Welcome to Faith United Church
Faith United is a multi-denominational (PCUSA and UCC) community of believers serving in the lake shore community of Oswego, New York. Our Mission to the community is an active focus on both physical hunger (Souper Bowl of Caring, collections of food for our local food pantry) and spiritual needs (weekly and special worship services) and a church building that is totally handicap accessible, hearing amplified, and ecologically friendly.
Sunday Worship
Worship Service: 9:15 am
Coffee Hour/Fellowship: 10:20 am
Adult Study: 10:45 amFor a sample bulletin from a recent Sunday worship service, click here.
To listen to recorded sermons,
How to Find Us
Our street address:
Faith United Church
12 Mark Fitzgibbons Drive
Oswego, New York 13126
Upcoming Events
Adult study will begin meeting for the fall season on September 19th. We will be studying Wayne Gordon's book Who Is My Neighbor.
Due the late arrival of books, the book group meeting, originally scheduled for September 24th has been moved to October 1st at 3 pm. We will discuss Anthony Horowitz's book The Magpie Murders.
The Deacons, the Discipleship Committee and the Mission Committee will be jointly hosting a fall "parking lot" get-together from 1pm to 3 pm. Snacks will be shared. The Mission Committee will be collecting new socks for the needy and Discipleship Committee will be handing out new face masks.
Announcements
We Have a Method for Making Electronic Donations to Faith United Church
The Presbyterian Foundation, in cooperation with Vanco Payment Solutions has provided us with a new way to make electronic donations to Faith United Church. With this new method, you now have to ability to schedule regular automatic donations, or to make individual, one time donations to the church's general fund, to the building fund, or to the special offering fund, (any or all of them) as you wish. For details, please see our donation page.
Hybrid worship services to be offered starting in May
Beginning Sunday, May 2nd; our community will be able to participate in Sunday morning worship service via Zoom and in-person. Full guidelines for in-person worship are post below.
Please keep an open and flexible mind as we continue to transition into the post pandemic world. We will be requesting constructive feedback to make the worship service as meaningful as we can for ALL participants.
We have learned a lot during the past year of online worship. The most important lesson has been that we are a community that is no longer confined within walls. We have had visitors, long distant relatives, and snowbirds join in worship from coast to coast. Our goal during this time of transition is to create an experience that universally connects those in-person with those online. This means the sanctuary will have the necessary technology to accomplish this goal. The technology used at present will most likely not be the final setup for our future worship experience. As we have demonstrated form the beginning of this pandemic, we are willing to experiment, listen, try, and grow during this process.
Guidelines for in-person worship
Church building reopening plan revised August 9, 2021.
Worship service will be conducted in a “hybrid” manner (people attending via Zoom and/or physically). These guidelines will be reviewed at each Commission Meeting and updated as the CDC and New York State Health Department COVID-19 guidelines evolve.
Stay Home If:
- You have a temperature of 100.4˚ or higher.
- You have other symptoms of illness. (CDC Guidelines)
Cough or Chills
Shortness of breath or Muscle pain
Difficulty breathing
Sore throat
Fever
Loss of taste or smell - You have been exposed in the past 14 days to someone with COVID-19 or COVID-19 symptoms. If there is any chance you might be a risk to others, please stay home.
When Coming to in-person Church:
- In consideration of the latest CDC guidelines, mask wearing is now required for people attending indoor gatherings, such as Sunday worship. Remember: Even if you are fully immunized, you could still unknowingly pass the virus on to others, so please wear that mask! The delta variant is extremely transmissible.
- Use the hand sanitizer in the dispensers on the way in and out of church.
- We encourage physical distancing, especially while indoors.
- WAVE. Please do NOT shake hands or hug. Do not assume the other person is comfortable with physical contact, even if you know they are fully vaccinated.
- Please use a tissue or otherwise cover your mouth/nose if you cough or sneeze.
In-Person Guidelines:
- In-person attendees will “sign-in” upon arriving at the building for Sunday morning service (This information will only be used if someone attends service who tests positive for COVID-19). This is in lieu of our former practice of "passing the friendship pads."
- Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building.
- Please sit ONLY with cohabiting family/friends. Otherwise, maintain social distancing.
- NO handshakes or hugs.
- Offering plates will be available at the sanctuary exit. If you wish to make an offering, simply drop your donation in the plate. This is in lieu of our former practice of passing a collection plate.
- In-person singing of hymns by congregants is permitted, but please keep your mask on and only sing lightly, if at all.
