Next Week at FPC (February 11, 2022)

Dear First Friends,

What a joy it is to come back to church after recovering from my knee surgery and to be amongst you again. Thank you to all who sent cards, emails, food and so many other gifts to brighten my days. All is well with me now and I am grateful for you and especially for my good nurse husband, Eddie. Just now, I find myself anxious for the arrival of spring and warmer days again. I hope for the diminishment of the ravages of the virus. I look forward to our annual preparation for celebrating Easter by walking through Lent. I give thanks for the coming of a new pastor, Alan, and am sad about the departure of our delightful interim, Lewis. I am feeling like these calmer winter days of hibernation are God’s way of getting us ready for a whirlwind of activity and change that March will bring to our church and our world.

Spring is coming and with it – new life bursting out everywhere! But right now, take a look below at what is happening this week around the church house….

Blessings on you all,
Pastor Joanne

THIS SUNDAY – FEBUARY 13
8:00am Blood drive
8:45am MorningSong (Fogartie Hall)
8:45am Traditional Worship (Sanctuary)
9:45am Sunday School for children, youth, and adults
10:30am Receiving of New Members
11:00am Traditional Worship (Sanctuary)
**NO YOUTH TONIGHT!**

Stream our services live on FPCSpartanburg.org/worship, YouTube, or Facebook.

Youth Ski Trip
Sunday, February 13 – Youth who are signed up for the ski trip need to be at the Family Life Center at 6am! We will return to the same location at 6pm. NO YOUTH Sunday night!

Souper Bowl of Caring
Sunday-February 13^th-ALL 3 services
Our annual Souper Bowl of Caring collection will take place this Sunday! Look for our Youth at each exit after all three worship services – and remember to bring a few extra $$$ to place in the pot! All proceeds will go directly to TOTAL Ministries.

Blood Drive
8am-12:45pm in the FLC Parking Lot
A donation of $20 per donor will be made to First Pres. There is a CRITICAL NEED for blood nationwide as well as in our own immediate area. The Health Committee will provide a beautiful Valentine’s Day card for you to send to someone special indicating that you donated blood in their honor. Kathy Coley, artist extraordinaire, provided the beautiful artwork on the front of the card. Please contact Beth Cecil to schedule an appointment for this upcoming event.

Sunday School
Pre-K & Nursery – Clark Building, First Floor
Elementary – Clark Building, Second Floor
Youth – Family Life Center, Second Floor
Adults:

• Abide – Social Hall

• Bible Alive –Room 2208 and on Zoom

• Emmaus – Room 2207 (Join them in their NEW/OLD location!)

• LIFT – Room 2201

NEXT WEEK
Wednesdays at First – Register Now for Dinner! (Register Here)
Join us Wednesday for Salmon with Blood Orange Glaze, Au Gratin Potatoes, Greek Salad, Bread, Beverage, and Dessert! Children’s Menu is Chicken Fingers with Mac & Cheese, Fruit Cup, Beverage, and Dessert. Register yourself and/or your family by Monday at 4:30pm.
If you would like to serve as a volunteer in some capacity to ensure WAF runs smoothly, please click here to sign up!

WAF Programs – 6:30-7:15pm
CRC – 5K-Grade 5 (Gym and Activity Room)
Youth – Grades 6-12 (High School Room)
Adults

• The Sermon on the Mount – Led by Dr. Lewis Galloway and Rev. Craig Foster. (Social Hall)
• Younger Women’s Bible Study – Led by Donna Pulliam, Carter Smith, and Leslie Lang. (Perrin Room)

Black History Month Series at Wofford College
“From Problems to Pimps: Sidney Poitier and the Transformation of Black Images at the Movies, 1950-1972” - Tuesday, February 15
6pm in the Franklin W. Olin Building, Room 213
A lecture and question and answer session presented by Dr. Dwain Pruitt, Wofford’s chief equity officer.

