Several people have asked that I share the remarks I made at our 2020 Annual Meeting. Below is a transcript For my remarks this year, I don’t want to simply say aloud everything that is in my written report.  There I have outlined the accomplishments we have made in the last year as a worshipping […]

REPAIRER Isaiah 58:11-12 “The Lord will guide you continually,     and satisfy your needs in parched places,     and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden,     like a spring of water,     whose waters never fail. Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;     you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called […]

The following article is written by Rev. Sara Nave Fisher, a part of an international group of young women clergy (a group that Pastor Danielle is part of). You can find the link to the original article here. I met my husband 15 years ago this Christmas, with all the trappings of a holiday romance […]

This last Saturday, November 2nd, First Congregational opened its doors to provide space for the Islamic Center of Winona’s curry dinner fundraiser. It was a beautiful evening of good food and good neighbors. Thank you to the volunteers who came out to help and to everyone who came for a meal to support needed repairs […]

The following was written by Barbara Beeman and shared here with her permission:        It is a truth long understood by most that you remember the way someone made you feel over everything else about them. The doors of our First Congregation Church, UCC have welcomed our community friends from every walk of […]

This Sunday, 9/29/19, we will be considering the Gospel lesson Luke 16:19-31. Here we listen to Jesus’ lesson about the need to notice and respond to the poor in our world. And we are reminded, once again, that God’s favor rests with the poor. As we consider this lesson, we will look at two pieces […]

by the Rev. Jeremy Pridgeon O God, our hope and refuge,in our distress we come quickly to you.Shock and horror of that tragic day have subsided,replaced now with an emptiness,a longing for an innocence lost. We come remembering those who lost their livesin New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania. We are mindful of the sacrifice […]

Legend has it that Howard Thurman, an African American theologian, prayed the same verse of scripture every day: “How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! I try to count them – they are more than the sand;” (Psalm 139:17-18a) Everyday, year after year, he prayed using […]

Kids are heading back to school. Teachers are getting back into the routine of teaching. The stores are filled with school supplies and there is a feeling of excitement in the air as another school year begins. And at First Congregational, there is excitement as we prepare to launch our new Sunday School program! This […]