Holy Week at FPC (April 14,2022)

Dear FPC Family,

Today is Maundy Thursday, and we invite you to join us for each of the services through the remainder of Holy Week, as we remember the sacrifice of our Lord for us leading us to the cross, and eventually to the empty tomb on Easter Sunday. Sunday is a full day or worship learning and fellowship starting at 6:30 am. Be sure to visit the cross on the front lawn and add flowers from your yard or from the flowers provided.

Peace be with you,
Craig Foster
Associate Pastor for Discipleship and Communications

HOLY WEEK
*Maundy Thursday – April 14
7:30pm in the Sanctuary
A service remembering Jesus's Last Supper with his disciples before his crucifixion

*Good Friday Service– April 15
12:15pm in the Sanctuary
A brief service reflecting on Jesus’s words from the cross with music and spoken mediations

EASTER SUNDAY – April 17
All Morning: Cross of Flowers (Front Lawn)
Members and guests are invited to place flowers in the rough-hewn cross, which is erected by the Sanctuary Guild on the Lawn of the church, as they come to worship on Easter.
6:30am: Sunrise Service (Columbarium)
After the service, make your way to The Perrin Room for a time of Fellowship. Hot Cross Buns will be served.
8:45am: Sanctuary and *MorningSong Worship Services
10:00am: Fellowship and Sunday School (See locations below)
11:00 am: *Sanctuary Worship Service

*Services marked with an asterisk are streamed live on FPCSpartanburg.org/worship, YouTube, and Facebook.

Easter Sunday School & Fellowship
Pre-K & Nursery – Clark Building, First Floor
Elementary – Clark Building, Second Floor
Youth – Family Life Center, Game Room
Adults – Social Hall
Fellowship for all ages – Front Lawn

Witness Season Update
It's amazing to see God at work through this congregation! Thanks to your generosity, we raised over $42,000 for Angels Charge Ministry to purchase their van, and it will be parked outside the church all weekend! Please make sure to take notice of the sleek white van parked outside the Family Life Center.

Help Alan and his family get to know YOU!
Throughout the month of April, please wear your nametag to services and church events to help Alan, Erin, Sam, and Jack get to know their new church family. This will also help us to get reacquainted with each other (for those brain cloud moments). Feel free to wear your Sonitrol Badge or one the laminated nametags. If you do not have a Sonitrol Badge, no worries, there is still time to have one made. Additionally, we will have blank nametags onsite for visitors or anyone in need of a nametag. Nametags and pens will be located in the FLC Lobby, Tower Room, and Hospitality Room. Thank you!

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
Mobile Meals Volunteers Needed
Mobile Meals has resumed daily deliveries and is in need of more volunteers! You can sign-up to participate in a regular route or offer to be a substitute driver when it suits your schedule. If you'd like more information, please contact Vivian Tanner at Mobile Meals (vivian@mobile-meals.org)

Child Abuse Prevention Awareness
Starting this week, you will notice blue pinwheels on our church property and in other locations around Spartanburg. These pinwheels are a reminder that April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. We are particularly appreciative of our ministry partners who focus on vulnerable children in our community, including Hope Center for Children, Thornwell, and Children's Advocacy Center. If you'd like to get more involved, reach out to Pastor Leslie for more information.

Support for Ukraine
So many have heavy hearts over the war and violence occurring in Ukraine. We as a denomination invite you to pray for peace and strength, as well as for a change of hearts and minds so that world leaders can reach some agreement. If you would like to support humanitarian relief to those fleeing violence in Ukraine, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has set-up a fund to support organizations working directly with families on the ground. Donations can be made through a fund at the church at fpcspartanburg.org/give.

Ministry Finder
Find all sorts of ways to get involved in serving God and serving others on the church website through Ministry Finder!

OTHER NEWS
FR8yard Young Adult Fellowship – Wednesday, April 20
5:30-7:30pm at the FR8yard
Come out and join us for fellowship and refreshments! Pastor Alan will be there, and it will be a great opportunity to connect with friends. Childcare will not be provided, but FR8yard is family friendly for those who wish to bring children. Contact Leslie Lang if you have questions.

Connect over Coffee – Meet Alan Dyer
We are very happy to welcome Rev. Alan Dyer to First Presbyterian Church, Spartanburg. Alan is looking forward to the opportunity to get to know each member of his new church family and would like to connect with you – over coffee! Gatherings will be on select Tuesdays at 8:00am and Wednesdays at 10:00am in The Perrin Room. Please RSVP HERE.

Welcome Class – Starting May 1
10am in the Purnell Room (NEW LOCATION!)
Our Welcome Class will begin Sunday, May 1. This four-week series is a wonderful way to get acquainted with the Presbyterian church, the opportunities available at First Presbyterian, and to meet the church staff. Classes will be held during the Sunday School hour (10:00-10:45am) in the Purnell Room. There is no pressure to join. We welcome non-members, members, and anyone seeking a church family to join us for a fun time of fellowship and learning together!

First Pres Cookbooks
Apparently, word got out that copies of the First Pres cookbook are available! Click here to get your copy!

FPC Tartan Ties and Scarves
Ties and scarves in the FPC tartan pattern are once again available for sale. The ties are $25, and the scarves are $35. You can order here or by contacting Lynise Clarke.

Vacation Bible School will be June 27 – 30 from 9:00am to 12:00pm
Please Register by May 15!
Rising 4K to 6^th Grade, come explore how God’s great light shines and how we can reflect that light! We will explore Adventure Island together!
Registration is open from April 1^st to May 15^th. VBS will be $20.00 per child with a maximum of $50.00 per family.
Register at www.fpcspartanburg.org/vbs and contact Pastor Ansley at apage@fpcspartanburg.org if you have any questions.

Join the Palmetto Council of Boy Scouts of America in honoring David and Harriet Ike
April 19, 2022, at the Spartanburg Marriott
6pm Reception // 7pm Program
You are invited to the 2022 Distinguished Citizen Dinner honoring our own David and Harriet Ike for their faithful service to the Boy Scouts. Come celebrate with them! While there is no cost for the dinner, this event is a fundraiser for the Palmetto Council of Boy Scouts of America, and you are invited to make a contribution to the Boy Scouts in honor of David and Harriet’s many years of service. Visit https://palmettocouncil.org/2022-spartanburg-dcd to learn more about David and Harriet’s work with the scouts and to RSVP for the dinner.

Peace and Justice Task Force Spotlight:
Racial Healing Circles are conversations that honor and value each person’s humanity, better reflect our common humanity, and build mutually respectful relationships across racial difference to bring about racial healing and repair in communities. They were developed as part of the Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) framework by Dr. Gail Christopher, who was the City of Spartanburg’s MLK Unity Celebration keynote speaker in 2020 just before the pandemic closed everything down. As she puts it, “A racial healing circle is not just a conversation, not just a safe space. It is an experience that engages the heart and requires the heart to be open and expansive. It re-affirms the humanity in all of us. It is a commitment to acknowledging that unconscious bias lives in all of us, and it is the spiritual work of affirming and loving ourselves.” To date, about 150 people in Spartanburg have participated in one. Please join us. To learn more and to register, visit https://justfuturespartanburg.org/racial-healing-circles.

LOOKING AHEAD
April 15 – Good Friday
April 17 – Easter Sunday
April 24 – Confirmation Sunday
May 15 – Chamber Singers Concert
May 15 – Church on the Lawn
May 22 – Baccalaureate Sunday
June 5 – Pentecost
June 27-30 – VBS

More activities and events can be found in First News.