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Weekly Update for March 15, 2019

This is a very special Sunday as we as a congregation vote on whether to extend a call to be our Associate Pastor for Young Adults and Missions, our Confirmands meet with the Session to be examined and received into full membership in the church, and at 4pm on Sunday we rededicate our Sanctuary. This will indeed be a momentous day in the life of our congregation!

THIS SUNDAY
8:45am MorningSong* in Fogartie Hall &
Chapel Worship Service
9:45am Sunday School for All Ages
11:00am Sanctuary* Worship Service
Noon Congregational Meeting & Confirmation Luncheon
4:00pm Sanctuary Rededication *
6:00pm Youth Fellowship

(* 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.)

Congregational Meeting
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
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.

A Reflection and Prayer for the Second Week in Lent
from our congregation’s Prayer Committee
This year the Prayer Committee invites you to join us in a lectionary reading and prayer each week during Lent as we prepare our hearts and souls for Easter and reflect on our baptismal commitment.

Reading: The lectionary reading for the Second Sunday in Lent is Luke’s account of Jesus’s longing to draw us to himself. Please read Luke 13:31-35 and contemplate our vow to rely on God’s grace.

Prayer: Ever-gracious God, for your bountiful grace, we give thanks. Grant us wisdom to realize we are surrounded by your love. We witness ultimate grace in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. During Lent, open our hearts to renewal and your amazing grace. Let us remember that our Lord desires to shelter us in his grace, mercy, and great love, as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wing. Amen.

NEXT WEEK
Wednesdays at First – Wednesday, March 20
5pm in Fogartie Hall
Menu: Salad Bar, Roast Pork w/Jezebel Sauce, Fried Apples, Green Bean Casserole, 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.

Children’s Choir Program “There is Music in the Air”– Wednesday, March 20
6:30pm in the Social Hall
Our Children’s Choirs will present "There is Music in the Air" at 6:30pm in the Social Hall. The program will include lots of music the children have worked on over this school year. Please join us for this special evening and support our young singers - and feel free to invite extended family and friends! We will follow it up with an Ice Cream Sundae Party for all!

FPC Thornwell Luncheon – Tuesday, March 26
12-1pm in the Large Private Dining Room
Make Your Reservations by Friday!
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 .

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 Build the First Presbyterian Habitat House – HAPPENING NOW!
Work is progressing well on our Habitat House. This home is being built at the corner of Salem and Maxton Streets in the Maxwell Hills/Duncan Park neighborhood. For a schedule of work and information about how to volunteer, visit www.fpcspartanburg.org/habitat .

OTHER NEWS
CPR Class – Thursday March 28
12:45am in the Arthur Center
Three reservations are left for the upcoming American Red Cross Heart Saver CPR class. If you are interested in taking this class, please contact Beth Cecil ( bcecil@fpcspartanburg.org / 864-208-2136) to register. Enrollment is limited. The cost is $25.

SPIHN Informational Meeting – Monday, April 8
5:30-7pm in the Arthur Center
SPIHN is holding a casual information meeting for any potential volunteer and current volunteers. The Director of SPIHN, Beth Rutherford, will update us with what volunteers should expect, a little more info on our families, the direction SPIHN is taking and a time for Q&A. Refreshments will be served. Please RSVP at http://bit.ly/2NKxUr0. If you have any questions, please email Crystal Workman at workman06@charter.net.

Faith Summit on Child Poverty – April 10-11
Recently the Racial Equity Index has exposed deep ills within our town on the topic of poverty. To create sustainable change in Spartanburg will require us to open our hearts to people all across our community. In partnership with the Spartanburg County Foundation. we are hosting a Faith Summit on Child Poverty to discuss these issues. Please join us for worship and an interactive kick-off workshop on Wednesday evening, April 10 from 6:00pm to 8:30pm and then a day of speakers, relationship-building, and table discussions on Thursday, April 11 from 8:30am to 3:30 pm. Questions? Contact Joy Jones ( jjones@fpcspartanburg.org / 864-583-4531).For more information or to register, please go to www.fpcspartanburg.org/povertysummit .

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 4K 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!

Other Lenten Devotional Resources
Here are some great devotional resources available online (some with print options and email delivery):

· Presbyterians for Earth Care is an independent organization serving members and congregations within the Presbyterian Church (USA). They have pulled together some great writers to produce a weekly devotional resource with Bible readings, reflections, and prayers for the season of Lent.

d365.org is a year-round daily online devotion that is a collaboration of the youth ministries offices of the Presbyterian Church (USA), The Episcopal Church, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Though designed with students in mind, they speak to people of all ages. Mobile apps are also available for Apple and Android .
Upper Room is a publishing branch of the United Methodist Church, and the daily devotions they produce come from different writers around the world each day, and the devotional is published in 33 languages and 100 countries around the world. Each day’s devotion can be read online for free, and inexpensive subscriptions add email or print delivery.
Our Daily Bread is another very popular year-round daily devotional published in 58 languages and 150 countries. The online edition is free and includes a well-produced audio version. Print editions , email delivery , and mobile apps are also available, and .devotions are also posted toFacebook and Instagram.

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 17 – Congregational Meeting
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