Children and teens are a very important part of our church family! They are active participants in our worship, music, and outreach ministries.

There is Sunday School, taught by lay volunteers, for children in preschool-grade 8 most Sundays when school is in session from September-May. Children attend the worship service in the Sanctuary with their families until the Time for Children, after which they and their teachers leave for the Christian Education Wing. Families are reunited at Coffee Hour following the service. E-mail our Leader of Children’s and Youth Ministries for more information.

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Our Youth Group’s Habitat for Humanity crew leaves for their mission to St. John’s Island, South Carolina on February 16th.  They depend upon our generous support to help them pay for travel, meals and other expenses while they labor to build affordable housing.  Last year on St. John’s Island they framed two houses and helped students from McMasters University with a third house frame. Two of those frames were erected on St. John’s. The third frame was de-assembled, placed in a container and shipped to New Orleans to help with the continuing critical housing shortage in post-Katrina Louisianna. This Spaghetti Dinner is their final fund-raiser before boarding the train for a week worth of challenging work and well-earned experience. Come join us and send them off with a smile!

The Habitat Crew Spaghetti Dinner
Saturday, February 9, 5 to 9 pm
Relax and enjoy our full service dinner with live music

$10 adults, $5 children
$8 seniors/students, $25 family of four

Tickets are on sale in the church office during weekday office hours. Reservations by phone at 413-458-4273 or E-mail fcc.willi@verizon.net

Menu
Salad, Garlic Bread,
Spaghetti with Meatballs or Vegetarian Sauce
Choice of Beverages
Dessert
Sweet Potato Pie
to celebrate the cuisine of our destination,
John’s Island, South Carolina

The Habitat Crew is the high school service group sponsored by the First Congregational Church. Participants work on Northern Berkshire Habitat for Humanity projects and complete many other local service projects. Dinner proceeds will benefit a week-long trip to South Carolina to volunteer at Sea Island Habitat for Humanity. For more information call Beth Parker at 458-4273 x105, 662-2660, or elizabeth_dorothy@hotmail.com

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Lenten Study Group: Wednesday evenings, starting February 6, and for eight or so weeks thereafter.

Format: pot luck, 6-7 p.m., DVD presentation and discussion, 7-8:15 p.m.

Content: a brand new DVD entitled “Eclipsing Empire: Paul, Rome, and the Kingdom of God.” It’s blurb reads: “Join preeminent New Testament scholars Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan on location in Turkey as they trace the Apostle Paul’s footsteps throughout the Roman Empire. This 12- session DVD and web-based study explores fresh insights into Paul’s message of the Kingdom of God, its challenge to Roman imperial theology, and the apostle’s radical relevance for today. Participant Guide written by John Dominic Crossan. Filmed in High-Definition across Turkey, Greece, and Italy.” In September of 2004 Jina and I, along with 40 others, took s similar pilgrimage with Dom and Marcus, traveling across western Turkey. There will clearly be some overlap in content with last year’s study group but that will be offset by Marcus’ and Dom’s new contributions and the visual excitement provided by the new DVD. — Dick Ford

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Habitat Crew 2006-2007 - The crew consisted of 14 youths, both church members and non-church members who met regularly with leader Beth Davis and advisors John MacDonald, Jodi Green, and Lisa Hiley to do community service projects and raise funds to finance a trip to Charleston, South Carolina during February vacation to work for Habitat for Humanity. The crew completed frames for Habitat houses during their stay. They gave a presentation about their experience on Children’s Sunday in May.

Habitat Crew, 2007-2008 - This year’s Habitat Crew consists of 16 youths, both church members and non-church members, in grades 10-12 who meet regularly with their leader Beth Parker to do community service projects and raise funds in order to return to Charleston, South Carolina during February vacation for an intensive work-week with the Sea Island chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Activities have included leaf-raking, volunteering at the Habitat Christmas Tree Showcase event, baking pies for the Berkshire Food Project, and cookie-baking. The winter and spring activities will include working at a local Habitat site and a Spaghetti Supper for the community. Youths from the surrounding area participate.  They are enthusiastic, hard-working, have lots of fun and are well-supported by the congregation and community-at-large.

