IN THIS ISSUE . . .

Pastoral Letter

Joys / Concerns

Worship

Summer Faith Formation

Fellowship Events

Service and Mission Opportunities

LINKS and SIGN-UPS

Online Giving

Online Calendar

Phishing & Spoofing



Ways to Give

Sign up to deliver worship flowers

Office volunteers - open dates

From Associate Pastor John Weicher

Friends,

When do you mark the beginning of summer? It may be the end of the school year, with EOGs and EOCs and projects and papers. It may be when the calendar turned to June or Memorial Day arrived, in all its restful glory. It may be when you get to wear shorts to work. It may have been the last Sunday of our Program Year, with the final regular faith formation classes and Confirmation Sunday in worship. Or maybe it sneaks up on you, like the first time you head out for ice cream after dinner or do battle with a stifling hot car on your way to the store. 

               Whatever your marker, I wish you a generous and easy season. May your routines relax. May you get a little more sleep. May you dawdle a little more after lunch. May your flip flops flip and flop down the hall. And if your summer isn’t quite here yet – maybe next year’s budget is due later this month – may you hold on tightly until summer finally reaches you, too.

               At church, you likely know many of the ways our rhythms change. The choir will soon take its leave of us, as we welcome fabulous guest musicians into our worship leadership. Children’s faith formation changes. Faith and Community becomes our summer book series. Youth group goes from Sunday nights to mission trips and youth conferences. (The stock sale letters will arrive soon enough.) With Mindy on sabbatical, we will start to have a fantastic parade of guest preachers – starting this Sunday with Bob Dunham, formerly of University Pres. in Chapel Hill. 

               One of the more subtle gifts of summer, however, is not who isn’t here, but who is – guests and visitors. Maybe it’s someone who’s driven by our new decorated-for-Pride-month front façade. Maybe it’s somebody who just moved to the area. Maybe it’s that friend of a friend who hear about the church downtown. Maybe it’s parents who finally manage to pack up the baby and her stuff in time to roll in at 10:57 am. It is not only our life rhythms that change, but everybody’s. And so, I encourage us to be on the lookout (BOLO, as the kids say) for new folks. Let us introduce ourselves and welcome anyone we don’t recognize. Let’s help them to feel the love of God that we are all about at FPC. And if, in our zeal, we end up welcoming a regular that we just didn’t know – all the better. We’ve made a new friend and have something to laugh about together.

               Welcome to summer, friends. Welcome friends, this summer.

Grace & Peace,

John

JOYS:

• Joe Harvard has returned to his apartment at Atria Southpoint Walk after being in rehab for several weeks at Croasdaile Pavilion.

• Congratulations to Ruth and Russell Roberson who will celebrate their 70^th wedding anniversary on June 19, 2024. They are looking forward to celebrating the occasion with family the following weekend. Ruth and Russell each grew up in rural eastern North Carolina and have spent most of their married life in Durham, with stints in Baltimore, MD, Princeton, NJ, and De Bilt, Holland. They joined First Presbyterian Church in 1985. Earlier this year, Dale Gaddis interviewed the couple for a FPC Spotlight article which you can read again here.

CONDOLENCES: 

The love and concern of the congregation are extended to the following:

• Lenore Champion and family on the death of her uncle, Don Champion.
• Jon and Kim Abels (Grace and Lily) on the death of Jon's father, Weldon L. Abels, who died on June 1st.
• Brown Gardner and family on the death of his wife, Jane Gardner, who died on May 30th. Brown and Jane were former members of FPC. See Jane's obituary here.

CONCERNS:

Ruth Roberson is recovering at home with a broken right hand and sprained left ankle, injuries she received from a fall on May 30. Phone calls and brief visits are welcomed as she recovers.

Mal King will have neck surgery on June 6 at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill.

Sabrina Anwar-Wilson, her sons Weston and Oliver, and her husband Patrick need prayers as the family copes with Sabrina's injuries after being hit by a car. Sabrina is a dear friend of Mary Berry.

Click HERE to see more concerns.

The churchlife app can be used to locate address information for sending cards to individuals and families. Contact the church office for more information.

Dear Sisters & Brothers in Christ,

Our hearts are bursting with gratitude for all the love, concern and prayers you have bestowed on us since Vernon broke his L4 vertebra on Palm Sunday evening. Thank you seems wholly inadequate for all the prayers, cards, visits and the meal train you have blessed us with. Vernon came home Thursday, May 8 and will continue with in-home physical therapy for at least 2 months. This isn't a quick fix but will be a slow, lengthy process.

