What's Happening: FCCWP September 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
FCCWP TREE OF LIFE
New Leaves Sprout on the FCCWP Tree of Life
Seven new leaves have been added to the FCCWP Tree of Life - the church’s display celebrating those who have joined the Legacy Society by making a bequest to the church. The Tree is on the wall in the alcove of Fellowship Hall (look up when you are getting coffee on Sundays).
The new leaves represent the following people:
1. Roger Sell
2. W.C. and Nancy Wiese
3. Libby Ward
4. John and Laurie Houck
5. Martin and Amy Wareing
6. Jim and Jeanette Schreiber
7. Ngan Ling Lung
YOU can join the FCCWP Legacy Society simply by making arrangements for a bequest and notifying the church office - no details required! Pick up the FCCWP Legacy pamphlet in the church office to learn more about the Society and how to make a bequest or a life gift to FCCWP. Your gift will endure long beyond our generation!
Staff Summer Connections & Welcome to Raul!
This summer, we are excited to officially welcome Raul to the FCCWP staff as our new Sexton! Raul has already jumped in with a warm smile and helping hands, and we hope you’ll take a moment to introduce yourself and say hello during Coffee Hour on Sunday mornings. We are so glad to have him as part of our church family!
As we head into the summer season, we also wanted to share a quick reminder of our church office staff and how we can best help you:
For calendar reservations, bulletin announcements, facility scheduling, or general church office questions, please contact Megan Taylor at mtaylor@fccwp.org.
For all things financial, including giving statements, pledges, and payments, Jacki Churchill can assist you at jchurchill@fccwp.org.
Questions about children, youth, family events, Sunday School, or Faith Formation programming can be directed to Kerry Weisner at sunshineday365@aol.com.
Pastoral care, worship, spiritual support, and church leadership questions can be directed to Rev. Shawn Garvey at revgarvey@me.com.
We are grateful for this wonderful church family and look forward to all that summer will bring at First Congregational Church of Winter Park!
Connections a group for women who have lost a spouse, living alone, caregivers or just feel like you need to connect.
Join us the 4th WEDNESDAY of each month
September 23rd @ FCCWP 10am - 12pm
WALK THROUGH BETHLEHEM
Dec. 11, 2026
Save the date, sign up today for your amazing outreach to our community. Set up begins Dec. 6 right after church - all hands on deck make quick light work.
Contact Kerry Weisner for more information regarding your role in Bethlehem.
Parents
FCCWP will be offering O.W.L. beginning in October for grades 5th - 7th Graders. If you are interested in your youth being involved and have a lot of questions yourself please join us Sept. 27th - 4-6pm.
This meeting is MANDATORY if your youth will be enrolled in the program.
This meeting is for ADULTS ONLY
RSVP with Kerry Weisner for parent info class or any other questions.
Septemer 6th - ALL Children WILL STAY IN CHURCH FOR
COMMUNION SUNDAY - Fun bags for all.
September 13th - All ages ~KICK OFF SUNDAY
Youth Group night Kick-Off Sept. 13th 5:30 - 7:30 pm
NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS
Happy September, everyone! There has been some activity in a few of our groups during the summer, but summer is low key. People are traveling or resting up from the end of the school year activities.
Neighborhood Group Leaders are meeting on September 6th to regroup and prepare for fall. If you have ideas for activities that would be fun or meaningful for your Neighborhood Groups to do, or if you know of someone in your Neighborhood Group who could use some caring attention, please let your Neighborhood Group Leader or me know. Thanks for your participation! Jane White. 407-637-1958
I have deleted texts and wondered if I was deleting a legitimate text. If you need something, contact me, Jane White- 407-637-1958. I’ll do my best to help.
New Members Joining on September 13
September 13 is Kickoff Sunday, and we’ll be celebrating as we welcome new members into our FCCWP church family! If you—or someone you know—is interested in becoming a member, simply leave your contact information in the offering plate, call the church office, visit the “Join Us” section of our website, or talk with someone from Membership after worship.
We’d love to welcome you into our church family on September 13!
