TENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
AUGUST 6, 2023
CHRIST CONGREGATIONAL UCC
JOIN US FOR WORSHIP IN THE SANCTUARY
10:30 AM
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WORSHIP RESOURCES BELOW
“O Day of Radiant Gladness"
"Thousands on the Hillside"
"God Be With You"
Sheet Music is here! Remember to click. Special Music links too!
SPECIAL MUSIC
PLEASE CLICK OUR LOGO FOR "CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM 101"
“WELCOME!"
We are so glad you are here!”

As we enter our church, as we live as members, as we experience important life-cycle events (falling in love, marrying, parenting, baptism, coming out, transitioning, etc.), words of welcome and support, understanding and love are what we all long for. This manifestation of God’s Extravagant Welcome and the justice and social witness that accompany it are the heart of what we hope to show our community and all who walk through the doors of Christ Congregational United Church of Christ.

PEACE BE WITH YOU!

August 6, 2023

Dear Congregation,

August greetings! I hope and pray that all is well with you. This Sunday our focus scripture is Matthew 14:13-21, Feeding the Five Thousand, a well-known story that is found in all four gospels. We will be sharing Holy Communion together. I hope you’ll be present in person in the Sanctuary or on Facebook as we consider the implications of this miracle story for us today and share in the Sacrament as a church family.

In verse 14 we read, “When Jesus went ashore, he saw a great crowd;
and had compassion on them and cured their sick.” His compassion also
led him to feed this very large crowd by recognizing their hunger and
miraculously multiplying five loaves of bread and two fish.

Compassion literally means “to suffer together.” Among emotion researchers, it is defined as the feeling that arises when you are confronted with another’s suffering and feel motivated to relieve that suffering. As followers of Jesus, who is the model for our behavior as individuals and as a church, it is clear that we are called to do what we can to help alleviate sickness in body, mind, and spirit, and hunger. That conviction undergirds the outreach and mission that we do. You can’t go wrong with feeding or helping people to have health care!

In CCC’s new financial reality following the sale of the church property,
we are exploring how best to use our resources to make a bigger impact in these areas. This is exciting and faithful work! Stay tuned for news as to how CCC will be sharing the compassion of Christ in our community and in the wider world in the future as we have done in the past, but with additional and increased opportunities.

See you Sunday! In Christ’s love,

Pastor Candy


ARE YOU CURIOUS ABOUT CCC OR ABOUT THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST?



Pastor Candy would be happy to meet with you to talk about our Christian faith, your spiritual journey, and to discuss what church membership means. Please let her know if you're interested!


CALENDAR

Sun. Aug 6 | 10:30 am
Worship in the Sanctuary
 & Facebook Live with Holy Communion

Sun. Aug 30 | 10:30 am
Worship in the Sanctuary
 & Facebook Live


CCC WOMENS DIAPER COLLECTION

CCC Women are collecting diapers for parents of homeless children for S.O.S. They especially need toddler sizes. Monetary donations can be given to Cindy Ketzle or sent to the church made out to CCC Women. There is a box in Kelsey for ongoing collection.
OUTREACH: BACK TO SCHOOL FOR OUR GUARDIAN AD LITEM AND SOS STUDENTS

Thank you to all of the volunteers and donors of the July Outreach Project. We are able to supply STUFFED, new backpacks to 6 Guardian Ad Litem students and 24 were distributed to SOS in Homestead on Monday. As always, than you for your generosity and help.
UPCOMING EVENTS!

MOONLIGHT DRUM CIRCLE
Wednesday, September 27, 2023
7 p.m. in our Garden Chapel

COMMUNITY CHOIR OPEN TO ALL!
Practice begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, October 18, 2023
and will be weekly. The choir will present a free Christmas concert on
Sunday, December 10, 2023 at 2 p.m. at the church.

Mental Health First Aid
  
Jewish Community Services of South Florida, provides free Mental Health First Aid Training through a SAMHSA funded Grant in collaboration with Miami Dade College. Created in Australia, MHFA (Virtual & Webinar), is an 8-hour evidence-based training that teaches you action plans to help those experiencing a mental health concern, an emotional crisis or a substance use disorder. Complete 1.5-hours of self-paced virtual learning then attend a 6.5-hour webinar to complete the training. 
 

VIRTUAL LEARNING: 1.5-HRS of Self Study Online Course Work
 
WEBINAR: Auigust 11, 10AM - 5PM 
 
COST: FREE (value covered by grant $150)

PARTICIPATION: Will need to complete over 1.5-hours of online course work and return Consent Form to take part in training.
 
 
Sponsored by Jewish Community Services of South Florida, Thriving Mind South Florida and the State of Florida, Department of Children and Families
 
For More Info. on upcoming training contact:
Demian Laudisio, Training Coordinator
786.768.1513

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Global Ministries offers a weekly prayer for one of our global mission partners. This week's prayer is with Bangladesh. To read their mission moment, please click the Global Ministries IMAGE. Below is this week's prayer, united we pray.
Gracious God, from whom all things seen and unseen have come to be, we give thanks to you for this moment to be in your presence. As we listen to your words for this day, bless us with a commitment to always heed your insistence that we cannot turn away people in need and that the only way for us all to feel sated and fulfilled is by sharing the resources you entrusted us with. On this day, we pray with our brothers and sisters in Bangladesh. We thank you for this partnership between the peoples of our two countries. We especially thank and pray for the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh and its ministry through the last 75 years. We pray for continued blessings for CCDB in its efforts to create positive social change and improve the lives of marginalized communities in need. We pray for Bangladesh to overcome current crises and achieve stability and peace with justice and reconciliation. We also pray for a fair and transparent national election in Bangladesh and for it to uphold sustainability and stability through this period and beyond. We pray that you bless all who seek to follow you with a yearning to be those loaves and fishes willing to be broken for that banquet where no one waits outside for leftovers. All of this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, the one who has broken oneself for the healing and reconciliation of the whole creation. Amen.

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REMEMBERED IN OUR CONTINUING PRAYERS

Joan Hansen, Maggie McDowell, Carol McCreary, Mary Ellen Prather, Mary and Frank Tirb, Bradley Everhardt, Julio Balcells, Jessica Nodarse, Bianca Montelegro, Mark, Julie Henkel, Merly Alonso, Bianca and Nina Sarmento and the friends and family of J.J Newby Ketzle.
For Pastoral Care Needs, please call Pastor Candy directly at 925-640-9289 or you may call and leave a message with the Church Office, 305-235-9381.
Thank you so much for the generous gifts of your time, treasure and talent in pursuit of A Just World For All!
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"Online Giving" link on the upper right of our website.
The Rev. Candace Thomas | Pastor

Graham Bryan | Moderator & President

Jay Harragin | Music Director

Tracy Williams | Editor