“The History of Black Studies and Critical Race Theory,” - Wednesday, February 16
7pm on Zoom (Register here)
A Zoom lecture and question and answer session presented by Dr. Ricky Jones, professor and chair, Department of Pan-African Studies, University of Louisville, USA Today Network columnist and host of “The Ricky Jones Show”

“Geographies of Pain and Pleasure: Black Women in Segregated New Orleans” - Thursday, February 17
4pm in the Franklin W. Olin Building, Olin Theater
A public lecture presented by Dr. LaKisha Simmons, associate professor of history and women’s studies at the University of Michigan. Sponsored by the Wofford College Department of History and the Lewis P. Jones Visiting Professor of History Fund

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
Witness Season 2022 – Angel’s Charge Ministry
Angels Charge Ministry serves our area by helping women re-enter society after incarceration. This mission offers a number of services which require transportation: medical care, job skills training, and education. They are in desperate need of a van for these purposes. This Witness Season, please consider giving to this important project. Your gift will be a blessing to these women, their families, and our community. You can give online at fpcspartanburg.org/give or mark checks as “Witness Season” in the memo line. Stay tuned for more information through the month of February!

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
Welcome Class - February 20
Our Welcome Class will begin Sunday, February 20. These 4-week sessions are a wonderful way to get acquainted with the Presbyterian church, the opportunities available at First Presbyterian, and to meet the staff. Classes will be held during the Sunday School hour (10:00-10:45am) in Room 2200. 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.

FPC Spartanburg Calls a New Senior Pastor
Last Sunday, January 30, we had a great turnout for our Annual Congregational Meeting and the congregation voted to call the Rev. Alan F. Dyer as our new Senior Pastor and Head of Staff. Alan is currently the senior pastor of St. Simons Presbyterian Church on St Simon’s Island, GA. His first Sunday in our pulpit will be Sunday, March 27, and there will be a welcome reception for him during the Sunday School hour between services. Until then, get to know a little about Alan and his family in this video and on the church website. If you missed the congregational meeting, you can watch a recording of the PNC report here.
Many thanks to the members of our PNC: David Beacham (chair), Bert Barre, Randall Chambers, Molly Colbath, Suzy Cole, Harriet Ike, Whit Kennedy, Craig Kocisko, Carter Smith.

Lewis' Last Sunday – March 6
Next month, Dr. Lewis F. Galloway will complete his ministry with us. What a wonderful year it has been! In his - and Bunny's - honor we will have a reception on Sunday, March 6, after the 11:00am Worship Service. This will be Dr. Galloway's last Sunday in the pulpit. Please join your church family in the FLC Gym as we send Lewis and Bunny back into retirement with our well wishes.

Hand and Hand Thanks You!
Hand In Hand would like to thank our generous congregation for the support received with the Christmas Eve offering and the colorful and caring Advent food collection boxes. Your donations have already been spread throughout our community nourishing many children and their families. With grateful hearts, Hand In Hand

Peace and Justice Task Force Spotlight: Equal Justice Initiative
This month, the Peace and Justice Taskforce is focusing on Isaiah 1:17 as we are called to seek justice and raise awareness. In February we turn our attention to the Equal Justice Initiative, a non-profit organization providing legal representation to people who are illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, and abused in state prisons and jails. This month, we encourage you to explore the EJI’s website (eji.org) and to educate and raise awareness on EJI’s main focuses of criminal justice reform, racial justice, and public education and awareness through their museum and memorial. If possible, we really encourage visiting the museum and memorial in Montgomery, AL. Please join us at the at the next Peace and Justice Task Force Meeting on Friday, March 25th from 12:30-1:30pm in the Purnell Room (virtual option also available)

LOOKING AHEAD
February 13 – Souper Bowl of Caring
February 13 – Blood Drive
February 14 – OPEN GYM for Youth at the Church of the Advent: Middle School, 11am-12pm; High School, 1-2pm.
February 20 – Welcome Class
March 2 – Ash Wednesday
March 6 – Lewis Galloway’s Last Sunday at FPC
March 13 – Girl Scout Sunday Celebrated
March 27 – Welcome the Rev. Alan F. Dyer
April 10 – Palm Sunday
April 14 – Maundy Thursday
April 15 – Good Friday
April 17 – Easter Sunday

More activities and events can be found in First News.

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