First Congregational Church  of Rochester

      Open and Affirming local church of the

United Church of Christ

1315 N. Pine Street, Rochester, MI 48307

Phone 248-651-6225

Join us for our in person Sunday service or live on YouTube at 10 a.m.

                                             

     

THIS LENTEN SEASON,

BE INTENTIONAL.

BE YOU.

Let's get dynamic!

The Sanctuary, our sacred space, will look a little different on Lenten Sundays. Worship, too, will feel different, be different. This is all intentional and meant to spark your spirit to draw close to God, as is the purpose of the season of Lent.

 

Five Stations of Offering

Five stations will be set up around the Sanctuary:

 

Blessing Offering 

Here, you will receive an opportunity for an oil anointing (meant for personal, spiritual healing) and/or a blessing of water, meant to symbolize the cleansing rituals of our Hebrew ancestors as they moved from life into the sacred space of a Temple for worship. 

 

Prayer Offering 

Here, you can light a candle or write a prayer on a prayer card for the ministry staff to pray over during the week.

 

Giving Offering 

Here, we invite you to place your Sunday offering into a gathering basket. The intent is that biblical giving is often done so without a feeling of obligation. In our regular Sunday worship, when an usher passed the offering plate in front of you, there may be an occasional feeling of obligation or guilt if you have nothing or little to offer. The Giving station invites you to give from your own free will – to feel and respond to God’s call to generosity as our Holy Scripture invites us.

 

Harvest Offering 

Every week we post in our worship bulleting the needs of our Food Pantry. We speak of the weight of the food that goes out, we listen to an ever-increasing need to keep the Food Pantry shelves stocked well… and WE can participate with that. This space will be available for people to deliver food goods (pantry needs) every week. It invites us into loving others and helping them in their time of need.

 

Communion

In front of our Chancel will be our Communion Table – Every week of Lent we will be celebrating Communion. Bread and juice will be provided for you to come and serve yourself, or another member, if you so desire (gluten free will be available, too!). Here you are also encouraged to pray the Lord’s Prayer on your own as you receive the blessing of the Eucharist.