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Weekly Update for July 17, 2020

Dear Siblings in Christ,

Our prayers continue to go with all those affected by this dreadful pandemic and with those seeking to help them. We especially pray for those in our government and in our school districts and schools making difficult decisions and complex plans right now. And though it has largely faded from the headlines, we continue to pray and work for greater racial equity in our city, and for the children who are growing up in poverty. May God grant us the wisdom and compassion to do all that we can to protect and promote the welfare of the most vulnerable members of God’s great family who struggle in hope for things we so often take for granted!

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

THIS SUNDAY
8:45am MorningSong ONLINE
10:00am Adult Sunday School (Zoom)
10:00am Children’s Sunday School
11:00am Sanctuary Worship Service ONLINE

All services will be livestreamed at www.fpcspartanburg.org/live and on our Facebook page. We encourage you to join us on Facebook, comment during the live worship service, and help build community. Bulletins, scripture readings, manuscripts, and video archives can also be found our website. Our worship livestreams also appear on YouTube. However you join us, please sign the online guestbook and consider making your regular contributions online. Have you been having trouble with the livestreams? Check out this information on the church website.

NEXT WEEK
Weekly Community Zoom Times for Everyone!
See the full list online at: https://fpcspartanburg.org/events/weekly-zoom

Middle School Zoom – Sundays and Wednesdays at 4pm (Email Robert or Carrie for the link)
Prayer Gathering with Joanne – Tuesdays at Noon (Join in)
Men’s Bible Study – Wednesdays at Noon (Join in)
College Students – Wednesdays at 8pm (Join in)
Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark with Tom – Wednesdays at 6pm (Join in)
Summer Hangouts with Holly – Thursdays starting at 1pm (Email Holly for links)
- 1:00pm Rising 3K, 4K, 5K, and 1^st Graders
1:30pm Rising 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th Graders
High School Zoom – Thursdays at 4pm (Email Robert or Carrie for the link)

Young Adult Book Discussion – Continuing July 20
The Young Adults will be doing a book discussion on Tattoos on the Heart, by Gregory Boyle, throughout July! The book is available on Amazon to purchase, and if you would like financial assistance, the church can cover the cost of the book. They are meeting Sunday and Monday evenings (alternating weeks) at 8:00pm via Zoom through July 26. Please join in even if you haven’t read the book. See the church website for more information.

Kirkin' Tartan Orders Due Friday, July 24 (Order a Tartan)
First Presbyterian Church will hold its annual Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans Worship Service on Sunday, October 25. At our Kirkin’ service, we remember ancient times, as well as past and present kith and kin, while asking God’s help and blessings in the future through special music and a procession of bagpipes and tartans. If you would like to purchase a Tartan, the cost of a banner is $135, and we need your payment no later than Friday, July 24. If you have any questions or wish to confirm which tartans have already been purchased, contact Lynise Clarke.

New to Zoom? Having Trouble? Need a Password?
Visit www.fpcspartanburg.org/zoom for tips on how to get the most out of your Zoom gatherings. Please note that if you use any of the links in this email you will not need to input a password. If you use a link on the church website or social media you will need a password. The current password for most church events is “5834531” (which just happens to be the church phone number as well).

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
United Way School Supply Drive
United Way of the Piedmont is collecting school supplies for children in all seven Spartanburg school districts. Volunteers will pack “Ready-to-Learn” backpacks with donated supplies. First Pres has created a virtual team, and you can contribute! If you would like to donate funds to purchase supplies, you may do so through this website.

Free Food Pantry – New Way to Give!
Thank you to all who have helped to fill the Free Food Pantry, located beside The Arthur Center, during this time of uncertainty. Your donations are being used by people who need them. The Free Food Pantry is now accepting monetary donations.

Anyone who would like to donate may do so by making a check payable to Spartanburg Day School. In the memo line please write "Food Pantry."

The address of the business office is:

Spartanburg Day School
Attention: Lori Tolbert, Controller
1701 Skylyn Drive
Spartanburg, SC 29307

Hand in Hand – Now Accepting Monetary Donations!
After recently learning the shocking statistics regarding the homelessness of many school children and their families in areas near to us and witnessing the extreme poverty in which they live, Melissa France has started a ministry called Hand in Hand. This is a food and basic supply resource for families in need. She collects donations of the items listed below and works with Spartanburg County school social workers who identify where the supplies are needed and distribute them. A list of items to donate and drop off locations can be found in Ministry Finder. If you would like to make a monetary donation, please write a check to Hand in Hand.

Recent Opportunities in Ministry Finder

OTHER NEWS
“The Time Has Come” Campaign Pledges Due
All First Presbyterian members are reminded that our commitments to the “The Time Has Come” Campaign (2017-20) are due; the campaign period officially ends as of August 31, but in the current circumstances, payments through December 31, 2020 are considered “on time.” Thanks to everyone who has participated; we received $3,360,101 in commitments, with just $237,854 outstanding to date! All of the church’s prior debt has already been paid off but for $132,000, which will be paid off shortly after the payment period ends. Clearing these commitments will also enable the church to purchase a badly needed new HVAC chiller for $100,000.

Thanks to the generosity of our members in this campaign, magnificent renovations were made to our historic sanctuary space; the courtyard was significantly enhanced and outstanding new reception/gathering space was created; the MorningSong stage was completely replaced; and major sound, lighting and technical improvements were added throughout our worship spaces, making possible the meaningful worship opportunities we are enjoying online today (and probably never anticipated).

We hope to report an outstanding campaign commitment balance of “$0” soon!
Cathy Bagwell and David Beacham, The Time Has Come Campaign co-chairs

Fraudulent Emails and Genuine Text Messages!
Several of you have reported getting fraudulent emails that supposedly came from our own Caroline Goodman. These messages had no message but had a file attached. These did not come from Caroline or from our mail system at all. Please note that messages with minimal or cryptic message bodies and unexpected attachments are almost always fake and the attachments are usually dangerous. Remember to always make sure your antivirus software is up-to-date and be cautious of email attachments that you are not expecting.

Unfortunately, junk messages are now also being sent by text message to our phones. But there’s one number that will NOT send you junk! Put 864-568-0394 into your phone contact list as something like “FPC Text Messages” so that you can be confident if a text message comes in from that number, it is genuinely from FPC. The church uses large group text messaging very sparingly only to get the most timely and important updates and reminders to you.

These Days Daily Devotional Still Available
The July-September edition of 'These Days' daily devotional is now available. Please note we have a limited amount. Click on this link to fill out a form and we will mail you a copy.