An open and affirming, Just Peace, Green Justice, Global Mission Congregation

No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here!

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Road Closure

Please be aware that you cannot exit from the Main Street exit during the construction period on Main Street, please exit from the Professor Street exit near Stevenson and the Kahn Hall dormitory.

First Church, Its Mission, and Its Ministry

First Church Community Spring Festival!

Music, games, local non-profit groups, entertainment, balloons, and pizza from Lorenzo's!!

Saturday, May 11 - 10:00-4:00

~10:00 Dr. Thomas Bandy, organ~

~10:30 NOYO chamber groups~

~11:00 The String Beans~

~12:00 OB Jump~

~1:00 Sauernotes Bluegrass Band~

~2:00 Lock Percussion Group~

~3:00 OCircus!~

Join in the fun!!

First Church in Oberlin, UCC

Corner of Lorain & Main Streets

Join the fun at the First Church Spring Festival & the Big Parade!

This is an invitation to join the fun on Saturday May 11 at our second First Church Spring Festival! We are inviting the entire community to this event to highlight the exciting, interesting, and generous activities we enjoy here at First Church. There will be information tables featuring agencies we support, music on the Terrace, OBJump, games on the front lawn, popcorn and Lorenzo’s pizza, a chance to see the building, and anything else fun that you can think of!

Communion Thank You

I would like to thank all of you who have helped with communion during this past church calendar year. If there are any of you who are interested in helping on the first Sundays during the coming church year, you would be welcome to join us. Please feel free to contact me at kwsanderson@oberlin.net or at (440) 935-5812.

Thank you so much,

Karla Sanderson

Summer Storytime Signup!

Come get to know the church's wonderful kids - by reading a story to them during the sermon portion of worship this summer! Stories will be provided, and Jen will be there to lend a hand most weeks. A sign-up sheet is in the hallway next to Fellowship Hall, or you can sign up by emailing Jen (faith@firstchurchoberlin.org). Thanks in advance for taking the time to get to know the youth of the church! 

CATSS has kittens!



As you may have noticed in last month's Council summary, we are allowing the CATSS organization to have space in the James Brand house on a trial basis. Our first kittens have arrived, and are available for visits from 4:30-6:30 pm daily between Saturday, May 11th and Monday, May 20th. Come see our new visitors! 

Oberlin College Award for Distinguished Service to the Community

Congratulations to John and Linda Gates who are recipients of this year's Oberlin College Award for Distinguished Service to the Community. Linda and John will be presented with this award at the 2024 Commencement ceremony. This honor is a wonderful testament to John and Linda's many years of faithful service particularly to the vulnerable and marginalized.

Highlights from the Executive Council meeting 4/30/24:

The Executive Council will try to offer a brief summary of topics discussed at the monthly Council meetings. Below are highlights from the meeting held on April 30. Look for more information each month following the meetings.



•  The steam line providing heat from the College has been shut off so we no longer receive steam, or a bill for it, from them!
•  A task group is being formed to address audio concerns within the facility.
•  The church’s Policies and Procedures for a Safe Church document is being updated based on current insurance and Association standards.
• Participants and volunteers are needed to participate in the Big Parade May 4, and to help at the second First Church Community Spring Festival on May 11! David Hill will drive his 1929 Model A in the Parade and 3 lucky people can ride with him!
•  The kittens have arrived! Four little felines are currently staying in an upstairs classroom. Visiting hours for “kitten therapy” will be posted soon. Drop-in visits are not allowed.

Summer Camp Registration is Open!

Registration has started for the final summer of camp at Templed Hills. All the usual camps are here: MMADD, Grands and Family, Camp Out (for LGBTQAI+ youth), Sports Camp, and more! There is a NEW registration system, so be aware: if you would like help from First Church with camp expenses, please make sure to call Jen Bertoni FIRST, so she can provide you with the First Church discount code, which will enable you to only pay the $75 registration fee - we cover the rest!

You can find more information about the camps, as well as a registration link, at this link: 

https://heartlanducc.org/templed-hills/

Thanks to all for your continued support of Outdoor Ministries! 

Click Below to See a Letter From Our Friends at AARP!

Strengthen the Church Offering Collected on May 19th!

The Strengthen the Church (STC) Offering is one of four special mission offerings of the United Church of Christ. This offering reflects the shared commitment of people across the United Church of Christ to cooperatively build up the UCC. Conferences and the national setting equally share the gifts given by members and friends through their local congregations. The funds raised support leadership development, new churches, youth ministry, and innovation in existing congregations. By your generosity to this offering, you build up the Body of Christ. This year, the theme is Holy Ground.

