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Weekly Update for September 18, 2020

Dear Siblings in Christ,

This Sunday, MorningSong resumes in the Family Life Center parking lot. We will also resume the weekly MorningSong livestream on the church website and Facebook. Due to technical limitations of our outdoor equipment, we will not be livestreaming MorningSong to YouTube at this time, but the Sanctuary service will continue to stream on the church website, Facebook, and YouTube.

The Fall Edition of First News is in the mail and online. In it you will find information about the pastoral transition and search process, a letter from our Temporary Interim Pastor (starting Oct. 1) Lewis Johnson, and lots of new things happening at the church, including the return to in-person worship in the Sanctuary, and the return of our mid-week programming (now split between Tuesday and Wednesday). So read it carefully and sign up for stuff on time! In order to control numbers, arrange for the increased amount of setup and allow contact tracing (if needed) most events, including worship, now require pre-registration, for the time being.

Craig Foster
Associate Pastor for Discipleship and Communications

Grief Support Group – Registration Deadline TODAY (Register)
There are a few spots left for the new Grief Support Group that began Monday, September 14 at 5:30 p.m. in the Cauble Garden. This group will be co-facilitated by an experienced counselor and our parish nurse and serves as an opportunity to strengthen individuals who have experienced the death of a loved one and to walk the journey of grief with others. Contact Joanie Shackleton at jshackleton@fpcspartanburg.org or 864-208-9132. After today, this will be a closed group.

Family Movie Night Featuring Sing! (DATE CHANGE)
Saturday, September 19 at 7:30 p.m. (Register Now)
Family Life Center Parking Lot
Grab a chair and some popcorn and join us in the FLC parking lot THIS SATURDAY for a Family Outdoor Movie Night featuring Sing! We will provide candy and bottled water.

THIS SUNDAY
8:45am MorningSong in the Family Life Center Parking Lot (Registration Closed)
10:00am Adult Sunday School (Join in)
10:00am Elementary Zoom SS
11:00am Sanctuary Worship Service ONLINE
5:00pm Middle School Youth Group (Register Now)
6:00pm High School Youth Group (Register Now)
7:00pm Drive-In Sing Along in the FLC Parking Lot

All services are livestreamed at www.fpcspartanburg.org/liveand on our Facebookpage. Bulletins, scripture readings, manuscripts, and video archives can also be found our website. Our Sanctuary service is also streamed on YouTube. However you join us, please sign the online guestbookand consider making your regular contributions online. Having trouble with the livestreams? Check out this information on the church website.

10:00 a.m. Adult Sunday School (Join in)
This week, Pastor Craig will lead us in exploring Colossians 3:1-17. All are welcome!

10:00 a.m. Elementary Sunday School on Zoom
Parents should have all received information about how to connect for Sunday School. If you did not receive an email, please contact Holly for information.

Sunday Night Youth Group – Beginning at 5:00 p.m. (Register Now)
Sunday Night Youth Group will be held this Sunday at the home of Bert an Katherine Barre. Pre-registration is required in order for us to plan safely and accordingly. Middle Schoolers will meet from 5:00-5:45 p.m. and High Schoolers from 6:00-6:45 p.m. Bring your bathing suit and towel, because e we will be swimming (weather permitting). Click the registration link for additional information!

7:00 p.m. Drive-In Sing Along
Join Holt and Marcia on Sunday for a Drive-In Sing Along at 7pm in the FLC Parking Lot! We will be singing family-friendly hymns and songs together in a fun, safe way. Park in every other space and sing out of your window or from your tailgate!

NEXT WEEK
Walking in the Family Life Center (For Members Age 65 and Older) (Register Now)
Members who are 65 or older in age can now reserve a spot to walk inside on the gym floor during select times Monday through Friday. Appointments must be made in advance and no more than four people will be in the gym during the half hour block. Appointments are first come, first served. Please register each individual in your walking party.

