Church guide

What do exploding volcanoes, hand-rinsed laundry, and line-dancing have in common? Watch the video to find out! (pssst... here's a hint: it's the video summary of our service trip to Oaxaca, Mexico) https://youtu.be/oCG0SR-CDxs

Tomorrow at our 10am worship service, we’ll hear stories and reflections from our service trip to the Simply Smiles Home for Children in Oaxaca, Mexico.

Our service learning trip headed out this morning to the Simply Smiles Home for Children in Oaxaca, Mexico. 9 out the 10 participants left from SGC, meeting up with the 10th member on a layover in Mexico City. The trip includes SGCers, United Church on the Greeners, and wider community members all connected through our OASIS Multi-Church Youth Group. Rev Scott Morrow from North Haven UCC sent us off with a blessing. The team will spend the week living at the home with the staff and kids, helping Simply Smiles build an expansion and running a daily art & science camp for the kids, while also learning about the history & culture of Oaxaca and the systemic injustices that lead to large-scale poverty in both Mexico and the US.

Exciting news about our Children's Ministry Coordinator search!

Have you ever seen Spring Glen Church’s hawk? It’s back on our steeple cross, one of its favorite perches. If you look, you can see the hawk (aka the Holy Spirit) in our logo too. Naming contest in the comments. Ready. Set. Go!

Sometimes church is all about digging deep spiritually. But then sometimes churches have to dig deep more literally.

Pentecost is tomorrow (along with Youth Sunday & Confirmation!!!!!) Get ready for the Holy Spirit to rattle the windows, shake the house, and set your heart on fire! 💒🎉🌈🎶🔥👣

Happy Pride Month! In the 22 years since we voted to become an Open & Affirming congregation, our understanding of what it means to be OnA has greatly expanded. To our LGBTQIA+ members, friends, coworkers, family, and neighbors, you are more than just a letter to us. You are a beautiful rainbow, a sign of the covenant, in all the layers of your human identity, made in the image of a creative God, wholly non-binary and holy inclusive.

Happy Pride Month! In the 22 years since we voted to become an Open & Affirming congregation, our understanding of what it means to be OnA has greatly expanded. To our LGBTQIA+ members, friends, coworkers, family, and neighbors, you are more than just a letter to us. You are a beautiful rainbow, a sign of the covenant, in all the layers of your human identity, made in the image of a creative God, wholly non-binary and holy inclusive.

It’s going to be a fun day at church today. #MusicSunday

“There’s behaving and then there’s worshiping. We come to church not simply to behave but to worship. To worship means to listen and to speak, to sit still and to stand up, to sing and to pray. To worship is to participate. I want children, in all of their fidgety, wondering uniqueness, to participate in worship.” https://www.christiancentury.org/blog-post/ccblogs-network/children-behaving-church

The liturgical colors are supposed to be white. Come find out why we are defying tradition and making purple today’s color in church. Spoiler for those who didn’t make it to worship this morning: Read Acts 16 and learn about one of the early leaders of the early Jesus movement, and the first concert in Europe, named Lydia, who was a seller of purple cloth. Who are the women in your life, like Lydia, whose leadership has inspired you to open your heart?

A devotional reflection about lazy Sundays and what sabbath rest looks like: “We can sleep in!" we'd say with glee. In reality, one or both kids would get up ungodly early. We might make a special breakfast, but then one of the kids wouldn't eat it, and the problem with special breakfasts is the mountain of dishes they create that somebody has to wash. Then we found the right church. Now we have a reason to get up... http://www.ucc.org/daily_devotional_lazy_sundays_are_the_worst

At our Confirmation Retreat today, the students designed churches that would make them excited to come to church. Lots of congregations are wondering how to get young people into the church. Here’s what our youth say: - start later in the morning - have food during worship - upbeat/contemporary/familiar music - comfy pews - one hour max - more inclusive/interactive/hands-on activities - suggestion cards & doodle pages - weekly teen time either during worship or during the week - less business meetings - make sure everyone is welcome and included What do you think?

If you’d like to support the New Haven mosque that was a victim of arson this week, here is an online fundraising effort: https://www.launchgood.com/campaign/united_for_new_haven_mosque#!/

Send lots of love and prayers to our Muslim neighbors in New Haven. We will let you all know if we find out about any opportunities to show solidarity and offer support.

Why do we spend so much time on our Words of Welcome every Sunday? Because that was the root of Jesus’s ministry.

Do you love working with children? Are you good at recruiting, empowering, and nurturing volunteer leaders? Do you believe church should be a truly affirming and actively inclusive community as Jesus modeled for his disciples? Are you energized by creative experiments in hands-on learning and faith formation? Then we've got just the job for you! Spring Glen Church is seeking a Children’s Ministry Coordinator (CMC) to provide supportive leadership for the faith formation of children — infant through pre-teen — within the context of SGC’s Christian Education ministry. The CMC will achieve this primarily by envisioning, overseeing, and nurturing a vibrant Sunday School program that is child-centered, affirming, scriptural, multicultural, hands-on, creative, and volunteer-led.

Our Confirmation Class tonight created a board game to learn what “Discernment” means. The spaces in black ink are big life decisions and small everyday decisions. The pink, orange, and blue labels are categories of support and wisdom. The green words are resources within those categories that help your discern the path to which God is calling you. The more resources you draw on, the more spaces you get to move forward. How do you win? You don’t. It’s not about winning; it’s about growing. You just keep traveling the road, encountering and discerning new life-transforming milestones. How about you? What are some of the people, things, rituals, routines, resources, etc that you draw on to help discern the path ahead?

Service of Thanksgiving for Church of the Redeemer. It was been a sacred honor to journey alongside our friends sharing many emotions throughout the transplanting process.

A story of two balloon parties: On Palm Sunday, we lift each other up. On Easter, God raises us up.

Happy Palm Sunday! Even the stones would cry out! May the joy of this day carry you through the most difficult moments of whatever Holy Week has in store.

Worship kicked off this morning with our youth Chime Choir followed by an upbeat Prelude from our Handbell Choir.

Our inter-generational pick up handbell choir practicing before worship. Come join us at 10am. Something special every Sunday!

Youth Sunday Pick Up Band “Peace Like a River”

49 bell rings in memory of those lost at the Pulse shooting in Orlando 2 years ago. 🌈💒🌈

The Holy Spirit showed up to help us celebrate the 21st Anniversary of our Open & Affirming commitment.

Looking for some warmth on this chilly December morning? SGC is going to be on fire 🔥 with the Spirit!

Happening NOW! Rock n Blues night to benefit Simply Smiles and Christian Community Action. Come on by!

If you want some goosebumps for your Easter Sunday, check out the last few seconds of our pickup choir Hallelujah postlude!