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Weekly Update for February 15, 2019

This Sunday there is a Men’s Breakfast and a Blood Drive. Both of these are important opportunities you won’t want to miss. See below for more information.

Also note that our church has begun to build a new Habitat House in the Duncan Park area. Come be a part of the wall raising on Thursday and look in the Service Opportunities section below for information on how to get involved!

THIS SUNDAY
7:30am Men’s Breakfast (Social Hall)
Blood Drive Begins
8:45am MorningSong* in Fogartie Hall &
Chapel Worship Service
9:45am Sunday School for All Ages
11:00am Sanctuary* Worship Service
5:00pm Mid High Youth
6:00pm Combined Youth
6:30om Sr. High Youth

(* 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
7:30am in the Social Hall
FPC Men: Bring your fathers, sons, and friends to the Men's Breakfast at 7:30am on Sunday, February 17 in the Social Hall. Dr. Lee Close will be leading the program: "Opportunities for Service." A delicious breakfast will be prepared by Dick Mahon and crew! No cost; donations accepted.

Blood Drive
7:30am-12:30pm
Check-in in the gym
First Presbyterian is one of a seven churches in our community participating in this event. More than 400 units of blood are needed daily to meet the demand in our area. For every donation made at our blood drive, The Blood Connection will donate $20 to our church . Last year, we received $1,490 for the blood donated, by our members, to benefit the lives of others. Contact Beth Cecil to schedule an appointment time .

“Pop-up” First Steps in Faith Sunday School class for 2-year-olds and their parents
Sundays at 9:45am in Room C104
February 17 & 24; March 3 & 10
If you have a child who has turned two but is not yet in the 3-year-old Sunday school class, you may be interested in a short-term class to help you introduce your toddler to concepts like love, faith, and God in a way that is easy for them to understand. Parents and children will meet together at 9:45 in room C104, with the lesson from 10:00 to 10:30, to have fun with a specially selected Bible story. This class will meet on the following Sundays: February 17, February 24, March 3, and March 10. You must register prior to attending by following this link and giving your name: https://www.shelbygiving.com/f/f2?formid=2bfa8e3a-7e59-40db-b71d-ca5cdb2392b2

NEXT WEEK
Sanctuary Guild Meeting – Monday, February 18
11am* in the Purnell Room
(please note the change in time!)
The Sanctuary Guild will be meeting on Monday to plan for Lent and Easter. They would love to have you join them. The meeting will be held in the Purnell Room at 11:00am (please note the time change).

Wednesdays at First
5pm in Fogartie Hall
Join your church family for Wednesdays at First! No reservations are necessary, but if you wish to pre-pay online, you may do so at: fpcspartanburg.org/waf.

Witness Season Programs
Wednesday, February 20 at 6:30pm (Sanctuary)
Sunday, February 24 at 10am (Fogartie Hall)
The month of February marks Witness Season at First Presbyterian Church. This year, our church's goal is to raise $25,000 to support Presbyterian Disaster Assistance. This emergency and refugee program of the PCUSA provides long-term recovery support to communities across the globe that have been adversely affected by crises and catastrophic events. PDA continues to respond close to home, in communities in the Carolinas impacted by flooding from Hurricane Florence. Please make plans to attend WAF programming on Wednesday February 20 and a combined Sunday school class in Fogartie on Sunday, February 24 to hear Rick Turner, a long-time volunteer for PDA national disaster response, speak about the organization's work at home and abroad. For more info or to give online: www.fpcspartanburg.org/events/witness-season-2019

FPC Habitat House Wall-Raising Celebration – Thursday, February 21
8:30am at 123 Salem Street (off Lucerne Drive in Duncan Park.)
Come see and celebrate the progress already made at our new Habitat for Humanity build as we start to raise the walls! See below for information on how to volunteer. Work is already underway!

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
Find these and more 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.

Help at New First Presbyterian Habitat House – HAPPENING NOW!
We are excited to announce construction of another First Presbyterian Church Habitat Home. This home is being built at the corner of Salem and Maxton Streets in the Maxwell Hills/Duncan Park neighborhood. Faithful members of First Presbyterian have been leaders in volunteer construction during many of the early years and essentially fully built several Habitat homes. To volunteer, email carrie.vaughn@habitatspartanburg.org and note that you’d like to help build the FPC house. For a schedule of jobs see: https://www.fpcspartanburg.org/serve/local-missions/habitat-for-humanity-of-spartanburg

OTHER NEWS
NEW Sunday School Class
LiFT - (mid)Life in Fellowship Together
10:00-10:30am in Room 2212
This new class is made up of those in the center of their lives with older children in and out of the house. Each week will be a stand-alone, Bible-based study from 10-10:30. Join us to find a lift for your spirit and deepen your connection to Christ. Come early at 9:45 for delicious coffee and extra connection!

