First United Methodist Church of Evanston, IL

Stewardship Meeting
2023-12-11 18:30 - 20:00 UTC
On Zoom.

J.U.M.P.
2023-12-15 16:00 - 18:00 UTC | Dining Room
J.U.M.P. (Junior United Methodist People) serves as an introductory youth group for students in grades 4-6 and meets monthly on Fridays from 4:00-6:00 p.m. In November, J.U.M.P. will assemble care packages for guests at First Church’s winter overnight shelter and take a musical look at why the Grinch’s “heart grew three sizes” through the lens of our faith. Please register in advance here: https://onrealm.org/faithatfirst/PublicRegistrations/Event?linkString=ZjM3OGU4NzQtMGMxMC00N2VkLTliZDEtYjBjZjAxNDk0ZDU0

Architecture Tour of First Church Sanctuary and Tittle Chapel
2023-12-17 11:35 - 12:05 UTC | Sanctuary
What well-known women’s suffrage and temperance movement leader has her own stained glass window at First Church? Who carved the reredos above the altar in the sanctuary ? When was Tittle Chapel built, and who is it named after?
Stick around after worship on Dec. 17 for a 30-minute architecture and history tour of the First Church sanctuary and Tittle Chapel led by our resident expert Bill Brown. We gather in the rear of the sanctuary after the postlude. Please RSVP here.

Youth Ensemble
2023-12-24 15:00 - 15:45 UTC | Sanctuary
Instrumentalists in grades 6-12 are invited to play Christmas carols before and during the 4:00pm Family Service on Christmas Eve. The group will rehearse together at 3:00pm before the service in the Sanctuary. Music is available in advance for any instrument. Please email brian@faithatfirst.com if your child would like to play.

Christmas Eve Family Service
2023-12-24 16:00 - 17:00 UTC | Sanctuary
Nursery care beginning at 3:45 pm.

Chancel Choir Rehearsal
2023-12-24 18:00 - 18:30 UTC | Sanctuary

Christmas Eve Candlelight Service with Choir, Handbells, Strings, & Organ
2023-12-24 19:00 - 20:00 UTC | Sanctuary

Music Rehearsal
2023-12-24 22:30 - 23:00 UTC | Sanctuary

Christmas Eve Candleight Service With Communion, Soloist, & Organ
2023-12-24 23:00 - 2023-12-25 00:00 UTC | Sanctuary

Adult Connection
2023-12-31 09:15 - 22:15 UTC | Glenna Hall
All adults welcome for coffee and conversation with First Church friends!

First Reads Book Group
2024-01-02 19:00 - 21:00 UTC
The January book is Herland by Charlotte Gilman Perkins.
This book group is open to all. Contact Janet Lutz for zoom information and book calendar.

Compline Night Prayer Service
2024-01-02 20:30 - 21:00 UTC
On Tuesdays beginning January 2nd, you are invited to a thirty minute Night Prayer Service to end your day in community and peace. These services from 8:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., available via Zoom, are patterned after the ancient monastic tradition of Compline (meaning completion)–the final prayer of the day. We will follow a simple liturgical format for this service of quietness and reflection before rest. Persons of all ages are encouraged to give this spiritual practice a try. The zoom format invites participation from anywhere! We are enriched when family & friends in many locations join in. The services, sponsored by the Faith Formation Council, will continue through Lent, concluding on March 19th. Participants may attend as schedules allow. Contact Tom Scott (tom.scott.goblue@msn.com) to sign up or with questions.

Wednesday Morning Bible Study
2024-01-03 10:00 - 11:30 UTC
On 1/3/2024 we will begin the 10 week study of Eve Isn’t Evil by Julie Faith Parker. It is available through Cokesbury.com or from Amazon.
Contact Janet Lutz to be added to email list.

Inquirers Class
2024-01-07 09:15 - 10:15 UTC | Glenna Hall
In the Inquirers Class participants will explore:

First Church, its people and ministries;
Methodist theology and the United Methodist denomination
Their individual faith journey: How did this journey start for me? Where am I now, and what questions am I wrestling with? What I do I need to nourish me as I continue on this journey?