Bring a Friend to Church on October 25
October 25 is Pumpkinfest AND Bring a Friend to Church Day! 🎃
Invite a friend, neighbor, coworker, or family member to join us at FCCWP for a fun and welcoming Sunday. We’ll have special gifts for our visitors and lots of Pumpkinfest fun!
If you’re planning to bring a friend, please let us know ahead of time so we can be ready to welcome them!
Sign up here: Bring a Friend SignUpGenius
Who will you bring? We can’t wait to welcome them!
Help Us Pack 10,000 Meals!
September 20th after church
On September 20th, join the Outreach & Social Justice Board after the service for our annual meal packing event. Come help us pack 10,000 meals for hungry families in our community.
More Ways To Help
We always need volunteers to help prepare and deliver meals to the homeless families staying at Family Promise. For more details, contact Cara Dobrev, cmhallmon@gmail.com
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Click Here To Pledge:
Hello from Come Alive!
Come Alive!, FCCWP’s intergenerational women’s group, has some wonderful opportunities to connect, laugh, and enjoy time together. Two upcoming events especially need your RSVP:
1.🍕 Lunch at Pizzamore’ in Mount Dora
Join us for lunch on Saturday, September 19, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. at Pizzamore’, 722 E. 5th Ave., Mount Dora. Come enjoy good food and great company!
Please RSVP here: Pizzamore’ SignUpGenius
2.💕 Save the Date and RSVP for the Come Alive! Women’s Retreat
Our 4th biennial retreat will be March 5–7, 2027, at the beautiful Mission Resort in Howey-in-the-Hills. This special weekend is a time to pause, renew our spirits, build friendships, and be inspired together.
We have reserved a block of rooms, but availability is limited. If you are planning to attend—or even think you might be interested—please let the church office or the leadership team know as soon as possible.
Your response will help us plan and secure any additional rooms before they are gone. We can’t wait to share these special opportunities with you!
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)
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.
Wuz Happenin’ with the Spirit Keepers?
Wow… we’re done with another hot Florida summer! Somehow, summer flew by, and here we are—back to school, football season, and hopefully a little less sweating just walking to the mailbox!
Our Spirit Keepers summer game plan has been pretty simple:
Stay Cool. Stay Connected. Stay Fed.
Our August TRIPLE T — Third Tuesday Table — found us at Jimmy Hula’s, where we caught up on summer travels, swapped a few “slightly enhanced” stories, and enjoyed some mighty fine Poke and burgers.
But as always, the fellowship was even better than the food!
September TRIPLE T
With school back in session and football season kicking off, we’re looking at Drew’s Imperial for September, where the A/C should be strong, the crabcakes should be good, and the conversation will undoubtedly wander in about 14 different directions.
We’ll also start making plans for our annual Thanksgiving Basket Brigade.
Around here, we live by the KISSK Principle:
Keep It Simple, Spirit Keepers.
No agendas. No speeches. No fundraising.
Just good food, great friends, and enough laughter to make the calories disappear… well, almost.
We’d love to see your smiling—or slightly hangry—face at the next TRIPLE T!
If you’re not receiving our monthly invitations and would like to join the fun, just send me a note at w.martinwareing@gmail.com or text 407-383-0190.
Life is Sweet at FCCWP!
See y’all soon!
Strength and Courage to Carry the Light,
Marty Wareing
Elizabeth Hooker Book Club
Elizabeth Hooker Book Club-September 2026 Update:
Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town's most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie.
Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon's newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day.
Inspired by the life of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into history.
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. I hope to see you there!
abwareing@gmail.com to be added to our list. I hope to see you there!
Prayer Shawl Ministry At FCCWP
Please come and join us in this wonderful ministry of caring. We extend a welcome to everyone to be a part of our Prayer Shawl Ministry.
We meet on the 3rd Monday of the month from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the church Parlor.
Our upcoming meeting dates:
September 21, October 19, November 16
Mark your calendar and come join us.
In our ministry, we knit and crochet prayer shawls to give 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 also create and give baby shawls to infants when they are baptized at our church.
Members in our group can help teach you how to knit and crochet if you are new to this craft. We also have yarn and shawl patterns to help get you started. Just bring your own knitting needles or crochet hooks.
Questions: contact donnaborko@gmail.com
Donna Borko, Prayer Shawl Ministry Coordinator
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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