Next Week at FPC (February 4, 2022)

Dear Friends in Christ,

Of course the big news this week is that the congregation has voted to call the Rev. Alan F. Dyer as our new Senior Pastor and Head of Staff. See more information below.

This Sunday is a communion Sunday, as well as being Boy Scout Sunday. Our Troop 2 Boy Scouts will be part of our 11:00am Sanctuary worship service, and they will also be helping with the TOTAL Ministries food drive. Read below to see what you can bring to donate this Sunday.

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

THIS SUNDAY – FEBUARY 06
8:45am MorningSong (Fogartie Hall)
8:45am Traditional Worship (Sanctuary)
9:45am Sunday School for children, youth, and adults
10:00am Youth Confirmation (Game Room – FLC 2^nd floor)
11:00am Traditional Worship (Sanctuary)
5:00pm Sunday Night Youth

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

TOTAL Ministries Food Drive THIS SUNDAY
This Sunday, February 6th, will be our monthly food collection for TOTAL Ministries. The Scouts will be helping with this collection as part of the nation-wide "Scouting for Food" event. They are particularly in need of soup, pasta, and pasta sauce. You can find the full list of items here. Please bring your non-perishable items to the bins located in the narthex, Tower Room, and Family Life Center.

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
Weekday School Registration Begins Monday!
Weekday School registration opens on Monday. See below for when you child can register, and register quickly to be your child has a spot!

• February 7: Registration opens for children currently enrolled and their siblings.
• February 8: Registration opens for church members seeking new enrollment.
• February 9: Open enrollment opens.

Registration information can be found at www.fpcspartanburg.org/wds.
Please contact Kris Graham at kgraham@fpcspartanburg.org if you have any questions.

Wednesdays at First – Register Now for Dinner! (Register Here)
Join us Wednesday for apple stuffed pork loin with brandy mushroom sauce, broccoli with cheese, rice pilaf, roll, 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)
• Health Series: Confused About COVID-19? Join this panel of medical experts who will help us understand the current status of this COVID-19 pandemic. (Sanctuary)

Black History Month Series at Wofford College
Wednesday, February 9: “Social Justice in the Christian Tradition”
6pm, Rosalind Sallenger Richardson Center for the Arts, Room 125
This Wednesday, you are invited to a talk and discussion facilitated by Dr. Doug Clark, visiting professor of religion, and the Rev. Dr. Ron Robinson, Perkins Prothro Chaplain and Professor of Religion.

Blood Drive – NEXT Sunday, February 13
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.

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
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.

Welcome Kelsey Guffey to our staff
On Monday, January 31, we welcomed Kelsey Guffey to our staff as our new Administrative Assistant to Communications, Young Adults, and Missions. She can be reached via the Staff page under About Us on the church website.

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 6 – Boy Scout Sunday
February 13 – Souper Bowl of Caring
February 13 – Blood Drive
March 2 – Ash Wednesday
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.