What's Happening: FCCWP January 2026 Newsletter
- Shanylah Whittaker
- 3 minutes ago
- 10 min read
This class is hybrid so you may attend in person (in the Conference Room) or via Zoom.
225 S. Interlachen Avenue
Winter Park, FL 32789
Office: 407-647-2416
Mobile: 321-333-0092
Thank you, Thank You, Thank You!!! You Have Been Amazing and Generous!! Thanks to you we have had a very successful giving season. Your contributions totaled as Follows: $1580 in Gift Cards and Cash for Great Oaks Village in general. (These cards are given to the children at different times of the year for rewards for a job well done, encouragement in a difficult time, presents for a special occasion, etc.) $440 in Gift Cards to the Zebra Coalition $1,000 In gifts specific to the Children Residents of Great Oaks Village Finally we had had a total of 11 Aging Out Baskets. Each basket worth over $200.00. Totaling $2200. FOR A TOTAL GIFT OF $5220.00 You have given hope, joy and love to very deserving Children! A special THANK YOU to the people who helped organize, decorate, wrap, calculate, through all of the many steps of this effort. Especially calling out Sandy Barker, Kelly Wheeler and Anne Thomas for their thoughtful, dedicated work. |
Community Outreach: Family Promise
Fill your heart in 2026 by filling little bellies. Outreach provides the funds for you to prepare and serve meals to families in transition who are waiting for home placement through Family Promise. A kind heart and desire to help is all that’s needed. If you don’t enjoy cooking, Publix, Costco or even Dominoes can be excellent sous chefs with oven ready meals. We show up to feed both the spirit and the body, and by sharing a meal, letting strangers know they are not struggling alone, laughing with children, and listening to people who are living very different lives than us, we receive far more than we give. We provide meals as a team, so sign up with a friend or make a new friend when someone signs up on the same day as you. There are 3 opportunities to volunteer per month in February, May, August, and November.
For more details, contact Cara Dobrev, cmhallmon@gmail.com
Join the Board of Education and Fellowship
Fellowship Wednesday
Wednesday January 28th
5:30 - 7:30
Intergenerational Night -
Dinner, Fellowship, Game, Valentines Craft
FREE donations welcome
Connections s a group for women who have lost a spouse, living alone, caregivers or just feel like you need to connect.
Join us 3rd WEDNESDAY of each month
January 21st @ FCCWP 10am - 12pm
Membership Board Update
As we move toward the holidays and bring this year to a close, we are especially grateful for each of you—for the ways you show up for one another in moments of joy and in times of need. Your presence and care are what make this community feel like family.
Thank you,
Jenifer
The Board of Education & Fellowship would love to hear from you.
Scan the QR code or click on the picture for a very quick survey.
Have you ever thought about teaching
Sunday school?
*schedule is flexible
*curriculum and guidance provided
*children and youth are so much fun
*Sunday school provides a safe, loving space for youth and children to ask questions and begin their own journey.
January 4th - ALL Children WILL STAY IN CHURCH FOR
COMMUNION SUNDAY - Fun bags for all.
January 11,18,25 Sunday School - ages 4 years - high school
Every Sunday Childcare is available for babies - 3 years old
back of fellowship hall in the parlor
January 25th - 5:30 - 7:30 - W.I.N.G.S.
youth night ~ Nailed It!
ADULTS!!!
We have been offering this amazing program to our youth and children for years.
This year we would like to offer it to the adults.
The Stewardship Committee
The Art of Possibilities Continues to Grow!
Halfway to Our Goal: Thank You for Your Support!
This fall, our Stewardship 2026 Campaign has been filled with energy and gratitude. We launched our Giving Campaign on September 7th with the theme The Art of Possibilities, and over the first eight weeks, many of you helped bring that theme to life. Through videos and shared stories, church members and friends reflected on the ways the loving congregation of FCCWP has turned possibility into reality.
To celebrate the “art” woven throughout our community, we also planned and enjoyed three free events in Winter Park—welcoming many of you as we explored some of the wonderful experiences available around our beautiful church.
We hope these moments have inspired joy as you consider your giving to FCCWP. We are currently halfway to our goal, and your pledge—of any amount—continues to make a meaningful difference. Thank you to all who have already participated with a pledge!