The goal of Inquirers is to offer church visitors and friends an up close look at this faith community so that Inquirers participants can discern whether they want to take membership vows at First Church.
Since the church community is such an important piece of discerning whether one feels a sense of belonging in a church, the class includes interactive elements and opportunities to build community and serve together outside of Sunday mornings. Additional details are available here.
Interested in participating? Want to talk further about this opportunity? Please contact Mary Taylor-Johnson at mary@faithatfirst.com .

Wednesday Bible Study
2024-01-10 10:00 - 11:30 UTC | online
The Wednesday Bible Study is a longstanding group that meets online every Wednesday 10-11:30am with the exception of a short break in the summer.
Questions? Please contact Janet Lutz at janetatl@aol.com .

Walk For Warmth
2024-01-15 10:50 - 12:30 UTC | Sanctuary
Join the 5th Annual Interfaith Action Walk for Warmth!
https://interfaithactionofevanston.networkforgood.com/events/62092-5th-annual-walk-for-warmth
The family-friendly Walk for Warmth on January 15, 2024 is hosted in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Day of Service. Join us in the fight against homelessness in our community. There is no charge to register for the walk, but advance registration is required. The 2-mile walk through central Evanston starts at 11 AM at First United Methodist Church.
10:50am – A short kickoff program in the sanctuary. Sanctuary doors (on Hinman) open at 10:30 am.
12:30pm – The Walk concludes at First United Methodist Church.
Note that you need not complete the full 2 mile walk. Feel free to walk as long as you can.
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” — Martin Luther King Jr. You can respond to Dr. King’s call to action by supporting the Walk for Warmth in the following ways:
1. Walk with us! Gather in the First Church sanctuary and then follow the Walk route together past eight of the faith communities that host Interfaith Action’s winter shelter in rotation. Free parking is available at the public garage on Church St. just east of Chicago Ave. For everyone’s safety, please leave your dog at home.
2. Make a monetary donation. All donations support Interfaith Action of Evanston and help provide safe and warm spaces for our unhoused neighbors to sleep during the cold weather season. You may donate online or by check to Interfaith Action of Evanston, PO Box 1414, Evanston, IL 60204. Write “Walk for Warmth” in the memo line on the check.
Let’s carry on Dr. King’s legacy and continue his fight for economic, social and racial justice, and make sure no one has to sleep outside in the cold!

First Steps to Faith
2024-01-21 09:30 - 10:00 UTC
Children ages 0-3 and their parents or caregivers gather one Sunday a month in the nursery for seasonal stories, songs, and activities for young families.

Chili Cook-Off
2024-01-21 11:30 - 12:30 UTC | Great Hall
Stick around after worship on Sunday, January 21, for the annual Chili Cookoff, our favorite winter favorite event! Join the fun as a taster and judge (no sign up needed for that), or you can enter your chili or cornbread for this friendly competition.

Friendly competition with winners chosen by popular vote.
Bring your own crockpot or heat your chili on the kitchen stove before the event.
Winners will be named in four categories: Best Chili (veg & meat), Best Cornbread, and Best Child/Youth Entry
Entry deadline: January 18
Additional details and entry form

Communications Committee Meeting
2024-01-24 19:00 - 20:15 UTC | Zoom
Monthly meeting of the Communications Committee. Contact Chair Andy Shotwell with questions at ashotwell@gmail.com .

Mom's Night Out
2024-01-25 18:30 - 20:30 UTC
Join other moms from church for a night of fellowship and fun. Our January host is Caroline Wagner with Meg Lanz co-hosting. Please RSVP with Caroline at carolinehwagner@gmail.com

Personal experience sharing on Palestine and Israel
2024-01-28 09:15 - 10:15 UTC
Miryam Rashid, Palestian-American and Lesley Williams, from Jewish Voices for Peace in Chicago, will share their experience of living and being in Palestine.

