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Weekly Update for December 20, 2019

The season of Advent is drawing to a close and Christmas is almost upon us! Note that Christmas Eve services are at 4pm, 6pm, and 11pm on Tuesday. We hope to see everyone at the Christmas Eve services, but if you are not able to be there in person, they will be livestreamed at www.fpcspartanburg.org/live. If you are traveling for the holiday, we wish you safe travels. Blessings to those amid the joys and challenges of gathering with loved ones, and blessings also to those who are missing loved ones this season.

THIS SUNDAY
8:45am MorningSong* and Sanctuary Worship Services
9:45am Sunday School for All Ages
11:00am Sanctuary* Worship Service

(* 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.)

MorningSong Lessons and Carols Service
8:45am in Fogartie Hall
Come be a part of this contemporary adaptation of the traditional service of lessons and carols, as together we remember the promise of God’s Messiah through scripture readings and music.

College and Young Adult Breakfast
9:45-10:45am in the Parlor
Will you or one of your young adult or college children be home for the holidays on December 22? If so, make sure the College and Young Adult Breakfast is on your calendar! This will be a time for old friends and new to reconnect with each other. Please RSVP with Carrie Coleman in the church office so that we can be sure to have the seating and food needed ( ccoleman@fpcspartanburg.org / 864-209-2129).

Be a Part of the Christmas Eve Choir!
Rehearsals Sunday & Monday, December 22 & 23
Anyone high school age and up is invited to be a part of the Christmas Eve Choir. There are only two rehearsals, Sunday, December 22 at 12:00pm and Monday, December 23 at 5:30pm. The rehearsals will be relatively brief, efficient, and fun. One great perk of being a part of this choir--you will have a spectacular view of the candle lighting during the services!

NEXT WEEK
Christmas Eve Services – Tuesday, December 24 in the Sanctuary
Family Worship (4:00pm)
Come, all you angels, shepherds, farm animals, and kings. Join us on Christmas Eve for our family nativity pageant. Any child may come dressed as the part he or she wants to play from those listed above.

Candlelight Services (6:00 and 11:00pm)
These services, a tradition in our church, feature music by the Christmas Eve Choir. A special message will be delivered and the services will conclude with the Sanctuary bathed in candlelight. Childcare will be available at the 6:00pm Candlelight Service.

The Red Coats Are Coming?
We are in need of church members to serve as red coat ushers at the 6:00 pm and 11:00 pm candlelight services on Christmas Eve! If you would like to be part of this special tradition, please contact Peter Neidenbach or Beau Shuler. Our supply of red jackets also needs to be replenished! If you have a red men's sport coat or comparable women's jacket that you could donate to the church, please also contact Peter or Beau.

Church Closed December 25 & 26
The church will be closed on Christmas Day and the day after Christmas in celebration of the birth of our Lord.

No WAF until January 8
There will be now WAF dinner or programming until January 8. But be sure to come on January 8 as we welcome Pano Stathakis as our new Director of Hospitality and begin to offer our well-wishes to Jane Mullins for her upcoming retirement.

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.

SPIHN – January 26-February 2, 2020
Our next opportunity to host Spartanburg Interfaith Opportunity Network children and their families is coming up at the end of January. For more information or to sign up to volunteer to prepare a meal, visit with families for an evening, provide snacks, or help set up or clean up, please visit www.fpcspartanburg.org/spihn.

Here are a few of the newest opportunities available within Ministry Finder:

Nap Boule! Hot Sauce (Benefiting Haiti Outreach Ministries)
We are partnering with a sister church to raise money for Haitian Missions. On Wednesdays and Sundays in December, we will sell hot sauce to raise money for our Haitian Mission Project. The Vienna Presbyterian Church (Vienna, VA) began this project by purchasing peppers grown in Haiti, and using their own recipe, bottled the hot sauce for sale. There are four different flavors, and the bottles are $7 each. These make great Christmas gifts, and again, the proceeds will go toward Haiti Outreach Ministries. Please see Leslie Lang or Caroline Goodman at the church if you would like to purchase a bottle (or a case!)

OTHER NEWS
Year-End Giving
Contribution Deadlines: For credit as 2019 contributions, donations must be received in the church financial office by 5:00pm on Tuesday, December 31, 2019 or postmarked by December 31, 2019. Any contributions received or postmarked on or after January 1, 2020 will be considered as 2020 contributions.
Year-End Stock Contributions: By giving appreciated stock to the church for your pledge, you can receive a tax advantage. Please notify Lynise Clarke in the church financial office at the time you notify your broker with the name of your broker and the particular stock that is involved, the year (or years) in which to apply your gift, and/or whether any special funds are involved. Please allow 2-3 weeks for completion of stock transactions. For information, contact Lynise Clarke ( lclarke@fpcspartanburg.org / 208-2130).

Memorial Arrangements in the Sanctuary for February
There are Sundays available in February 2020 for flower memorial arrangements in the Sanctuary. For further information, contact LeAnne Thurmond ( leanne.thurmond@gmail.com / 864-621-0213).

Recommendations Needed for the Congregational Nominating Committee
The Congregational Nominating Committee is seeking a slate of nine members from the congregation to replace members who will rotate off the CNC on December 31, 2019. Members will serve for one year and will be charged with the nomination of Church officers.Please email your nomination(s) to Michael Pack ( mpack@dsdlegal.com).

MLK Day of Service and Poverty Simulation – Monday, January 20
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day has become an occasion to offer ourselves in service to humanity and our community. The United Way of the Piedmont has collected a variety of ways that you can serve in the community. See the list and sign up at https://uwpiedmont.galaxydigital.com/aem/general/event/?doc_id=5701.

The United Way will also be hosting a poverty simulation at our church. This event is open to the community. So spread the word! If you have participated in a poverty simulation like this, you know how powerful and eye-opening is can be, and we encourage you to invite your friends. If you have never been part of a poverty simulation, you won’t regret it! For more information or to sign up: https://uwpiedmont.galaxydigital.com/aem/general/need/?doc_id=5701&need_id=477057

They also need volunteers to help run the event. To volunteer, please contact Hannah Jarrett ( hannah.jarrett@uwpiedmont.org) at the United Way or the Piedmont.

Presbyterians for Earth Care
This past Fall our church began the process of obtaining the PC(USA) designation as an Earth Care Congregation. The goal of the program is to inspire churches to care for God’s earth in a holistic way, through integrating earth care into all aspects of church life. We have already been doing many of these things, but we can do so much more! In 2020 we will begin pursuing new ways that our church can integrate environmental practices and thinking into our congregational life including worship, education, facilities and outreach. If you know of a way in which you or someone else at FPC has been positively impacting the environment through a particular program or action please let us know by contacting Laura Henthorn ( laurab449@gmail.com). Together we can fulfill our mission as “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1).

LOOKING AHEAD
( Full Calendar)
December 22 – MorningSong Lessons & Carols
December 24 – Angel Tree Distribution
December 24 – Christmas Eve Services (4pm, 6pm, 11pm)
December 25-26 – Church Closed for Christmas
December 29 – One Worship Service (No Sunday School)
January 1 – Church Closed for New Years
January 8 – WAF Resumes
January 20 – MLK Day of Service & Poverty Simulation
January 20 – Church Closed for MLK Day
February 1-8 – Dominican Republic Mission Trip

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