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Weekly Update for March 22, 2019

This Sunday is Confirmation Sunday, and we will welcome this year’s Confirmation Class into full membership in the church during our 11am Worship Service.

We also are very excited to welcome the Rev. Leslie Ann Lang as our new Associate Pastor for Young Adults and Missions. Leslie will begin her ministry with us on April 1 and will be installed at 11am on Sunday, April 28. Read more about her in the News & Updates section of our website.

The Sanctuary Rededication service last Sunday was truly amazing. Thank you to all that made that happen, and if you missed it, check it out at www.fpcspartanburg.org/live .

Don’t forget that our Faith Summit of Child Poverty is coming up quickly on April 10-11. For more information and to register, visit www.fpcspartanburg.org/povertysummit .

Register by TODAY for the FPC Thornwell Luncheon – Tuesday, March 26
12-1pm in the Large Private Dining Room
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 .

THIS SUNDAY
8:45am MorningSong* in Fogartie Hall &
Chapel Worship Service
9:45am Sunday School for All Ages
11:00am Sanctuary* Worship Service
4:30pm Youth Speed Factory Go-Kart Trip

(* 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.)

A Reflection and Prayer for the Third 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 Third Sunday in Lent is Jesus’s parable of the fig tree. Please read Luke 13:1-9 and reflect on our baptismal promise to participate actively in worship and the mission of the church.

Prayer: Our loving and gracious Heavenly Father, we are thankful for the inspiring staff at First Presbyterian Church in Spartanburg. We pray for your guidance during this Lenten season as each of us strives to support the many opportunities for ministry that we are offered through our wonderful church. May we glorify you in service to others. Amen.

NEXT WEEK
Wednesdays at First – Wednesday, March 27
5pm in Fogartie Hall
Menu: Salad Bar, Baked Ham, Sweet Potato Soufflé, Green Beans, 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.

WAF – Reflections on My Sabbatical – Wednesday, March 27
6:30pm in the Sanctuary
Dr. Tom Evans will share thoughts and stories from his sabbatical (continued on April 3). Did you miss last week? Can’t make it next Wednesday? Check it out online .

CPR Class – Thursday March 28
12:45pm in the Arthur Center
A few 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.

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.

Habitat Volunteers Especially Needed Next Saturday, March 30
Next Saturday we need a big crew (at least 10) to help hang drywall in our Habitat house at 123 Salem St., near Duncan Park. There are morning (8:30-12:00) and afternoon (12:30-4:00) shifts, and you can come for either or both shifts. To sign up, see the schedule, or check out pictures of our progress, visit www.fpcspartanburg.org/habitat .

OTHER NEWS
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.

Chestnut Street Parking Safety Concern
Please make a point to remove ALL parked cars from the Chestnut Street parking spaces before 11:45am each weekday. Parked cars in the pick-up line create a dangerous situation both for children and motorists.

Church Directory – There's an App for That!
The ShelbyNext Membership App is available for both Apple and Android devices. Through this app you can search an always up-to-date membership directory, see the church calendar, modify your own information, contribute to the church's mission, view your contribution history, and print contribution statements. After you download and launch the app, enter "firstpres" for the domain and your username and password. To login, you must have a valid email address in our church database. For detailed information: www.fpcspartanburg.org/discover/member-login .

LOOKING AHEAD
March 24 – Confirmation Sunday
March 26 – Thornwell Luncheon at FPC
April 8 – SPIHN Informational Meeting
April 10-11 – Faith Summit on Childhood Poverty
April 14 – Palm Sunday
April 18 – Maundy Thursday
April 19 – Good Friday
April 21 – Easter Sunday
April 21-28 – SPIHN
April 22 – Church Facilities Closed
April 28 – Installation of the Rev. Leslie Lang (One Service at 11am)
May 19 – Baccalaureate Sunday
May 19 – Blood Drive
May 26 – Begin Summer Worship Schedule
May 27 – Church Facilities Closed
June 9 – Pentecost
June 9-13 – Vacation Bible School
June 24-27 – CAST Camp
June 29-July 5 – Youth Wyoming Mission Trip
July 4 – Church Facilities Closed
July 8-11 – CAST Camp
July 12-27 – Montreat Youth Conference
July 28-August 4 – SPIHN
August 5-8 – CAST Camp
Sept. 20-22 – Church Retreat at Montreat

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