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July 2021 Issue: 704S

“Making God the Foundation of every Day Living”

The Herald First Congregational Church of Tallmadge

United Church of Christ

A Stephen Ministry Congregation

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

2 — COVID Protocol, Monthly financials

3— What’s New With Executive Council?

4— Prayer chain, Thank you, Faithful Gift Fund,

5— August Garden Party, Mind, Body, and Sole, Nursery Opening, Meet the Interim

6 — Youth Update, VBS, Glow Kickball

7 — July Calendar

A letter to our Church Family

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17

As we begin the next step in our spiritual journey under the leadership of our new Interim Minister, Reverend Daniel J. Doty, we will need “all hands-on deck” to rebuild our com-mittees, boards, and other key positions of our church. We, as a church, have been oper-ating with minimal member participation in several critical church leadership positions. Some of this has resulted from the severe restrictions in Church activities brought on by the pandemic, but some of it has developed over time for lots of reasons.

FCCT is currently a ship with an insufficient crew and some would say we are operating this ship going into a storm of declining membership and a society that continues to di-minish the importance of the church and religion in our lives. WE cannot let this happen! WE must have a sufficient Crew!

Now as vaccinations against Covid-19 are readily available to all over the age of 12 and newly relaxed advisories from the CDC concerning the wearing of masks and social dis-tancing have been established, FCCT has updated our Safety Protocol (posted on our doors). Now, we must begin to address the vacancies in leadership and on boards and committees.

Most critical at this time is the pending loss of Mari-Lyn Parry (in October) as our Financial Secretary and the need to fill our Asst. Financial Secretary position which has been open for over 2 years necessitating the assistance of Bill Hoover as a substitute to allow the proper preparation, recording, and depositing of our weekly faith offerings. These two positions average less than 5 hours combined per week normally on Monday or Tuesday and can be performed morning through evening. They require people who are familiar with the use of computers and Microsoft Excel. The necessary training in the specifics of these two positions will be provided by Mari-Lyn and can be completed within a month. While we wish to have these positions filled by volunteers there may be opportunities for them to be paid positions.

Beyond this critical need, the following boards and committees are in great need of lead-ership or participating members: Board of Stewardship, Board of Trustees, Board of So-cial Action and Mission, Board of Music, Altar Committee, Worship Committee, Hospitality Committee, Scholarship Committee, and the Nominating Committee.

Please consider where you could best serve our church and let us know where you are willing to help. Contact me or Missy Newcomer with your preferences and we will pass these on to a reconstituted Nominating Committee meeting the requirements as set forth in our Guide to Governance and directed at engaging a broad cross section of our entire Congregation. (Continued on next page)

85 Heritage Dr.

Tallmadge, OH 44278

Phone: 330.633.4931

Fax: 330.633.7010

Website:

www.fcctallmadge.org

Facebook:

First Congregational

Church of Tallmadge, Ohio

UCC

Church Office Hours:

Mon-Thurs

9am-12pm

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A letter to our Church Family Continued..

We are a gifted, faithful, and generous church family. Together with God’s grace and guidance we will come to-gether and fulfill our mission to each other and to the greater community. We will share the Good News. We will serve with thankful hearts to God for His Blessings on our Church— Those in the Past, Those Currently, and Those Yet to Be.

Kenneth J Caldwell Moderator Ph 330-957-8864 Email: kkcaldwell@neo.rr.com Missy Newcomer Vice Moderator Ph 330-329-6364 Email: mnewc2776@gmail.com

NEW COVID PROTOCOL

As the Church’s new Protocol has been issued which does not require “fully vaccinated” people to wear masks inside the church and there are fewer people utilizing the parking lot to hear the Sunday service in their cars, we will be discontinuing handing out the bulletins on the driveway after the June 13th service. Bulletins will be available in the Atrium for all those who choose to continue using the parking lot. A Faith Offering bas-ket will be provided near the bulletins.

Those wishing to stay socially distant and wearing masks can be accommo-dated in the right, left side wings, and balcony, where pews are still spaced that way, while the center sections of the pews have now been fully opened. Ushers will be available to assist you in finding a seat.

Going forward we will be considering other steps that can be taken to fully open the church operations including the opening of the Nursery and phasing out streaming on Facebook. We will probably continue posting our service to our web page. For the time being we will continue to have the entire church electrostatically cleaned each week.

In His Service,

Kenneth J Caldwell

MONTHLY FINANCIALS

May, 2021 operating income of $23,800 was

$6,550 below the monthly income budget.

Operating expenses for the month were

$26,450 resulting in a deficit of ($2,640) in

May, and a year-to-date deficit of ($4,170).

As our routines begin to return to normal,

please include joyful giving in your routine.

We look forward in prayer to a theology of

generosity, and the ability to continue grow-

ing our ministries. Contact the Church office

to find out how to sign up for automatic

monthly giving. Offerings may also be made

online through a link on our website, mailed

to the Church, or sent from your bank’s

online system.

