What's Happening: FCCWP March 2026 Newsletter
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
Spring Winter Park Art Festival
March 20, 21, 22
FCCWP W.I.N.G.S. Youth Group will be selling spaces for their summer youth trip
$20.00/vehicle
Parking in our lot is the best kept secret!
*We have bathrooms
*We are super close to all festivities
*Cold water
**Sunday morning the lot will be saved for all to park for church services. Try to park in public parking so we can save our spaces for late comers.
There is no parking cost during church.
Connections 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
March 18th @ FCCWP 10am - 12pm
MARCH 29th, 2026
Palm Sunday Processional
All ages from infants - adults are invited to join in the amazing Palm Processional during the church service.
Please meet outside of the front door of the sanctuary by 10:55 to pick out your palms.
After Lunch Toddlers - 5th grade will have an
EGG HUNT!
Bring 12 filled eggs (no chocolate - it melts) with age appropriate items.
MARKED WITH
CHILDS GRADE
The Board of Membership has one big message: THANK YOU!
Because of you, new faces are walking through our doors, new friendships are forming, and our FCCWP family continues to grow. Thank you for inviting friends. Thank you for showing up consistently. Thank you for participating so wholeheartedly in the life of our church. Your presence and enthusiasm truly make a difference.
Our 2026 Board is just getting started, and we are filled with excitement for the year ahead! We recently held a New Member Conversation on February 15 and are looking forward to officially welcoming these wonderful new members coming up on March 15 with a Lunch Bunch at The Imperial to follow after church. It’s always a joy to see how God continues to bring people together here at FCCWP.
Do you know someone who might be looking for a church home? We would love to connect with them. Simply let the church office know, and someone from our team will reach out right away.
Have ideas to share? Know a visitor you’d like to introduce? Come find us at the Welcome Table on Sunday mornings — or find someone from our team before or after worship. We would love to meet you, hear your thoughts, and continue building a welcoming, vibrant community together.
There’s a place for everyone here — and we’re so glad you’re part of it.
The Board of Membership is excited to sponsor a Sunrise Coloring &
Painting Contest for the children and youth of FCCWP!
We invite all of our young artists to create a colorful picture celebrating sunrise and Easter joy. All artwork must be submitted to the church office by March 20. Please use an 8.5 x 11 sheet of drawing paper.
Every participant will receive a special prize as a thank-you for sharing their creativity! In addition, the top three entries will be featured in our Sunrise Service materials:
🥇 1st Place – Cover of the Sunrise Service bulletin
🥈 2nd Place – Inside the Order of Worship
🥉 3rd Place – Header for the Easter Breakfast flyer
We can’t wait to see the beautiful artwork our children and youth create!
Celebrate Easter morning with us! Please mark your calendars and RSVP to enjoy a hearty continental breakfast on April 5 from 8:15–9:30 AM. Join friends and church family for fellowship
after the Sunrise Service and before the 10:00 AM service.
We’ll be serving bagels with cream cheese and jams, muffins, fresh fruit, a yogurt parfait bar, coffee, tea, and juices. We hope you’ll join us!
Kindly click the link below to RSVP
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.
March 1st - ALL Children WILL STAY IN CHURCH FOR
COMMUNION SUNDAY - Fun bags for all.
March 15 - special Sunday school ~ Guess The Guest
March 8, 15, 22, 29 ~ Sunday School -
ages 4 years - high school
March 22 - come to church early to get a parking spot for church - Winter Park Art Festival
March 29 - Palm Sunday - Eggstravaganza!!!!
Every Sunday Childcare is available for babies - 3 years old
back of fellowship hall in the parlor
March 13 - 14- W.I.N.G.S. Lock-In
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
With Grateful Hearts — Stewardship Giving 2026 Update
Dear Church Family,
We are so grateful to share that for Stewardship Giving 2026, we have received 103 pledges totaling $452,037. Our current pledges account for 80% of our 2026 Stewardship budget of $565,000. Thank you. Truly. Your faithfulness and generosity are what make ministry, outreach, worship, and care possible in our church community.
For comparison, in 2025 we received 116 pledges totaling $420,496 along with additional non-pledged giving that brought us to our final giving total of $542,196.
While we have not yet reached our original 2026 giving goal of $580,000, we are encouraged by the strong foundation already in place. If you are still prayerfully considering your pledge, we warmly invite you to submit it. Every commitment helps us plan faithfully and move forward with confidence.
It is truly a privilege to serve alongside such a generous congregation. Thank you for your continued support, your prayers, and your faithful giving.