In addition to Beth Parker, adult advisors and trip chaperones are: Beth Davis, Elizabeth Smith, and Sam Smith.

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For the first time during three Sundays in October, Sunday School students participated in activities related to the national CROP walk (a community walk to raise money to fight world hunger). Activities focused on awareness and activism regarding world hunger and included soliciting donations from sponsors, picking apples for Meals on Wheels, making signs to carry during the walk, baking bread for a communion of walkers, and walking the three-mile route with families, church members and many others.

Students potted plant cuttings and decorated pots to sell in order to raise money for our Ethiopian foster sister Sarah. We plan to continue growing plants from seeds and forcing bulbs for a larger sale in the spring.

The Christmas Pageant on December 23rd was a meaningful and exciting experience for both children and adults as everyone worked together to learn lines, build a set, create props, and sing songs in order to explore and interpret the Nativity story according to a script written by Beth Davis in 2006 that features the four gospel writers.

Families enjoyed a “Posada” night on December 19th , which included a Mexican dinner, singing, and crèche-making as part of a ritual evoking Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter on the eve of Christ’s birth. The Board of Christian Education hopes to make this event a yearly tradition.

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The Sunday School classes are taught by dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers who are always well-prepared. They communicate with the children in a sincere manner, fostering a classroom atmosphere of respect, comfort, and growth.

Pre-School-
Teachers: rotating parent volunteers

Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade-
Teachers: Margaret McComish, Wendy Gipp

3rd, 4th, and 5th grade-
Teachers: Beth Davis and Brian Handspicker

6th,7th, and 8th grade-
Teachers: Kate Burdick, Katherine Myers, Tammy Fraser

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The Pastor teaches our Confirmation Class. Most teens make their confirmation at the end of their 9th grade year, but unconfirmed older teens are welcome to participate in the class too. Adult members are usually not received by confirmation. E-mail the Pastor if you are interested in being confirmed.

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There is Sunday School for children in preschool-grade 8 most Sundays when school is in session from September-May. Our teachers are lay volunteers. Children attend the worship service in the Sanctuary with their families until the Time for Children, after which they and their teachers leave for the Christian Education Wing. Families are reunited at Coffee Hour following the service. E-mail our Leader of Children’s and Youth Ministries for more information.

Our Sunday School is currently using the curriculum “The Whole People of God. Created for children in kindergarten through eighth grade, it provides weekly plans for teachers to lead age-appropriate discussion and activities for exploring scripture. In the pre-school class, the teacher reads a morally or spiritually themed story to the children, followed by a discussion and activities. All Sunday school classes also participate in greater church and community service activities.

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The Habitat Crew is an interfaith youth service group for high-schoolers. Participation in Habitat Crew does not require membership in any religious community.

Habitat Crew Is An Opportunity To:

• Make a lasting change in the lives of hard working families. The homes we help built can change the course of many generations as children grow up with basics they once lacked.
• Work hard (and have fun) with friends and advisors as a team.
• Learn new skills.
• To learn and teach others about how Habitat for Humanity is working to eliminate substandard poverty housing while building communities.

Habitat Crew Requires:

• Willingness to work hard and serve others.
• Maturity, teamwork, and communication skills.
• Wise use of resources.
• Adherence to a two part covenant for safety and building a healthy community.

Part 1: A Covenant with Advisors and our sponsor, The First Congregational Church of Williamstown. During any Habitat Crew meeting, activity, fundraiser, or trip the following behaviors will result in immediate dismissal of participant:

• illegal use of drugs, tobacco, or alcohol
• use of any type of weapon
• inappropriate physical contact
• absence without leave from advisors

Part 2: A Covenant for living together in community will be written each year by the participating youth before any major trips.

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