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Summary of June 8, 2021 Meeting

• Dee West reported for the Reference Team. The scheduled meeting with David Brubaker in June has been

cancelled. Mr. Brubaker suggested that his compensation be adjusted to reflect the meeting not being held.

The formal work of the Reference Team has been completed. They will no longer be meeting as a group.

However, it is hoped that the members of the Reference Team (Mike Carter, Kyle Herron, Tom Letzler, Kitty

Maddox, Vince Scovern, Chuck Victor and Dee West ) will continue to move forward and work to imple-

ment the recommendations that they compiled to help our church move forward . Many thanks to those on

the Reference Team for all their hard work and dedication.

• The Board of Trustees is getting bids to seal the entrance to the parking lot from Heritage Drive up to the

church building. One bid has been received for $1,800. The amplifier in the Fellowship Hall is being re-

paired. A surge protector will be installed to hopefully prevent further difficulty.

• The Board of Christian Education reported that the Mission Trip to Wooster has been cancelled. Shelley and

Michael Hall are willing to donate their time to do a monthly event over the course of the summer to keep

the youth engaged at the church. One event per month (June, July and August). The first event in June will

be a Summer Snowball Fight. More details to follow. The next meeting will be a VBS workday. VBS has

reached the enrollment goal of 50 participants.

Moderator’s Report - Ken Caldwell

• 3 Audio Visual proposals have been received and are under study. Because of our financial position we will

be looking at a phased approach which may take many months or even a couple of years to complete.

• The Trustees approved an Updated Covid-19 Protocol based on the updated CDC advisories. It is now in

use.

• Administrative oversight will be provided by the team of Missy Newcomer, John Phillips, Jana Caplinger and

Ken Caldwell on Monday thru Thursday for the 3 weeks between Pastor Dave’s last service on June 6th and

Pastor Dan’s arrival on July 1.

• It is recommended that we postpone our Annual Reports and Annual Congregational Meeting until August,

2021. In addition, it may be appropriate to change the format of the meeting for this year alone as a result

of COVID. These are unusual times.

Any questions, please contact me: Ken Caldwell, Moderator | kcaldwell@neo.rr.com | 330-957-8864

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THE PRAYER CHAIN CONNECTION

Our Prayer Chain has 11 members dedicated to service through praying. We pray for the individuals

listed below and also for many other church members and their concerns, which remain confidential.

You may call or text Diana Caldwell with your prayer concerns @ 330-265-5723.

PRAYER LIST

Noreen Ashley

Tim Ashley

Biff Baker

Marilyn Berta

(Coletta Spoler’s daughter)

Bea Clarke

Greg Godar (son-in-law of Roger

and Sue Lyons)

Porter Hall

Marianne Hannum

Bev Haught

James Hedden

(friend of Bonnie Fordham)

Jan Hetzel

Donnie Joyner

Zell Lambert

Maya Marquette

(friend of the Ross Family)

Jim Mayfield

Hannah McConihe

Katie Moore

Adrian & Rose Oana

David & Jackie Parker

C.J. Smith

Alzheimer's Care Giver Support Group

Confidential Names on our Prayer Lists

I wanted to send a message thanking everyone for

your kindness, cards and well wishes during my diag-

nosis of bladder cancer and surgery. I can now report,

thankfully , that I am doing well and cancer free.

I hope all of you are well and have a wonderful

summer!

Sincerely,

Gary Rambler

I am very honored to have been selected for the

Wilgohs Scholarship. This Scholarship will greatly help

me through my first semester at Kent State University.

Thank you for the generous gift!

—Allison Byron

Thanks to all who have so generously donat-

ed to our Faithful Gift Fund in order to help

balance our budget. The current balance

for the fund is now up to $15, 751.47. Your

continued prayers on this matter are greatly

appreciated.

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August Garden Party ALL LADIES INVITED!

Wednesday, August 11th @ 11:30am Ronda Read is hosting a Garden Party with a boxed lunch. The cost is $6.00. There will be a table to sign-up on Sunday, July 18 and Sunday,

August 1 after worship, or call Ronda at (330)633-8586. Come wearing your prettiest garden hat!

Meet Rev. Dan Doty

Come and meet our Interim Pastor, Rev. Dan Doty and his wife Amy:

Saturday, June 19th from 2-4pm

The reception will be held in the Fellowship Hall. Some refreshments will be provided.

Mind, Body and Sole Akron Public Library is offering their summer reading program for ALL

AGES with a movement component. We here at First Congregational

Church are going to pair with the library and promote this great program

to encourage us to be good to our mind and body.

Register with the library either at the branch or online,

https://www.akronlibrary.org/events/mind-body-sole . Then let Wendy

know and she will connect you with the FCC Mind, Body and Sole Face-

book group to get book suggestions and encourage each other to move

this summer.

