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Weekly Update for July 31, 2020

Dear Friends in Christ,

By now all of you know the sad news that Pastor Tom Evans is leaving in mid-September to accept the call as pastor of the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. Though we are sad to see him go, we all wish him well as he follows God’s call to serve in a new place of ministry.

I hope you will join me in praying for Tom and Wendy as they make this move and give thanks for their time among us. We appreciate Tom’s steady and creative leadership, thoughtful preaching, excellent teaching, thorough administration, kind pastoral care and his friendship. We will have some unique opportunities to say good-bye to our pastor and friend as the departure date nears.

Plans are being made through the Personnel Committee of the Session for leadership during this transitional time. These plans will be announced as soon as they are finalized. Please continue to pray for our church as we seek the right leadership for the coming years of ministry!

Also this week, the Session concurred with the decision of the Weekday School board to open in August with strict measures in place to keep the children and staff safe.

Further, plans are in the works to provide some in-person outdoor worship experiences with limited numbers according to the CDC/DHEC guidelines. The process of reopening is slow, and we must continue to be very patient and cautious, but one day we will be back together! I long for that day as do many of you and what a day that will be!

In the meantime, check out below what’s happening this week at FPC! Join in!!!

Blessings,
Pastor Joanne
Associate Pastor for Congregational Care and Deacons

Prepare for Communion This Sunday
If you wish to participate in Communion during Online Worship this Sunday, we ask that you prepare your own elements ahead of time (crackers, a slice of bread, or any type of bread you might have on hand) and a sip of grape juice or wine. You can partake, as directed, during the service, so that even while we are apart, we can enjoy this transcendent, yet very earthly, “communion” together.

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.

10:00am Adult Sunday School (Join in)
This Sunday in the combined Adult Class via Zoom, Dr. Kyle Keefer will wrap up a 2-week study on "Extended Community: Paul's Personal Ties to the Churches of the New Testament." By looking at some of the personal ties that Paul maintained with the churches he helped to start, perhaps we can glean something of what it means to maintain our personal connections as a church amid our own time of forced separation. All are welcome!

MOVING FORWARD
The Pastors, Staff, and Session of First Presbyterian Church have been praying for and seeking guidance on how to best move forward with in-person worship, fellowship, and other activities. To quote Jon Bon Jovi’s new song, “When you can’t do what you do, you do what you can.”

We haven’t been able to do what we do, that is worship and fellowship with our members and guests on our church grounds, since March. However, we are very excited that we can share some of the plans that lie ahead.

The beloved Weekday School will return to their regular half-day schedule on Monday, August 24 using a detailed plan and set of guidelines developed by the WDS staff and Board. These guidelines follow the strict safety protocols set by the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

At a later date, we will also open the track in the Family Life Center for older adults to enjoy some exercise. There will be more details to come regarding available dates and time for reservations.

Finally, we very much look forward to returning to in-person worship and fellowship. In the coming weeks, First Presbyterian will offer outdoor worship, which will model the recent Baccalaureate service held by the Youth Ministry. Chairs will be set up in family circles with proper distancing, and there will be assigned seating. Masks will also be expected, and we will release additional details very soon.

While services and events will be different types of gatherings than we are used to, we are moving forward with the second part of Bon Jovi’s line…we are doing what we can! Please join us in praying for our church, city, state, and nation as we move forward.

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)

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
SPIHN
First Presbyterian has been the host church for SPIHN families this week. While we are not able to accommodate families in the church, we have provided funding for hotel rooms and meals, thanks to your generosity.

It isn’t too late to contribute to our SPIHN week, please donate through the FPC website or to SPIHN directly. Grocery gift cards are also welcomed and may dropped off at the SPIHN Day Center (899 S. Pine Street) on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday afternoons.

Access Health Need for Books
Access Health is in need of books for all ages in the Russian language for their Little Lending Library. If you have books to donate or know of someone who would, please contact Jill Dugaw at jdugaw@srhs.com.

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
Young Adult Game Night – August 10 at 8pm
Young adults, mark your calendars for game night Monday, August 10 at 8pm via Zoom. Christina and John Sarris will facilitate this fun night! You will need two devices (computer, tablet, phone, etc.) – one for Zoom and the other for the games. Leslie will send out a link closer to the event date. We hope you will join in on the fun!

“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

Unsubscribing
If you wish to be removed from the mailing list for this weekly email, please simply email Caroline Goodman (cgoodman@fpcspartanburg.org) to make that request. The link below will unsubscribe you from ALL group emails from the church, including many occasional emails you might want to receive!