FCUCC Forum Reminder

This Sunday, March 1 at 9:15 – Discussion on Big History-  "Let's entertain some further discussion on BIG HISTORY and the awakening of consciousness among humans." Presenter: Larry Anderson is well known to our audience. A former minister and retired psychologist, Larry also plays the guitar. He regularly leads Forum discussions on a myriad of topics. 

FCUCC Forum Reminder

This Sunday, February 22 at 9:15: LENT: Part 2-Practicing Resurrection: Keeping Lent Alive-  Lent started last week on February 18.  Did it start without you?  There are many, and often good reasons not to observe Lent.  But at what costs?  There is a wildness of our spirit that beckons us.  Today's time together is an opportunity to speak about Lent and its season of ashes, because to go through life well, we must go through resurrection.  With Saints Wendell Berry, Annie Dillard, Cornell West, and Kathleen Norris as companions, we seek to reframe "life" as "resurrection", the word that sponsors this program.

Presenter Marc Mullinax teaches religious studies, philosophy, critical thinking, the examined life, and world religions at Mars Hill University and Ewha Women's University in Seoul, Korea.  He enjoys bringing insights (or is it spelled "incites"?) from these subjects to faith congregations in the WNC area.  An "unrepentant Baptist minister," he looks forward to a lively time of discussion at First Congregational! 

FCUCC Forum Reminder

This Sunday, February 15:  An introduction to the Body Code-"It is the simplest, most direct & most effective healing method in Energy Psychology today." So says Presenter: Pat McCain, RN, D.PSc. Owner of Nature's Answers for You, Pat is a certified practitioner ofThe Emotion Code & The Body Code, authored by Dr. Bradley Nelson. She is commissioned by the Pastoral Medical Association, International. A favorite quote of Pat's is "Nature alone cures.  The task of nursing is to put the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon him."…Florence Nightingale.

For more information on this method of identifying imbalance in body/mind/emotions and restoring health, you may visitwww.healerslibrary.co

FCUCC Forum Reminder

This Sunday, February 8:  LENT: Part 1-Holy Interruptions: A Lenten Wilderness Training and Survival Kit-  What's it about?  Lent is a strange-and diversely celebrated-holy period for Christians.  For basically 1/10^th of the year, we get to ask ourselves what it meant to be Jesus, and perhaps what it means to be Jesus' companero.  And so we might think of Lent as somehow "special" or even "unreal"…something out of the ordinary. However, what if Lent is the ordinary reality of discipleship, and its interruption is a kind of spiritual power? Whoa!  Lent could be an explosive time!  Come and get your Lenten tune-up!

This session will be brought to you by the word "interruption." Presenter Marc Mullinax teaches religious studies, philosophy, critical thinking, the examined life, and world religions at Mars Hill University and Ewha Women's University in Seoul, Korea.  He enjoys bringing insights (or is it spelled "incites"?) from these subjects to faith congregations in the WNC area.  An "unrepentant Baptist minister," he looks forward to a lively time of discussion at Frist Congregational!

FCUCC Forum Reminder

This Sunday, February 1 at 9:15- Thoughts on "Salvation"- Presenter Larry Anderson has a couple ideas about how Brian McLaren reminded us that salvation (being saved) for the Hebrews meant being "free" from slavery in Egypt.  And for Paul and Silas' jailer it meant being "free" from fear and chains.  For some fundamentalists salvation means being able to recite the six rules they imagined you needed in your head the final moments before death (do I attempt sarcasm?).  Let's entertain some ideas and discussion about what "salvation" is about for you.

FCC Forum & Annual Meeting Reminder

This Sunday, January 25-RITES OF PASSAGE: THE WHITE STONE: CELEBRATING THE COMING OF AGE AND WISDOM - This forum will focus on the need we feel for rituals in our lives to mark the gateways between different phases of life.  Religions and culture in American society have marked some familiar rituals for stages of life while other of life's stages, for example, couples getting divorced, veterans leaving military service, are not addressed. 

We will look at the need for some new rituals to celebrate those life-affecting changes, and celebrate together the coming of age and wisdom as crones and wizards in the White Stone Celebration rite of passage. "To everyone who conquers, I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give a white stone and on the white stone is written a new name that on one knows except the one who receives it." (Rev. 2:17) Come join us, celebrate and find your true wise and new You! 

Romella Hart-O'Keefe will lead us in this celebration. Co-coordinator of the forums, she is an ordained minister.  She has created and conducted many Croning ceremonies honoring women who are ready to join the Wise Woman phase of life.

Also, immediately following worship will be the Annual Meeting. Please plan to attend.

FCC Forum Reminder

This Sunday, January 18 at 9:15 the topic will be THE TIBETAN BOOK OF THE DEAD. Presenter Howard Carl will explain and discuss the beliefs of Tibetan Buddhists with respect to death and the opportunity for reincarnation, as depicted in the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the famous and ancient funerary text.