This week, our bulletin insert is focusing on Youth Leadership Developments. Click the button below to check it out!

Additionally, a poem about “Holy Ground” can be accessed via the other button below.

The offering will be collected on Sunday, May 19th. It is possible to contribute in one of three ways:

1. By mailing a check made out to The First Church in Oberlin with “STC” in the memo line to the church office,
2. By using the offering envelopes on the Welcome Table and depositing your donation in the wooden donation box in the Narthex at the top of the steps leading to the Gallery,
3. Or, by going to our First Church website, scrolling down and clicking on "Donate Online" and then going to the “Strengthen the Church” section.

More information about Strengthen the Church can be found on our website, in the bulletin, or on the UCC website.

“Yes, O Love, raise us up

From your Holy Ground

For nothing less than this

And let it be more than enough.

Amen.”

Do You Enjoy Singing?

We are looking for people who enjoy singing to join the Finney Choir. We meet Thursdays 6:45-8PM, and at 9AM on Sundays before the service. You don’t need to have a lot of experience or read music - there are many friendly people in the choir to help you out! If you just want to come for part of the year, like preparing for Advent or Easter, you’re very welcome to. You can write Tom at musicdirector@firstchurchoberlin.org if you have any questions.

The Wider Community

Can you help?

Spring is a time for regrowth, and you can help us regrow our canned good supply! The OCS food pantry is in need of canned vegetables (such as corn, tomatoes, and peas), canned fruit (such as mandarin oranges, pineapple, or cocktail), meat (tuna, chicken, Spam), and soup (chicken noodle, tomato, and cream of celery are always popular).

If you're able to help, we appreciate any and all food donations at the Cooper Community Resource Center, 500 E. Lorain St., Oberlin! We typically get food to between 300 and 350 families each week, and are seeing new families come to the pantry every time we're open!

Office hours are 9 a.m. to noon and 1-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to noon and 1-4 p.m. Friday.

Pantry hours are Mondays from 1:30-4:30 p.m., Wednesdays from 1:30-4:30 p.m., and Fridays from 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Thank you so much for your generosity. There are lots of folks in southern Lorain County who are struggling to get by, and together we can help them!

Good afternoon! We're coming into the warm months, when there are LOTS of volunteer opportunities at OCS. We're reaching out to faith groups to see if there are volunteers who would like to assist us in our mission of meeting basic needs of southern Lorain County residents. Through the summer, we'd love to have volunteers who come every week, or even host your faith group for a service day! The work isn't very hard — but it takes lots of hands. If you want to get in on the fun, please reach out to Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator Rosa Gadsden at rosa@oberlincommunityservices.org!

Friday, May 17 at 7 PM ET

at West Shore UU Church

20401 Hilliard Blvd.

Rocky River OH 44116

OR on Zoom!

Please register if you are going to EITHER the in person event or the virtual event below!

Opening Day

Oberlin Farmers Market, Parking lot

Opening Day for the outdoor Oberlin Famers Market is May 18 The Oberlin Farmers Market provides locally grown, seasonal, fresh, high quality produce and farm fresh products. This is an outdoor market, open rain or shine, featuring a wide variety of local seasonal fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, honey, artisan bread, baked goods, mushrooms, crafts and more. Hours: 9am - Noon, every Saturday; May 18th - October 12 Visit our website: https://www.oberlinfarmersmarket.info/ The market is located at 69-85 South Main Street, downtown Oberlin, Ohio, in the parking lot between the Oberlin Public Library and police station and across from the post office.

Illumination

May 26, 07:00 PM to May 26, 10:00 PM | Tappan Square

Experience Tappan Square at its most beautiful, with hundreds of colorful Japanese lanterns strung across the green. Join us for this Oberlin tradition that gathers faculty, alumni, graduates and their families, staff, and community members for an evening of music and fun. This year will feature food trucks, so come hungry!!

MEMORIAL DAY AT WESTWOOD CEMETERY

455 Morgan St, Oberlin, OH 44074, USA

On Memorial Day, the Friends of Westwood Cemetery and Oberlin Heritage Center will host a table and offer two services for Memorial Day. They will assist with locating gravesites with maps to direct visitors to exact locations, and the ability to register for a cleaning of gravestones by expert cleaners using safe tools and solutions. The table will be located inside the Entrance Gate of Westwood Cemetery. It will be available May 27th, 2024 from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, weather permitting.