Announcement and Calendar for the Week of Jan. 15, 2012

DAY OF INTERFAITH SERVICE will be held tomorrow. All youth who are planning to attend should check in with Debby today by calling 860-377-2675. Bring $5 donation and your own bag lunch. We will meet at East Woodstock Church at 12 noon and return by 9 PM.

PRAYER SHAWLS are now being stored in the coat closet in Harrison Hall. Drop off a shawl when you have finished knitting or pick one up to deliver to a friend or neighbor who needs to be encircled by prayers. Thank you to Ruth Stevenson for making our lovely shawls more accessible. All knitters are invited to join our group which meets on the last Tuesday afternoon of each month.

NAME TAGS: If you have misplaced your name tag, please sign the sheet in Harrison Hall so another one can be made for you.

2012 OFFERING ENVELOPES are available in the Narthex for those who have requested them. Please pick up yours today.

2011 ANNUAL REPORTS are now available in the Narthex.

CALL TO THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH:
The Annual meeting of the First Congregational Church of Woodstock is called for Sunday January 22, 2012 in the meetinghouse of the church with roll call at 11:15am and the following agenda:
- To accept the reports of the Pastor, Clerk, Boards and Committees and the Treasurer for the year 2011;
- To act upon the report of the Nominating Committee;
- To receive and act upon Budgets for Local and Wider for 2012
- To remember those of our membership who have died since our last annual meeting;
- To hear the report of the Church Historian;
- To act upon any other business proper to come before the meeting. Diane K. Miller, clerk

JAM FOR JAN
Fundraiser for Jan Arcand Saturday, January 28
As many of you know, Jan Arcand underwent surgery for a brain tumor this past fall and is now recovering at home in Putnam. Jan has been a long-time member of the Hill Church and was deeply involved in the Youth Ministry Team while serving as a mentor for many of our young people over the years. We now have the opportunity to help Jan get through this difficult time by offering our prayers and financial support. Jan is self-employed as a mental health therapist and we know she would appreciate any assistance until she is well enough to return to work.

Please join us for an evening of fellowship at 5 p.m. on Saturday, January 28 at the Hill Church for a simple dinner, silent auction of themed baskets, and uplifting entertainment by the Hill Church Hillbillies. A free will offering will be taken at dinner. Please RSVP to the church office at 860-928-7405 so we have a count for the dinner.

There are lots of ways to help out. Spread the word to friends and colleagues of and colleagues of Jan, Rachael and Sam. Team up with a friend and gather items for a themed basket (information attached). Or, contact one of the following:
Food preparation and serving: Jim Nowak, Sam Lyman, Ruth Stevenson
Baskets: Diane Peterson and Debbie Pallatto-Fontaine
Entertainment/Music: Deb Kirk and Leslie Sweetnam
Set up: Ted Bradley

You may also choose to make a direct donation by writing a check to Jan’s daughter, Rachael Arcand and sending it to her at:
684 Hampton Road, Apt 2
Pomfret Center, CT 06259.

Please mark your calendar for January 28 (snow date is January 29) and help us spread the word!
Thanks so much for your generous support.

DEACONS SPONSORING RETREAT: The deacons invite all who might be interested to a spiritual retreat to be held in Harrison Hall. In our journey toward securing a 'settled' minister, we have been urged to pray. So many of us have difficulty in knowing how to start praying and listening for God's word that we, as deacons, thought this type of day would be beneficial for us all.
We will join together in 'holy work': centering prayer and quiet to settle ourselves for a day of introspection and prayer, getting to know each other as friends in spirit, and in meditation and listening. We will break into small groups as well as a larger discussion group. We are hoping this will be a fruitful day of inspiration, of learning, and listening to each other and to the Holy Spirit. At the end, as the Spirit moves, we will go out strengthened with a renewed sense of God's presence and leading light.
Next Saturday, January 21, (weather permitting, or Feb. 4 if we get snowed out), we will start with coffee, juice and goodies at 8:30 in Harrison Hall; at 9 we will begin our work. We will be led The Reverend Dr. Deborah Pallatto-Fontaine who has done many retreats for other churches over the years. We will break for a 'working' lunch around noon and finish by 3. If you cannot stay the entire time, we welcome you when you can be there. We are so excited to be able to do this for all of our church members and friends. Hope to see you there!


SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS

There is a nursery volunteer today; parents, please feel welcome to take your infants and toddlers downstairs.

Today is the second of three Sundays we study David, The Boy:
Preschoolers, kindergartners, and grade 1 play games with Kate Murdock;
Grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 conduct science experiments with Laurie Trudeau; and
Grades 6, 7, & 8 enjoy the story/video rotation with Ellie Donahue.

These exciting rotations allow the children to learn through their different senses and multiple intelligences. Please feel free to visit downstairs during coffee hour to view what the children are doing in their classrooms.

Throughout January, we will continue collecting canned goods for Daily Bread, so please bring items to contribute. Thank you!

DAVID, THE BOY
David was young and small in stature but great in courage and faith. God used this brave-hearted youth’s gifts to accomplish mighty deeds, and God can use our gifts to do the same. In this unit, we will study the boyhood stories of David from the Book of First Samuel to realize that God saw in David what others missed, to learn what childhood traits later made David a great king, and to explore how God accomplishes vital work through ordinary people.

Last week, our initial, whole-group meeting heard the David and Goliath story from Goliath’s point of view. This week, we’ll hear the story of how David was a powerful shepherd who protected his sheep with God’s help, even against a lion and a bear. We’ll also learn that David composed music and wrote poetry God works through many gifts!

CALENDAR OF THE WEEK
Today
11:15 a.m. Junior Choir
11:30 a.m. Youth Ministry Team
Monday
12:00 p.m. Day of Interfaith Service (Meet at EW)
7:00 p.m. AA
Tuesday
6:30 p.m. Trustees
7:30 p.m. Hillbillies
Wednesday
7:00 p.m. Boy Scouts
Thursday
10:30 a.m. Bible Study
7:00 p.m. Sr. Choir
Saturday
8:30 - 3 Retreat
Next Sunday
ANNUAL MEETING AFTER WORSHIP SERVICE
7:00 p.m. Youth Group Crossroads meeting at East