In Christ,

Beth and Vernon Neece

We are grateful to the following members who organized and/or hosted fellowship events during the month of May:

• Margaret Rubiera organized a successful bagging of rice and beans service project at Iglesia Emanuel Food Pantry on May 11.
• Hendrika Vande Kemp hosted the Things That Matter Book Group in her home on May 14.
• Tyler Momsen-Hudson organized a service project for First Friends with Rebuilding Together Triangle on May 18.
• Brianna Honea Bennett organized a fellowship pop-up yoga class at The Cage on the American Tobacco campus on May 19.
• David and Judy Smith organized a fellowship pop-up bird watching event at Sandy Creek Park on May 25.
• Mickey Velkey organized a luncheon for Day Timers at Bullock's Barbecue on May 28.

We wish to thank the following officers (Class of 2024) for their service on the Session and Diaconate for the past three years. We applaud you for a job well done!

Ruling Elders

Stephen Berry

**Conrad Carter

Leah Graves

Fred Moore

Beth Stringfield

Julie Whiddon

Emily Wilkins

Deacons

Jennie Belle

Teddie Brown

Jean Cary

George Gentithes

Mark Higgins

Jancy Johnstone

Elizabeth Jones

**Julio Manceras

Grace Mbugua

** re-elected to serve another full or partial term

The following persons were ordained (*) and installed as officers during worship on Sunday, June 2:

Class of 2027 Ruling Elders

Al Arrowood

*Michael Bacon

*Kathy Conner

*Mimi Dunn

Laura Hanson

*Jordan Jones

Mary-Jo Keenan

*Josh Walters

Class of 2027 Deacons

*Matthew Eggleston

*Kerry Holbrook

*Ann Huff

David Lorimer

Julio Manceras

*Bill Wigger

Class of 2025 Deacon

*Lexy Rile

Izzy Allison-Pleasants was elected to serve in the Class of 2027 and will be ordained and installed as a deacon at a future date.

WEAR ORANGE

The NC Council of Churches invites area congregations to observe National Gun Violence Awareness Day and Wear Orange Weekend to honor survivors of gun violence. The 10th National Gun Violence Awareness Day is June 7, kicking off Wear Orange Weekend from June 7-9.

Sunday, June 9

11:00 a.m.

Worship with Communion

Bob Dunham, preaching

Bob is the pastor emeritus of University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill, a congregation he served as pastor form 1991 until 2017. This August will mark the 50th anniversary of his ordination as a Presbyterian pastor. He and his wife, Marla, have two adult children and two grandchildren.

This summer, FPC will offer one Faith Formation class on

Sunday mornings for children

from 9:45-10:45 a.m. on the second floor of the Christian education building.

Journeys Class

is taking a break this summer. You are encouraged to join another adult faith formation class meeting on Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m. The Journeys class will return after Labor Day.

FAITH & COMMUNITY CLASS

Summer Series

The Ballot and the Bible

9:45-10:45 a.m.

in Watts-Hill Hall

FPC’s Racial Equity Task Force chose The Ballot and the Bible as part of our goal this election year to focus on advocacy and education. Different FPC members will be leading the discussions each week as we work our way through how the Bible has been used on both sides of nearly every political discussion from colonial times through the latest political rhetoric. We will of course also wrestle with the question “where do we go from here?” Please join us!

On July 7 we’ll be joined by the author Kaitlyn Schiess, a doctoral student at Duke Divinity School.



Last Sunday, June 2, we asked you to read the introduction “Is that your Bible?”, the first chapter “A City on a Hill”, and Chapter 2 “Submission and Revolution”. If you haven’t had a chance to buy the book yet, you can read the first two sections at--

https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Ballot_and_the_Bible/L5SYEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover

Also, in preparation for this study, listen in the media for political references to the Bible. 

Lectionary Class

Join us each Sunday at 9:45 in the Robert Daye Meeting Room for discussion of the lectionary readings.

on June 9: In an ancient version of a negative campaign ad, the prophet Samuel tells the people all of the bad things that a king will do to them. Why doesn’t it convince them? Have kings and rulers changed in the past 3000 years?

on June 16: "We walk by faith, not by sight." Paul was not the most obvious choice as an apostle, as David was not the most obvious choice as king. But God knows what we do not understand, God sees what we do not see, and God works in ways that are mysterious to us. What does God see in you?

FPC Men of Faith will meet on Friday, June 7 at 8:00 a.m. at the Mad Hatters restaurant for breakfast and conversation. New faces are welcome to join us.

