Centering Prayer – Mondays

Mons from 8-8:30pm via Zoom
Centering prayer, also known as the prayer of silence, helps you quiet your mind from the constant thoughts and impulses, and frees your true self to experience more of God’s love in the very core of your being. You will gain inspiration, rich insight, and practical knowledge of a contemplative prayer practice that can open you up to deep experiences of inner healing and peace. Everyone is welcome to take part.

Login Link: https://tinyurl.com/2p89n5sc
Meeting ID: 816 1696 9038
Passcode: 224107

The BG’s – Tuesdays

Tues from 8-11am in Fellowship Hall Lounge
The BG’s are a group of 6-10 (mostly retired) guys that gather every Tuesday at 8am for coffee, socializing, and to handle the many outdoor and indoor miscellaneous maintenance needs around First Lutheran. If you are interested in joining this group stop by Tuesday as we are always looking for new people to join our team!

Knitters – Tuesdays

Join us Tuesdays at 9am in the Gathering Space for smiles, laughs, and lots of knitting!

Mission Sew – 1st & 3rd Wednesdays

Help Mission Sew with cutting, sewing, tying, and pining quilts for Lutheran World Relief. These quilts are distributed to struggling neighbors across the globe. For more info contact Margaret Drinkwater, by contacting the church at 608.752.7434.

Bible Study – Wednesdays

Wednesday at 10am in Rm 302
Please join us for Bible study as we explore the major and minor prophets of the Old Testament. We meet every Wednesday morning from 10-11am in Room 302.

Living Well With Dementia – 4th Sundays

You are invited to join us for Living Well With Dementia discussions on the 4th Sunday of the month at 9am. Please grab your coffee and join us in the Discovery Room following the first worship service.

Growing Our Spiritual Life as Adults – Dec 10, Jan 7, 14, 21

Each Sunday morning you have a chance to gather for an hour of adult learning, immediately following the 8am worship service. Pick-up some refreshments and meet in the Chapel.

Dec 10: Why Should You Carry Narcan? / Overdose Epidemic / What is Fentanyl? We will welcome Brooke McKearn, Prevention Specialist from Vivent Health in Beloit.  Her presentation will include free Narcan training. Each attendee will receive one free box (containing 2 doses) of Narcan.

January 7, 14, 21: Faith and Music “Dromedaries, Doves, and Delight.” Join FLC members Nancy and Roy Carroll as they accompany us on a journey from adoration to discipleship. We’ll sing and learn about select seasonal hymns along the way, some old, some new, some unknown, and some familiar, all drawn from the diverse treasure trove of texts and tunes for Epiphany as found in our more recent hymnals, LBW, ELW and ACS (All Creation Sings). We’ll meet inspiring and interesting people along the way, hear their stories, and maybe even “Walk in The Light,” “Wade in the Water,” and ponder what it might mean to “Go, Make Disciples.” Brings guests who “Delight.” Don’t worry about the dromedaries and the doves, they’ll be outside the building, hopefully singing safely.

Cookie Walk – Dec 10

The Witness Board is bringing you the 3rd Annual Cookie Walk on Dec 10.  Here is a great way to get a lovely variety of holiday cookies to share with family and friends. From 7:30am until after the second service you can fill your box with as many cookies as you want. It will be weighed and you pay accordingly. We need lots and lots of donated cookies so when you bake please plan an extra few dozen for your church. The proceeds go to the youth to help pay for their mission trips.

Book Study – Canoeing the Mountains – Dec 11

The next session of our monthly book study is on Monday, Dec 11, 6-7:30pm, in the Gathering Space outside our worship area. We will read chapters 4 through 6 in preparation for our meeting. The theme for this month’s discussion is “No One Will Trust You Off The Map Unless They Trust You On It.” Tod Bolsinger’s book, Canoeing the Mountains, engages the church to consider how we can lead when we don’t know what the future will look like. It is available in the digital library through Hedberg, or you can purchase your own copy. A recent series of FLC podcast episodes introduced the book. You can find these episodes on the FLC website at flcj.org/event (at the bottom of the page).

Ukulele Christmas Caroling – Dec 12

Join us in caroling for folks living in First Apartments and Cedar Crest on Tues, Dec 12, 5:40pm (meeting in the entryway off the parking lot at FLC). Refreshments will be provided on Dec 12! Come join in, making music, new friends and memories!

