At a glance, here are some of the things coming up during the second half of this summer!

Quick List of Dates

  • July 12: Maggie Johnson starts her new role as Director of Worship Arts and Youth Ministry
  • July 19: Stu Modrzejewski starts his new role as Director of Community Life.
  • August 1: Summer MCM will be in person
  • August 27: Special worship night (see below for details)
  • August 28: Leadership workshop, part 2 (see below for details)
  • August 28: Need some soul care? Schedule a pastoral counseling appointments with Chris or Tracy on Saturday afternoon.
  • August 29: Chris Bruno preaches!

Gatherings

All-church

  • August 1: Summer Ministry Community Meeting (MCM)! We will have a shortened Sunday service and then meet immediately afterwards in person to share ministry updates. Stay tuned – more posts will go up in the next couple of weeks to provide reports!
  • August 27: We have invited Chris Bruno and his colleague, Tracy Johnson, from Restoration Counseling (you may recognize Chris as one of our ministry partners) to come to First Free and do a soul care retreat as we close out the summer season (where we hope we all got some restorative rest) and look ahead to the fall. This will kick off on Friday night from 7-9 PM in the Sanctuary with a worship and prayer gathering around this theme “Now Then: Grief, Gratitude, and the Not Yet.”
  • August 28: On Saturday morning, from 9 AM to 12 PM, Chris and Tracy will lead a workshop for First Free leaders (in person, location TBA). The theme for this will be “Breathe: slow down and reimagine God’s breath as the life-creating force in the midst of dark places.” Chris and Tracy will guide us through a time of reflection, sharing, healing, and growth as leaders.
  • August 29: Chris will preach during a regular Sunday service.
  • Pop-up Socials: Keep using the summer@firstfree.com email group to share spontaneous summer socials with others! This is a great way to serve the church by building our bond of fellowship and providing a casual way to invite friends outside of the church to get to know us!
  • Sunday morning church services have no capacity limits as Chicago remains in Phase 5. We want to see you!! It is such a joy and blessing to gather together in person as believers. Streaming will continue on YouTube in a simplified format; to access the song lyrics, go to the church website or look in the description box of the YouTube video.

Youth

  • Incoming 6th graders through graduating seniors and their families are invited to our Sunday Summer Youth Gatherings. Meetings will be on the 4th Sunday of the month at Foster Beach at 12:30 PM.
  • Dates are July 25 and August 22
  • Click here for more information!

Children

  • City Kids classes are now in person every Sunday morning at 9:20 AM. Bring your child(ren) to the 3rd floor classroom in the Family Life Center at church (or join via Zoom). Contact kids@firstfree.com to get the link! Click here for more information.
  • All kids have a busy bag labeled with their name to use during the service. Pick up yours from the table outside the Sanctuary as you arrive. Books are available outside the Nursery and extra worksheets can be picked up from the ushers table in the foyer (opposite from the busy bags table).

Leadership Training and Congregational Meetings

  • August 1: Summer MCM will be held in person at church after a shortened Sunday service.
  • August 28: Leadership Workshop Part 2 will be held in person at church from 9 AM – 12 PM. Chris Bruno and Tracy Johnson will be our guest speakers as described above. An evite will be sent to all First Free leaders who attended part 1 on June 12; please RSVP using that!

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