Our Stewardship Committee is made up of dedicated volunteers from our church family, and we invite you to consider your pledge for the 2026 year as we continue creating new possibilities together.
With gratitude,
The Stewardship Team.
Lil' Dab
FCCWP supports Ward Chapel and its food pantry which helps to feed our neighborhood families. Your donations to our Lil' Dab Box are sorely needed, especially while school is back in session. Please consider bringing in non-perishable food items and placing them in the box in Fellowship Hall. Don't forget that BOGOs at your favorite grocery store are perfect opportunities to stretch your donation dollars! Thank you!
Please no perishables.
Please check and make sure all food items are in date! (no expired food items, please)
NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS
Hello neighbors!
JANUARY 24!!!
Mark your calendars for this special church event, “Dinner off the Avenue!” Each neighborhood group will have its own table. You’ll have your own theme, table decorations, and food, and maybe even costumes! Set up starts as early as 3pm and dinner is at 6:00, on the driveway if the weather allows! There will be prizes! Don’t miss this fun time with your church family!
BE SURE TO LET YOUR LEADERS KNOW YOU’RE COMING SO THERE IS ENOUGH ROOM AT YOUR TABLE!!!!!
Questions? Text or call me, Jane White, 407-637-1958, or email me, jwhite4119@gmail.com.
THE CARING COOKS
The Caring Cooks: Serving with Love in Times of Loss
The Caring Cooks is a compassionate ministry dedicated to supporting families during one of life’s most difficult times—the loss of a loved one. This faithful team lovingly prepares, serves, and cleans up after receptions following church member funerals, offering hospitality and comfort at no cost to the family.
To help continue this important ministry, we invite you to support The Caring Cooks by donating toward supplies such as food, tablecloths, plates, cutlery, and more. Your gift ensures that we can keep showing up with love, warmth, and a good meal when it’s needed most.
Want to join the team?
We’re always looking for more helping hands! If you’d like to be part of this meaningful ministry, please contact Barb Brostrom at bjbrostrom@cfl.rr.com.
Thank you for helping us care through cooking.
Basket Brigade Blessings… And a Little Bit of Holy Overachievement
Like a surprise earnings call nobody saw coming, Ward Chapel asked for 85 baskets—a solid, respectable, “yep, we can do that” number.
So, what did our church family do?
Delivered 102. Yes… ONE HUNDRED AND TWO.
We didn’t just meet the mark— we vaulted over it, waved on the way down, and probably startled the delivery crew with the sheer size of the blessing we unloaded. Captain Bill Sheldon practically needed a control tower to land the MOTHER LODE safely.
And let’s be honest… one group deserves a special shoutout: Walker & Company rolled in with 43 baskets. Forty-three! The rest of us were basically backup dancers in the “Walker & Co. Christmas Extravaganza,” but praise the Lord—team effort!
We also saw big heart and big help from Young Innovators, the ladies of Come Alive, and that unstoppable church spirit fueled by caffeine, compassion, and just a pinch of competitive generosity.
And here’s the kicker: Even after delivering 20% ABOVE the goal… there’s still money left over. Yep—we’ll be sending Ward Chapel a little cash blessing (also known as “a check”), once Captain Bill tells us where the Holy Mail should go.
Now let’s brag a bit—sanctified bragging, of course—about the impact our church has made in 2025:
Men Who Cook – Raised over $1,700 for the mission trip… and miraculously no eyebrows were sacrificed.
Camp Boggy Creek – Replaced more than half a mile of fence railing with Come Alive and the unstoppable duo of Larry Leftwich and Victor. (P.S. Larry may be the best contractor in Central Florida… possibly the universe.)
Smashburger Brian Rotenberger – Flipped his way to nearly $1,300 for two backpack drives. The grill still hasn’t recovered.
102 Thanksgiving Baskets – Twenty percent above the request, plus an extra check to seal the blessing.
As I put this together, it struck me just how much impact we’ve made—far more than we realize week to week. It makes me grateful, humbled, and honestly a little emotional… like a proud parent at a t-ball game where everyone actually hits the ball. Well done, church. Let’s keep being a force for good—with joy, humor, and a whole lot of heart.
We’d love to see your smiling face at the next one! If you’re not getting our event emails and want in on the fun, just shoot me a message at w.martinwareing@gmail.com or text 407-383-0190.
