Weekly Update for August 2, 2019

This Sunday we welcome Dr. Tom Evans back from his sabbatical, and eagerly await hearing what he has learned and discovered during his time away. Tom will be preaching in the Chapel and Sanctuary and leading one of the Sunday School classes (see below.)

This week we also welcome CAST back to our campus as we continue to Care, Accept, Support, and Teach children living in local motels. Please be in prayer for the children and those working with them next week!

Men of all ages, be sure not to miss the Men’s Breakfast this Sunday. See below for more info.

Finally, the sign-up deadline for the Church Retreat at Montreat is just a couple of weeks away. See below for more information and to sign up for this special time in the mountains with your church family!

THIS SUNDAY
7:30am Men’s Breakfast (Social Hall)
8:30am Chapel Worship Service
9:30am Sunday School for All Ages
9:45am Summer Choir Rehearsal (Choir Room)
10:30am Sanctuary* & MorningSong* Worship Services
2:00pm Youth Greenville Drive Game

(* Services with asterisks will be livestreamed at www.fpcspartanburg.org/live . Bulletins, scripture readings, manuscripts, and video archives can also be found on that page.)

Men’s Breakfast
Sunday, August 4 at 7:30am in the Social Hall
A delicious breakfast will be prepared by Dick Mahon and crew. Please RSVP to Shannon Hutcheson by August 1 at shutcheson@fpcspartanburg.org or (864) 208-2144.

Summer Sunday School – 9:30am
Experiencing God (Room 2201)
Led by Tom Evans and Mission Partners
This Summer Series will explore the ways that we experience God through the lens of Tom Evans’ sabbatical work and through the work of several of our mission partners.
August 4 & 11: Experiencing the Holy – Tom Evans
August 18: Youth Mission Teams
August 25: Experiencing the Holy – Tom Evans

Going to the Good Book: James: Faithful Living (Room 2200)
Led by Ansley Page, Jason Loscuito, John Lefebvre
This summer open your Bible and join three dynamic teachers in studies the Bible together!
August 4: James 1 Faith and Wisdom
August 11: James 2 & 3 Faith without Works /Words Matter
August 18: Joint Class with Youth Mission Report
August 25: James 4 & 5 Patience and Faith

Children’s Sunday School
Birth-age 2 – Clark Building, room 105
Completed 3K-5K – Clark Building, room 110
Completed 1^st-4^th Grade – Clark Building, room 201 (red door)
Rising 6th graders will join the youth classes for Sunday School.

Youth Sunday School
We will have two youth Sunday School classes this summer led by Robert, our youth interns and other volunteer teachers. Rising 6th graders are invited to join the Middle School Sunday School class. Rising 9th graders are invited to join the High Schoolers as well.
August: “Busting Myths” (Ephesians)

NEXT WEEK
Spartanburg Opportunity Center Open Houses – Monday and Wednesday
4-6pm at 701 Saxon Ave.
The Spartanburg Opportunity Center is hosting several Open Houses over the next few weeks. The center will provide services for the homeless and nearly homeless of our community. First Pres generously supported this project during the 2017 Witness Season, and now it is finally becoming a reality! The center, located at 701 Saxon Ave, will be open to the public from 4-6pm on the following dates:
Monday, August 5^th
Wednesday, August 7^th
For more information, please contact Karl Rogozenski at spopcenter@gmail.com.

All Recovery Addiction Support Group – Wednesdays
6-7pm in the Arthur Center
All Recovery is a F.A.V.O.R. (Faces and Voices of Recovery) support group. The group focus is to have a conversation with each other and learn more about recovery from addiction. This group is for anyone who has suffered from addiction to a substance and/or who has been affected by the symptoms and/or disease of addiction. This includes family and friends. The group meets every Wednesday evening 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. in the William L. Arthur Center. For more information contact Lauren Gilmore (864-357-4376) or Beth Cecil (864-208-2136).

Summer Sizzle: Dog Days of Summer – Next Sunday, August 11
11:30am in the Social Hall
Join your church family in the Social Hall following 10:30am worship services for a hot dog lunch with all the trimmings, fun, and fellowship.

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
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.

