Next Week at FPC (April 22, 2022)

Dear FPC Family,

This Sunday is Confirmation Sunday. 17 of our 9^th graders will reaffirm their faith and be welcomed into full membership in the church during the 11:00am Sanctuary Service. Two of them will also be baptized. This has been a long journey of exploration for them, and they have delved deeply into important questions of faith and discipleship. We should be proud of each and every student that took this journey together, wherever the outcome of that journey was. So let us celebrate with them on Sunday!

Blessings and Peace,
Craig Foster
Associate Pastor for Discipleship and Communications

SUNDAY – April 24
8:45am MorningSong (Fogartie Hall)
8:45am Traditional Worship (Sanctuary)
9:45am Sunday School for children, youth, and adults
11:00am Traditional Worship (Sanctuary)
*No Youth Group

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

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

• Abide – Room 2200 (New permanent location)
• Bible Alive –Room 2208 and on Zoom
• Emmaus – Room 2207
• LIFT – Room 2201

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!

NEXT WEEK
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.

JOY Fellowship Spring Luncheon – Thursday, April 28
11:30am in Fogartie Hall
Our guest speaker this year is Rev. Alan Dyer. Be sure to sign up by Monday! Contact Joanie Shackleton at jshackleton@fpcspartanburg.org or 864-208-2132.

Early Traditional Service Returns to the Chapel – Next Sunday, May 1
We look forward to seeing all of our Early Morning Traditional congregants in the Chapel at 8:45am starting on May 1!

Welcome Class – Starting Next Sunday, May 1
10am in the Purnell Room (NEW LOCATION!)
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!

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
Prepared to Thrive Book Drive
We know that by third grade, reading proficiency shifts from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." If children cannot read proficiently in third grade, they fall behind. In Spartanburg County, only 50% of third graders are testing at or above grade reading level. As part of United Way's Prepared to Thrive initiative, they are collecting book donations to support first-year teachers as they establish their classroom libraries. Books donated will be used by local students at Mary H. Wright Elementary and Cleveland Academy as they read in their classrooms this fall! Click here to learn more.

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
Throughout April you may have noticed 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.

Crafters Needed!
Do you knit, crochet, or cross stitch? Would you like to share your gifts and talents with your church family in a meaningful way? The Life Events Committee needs your help! Please contact Scottie Lummus (scottie.stan@gmail.com) or Meg Evatt (m_evatt@hotmail.com) for more details.

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
Chamber Singers Concert – Sunday, May 15
6pm in the Sanctuary
Join the Chamber Singers for their Spring Concert. The group will be joined by strings and percussion as they present a musical meditation on time and eternity.

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.

VBS Volunteers
There’s room on Adventure Island for lots of helpers. Be a part of our fun and pass along the faith by helping for a day or all week in hands-on-ways or behind the scenes!
Here is the volunteer link: Volunteer HERE!
Contact VBS Co-director, Suzy Cole, with your questions or to find your perfect spot to help: suzyboulwarecole@gmail.com. Thanks for being church family to our little ones!

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.

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 24 – Confirmation Sunday
May 15 – Church on the Lawn
May 15 – Chamber Singers Concert
May 21 – 250^th Anniversary at Nazareth Presbyterian Church (Our Mother Church)
May 22 – Baccalaureate Sunday
June 5 – Pentecost
June 27-30 – VBS

More activities and events can be found in First News.