Tickled Pink – Begins Tuesday, September 22 (Register Now)
Outdoors Near the Family Life Center
Tickled Pink will resume on Tuesdays beginning September 22 at 9:30am! Ladies join Ansley and Susan for Real Hope for Here and Now: O Happy Day! The fall focus will be Biblical figures in a tight spot, facing challenges, or living the adventure of faith and how God helped them. "Pink Ladies" will meet outdoors near the Family Life Center, so bring a chair, mask, and Bible. Register online each week at www.fpcspartanburg.org. Registration will close Mondays at 11:00 am. If you have questions about registration, reach out to Shannon Hutcheson. For the Welcome Back Party on September 22, wear pink and comfy clothes. O happy day to be together again!

Christians in the Making Ladies’ Bible Study – Wednesdays in September
Christians in the Making (CITM) Ladies’ Bible Study will meet outside the Family Life Center each Wednesday in September at 10:00 a.m.

RSVP by Thursday for MorningSong Worship on September 27 (Register Now)
We will continue to worship in the FLC Parking Lot on Sunday, September 27 at 8:45am. Reservations are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Masks will be required for everyone age 6 and older. If we have to cancel, due to inclement weather, you will be contacted by email and/or cell on or before Saturday evening at 6:00pm. We will also post an update on our website and via social media. Due to logistics, reservations will close Thursdays at noon; and re-open for the next service no later than Monday.

Pulling Back the Curtain: The Technology Used in Worship (Join)
Thursdays through November 5 (5:30-6:00pm) on Zoom
Have you ever wondered about the technology that enables our worship services, both online and inside the worship spaces? In The Wizard of Oz, Toto pulled back the curtain and let everyone see what made the “Great and Powerful Oz” happen, and we want to do the same for you!

Sep. 17 – Intro to ProPresenter 7 (Recording coming soon)
Sep. 24 – Basic Video Switching (Changing between cameras & other video sources)
Oct. 1 – Livestreaming & Camera Control (Getting the right shots & getting it out to the world)
Oct. 8 – Basic Audio Mixing (Making sure everyone in the room & online can hear)
Oct. 15 – Making Changes in ProPresenter 7 (Editing & creating content)
Oct. 22 – Intermediate Video Switching (Managing audio, video routing & upstream keys)
Oct. 29 – Environmental Projection (Painting the wall in Fogartie with projected colors, textures, & images)
Nov. 5 – Controls, Lighting & the Little Mixers (What you need to know to run AV all by yourself)

Outdoor Movie Night Featuring Remember the Titans
Friday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. (Register Now)
Family Life Center Parking Lot
Grab a chair and some popcorn and join us in the FLC parking lot Friday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. for an Outdoor Movie Night featuring Remember the Titans. We will provide candy and bottled water.

Young Adults Hike – Saturday September 26 (10:00 a.m.)
Get outside and enjoy some fresh air on the Young Adults Hike Saturday, September 26 at 10:00 a.m. Email Pastor Leslie for details!

Outdoor Evening Vespers Service – Sunday, September 27 at 6:30 p.m. (Register Now)
You are invited to an Outdoor Evening Vespers service, Sunday, September 27, at 6:30 pm near the Family Life Center. Vespers is an evening prayer service. Ours will be simple and just 30 minutes. Hopefully, you will find a respite of joy, hope, and love with your church family – a holy close for the Sabbath and a good start for the week. Pre-registration is required by September 25 at 12:00 noon. Bring your own chair and mask. More details are on the registration form.

Weekly Community Zoom Times for Everyone!
See the full list online at: https://fpcspartanburg.org/events/weekly-zoom

Prayer Gathering with Joanne – Tuesdays at Noon (Join in)
Men’s Bible Study – Wednesdays at Noon (Join in)
Adult Sunday School – Sundays at 10am (Join in)

New to Zoom? Having Trouble? Need a Password?
The current password for most church events is “5834531” (which just happens to be the church phone number as well). Please visit www.fpcspartanburg.org/zoom for tips on how to get the most out of your Zoom gatherings.

SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
Donations for Hand in Hand
World Communion Sunday – October 4, 2020 (Drop off between 8:30am and 12:00pm)
The first Sunday in October is designated as World Communion Sunday, which celebrates our oneness in Christ with all our brothers and sisters around the world. Paul tells us that we are to “discern the body” when we partake of Holy Communion, mindful that we note our relationship to all our brothers and sisters in Christ in the celebration. One is not to go hungry while another is drunk! (I Cor. 11:21).