Music Ministry
2024-01-28 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Sanctuary

Inquirers Morning of Service
2024-02-03 10:30 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | Dining Room
Our Inquirers Class will gather to learn about and experience Bundled Blessings diaper bank. Diaper packing in the morning will be followed by lunch in the dining room.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Pledge Covenant Group
2024-02-04 09:15 - 10:15 UTC | Room K
MLK Pledge Covenant Group
Meets Sundays, Feb. 4, 11, 18 & 25, at 9:15am in Room K.
Register Online now
Through this covenant group we will support one another as we explore the application of King’s Commandments for the Nonviolent Movement. Members of this covenant group will apply these commandments (see below) in their daily lives and engage in weekly group reflection. Each week we will take on 2 or 3; one week, for instance, participants may employ the following over the course of one week: (1) “Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world;” and (2) “Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.” The focus of this group is on application, reflection, and mutual support.
This covenant group, facilitated by Jim Johnson, will be limited to12 participants. Registration will occur on a first-come, first-serve basis. The first two commandments in which the covenant group will engage are:
– Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
– Remember always that the non-violent movement seeks justice and reconciliation, not victory.
King Pledge Commandments (summary)
I hereby pledge myself—my person and body—to the nonviolent movement. Therefore, I will keep the following 10 commandments:
1. Meditate daily on the teachings and life of Jesus.
2. Remember always that the non-violent movement seeks justice and reconciliation, not victory.
3. Walk and talk in the manner of love, for God is love.
4. Pray daily to be used by God in order that all men and women might be free.
5. Sacrifice personal wishes in order that all men and women might be free.
6. Observe with both friend and foe the ordinary rules of courtesy.
7. Seek to perform regular service for others and for the world.
8. Refrain from the violence of fist, tongue, or heart.
9. Strive to be in good spiritual body and health.
10. Follow the directions of the movement.

Earth Care Committee Monthly Meeting
2024-02-04 11:30 - 13:00 UTC | Glenna Hall

Nominations Committee Monthly Meeting
2024-02-05 19:00 - 20:15 UTC
The Nominations and Leadership Development committee meeting scheduled for today has been rescheduled for Feb. 12, online at 7pm as usual. We will return to our first Monday of the month schedule in March. Please address questions to Pastor Grace Imathiu, chair at grace@faithatfirst.com and/or Michael Bergmann, vice chair at mgbergmann@yahoo.com.

Progessive Christianity Reading Group
2024-02-08 13:00 - 14:00 UTC
First Church’s Progressive Christianity Reading Group will read/discuss William Sloane Coffin’s small collection of essays, “The Heart Is a Little to the Left”, written 25 years ago, still “a powerful antidote to the religious right with a clarion call to passive intellectuals and dispirited liberals to reenter the fray, based on an unabashedly Christian view of social justice.” Coffin served as chaplain of Yale University for 18 years, Senior Pastor of Riverside Church, NY., and President of SANE/FREEZE: Campaign for Global Security. Jailed as a civil rights “Freedom Rider”, indicted by the government in the Benjamin Spock conspiracy trial, he attained popular notoriety as Reverend Sloan in the Doonesbury comic strip.
We will cover the 81-page collection in two sessions, Feb. 8th and 15th during 1pm ZOOM meeting. Buy used on-line. New participants are welcome to join us. Contact Bonnie Beckonchrist for info at bbeckonchrist@gmail.com

Reconciling Sunday Celebration
2024-02-11
First United Methodist Church of Evanston, 516 Church St., will mark a decade as a Reconciling Congregation at worship Sunday, February 11th at 10:30 featuring Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth, preacher. Bishop Bridgeforth is the first openly gay African American man and second out LGBTQ+ person to serve as Bishop in the United Methodist Church. Elected at the Western Jurisdictional Conference in 2022 he is assigned to serve the Greater Western Episcopal Area.
Bishop Bridgeforth served in the United States Air Force for four years before attending Stamford University ( B.A. in Religion 1997), Claremont School of Theology ( M.Div. 2000) and Pepperdine University ( Ed.D. 2006). He is author of Alabama Grandson: A Black, Gay Minister’s Passage Out of Hiding and several other books on Prayer and Leadership. Bishop Bridgeforth is married to Christopher Hucks – Ortiz.

Planning meeting of Chairs of Adult Education and Faith Formation Councils and Social Justice Committee
2024-02-11 11:30 - 13:00 UTC | Glenna Hall

Ash Wednesday Potluck and Lenten Workshop
2024-02-14 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | Dining Room
The 40 days of Lent are a time to extend ourselves inside and out in rhythm with the lengthening days and life of Christ. Embrace and observe this holy season as we bake pretzels, create prayer journals, and join together for good food and conversation before Ash Wednesday service at 7:00 p.m.
Bring a side or dessert to share and please register in advance.
