bring to us.

Worship at Wing Haven

Sunday, August 19, 2018

10:15 a.m.

Potluck following!