Life is Sweet at FCCWP!
See you soon. And until then— Strength and Courage to Carry the Light,
Marty Wareing
Save the date for January 10th. It's not a women's retreat year but we thought it would still be fun to do a day trip together. RSVP to Lisa and Kathryn if you'd like more information and have saved the date! We plan to take a field trip to Rockledge to visit a beautiful garden shop, Rockledge Gardens, and to find a fun restaurant over in that area!
Thank you to all who participated in Basket Brigade and to all who are supporting the Angel Tree initiative! Great things are happening!
With our best,
Kathryn Bailey and Lisa Rotenberger
Elizabeth Hooker Book Club
Elizabeth Hooker Book Club-January 2026 Update:
Happy New Year!! I hope you had a very Merry Christmas and wishing you all the very best in 2026!
On Sunday Jan. 25, 2026 we gather to discuss “James” by Percival Everett and Amy Wareing is leading this discussion.
“When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.
Brimming with nuanced humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim's agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first-century American literature.”
All are welcome to attend our meetings, and regular attendance is not required. We meet on the fourth Sunday at 6:30 pm every month (except June/July summer break and December holidays). Please call (407) 832-0348 or e-mail abwareing@gmail.com to be added to our list. Hope to see you there!
Prayer Shawl Ministry At FCCWP
It’s the beginning of a new year. A time to start a new hobby or brush up on those creative talents that you put on the back burner for another day. A time for learning a new craft or getting out those long forgotten knitting needles and crochet hooks.
Do you like to help others during a time of need? Then come and join our Prayer Shawl Ministry group. We extend an outreach of compassion to individuals who need our warm prayers and hugs of compassion due to illness, death of a loved one, or other difficult circumstance happening in their lives. We meet on the 3rd Monday of the month, from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the church Parlor.
We will meet on Monday January 19
Even if you have never knitted or crocheted, we would love to have you participate. It’s a fun and relaxing time together. We have members who can help teach you these crafts. We also have yarn and patterns to help get you started. Just bring your own knitting needles or crochet hooks.
We knit and crochet prayer shawls and create and give baby shawls to infants when they are baptized at our church. In addition to prayer shawls, you may knit or crochet scarves and hats.
Questions: contact donnaborko@gmail.com
Donna Borko, Prayer Shawl Ministry Coordinator
Hello Church members! I want to ensure that all events are scheduled smoothly and efficiently. To help me manage our facilities and avoid any scheduling conflicts, please remember to contact the church office before planning any events in the church’s
rooms.
Due to the nature of some private events, not all reservations are listed on our public calendar. By reaching out to the office first, you can ensure that your event is properly booked and avoid any potential conflicts with other activities.
To schedule an event or book a space at the church, please contact the church office: Phone: 407-647-2416
Email: mtaylor@fccwp.org
Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Thank you for your attention to this matter and for helping us keep our scheduling organized and efficient. We appreciate your cooperation!
Warm Regards,
Megan Taylor
Church Office Administrator
The Visitation Committee
Visitation Committee: Reaching Out with Love and Care
At the heart of our church is a deep commitment to caring for one another. The Visitation Committee lovingly connects with members who may be going through difficult times—whether they’re in the hospital, grieving, or unable to attend church.
If you know someone who could use a visit, a call, or a kind word of encouragement, please let Megan (mtaylor@fccwp.com), or Sally Schott, Chair of the Visitation Committee (sarahpschott@yahoo.com), know.
Together, we can make sure every member of our church family feels seen, supported, and surrounded by love.
2 Corinthians 1:3–4
"Praise be to the God… who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God."
Ways to Volunteer: Click Here
What more can you do?
I will do more than belong – I will participate.
I will do more than care – I will help.
I will do more than believe – I will trust.
I will do more than dream – I will work.
I will do more than teach – I will inspire.
I will do more than earn – I will enrich.
I will do more than give – I will serve.
I will do more than live – I will grow.
I will do more than be friendly – I will be a friend.
I will do more than talk – I will listen.
I will do more.
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Acolyte Ministry
Please sign up for Acolyte service. You can Call Jenni Franz at 407-810-2261 or:
All active FCCWP Members are invited to join the Facebook page titled Member Group of the First Congregational (UCC) of Winter Park.
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