Acknowledging our

2024 Graduates!

FPC will be acknowledging the Class of 2024 graduates during worship on

Sunday, June 9. If you or someone in your family or household graduates from college or high school this spring, help us share the good news with the congregation. Please submit graduate information to Valerie McMillian by end of day on Tuesday, June 4. Thank you.

Sunday, June 16

11:00 a.m. Worship

Esther Hethcox, preaching

New members will be introduced and welcomed during worship. If you are ready to join FPC, please let Esther Hethcox know so she can arrange for you to meet with the Session.

MnMs (Meaning in the Middle) Fellowship

Meaning in the Middle is a group who talks about how to find God and meaning in the middle of wherever we are: as Christians, as professionals, as friends and family, as parents, as middle-of-life adults (whatever that circumstance might look like for you).

Month of June: Join us each Sunday evening in June via Zoom at 8:00 p.m. The Zoom link is sent to the group's listserv on Sunday afternoons. 

Our monthly gathering will be happening THIS SATURDAY, June 8, from 3:00-5:00 p.m. We will be doing a send-off for the House family as they prepare to move this summer. The Houses have been members of FPC and MnM/Scratch for a long time, so we'd love to get a good crew together to wish them well.  The gathering will be a snack potluck, so please bring something to share with the group. NOTE: the location is still to be determined.

We will not meet (no Zoom fellowship) on Sunday evenings in July and August. We will return after Labor Day.

To learn more about this group, contact Mary Berry or Emily Diy.

The Things That Matter Book Group will meet on Tuesday, June 11 at 6:00 p.m. at the home of Barbara Buckley (3019 Annandale Rd, Durham). That's in the Lochnora subdivision and there is plenty of street parking on Annandale and Chelmsford. 

Please let Barbara know whether you will bring a salad or a dessert to share. The aim is to have more salads than desserts. And not too many green salads.

If you'll let Barbara know what you are planning to bring by Saturday, we'll have time to make adjustments as needed. Barbara will provide rolls and drinks.

Landscaping and Grounds Workday

Saturday, June 15

9:00 a.m. - 12 Noon

Join Barbara Buckley and her crew of volunteers as they work to beautify the grounds of FPC. New hands always welcome. For details on the work to be done contact Barbara.

FIRST FRIENDS

June 22

First Friends Potluck hosted by

Jane Wettach & Paul Baldasare

July 26

First Friends Potluck hosted by

Jane & Bill Brown

August 17

First Friends Potluck

hosted by Deborah &Tyler

Momsen-Hudson

We encourage the congregation to support the following community event:

Thursday, July 4 - join fellow FPC members at the annual community reading at Stagville of Frederick Douglass' Fourth of July address, "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July."  It is from 10 - 11 AM (bring chairs). Here is the link

https://historicsites.nc.gov/news/events/frederick-douglass-community-reading-2024

FELLOWSHIP DATES

Time and location TBA

Sunday, August 11 

Summer Sizzle

Saturday, November 16 

Awesome Autumn

Sunday, December 15 

Advent Potluck & Sing-Along

Volunteer Opportunities at Urban Ministries of Durham

Jen McGonigle (202-421-5870) needs to step down as our coordinator with Urban Ministries of Durham. If you are interested in serving in this role, please let her know. Contact her as well if you can volunteer in one or more opportunities below:

• Friday, June 21, prepare and serve breakfast, 7 - 9 a.m. (4 volunteers)
• Monday, June 17, prepare lunch bags, 9:30-10:30 a.m.  (3 volunteers)
• Thursday, June 27, prepare lunch bags, 9:30-10:30 a.m.  (3 volunteers)

Other UMD opportunities:

 https://umdurham.org/volunteer/

Care Team for Franzi and Keith Rokoske

The First Presbyterian congregation has a long history of providing care for our members in need. How can we help Franzi and Keith? 

Immediately – the best way to help them right now is through the ongoing Meal Train. You can donate Door Dash dollars or sign up to bring them a meal using this link: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/zo1l6o.

Long-term – A care team is being organized which will allow many people to help, doing what they can do best, when they can do it. Join us to learn about care teams in general and Franzi and Keith’s Care at an in-person meeting on Sunday, June 9, right after worship in Watts-Hill Hall.

If you would like to be added to the Rokoske Care Team email list now, please send Christyn Klinck (cfklinck@gmail.com) an email with the subject line “Rokoske Care Team” and she’ll make sure you receive more information directly by email.