New group aims to support immigrants

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Want to help your immigrant neighbors? Want to find out how to increase our church members’ involvement in helping immigrant neighbors?

From 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 3, Falcon Heights Church is hosting the inaugural meeting of CAN, the Coalition to Accompany (Immigrant) Neighbors. We will be activating a group of concerned neighbors to provide support to immigrant families in our community facing issues today. Come and find out what it’s all about and how you can get involved!

Meeting agenda:

6:00 — Welcome and introduction to CAN

6:10 — Individual introductions: Name, where you live, what community of faith you are connected to

6:25  — CAN: immediate needs vs long-term goals

  • Immediate needs: equip a small group of people to provide support to immigrant neighbors as an extension of Ana’s ministry
  • Long-term goals: engage congregations in the IDI (Intercultural Development Inventory), have quarterly meetings for CAN group to gain support, insight, education, expand partnership by building relationships with other nonprofits, advocacy groups, and community organizations.
  • Tonight we are focusing on the immediate need of activating a group of concerned neighbors to provide support to immigrant families in our community facing issues today.

6:45 — Current situation and urgent needs: Describing the current situation and needs, explaining desired form of communication between her, families, and CAN members, ways that CAN members can accompany families.

7:20 — Accompaniment vs. “saving”

7:35 — Note on confidentiality and privacy

7:45 — Group inventory – interests, availability

8:00 — Closing prayer

What is God calling us to do now?

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What is God calling us to do and be. . . TODAY?

Did you read the recent Star Tribune series of articles on organized religion? We watch and hear of declining attendance, financial struggles, and closing churches. And we know that profound societal shifts are demanding that churches change in response to them, or die. As a matter of faithfulness to God, we all must ask what God is calling us to do and be…TODAY.

To help us find our calling, the Minnesota Conference UCC has invited our congregation to be part of a new program called Crossroads. This program builds on the work of our Discovery Team and pastoral search process. As part of a consortium of other UCC Minnesota churches, Crossroads will help help us answer this vital question.

We will work with Vibrant Faith, a Christian research-based organization that provides training and coaching. Eight members of Falcon Heights Church have volunteered to undertake this exciting one-year journey.  We will be “looking inward” at who we are and also at how we can “turn outward.” We will consider what dreams we have for the future, and where we go from here.

Vibrant Faith will prepare participants in the Crossroads program to develop new forms of ministry and leadership. We need to respond to the changing ways people approach faith and religion in our society. We can expect coaching on ministry models, leadership skills and supportive learning communities.

Deliver Meals on Wheels

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We need more drivers to deliver Meals on Wheels to seniors in our area. By volunteering, you can help seniors stay healthy and live independently at home. All it takes is one morning every three weeks.

Falcon Heights Church provides drivers every third Monday morning for Roseville Area Meals on Wheels. We pick up the meals at the Fairview Community Center at 10:45 a.m. Delivery time usually runs about an hour.

The delivery routes cover Falcon Heights and Roseville. We need drivers either to take on a regular route or to be on call as a substitute.

Typically, each route includes six to 10 meals.  Our drivers use their own cars and work individually or as two-person teams.

If you are interested, please talk with Carolyn Hill at 651-646-6656 or by email: [email protected].

Rev. Rick King is called as pastor of Falcon Heights Church

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The congregation of Falcon Heights Church, United Church of Christ, voted unanimously Aug. 13 to call the Rev. Rick King as our next lead pastor. He will join us Nov. 1, after completing his current interim ministry in Colorado.

Rev. Rick graduated from Yale Divinity School in 1989 and was ordained Jan. 28, 1990. Over the past 27 years, he has been called into covenant with several congregations, serving 10 years in Winona, Minnesota, and eight years in Longmont, Colorado. He has also served in interim roles in Illinois, Colorado and North Carolina. He is a member of the First Congregational Church in Loveland, Colorado.
Rick and his wife, Linda, have three teen-agers: Gabe, who will start high school in St. Paul this fall; Samuel, who will remain in Colorado with his mother for his senior year; and Elijah, a student at Lewis and Clark College in Oregon.

Congregation approves expanded Open and Affirming statement

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At a congregational meeting Sunday, March 19, members of Falcon Heights Church unanimously adopted a revised Open and Affirming (ONA) statement that not only recognizes and affirms people of any sexual orientation, but also those of any gender identification and gender expression, as “equal recipients of God’s love.”

The new statement was developed through a process that included several well-attended Sunday meetings where members of the congregation could learn about and discuss transgender and gender identity issues. The expanded statement commits our church to working to make justice and inclusivity a reality in the community as well as in the congregation.

Read the original and revised statements:

ONA statement

 

Following up on “Open and Affirming”

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About 30 people stayed after church Aug. 7 to attend the first discussion of the Open and Affirming Working Group, “Starting the Conversation about LGBTQ with Family and Friends.” The purpose of the discussion was to gain a basic understanding of commonly referenced Biblical passages that people use to argue against the LGBTQ community. The Open and Affirming Working Group was encouraged by the discussions, questions, and feedback that the conversation brought.

Be on the lookout for handouts and other resources to continue the discussion and education process, as well as future Open and Affirming Working Group events. This group’s purpose is to revisit our Open and Affirming status to make an explicit welcome to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Most ONA covenants also welcome other communities that historically have been excluded or marginalized by the church. We want to make that promise as a church. Additional resources can be found on the name-tag credenza in the church lobby.

Bible and LGBT talking points

Resources on Bible and LGBT

See videos of Service of Prayer & Lament on Facebook

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Videos of the July 9, 2016, Service of Prayer and Lament for all those involved in or affected by recent shootings are now posted on the Falcon Heights Church Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/fhcucc/.

Photos of children’s pageant now online!

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The children of Falcon Heights Church presented the musical “The Sailor’s Bible” in church May 8, retelling the stories of Noah and the Ark and Jonah and the Whale. Photos of this lively event are now posted on the church’s Flickr page.

New Vision Statement for our church

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After a year of conversation and study, the congregation of Falcon Heights Church, United Church of Christ, has adopted a new vision statement:

“Seekers and servants, growing in God’s transforming love.”

The statement is a milestone in an ongoing process in which our congregation is seeking to discern what God wants us to be and do. Guided by a Discovery Team of lay members, we examined our past, our joys and disappointments, our hopes and dreams, exploring these themes in worship and writing down our thoughts for all to consider.

Rachel Flaherty has worked this statement into a stunning mural, using the colored sticky notes offered by members over the past year. The mural was displayed in the chancel during worship last Sunday and will be set up for viewing in various areas of the church.

Vision Statement mural

Our Executive Board now will develop a mission statement with specific goals to guide us in realizing our vision.

Manger tableau The cast of the 2015 Christmas pageant at the manger.
Manger tableau Pageant stars Herding sheep Camel drivers Shepherds and sheep

Visit our church photo galleries

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Here’s a sample of the action at our 2015 Christmas pageant, “Hamil the Camel,” directed by Margot Olsen and accompanied by Patti Holmes. More photos of life at Falcon Heights Church, United Church of Christ, can be found on our Flickr page.