EPLP: Eat, Play, Learn, Pray – Dec 13

Join us on Wed, Dec13 from 6-7:30pm in the Gathering Space for Eat, Play, Learn, Pray. Both events are potluck so bring your favorite dish to pass! This Advent let’s gather around the table to explore the stories of Mary and Joseph. How did God call them? How did they respond? What does this mean here and now? Come try the Faith 5 format with us. Friends and new faces gather around the table for a meal, a time of laughter together, a time to share the high and low point of the day, a time to dig into scripture, and a time to pray and bless. All ages are welcome. Really! We’d love to  see you there.

Christmas for All Ages – Dec 17

Join us for a one-service Sunday (9:30am) when we celebrate Christmas for All Ages: Songs of the Savior! This service is a chance for all ages to come together and celebrate the hope that Jesus brought to the earth then and now.

Second Harvest Food Pantry – Dec 21

Third Thurs of the Month from 3:30-5:30pm
Distribution is outdoors. Please call Mary Gallup at 608.755.1399 so she knows if she has enough help. Set-up begins at 2:30pm. 

A Prelude to Christmas – Dec 24

The final Sunday in Advent tells the story of Mary’s encounter with the angel who announces that she will give birth to the Christ child. (One service Sunday: 9:30am)

Christmas Eve – Dec 24

Closed for the Holidays – Dec 25, 26 & Jan 1

First Lutheran will be closed for the holidays on Dec 25, 26 & Jan 1.

Lessons & Carols – Dec 31

Lessons & Carols Worship
One Worship Sunday (9:30am)

Page Turners Book Group – Jan 2

The Page Turners meet on the first Tuesday of the month at 6pm in the Gathering Space. Come every month or just the months you want. All are welcome. 

Jan 2: Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah
Feb 6: The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson
Mar 5: Under the Whispering Door by Tj Klune

Contact Sally Schuenke 608.754.0407 with questions. 

Men of Iron – Jan 9, 13

Open to men of all ages. On Tuesdays, we study the Bible and the book Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur. On Saturdays, we have a Bible study of men in the Bible. Both days are located in the Fellowship Hall Lounge. If you have questions contact Eric at 608.290.7083 or eengen@flcj.org.

TUESDAYS
6pm
January 9

SATURDAYS
9am
January 13

Youh Winter Chill – Jan 19-21 (Deadline to Register Dec 3)

Canoeing the Mountains: A 5-Week Podcast Series

In this new series of the FLC podcast, we introduce Tod Bolsinger’s book, Canoeing the Mountains, in which the Lewis and Clark expedition serves as a point of comparison for the situation of the present-day church. Lewis and Clark had set out to find a water route across the continent to the Pacific Ocean, but along the way they discovered the Rocky Mountains. To go forward from there, they had to shift their strategies and expectations. In a similar way, the church in North America has come to a transition point, where the future will not look anything like the past. Old assumptions no longer apply. New strategies and skills need to be developed.

Five, short podcast episodes – one each week, starting this week – will introduce the major themes of the book. Those who have interest will be invited to participate in a deeper study of the book later this fall, in which we will explore the qualities of leadership that are needed to carry the church forward into a future that cannot yet be seen. Join us on this journey of discovery!

Episode 1: The world in front of you is nothing like the world behind you 
We talk about ways that our world has been changing and how those changes impact the church. The Lewis and Clark expedition is introduced as a core metaphor for the church’s experience in this moment of history.

Episode 2: Building trust “on the map”
Before moving “off the map” into uncharted territory, it is important for leaders to build trust by showing effectiveness in core competencies and consistency in relationship with others. The way forward for the church will require experimenting with new strategies which may, at times, fail. If we trust one another well, we can learn together and discover the way forward.

Episode 3: Uncharted territory calls for adaptive leadership
When faced with the Rocky Mountains, Lewis and Clark had to let go of previous assumptions about the geography of North America and relinquish the strategies that had brought them to that point. Going forward required them to recommit to their core values, embrace learning, and discover a new way forward. The church today needs a similar adaptive form of leadership.

Episode 4: Transformation is needed, but expect sabotage
Systems prefer equilibrium and seek to return to the status quo, so intentional change inevitably produces some kind of pushback from the system. Leaders should be prepared for sabotage — this is not a personal attack but the system in discomfort, seeking relief. The healthy response is to stay the course and stay connected to those who are opposed to change or who are experiencing loss.