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Weekly Update for Good Friday (April 10, 2020)

Dear Siblings in Christ,

It is Good Friday, the most solemn day of the year, when we remember how Jesus died on the cross for us. But Easter is coming! Holy Week is very different for all of us this year, but perhaps it will help us to experience the mystery and the wonder of this time in whole new ways. Please note that, even though we are all worshipping from our homes, we will all worship together in one service on Easter Sunday at 11am. There will be no services at 8:45am, but roll out of bed early as Robert Bannan leads is in a brief Sunrise Service at 6:45am.

Peace,
Craig Foster
Associate Pastor for Discipleship and Communications

Good Friday
Please note that there will be no Daily Community Time on Good Friday or the Monday after Easter.

Good Friday Service (Watch)
12:15pm
Rev. Leslie A. Lang will lead this service of scripture, readings, hymns, and special music.

Holy Saturday
Reflection Time with Organ Music (Watch)
Saturday at Noon: Matthew 27:57-66 & Were You There by Leo Sowerby

Easter Sunday
6:45am Sunrise Service
9:45am Butterfly Release
10:00am Adult Sunday School (Zoom)
10:00am Godly Play
11:00am Sanctuary Worship Service ONLINE
7:00pm UKirk College Ministry

All services will be livestreamed at www.fpcspartanburg.org/live. Bulletins, scripture readings, manuscripts, and video archives can also be found on that page. Our worship livestreams also appear on Facebook and YouTube. Please sign the online guestbook when you join us for worship online and consider making your regular contributions online. Have you been having trouble with the livestreams? Check out this information on the church website.

6:45am Sunrise Service (Watch)
Rev. J. Robert Bannan, Jr. will lead a brief service that will include a devotion, time of prayer, and song. (website and Facebook only, no YouTube)

9:45am Butterfly Release (Watch)
Tune in to watch the Butterfly Release with Holly Bannan.

10:00am Sunday School (Join in)
The Rev. Ansley B. Page will teach a combined Adult Class via Zoom.
More information

10:00am Godly Play with Holly (Watch)
Holly Bannan will be recording the Godly Play lesson for children each week and posting it to the church YouTube page. A link to this video is also being sent out to parents each week.

11:00am Worship (Watch)
This year, even though we cannot be under the same roof, we are asking every member of the congregation to worship together in one big online service, with brass. We will not sing our traditional Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah this Easter, but look forward to singing it with us in person when we are able to return to worship in the Sanctuary!

All Day - Cross of Flowers
Each Easter, a rough-hewn cross is erected on the front lawn of the church. Throughout the day on Easter, members and guests are invited to bring flowers to place on the cross (using proper physical distancing).
This cross, full of spring flowers, represents the new life we receive through Christ’s resurrection.

Next Week
We are paying close attention to the privacy and security concerns that have been reported about the Zoom videoconferencing platform. At this time, we believe that Zoom is addressing these concerns and is still the easiest and best on-road for community, shared prayer, and learning during this time of physical distancing. See www.fpcspartanburg.org/zoom for more information and tips on using Zoom.

Weekly Prayer Gathering with Joanne – Tuesday
Noon on Zoom (Join in)
Join Pastor Joanne on Zoom to share your prayer concerns and join together with your church family in prayer.

Tuesdays with Tom(Watch)
Follow the church on YouTube and watch your email inbox to get a weekly video devotional from Dr. Tom Evans each Tuesday.

Daily Community Time – Tuesday through Friday
2:00-2:30pm on Zoom (Join in)
From 2:00-2:30pm each weekday, members of the church staff will be hosting a Zoom video gathering for anyone that wants to drop in and chat. This will be an informal time of conversation and connection for all of us. The first few this week have been great! So give it a try! Simply click on the link above and follow the directions to get connected. Having trouble? You can call in at 646-876-9923 and use meeting ID: 226 075 719. Be sure to read the Zoom tips on the church website.
(Note that there will be no Community Time on Good Friday or the Monday after Easter.)

Hangouts with Holly –Thursday
Starting at 1pm on Zoom (Get the link)
All children are invited to join Holly Bannan online for a time of fellowship and learning together.

