A Note from Pastor Lana
To the members & friends of First Presbyterian Church of Glen Cove:

Spring has arrived and our Lenten journey is almost over. I am so proud of our church and how we are stretching ourselves into an ever-deepening faith.

First, we saw eight new people show up for our Ashes to Go. It was a beautiful opportunity to connect with new faces and offer a blessing to them. Then, we started our "Spiritual Practices for the Lenten Journey" series on Thursday nights. We've explored meditation & silence, journaling, singing bowls, and Taizé singing (we've got one more tomorrow night!). We also saw many from our community show up for singing bowls (8 more folks who had never come to our church) and express hope that we would do it again, so stay tuned for more.

Third, thanks to our Clerk of Session, Jonathan Parsons, and Office Manager, Lucas Saucedo, we are getting to experience Sundays on a new level. If you missed the past few Sundays, let me tell you that you'll want to see what they're up to! They are improving our online experience, helping us connect with choirs from other churches, giving us some captions for our sermons, and more.

Finally, I have to tell you that our Strategic Planning Task Force is blowing me out of the water. While they have spent much time gathering data about our church building, they have also spent time reviewing the data from our Visioning Process last summer, AND they are getting really clear on our mission, vision, and values as a church. They're working hard to put together a strategic plan to present to Session and the whole congregation, so stay tuned.

Resurrection is upon us, and we're seeing new life in so many ways. It's possible because of all the seeds you have planted so patiently and diligently. Thank you all for the love, care, and prayers you give to our church community.

Continued blessings to you as we prepare for the Easter season!


Peace,
Pastor Lana (she/her)


P.S. If you're looking for more opportunities to learn and grow, check out these two opportunities:
  • 9 AM Seekers' Hour in the Parish Hall on Sundays
  • Glenwood Table Podcast here
Upcoming Events & News
Good Friday & Easter Events

(...Can you believe it's already almost here?)

· Friday, April 15th at 7:30 PM: Good Friday Tenebrae Service featuring Cellist Josh Epstein. We will come together to mark the day of Jesus' arrest and murder. We will end in darkness.
 
· Sunday, April 17th: Two opportunities to celebrate EASTER(!). We will be joining fellow churches in the area at 7 AM for a sunrise service at Morgan Memorial Park, and we will have our church's worship service at 10 AM. The 10 AM service will feature Organist Tori Iannacchino.
Spiritual Practices for the Lenten Journey:
Lectio Divina
This Thursday at 6:30 PM

Lana and Emmie have had so much fun inviting people to experience spiritual practices that may not be part of their regular routine. Our last session of "Spiritual Practices for the Lenten Journey" is this Thursday, April 7th at 6:30 PM and it focuses on the practice of Lectio Divina ("divine reading"). We'll be meeting in the parish hall to explore an ancient way of hearing God's word anew in Scripture. If Zoom will be your parish hall that night, you can click here to join us virtually.
New Logo!

We are thrilled to have a new image that represents such a key piece of who we are as a church community and how we seek to celebrate and love one another.
Congregational Meeting:
Still TBD

Soon, we will choose a date for which we will gather in person and on Zoom to get reports from our different committees and continue to explore how and where the church wants to keep growing as a community of faith.

Summer Camp Opportunity for High School-Aged
Queer Christians

You may have a young person coming to mind just based on that title. Check out the website for Holmes Camp & Retreat Center to learn more about a weeklong "camp for teens to affirm their inner self and recognize their queer nature as the gift it is."
Communication
Manager's Report

Over the year I've been here, Lana and I have brainstormed many ways to make our social media pages into information hubs that share who we are and show people that they can belong here.

About two months ago, we began working with John Fong, an advisor from the Synod who helps revitalize small churches. He has helped us to engage more with our target audiences and to encourage each of you to become "micro-influencers" who share about our church and its events with friends. We had a 1000% increase in traffic on our church's Facebook page in February-March, and multiple people who were new to the church came to "Ashes to Go" and "Spiritual Practices for the Lenten Journey" sessions.

FPC's pages have been focusing on LGBTQIA+/open and affirming topics, as well as quotes from Sunday sermons and information about special events coming up. We also have begun posting short videos from Lana in our church's Facebook group - join it if you haven't already by clicking here! Glenwood Table's pages have remained focused on the weekly podcast episodes entitled "Lectionary in a Human Voice"; group theology conversations about 21st-century Christianity; and Lana's "Sunday Love" reflections.

I can't wait to see you all again when I get to preach in Lana's stead a few times this summer. With gratitude always, Emmie
On a blue and white background, there is white sans serif font that says "Give" and there are two hands, one of which is passing coins to the other.
Online giving

We are connected to an online giving center for churches called tithe.ly. You can give a one-time gift or set up a recurring gift by clicking here.

Please also consider giving memorial flowers so that we can add more beauty to our services. You can sign up by clicking here.

Did you hear the news?

Coffee Hour is Back!

It's true. In case you missed the news, we are having coffee hour again as long as Nassau County CDC Covid numbers stay in the Green.

So bring your favorite treat to share and we'll see you after church!