Current Announcements

Announcements

The church has made extra DVD copies of the 7/13/2008 worship service titled "Turning Back the Clock". Copies are available at no charge in the church office. If you want a copy and are unable to get one from the office, please contact the webmaster.

Effective immediately, the church office has a New Email Address, office@firstchurchboxford.org. The old fccb@verizon.net is still active but will be deactivated soon.

Sept 7 - Praise Factory is coming! Imagine a fun and Christ-centered “VBS-like” program every Sunday, including drama, Scripture memory games, singing, prayer, and even a snack - all focusing on one “Big Idea” about our God. This fall we will launch our new Sunday School program for K - 4th grade. But we can’t do this without your help! Please prayerfully consider a one-month commitment to use your gifts and talents to teach and serve the children of our church. See Heidi Parisi for more information.

The monthly church newsletter, Windows, is now being produced in a new format. You can receive a B&W copy via postal mail, or in full color via email or by clicking right here for the most recent copy. If you would like to change the way you receive Windows, or if you would like to be put on the distribution list, please contact the church office, or click on:

and let us know your preference.

The church website now offers Email Preferences where you can subscribe to various email lists such as the Windows Newsletter, Prayer Chain, Deaf Ministry, Youth and many more. Stay connected - don't miss anything! You control what you want to receive.

We have started a new worship service schedule for the summer. We will meet for three weeks in the FLC, then six weeks in the sanctuary and end the summer with three weeks back in the FLC.

*Summer Schedule: (June 29-Aug 10: Sanctuary)*
9:30am – 10:00am	Music
10:00am – 11:00am	Blended Worship - Contemporary and Traditional
11:00am	Coffee / Fellowship

This summer, we will be distributing Weekly Bible Bookmarks every Sunday at our morning worship service to children in 1^st through 6^th grade. Each bookmark includes 5 short Bible readings concerning a particular Scriptural principle, along with 2 discussion questions. At the end of the week, encourage your child to bring their completed bookmark to church to show either Mrs. Parisi or Mrs. Walker, and receive their bookmark for the following week. For more information, click here.

Did you miss the Restructuring Task Force presentation? The audio portion of the discussion is available here. All the referenced documents are available here. Copies of the program can be ordered here. A DVD video copy is also available in the church library.

We are going to Get Together and PRAY!!! Everyone who can be with us come Friday Evenings 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. starting June 13. We are looking forward to a great time with Music / Bible Reading / Lots of Prayer. We are going to learn together how God wants to use us as a powerful praying force in this world. Come expecting to learn and grow!

June 18 to Aug 20 - This summer join us for some Summer Family Fun! Every Wednesday at 6:00pm to the Family Life Center. Bring your own meat to grill (a grill will be provided) and a side dish, salad, or dessert to share. After dinner there will be a Family Activity Time, featuring volleyball, kickball, and board games. We hope you will join us for our evenings of summer fun!

August 11-15 - VBS - This summer, Vacation Bible School is called "God's Big Backyard." We will kick off the week by sharing with the kids how much God loves them. We will talk about God's love, grace, mercy, patience, and forgiveness. Once we understand how much God loves us, we will naturally start to 1) see people and the world the way God sees them, 2) love others the way God loves us. You can Register On-Line right now.

We have updated our First Aid Kits which are now located in the Coggin room kitchen, the FLC kitchen and the church office. If you use the last of one kind of supply in the kit, please notify Susan in the church office so she can replenish the kit.

We have distributed some sample copies of Focus on the Family’s “Brio” and “Breakaway” magazines to our youth. These are very good Christian Magazines for 7-12th Graders. If your child is interested, click on these links for boys and girls.

New Adult Sunday School Class: "Parenting that WORKS" for couples, single moms, and single dads. This is a comprehensive look at the principles, skills, and values that lead to effective parenting. New parents, future parents and parents of teens, pre-teens, or post-teens are all welcome. Sundays AT 10:00am in the Senior Pastor’s Office.

OTHER ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES at 10:00am:

Ephesians Class meets in the Coggin Room
Dr. Jamison’s class meets in the Children’s Classroom in the back of the FLC
and the Deaf Class meets in the Library.

Wednesday is Family Night at First Church. It starts with the biggest, and best, three-course dinner in town (salad, entrée and dessert) followed by a full slate of programs for kids pre-K all the way to Middle Schoolers, High Schoolers, adults and the deaf. Bring the whole family, and a neighbor, too!

The last formal dinner is June 11. After that we will have BBQ/Picnics for the rest of the summer.

Dinner is served at 6:15pm, followed at 7:00pm by programs for all ages, children through adults. Tickets are $6 per adult, $3 per child, with an $18 maximum per family. Please join us for a mid-week boost of food, fellowship, and fun—along with some great learning! Every Wednesday evening, 6:15pm we're there - won't you join us?

Each month one member of the 12 member Altar Guild Committee is assigned to: prepare communion, and organize flowers for the altar table in the Sanctuary and FLC. The Altar Guild is looking for 6 new members. Supplies and flowers are paid for by the church. Members also help when needed at special services such as Christmas, Easter and Maunday Thursday, etc. There is only ONE organizational meeting each year, usual in the Fall. It is a great opportunity for members and especially new members to serve the Lord in a simple way and become involved at First Church. Please contact Norma Rushton if you are interested.