- Music will continue to be a significant part of the service. We have not yet transitioned back to a full choir. Our music will either be prerecorded, or a soloist may be used in-person with physical distancing.
- All words for hymns and readings will be printed or projected.
- Please observe signs for areas in the building that can be entered.
- No nursery.
- No sharing of food or drink.
- Communion will be held with prepackaged servings.
NOTE:
If anyone who attends worship tests positive or develops symptoms, please call the church office without delay. The church will be closed immediately and everyone who may have had contact or been exposed will be notified. The health department will also be notified with your contact information.
Collection of new socks for youth and adults
Adult Study
Adult study weekly session will resume on September 19th with the theme "Who is my neighbor?" which is based on Wayne Gordon's book with that title.
"A Season of Peace" Daily Reflections
As we prepare for the October 3, 2021 collection for Peace and Global Witness(PCUSA) and Neighbors in Need(UCC), the PCUSA has established a resource entitled A Path of Peace Daily Reflections to be used during the time period called A Season of Peace from Sept. 5 through Oct. 3. You may view the reflections on-line or via email subscription. To learn more, click here.
The Peace and Global Witness & Neighbors in Need Special Offering
We will be accepting donations toward the Peace and Global Witness (PCUSA) and/or the Neighbors in Need (UCC) special offerings throughout the month of September on up through World Communion Sunday on October 3rd. You may mail in your donation or you may choose to give electronically. If making an e-donation, please type in "Peace and Global Witness offering" or "Neighbors in Need offering" on the "notes" line. If you are writing a check then please write "Peace and Global Witness" or "Neighbors in Need" on the memo line of your check. Thank you.
Fireside Chat
Once each month, on a Sunday evening, our Christian Education Commissioner, Ellen, hosts on Zoom a “Fireside Chat” for members and friends of the Faith United community.
Fireside chats are informal gatherings in which the participants can share with each other stories, experiences, art, poetry, music, or prayer that, for them, are relaxing, inspirational, spiritual, or otherwise meaningful. Each session or “chat” is loosely structured around a common theme. If you want to participate, you may use the same Zoom link we use for Sunday worship.
A Message From Our Pastor, Andy Hinman
Welcome to Faith United Church of Oswego. As the new settled Pastor, my goal is to continue this congregation’s long standing commitment of providing congregants, visitors, and those longing for acceptance an open and welcoming experience.
We are all in various stages of navigating a life journey that will contain all kinds of obstacles, some of which may shake our core beliefs. However, in those times of hardship God is present placing loving miracles to lift us up and remind us that we are unconditionally loved and accepted. As a community that accepts and reciprocates the teachings and love of Jesus Christ, Faith United is a safe haven free of judgment in which all can come together to live in the renewed hope of Christ.
In the safety of community, we have the opportunity to learn Christ’s teachings while applying what we learn to our own lives.This means that we must be open to being uncomfortable at times, as we realize that we are ever changing individuals exploring and uncovering the talents God has placed within us, sharing those gifts with the community and world around us to uplift and build up those in need.
How to join Sunday morning services on Zoom
If you would like to join our new live stream service offering, please join us at 9:15am Sunday morning.
There are two ways to join:
1. Click on the following link from your smart phone or computer: https://zoom.us/j/207196571
a. If you have not used the Zoom application in the past, you will be asked to download and install this free application.
b. Once Zoom has been installed, you will be connected to the worship service (you may have to re click on the above link if you are not automatically joined)
c. You will be prompted whether or not you would like to share your video and audio; this decision is completely up to you and will not impact your ability to see or hear the worship service.
d. I am sorry that we will not have live support available to assist you during this process, but please email me with questions or difficulties you encounter so that these can be addressed for future services.
2. Join the worship service over traditional phone service (no video but you will be able to hear the worship service) Warning: long distance charges may apply depending on your phone plan!!
2. Join the worship service over traditional phone service (no video but you will be able to hear the worship service) Warning: long distance charges may apply depending on your phone plan!!
a. For this option, please dial one of the following numbers and follow the prompts:
i. Dial by your location
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 301 715 8592 US
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US
Meeting ID: 207 196 571
How to Find Us
Faith United Church is located on the south side of Mark Fitzbibbons Drive next to Oswego Middle School. Our building is totally handicapped accessible with off-street parking available.
Working Hours
Secretary: Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Fri. 10am - 2pm
Where are we?
12 Mark Fitzgibbons Drive
Oswego, NY 13126
Phone: 315 343-3480
secretary@faithunitedoswego.org
faithunited1@gmail.com