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Weekly Update for May 29, 2020

Dear Siblings in Christ,

This Sunday is Pentecost, and we will celebrate the birth of the Christian Church and the power of the Holy Spirit with ONE ONLINE service at 11am. This service will be a time to open ourselves to God’s creative new future. We invite you to wear red – even if you are still in your pajamas! And please send Caroline Goodman pictures of you and your family wearing red at cgoodman@fpcspartanburg.org so that we can share with others how you are celebrating this holy day.

In the “spirit” of trying something new, I encourage you to give the Facebook Live version of our livestream a try. You will find the same video that you see and hear on the website and YouTube, but with the added benefit of being able to see the names of those who are watching with you. You can even pass the peace right there in a Facebook comment. Several people have recently commented to me about how much they appreciate the sense of community that creates during the service. Facebook also allows you to Cast or AirPlay video to a bigger screen, or you can stick with what you are doing for the TV and just open the video in Facebook on your phone or tablet (with the volume all the way down) at the same time.

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

Church Closure Update
As we continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19, your officers have decided that we will not meet for in-person worship during the month of June. However, we will begin approving small gatherings of 10 or fewer people to be held under proper distancing and safe conditions (generally outdoor) as requests are made and the need is reasonable. Your staff is coming up with great ideas for these gatherings, and we will be sharing with you as the plans are finalized. We look forward to the day when we can once again meet for worship!

THIS SUNDAY
10:00am Adult Sunday School (Zoom)
11:00am ONE 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 and YouTube. Please sign the online guestbook when you join us for worship online 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 Sunday School (Join in)
This Sunday in the combined Adult Class via Zoom, the Rev. Craig Foster will lead us in exploring the Holy Spirit and John’s account of the gift of the Holy Spirit to Jesus’ disciples.

Children’s Sunday School with Holly – Sundays on YouTube
Holly Bannan will be recording the Sunday School lesson and time of worship for children each week and posting it to the church YouTube page. A link to this video is also being sent out to parents each week.

NEXT WEEK
Blood Connection and COVID-19 Antibody Testing
Donating blood is considered an “essential civic duty” during a pandemic, because blood donations are vital to all communities. The Blood Connection is scheduled to be at First Presbyterian Church Thursday, June 4th from 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Please contact Beth Cecil to schedule a time to donate (864-641-8772 or bcecil@fpcspartanburg.org). The Blood Connection will be following strict safety protocols for your protection during this blood drive. The Blood Connection is also now offering COVID-19 Antibody Testing at no cost to the donor. For more information, visit thebloodconnection.org/antibody-testing.

Weekly Community Zoom Times for Everyone!

Adult Sunday School – Sundays at 10am (Join in)
Prayer Gathering with Joanne – Tuesdays at Noon (Join in)
Bible Study on the Gospel of Mark with Tom – Wednesdays at 6pm (Join in)

Hangouts with Holly – Thursday
Starting at 1pm on Zoom (Email Holly for specific times and a link)
All children are invited to join Holly Bannan online for a time of fellowship and learning together.
1:00pm 3K, 4K, and 5K
1:30pm 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd Grade
2:00pm 4^th and 5^th Grade

Youth Group on Zoom – New Schedule!
All youth are invited to join Robert, Carrie, and your friends on Zoom throughout the week. More information, new schedule, and links have been sent to youth families. Please contact Robert or Carrie if you have any questions
Sundays at 4pm – Middle Schoolers
Sundays at 5pm – High Schoolers
Wednesdays at 4pm – Middle Schoolers
Thursdays at 4pm – High Schoolers

Prepare for Communion Sunday, June 7
If you wish to participate in Communion during Online Worship on Sunday, June 7, 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.

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
TOTAL Ministries Financial Assistance
TOTAL Ministries needs donations to help with their financial assistance program. They are doing financial assistance over the phone three days per week. Traci Kennedy, Executive Director of TOTAL Ministries, reports that 80% of the people they are serving are new or haven't needed assistance in a few years. Visit www.totalministries.org to donate.

May Happiness for the Residents of Charles Lea Center
The Charles Lea Center group homes/apartments has requested cards and letters for their residents. Any note of encouragement and love sent to them will be distributed equally to the residents. Send a note to brighten someone's day!

Send cards and letters to:
May Happiness
Charles Lea Center
195 Burdette St.
Spartanburg, SC 29302

Donate to Support Those in Crisis Locally
If you would like to help local families deal with the effects of COVID-19, consider giving to the United for All Fund. This fund is managed by United Way of the Piedmont to directly assist local community members affected in times of disaster or crisis. United Way has convened community partners in Spartanburg, Cherokee, and Union Counties to ensure families get the help they need. Funds will directly support families who have been financially affected by the pandemic with expenses like food, shelter, utility assistance, and healthcare.

Mobile Meals Volunteers Needed
Mobile Meals is still delivering meals to those who are home-bound in our community and is in need of healthy, non-at risk volunteers to help with routes. They have seen over 150 new volunteers over the past few months, but many are returning to work. If you would like to help in this way, please call Mobile Meals at 864-573-7684 and ask for Vivian or Paula.

Recent Opportunities in Ministry Finder

OTHER NEWS
Zoom Security and Privacy
We are closely monitoring the news reports about Zoom, but still believe that it is the right tool for the job. But we are using more of Zoom’s built-in privacy and security features. All newly-created events will now have a password. This password will be embedded in the link in this weekly email and in any other email invitation you get from the church. So still all you have to do is click the link to connect. However, any links shared publicly on the church website will not include the embedded password, and you will be prompted to enter a password of you click a link on the church website. For now, the password for all events is 583 4531 (the church phone number without area code or dashes). See www.fpcspartanburg.org/zoom for more information and tips on using Zoom.