Do you know about our weekly Small Groups and Bible Studies? We would love to see you at one! Please click the links below for more information:

Sundays - Young Adults at 7:15pm at the Parsonage (1st & 3rd Sundays)
Mondays - Bible Study at 7:30 p.m. at DeLoaches’
Tuesdays - Men’s Lunch at 12:00 pm at Pancake House in Rowley
Tuesdays - Women's Bible Study at 7:30 pm at Jamiesons'
Wednesdays - Deaf Bible Study at 7:00 pm in FLC
Fridays - Bible Study at 10:00 am at Four Mile Village
Fridays - Men’s Bible Study at 6:00 am in the FLC
Fridays - Women’s Bible Study at 9:30 am at Humerians’
Fridays - Young Adult Bible Study at 7:30 pm at Pope’s
Saturdays - Men's Bible Study at 6:30 am at Jamiesons'

Now What? Young Adults Group seeks to create authentic community for young adults in their 20's and 30's. The Young Adults Group also has a small group book study that meets on Friday nights. Click here for more information.

After June 8, the Evening Service will not continue through the Summer.

Our Evening Worship Service is highly contemporary with cutting edge music, media and non-traditional ideas about how to "do church/worship and learn about God". Our tag line is "This Isn't Church as Usual", because it won't be. We will give you a one hour service with music, interesting and relevant series and a practical understanding of God and the Bible. Every Sunday evening from 6-7pm in the Family Life Center. See www.eveningworshipservice.com ~ Watch videos

For 4^th, 5^th & 6^th graders, Club 456 provides an opportunity to meet together, have a great time, talk about current life situations, and focus on using Scripture to guide their lives. Wednesday Nights - following Family Night Dinner - Coggin Room - 7:00 pm.

Each week the Church Office Hours are:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday: 9:00am to 1:00pm
Wednesday: 1:00pm to 5:00pm

The Women's Bible Study - Many of us yearn for balance in our lives. We yearn for that precise alignment which will leave all our daily responsibilities in perfect harmony. As Christians we aren't just balancing our household schedules with work, diet, rest, and exercise, we must also consider the spiritual balance of our lives. [More]

The Church Calendar is now online! Find out times and locations for meetings and services. Go to www.firstchurchboxford.org and click on the calendar link in the left column (or at the top of this announcements page) to check out this new very useful tool. To submit items for inclusion or correction on the calendar, please contact the Office Administrator at office@firstchurchboxford.org.

Did you know we have a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Activity Group? Bring your little ones to the Family Life Center on Friday mornings (see schedule below) for fun activities and play. It’s a great opportunity for moms to share ideas and support, too. For more information please see the MOPS Flyer. International MOPS website: www.mops.org

The Junior Choir is still accepting new members. 4 year olds through 6th graders are eligible to participate. Please consider participating - they are a real blessing to the congregation. Contact Carolyn Gould or the church office for details. [Picture]

Urban Salt and Light is our ministry to the homeless in Boston. Preparations will be at the Meyers' house in Boxford every Saturday at 9:30AM. We leave from the church parking lot at 1:15PM and we return to the church usually before 5PM. You can come just for the morning, just for the trip into Boston, or both. Do you want to make a difference in people's lives? This is your opportunity to do just that. [More]

Copies of our worship services, and other programs at First Church, are available following the services, or they can be mailed to you. If you would like to receive an audio CD of a sermon, or a video DVD of an entire service, fill out the DVD/CD Order Form before-hand and we'll have it ready for you after the event, or delivered to your mailbox. You can order past programs, or get a subscription to future programs. Take one to someone who needs some encouragement, or if you go away for the winter, summer or vacation you can still worship with us!

Our Sunday Worship Services always have Interpreters Available for the deaf and hard-of-hearing. The Wednesday Family Night Bible Study is also interpreted and is held in the library. Interpreters for any other events, meetings or services can be requested.

We have a great Men's Bible Study Friday mornings from 6:00am to 7:15am with a group of guys who really like to talk and dig into the Bible! We are studying of the book of John. We always end promptly so you can get to work, but a group always goes out to breakfast in Georgetown afterwards. This is a great way to do more than wish you studied the Bible and to stop feeling guilty that you don't pursue God or really talk with other Christian men. Set that alarm and join us Friday Morning in the Family Life Center Lobby!

Every Sunday morning, our very cool Nursery is available for anyone with 0-36 month-old children. There is also Children's Church during the first service and there are Sunday School classes for everyone - from 2-year-olds through adult.

Every Wednesday evening there is a Deaf Bible Study from 7 to 8pm in the Family Life Center. Currently we are "Looking with Luke" as we study the Gospel of Luke using an American Sign Language translation of the Bible. We watch Bible books in ASL using a DVD put out by Deaf Missions followed by questions and discussions.

You are warmly invited to join everyone for the Wednesday evening picnic BBQs from 6-7pm, then together we learn about God's love and character. ASL interpreted.

Pastors’ Office Hours - The senior pastor will be available Sunday and Tuesday afternoons and all day Saturday. He will be doing sermon preparation Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday mornings. Monday & Wednesday afternoons & evenings are booked with meetings. Thursday is his Sabbath. Fridays are for errands and work around the house.

All men are welcome to join us for our Men's Lunch, every Tuesday noon at the Rowley Village Pancake House. Actually, both breakfasts and lunches are popular. It is conveniently located just south of Rowley Center at Route 1A and Route 133. Come every week, or whenever you are in the area, and share a fun hour with other men.

New TV Schedule - The TV Re-Broadcast of our Sunday morning worship services are shown on local cable TV each week. The weekly schedule is:

	Contemporary Service	Traditional Service	Evening Service
Boxford Residents Ch 10	Sun 10:00 am Tue 3:00 pm Thu 11:00 am Fri 2:30 pm	Sun 8:30 am Tue 1:30 pm Wed 1:00 pm Fri 10:00 am	Sun 7:30 am Wed 12:00 pm Thu 10:00 am Fri 9:00 am
Topsfield Residents Ch 10	Thu 8:30 pm