How We Serve
Church Activities - This is how we actively serve our church.
Sunday School: We offer Sunday School from Sept to May. During this time, children attend part of worship service, then leave for Sunday School. Family friendly service offered in summer and 1 week per month Sept to May.
Handbell Choir: Rehearses 1 night per week at our church and provides the anthem during church service one time per month.
Chancel Choir: Rehearses Sunday at 8:15 and provides the anthem during Sunday worship service.
Faith Connections: Meets most Sundays after church from 11 – 12 in Parlor, September through April. Presentations and discussions on various topics related to church life, spiritual growth, social justice advocacy and mission opportunities, and personal growth. Leaders from within the congregation often lead discussions, with some outside speakers when appropriate. All are welcome - bring coffee/tea and treats from Fellowship Hour.
Care Connection: Provides meals to members as needed during a time of illness or grief.
Visitation Ministry: This ministry provides visits, phone calls and correspondence to members seeking support. They seek to assure members that the community cares about them. Meets monthly.
Men’s Club: Join us for breakfast at a local restaurant, followed by a trip to the church and tend to short-term tasks. Meet every Wed at 8 am.
Women’s Dinner Group: Join us for dinner at a local restaurant for fellowship and fun conversations. Meets monthly.
Men’s Dinner Group: Dinner group meets the Second Thursday of each month at a local restaurant (which is announced via email a week prior) at 6:30 p.m. no agenda; men just enjoy a meal together.
Plymouth Circle: Works on Various service projects for the church and community charities. Meets monthly weekdays.
Priscilla Circle: Long standing social and service group. The committee recruits’ speakers from inside and outside the church. Meets monthly weekdays.
Daytime Book Club: New friendships have formed as we have discussed contemporary fiction and non-fiction books. Members appreciate the variety of opinions and perspectives that are shared. Meets alternate (even) months.
Evening Book Club: The group selects fiction, historical fiction, or mysteries. Book discussions, led by group members, focus more on the content of each book, rather than being a formal critique. Evening Book Club meets alternate (odd) months via ZOOM allowing travelers and out-of-towners to participate.
Knitting Group: This group is knitting mittens for the children of Hadfield School. All knitters are welcome to join us or to contribute mittens they have made at home. Meet twice per month.
Thursday morning Bible Study: Read and discuss the Bible, other faith texts designed to nurture spiritual growth. Social and support group. Meet weekly.
Tuesday Morning Learning Circle: Meets each Tuesday morning from 7:30 – 8:30 am in Parlor at Church. Provides a small group discussion of books of the Bible and books encouraging spiritual growth of participants. Discussions relate to how our readings can help us apply our faith in all aspects of our daily lives.
Gospellers: We sing with the Wisconsin Gospellers which is a gospel choir ministry. The Gospellers' partner with other congregations in Wisconsin, New York, and Germany to sing gospel music that bridges cultural divides. For more information check out wisconsingospellers.org or email wisconsingospellers@gmail.com
For more information, please call the church office.
Community Engagement - This is how we actively serve our community
Advent Workshop: This annual potluck and array of crafts appealing to all ages is a well-attended church activity. Families from the YMCA daycare and families whose children attended KickStart Cooking for Kids and KickStart Game Stars are invited to participate with church families.
Camp Scholarships: Scholarships are available for youth and adults to camp at three United Church of Christ camps located in Wisconsin.
Family Promise: Family Promise of Waukesha County is part of a nationwide network, “Transforming the lives of families experiencing homelessness, because every child deserves a home.” First Congregational, UCC supports Family Promise financially and by preparing meals.
Food Pantry: Waukesha County Food Pantry is supported monthly. Other local and regional food pantries are supported through targeted food drives throughout the years.
HOPE Center: The HOPE Center of Waukesha is a neighbor of First Congregational, UCC. We serve at their Loaves and Fishes program four times per year and participate in their Meal Program. We supply a Thanksgiving meal the Friday after Thanksgiving.
KickStart Cooking for Kids: Serving fifth grade students from Hadfield School (our neighborhood public school), children learn nutrition, food preparation skills, and have fun. They sample diverse foods, take home ingredients for the recipes they prepared to show their skills to their families. Relationships develop between the students and the caring adult volunteers.
KickStart GameStars: Second grade students from Hadfield School meet caring adult volunteers and play cooperative games in groups of 3-4. In addition to having a snack, learning rules of a new game, they take a game home to continue playing with their families.
Neighborhood Garden: Each summer, children and adults plant a garden at our church. Church members water, weed, harvest, share the bounty with church visitors, the Food Pantry. The garden also provides a sanctuary and fresh vegetables for our neighbors.
Mission and Outreach financial support
Five % of ‘outreach giving’ is kept locally, to support missions such as Food Pantry, HOPE Center, Hebron House, 5K Dash for Climate Change, Neighborhood Garden, and many others. Ninety-five percent is sent to the Wisconsin Conference of the UCC for a wide variety of state and global ministries. Five special offerings a year are collected for special UCC initiatives.
Emergency needs, such as occur following hurricanes and other natural disasters, are supported financially. Funds are sent via the UCC state or national office, multiplying the benefit. Examples of organizations supported financially include International Disaster Relief, Faith & Farming Network (WI-based), Life Water International, Rawhide, and many others.
Men’s Club donates Pancake Supper tickets to local agencies.
Plymouth Circle donates yearly to the Waukesha Food Pantry, Hebron House, HOPE Center, Women’s Center, Salvation Army, Waukesha Habitat for Humanity, the Waukesha Free Clinic, and others.
Organizations that meet at First Congregational UCC Waukesha
YMCA of Waukesha offers daycare 5 days per week at our church.
Narcotic Anonymous (NA)-Meetings are held at our church.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meets weekly at our church. AA is a fellowship of people who share their experiences, strength, and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism. Contact Harlan by email or call 262.470.3082.
Jazzercise offers four classes per week at our church! Jazzercise combines cardio, strength, Pilates, hip hop, yoga, and kickboxing. For Info call/text Cathy (262) 549-1617.