Happy reading and playing this summer!

Our Nursery is Opening Soon

Beginning July 11 our Nursery will be open!

Danielle Holt and Maddie Parry will be joining us

again and we are excited to have them back. If

you have children who have not started elemen-

tary school, you are welcome to take them to the

nursery on Sundays from 9:30-10:30am. Depend-

ing on the age of the children, they will be using

room 207, nursery and playground. We do ask

that you wash your children’s hands before going

into the nursery.

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TIE DYE IN JULY! Middle and High School youth are invited to join us on July 18 from 3-4pm for tie dye fun! Bring your own white pillow case, cotton shirt, or socks to tie dye! For more information, contact Shelley Hall: sherron73@yahoo.com, text/call 440-221-2453.

JULY UPDATE

Family Glow Kickball

Everyone is invited to join the family Glow Kickball game on June 17th

@ 8:00 pm. Let you kids stay up a little later and come join the family

Glow-in-the-Dark Kickball game. We will see you on the church lawn.

Don’t forget a water bottle! You may want something to drink while

playing.

CAMP G.R.O.W. VBS

Come grow with us as we learn about God and wonderful messages about growing

our faith through these stories

Day 1: God created all things good, Genesis 1:31

Day 2: Saving God’s creations (recycle/reuse); John 6:12

Day 3: Growing in good soil; Matthew 13:8

Day 4: Faith as small as a mustard seed; Matthew 13:31-32

Opportunities to help with Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible school always takes many people to provide a quality program that is

both effective and exciting for our children. There are many ways to help this year:

-Volunteer a night or two for registration, bible story station, crafts, snacks, games or photography

-Volunteer to help decorate for the week (week of June 21)

-Bring in supplies needed (supplies listed below)

Youth volunteers are needed this year too. We need 8-12 youth volunteers for the week. If you can volunteer

for at least 2 nights, please fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/wmoczU7243wnUxyq5

We are going to open VBS to 50 children this year. If you could please let Wendy know if you are purchasing cer-

tain supplies so we don’t get more than we can use. All supplies are to be dropped off at church by June 20

Mini Oreo cookies– 4 boxes/ bags

Mustard seed

Plain M&Ms– 4 bags

Popsicle sticks– 50

Clothes pins (pinch to open)- 50

Aluminum pie tins– 10

googly eyes (for close pins)- 100

Potting soil– 4 bags

Animal crackers– 3 boxes

7-9 oz cups– 250

rocks big enough to paint– 50

toilet paper rolls– empty

bird seed– 4 bags

Cheese (block)- mild cheddar—8

blocks

Gummy worms– 100-150 each

Carabiners 2-3 inches long– 50

Oreo crumb topping– 2 bags

4” flower plastic flower pots– 50

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July 2021

Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat.

1

9am — Quilters

6pm — VBS

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3

4

INDEPENDENCE DAY

9:30 am — Worship/

Rev. Dan’s First Service

11am — CE Meeting

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6pm—Heritage

7pm—Boy Scouts

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6pm—Naranon

7

8

9am — Quilters

9

10

11

9:30 am — Worship

—Nursery Opens

12

6pm—Heritage

7pm—Boy Scouts

13

6pm—Naranon

7pm — Executive

Council

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15

9am — Quilters

12pm—Herald

Deadline

16 17

18

9:30 am — Worship

10:30 am — sign-up

for Garden Party

3-4PM — Tie Dye in

July Youth Event

19

6pm—Heritage

7pm—Boy Scouts

20

6pm—Naranon

6pm—Card

Making

21

10am—Herald

Angels

22

9am — Quilters

23 24

25

9:30 am — Worship

26

6pm—Heritage

7pm—Boy Scouts

27

6pm—Naranon

28

29 30 31

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FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

PO BOX 420

TALLMADGE OH 44278

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

U.S. POSTAGE PAID

TALLMADGE OH

PERMIT NO. 30

Spiritual/ Pastoral Care Ministry Contacts

Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group & Elders Ministry Roberta Nehrenz 330.634.0713 rgnehrenz@att.net Hearts in Service Janet McCaulley 330.633.3775 Barbara Rowles 34babs@sbcglobal.net

Prayer Chain Diana Caldwell 330.265.5723 dianasl@neo.rr.com

Yarning for Peace Dee West 330.633.4421 dwest890@aol.com

Staff E-Mail Addresses Cathy Cotter Administrative Coordinator tallmadgefcc@sbcglobal.net

Wendy Brown Director of Family Ministries wbrownfcc@sbcglobal.net

Nancy Lynn Robinson Choir Director / Organist nrbgp@aol.com

Bill Hoover Finance Administrator bhooverfcc@sbcglobal.net

Teresa Snyder Head Custodian budrose42@yahoo.com

Steve Ristich Sunday Custodian

DATE: June 16, 2021

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