1:00pm 3K, 4K, and 5K
1:30pm 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Grade
2:00pm 4^th and 5^th Grace

Information has been sent to parents about how to connect. Please contact Holly Bannan (hbannan@fpcspartanburg.org) if you have any questions.

Youth Group on Zoom
All youth are invited to join Robert, Carrie, and your friends on Zoom throughout the week. More information and links have been sent to youth families. Please contact Robert or Carrie if you have any questions
Tuesdays at 4pm – 9^th and 10^th Graders
Wednesdays at 4pm – Middle Schoolers
Thursdays at 4pm – 11^th and 12^th Graders
Sundays at 4pm – ALL Youth (MS & HS)
Monday – Friday at 2pm– Youth are invited to the Daily Community Time for the whole congregation

Weekly Bible Study with Tom – Wednesdays
6pm on Zoom (Join in)
Dr. Tom Evans is leading a “Study of the Book of Mark” via Zoom.

But wait, there’s more!
Other smaller groups and activities are meeting online as well (including a big Zoom meeting with the combined Session and Diaconate last Tuesday). Watch your email and social media for notice of smaller group activities. If you are a committee chair or group leader and are interested in how your group can meet through Zoom or other means, please contact Craig Foster.

Service Opportunities
We are getting all sorts of requests for help during these unprecedented times, and we have collected quite a list of things you can do even while maintaining physical distancing! Find all sorts of ways that you can serve in the Ministry Finder section of the website (under the “Serve” menu). There you can search for service opportunities that match your interests and schedule, and with one tap, make contact with someone who can tell you more and/or help you to get involved.

NEW Opportunities in Ministry Finder

Other News
These Days Devotions Online (Read)
Have you missed being able to pick up a These Days devotion book at the church? Are you wondering what to use to enrich your devotional life each day once the Lent devotions are over? Westminster John Knox Press has made the April edition of These Days available to everyone for free online. Find devotions for April 1-30 here.

Share Your Encouraging Stories with Us!(Share)
The word “Gospel” literally just means “good news.” Amid all the troubling news of this time, we want your help to share the good news of this time as well! So share the good news that is happening with us! Now, we don’t need the latest cat meme or whatever funny email forward you just got, but when you facetime your grandmother in the nursing home, deliver for Mobile Meals, white a card to someone, engage in any of the opportunities above or in Ministry Finder, or experience any good by your hand or by the hands of others, please send us a picture and give as a few sentences that we can share on social media to encourage us all and remind us all that the church is still at work, even as we are dispersed. Pictures and stories can be sent to Caroline Goodman (cgoodman@fpcspartanburg.org).

There is No Need to Struggle Alone!
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Galations 6:2)
We all go through difficult times. When you have someone to care, listen, to share God’s love with you, it can help you get through the confusion, stress, or loneliness you may be experiencing. God does not intend for you to struggle alone!

Stephen Ministry is available for anyone facing overwhelming need for care; hospitalization, grieving, suffering, loneliness or discouragement, divorce or separation, unemployment, accidents, etc. If you or someone you know is struggling, let us know!

Consider allowing a Stephen Minister to walk with you on your journey to wholeness! For more information, contact Dana Halliday at danahalliday1@charter.net; 864 237-0330 or Beth Cecil bcecil@fpcspartanburg.org

Now Playing on YouTube (and Other Social Media)
If you are one of our subscribers on YouTube, you know that the church has put up a lot of content recently, including Devotions with Tom, Godly Play with Holly, and Preschool Music with Debbie This has become an important venue for us to communicate with you during these times of physical distancing. So click the subscribe button and get notified when worship goes live or when the church has posted new content. Our subscriber count has been growing but help us blast past the 100 subscriber mark!

In fact, all of our social media channels have been active (and we’ve just added new ones for Children’s Ministry this week). Check them all out and subscribe/follow/like us to get all the latest info.

Unsubscribing
If you wish to be removed from the mailing list for this weekly email, please simply email Caroline Goodman (cgoodman@fpcspartanburg.org) to make that request. The link below will unsubscribe you from ALL group emails from the church, including many occasional emails you might want to receive!