Faith Community United Church of Christ,
Bensenville, Illinois
Faith Community United Church of Christ Bensenville
192 S. Center Street, Bensenville, Illinois 60106
(630) 766-1141
Email: faithcommunityucc@sbcglobal.net
Office Hours: Monday – Thursday 8:00am – 2:00pm
Friday 8:00am -12:00 noon
Sunday Worship Service 10:00am
Faith Community In Action
Christmas Pageant
Vacation Bible School
To see more pictures go to Calendar, Past Events.
We Are OPEN! We Are Safe! WE MISS YOU!
Faith Community’s doors are open for in-person “LIVE” worship. We know that some of you have enjoyed watching us on Facebook live and Zoom. Would you consider joining us on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. in the church?
Everything is clean and we are socially distanced. Our “core” group of faithful members have returned. We’re hoping you will feel comfortable enough to unite with us in praise and prayer.
Matthew 18:20. “For when two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
GOD IS GOOD – ALL THE TIME!
LIVE WORSHIP IS ALIVE AND WELL!
COME AND BE INSPIRED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT!
MASKS ARE RECOMMENDED!
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The members of Faith Community UCC greet you, and thank you for visiting our Faith Community United Church of Christ website. FCUCC is a congregation of caring and loving people who together are committed to be the embodiment of Christ’s loving and compassionate ministry in the Bensenville community and beyond. This is a church where all are welcomed to share with us in experiencing (or discovering for the first time) what it is to be a faithful follower of Jesus the Christ. While we know that we are not perfect, we do try to be loving and welcoming to everyone who joins us in striving to find a better relationship with Jesus, each other and our world.
Whether you are just visiting the Bensenville area or are exploring our village churches in search of a new faith community to call your home, we hope that you will consider Faith Community United Church of Christ. You are always invited to drop in and experience our worship celebration with us on Sunday morning, and to learn more about what FCUCC has to offer you.
Lectionary & Worship Schedule
***10:00 am In Person Worship and Virtual Worship on Zoom and FB Live***
October 31 Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost
Totenfest Sunday Mark 12:28-34
Nov. 7th Twenty-Fourth Sunday after Pentecost
Sacrament of Holy Communion
Mark 12:38-44
Nov. 14th Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost Stewardship Sunday
Fall Congregational Meeting, after worship in the sanctuary
Snack and Chat in Dettmann Hall
Mark 13:1-8
Nov. 21st Twenty –Sixth Sunday after Pentecost w/”Thanks” video
Food Pantry Sunday John 18:33-37
11 AM Decorating the sanctuary followed by chili in Dettmann Hall
Nov. 28th First Sunday of Advent ~ Hanging of the Greens
Luke 21:25-36
****Special message about NEW in person worship Guidelines***
1.) On Sunday morning, masks will be recommended. We will have hand sanitizer for each person upon entry into the church. We will take attendance.
2.) The Great Hall door on Center St. will be the only entrance.
3.) As you enter, offering plate will be on stand by the sanctuary door – please leave your offering in the plates.
4.) When seated, please remain in your seat. Elizabeth has cleaned (and will continue to clean after each worship service) all the pews with disinfectant and vacuum the pew pads. No Bible or hymnal will be in the pews.
5.) Only the two restrooms in the Great Hall will be available for use. Please observe the protocol for washing hands listed in each restroom. No other church rooms will be open.
E-Giving at Faith Community
We have an exciting new way of giving at Faith Community. You can now set up your offerings to be made directly to the church from your checking or savings account, eliminating the need to write a check. Offerings can be made at any time and to whatever ministry of the church that you choose (i.e., General Fund, Building Fund, Christmas, Easter, church missions). You can set up your offerings weekly, monthly, or at any interval you choose. You can set up an account today by clicking here.
Our partner in e-giving is Vanco Services. Vanco is the financial technology company that has been chosen by the United Church of Christ. It provides secure electronic giving to more than 10,000 churches. Your information provided to Vanco Services is safe and is kept strictly confidential.
Vanco is integrated with our church software, and your offerings are automatically recorded in your giving record. It eliminates the need for our church office to manually record your offerings.
If you have any questions, please call the church office at 630-766-1141
Greetings From Pastor Philip Price, Interim Minister
I am so excited to have been selected to be your transitional minister! This “in-between” time is a critical time in the life of a church. The work that we do now helps the church to know itself and to make the right choice. Being clear on who you are is the most important factor in finding someone who will be a great match for your church. We have remembering, dreaming and connecting to do. Remembering will help us to mine the rich history of Faith Community UCC as there are elements of your past to be celebrated and reexamined. Some of them may become beacons or guiding lights into your future. Others may have lived out their purpose and are no longer expedient or necessary and must be let go to reach for ministry opportunities that are in front of us right now. Dreaming will help us to be open to the Spirit and will remind us that God never expects us to be perfect or powerful, only available. We will also work on strengthening the bonds between the members, with our denomination and with our community. When Spirit meets available hearts, amazing things happen!
My wife Vicki, and I, live in Glen Ellyn. We have six children, most of them launched, one still in university. And, we have five grandchildren!
I have served large and small churches in Canada, California, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Illinois. I have been the called minister in many of them and an Intentional Interim in several.
I am looking forward to getting to know you and together creating the vision and doing the work of discernment that will bring the next chapter of your ministry in Bensenville into being.