Youth Century Club
In 2019, the youth ministry looks to take its next big leap forward. 2019 is the first year of what we are calling the “Century Club”. Every person, children to adults, wants to be part of something greater and to find their place. Joining the “club” is one way that the youth ministry and the church family can participate in intergenerational ministry. The Century Club is our inaugural and ONLY fundraiser for the year. Our goal is to have members of the congregation invest $100 a year into the youth ministry. Mark Ashby will be talking about the Century Club in all services this Sunday and there will be an envelope in the bulletin for joining the club.

Youth Spring Beach Retreat “Eyes Above the Waves” – March 15-17
Garden City Chapel, Murrells Inlet, SC
for 6^th-12^th Graders
Sign up by March 1
Youth, join your fellow 6^th-12^th graders for an amazing weekend at the beach. The featured speaker will be Chip Herring with music leadership by Danny Nue. The cost is $165, and registration is due by March 1. Chaperones are needed to make this happen. So please let Mark know if you can help! To sign up, visit: https://www.shelbygiving.com/f/f2?formid=9b7cf2f3-bde4-4154-ae87-a6b7b49ad697

Sanctuary Rededication – Sunday, March 17
On Sunday, March 17, we will rededicate our Sanctuary at a very special worship service at 4:00pm. Dr. Tom Evans will deliver the message, with festive music featuring the Chancel Choir, Chamber Singers, Children’s Choirs, brass octet, and percussion. A time of fellowship will follow the service.

FPC Thornwell Luncheon – Tuesday, March 26
Join us on Tuesday, March 26^th at noon for lunch in Fogartie Hall’s large private dining room. Thornwell’s president and three staff members will share a variety of programs offered. They will highlight ways Thornwell provides services to Spartanburg County families and children. The 12-1 PM luncheon is sponsored by FPC members, but you must make reservations. To register: https://www.fpcspartanburg.org/events/thornwell-luncheon .

CPR Class – Thursday March 28
An American Red Cross Heart Saver CPR class is scheduled to be taught on Thursday, March 28, 2019 in the Arthur Center. If you are interested in taking this class, please contact Beth Cecil ( bcecil@fpcspartanburg.org / 804-208-2136) to register. Enrollment is limited. The cost is $25.

In an emergency would you know where to find an AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) or First Aid Kit?

AEDs are located in the following places around the church

In the Narthex
In Office under staff mailboxes
Weekday School outside Moira’s office
Fogartie Hall outside of the gym
Second floor of the main building near elevator
William L. Arthur Center

First Aid Kits are located:

In the Welcome Center (Didi’s office)
In the Nurse’s office
At the Activity Desk in the FLC
In the Kitchen
In the Weekday School
In every children’s Sunday School Class

Vacation Bible School
Mark your calendar now for June 9-13 so that you can be part of this year’s Vacation Bible School. We’ll kick off the week for the children during a special Children’s Worship session (for all ages rising 5K to rising 6 ^th grade) on Sunday, June 9, and continue the fun with our first Summer Sizzle after the service. Want to volunteer? Contact Cesily King ( cking@fpcspartanburg.org ) or one of the leaders, Leigh Anne Langley, Jennifer Hoy, or Molly Jones. We hope you’ll join us as we deepen our faith in God and have fun while we do it!

APNC Needs YOUR Input
The APNC would like your help to find an Associate Pastor of Young Adults and Mission. Through your own connections, many of you know potential candidates. Please give one of our Committee members the name and contact information and we will follow up. APNC: Mac White, Chair, Cathy Bagwell, Andrew Darr, Kellie Foster, Laura Stille, Alan Workman, Hannah Zimmerman. You may send information to APNC Chair Mac White or contact any committee member via the ShelbyNext Portal ( https://www.fpcspartanburg.org/discover/member-login ).

Search for Director of Children's Ministries
The DCM search team need your help to find our next Director of Children’s Ministries! The very best candidates are often already linked in some way to the congregation they will serve. So please talk to a few people you know, or email them, and let them know FPC is looking for a full-time Director of Children’s Ministries. Or give one of our search team members the name and contact information and we will follow up! People can find the full job description at www.fpcspartanburg.org/dcm. Resumes and cover letters may be sent to Sara Bailey at sara.bailey@ministryarchitects.com . DCM Search Team: Tim Camp, Celia Cogdell, Craig Foster, Anne-Marie Glover, Callie Hammett, Arthur Jones, Cesily King, Emily Neely (chair).

LOOKING AHEAD
February 17 – Men’s Breakfast
February 17 – Blood Drive
February 24 – Witness Season Sunday
February 27 – Healing and Wholeness Service
March 6 – Ash Wednesday
March 17 – Sanctuary Re-Dedication
March 24 – Confirmation Sunday
April 10-11 – Poverty Summit
April 14 – Palm Sunday
April 18 – Maundy Thursday
April 19 – Good Friday
April 21 – Easter Sunday

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