Ministries

We have an awesome group of kids. They enjoy coming to church. They like to play the piano for us during worship. They even bake cookies in the kitchen to serve us during Hospitality Time. And the thing that brings them all together is God's love and the story of Jesus Christ. Kids are welcome in worship and they have a special opportunity for conversation and interaction with Pastor David during the "Time For Children." This happens at approximately 10:20, and afterward the kids go to their Sunday school classroom where everyone age 3 to grade 6 meets together for a time of Bible stories, activities and learning. Our teacher and helpers use the wonderful UCC Curriculum called, "Deep Blue." We invite every child to join us and learn how God has made them awesome, too!

Since we opened our Pass It On Thrift Shop in 2005, our shop has donated over $150,000 to support local and regional organizations that serve others. Rev. Badgley regularly appears in photos like this one handing out checks totalling thousands of dollars to support the local Food Shelf, local schools and community programs, the Red Cross, Humane Society, youth sports and other needs. We also work with individuals who are referred to us by the court system to work community service hours. Owned and operated by First Congregational, the shop is run by volunteers from the community and from our church. Donations of clothing, housewares and accessories from the community are sold at low prices, and that revenue is given back to the community. Stop by and shop, donate items, or volunteer! The shop is located at 118 North Oak Street in Lake City. Winter hours of operation are Mondays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursdays 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon.

Our women's group is fondly known as the Mayflower Guild. As Congregationalists we trace our faith heritage to the Pilgrims who sailed to the New World on the ship Mayflower. The word "guild" refers to a group of people in pursuit of a common goal. Our women do some amazing work for the church, including raising money through bake sales and lunches to fund numerous improvements to our church facility. Over the years the Mayflower Guild has been a driving force to upgrade our kitchen facility to near-commercial standards. They have purchased new countertops, tile flooring, stoves, a commercial refrigerator, new sinks and fixtures, automatic coffee brewer, commercial dishwasher, custom cabinet refacing, assorted appliances and new dinnerware. Our kitchen is envied by many and has served wedding functions, shower functions, family gatherings and funeral receptions. Meetings of the Mayflower Guild are occasional during the year.

Each summer in mid-July we have 60-80 kids and youth from around the world arrive at our church to put on a free evening concert of global music, American rock and roll tunes, and traditional dances with ethnic clothing accompanied by a live band. The orgnanization responsible for this tour of peace and goodwill is "Sounds Of Hope" in St. Paul, Minnesota. Our church's partnership with SOH began in 2010 and the annual concert has become a beloved tradition in the Lake City community. We serve dinner to the troupe before the concert and breakfast the next morning. They sleep overnight at the high school gym, while a few lodge in the homes of our church members. Their high-energy performance is profound.

Our church has a deep commitment to the Lake City Food Shelf and the care it offers to hungry people in our community. In partnership with the local grocery store, Fiesta Foods, we supply gift certificates for free hams or turkeys to be distirbuted to each family served by the food shelf. The certificates are then redeemed at the grocery store and our congregation and our Pass It On Thrift Shop team up to pay the cost. Since 2008 we have supplied these hams and turkeys annually at Christmas, Easter and more recently also in the month of July or August.