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Weekly Update for March 1, 2019

This Sunday we welcome Dr. Tom Evans back from sabbatical as we celebrate Transfiguration Sunday. Tom will be preaching in MorningSong and the Sanctuary service and Joanne will be preaching in the Chapel. This Sunday is also a communion Sunday as well as Hunger Relief Sunday. So be sure to bring some food to share! Finally, this Sunday we have our monthly fellowship time in the Perrin Room.

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. Join us for worship Wednesday evening as we mark the beginning of the Lenten season.

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 TODAY, 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

THIS SUNDAY
8:45am MorningSong* in Fogartie Hall &
Chapel Worship Service
9:45am Sunday School for All Ages
10:30am Monthly Fellowship in the Perrin Room
11:00am Sanctuary* Worship Service
5:00pm Mid High Youth
6:00pm Combined Youth
6:30pm 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.)

Monthly Fellowship
10:30am in the Perrin Room
This Sunday, we will have our monthly fellowship time. Meet in The Perrin Room at 10:30am for doughnuts, coffee, and fellowship with your church family. Parents, please pick up your children from Sunday School by 10:30 so that everyone, including teachers, can enjoy the fellowship time together.

Hunger Relief Sunday
This Sunday, please bring canned goods and loose change to Worship to benefit Total Ministries of Spartanburg. As we celebrate Communion together, let us serve others through our gifts for hunger relief. Containers are located at the entrances to the Sanctuary and Fogartie Hall. All nonperishable food items are welcomed! Some suggestions: cereal, oatmeal, grits, pasta, and pasta sauce.

“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
Wednesdays at First
5pm in Fogartie Hall
Menu: Salad Bar, Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes, Peas w/Pearl Onions, Bread, Dessert
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.

Ash Wednesday Worship Service
6:30pm in the Sanctuary
Mark the beginning of the Lenten season with this family-friendly worship service that will include the imposition of ashes and feature special guests, the Maryville College Concert Choir. (Nursery provided.)

Cold Showers in the FLC Next Thursday and Friday – March 7-8
Due to work on the hot water heater in the Family Life Center next week, there will be no hot water in that building next Thursday and Friday. Cold water will still run during that period.

Lent Devotions
This year’s Lent devotional series is published by the Presbyterian Outlook and features reflections and prayers from its editor, Jill Duffield. Look for weekly leaflets to be attached to the weekly email starting next week. There will also be hard copies at the church each week that you may take home with you. Devotions start next Sunday, the First Sunday of Lent.

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.

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: www.fpcspartanburg.org/habitat

OTHER NEWS
Witness Season Update
This year, our Witness Season project was Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA). Our goal this year was to raise $25,000 to assist our brothers and sisters in Christ who have been affected by the flooding in North and South Carolina. So far, we have collected $17,580.26. You may still give to help us reach our goal. For more info or to give online: www.fpcspartanburg.org/events/witness-season-2019

Youth Century Club
Th Century Club is an above and beyond “investment” into our youth program. We ask members to invest $100 annually to the program - $1.92 a week. The money that is raised is placed in a designated account for community needs, mission trips, scholarships, and service opportunities. Give online through the church website: https://www.shelbygiving.com/g3/ .

Joy Fellowship Outing – Wednesday, March 13
Meet at 10:45am in the FLC parking lot
Join the JOY Fellowship at the Spartanburg Public Library for A Presentation on the Art Work of James Walker “The Battle of Gettysburg”, to be followed by “Music Sandwiched In” with music by Laurel and the Ladds. The presentation begins at 11am, but we will meet at the church at 10:45 to go there together on a church bus. All attending need to bring money to purchase lunch at the library.

Congregational Meeting – March 17
The Session has called a Congregational Meeting for Sunday, March 17, immediately following the 11:00 worship service to hear and act upon a recommendation from the Associate Pastor Nominating Committee to call an Associate Pastor for Young Adults and Missions and to approve the terms of call.

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 by Friday, March 22. 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.

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 Molly Jones at mollyjones01@gmail.com or text her at 843-412-1022. We hope you’ll join us as we deepen our faith in God and have fun while we do it!

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
March 6 – Ash Wednesday
March 17 – Sanctuary Re-Dedication
March 24 – Confirmation Sunday
March 26 – Thornwell Luncheon at FPC
April 10-11 – Faith Summit on Childhood Poverty
April 14 – Palm Sunday
April 18 – Maundy Thursday
April 19 – Good Friday
April 21 – Easter Sunday
June 9 – Pentecost
June 9-13 – Vacation Bible School

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