Mom's Retreat and More

Please take a moment to read this email - we have some very exciting events coming up! I encourage you to forward this email to a friend, too, inviting them to participate in one or more of these great ministries. 1. Registration is officially open for our Fall Retreat! The retreat will be November 2nd and 3rd. Friday will simply be a fun dinner out. Then, on Saturday we will gather at church from 10am-4pm for Christian yoga and a program brought to us by the authors of Hopes and Fears: Everyday Theology for New Parents and Other Tired, Anxious People. Please note this is an event hosted by Moms in Faith but open to all moms. Feel free to invite friends! The cost for Saturday is $35/person and will include yoga, lunch, and all program expenses. Please register online and send/drop off your check (payable to First Congregational Church, Memo: MIF Retreat) by October 20th.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dG9XamZ1NGpaN3d4RU9yM0tQdTA1REE6MQ

The Foods Resource Bank Harvest Festival is on October 7th in Mazon, Il. It is a great fall event, particularly for young families. A family friendly worship service, live music, great food (local pork and more delicious desserts than you can even imagine), petting zoo, combine rides, a pie auction... a little slice of farm life, only an hour away, and no crowds! I believe there is a free will offering for lunch, and a few opportunities to give in support of the wonderful work FRB does.

Save the date for another great fall event, the CROP Walk. Here's a word from Wendy G., a Moms in Faith member who also chairs the Mission and Outreach Committee:

Welcome to the CROP Hunger Walk!
Hunger is an issue that is very important to the First Congregational Church of Western Springs and we are getting involved! We are walking in our area CROPHunger Walk and we need your help.

Please consider participating with your family in the 2012 Crop Walk on October 21st. Strollers are welcome. The 3 mile walk begins at the First Methodist Church of Western Springs. Registration begins at 1pm and the walk begins at 1:30.
Our donations will support life-saving programs around the world and in our own neighborhood. Join me and our family and friends as we work together to solve this world-wide challenge.

Jan F. will be placing the order for the God's Big Story Cards this week. The cards are designed to help facilitate faithful conversations at home. They do correlate with our First Congo Sunday School program, but they also stand alone if your kids attend religious education classes elsewhere. The cards cost $10 and you can pay when the order comes in.