Heat Respite 2026
Heat Respite Cooling Center June 1 - Aug 10. First Church: Sun - Wed; Grace Lutheran Thurs - Sat.
Music re-Members our Beliefs
Featuring Kendall Gilder on guitar.
The songs we sing shape what we believe. They give language to our deepest values, questions, hopes, and understandings of the Sacred. Sometimes we sing because we believe; other times we sing until belief becomes possible again. Music helps us remember the faith we have inherited while inviting us to imagine a faith wide enough for who we are becoming.
AI: Tool or Terminator
"AI: Tool or Terminator, a study of Magnifica Humanitas" for five weeks on Tuesdays.
Music re-Members our Joy
Featuring Charles Smith on keys for 8 years at First Church.
Joy is more than happiness or the absence of struggle. Joy can rise in the middle of uncertainty, gather us into celebration, and return us to the goodness of being alive. Music awakens the body, lifts the spirit, and invites us to delight in one another and in the beauty still present in the world.
Music re-Members our Stories
Featuring Joshua Santa Cruz, Music Director at First Church for 9 years.
Music carries the stories of our lives. Certain songs return us to people, places, experiences, and seasons we thought we had forgotten. They connect us with family, culture, community, and the many paths that have brought us to this moment. When we share the music that has shaped us, we share something of who we are.
Music re-Members our Grief - Contemplative Service
Featuring vocalists Carly Bates (keys) and Matt Charest (guitar).
Grief can leave us feeling scattered and disconnected from ourselves. Music does not erase our sorrow or force us to move on. It creates room for tears, longing, anger, memory, and love. A song can hold what is too heavy to explain and remind us that our grief does not need to be carried alone.
Art Share
After worship join us for Art Share 2026. Performance and Display Art that heals. Bring a dish to share for the potluck.
Healing Circles
Grief is the air we breathe as we experience loss and death on a regular basis. Whatever you might be grieving, the healing circle empowers you to be your own best healer as each person shares their story. Meeting once a month for 4 sessions, Sept - Dec. Orientation is Sun Aug 23 at noon after worship.
Young Adults
Join us for a young adult Story Circle led by Loree, The Healing Project at First Church
Music re-Members our Connections
Featuring Bailey Zick on steel pedal guitar.
Music reminds us that we belong to one another. A band becomes music only when its members listen, respond, make room, and trust one another. Each person brings a distinctive sound, yet together they create something no one could make alone. Music reconnects us with community and reminds us that every voice matters.
Celebrate your Pride
Join us for worship as we celebrate our Pride. Wear your expression of pride. Christopher Schouten will share on Beyond the Binary.
Beyond the Binary: Embracing Both/And
BEYONE THE BRINARY: EMBRACING BOTH/AND
The Contemplative Way helps us navigate a fearful world. We will learn how to see through awareness, letting go, acceptance, and moving beyond the binary. Join us for worship live or virtual in June 2026.
Acceptance: Making Peace with Reality
ACCEPTANCE: MAKING PEACE WITH REALITY
The Contemplative Way helps us navigate a fearful world. We will learn how to see through awareness, letting go, acceptance, and moving beyond the binary. Join us for worship live or virtual in June 2026.
LETTING GO: LOOSENING OUR GRIP
LETTING GO: LOOSENING OUR GRIP
The Contemplative Way helps us navigate a fearful world. We will learn how to see through awareness, letting go, acceptance, and moving beyond the binary. Join us for worship live or virtual in June 2026.
AWARENESS: WAKING UP TO WHAT IS
AWARENESS: WAKING UP TO WHAT IS
The Contemplative Way helps us navigate a fearful world. We will learn how to see through awareness, letting go, acceptance, and moving beyond the binary. Join us for worship live or virtual in June 2026.
Charity Lockhart - Guest Vocalist
Pentecost Sunday with Golden Buzzer winner Charity Lockhart and fire eating Rev Doug Bland
Easter
9:00 AM: Children Easter Play. 10:00 AM: Easter Egg Hunt. 10:30 AM: Celebration Service with brass.
Mourning Light - Grief Workshop
Grief Education: Join grief expert Shea Darian for practical tools for navigating the grieving process.
Holy Week Service
Contemplative Holy Week Service: Palms to Handwashing, Communion, and Good Friday
American Teenager Book Launch
From an award-winning journalist comes a vivid and moving portrait of trans and nonbinary teenagers across the country, following their daily triumphs, struggles, and all that encompasses growing up trans in America today Nico Lang (they/them) is a nonbinary award-winning journalist with over a decade of experience covering the transgender community’s fight for equality.
Healing Circles 2nd Sun and Wed
Navigating grief through life loss and change. Grieving and healing your way.
Bike Coop
Monthly gatherings to receive donations, repair bikes and plan future events.
Ash Wednesday
6:30 - 7:00 pm drive through ashes and 6:00 pm worship service @ New Hope
Christmas Eve Candlelight Service
On December 24, First Church UCC will gather for a beloved tradition: our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service. This sacred evening invites us to pause, reflect, and celebrate the birth of Christ with warmth, music, and light.