Bus Drivers
We are frequently in need of drivers for our three church buses. A CDL is not required, but all drivers must be at least 25 years old, submit a background check, and go through a training session with our Facilities Administrator Chris Everette. EVERYONE who intends to drive one of the buses MUST go through this process, regardless of whether you have driven the old buses or the new buses before ! To begin this process, please download and complete the Background Check Authorization and return that along with a copy of your driver’s license and insurance card to Lynise Clarke in the church office. After that, training can be scheduled.

Child Poverty Initiative
The Faith Summit on Child Poverty held in April was only the beginning of a long-term initiative in Spartanburg to end child poverty. If you would like to be involved moving forward and were not able to attend the summit or to put your name on the follow-up list, please contact Caroline Goodman ( cgoodman@fpcspartanburg.org ) and ask to be added. Four focus groups are in the process of forming now, so you can choose your preference: Childcare, Generational Literacy, Living Wage, and Neighborhood Isolation.

OTHER NEWS
Church Retreat: “Family Camp” – September 20-22
Montreat Conference Center
Register by August 16
Come experience time in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina with your church family! This year’s Church Retreat will be Family Camp for families of ALL ages, shapes, and sizes, with plenty to do together with and among families. There will also be plenty of time to relax and do your own thing as well. This year, we are also opening the retreat up to commuters. We very much hope that everyone who can will opt for the whole weekend, but if you can only come for Saturday, we are glad to welcome you! For more information and to register: www.fpcspartanburg.org/retreat .

Children’s Choir and First Steps in Music
Children’s Choir and First Steps in Music will begin in mid-September. Online registration is now open!

New FLC Hours
Starting this Sunday, August 4, the FLC will be open from 12-4pm on Sundays. The FLC hours each week are:
Monday-Thursday: 6am-9pm
Friday: 6am-5pm
Saturday: 8am-Noon
Sunday: Noon-4pm

“Understanding Different Faiths & Finding Common Ground” – Wednesday, August 14
12-1pm at Masjid Insh' Allah, 377 Successful Way, Spartanburg, 20306
The world we live in is vastly diverse, and it can sometimes be difficult to understand those we perceive as being "different" from us. The Spartanburg Interfaith Alliance invites you to a lunch with a panel discussion on discovering commonalities with your neighbor and learning how to better comprehend faiths that are not your own. Lunch will be provided, and the panel of interfaith representatives will be moderated by our own Christi Brown. Click here to register .

Youth Fall Kick-Off Party – Sunday, August 18
5-7pm in the Family Life Center
Our Sunday Night Youth Ministry is about to get back into full swing! All middle and high schoolers are invited to join us for the Fall Kick Off Party on Sunday, August 18 from 5 - 7 pm at the Family Life Center. We'll have food trucks from Fuddrucker's and Bruster's, several tournaments with prizes for the winners, music, fellowship and more! Email Carrie Coleman to let us know if your child will be there!

Tower Room Entrance – New Handicapped Door
We have installed a new handicapped door at the tower room entrance to better serve our members, guests, and visitors as well as become ADA compliant. The door will open automatically with a swipe of an active badge during normal business hours. During Sunday services and special events, the door will operate with the push buttons located on the outside and inside walls. Or you can simply push the door to exit. We will continue to monitor the opening mechanism and adjust as needed. We will also have signs placed indicating door operations.

LOOKING AHEAD
August 4 – Men’s Breakfast
August 4 – Greenville Drive Youth Day
August 5-8 – CAST Camp
August 11 – Summer Sizzle: Dog Days of Summer
August 18 – Youth Fall Kick Off Party
August 25 – Last Day of Summer Worship Schedule
August 25 – Summer Sizzle: Wet & Wild Back to School Bash
September 1 – One Worship Service (No Sunday School)
September 8 – Rally Day
September 11 – Children’s Choir Rehearsals begin
September 20-22 – Church Retreat at Montreat
September 20-25 – Cuba Mission Trip
October 11-13 – Middle School Fall Retreat
October 27 – Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans
November 3 – Ecumenical Blood Drive
November 8-10 – High School Fall Retreat

Find out more in First News: fpcspartanburg.org/firstnews