This year for World Communion Sunday, we will be taking donations to support Hand in Hand, a ministry that provides necessities to families and children in need throughout Spartanburg County. Hand in Hand collects donations and works in collaboration with Spartanburg County School District social workers and volunteers who help distribute essential items to identified families. By providing these necessities, Hand in Hand hopes to relieve daily concerns, improve self-esteem, and allow children to concentrate on their education.

Suggested donations are non-perishable food items, cleaning supplies, hygiene products, and paper products. Let’s “fill the trucks” with these items! Drop off your donations in the Family Life Center Upper Parking Lot from 8:30am-12:00pm Sunday, October 4.

Become a Mentor at Hope Center for Children
Hope Center for Children (HCFC) is looking for some new mentors for the children in their care! Mentors are paired with a single child and can take them off campus for activities. They are also able to stay in touch with the child as they grow into adulthood, beyond the time they spend at HCFC. Additionally, mentors commit to contacting their youth twice per month for as long as the youth remains in foster care. They must pass an extensive national background check, complete training, and submit monthly progress reports. While this reads as a big commitment, it is a positive life changing experience for both the mentor and mentee and is often critical to the future success of a child. For more information, please email pwright@hopecfc.org or check out ‘Life Support’ at https://fgi4kids.org/volunteer/. Mentor training takes place twice a year, and is coming up at the end of September!

2020 Census Deadline – Wednesday, September 30
To date, Spartanburg County has only a 63.5% self-response rate to the census, trailing our 2010 self-response rate of 66.3%.

Enumerators (census workers) are knocking on doors for the remainder of September. They will be wearing a badge and carrying bureau identification. If you do not want a census taker to show up at your door, please fill out the census online or by telephone at 844-330-2020!

The census is the critical data point used for economic development and municipal, state, and federal political representation for the next 10 years. A full count matters for the benefit of us all. The census will determine funding for more than 150 major programs, including public housing, WIC, Title I schools, and Community Development Block Grants. Every person missed equals $3,000 of funding missed/year. Over 10 years, that is $30,000 of community funding for every person missed. 100 people not counted equals $3,000,000 in community funding missed over 10 years.

Volunteer and Donate to the Spartanburg Opportunity Center
The Spartanburg Opportunity Center needs volunteers and donations! They continue to serve people on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings. For more information, visit www.fpcspartanburg.org/spop.

Other Opportunities in Ministry Finder

OTHER NEWS

Pastoral Counseling with Dr. Kirk H. Neely

Dr. Kirk Neely continues to provide pastoral counseling to the members of First Presbyterian Church by phone appointments only. To schedule, please contact Didi Terry at dterry@fpcspartanburg.org or (864) 583-4531. You may also email Dr. Neely directly at kirkhneely@fpcspartanburg.org.

Vaccination Clinic – October 6 & 7 (4:00-7:00 p.m.)

Save the dates for the Vaccination Clinic October 6 and 7 (4:00-7:00 p.m.). Available vaccines will be Influenza (regular and high dose), tDap, Pneumonia, and Shingles. Drive up stations will be set up at the Arthur Center. Pre-registration is required by October 5. Contact Beth Cecil at (864) 208-2136 or bcecil@fpcspartanburg.org.

“These Days” Daily Devotional

The October-December edition of “These Days” daily devotional is available. Click on this linkto fill out a form and we will mail you a copy.

“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 $3,413,887 in commitments, with just $184,068 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

LOOKING AHEAD

September 19 – Family Outdoor Movie Night (Register Now)

September 20 – Outdoor MorningSong Resumes (Register Now)

September 20 – Drive in Sing Along (More Information)

September 22 – Tickled Pink (Register Now)

September 25 – Outdoor Movie Night (Register Now)

September 26 – Young Adult Hike (Email Leslie for more information)

September 27 – Evening Vespers (Register Now)

October 4 – World Communion Sunday

October 6 – Tuesdays at First Begins

October 6&7 – Vaccination Clinic (More Information)

October 7 – Wednesdays at First Resumes

October 8 – ECHOES

October 18 – Sunday Tailgate (More Information)

October 25 – Kirkin’ o’ the Tartans

October 25 – Evening Vespers

August 13-15, 2021 – Women’s Connection at Montreat

More activities and events can be found in First News.