Pastor Phil
Here’s where you’ll find us
Faith Community
United Church of Christ 192 S. Center Street
Bensenville, Illinois 60106
(630) 766-1141
Office Hours:
Monday – Friday
8:00am – 12:00 noon
Services:
Sunday Worship 10:00am
Use The Contact Form Below To Get In Touch With Us
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Mission Moments
“Reign of Christ”
John 18:33-37
A Wise Reign
Jesus talked about money more than any other topic. Eleven of his forty parables were about money and he talked more about money than faith and prayer combined. Why was money so important to Jesus? Because he knew and preached the truth that how we earn, save, and spend our money is one of the most telling markers of our spiritual life.
Since 1993, The United Church of Christ Cornerstone Fund (https://www.cornerstonefund.org/) has helped to bring Jesus’s words to life for congregations and individuals. According to their website, the UCC Cornerstone Fund “helps local churches and non-profit organizations create change within their communities. And we’re building transformative products that not only empower these communities, but also help our clients earn even more on their investments.”
Founded in 1993 as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the UCC Cornerstone Fund holds more than $100 million dollars in total assets with a total of 3000+ investors. In just a few decades, they have financed more than 650 projects worth more than $275,000,000 across the United States. They champion green building, supporting projects that save more than 350,000 kWh in energy usage per year. And they help churches save $3.1 million every year with their refinancing programs.
The website of the Cornerstone Fund (https://www.cornerstonefund.org/) offers a wealth of free advice on conscious investing, funding college education and more. There are stories there, too, about churches that have been helped by the Cornerstone Fund to breathe new life into their structures and ministries.
Let the Cornerstone Fund inspire you to plan ahead and to follow Christ’s teachings.
October 2021
What Must I Do?
Mark 10:17-31 Access Sunday and Disabilities Awareness Week
Many years ago, ordained United Church of Christ disability rights activist, Harold Wilke (1915–2003) wrote, “The festivals of the religious year show forth new meanings for access and liberation: In the glory of Easter – the stone rolled away – we see the barrier removed. In the wonder of Pentecost, the message is heard, understood, and seen by all. In the liberating act of Passover, the message is: “Let My People Go!” and the parting of the Red Sea. In the joy of Advent, God embodies divinity in human form.”
Yet, for many persons today…the barriers still remain; The stone is still in place; The waters are not parted, the way not opened; The words cannot be heard; The flame of the Spirit’s tongues cannot be seen, the message not understood.
Proclaiming the message in all languages for today means using Braille or larger print for people with visual disabilities, signing or special sound systems for persons with hearing disabilities; image, color and drama for people with cognitive disabilities; architectural access for people with physical disabilities or who are getting older.
Let the stone be rolled away! Let the glorious message be proclaimed truly, in all languages so all may hear and understand!
Wilke’s stirring words begin the guidebook entitled, “Anybody, Everybody, Christ’s body: A Guide for Congregations, Associations and Conferences in Becoming Accessible To All (A2A)”. This guide is invaluable to those congregations that fear that becoming truly physically accessible in their church buildings is fiscally out of reach. After all, the idea of putting in a new elevator or enhanced sound system might seem daunting.
The A2A guidebook is a reminder that just as important as physical and fiscal shifts, are changes in habits and attitudes. While these may take time and spiritual effort, the effect on the church budget may be less than is feared. The process of becoming accessible to all (A2A) begins with an audit of your space, which you can find, along with the A2A guidebook, at the website for the United Church of Christ Disabilities Ministry (uccdm.org).
Wherever You Go
UCC Higher Education Sunday/Reformation Reconciliation Sunday Ruth 1:1-18
October 31st is Reformation Sunday when Protestants celebrate the ancestors in faith who created the first waves of Reformation that continue to be felt today.
A lesser-known reformer to many is Caspar Schwenckfeld von Ossig (1489-1561), a German Reformer. Church historians have generally ignored Schwenckfeld; maybe because of his many disagreements with Martin Luther. Luther, in one of his letters (December 6, 1543), spoke of Schwenckfeld as “the poor simpleton” who was “possessed of the devil.” Schwenckfeld refused to retaliate or to make public the feud between himself and the famous reformer. He just kept preaching his understanding of scripture as critical but not literal for understanding the Spirit’s work, his insistence on the oneness of all baptized believers, and his belief in the beautiful humanity of the service of communion.
Banished because of pressure from both Catholics and other Protestants, Schwenckfeld lived for many years in exile. He depended on friends, who circulated his writings and provided him refuge until his death on December 10, 1561. Schwenckfeld remained a bachelor and his followers were all “spiritual heirs” who were attracted to his reforming spirit of “The Middle Way,” between literal biblicism and blind sacramentalism.
Waves of persecution threatened the Schwenckfelders with extinction throughout the 1600s, and by the mid-1700’s only one alternative remained: leave everything and escape. On July 29, 1734, forty families began the journey to Pennsylvania and a new life. The descendants of those forty families still worship in Schwenkfelder UCC churches in Palm, Lansdale, Norristown, and Philadelphia, and proudly carry on the philosophy and thinking of Caspar Schwenckfeld.
This information adapted from Hidden Histories of the UCC which is searchable online at ucc.org.
Faith Community United Church of Christ is supported by the
Fox Valley Association
and
Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