With gratitude,
The Stewardship Giving 2026 Team
David and Lisa Rotenberger
Anne Thomas
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
Happy March to all of you! Neighborhood Groups are still baskuing in the fun memories we have of the Dinner “Off” the Avenue in late January!
We will be planning future events at our Neighborhood Group Leaders’ meeting on March 15th. If you are in need of help of any kind, let your Neighhood Group Leader know.
The purpose of Neighborhood Groups is to get to know and care for each other. Don’t hesitate to reach out for help or to give help!
Questions? Suggestions? Let me know. Jane White. 407-637-1958
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.
Come Alive! | Coffee Meet-Up
We kicked off the month of February a little early — on January 29 — with a casual coffee meet-up at Foxtail Coffee Co. We gathered for conversation, connection, and a chance to simply catch up. There’s something special about slowing down over coffee and sharing life together — laughter, updates, and encouragement all around.
In sweet Valentine fashion, our table was soon filled with cards and pens as we wrote notes of encouragement to members of our church family and friends. It was a meaningful and heartfelt time — a simple reminder that small gestures can make a lasting difference.
If you would ever like to be part of these gatherings — whether for coffee and conversation or to help share encouragement — we would love to have you join us. There is always room at the table. 💛
Please watch your email for upcoming events!
Spirit Keepers — tighten those aprons and loosen those belts, because March is coming in HOT… and delicious. 🔥🍽️
If eating with purpose were a spiritual gift, we’d all be serving on the elder board by now.
We’re diving into the month with two service opportunities, both beautifully centered around our favorite ministry theme: food. Because let’s be honest — nothing builds brotherhood faster than passing a plate and going back for seconds.
First, a quick salute to February’s Triple T at 4 Rivers Smokehouse. The brisket disappeared, the stories grew slightly taller with each telling, and the laughter was loud enough to count as cardio. Brotherhood: strengthened. Waistbands: tested. Mission: accomplished.
🍳 March 7 – Men “On a Mission” Who Cook
We launch the month in Fellowship Hall where our culinary commandos will fire up the grills, skillets, and secret family recipes. The congregation gets the feast — we get the bragging rights. It’s a win-win for the Kingdom.
We’ll also have a simple tip jar available for anyone who feels led to support the bi-annual mission trip led by Kerry Weisner. No pressure — just generosity seasoned with opportunity.
🌮 March Triple T – Third Tuesday Tradition
Mark it down: Third Tuesday. 6:30 PM. Always.
This month we gather at Jimmy Hula's on Aloma. Expect tacos, laughter, and table conversations that solve at least three global issues before dessert. Bring your appetite and your best story.
🍽️ March 18 – Serving Together
On March 18, 12–16 Spirit Keepers will serve dinner at the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida from 4:30–7:30 PM. Please RSVP — all servers must be officially registered with the Coalition.
We’ll help serve nearly 500 guests. It’s more than a meal — it’s dignity, hope, and compassion on a tray. And every time we go to serve, we leave more blessed than when we arrived.
That’s the Spirit Keepers. We’re philanthropic by accident — just men enjoying fellowship, and watching God multiply it into impact.
Come hungry.
Come ready to laugh.
Come ready to serve.
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,
Marty Wareing
Elizabeth Hooker Book Club
Elizabeth Hooker Book Club-March 2026 Update:
We had a great discussion in February when we gathered to discuss “Everything Is Tuberculosis” by John Green. Thank you to all who attended!
On Sunday March 29, (moved back a week) Debra Cooley is leading the discussion on “Happy Wife” by Meredith Lavender and Kendall Shores.
“Following a shocking murder, a young woman must face the secrets from her past—and a husband she thought she knew—in this twisty, sizzling novel.
Este Walker didn’t move to Winter Park, FL, to make friends. Five years ago, she ghosted her life in California to reinvent herself among the lakefront estates of Florida’s elite. With a cocktail in hand, more money than she could ever spend, and secrets she intends to keep buried, she’s finally content—or, you know, close enough. Who cares if her seclusion and secrets have left her with a small social circle? Her husband Beau and her best friend Nora are the only company she needs.
But Este’s secrets are catching up to her. Last year, when Nora gained national attention as a suspect in her husband’s disappearance, Este’s picture was flashed onscreen. Suddenly the past she had hoped to keep buried is closing in on her—and Beau might be keeping secrets of his own. And then a mysterious death turns Winter Park upside down.”
All are welcome to attend our meetings, and regular attendance is not required. We meet in the Parlor 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
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 March 16
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
Church Calendar
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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